There were... Far too many reports about demonic activity in the city, to the point even the quest to investigate it was outdated in the number of sources...
This is too troubling, why would the goddess send me to a world with this much demonic activity in it? I thought I'd finally find peace in here, but it seems I was mistaken. I prayed for the city's safety and decided to head out.
However, by now the sources were so many that I didn't even know which one to start from. There was an orphanage filled with demonized children, a jail with a possibly possessed man and a man that knew too much on the matter, hidden paths within the sewers with demonic cults, and even an abandoned house owned by an apothecary with it I believe? Or was that related to the slime outbreak...? My memory was starting to confuse things up due to how many remarkable issues we've had in such a short period of time... I miss my home world.
Let's pray that at the very least there is no connection between the slimes and the demons, goddess knows how much danger could incur if those monsters became possessed...
Nonetheless, I started moving. I wasn't sure where I would go, but surely the goddess would guide my path.
Until I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head, and my vision went dark.
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By the time I woke up, I noticed a few things. First, my holy tools were missing, neither my branch nor my talismans were with me.
And secondly, I was tied to a small cage in a dark place. I remembered the reports of children being turned into demons after being locked in those cages, so I thought I was in one of these places at first.
However, I was alone in here. The thought that they maybe didn't have time to capture new children crossed my mind, but... This was not it, my cage was the only cage in this dungeon... Why was I brought here then? Was it just a coincidence that I was captured while I was going to investigate the demons? Or was there some other purpose?
I tried thinking about it, but there was hardly any conclusion I could arrive to while alone in a dark cage... After some time, my stomach rumbled and my throat felt dry... Yet I had no food to eat nor water to drink... I doubt their plan was to starve me to death, as they could have just killed me while I was unconscious in that case, though I have to wonder why imprison me like this then...
Some time passed, I don't know how much because I couldn't see the sun, nor hear the temple bells from wherever I was. It must be somewhat far from the city though, otherwise I should be able to hear the bells, even from within the sewer I believe.
I spent the hours in silent prayer, I'm sure I was brought here for a reason, The Goddess knows what she does, things will be safe, I just need to wait until the time is right.
Eventually, a door opened. Two men in pitch black robes got near and dragged me out of my cell wordlessly, it was hard to walk with my feet tied to one another, and it was very uncomfortable to move with my hands tied together as well, but I did not complain, I knew it would be futile.
Instead, I asked a single question, "May I know why you have imprisoned a servant of The Goddess?"
One of them answered, "You will know soon." And that was all I got from him. I did not expect much, but it was still disheartening to know nothing about my current circumstances.
For some reason however, I was not scared. I thought I'd be filled with fear when I faced my demise, just like how I felt it when I ran from the temple as the head priestess protected us... Yet this time, I was calm. I had faith in The Goddess, for she had brought me to this world for a reason... I did not believe it was my time yet, I had yet to do my job in this world yet.
Whatever was coming ahead of me, was not my end. Deep down, I knew of it.
I was dragged for quite some time through dark corridors. I do not believe we walked a long distance though, as my pace was very slow due to my tied feet, and the men dragging me did not particularly try to make me move faster. Either they weren't in a hurry, or it was not time yet, I believed it was the latter.
Eventually, we left the dungeon and went to an open space. I could see the full moon above us, near its zenith... Then it is close to midnight already? It was early morning when I left the guild, so at least half a day passed, maybe more, I don't know how long I slept for.
In the middle of the room there was a red circle with multiple glyphs engraved in it, it was surrounded by 6 tall black pillars, and in front of four of those pillars, 4 men in black robes awaited.
The two men that have been with me from the start dragged me to the center of the circle and forced me to crouch down. Then, they tied me to 6 pitch black ropes that came from the pillars, essentially locking me in place. Once that was done, they moved to the two remaining black pillars.
This was obviously a ritual, and considering the smell of iron that filled the room, it was most likely a ritual made by the sacrifice of blood. I assumed this meant I was going to be a sacrifice for something, but... Why me? This kind of unholy ritual was against everything any religion preached against, so what was the point of taking a servant of The Goddess? Wouldn't The Goddess protection actively interfere with their goals?
