Blood Moon

Dimyri felt her breath go when the dagger was inserted into her, strangely enough it she sensed no pain only shock. Despite turning to see the handle sticking out from her back, she hadn't the air in her to scream or the tears to drain from her eyes, only the dawning realization of what happened. He stabbed her, she was bleeding and now she noticed a strange glow engulfing her body and blinding the rest. The seal was broken, when the light began to fade it had left a Nekomata in its place. Only then did the pain of her injury become acknowledged by her body through a gradual increase as she found herself biting her tongue before folding over muttering an extended growl.

Emyri felt her heart freeze in place when her maternal instincts kicked in, through unfathomable speed she found herself clawing at Perdilius before his hand let go of the dagger as he began to defend himself. She could not think, she could not speak, she could only feel the intense feeling of failure and remorse fueling her, guiding her every move. But it was in vain, her actions would not be the source to stop him. With one swift punch to her chest, Emyri found herself flying back to the opposite of the room. Leone jumped in time to catch her, breaking her impact using his own body as her cushion. Both would crash against the wall when the floor began to crack.

The blue aura surrounding her sisters had formed a hold around Dimyri at last now that her seal was no more, and so the ritual had finally begun. KuliKuli and Syri could only watch as the three girls were levitated from their platforms and bounded into tight spheres from this blue magic. Perdilius felt his smile begin to hurt his facial muscles, he spread his arms wide and lifted his head to face the sky and shout as the others bared witness to his victory. Some of the Nekomata girls cried in fear as the ground surrounding platforms the siblings were chained onto were suddenly broken and sucked up from the beneath them.

Dimyri glanced up and saw the ground breaking apart, a surge of energy piercing through the stone like ice chipping from its source. Some of the Nekomata girls were **** from the fight along with a few of the remaining followers of the priest. Before the aura engulfed her head, she managed to shout one last warning. "Save the others! Tell Nyitzcha-!"

But alas, the aura had taken hold of her completely as she became a struggling prisoner. Three beams of light **** their way from the ground below, catching the sisters by a mix of fear and shock. It was as if three mouths had formed beneath them and began hungrily devouring the stone around. Felix squinted as he realized those weren't teeth surrounding them, those were limbs. Dozens of arms and hands reaching out, but neither held the tone of skin that they could recognize. Each one emitting a soft white hue, almost calming in its color scheme while a sky blue aura surrounded each limb.

"Oh god, those are souls!" Janette's voice quivered as she stepped back, pressing herself against the wall.

Emyri grabbed Leone and pointed to the others. "Quickly! Grab who you can, take them to the bottom of the tower as fast as you can! No man or cat will be left behind!"

"I-I can't believe he did it." One Nekomata said aloud, falling to her knees. Emyri picked her up and placed each palm beside her head, leaning in until their foreheads touched.

"He hasn't won yet, right now focus on your family. Go!" She demanded, releasing her and reaching to help another Nekomata carry her friend. "Go now!"

Felix glanced over Spi'Reto, both men traded a worried look. They heard what Dimyri said, but neither had agreed to this backup plan. Both men nodded as Felix began helping pick up the other wounded. He went over to help Zimi with one, turning an **** cat girl over when her eyes flew open. His heart jumped when he noticed she wore the collar on her neck, however her eyes were wide and frightened, dancing around as she began to hyperventilate.

"Who are you? Where am I?" She squealed, baring her claws as Felix raised his hands and pulled back.

Zimi moved in, making hush sounds as she placed her paw over the girls chest to calm her down. "You're okay, he's here to help. Can you walk?"

She placed her paw over Zimi's and nodded, quickly gathering herself as Zimi calmly explained to her the need of helping the others to escape. Felix stood back and ran his hand through his brown hair, looking around he noticed that the two golems fell under the weight like falling rocks as if the magic inside them suddenly vanished. The other girls were acting the same as the first; scared, sad, or paralyzed. He felt awful not about the state they were in, but the urgency of the situation that they simply couldn't help them... yet. It wasn't the top priority, saving their lives is more important. He ran around and helped gather more Nekomata's as the large cracks in the stone began growing farther along the chamber.

