The hair on the back of Yasha's neck rose, and she fought the brief urge to scent the air like a hound. The evil aura around the dark robed priests was nearly palpable, but she also felt another, unpleasantly familiar essence from them that nearly made her forget her ruse: the iciness of dark necromancy.
By the time she felt sure of the feeling, however, they were ringed around the dais where she and her companions stood. Worse, the villagers had gathered at the very edge as well, the most daring standing within a few feet of the priests. Any action on her part would no doubt get some of the innocents of the village caught in the aftermath. Her fingers brushed against Duty's sheath incessantly, but she held her peace.
As she turned to see where all of the priests were moving, she took another look at her companions. Valen stood, still and tense, fixing first one priest then another with an icy blue stare. Even his tail had stopped its usual motion, and tucked tensely close to his legs. Nathyrra was also tense as the priests encircled them. It obviously rubbed the wrong way to let their foes get in such a superior tactical position. Poised on the balls of her feet, her red eyes flicked from one foe to the next, and she spared Yasha only a brief, meaningful glance. Yasha shook her head briefly, which evoked a small frown but no comment from the drow. Deekin watched them nervously, edging around slightly as the priests moved to make sure one of his more melee oriented companions would be between him and the closest priest. He looked both grim and determined, however, and his scaly face looked most alien at these times, when he prepared for battle.
When the priests stood still and turned toward the dais as one, Yasha turned back towards the temple where a cowled figure, obviously the leader, stepped forward off of the stairs and addressed them all.
"The gong has sounded," he intoned, raising his hands dramatically. "A Ceremony has been called for. Vix'thra turns his ancient gaze upon us. Mighty is the will of Vix'thra and great is his hunger." He paused, and Yasha could nearly feel the shudders of the villagers around the dais. All remained deathly silent. It might have been true reverence, if not for the stench of raw fear in the air. "Vix'thra, Sage Protector, our Safeguard against all peril... To thee we offer one of our own! Are there any here who wish to serve the will of Vix'thra?"
He pulled his cowl back, ignoring the villagers all around in favor of the four that stood before the gong. To Yasha's surprise, he revealed neither a desiccated, dried face nor even bare bones. His face was full and apparently human, though very pale indeed. She met his gaze across the few yards that separated them. It wasn't the cold, lifeless eyes of a lich. It was stern and powerful. It was compelling. Doubt crept into her, displacing the anger and determination for a few confused moments. Had she misjudged the priests? Were they actually only doing what was necessary to ensure the safety of the villagers? Perhaps she should cooperate, after all. Perhaps that sacrifice was the best and only way she could truly help these poor villagers.
The head priests sneered; a feral look that bared his fangs. Yasha shuddered. It was if some unseen claw at her throat was suddenly shaken off. A brief shock of fearful revulsion went through her. They were vampires. She gripped Duty's hilt briefly to reassure herself. Tilting her chin back, she steeled herself as she stepped forward. "I would," she said carefully, "be most disappointed if you tried to take anyone but myself in this Ceremony."
Behind her, she heard Nathyrra hiss briefly with disapproval. Valen also made a low, nearly growling sound before he spoke. "Be careful," he warned. Yasha nodded once, not taking her eyes off of the vampire before her.
The priest frowned at her briefly, and she felt the pressure in his gaze increase. Self-doubt and an urge to submit willingly to the sacrifice crept into her soul once more, but now she knew their source and with a short prayer to Torm for aid, she summoned her will to meet his. A foreign and repugnant picture formed in her mind of her meekly submitting to the priests. Gritting her teeth, she summoned the words of the litany of virtues, reciting in her mind the stanzas of courage, hope, and duty. She might indeed die by this creature's hands, but she would never go willingly to the slaughter. She had just started on the fourth verse when, abruptly, the silent battle of wills ended, and a slow, mocking smile spread across his face.
"Vix'thra approves of his servant," he declared, motioning to the cowled figures at either side. "Priests!"
"Boss!" Deekin hissed. "Is you going to let them take you inside?"
