Panda had enjoyed a wonderful evening in Asquith Town. After a rocky start due to all that kraken business, he had finally met a group of people who truly appreciated him.

The system worshippers were a little odd, but they treated him so well that he hardly noticed… or cared.

After leaving the beach they had bestowed gifts upon him, mostly in the form of books. His personal storage was overflowing with every kind of literature imaginable.

From popcorn fiction to magical theory and even a few rare tomes about the history of their island. He wanted for nothing.

Having the beautiful catonid woman in the golden bikini tend to his every want was just the icing on the cake. He wasn’t one for inter species relations, but he still had functioning eyes, and the prestige that came with being accompanied by a beautiful woman was certainly not something he was going to pass up.

In the evening, he was bathed by the woman and finally got to wash the stink of travel from his fur. She lathered him in a shampoo that smelled like lavender and then coated his fur in smelling oils that left a lovely sheen to his coat.

That night he slept in a king sized, four poster bed that he got all to himself. It sure beat the hell out of sharing a bed with Kaleb and his incessant snoring.

Seriously, the guy could shake the entire room with his blocked nasal passages. Panda had never heard anything like it in his life, and he’d lived for centuries.

The following day was more of the same. He was treated to a luxurious meal of freshly harvested crops and sea plants finished with the finest bamboo. Then he had been paraded around the town and people bowed wherever he went.

I could get used to this; he thought smugly as his entourage carried him on a cushioned seat fit for a king.

That all changed when he was brought to the cathedral.

The building, which had pride of place in the centre of the town, was an architectural marvel. Its large stone walls and stained-glass windows were really something to behold.

Sitting on his pillow throne in the main room, he was surrounded by bowing locals in golden robes. It was a little odd, but no more than he deserved. He was finally being recognised for his sagely wisdom.

His retinue brought him into the centre of the room and placed his throne on the ground. Miss Golden Bikini lifted him delicately under the arms and placed him on a large stone circle in the middle of the room.

It was sat on a raised platform which lifted him high above the crowd. He wasn’t used to being above other people.

I could get used to this, he thought.

A catonid man stepped up from the crowd and Panda’s entourage all bowed like the rest of the locals in the room.

Panda recongised him, though he didn’t know his name. It was the same man who had approached Kaleb and himself just before Sally had kicked him.

That damned cat, not a respectful bone in her body, he thought, moodily remembering the indignity he’d suffered at her hands… or rather, feet.

It was like he couldn’t even make jokes anymore without suffering her wrath. What was the world coming to?

The catonid man stepped in front of him and bowed deeply. He was wearing a fancy golden robe and a tall golden hat with a weird S symbol embroidered on it. The symbol seemed to be made up of ones and zeros and despite all of Panda’s sagely wisdom, he did not recognise it.

“We are gathered here today to give thanks to the system for sending us one of his treasured prophets,” the man said, opening his arms out as he addressed his people. “The legends tell of the one, created by the most venerable and holy system, who would come to deliver us from evil and into the guiding light of our lord.

“I do believe that Panda here is that very same prophet who we have waited for so long to meet. On this, the second eve of his blessed coming, we shall carry out the system’s will and commit this great sacrifice in the name of the lord…”

Sacrifice? Panda thought, his ears perking up.

“Excuse me,” he said hurriedly, interrupting the man’s sermon. He stopped abruptly and turned towards Panda, bowing his head graciously. “When you say sacrifice, what do you mean exactly?”

“Why, you, of course dear prophet,” the man replied quietly, “the scriptures told us of your fated coming: and we shall lavish him with gifts upon the first day of his coming and on the second eve, his blood shall fill the holy alter so that we might partake of the system’s holiest of wines.”

“Oh ok, because when you said sacrifice I assumed… WHAT?!” Panda shouted, causing the man to take a startled step backwards, “you’re going to kill me and drink my blood. Who does that?”

“Fear not dear prophet,” the man replied calmly, taking a step closer, “you shall finally be allowed to fulfil your destiny, your most honourable sacrifice shall not be in vain.”

At that point, Panda did the first thing he could think of and mentally messaged Kaleb and Bell. Luckily, they’d had a private group chat function since they’d formed the Dissident Flame party.

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He just hoped they would arrive in time.

***

Bell and I sprinted through the cobbled streets of Asquith Town after receiving Panda’s message. After the day we’d had I wasn’t even surprised by this strange turn of events.

Oddly, the town seemed deserted.

Were they all at the cathedral? Were we going to have to fight an entire town of religious zealots?

Thinking as I ran, I opened my chat with Sally in the hopes of getting some assistance.

Kaleb: Sally where are you? Panda is in trouble. He’s at the cathedral. Meet us there.

Sally had muted the chat earlier, I just had to hope that somehow it would get through.

“Where is everyone?” Bell puffed as she ran next to me, “this place is even creepier now, I almost miss being asked to join the church.”

“If my instincts are right,” I began, “we’ll be joining them soon enough.”

We approached the cathedral in the centre of town. An ominous, orange and purple glow shone through its stained-glass windows. The previous night I had thought that same glow to be beautiful.

“What’s the plan?” Bell asked.

Without answering, I bolted for the front door and booted it open. Luckily my increased strength made it easy work.

“Oh…” Bell said as I dived through.

The door flew off its hinges and we entered the large, central room.