From three floors below, Reta moved her head aside as the sword stabbed into the wall before delivering a knee into Mesa's gut, followed by a punch to the face. She was about to continue the attack when the wall beside her split apart by a white rift as multiple arms lunged out to grab her. She yelped and swung her sword at them, but the sharp metal passed through as if it had sliced through water. It disrupted the figure only slightly, but it did nothing to faze or wound it. Mesa smiled and took advantage with a lunge, catching Reta by surprise with an audible gasp. Looking down, the sword had sunk rather deep into her stomach with her hands clasped around it to prevent further entrance.

"What a drag, I thought you would know to keep an eye on your opponent." Her words further impacted the uncomfortable pain in Reta's abdomen, she couldn't respond as a mix of grunts and moans left her lips. Mesa stepped forward, pressing her weapon in as Reta moved backwards by instinct until her back pressed onto the wall. The collision allowed the sword to release itself partially from her body, Mesa drew it back as Reta felt herself fall to her left. She found herself leaning against an unglazed window. Her crotch and right thigh where beginning to grow wet.

"B-Bitch move." She coughed, feeling her strength leave her over each passing second. Pressing her hand along her wound, she tried to crawl away when Mesa pinned her against the wall facing the open view. A unique red glow shined through announcing its presence as both women turned to stare.

"He did it, the blood moon is here and with it begins the cleansing of sin."

"Blood moon..." Norowa felt a trickle of liquid escape from the corner of her lip, running down her chin and neck as she followed along and gazed at the red moon outside. The blood moon, just the appearance alone looked like a mixture of something so angelic and yet terrifying to exist.

"That's right, the yearly eclipse is now and today in this day of the demon begins a new age for all of gods creatures. Whatever is causing this strange phenomenon around the tower must originate from the ritual taking place above our heads. Their kind have lost."

Reta ignored her words, eyes half closed with the view of the red eclipse moon reflecting off her eyes. It began in her legs, that icy cold feeling like water slowling inching from her toes to her thighs on continuing movement. Her hands had fallen on her lap, or did she move them on her own? She couldn't recall, her body felt as if it were not her own anymore. All she could focus on, all that remained in her mind was the sight of the blood moon. So gentle, so delicate... so soothing.

Her heart stopped beating as she felt her body begin to tingle.

Suddenly she felt a rush of breath escape her lungs as her body pushed forward, almost as if it pulsed. Mesa looked puzzled, adjusting her weapon as Reta looked past her out the window. With one hand she lifted her to her feet while raising the edge of her blade until it touched her breast. She wasn't certain whether she should begin her victory speech or just be upset by how anticlimactic this kill would be, Reta didn't seem too worried at all despite the pool of blood forming at her feet. She appeared to be fixated onto the full red moon shining its rays of light through. Her chest moved in and out as she began to draw in short gasps of breathe, her hazel eyes lost their color as they began to shift to a more yellow tone and her face began to grow pale.

"What the hell are you?" Mesa questioned her.

This woman had begun almost hyperventilating, not the reaction she would assume someone at deaths door would have. She pressed the sword forward. Her eyes grew wide when Reta caught the blade with her hand, now baring her sharp canine teeth and snarling back at her. With the twist of her hand, the sword snapped in two. Mesa stepped back and released her hold on her, witnessing this woman before her begin to growl and twitch in pain. She folded over like paper, falling to her knees and clutching her chest as she could feel her heart racing. Her body continued to pulse, expanding yet restricted from the confinement of her sweating body. Her hand dug into the hard stone wall, breaking apart a few stones as her nails grew twice their size. They formed a narrow point and began to surround her fingertips, their color growing darker and darker as her hand began to grow fur. In time, the fur became thick enough to conceal the change of her hand transforming into a paw, with Reta falling forward on all fours as her wolf tail sprouted from her pants tearing away at the fabric. Her wolf ears twitched atop her head, her tail swept from side to side and she tore away whatever rags clung to her naked body before growling fiercely with her eyes settled on the maid. The bleeding had stopped, and now Norowa Reta stood on all fours releasing the air from her lungs as her teeth fixated toward her prey. Mesa lost her balance and fell back, shivering as Reta inhaled deeply before lifting her head back, howling to signal the wolf's return.

"OWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Back on top, most of the chamber ground had torn apart yet mysteriously remained floating nearby. One soldier took a wrong step and fell to the ground, frantically reaching for any grip before he slipped through the rift. Before he fell, Leone caught his hand in time and with a sudden grunt pulled the man back up from the edge. Both men exchanged a puzzled look when they heard the howl from below.

Everyone turned their heads at that moment with even Perdilius momentarily losing focus and looking around in search of that noise. Felix could feel his stomach jump around as he and Janette shared one knowing look. Spi'Reto stood up from Raz and released an arrow, this time striking Perdilius on his shoulder grabbing his attention. The elf grinned and made a fist in triumph, moving in and leaping over the soul rift as his feet landed onto the platform where the girls and Perdilius stood.

"You will not postpone your judgement!" Perdilius swung his arm, nearly striking Spi'Reto when he slid across the ground. In a hurry, he reached to grab Syri when the energy field zapped his hand. He threw his hand back and found himself being lifted off the floor, held over the Giants head before being thrown over the edge. Something grabbed his hand, preventing him from falling into the spirit hands. He glanced up to catch Na'Vi struggling to hold onto the wall with her claws, her tails wrapped tightly around his forearm. She swung him to the side where Janette and Emyri caught him.

"Are you trying to make your mother mad?" Emyri asked in a raised voice, patting him down to check for bruises.

Spi'Reto smiled back and lifted the book Vardare into Janette's hands. "Trying to make her proud."

Felix lept from one platform to another, arriving to the main stand where the ritual stood. All three girls stared helplessly as Perdilius turned his head and locked eyes with him. The platforms had began to sway to the side in slow movement, as if to circle around them. Perdilius stepped forward, looking down on the farmer boy who challenged him.

"You're doing this once more? Repeating the same action hoping for a different result, you must be insane to fight me alone."

"No, not alone. Not like you." Felix responded as Nyitzcha and Spi'Reto arrived to stand beside him. Leone who had been helping guide everyone out from the chambers and down the tower turned back to catch sight of what was happening. Janette opened up her book and hurried back to where it was safer alongside Ori'chi, Emyri and Leone.

Spi'Reto reached for his father's dagger and planted his feet, leaning forward in his fighting stance. Nyitzcha reached for her sack and held a ball of putty in her hand. Felix bared his carnivorous teeth and lept forward, running on all fours when Perdilius caught him by the throat with ease. Spi'Reto hurried in to assist when Perdilius threw Felix at him, knocking both men aside with a hoarse laugh. He would be disrupted by a sudden blast to his arm, leaving his shoulder charred.

Nyitzcha weighed a small pouch before turning it upside down, allowing tiny marbles to scatter along the floor. Perdilius watched in amusement when two marbles touched, causing tiny explosions like fireworks erupting at his feet. He stomped his boots down, crumbling stone before charging like a bull to the dwarf and ignoring the blasts continuing around him. Nyitzcha gasped as he plucked her from the ground like a ball raising her five feet in the air. She curled up, raising her knees and crossing her arms before taking the full impact of his swing hurling her into the wall behind her with immense **** causing her to cough blood.

"Nyitzcha!" Perdilius spun around as Felix slashed at his chest, using his claws to slice at the giant before his hands were clasped and he were lifted up in the air. Felix winced as his arms were pulled on opposite sides, feeling his shoulders groan and his muscles stiffen as his heart began to pound. Perdilius raised his brow waiting for the man to scream just as a dagger pierced through his thigh. He cried out in pain, dropping Felix and lunging out at Spi'Reto who frantically danced around his attacks one after another. Nyitzcha crawled toward her husband, nudging him and feeling relief when he opened his eyes.

Perdilius continued swinging his arms around, missing his opponent on and on. Spi'Reto could only focus on not being hit, but the flurry of attacks refused to grant him the opportunity to strike back. Suddenly, the priest would find his leg throbbing in pain, glancing down to catch Na'Vi biting his other thigh. He kicked her away, allowing Spi'Reto to dash in and sink his dagger into his chest. The Giant felt his eye twitch in pain, the young man smiling as he felt his shoulders drop in relief, only to have his hope fade as he realized the size of this giant meant that his skin proved to be thicker than a normal human. His dagger did not cut deep enough to reach his heart. He looked up to see a fist flying toward him, crushing his cheek and sending him along the floor ****.