I was confused, it not make any sense for me to die here... Rather, I knew I was not going to die today, The Goddess did not bring me to this world to die for an unholy ritual, I knew that much.
Then what could the reason for me to be here be...? If I am not here to die, then it must be to... Save?
My mind became surprisingly clear. I did not understand the circles surrounding me, but I understood one thing. That which is summoned by blood, will always hunger for more of what was given to it. Whatever comes out of this ritual will not be satisfied by this circle alone, nor will my life quench its thirst... It will demand more, it will demand the blood from the very people that have brought it upon this world.
I needed to save these men. And so I spoke to them, "Please stop this. You're handling powers beyond your comprehension." They stayed silent, I suppose they already expected some resistance... But this was wrong. "You do not understand, this ritual will fail. Sacrificing a servant of The Goddess will not bring what you desire. You'll only face your own demise if you move forward with this." I told them... Yet once more, they ignored my warnings.
I started crying... Such poor souls... Please Goddess, help me save them. "I beg of you... Don't throw your lives away in vain like this."
Nothing. Once again, nothing, they were blinded by their desires and couldn't see the wishes of those right in front of them... They're so pitiful... I'm sorry for failing them, my Goddess, please grant them a safe passage to the heavens.
When the moon reached its zenith, the men started chanting something in a language I didn't understand. The Blood Red Circle shone brightly, and dark powers started emerging from the top of the stone pillars and slowly descend towards the men.
I was scared. I started chanting prayers to the goddess, asking her to protect them from that which they summoned...
It was futile. When the dark aura reached their bodies, it started consuming them alive, they started shouting, wriggling in pain, yet unable to move away from their spots. They asked why it was happening, they shouted that this was not what they were promised, that this was all wrong... And I prayed... I prayed they'd have a safe passage, and that their suffering did not last for long.
Once their bodies were no more, the darkness moved through the blood on the ground and consumed it all as well... And at last, it arrived at me. It surrounded me for a while, it was... Trying to come in I believe, yet it was finding no opening... That is what it looked like...
It was a curious being, it did not seem to be hostile... Perhaps then... It meant no harm at all.
I decided to trust those instincts and said, "May we talk?"
The dark clouds surrounding me stopped for a second. And then, it laughed, I heard laugher fill the entire room, until it moved away from me and condensed itself into a physical being that sat right in front of me.
It was clearly... A demon. A pitch black demon, even its eyes were pure black, almost as if it was darkness itself materialized... Yet it did not seem to be antagonistic to me, it was such a curious being...
At the same time, it was certainly imposing. When standing on its feet, it would possibly be over 3m tall, it had sharp horns coming out of its head and deformed bat-like wings coming out of its back. Its mouth contained teeth that looked more like fangs and that could easily rip out flesh if it so desired... It was certainly a very powerful being.
Right now however, it just seemed intrigued. It looked straight into my eyes and spoke, "Talk, you say? That is certainly amusing... Alright, let us talk. Try convincing me why I should not accept the sacrifice that my followers so dutifully offered me." The voice it had was masculine, I wasn't quite sure if this being had a gender or not, but if it hadn't, it certainly tried to appear as a male. I decided to respect that and refer to it as so.
Regardless of that, I tried thinking about his last statement. It seems like I was indeed a sacrifice? Though that was not what this looked like, I do not believe my life is in danger right now, from the very start I felt safe... Perhaps I was offered as one, but he decided to not claim it? Although that also looks wrong, he certainly did try to just a small while back...
I wasn't quite certain what all this entailed, however... "I don't believe I need to convince you though?" I answered him.
He seemed to be amused, "You don't? Does that mean you do not mind if I took your life away right now?" He said while lifting my chin with one of his large fingers. At their tip were such large and sharp nails that could possibly be considered claws. It wouldn't take much more of a sweep of his hand to take my head off for sure.
And yet, he did not scare me. This demon did not want to kill me. "I would certainly mind it, yet I do not believe you intend to take it." I answered him clearly.
He seemed surprised by my answer. He did not admit to it however, playing the game of a scary evil demon for a while longer I suppose, I wonder if that was his form of amusement. "I don't? Quite cheeky of you to say that when my servants died just to give me your pretty life?" He said while licking his lips. The way he behaved was so... Hard to understand? What was he supposed to gain from this futile play?