She nodded, and spoke quietly and quickly as the priests approached. "Yes, but I'd appreciate it if you three don't let me stay there by myself for too long. Don't let the doors close behind me."
"When will we know to come?" Nathyrra asked, her voice heavy with alarm and disapproval
"Don't worry," Valen growled, "Knowing Yasha, I doubt the sign will be too subtle to notice."
Yasha flashed him a half-grin, and turned towards the priests that moved solemnly towards her. She nodded to them, and without a word they started escorting her towards the dark temple. The villagers remained silent as the procession filed past. Among the grim faces, she saw the woman and child they had just spoken with. The woman looked at her with disbelief and sadness, and the little girl with the same empty hopelessness as before. She spared them a wink, enjoying the older woman's startled expression before turning her eyes somberly before her once again.
She fixed her eyes at the robed figure that climbed the stairs before her. She didn't bother to pretend to be a meek and willing lamb being led to the slaughter. This one already knew differently. Instead, she kept her head up and marched defiantly up the stairs, and straight into the huge doorway. Once they were in the foyer of the great building, the head priest turned again, and sneered again at her defiant posture. Most of the priests filed past and into the shadowed interior, but two deceptively small figures stayed at either side of the paladin.
"Strip this one and bring it to my chambers," the head priest said brusquely to the two figures that flanked her. "Vix'thra grows impatient with us and we must sacrifice a victim to the pit with no delay."
"Yes, Master Sodalis," the one to her right intoned.
Yasha seethed. Strip her indeed. Her hand was already clasping around Duty's hilt when the vampire turned another stare in her direction. A weight like steel bands snapped over her arms and body. He reached out a cold hand and patted her cheek lightly, and despite how much she strained to smack it away, she found she could not.
"You'll cooperate, won't you?"
Yasha struggled to say one of the many rather vile things that popped into her head but found she could not even move her lips. She managed only a small growl at him when he showed his fangs in another taunting smile before walking off and up some nearby stairs. The priest to her right pulled her arm and tried to lead her forward into the temple. To either side, the massive metal doors began to slowly close. She fought desperately, hoping her companions would not wait for a signal, and just managed to keep herself still, though drawing her blade was still beyond her. She furrowed her brow at the priest.
"No."
He turned back at her, and the weak light from the village below showed his face for the first time – another pale, and deceptively human one.
"Come."
The compulsion seemed to be weakening, and she pushed harder against it. "No," she repeated, only slightly louder.
"You will be stripped and prepared for the sacrifice," he repeated slowly, apparently puzzled to see any resistance at all. She felt another, less powerful compulsion try to lay over her mind, but it was nothing compared to the previous one, and she shrugged it off even as the more powerful one waned. She gave him what was no doubt a highly unpleasant smile.
"Stripped? How rude. We've only just met." The other priest now stood back from her, and she could feel his silent gaze upon her as well. The astonishment on his face was somewhat gratifying, though she surely wished she were certain she could follow up on her willful resistance. Still, she saw the doors were half closed, and knew her time was short.
"You WILL feed Master Sodalis, and your bones given to the mighty Vix'thra."
"You seem rather repetitive today. Or are you always like this?" she replied, managing to finally shake his grip off of her arm. "Let me repeat myself as well. No, I won't. Besides, I've become rather attached to my bones."
He snarled and reached out for her again. Yasha was unable to get her arm to her side to draw her sword, but she was able to pull her arm up to backhand him. In his contempt for the young woman, he made no move to avoid her blow. Of course, he didn't expect it to have the power of an ogre's strength behind it either. She had a moment to register the surprised and pained look on his face as he flew back from her before she used her freed arm to pull Duty from her sheath. Cleansing power surged up her arm, and a metallic tone rang through the dark temple as the holy sword came free from her sheath. The last of the compulsion was swept away as Duty's holy fire sprang to life, and the paladin spun, catching the second priest off guard.
She caught sight of her companions bounding up the stairs before the two guards flanking the doors closed on her and blocked her view. Behind her, she heard the other priest recover from her blow and began reciting and invocation. The battle for the dark temple had begun.