Once I stepped foot outside, less five silver pieces to cover the cat girl's meal plus tips, Kalistra started racing up the street on all four paws. "Hey, wait up!" I yelled as I started to run after her.
However, the evil minx ignored me and kept running through the growing crowd of pedestrians on the streets.
I had to slow down in order to avoid running into the common folk and soon, I lost sight of her. Well, no matter. After all, I already knew her destination was the street in front of the church building. Sure enough, a few minutes later I found Kalistra waiting for me. As I approached her, I saw that she was sharpening her claws with her teeth.
With her free paw, the cat girl wordlessly waved for me to step forward and enter holy ground; she acted as if I was interrupting something important. The little minx caught my eyes rolling at her and Kalistra even hissed at me!
I was still wearing my white robe under my borrowed studded leather armor. For good measure, I decided to pull out my truth stone from underneath my tunic and displayed it publicly.
The guards immediately took note of the cross-shaped stone around my neck, and they saluted sharply as a Watchman opened a side door and allowed me to enter the administrative section of the building.
As I walked in, I had an interesting thought. Even though I was an apprentice with the Church, I had never attended a formal church service and entered the formal congregation section of the building. And since I'll be away for the Melee Tournament, I will miss the next service as well. Thus, it was ironic for me to come here to demand a promotion from the bishop despite never having partaken in an official church service.
While I was present at the gathering at the Public Square to expose the turned wererats amongst the residents, this did not count as an official service. After all, I was locked in a steel cage and thus my attendance wasn't voluntary.
Fortunately, my possession of a church artifact was sufficient proof of membership in the Church of Britannia as a highly ranked official because only they would possess such an item. And given that each truth stone was personally bound to the possessor, with a fealty to Order attached to the stone, it was no wonder that the Watchmen were very deferential to me.
As I walked along the administrative hallway, I was accosted by Deacon Manfeud again. What a coincidence! Not! At this point, I was very suspicious of any NPC who wore a church robe, especially the higher ranked, red-robed clergy like the deacon here. Nonetheless, I remembered my manners. "Good morning, Brother Manfeud," I greeted warmly.
"Good morning to you, Brother Mulligan," the older man replied as he stared quizzically at my truth stone. The deacon's brows were furrowed as he pondered why the color of the stone was different from his own. Must be a trick of the light, Manfeud thought to himself and dismissed it from his mind. "May I be of service to you?" he asked politely.
I looked at the cleric for a moment and nodded. "I need to meet with the Bishop. Unfortunately, I don't know how to go about making an appointment to see him. Perhaps, you could show me the proper way to do so?" I asked. At this point, I was willing to barge into the bishop's study if I didn't encounter any high-ranking church official. But alas, I couldn't simply dismiss the deacon because he knew my true ranking within the organization and thus, I couldn't bluff my way past him by showing the truth stone.
Deacon Manfeud studied my expression for a moment and then offered a polite smile. "As it so happens, His Excellency has passed the word to our brothers that you have been appointed by the goddess Musa to conduct a critical mission on her behalf. And we are to provide whatever aid we could at your request." The man bowed deeply before me.
I received a pop-up message which read, "+500 Reputation. +1,000 XP." I almost gasped aloud at the enormous increase in both attributes. But then again, I WAS standing inside an official church property, before a high-ranking member of the Church, and the good deacon was undoubtedly beholden to the goddess Musa. I may as well milk my forced association with Musa for all it was worth.
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I quickly dismissed the message. "Please, Brother!" I touched the deacon's shoulders lightly. "I believe that the goddess chose me precisely because I have very few obligations within the church. I'm much more expendable than other brothers such as yourself," I replied humbly. "If I can ask for a moment of your time to take me to see the Holy One, I will let you return to your important work for the great goddess." Oh gosh, did I just say all that? When did I learn to flatter people?
The deacon looked directly into my eyes and shook his head. "You are far too modest, young brother. The goddess has looked into your soul and discovered greatness." He turned his head back and forth to confirm that no one was nearby. He drew his face closer to me. "I now understand why you are a candidate for kingship, milord," he whispered and then bowed deeply before me.
"I am but a humble man. I can only hope to meet your expectations," I replied as I returned his deep bow. Oh, my gosh! Who was saying these cheesy lines? The words tumbling out of my mouth were far too modest! Was I becoming one of THEM, a two-faced cleric like the man standing before me? However, I was able to keep my concerns hidden deep within me, and I even managed to offer the deacon a fake smile!
"I am confident that you will exceed everyone's expectations, young brother," Manfeud replied. He took a moment to straighten out his blood-red robe. "Come, let's see if the bishop has time to see you this morning." The church official led me along the hallway, but this time we continued walking straight rather than make a left turn toward the bishop's study.
I was led to a small, sparsely furnished dining room. From the doorway, I could see wooden tables and benches inside the room. There was a fireplace directly across the entrance, but the fire was out. Several portraits hung on the walls. Also, I could smell some wonderful aromas; apparently, the kitchen was nearby. I saw Enab blocking the entrance to the dining room. He nodded and stepped aside for us to pass through.
Once I entered the room, I discovered that the bishop was sitting on a wooden bench next to the window. He was having a simple bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. I immediately rushed over to his table, knelt down, and kissed the Holy One's hand.
"Please join me for breakfast," Bishop Canterbury offered when I returned to my feet. He made a gesture to dismiss Deacon Manfeud, who bowed deeply and exited the room.
I sat directly across from him at the table.
"Have you broke your fast?" he asked.
"Yes, your Excellency," I replied.
"Please give this old man a few minutes to finish his simple meal. Then we can discuss matters privately," he replied.
Still standing at the doorway, Enab turned around and bowed deeply to the bishop. Then he closed the door to give the two of us some privacy.
I was very surprised that the human avatar of Lord Bane was acting so obedient toward the bishop. In private, the irascible god would order the bishop around like a servant. While the bishop WAS a co-conspirator in forcing me to swearing fealty to Order, a part of me wondered if the human was forced to play his part in this scheme. Perhaps, Bishop Canterbury will be more forthcoming during our private discussion.
However, I was mindful of the fact that the gods could probably listen in on our conversation through my brands. Thus, I needed to take precautions and avoid forcing the bishop into making comments which would suggest disloyalty to the gods and jeopardize his standing with them. If my assessment of the situation was correct, the bishop was only acting to protect the town of Tregome and I couldn't truly fault the man for doing so. As if to confirm that I was under surveillance, I felt a tingling sensation from the mark of Bane. I immediately sent out a mental warning to the god. STOP READING MY MIND! I sighed inwardly at my loss of privacy inside this gaming world.
I watched in silence as the elderly man ate his breakfast. The bishop was totally unaware of my private interaction with Bane. Also, I was surprised to see that the highest authority in Tregome was having such simple fare. Oatmeal was a peasant's meal that only cost a few coppers back at The Noble Lady. It was cheap and affordable to anyone. Why would the bishop eat oatmeal for breakfast? Was it for the nutritional value such as carbohydrates and fiber? Was it because he wished to avoid saturated fat and to minimize his intake of cholesterol? Did the people in this gaming world even give consideration to these dietary concerns? I spent my time pondering these nutritional issues while patiently waiting for the bishop to finish his meal. If Bane disregarded my admonishment and continued to read my mind, then I shall do my best to bore him.
After a few minutes, Bishop Canterbury pushed aside his empty bowl. He finished his tea and then set the emptied cup on the table. He looked at me with a serious expression and said, "Let's talk."