Unless he was trying to elicit a reaction from me? In that case... "Fear. That's what you are, you're a fear demon. You feed on other people's fears and uses it to empower yourself.
"However, you're not sensing any fear from me at the moment, so you're seeing no reason to consume me right now."
Once again, he seemed to be quite surprised... And then, he laughed. He took his hand off me and put it back on the ground while he laughed to his heart content... And only after he seemed to get tired of it, he said, "Bingo. I have to say you really surprised me though, girl. Most priests desperately beg for their deities to save them when they are offered for a demonic sacrifice... And that only makes them more delicious."
"Most, you say? This means I'm not the first one to not show fear, correct?" I asked.
He snapped his fingers before answering, "Correct! You're sharp.
"There are always those that don't have many emotions left on them, or that are simply at peace with the thought of death, and... Yanno, you probably understand those priests better than I do." I nodded in response, "But you're a first to me. You do not seem like those types... Why are you not in fear?"
I answered honestly, "I simply believed The Goddess did not send me to this world to die before I could make anything for her. She has guided me here for a reason, and while I may not know the reason yet, I was certain it was not to die in a demonic ritual.
"And therefore, I wasn't afraid of death, because I knew I was not going to die here."
This made him laugh even more than before. Until eventually he said, "So you're saying your belief in your goddess is so firm that you aren't going to face death until you have served her enough?" I nodded, to which he laughed again. Not for long this time, because he suddenly got his face extremely close to mine, to the point his horns almost pierced my ears. "Do you realize what nonsense you're spouting!? You think your goddess can control fate!? That she can stop me from killing you? That she can save you from this unsalvageable situation!?"
I shook my head and calmly answered, "I do not believe she is that powerful, for The Goddess must also respect the boundaries that the other gods have set upon this world.
"However, I do not believe this situation is unsalvageable either. You do not wish to kill me... What you really want is... Amusement." I wasn't sure what made me choose this word, but as it left my mouth, I realized how true that is. "You kill humans for nourishment, while that is not something I can condone, it is something I can understand. Just like humans kill pigs for their meat, you kill humans for their fear... It is the cycle of life, that is not something neither me nor The Goddess can interfere with.
"But right now, I am not a source of nourishment for you, so... If you wish to talk, then it must be because you gain something from it... I amuse you."
Once more, the demon started laughing. And once more, he looked at me with an amused expression, "Bingo!" He said. "You're quite amusing for a priestess, I usually expect something along the lines of rites of banishment or threats about how my kind wasn't going to get away with this, and how their gods would give divine retribution and yada yada yada, I'm sure you know this kind of priest talk pretty well, don'tcha?" I nodded to his question.
He then continued, "But you instead just look at me with this neutral stare like this is just yet another everyday occurrence to you. It's funny! Makes me wonder what would it take to make you cower in fear like most of them did." He said while once more licking his lips.
I then replied, "The Goddess does not condone causing ill to any other being. May it be a human with whom I had a disagreement with, a rabbit that I wish to eat, or a demon that wishes to consume me. The Goddess believes in spreading the love to all beings across all worlds. The minimum I can do, is to follow her words and let them guide my path."
He had a... Charming smile on his face, it was not the kind of expression I expected to see. "I like you. You know what, I might let you go... Let's make a deal, kay? A priestess making a deal with the devil, how amusing." He started laughing to himself.
That however, conflicted me, The Goddess did not recommend dealing with demonkind, her teachings preach about how trickery they can be, and how their words might not mean that which you expect them to... And judging from what happened to the men that brought me here, I had a hard time accepting his proposal.
On the other had, this demon seemed to have no intention of lying to me... At most, his words seemed to try to trick me into believing something, when they actually mean something else... Perhaps this is all a game to him, and perhaps he'll truly release me if I follow along.
I decided to trust him on that, and was about to ask about the deal, but... I remembered something. Before I was knocked out, I was tasked with obtaining information about the demonic rituals for the guild, not to just meet up with a demon... The Goddess sent me here for a reason, if it wasn't to save those poor souls, perhaps it was to avoid more of them lost their lives in those attempts.
