Stopping a Cult: Delay The Fury

//DISCLAIMER: Some of the content featured in this post may be unsettling, or disturbing to some readers. The streets of Ponyville had quieted down significantly compared to the afternoon buzz, and bumble. Where the streets had been filled with ponies trying to get from here to there just a few hours ago they were now largely empty, and quiet. The sun's light had stopped illuminating the streets thirty minutes ago, and the street lamps were all that provided light for the nighttime travelers. For others this may have made things difficult, but for Nar the lack of natural light was very helpful. With all the grace of a pebble being kicked across a cobblestone road a straw hatted unicorn slinks through the streets of Ponyville, making his way towards the Library near the center of town. At the moment the Library was still undergoing repairs, and had been blocked off by locked doors, and police/guard tape. That didn't stop the snake-men, and it wasn't going to stop Nar. The sorcerer fumbles about around the library as he searches for any sort of entrance. Upon finding an unmarked back door Nar uses his noggin, and simply smashes the lock with a rock to gain access. Nar never claimed to be the most intelligent person. That's why he was a sorcerer, and not a wizard. The door slowly, yet quietly slips open allowing Nar access to the library. He slinks into the building, and quietly closes the door behind him. Not that it would do him any good since he went and smashed the lock, but whatever. Peace of mind. The wide open space of the Library's lobby was a familiar sight to Nar. He'd spent many exhausting hours in this library long ago. Now looking at the abundance of books just made his head hurt. Nar was a fighter, not a reader. Yet another reason why he was not in fact, a wizard. Now that he was inside Nar had to figure out where the snake-men ran off to. He knew they came here after their 'hunts' every few nights, but what did they do when they came here? Where did they go? Where we they now? Why hadn't they come out tonight? So many questions with answers that Nar's empty brain couldn't fathom to guess. Well, that was why he was here. To get answers, and hopefully stop whatever it was they were doing along the way. Nar roams up and down the aisles of the unlit library with a torch held in his magical grasp. He's careful to avoid letting his torch come too close to any of the shelves, or the books on them. He wasn't about to destroy this library a second time. Nar's aimless wandering grants him no information on the snake-men, or their whereabouts. Just row, after row of books. For a moment Nar pauses in the children's section. There's a book with a picture of a dragon on the front. He doesn't bother to read the title, and picks up the book to read it. He puts the book back after the second page shows the dragon playing tic-tac-toe with some sort of big blue alicorn lady/guy. She/he looked important, but Nar didn't really care. A voice causes Nar to quickly extinguish his torch, and hide among the bookcases. He can't quite make out what the first voice is saying, but the second one he hears is much clearer. "Sweet chaos, dear brother." The sound of a wooden door opening permeates through the silence of the library. Nar spends around twenty seconds in silence simply waiting before deciding to investigate. He reaches the source of the voices to find the lobby still very much empty. Heaving a frustrated sigh the bulky sorcerer goes to sit on one of the many chairs dotted around the lobby. He begins to lean back in the chair, but it quickly falls sending Nar crashing to the floor. While Nar is busy trying to scramble back up to his feet/hooves a voice comes from below. "What sound commands both beauty, and power?" Nar tenses up for a moment before he's able to squeeze out a sentence in his best impression of Emperor Palpatine. "Sweet chaos, dear brother." Nar waits patiently for some sort of secret door to open up. He had to have been right. He'd heard one of the snake-men say the same thing less than a minute ago. A group of floorboards slowly opens from in front of Nar, and the head of a snake-man peeks out from below. Without a second thought Nar conjures up a sizable rock, and smashes the snake-man's forehead. The snake-man collapses into the darkness below, and Nar quickly slides in to finish the job. Without any light to guide him Nar trips over the snake-man, and falls face first onto the stone staircase below. He's able to stop himself from completely tumbling down the stairs, and quickly sprawls to find the snake man. His hooves smack a the limp snake-man. Figuring this meant the thing was dead Nar slowly climbs over the snake-man, and closes the hatch behind him. He sets the snake-man against the left wall, and lights a torch to continue downwards. The staircase took Nar around 30 seconds to descend. The smooth stone staircase giving way to a flat stone floor. The walls, and ceiling appeared to be just as smooth as the floor save for the occasional carving in the walls. The symbol of a winged wyrm with a woman's head, and upper body. The same as the one the snake-men wore. This has to be it. This has to be where they're taking the missing citizens. He's sure of