Felix and Nyitzcha hurried to their feet, his wife tossing another ball to ignite upon touching Perdilius' back. This angered him, he leaned back with an angered growl as he spun around and began throwing a barrage of punches at the duo. Felix would duck and move back, Nyitzcha stumbled and fell back when her husband picked her up in his arms to rescue her from the fist with burrowed into stone.

Janette scanned the words Vardare wrote to her, glancing back at the fight before them. "I can't do anything unless I'm at the lectern myself! You have to get him off!"

"He's not my type, any other option?" Felix shouted back.

"Er, lad?" Nyitzcha pointed to his feet. He looked down as the stone bricks began to sink under and submerge. He grabbed Nyitzcha's hand as suddenly they began to fall under, landing into the floor below with Perdilius falling forward and joining them in the crash.

"That works." Janette muttered, closing Vardare and preparing to jump across.

Perdilius brushed the debris off his head and frantically looked around, Felix held Nyitzcha in his arms as they froze behind him. Na'Vi dropped down to join them, everyone stared at the restless panting Grizzly Bear Girl with her paws pressed onto the ceiling next to the hole. "Grew tired... tried climbing."

Mesa stumbled backward, frantically evading claw after claw, nearly falling once or twice struggling to find something, anything to use as a weapon. Reta pushed to her advantage, her sharp teeth exposed as she lept from surface to surface dancing around the maid. Mesa threw one kick, just one, finding it between two paws before being thrown back down the stairs. Down and down she went, rolling backwards injuring herself before landing on her back with a thump to her head. She opened her eyes to find many other Nekomata's staring back at her, most wearing their collars around them with the Demon's Eye embedded to the front. She gasped as Reta made her presence be known with a low growl, scurrying back on her hands and feet before pointing at the werewolf in front of them.

"G-Get her! Fight her now!" She demanded, her voice quivering as the bruises on her face began to leak red. None of the Nekomata's bothered to move, most kept staring at her with a fire in their eyes. Mesa looked around, wondering why they weren't fighting each other as her master had commanded. The stones, the stones on their collars were dim without a spark or glow to them. She squeaked and reached into her pocket for a stone to prove her fears, much to their delight.

"Looks like you're all out of tricks, no magic to save your butt this time." Reta snarled, the corner of her lip forming a malicious grin. Her eyes glowed in a yellow color, hypnotic like the moonlight. The shadows crept around her form as she stepped into the light, her hips swaying with every step, the tone of her lean body glistening with sweat and dried blood, the hunger in her eyes as her tongue slid slowly between her lips from one end to the other. Mesa pressed her body into the ground as two paws pressed next to her head, Reta lowering herself on top of her before planting a seat on her hips. She noticed Mesa's eyes staring at the scar on her shoulder, it made her giggle in delight.

"You know what this means, don't you? Just one itsy bitsy little nibble is enough to make you just like me. How about it, cutie? Is this werewolf enough to be sport to you now? I'm ready to play, are you?" Reta leaned in, opening wide as Mesa focused on her sharp canine fangs. If she were to curse her, she would become one of them. No magic, no pets, no guards to save her. Would this be her fate? She couldn't respond anymore, her muscles refused to listen to her. Her blood pumped madly across her body, her heart dancing as if to stomp out a fire. No, this can't be it. This can't be.

"Um?" One of the girls mumbled out, nudging the wolf by her arm. Reta turned around, annoyed as Ori'chi pointed at the maid below her. One look was enough to make her laugh, she shook her head and got up from her, wiping the drool off her chin.

She sighed and began walking up the stairs calmly, waving her tail side by side drawing eyes to her cute, firm ass jiggling with each step. Ori'chi watched her walk away as another cat girl leaned forward and poked at the maid.

"She went and fainted on her."

Ori'chi shrugged and the girls lifted Mesa up, carrying her with them as they made their escape.