"Take off your clothes," instructed the archbishop. Fern wasn't sure if this was part of the ritual or if the rumours about churches were true.

"Why?"

"Because your clothes act as a barrier between you and the ingredients as well as the healing spirits that are going to rip that thing from your chest," replied the old man dryly.

"Okay, I understand why you need my shirt off," countered the druid. "But why I have to take my pants off?"

"If you didn't know," grumbled the archbishop. "The curse has focused a lot of its energy inside your penis and testicles, probably in some attempt to spread the curse through sex like a sexual disease. You have to be naked so we can also extract the curse there as well."

"Now I understand," nodded the half-elf. This evil god was quite clever to try and use Fern's favourite hobby against him. Fern removed all his clothes and felt the night air as it blew across his member making his whole body shiver.

The naked half-elf was escorted through a hallway, past the main church area, and into a large side room. As he went through the main area he saw the rest of the Jellybeans waiting on the pews which was reassuring. He knew that he was going to be in their debt for a while.

Inside the final room he entered was a stone altar. Surrounding the altar were many designs done in sea salt, charcoal, chalk, and other materials he couldn't identify. Fifty or more candles rested on the perimeter of the outermost circle drawn in chalk, all lit giving the room a haunting glow.

The only thing the druid thought about was running, it was this kind of shit that got his family killed. Religion and the occult are two of the stupids things to ever be created. Why did they have to do such weird shit that drove people crazy? He hated all of this more with each passing second but what was he supposed to tell everyone? "Oh sorry guys, I have a fear of this stupid ritual stuff so I'm just going to allow the curse to take over me? Sorry, you spent the day collecting all these things for me." He doubted that would go over well, nor did he think he'd have a choice.

While there were on the road, Gene spent a lot of time practicing his technique to get better and better. The monk was even reviewing some old notes he had written down long before he met and of the Jellybeans. He claimed they were some techniques his father had left for him to practice as he got older but the monk never felt the need for them. His change of heart came because they were going to start facing stronger monsters and he wanted to be able to do more for everyone else.

One of the days, they saw a bear while they were traveling and Gene walked up to it to test his new skills, after practicing on Blaine the day before, and the monk crippled the bear in one punch leaving it gasping for air. He then just walked away after leaving the bear some berries as an apology, happy with the result.

So Fern figured, no matter what, he was going to be forced onto that altar one way or another. Since he rather not have to take one of Gene's punches, Fern carefully walked over to the altar and climbed on top of it. The stone felt damp but oddly warm, it was as if hot water was used to cleanse the stone but it never cooled off.

Once the druid was laying down, the door to the room opened up and the rest of the Jellybeans walked in.

The archbishop gathered everyone's attention. "Now you will all need to focus your energy towards Fern as the ceremony begins but first we need someone to cover him with the menthyl leaves."

Gene walked forward which was probably for the best. Fern wanted Meowlynn to do it but the awkward erection he would have gotten would haunt him for the rest of his days with the Jellybeans. He knew someone like Cilyia would never let him forget. At least he respected Gene and knew nothing homosexual was going to happen. He had nothing against gay couples but he just didn't swing that way. Also, he learned that Gene worked at a brothel as a bodyguard so he probably wouldn't act weird around another naked man.

Gene approached the altar and grabbed the leaves that were in a bag next to it. The monk could probably see how uncomfortable the druid was. "Don't worry," he chuckled. "I'll just let everyone know you look smaller down there because the stone is cold."

Fern laughed a bit while the monk covered the half-elf's body in leaves. A sour minty smell filled Fern's senses but Gene didn't cover his face but did place some leaves under Fern's head to give him some slight padding. "Good luck," whispered Gene. "I'll be here when it's all over."

With that, Gene and the rest of the Jellybeans spread out around the circle next to the candles. The archbishop pulled on a rope with opened a door on the ceiling that revealed a window. Beyond the window was the full moon, preparing to reach the center of the round window.

"Now the rules about magic don't apply in this room," called out the old man. "Your job is to keep Fern inside the room and as many candles lit as possible. If you fail, he will become corrupted, no pressure." While laughing to himself the old man left the Jellybeans in the room to deal with whatever was about to happen.

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Once the moon aligned perfectly over Fern's body, the candles in the room all erupted into pillars of flames, the leaves on Fern began to glow, and the salt began rotating along the paths they were placed. Something that felt like lightning began pulsing throughout the druid's body making him scream in pain.

Minutes passed before the pain began to dull and a chilling feeling crept over him. As soon as the feeling took hold, two spirits left his body. One looked like Shield while the other looked like his mother. As soon as they left, the candles in the room suddenly went out.

"Get those candles lit," the half-elf heard Gene yell before his eyes closed.

