Have you ever seen a man without his nose? Of course, you have, we’ve all seen Harry Potter. Yeah well, picture old Voldy covered from the nose hole down in a layer of fresh ungodly red blood. His screaming continued even when the High Priest moved away from his crumpled form. Two of the red-robed cultists left their seats to collect the poor man and ushered him from the stage.
The thick black ooze in the strange fountain glowed red as the High Priest used the butt of his staff to stir the mix. The fancily dressed man beamed in a way that reminded me a little too much of a certain DC villain we all know.
“Melumek is pleased,” he said. “Now rise my brothers and sisters and lift your voices to his glory.”
I stood with everyone else, keeping my head tilted down so no one would notice I wasn’t joining in the song. The words I could make out from the awful drone were horrible. Things like ‘blood’, ‘slaughter’, and ‘genocide’. None of this had been helpful. I’d discovered why all the cultists had missing body parts but that was about it.
I needed to find a way to get the man to talk about the Count. My disguise wouldn’t help with that. Something told me the black-robed members of this sect weren’t considered good enough to speak directly to the High Priest.
No. I needed to be someone else. Maybe I could follow one of the red-robed people and hog-tie his ass. I think I had a little more rope in my bum bag. My fingers itched to check my inventory but this was not the place.
The ooze in the fountain turned black again. The High Priest slammed his staff onto the floor, splattering filth across the hard marble. The room fell silent.
“Now, come and sup from the broth of the Almighty.”
The High Priest produced a golden chalice from somewhere and dipped it into the black goop. Bile rose into my throat as I was forced to join the crowd in the aisle. The red-robed members of the cult climbed the stairs first. Each in turn grabbed the goblet the High Priest offered and took a long draught of the sickening soup.
I found it hard to believe how excited everyone around me was. They pushed and shoved, trying to get ahead of everyone else. I let myself be bashed and rammed to the back of the queue. I shuffled with everyone, my eyes whipping back and forth as I tried to find another way out of this place. I refused to drink the black body part ooze. My cover wasn’t that important to me.
My chance to escape came as I neared the steps. A column cast a shadow over me. I focused and Shadow Rushed across the stage, falling back in line with the others as they filtered out of the room. I tensed as I walked, waiting for someone to catch me but no one did. That was one benefit to the black robe, I was almost as invisible as I had been in the beggar's disguise, even here in the cathedral.
I followed the crowd of robed cultists down a hall that ran alongside the main hall. The red robes broke off and climbed a set of stairs. I hesitated, not wanting to stand out. I had no real choice though, I wasn’t here to assimilate, I was here to learn something.
I dropped back and moved to climb the stairs. The bang of a door had me ducking behind a column though. I peeked around it and watched as the High Priest left the main hall. His inability to close a door without slamming it was oddly helpful. The man walked stoically down the hall. I assumed he would climb the stairs like the more prestigious members of the Fellowship. However, he continued on, following the black-robed members of his cult.
I sucked in a breath and pressed deeper into the shadows as he passed me, ready to Shadow Rush if he so much as breathed in my direction. Thankfully, his mind was somewhere else. His eyes were glazed over as he walked. I had wondered if he had drunk from the ooze as well but the splotch of gunk still on his chin answered that for me. I jumped from shadow to shadow as I followed him. Each rush filled me with a little buzz that was somehow pleasant.
We neared the arched doorway into the place before he left the hall and ducked into a room. I rushed through the doorway after him before he could slam the door, hiding behind an enormous decorative vase.
The High Priest sighed heavily and removed his hat. He tossed it on a chair before crossing the room and slipped his staff onto a pair of brackets attached to the wall. The brackets were surrounded by a ring of gold emblems carved into the marble that I didn’t recognize.
He marched behind his desk and sat facing the door rubbing his eyes.
“Do preparations go well, Gerard?”
I flinched. I hadn’t realized there was someone else in the room. My eyes darted around, trying unsuccessfully to find the man.
The High Priest glared at the fireplace beside me. “Must you always lurk, Orion? It is very agitating.”
The hidden man chuckled and stepped from the fireplace. His long black cloak was aflame but he seemed unbothered by it. “I find it is the best way to keep away from the fools in your halls.”
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“Those fools are the reason Melumek will prosper. They may be nothing more than sheep but we must respect them until he rises fully from his cage.”
“You respect them, I, on the other hand, have better things to concern myself with.”
“Speak already. There must be a reason you’ve crawled out of your hole,” the High Preist growled.
The man, his face shrouded in shadows by the hood of his flaming cloak, took a seat on one of the plush sofas facing the large desk. He tossed a leg carelessly over the arm of the thing as he fiddled with something in his hands that I couldn’t quite make out.
