“Hello young acolyte.” The woman said, leaning down in front of him. She was average height for a human, and Coney hadn’t gotten quite used to the fact that his digital body was pretty short. He had to look up to get a good look at her.
“Yeah, hello.” He said with a smile. “But, I am only a Novice, so not officially an acolyte.”
“It is alright, you may not be an official acolyte, but as you are doing duties in the abbey you are still an acolyte.” She smiled. “May I ask your name, my little bunny?”
“W-why it’s Coney Ma’am.” He stuttered, a little unsteady on his feet. There was something about the way she used the words little bunny that hit him and made him feel light headed. She really was just this beautiful figure. “You are lady Franca, right?”
“That’s right.” Franca said, grinning. “And I believe you are one of the new people on this plane. One of the travelers.”
Coney was taken aback. “How did you know that?” He asked, frowning. “The masters don’t bring that up, so I didn’t think it came up in the abbey leadership…”
“Oh, don’t you worry about that. The gods know what you are, so their faithful are just being polite.” She leaned down and patted his head. Her fingers lightly brushing through his hair, it was enticing. He leaned forward, not feeling at all ready to leave.
“The gods? I only know of one god, the religion here is… confusing.” Coney’s eyes drifted closed. “I mean, I’d like to know more, that’s why I wanted to go learn…”
“Ah, perfect.” The lady said, stopping petting his head. “Then I believe I will teach you much. Come.”
Coney obediently followed her as she began to walk. The church in the middle of the courtyard was surrounded by a short three foot iron fence, about as tall as Coney was himself. Inside the yard the cobblestone paths turned into grass, which was soft under Coney’s bare paws. There were stones in the yard, but they were small and rubble, so he couldn’t make out what they were meant to be. The church had a porch, and underneath the roof there was a bench.
“Here we go, I’ll tell you of the gods while we are here.” She said with a smile, sitting down on the bench. She pat the section beside her.
“Alright, I really want to know how the gods work.” Coney said, climbing up to sit next to her. He was startled, though not upset, when she started to once more pet his head.
“Alright, so for the complicated stuff first. Have you read the story of the beginning?” She asked, a smile in her voice.
“Yeah. First there was Chaos, and then he created Order to be his match. From there they put together the world, making all the people, and eventually the gods.” Coney couldn’t help but lean on her, it felt nice being there, his soft feet brushing the floor.
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“Quite. Well, sort of. You see, first of all, Chaos and Order have no gender. They are beings that are purely concepts, not the living gods.” She nodded. “So yes, that is the short answer for how the world was created. But the gods, the gods are another story. You may have heard that the gods and monsters are tied to people and places, and that is true.” Her hands brushed softly against Coney’s ears, which he learned were very sensitive.
“When mankind was first born we scattered to the wind, which is why there are so many gods. However, as humans, our gods are often similar to each other because we have a similar background. The empire uses that to its advantage, and allows worship of gods as long as they can claim them as aspects of their gods.” She sighed. “The aspects have different personalities, different worshipers, and different laws… but in the end, it is good that the empire does what it does. The empire allows all churches to stay as holy ground, and our communities build around them.”
“But doesn’t that take away from what you are?” Coney asked, looking up to her.
“Somewhat, but we are what we are because we love ourselves. In the end, we always find our calling in the end. You too, child, will find a calling. My goddess is Ilithiia, a mother goddess. You met one of her other forms, I believe, during your time before coming to this plane.”
“Right, Abeona, she helped me become who I am.”
“Yes, There are many goddesses that help children. They are thus tied to your new birth as a traveler, your birth into this world.” She hugged Coney close and pet the back of his head. “You are young yet, you still have the smell of childhood though you are clearly a young man. We must teach you.”
Was she really commenting on him being so low level? “Well, I’d probably stop being childlike if I knew how to become stronger.”
“Tasks, quests, whatever you want to call them. They are how we, and the heavens, communicate what we want from you. Complete them and you will grow strong.” She smiled. “So far, you have only completed three quests, and one of them was a punishment no? I suspect if you take on more duties, you will grow quickly.”
“Ah, good, I’ll be glad to become stronger. I want to see more of the world.”
“Yes child, I am glad to see you have adventure in your heart. Even if it must take you from me.” She sighed. “Though, until you leave, if you wish I can tell you more stories. I can tell you of how our church was founded, of how the gods feel about the empire, and of the church’s mission.”
“I’d like that.” He said smiling. “But for now… can you give me a task? A quest? I don’t suppose you and that beautiful goddess of yours have a task for me?” He didn’t want to leave, but he also felt bad for staying. He needed to get going, to grow in strength. That was what gaming was all about, the progression. And he couldn't just let himself stop progressing to spend time here, could he?
“Hmm, I do not usually give tasks. That is usually what the masters do.” She said with a soft smile. “I suppose I can do so. I am the caretaker of the church. I do not always give the service here, in fact I am rarely the one who does, but my job is to take care of its grounds. That is in addition to my calling, which is to protect and help the young ones, like you.”
Coney smiled softly in return. “So what would you like done. The floors swept? The porch washed?”
“Nothing so simple. I believe you travelers call this a quest chain. I will start by asking you to trim the church yard. It is out of control, and it is impossible to use most tools as the grave markers are in the way.”
Coney nodded. “This may take me more than one session… More than one day.”
“Then I will get to see you again and again.” She said smiling. “Don’t worry, the reward at the end will be good for you, I promise.”
“Alright, I accept.”
New Quest Added: Church Care 1: Mother Franca has asked you to trim the long grass in the church yard without harming the grave markers. Reward - Unknown