When he opened his eyes he was standing on top of clear water and surrounded only by a blue sky. A man in the distance walked slowly towards the druid but somehow was approaching quickly. The man was tall and slender with long silver hair just like Fern's. His face was extremely handsome, almost borderline feminine but very serious. He wore a massive black coat with black pants and black boots. The instinct to flee consumed Fern as the man stared at him with his cold green eyes.

"Welcome Fern," he said coldly. "I've been expecting you for some time now."

"Who are you?"

"My name is long forgotten but I was once known as the God of Slaughter and Carnage."

"You don't look tough to me," scoffed Fern.

"That's not what your mother said when he was on her knees begging for me to spare her life when she failed to kill you," smirked the god.

The water changed into a sea of blood, intestines were raining from the sky. A very sexy woman was bent over in front of the druid sucking on his cock. Fern was paralyzed and couldn't resist. The God of Slaughter and Carnage was laughing as he danced in the falling organs. Oddly, none was falling on the druid nor the woman who was for some reason giving him the best blowjob of his life.

A human corpse splatted in front of the god, he then carved him up and ripped out the heart. He began chewing on the heart as he watched the confused half-elf. Ejaculating into the woman's mouth, Fern felt like his life was being drained from him. Was this why the curse targeted his penis?

The woman stood up and horror projected itself on his face. His mother was staring at him with his semen still on her face.

"I told you," the god yelled. "She failed to kill you because she loved you too much."

"You sick son of a bitch!" Fern regained the feeling in his body and pushed his mother away. When he pushed her, her body split into two vertically, blood, guts, and sperm sticking on Fern's toes.

"I of course killed her for her failure," smiled the god. "Or I should say, I had Shield kill her. What a sad man he was." The tall figure began to sit down and a throne of corpses formed underneath him. Many of the bodies reached for the druid, begging for him to kill them while others beckoned for him to join them.

"You see, mommy did such a good job at all the kills before and why wouldn't she? It runs in the family." The god rested his elbow on the eyeball of one of the bodies and pushed on it until it popped. "Your grandfather is a very loyal subject."

"Fuck you!" The druid was praying that the cursed pendant would be removed any moment and this would all end.

"Fuck me?" The god suddenly vanished from his flesh chair and appeared behind Fern. "No, I'll fuck you."

Fern felt an indescribable pain as a fist was thrust up his ass and tore through his inners. "I'll force you to do as I wish."

The druid's vision shifted back to the room, he was still laying on the table. Meowlynn and Blaine were splitting their efforts to keep the candles lit while fighting what looked like one spirit, the one that looked like Shield. Kira was manually lighting the candles with a torch while also attacking the Shield spirit. Gene and Kira were fighting the ghost that looked liked Fern's mother.

"I tire of this fruitless attempt to save your friend," the god's voice came from Fern's mouth. The druid felt the being's hand twist around in his inners causing the druid to move against his will. Fern did his best to fight it but was helpless. "I'm sorry," was all he could say as tears began to form.

"Thanks for the tear, servant," mocked the God of Slaughter and Carnage. With a flick of Fern's finger, the god used the water from it to create a tidal wave within the room. From the single tear, a massive amount of water forced its way across the room knocking down everyone except for Gene and extinguishing all the candles again.

Fern's body tried to run out of the room but was cut off by Gene. The monk delivered a destructive blow to the solar plexus with his elbow sending a wave of pain through the druid that locked his joints. Gene then kicked Fern back towards the center of the room.

"Sorry," called out the monk while he was seemingly looking through Fern at the god himself. "I'm not letting him leave the room, even if it kills me."

Fern's vision faded back to the endless expanse of sea and sky, the god was pushed away as if Gene attacked the god through Fern.

"That fucker," cursed the god.

Fern walked over and spit on the downed god. "I will never serve you."

"Heh, well I'm sure I'll find better candidates," grumbled the god while wiping the saliva off his face. "I need more people like Shield. He sacrificed all those lovely children for me and was about to get Sora as his final one until you fools intervened."

"We'll stop you no matter what!"

"We'll have to see about that." He threw up his left arm and a wing was produced from that shoulder. The feathers started vibrating and reverberated off each other like steel on steel. The god whipped his wing at Fern and the druid instinctively put his hands up to block his face. His arms flopped into the water as the rest of his arms sprayed blood.

Laughing loudly, the god did the same thing to the half-elf's legs and then his penis. Picking up the limp cock, the god forced it down Fern's throat and watched him choke on it. Fern begged for death before the feeling of choking vanished as did all the pain he had endured.

His eye flickered open and he was laying in the room. The archbishop was leaning over him and no one else was around.

"What happened? Did it work?"

"Yes," replied the old man. "But you need to rest here for the day. I need to help cleanse your mind of the torment I know you went through. I know that god loves to mentally destroy his victims."

Seven golden canaries flew into the room and landed on Fern before his consciousness faded once more.