Rufus

Let me start with this took form from seeing a post by Stuart Shaw on Instagram that you can find here: Post

Rufus

The day was warm, and sunny, too warm and too sunny actually for this time of winter, but still Rufus the High Angel Slayer of the Damned a demon of high accord and nearly infinite knowledge was walking through what he considered his woods just enjoying the weather when the small silver bell on his belt began to ring.  The ringing was something he had not heard in so many years he had almost forgotten what it was for.  Then he remembered it meant someone was at his alter, deep inside his wood but not too far from the door to his underground home.  He made a sweeping arc through the woods and as he approached he allowed himself to become transparent so the person or people at the alter would not see him.

At his alter were several humans mostly women, but a few old men as well as their beards were long and grey.  They were all cleaning up the space, the women were busy scrubbing the alter with soap and water.  Some men were busy repairing the large bonfire ring whist others where busy digging it back out to its old knee deep depth.  Apparently some others were further up hill as the stream that had choked up with leaves and branches many years ago was again beginning to flow with gaining strength as he watched.  With the bonfire pit cleaned out the men who had been digging lit a small fire in its center and began raking the dry leaves from all around the alter area into the pit.  Rufus moved around so he was down wind from the smoke and inhaled deeply of the rich scent of the burning leaves.

Normally Rufus would fill his pipe with the same leaves or throw a bunch on the fire on his hearth, but he saw no point when these humans so readily did it for him.  He stood there watching them until late into the afternoon when they packed up there stuff into a couple of hand carts and left.  He had no idea what was up with them cleaning the alter or raking out its ten pace circle but with their departure he went back to enjoying the warmth of the day before heading back home.

It was two weeks later when his bell began to ring again only this time it was late in the afternoon.  He again went to check upon the alter and at the edge of the circle were a couple of tables sparsely covered in a pitiful attempt at a buffet.  It looked to him that a quarter of the town had gathered in the circle and more were coming each bringing a small bag of food as they did.  As the next group arrived someone had brought a large rocking chair with them and they had placed it behind the alter yet no one went near it.

    The afternoon wore on, wood was piled into the bonfire pit and as the last light of the sun set they lit the fire.  Rufus had an idea what was up at this point doubly so when a young woman was brought forth, her clothes roughly stripped off of her and then she was tied to his alter as she was alternately screaming and sobbing.  He knew their intent and he could not let it happen, so he sat down in the rocking chair and began to rock.  An old man who is holding the knife to sacrifice the young woman noticed the chair rocking and stopped to stare at it.

    As he stared Rufus stood up and took the knife from his hand.  Everyone watched as the knife floated through the air and fell into the bonfire, then the rocking chair moved to the front of the alter between the young woman and the assembled townspeople where again Rufus sat down and then became visible to them.

“Leave the woman where she is and everyone move before me.”

They all did as he told and he now decided to have some fun with them.

“You are all very overdressed for this occasion, remove your clothes and bask in the warm glow of the fire.  Then we shall talk, but not while any remain clothed.”

The townspeople slowly began removing their clothes and in a few minutes all were now naked before Rufus.

“Now that we are all equal in our nudity what brings you to my alter in such a state that you also bring me such a young and nubile sacrifice?”

The old man who had been ready to knife the young woman still on the alter stepped forward and began to speak.

“Your Highness…”

“No, no, you are doing this all wrong.  Firstly you should be on your knees when addressing me with a request.  Secondly my name is Rufus, please show some respect and address me by name.”

The old man dropped to his knees bowing his head before again starting to speak, but again Rufus cut him off.

“Eye contact, please unless you are bespeaking the Earth for something.”

The old man now looks Rufus in the eyes and again begins to speak.

“Rufus, we bring you this offering for in exchange we need aid.  Our harvest was inadequate and we have little food left.  We need aid to survive until crops grow again.”

“So you bring me a young woman of what sixteen winters with an intent to sacrifice her upon my alter in exchange for your own lives?”

“She is seventeen and a virgin.”

Rufus rolls his eyes.  “Sixteen, seventeen, virgin or no morals, matters not to me so long as she has no child to care for nor husband to be bound to.  It irritates me though that you decided to use my alter and to choose when I would want her dead.  For now you all seem like you could entertain me.  I will aid you, but hear me out there are very specific conditions to the bargain and you must adhere to them exactly.

You will gather here on the night of the new moon each month regardless of the weather.

I am fine with you bringing a sacrifice, however they must be presented naked, and bound to my alter as you have already.  They must be henceforth over the age of eighteen and I don’t care how far above that age.  They must come of their own accord and can be of either gender.  They may not have children who depend upon them.  They must not be bound by marriage.

You must have at least half of your village in attendance and everyone must arrive completely naked, and I mean everyone.

Bring music with you, what is a party without music?

I am rather partial to wine and ale, but I don’t expect any until harvest.

You are bringing a sacrifice each month so I expect a fertile couple to be here alone on the day of the full moon each month spending the entire day and I do mean the entire day, trying to conceive a new member of your village from midday to midday.  They will walk from the village to here naked, they will bring enough food for the time they are here, they may bring a blanket or two as well and the weather makes no difference.

On sacrifice nights there will be dancing, there will be sex were you can mix and match as you choose or stay with your partner, of that I do not care as they are your bodies not mine, I will just sit back and watch as is my choice.

Now, all of you discuss what I have offered and bring me back an answer.  I need to go home to get something and will be back shortly.  If you are gone at my return then I will accept my conditions as unacceptable, but the sacrifice has been given and accepted so she stays.”

Rufus slips away into transparency again and as he walks back home he can hear them talking some being for the conditions and some against.  When he returns they are gone and the young woman is still bound to the alter and crying as he approaches her.

“Why are you crying?”

“Because you will kill me and eat me.”

“I said no such thing, but I cannot let you return home either.”

He sets a bundle between her legs then cuts her bonds and gently lifts her from the alter and stands her up.

“I don’t eat people, they are kind of nasty from what I hear.  Nuts, berries, fruits, even leaves and grass, occasionally I will hunt but never people.”

He picks up the bundle and flips it open exposing a large fur from a deer, then wraps it around her.

“Come, I have a loaf of bread on the hearth, some tea in the kettle, and some very nice cheese and olives, waiting on us.”

“What will you do with me and why can I not go home?”

“Do?  I shall teach you many things, make you wise, then relocate you somewhere that needs the skills you posses, If I am not mistaken within your mind you wish to be a blacksmith?”

“Yes, I would but no one who knows is willing to teach me.”

“I know, and am willing to teach you, but the work to learn is long, hard, and will take a couple of years.  As to why you cannot go home, if you appeared your people would assume I raped you and kill you, so why would I send you back to die after saving you from death?”

“Come now, my home is not far where cheese and conversation awaits.”