it. Nar can only hope they're still alive if they're even here. Five minutes of walking down a dark, empty corridor, and Nar can see light up ahead. not only that, but he can hear voices. The familiar hisses, and quiet,low voices of the snake-men become clearer, and clearer as Nar approaches the lights. Once he's snuffed his torch Nar is able to hear what the voices are saying. "The fuel hasssss been gathered, and the ritesssss of preparation preformed! Rejoicccce brotherssss! Ssssooon we shall meet our ssssavior!" Nar enters a dimly lit room with torches dotting the walls every 30 feet. In front of him he can see three snake-men, and two gryphons. One of the snake-men appears to be standing behind some sort of altar, with the two gryphons beside him. The other two snake-men appear to be carrying weapons. To their left is a pit the size of a small pool. It's too dark for Nar to see what's inside. There's a second pit on the right side of the altar. This one appears to have been filled with water. "Bring the firsssst!" The snake-man at the altar commands. The two gryphons head over to the left pit, and reach inside. They come up with a stallion in their grasp. He wriggles, and pleads with the gryphons to let him go. They place him upon the altar. The altar snake-man raises his hands. Nar spots the glint of a dagger in his right hand. "INTRUDER!" The altar-snake man's left arm shoots out to point at Nar. The other two snake-men turn, and draw their weapons. Nar prepares himself for a fight, but can't help but watch as the altar snake-man's right arm comes down forcibly. One of the other two snake-men obscures Nar's vision just before a pained scream fills the caverns. A sickening lump forms in Nar's throat. His heart skips a beat. Then they are upon him. A flurry of sword slashes, and spear thrusts with Nar as the target. With a quick motion Nar scoops a chunk of stone out of the ground, and uses it to coat his right foreleg, and shoulder. He leans forwards, and ducks his head to avoid the slashes and stabs. A spear tip shoots past Nar's head, and causes Nar's hat to fall off of his head. He retaliates by grabbing the spear, and rending it from the snake-man's grasp. Something splashes into the pool on the right, and the screams stop. Another voice pleads, but is ignored. It's a mare. The altar snake-man says a prayer to someone, or something called "The Fury", and the screams of a mare follow shortly afterwards. Nar tosses the spear behind him, and charges forwards to attack the now unarmed snake-man. He lands a rock coated punch into the creature's abdomen, only for a dagger to pierce his front left leg. Nar pushes himself off of the snake-man, and catches a scimitar slash to his back. He reels backwards, and launches his stone coating at the snake-man to his right. It sends the snake-man tumbling into the pool following a second splash. Voices begin to call out from the left pit. Crying out for help. For someone to save them. Someone was here. Someone who wasn't a snake-man. He, or she could help them. He, or she could save them. More pleading. More screaming. More splashes. Nar knows someone is loosing their life with each scream. He so desperately wants to stop the ritual. To save those who are left, but he has two snake-men of his own to worry about. They have to go before Nar can even think about stopping the ritual. A desperate rage wells up within Nar's body, and he begins an offensive against the two snake-men unmatched by either of the two. Stone coated fists connect with flesh and bone. Volleys of stone chunks send the snake-men reeling. Their weapons clatter to the floor as their assailant rends their bodies with stone. The altar snake-man begins to scream. One of the gryphons collapses to the ground. Nar stands, and rushes the altar snake-man. With the full weight of his body Nar tackles the altar snake-man to the ground, and proceeds to deliver him a beating of stone, fists, and unintelligible rage-fueled screams. It takes five minutes for Nar to finally stop bashing the snake-man's head against the ground. The adrenaline begins to wear off, and immense pain surges through Nar's body. Nar slumps against the altar for some time. He's exhausted, and his body is in almost too much pain to move. He has to move. He has to get up. He has to finish what he started, but he's so tired, so woozy. He tries to rest his eyes for a moment, but the pleas from below keep him awake. Twenty minutes of trying to close his eyes force Nar to drag himself to his feet/hooves. He takes a look at the altar, and keels over to vomit multiple times. Only after his stomach is empty does Nar stand. He forms a rather large boulder with his magic, and with multiple attempts, bashes the altar into a pile of rubble. A quick breather, and Nar begins to head down a tunnel behind the destroyed altar. "Wait! Don't leave us here!" A voice cries out. As much as Nar desperately wants to help the other victims he's simply too tired, and doesn't want to risk anyone alerting the guards. With a heavy heart, nauseated stomach, and swirling head Nar grabs the mangled altar snake-man, and drags him to the end of the tunnel. The drops the snake-man just outside of the tunnel for a townsperson to find before heading off towards his shack.