I might have fucked up, I thought as I gazed at the hundreds of heads which turned to look at us.

The central room was filled to the brim with zealots. The entire town was in attendance. They all wore golden robes and every eye was on us.

Clive stood in the middle of the room, ornamental knife in hand, as Panda sat on… is that a pillow throne?

“Sorry we’re so late to the party,” I said, drawing my daggers from my inventory, “and we didn’t even bring a gift, where are my manners.”

“Kaleb!” Panda shouted, “they want to kill me and drink my blood.”

“Who does that?” Bell asked in an appalled sounding voice.

“That’s what I said,” he replied.

“Good evening adventurers,” Clive said with a wide smile. “Please accept my most sincere apology, but this is a private gathering for followers of the system only,” his eyes took on a steely glint as he added: “no atheists allowed.”

“Technically I’m agnostic,” Bell replied, “does that mean I can stay?”

“Oh really?” I replied calmly, “I’m so sorry for the intrusion, let me just grab my familiar and we’ll gladly get out of your way.”

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that,” Clive replied politely, despite setting his jaw as he spoke.

“Are you certain?” I asked, “because I really don’t want to slaughter an entire town, but it has been a frustrating day and if you insist on forcing my hand…” I shrugged.

“I do!” Bell chimed, holding out both of her hands, a fireball forming on the tips of her fingers as a wide grin split her face.

“Kill them,” Clive said almost exasperatedly as the townsfolk began to rise from their bowed positions on the floor.

“And this,” I said, slashing the throat of the person closest to me, “is why I’m an atheist.”

Bell unleashed her growing fireball into the right side of the cathedral with a glint in her eyes and a toothy grin on her battle junkie face.

Who hurt you? I thought as I slashed at the next attacker.

The fireball exploded in the middle of the crowd. Screams erupted from the area as the smell of burning flesh filled the room.

Concentrating on my own battle, I channelled all of my energy into my agility stat, ducking and weaving as I slashed at the zealots.

One man threw himself at me and I stabbed him in the eye. It popped, covering me with gross eyeball fluid as he screamed and threw his hands to the zone on his face which was bubbling and oozing a thick green acid.

With my upgraded Acid Dhampir Weapons skill I was able to steal a portion of HP from whomever I attacked. Unfortunately though, I couldn’t go beyond my max. Not that I was likely to need to against these people, it was like shooting fish in a barrel.

I almost felt bad for the townsfolk. They didn’t seem to have any weapons and their martial skills left much to be desired.

It felt too easy.

To my left, Bell was obviously not feeling the same way. She giggled like a schoolgirl as she threw fireball after fireball at the advancing zealots.

“Die, die, die,” she chanted maniacally. They didn’t even get close to her. It was an unequivocal slaughter.

My arms burned as I tore through people like butter. Their skin practically fell from their bodies as it bubbled with rotten acid burns. Despite their screams, the people kept pressing on as a forlorn hope. Did they not value their lives? It was like they had no fear of death at all.

It was unnatural and I felt like something was definitely off, but despite the ease of the fight, I still didn’t have time to dwell on the niggling in the back of my head.

I didn’t exactly feel bad for the people I was indiscriminately tearing through, after all, they had made their beds when they decided to kill my familiar. That being said, slaughtering an entire room of people wasn’t exactly my idea of a good time.

Prior to my arrival in Celestia, the thought of killing a person was no more than a road rage daydream. Yet here I was, whimsically slicing and dicing the local clergy.

There must have been at least two hundred people inside the cathedral, but in less than a few minutes, we had slaughtered them all easily. Was this what being powerful felt like?

I felt icky and bile rose into my throat as I saw the slashed belly of the little girl who we’d ran into earlier. I didn’t even realise she’d been here as I slashed my attackers indiscriminately in a battle frenzy.

I’d long gotten over my qualms with killing people in self-defence, but the ease of this battle felt… wrong. It was never this easy. Usually, I’d have nearly died at least twice by now.

And you murdered a child, my critical inner voice chastised.

Slicing through the final zealot, I reached Clive and placed my dagger against his throat.

Checkmate, I thought.

He didn’t seem fearful in the slightest, staring at me with a gaze full of hatred.

“Come on Panda, we’re leaving,” I spat as my furry familiar hopped from his pillow throne and ran to my side.

“What about him?” He asked.

“Death is more than he deserves, let him stew in his-”

“They’re not dead,” Clive said matter-of-factly.

“Are you on crack?” I replied, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck with my other hand, “they’re in pieces, burned alive and there’s blood everywhere. In what possible way could they be alive?”

“Allow me to show you,” he said with a malicious grin as he gripped my wrist and threw me backwards.

His strength was insane.

I flew across the room, landing in a pool of blood which I skidded through, crashing into the back wall. Just who was this guy?

As I looked up from my position from the floor I was blinded by a sickly purple glow which pulsed out of him. My dragon’s eye must have allowed me to see it, but before it had barely been a sliver of a hue. How had he hidden such radiant power from me?

He raised his hands and his face darkened and wrinkled. Before my very eyes he seemed to turn into a grey mummy.

The purple light shot from his hands into streams which hit every corpse in the room at once.

“Rise my flock and be… REBORN,” he proclaimed as one by one the corpses reanimated and began to rise from their places on the floor.

“Well, shit,” I said, looking on in horror, “he’s a god damned necromancer.”