And so, I decided to ask him some things. "Before that, I have a few questions, if I may." He gestured for me to go on. "First would be... Why take the lives of your very servants? Those poor men lost their lives trying to bring you here, it felt like the loss of their lives was futile.
"Secondly would be... Why priests as sacrifices? Wouldn't it be safer to take someone without holy powers instead? If one was able to cast even without their holy relics, couldn't they actually endanger you?
"And third... Are there more of your cultists trying to summon you to the region near the City of Scribel?"
He seemed to ponder for a few seconds before saying, "I can answer those if I want... But why should I?" He grinned.
Not entirely unexpected though, I already had an answer for that. "Because you want me to amuse you by playing the deal game with you. In that case, I also want to be amused first by having my questions answered." I wasn't sure if that was enough, but it was the best answer I had.
He laughed, as usual. "You know what? I liked you, I'll, as you said, 'amuse you' and answer the questions.
"I took their lives because those guys were idiots. Trying to summon a fear demon while they themselves were scared of me? I won't turn away free food, that's what. It's certainly much easier than following whatever request they have in exchange for one single fearful sacrifice that in this case wasn't even scared of me.
"As for priests? Because they're tasty. It always makes for a wonderful meal to eat those beings that are so full of themselves and faithful in their deities, to them start screaming like a child and begging their gods that 'abandoned' them for help.
"Not to mention I can sometimes corrupt them to my side, yanno? I can't say how fun it is to see a servant of the gods become a servant of mine, or even a lesser demon themselves... It is really really fun, ya get my drift?" I did not like the sound of that, but I still appreciated the honesty behind his words, I just prayed that The Goddess would guide me throughout the right path.
"And if there are more of my servants? There are some, though they aren't the biggest sect in here. The biggest one prefers to kidnap children and turn them into demons and stuff... Really creepy stuff, yanno? It's really hard to control child demons, they're just so... Fickle. And bloodthirsty, they don't comprehend the intricacies of making people do rituals to get food for you... Judging from your expression, you already met some of those?" He said while grinning.
I shook my head though, "Not directly at least. Though I heard the tales of those that did... It was disconcerting. I was actually going to try researching more into them before being brought here... I suppose those plans are foiled already."
He laughed once more, "They certainly are! You should be worrying about keeping your own life right now, not about other demonic cults!" Then he suddenly turned serious, "Well, does that answer your questions, little lady?"
I nodded, and then replied. "Thank you for taking the time to clarify those things... Now then, what is the deal?"
He grinned, "It is simple. A life for a life, give me something that is worth as much as your life, and I'll let you go away freely."
So that's what it was... I suppose it can't be helped then. "I'm afraid I cannot offer you anything other than my own life to fulfill this deal's conditions though." It was a pity, whatever plan The Goddess had for me, would have to wait until my next life... My apologies.
The demon's grin got even bigger however, and for the first time since I saw him, I felt fear. He moved his lips to form a word that I could comprehend, yet did not understand the meaning of. "Deal."
And then he became mist once more, and a small part of his whole self entered my body, with the rest disappearing into thin air.
I was washed with pain, whatever he was doing, was something I desperately wanted to resist against, yet was unable to.
I'm not sure how much time passed, the moon was up in its Zenith when the ritual started, but by the time the pain subsided, it was already close to setting. I panted heavily, some parts of my body were even bleeding due to how much I struggled against the ropes that kept me in place... And then, I heard a voice in my head. "Your life is now mine, little lady. I look forward to seeing how else you'll amuse me."
Immediately after, some of his mist was exhaled from my hand and formed a small blade, which then cut off the ties that bound me.
I heaved a heavy sigh and looked up to the stars... Is this what you had planned for me, Goddess? For the first time in my life, I felt my faith wavering a bit... It seems like I'll no longer be able to make a temple in this world anymore, who'd want a possessed priestess as their head priestess...?
With a heavy heart, I left the dungeon and started walking. I wasn't sure where it would take me, but anywhere was fine, I just needed some food for now I suppose.
After some time spent foraging, and walking aimlessly, I eventually, I found a road, and in the road I waited until a merchant passed, who then kindly told me the directions to Scribel.
By the time I was back, about one week had passed since I had left... I prayed that things hadn't gotten worse in the meantime.