The Wish Warlock: A Fearful Feast (Patreon Exclusive) (Patreon)

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It was a dark night when Cedric returned with the bodies.  He hauled them off in a cart, covering them in blankets so unsuspecting passersby wouldn’t stop him, and the sleep spell he’d cast was quite strong.  Still, the crow was extremely nervous, fidgeting as he waited to return to town.  

This was the first time he was bringing so many sacrifices to Cedric, the demonic sheep he served--and every step of the journey filled him with dread for the people in the cart.  And, more importantly, dread for himself if he didn’t do this task.

He reached the cave before nightfall, and used a telekinesis spell to bring the bodies inside, letting them float behind him as he walked.  His magic had improved immensely since making his deal with Reginald, but that came at a price--one that was paid with living prey.

When he reached the inner room he was looking for, Reginald was lying on the ground, his head propped up as if he’d been waiting for the crow.  “Show them to me,” the sheep demanded, drool dripping from his chin.  “Show me the feast!”

Cedric nodded, and gently let the bodies float to the ground.  There was a large wolf, a prickly gator, a squirming human, and a peaceful rabbit.  All sleeping soundly, thanks to his magic, and all tied up tightly in rope.

“Delicious,” Reginald said.  Unearthly rainbows shone from his wool, and he morphed into an otherworldly form, a spiral of sheep limbs centered by a large, eager maw.  “Feed them to me.  /Now/.”

“O-Ok!” Cedric said.  He gulped, then put his hands on the wolf, his heart filling with regret.  “I’m sorry,” he whispered, and he dragged the body in front of Reginald’s terrifying mouth.

The sheep immediately dove down for his prey--the crow barely had time to get out of the way.  The wolf was scooped up in that enormous maw, tossed and turned by a forked tongue and tasted like the snack he was.  Cedric wished the demon would just get it over with, but no--that wasn’t how Reginald operated, not in the slightest.

It was a long time before the sheep-being-thing swallowed its prey, forcing the tasty wolf down its throat and into the chest Cedric was just now noticing.  It sat underneath some of the limbs, and the stomach clearly inflated with the entrance of the wolf.  Now there was just three more snacks to go--three more, and then the magician could rest.

“The next one!” Reginald ordered, his voice distorted and otherworldly.  Cedric quickly moved, grabbing the feet of the gator and dragging her over to Reginald’s mouth.

“Unnngh. . .”  No, the gator was waking up!  The crow watched in dread as she opened her eyes, looking around the cave.  “Where am I?” she muttered, still clearly sleepy.

Cedric frantically turned to Reginald, who was still hovering over his prey.  “Hurry up!” the crow hissed.

The demon smirked.  “Throw her in.”

“What?!”

“Throw her inside my mouth, great magician.  Feed me my prize.”

He was clearly enjoying this, and Cedric’s heart sunk.  But he knew he had to obey the words--or else /he/ would be the next meal.

“Who are you?” the gator asked, just now noticing Cedric.  She struggled in the rope.  “What’s going on?  Somebody help!”

The crow forced himself to move.  He grabbed the gator’s legs and quickly threw her inside Reginald’s maw, watching her scream as she flew through the air and landed on his tongue.  More cries escaped her mouth as the demon tasted her, taking his time licking and prodding his food.  As he did so, Cedric turned to the other two sacrifices, wanting to get them ready now so he could get this done faster.

To his surprise, he found them both struggling and awake.  No, no, was his sleep spell that weak?!  It could normally knock out a man for a full day!  But here they were, awakened by the cries the gator had made--the crow cursed his luck.

“Give them both to me at once,” Reginald ordered, speaking after he gulped down the gator.  She screamed in terror as he traveled down his throat, and Cedric noticed the huge, squirming bulge she made in his stomach.  “I want a bigger meal.  Unless you’re volunteering in their place?”

“Of course not,” Cedric said, his voice unsteady.

“Good.”  The demon smiled sweetly.  “Then feed me, magician.”

The crow turned back to the two squirming prisoners, who both froze upon realizing they were seen.  After a brief moment of swearing, Cedric walked over and grabbed the two prisoners, holding one in each arm.

“Help, help!” the human screamed.  

“What’s going on?!” the rabbit asked.

“I’m sorry,” the magician muttered, praying for forgiveness.  He stopped in front of Reginald, and threw them both inside the demon’s massive mouth.

Both sacrifices screamed as they entered the maw, and this time the sheep didn’t waste any time.  He gulped them both down immediately, sending them to his stomach thrashing and screaming.  When they reached it, it bulged out even more, and Cedric watched in terrified awe as the prey moved about, unable to escape.

“An excellent feast,” Reginald said, letting out a loud /buuuurp/.  “Certainly up to my standards.  You have earned back your freedom, magician.  I will not devour you--yet.”

Cedric let out a sigh of relief.  “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet.  After all, one slip, and you’ll be joining them.”  The demon patted his stomach, whose prey gave one final, great struggle, and then stopped moving altogether.  Soon, they would be digested, nothing more than food for the great demon.

The crow nodded.  “Of course.”

As he left the room to go back to his own space, the magician wondered: had Reginald, perhaps, disturbed his sleep spells?  The demon was one who loved tricks and games, after all--he would wake up his food.

Cedric sighed.  The more he thought about things, the painful they got.  He put his thoughts away, and refused to think about the matter any longer.

He would not be the demon’s next meal.  And he would do anything to assure that fact.