The priests of the High Deity were stout believers. They had seen the signs of a hidden message in the God of gods words and gone against their superior's wishes to vanquish the King of all demons. They had known that they would be regarded as heretics and criminals if they failed, but that had not deterred them. So strong was their devotion and faith that they had thrown away their futures at the High Deity's request, such a thing was only natural for a priest of the true church.

The priests had not expected to find such strong belief in Brother Lexen, for a Brother he was. The most faithful and devout man they had ever seen, operating towards their goal long before they even approached the demonlands. The man had gathered allies and supporters, silently plotting the downfall of the late Plexion, even throwing his body at the powerful mage in an effort to hinder him for even a moment. All of the assembled were touched and in awe of him, truly his sense of duty towards the High Deity was something to be respected.

That respect had only grown with time. The man quickly became the de facto leader of this group of twenty, the heroes who had slain the King of all demons. He did not show pride or arrogance for having accomplished his task, only offering the wisdom that any follower of the High Deity should have done the same. In fact, he rebuked those who call them evil murderers. Plexion had been very popular with his people and had many sympathizers the world over. This group of twenty had a great many enemies, but Lexen did not flinch before them. He admonished them greatly, calling them enemies of the High Deity, practically judging them to be heretics in the eyes of the church.

His passion was exhilarating. So many of the gathered group held these feelings in their hearts, but feared to express them so openly. They idolized him and agreed to follow his example. When the High Deity had made the announcement of the reward to the world Lexen had called for them to begin march immediately. There would be monarchs, envoys, elders, and travelers, but they were the ones who had accomplished this task for the god of gods, they would be the ones to see this reward and share it with the world.

They had marched through kingdoms and towns, cheered and jeered at in equal measure. Yet none dared to stand in their way, even the kings and queens gave deference to them. Perhaps with no small amount of fear though, the group had committed regicide in the name of the High Deity. But the priests considered this to be foolish, they had not angered the High Deity, so why should they fear this group of twenty?

Now they were here, in this backward corner of the human empire. A place so far removed from society that it had confused the priests. This reward had been meant for the whole world. Why had the High Deity, in his infinite wisdom, placed Jack here? Now they understood though, Jack was dangerous. A bore-bot with three internal types? It was blasphemy in many parts of the world. One of their own members was greatly challenged in their faith by Jack before being comforted by Lexen. The demon had told them that Jack was special, hand-crafted by the High Deity himself! Such a thing had not been done since the creation of Drowl! The man himself, though, was minorly disappointing. Jack seemed to be an ordinary person, albeit with the strange new magic created by the God of gods.

This system though...it was powerful magic indeed. A comprehensive account of every person in Drowl; information at the fingertips of any who possessed this grand magic. It would change the world. The priests had examined the [Chosen of the System] skill with interest. It was given only to the six of them, a way to spread this system at their leisure. The ability to grant others these status screens, or even the ability to give them the power to induct others. The priests saw clearly the will of the High Deity in this, a method of furthering the true church. A skill granted only to the most faithful of priests, a way to control who gained access to this new power and who did not. The power. The control. It was wonderful and terrifying.

But the priests could not rest easy. There was doctrine to discuss, namely that of the nonverbal man, Mills. Magic was for those who could speak, act, and use mana according to the spell. To not be able to perform all three of those actions meant that one could not perform magic. The High Deity had made magic thus, and so it was the way it was meant to be. Jack had implied that the status skill had formerly been unusable by someone who could not speak, but that it had been changed. Had Jack convinced the High Deity to give the nonverbal a chance at magic, or had the God of gods found it in his infinite love to show mercy? It was impossible to know and the group was split.

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Some considered Jack to be a corrupting influence on the High Deity, causing the infallible being to change things that had already been put into place. Others believed that this only served to benefit all people and that the High Deity's love was on display for all to see with this action. The group did not always agree on matters of theology, coming from various parts of Drowl, but often found themselves turning to Lexen in these discussions. The demon always had a valuable and unique insight into matters concerning the High Deity.

But Lexen was not partaking in these discussions. He was fervently reading his scriptures and praying, hands and eyes raised towards the holy sun above them. The priests felt sorrow for the man, he was the most devout of all of them and yet had been rejected the skill meant to further the High Deity's goals. Some of the group had thought that Jack was mistaken, misunderstanding the wisdom and meaning of the High Deity. Others wondered if Jack had lied, omitting Lexen on purpose for some reason. None of the assembled group believed for a moment that Lexen was not meant to be given [Chosen of the Status].

One of the priests had used [Status Granting] on a member of the group who already possessed a status. There had been no effect. It was the belief of those gathered that once a status had been granted, either by [Status Granting] or [Chosen of the Status], the other skill could not be used on the same person. That likely meant that if Lexel received a status from any source he would be unable to be given [Chosen of the Status] later on. This was unacceptable, out of all the assembled group surely Lexen deserved this skill the most!

The group of nineteen all huddled together and spoke in hushed tones while Lexen prayed and studied. They came to a decision and then approached the demon.

Lexen turned to face them. "My friends, the comrades of my heart. I must sadly ask to not be disturbed. I am in meditation to prepare for my application to the church." It was valiant of Lexen to be so serious about this matter. Application to the church could be done by anyone at any age, but it required a great deal of time and effort to succeed. Lexen was surely qualified already, but his devotion to his studying touched the hearts of all gathered there.

One of the priests, a rhino animalus woman named Freema, nodded in understanding. "We have seen your devotion Brother Lexen and are in constant awe of your faith and works. We, the assembled priests of the true church," she gestured to the other five priests, "have decided that you are worthy of the priesthood. With your permission, we would like to welcome you into our ranks."

Lexen's eyes bulged slightly before welling up with tears. He bowed his head to touch the floor, weeping as he did so. "I am not worthy of such an honor. To become a priest of the High Deity so easily, would it not besmirch the name of the true church?"

One of the other priests, a human man named Turthid, scoffed. "If you, of all people, could not be welcomed as a priest, how could any of us be either? You are a paragon of virtue and faith Brother Lexen. You have proven your faith by actions, something many members of the church failed to do."

The assembled group of twenty all nodded their agreement. Lexen looked each and every one of them in the eye and spoke. "You are all my brothers, sisters, and companions. Each and every one of you has done just as much as I have in service of the High Deity. I cannot think of a greater honor than being welcomed among you. I accept your offer, please allow this unworthy Lexen to be a priest of the High Deity, God of gods."

There was not a dry eye in the building as the priests induced Lexen, welcoming him in as a priest of the true church. But the ceremony was not done yet, Freema spoke again. "With this induction, we perform the first of a new ceremony. From now until the end of time, the ritual for [Chosen of the Status] will be used to mark those who are set apart, the ones truly chosen to spread the words of the High Deity! Lexen will be the first, and may his example be the one all future believers follow!"

There were cheers from the entire assembly, save for Freema who began the ritual, and Lexen who kneeled in silence in front of her. When the ritual concluded, silence fell upon the group as a blue screen appeared in front of the kneeling demon. Lexen raised his head and beheld the holy magic in front of him. His eyes fell to the status skills and beheld [Chosen of the System].

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Within the hour, Lexen had packed and left the compound. His fellow priests did not notice his leaving until the following morning, thinking him to be in isolated meditation. By the time any search began, Lexen had already disappeared. The only clue he left behind, the only evidence he had ever been there was a note, scrawled in haste. "I will go out into the world and perform the mission granted to me by the High Deity. I pray that we will meet again my friends. May the God of gods guide your path."