“I have a gift for you to deliver to your friend Count Banksia.”
“That piece of trash? Have I not dealt with his stupidity enough?”
“You must deal with him one more time. He has amassed an impressive amount of power. Power that we can exploit.”
“How so?”
“Tomorrow night, when you join him for his ridiculous masked ball, give him this amulet. With it, I can take over his mind and take his power for my own.”
The High Priest laughed uproariously. “You’re going to use that rotund wanker as a puppet, seriously?”
“His power is worth the indignity, believe me. Melumek has demanded it,” Orion growled.
“How close are we?”
“The Crocs have run rampant. It’s a delight to see. Only nine seals remain. Taking over this sad little village will break another of them.”
The High Priest beamed and clapped his hands together. “That is wonderful!”
“Only if you do your part. The Count is a fool but he has his claws in all the people here. We have to ensure he stays in power. I’ve heard whispers that he has angered the Shadow Walkers. That does not bode well for us.”
“Please, the sneak thieves are nothing more than a fly. If they rear their ugly heads we’ll swat them as they deserve.”
“Do not underestimate them. They are more powerful than you think,” Orion said.
The High Priest snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. The Fellowship of Fayum has factions all over this infuriatingly hot island. The Shadow Walkers are no match for us.”
Orion stood and pressed his hands against the desk, towering over the High Priest. “You doubt them at your own risk. Now take this. Give it to him and ensure he wears it.”
Orion handed over a leather box before turning and disappearing back into the fireplace. The High Priest stood and beat at the chair Orion had been sitting in with a cushion until the lingering flames went out.
“He’s such a pain in my ass,” he muttered. “One day, I’ll feed him to the broth.”
The door beside me flew open, banging against the wall. “Your Holiness, the initiates have found Brother Troy naked and tied. They believe there is a rat amongst us.”
“What!” the High Priest bellowed. “Tell me all of it, now!”
I held my breath as I looked up at the man standing beside me. He was so close I wouldn’t even have to stretch to touch his red robe. Don’t look down.
The man described the man I’d attacked and how I’d left him perfectly. I’d thought the darkened corner a fairly safe place but apparently, I was wrong. Again. I was getting kind of sick of being wrong. The High Priest grabbed his hat and his staff before charging out of the room.
When the door shut behind them, again with a bang, I let out my held breath and straightened my legs. The ruckus I could hear out in the halls was my queue to leave. Before I could though I rushed to the desk and picked up the little leather box. I opened it and picked up the amulet inside.
New Item Received: Ruby Amulet of Melumek’s Curse
Description: A stylish amulet of gold encrusted with rubies. It holds a curse that melts the mind but keeps the body whole.
Effects: Reduces mental defenses. Strength +1. Vitality +2.
I made a face. The thing radiated evil. The effects aside from the mental defenses thing were pretty good. I couldn’t let the Count get this thing though. He would be hard enough to defeat without being taken over by Orion. The flaming man didn’t seem like someone I wanted to mess with.
I took off my Amulet of Shadows and sighed as I placed it in the leather box. I fingered the spider, sad that I would be losing the effects it held. I’m pretty sure it was the reason I hadn’t been caught in this blasted marble hellhouse.
I closed the box and shoved the evil amulet into my bum bag before leaving the room. People were running up and down the halls, shouting at one another. I copied them, heading toward the doors. I passed over the threshold and ran into the High Priest.
The man stumbled and was caught by one of his red-robed followers. “How dare you,” he bellowed. “I have ordered everyone back to the hall. Go there now or by Melumek I’ll have your head removed.”
I smiled, stepping back into a shadow cast by the portico above my head. “Sorry your Holiness,” I said. “I have better places to be.”
The man’s face turned bright red. “What did you just say to me?”
I wiggled my fingers at him before I Shadow Rushed to the alleyway across the street. The thrill of it had my feet pounding the pavement as soon as the flash of speed dissipated. I took off toward the spire to meet with Miranda and Stella.
“After him, you fools!” I heard the High Priest bellow behind me.
I laughed as I let the shadows take me again, catapulting from the alleyway to a balcony overhead and then to a neighboring rooftop. This skill was amazing. I felt like I was crackling with electricity.
I hadn’t learned how to sneak into the castle but it didn’t matter. I’d foiled the High Priest and Orion’s plan. That made this whole horrific experience worth it. I still wasn’t sure how it would help me complete the Ill-gotten Crown of Reverence quest but I’m sure it had somehow.
Now all I had to do was collect my friends and find a way to get into the castle. That shouldn’t be too hard after all. It was only two things. Who can’t do two things?