I could hear the dog barking again from the top of the stairs, not a angry or warning bark, but a excited one.

Downstairs I could see why. Chloe was dancing. And not just dancing, she was leaping and spinning around high up in the air for far too long before floating down, light as a feather with a look of glee on her face before spinning around and taking to the air again.

I had asked her out once, but just the once. Afterwards we became friends, for real, not because I was hoping to wear her down, or catch her in a moment of weakness. That ship had sailed, and from then on I just tried to be the friend she needed.

But sometimes...

She was still a attractive woman even if I didn't look at her that way anymore, but in motion, with the look of sheer joy shining on her face, I saw her once again as someone who could bring me to a sudden stop, rather then someone I had come to know.

Then she was running up to me with a leap that cleared most of the hallway. "Sean, I'm a Dancer! I can inspire people who see me dance, and make myself lighter, but only when I want to!"

She caught her breath, "What did you get?"

As Zadora had come running up as well, I took the chance to give her a head rub. "Rector. I can claim holy places and have them give out a protective radius and increase abilities on people as look as they are on holy ground and don't start anything."

She tilted her head at me. "Rector? So you're like a priest."

I shook my head. "Sort of."

She grinned at me, "Great place for it. But no healing? Kind of a second rate Cleric."

I gave her a dirty look, then brightened up. "Says the Bard."

She sputtered at me as I turned around and started heading back up the stairs. "Oh, and apparently we got a demon outside, he can't get in, because of my, abilities. But he's a free shot at more Grace for anyone who helps out in a fight against it, no limits on how many. so maybe gear up and meet me out front."

I heard her shout at me to wait up and for more details, but she had the main points.

Upstairs I found Rill, the others I had thought were armed as well of some of the older ones lined up from the stairway door all the way to the front doors where the last two were keeping a eye on anything happening outside.

Abb Olta stood ready for me as I came to the upper steps.

"We have a large number of frogs, ones from Ritair, our home world. All of themlining up on the banks of the lake, with all of them looking at us, except for the ones who entered the safe area. Those are looking dazed and fearful of the water. And their is something large moving around in the water out there.

He waved at the lizard people all lined up, "Your blessing on those who are fighting would be appreciated."

Oh, right. I guess that could help. I held up my hand for a moment to make sure Rill could see what I was up to, before pressing my thumb on her forehead. "I grant you sanctuary." then I hit the next two rapidly. "Sanctuary, sanctuary. " As their heads reeled back for a moment as some notification got stuffed directly into their heads, I assumed that was enough to activate the rite as I headed down the line all the way to the doors.

In passing, I saw Tok with all my gear laid out on a pew and backtracked to get her with my thumb as well. She blinked and then called out "Information" then after a moment. "Gratitude."

By the time I got my gear on, Chloe arrived with the pup on a red nylon leash. Right on time to be confronted by a entire mob of humanoid lizard people all looking over at her in concern as Zadora once again began parking like mad.

"Whoa, calm down dog. Stop yanking on the leash. Sean, help me with your dog."

I headed over reached over to Chloe to hit her with sanctuary as well, only for her to flinch back with a distrustful look. Oh yeah, she missed all of that. I told her to "Watch." as I pressed my thumb to Zadora between and just above her eyes. "I grant you sanctuary."

The dog shook her head and sneezed.

"See, no harm. Now let me poke your forehead." This time she let me touch her and I shouted "Chloe, I choose you."

As she flinched and blinked, I guessed that it had worked, heck, I might not even have to touch anyone. As Rill began organizing her group of people heading outside, which begged the question of just how did she end up in charge, I looked around for anyone I had missed.

Oh, yeah. Me. I touched my own forehead. "Chosen."

You have received Sanctuary.

All stats are at a +2 while on your hosting holy ground when defending yourself.

Bonus is lost if you make a act of aggression first.

Neat. I glanced around. Chloe was asking Tok for more information. The dog was only giving out a occasional bark of excitement. And the lizard people were still consulting on their plan. So I took the chance before it was too late. "Information."

Sean Murphy

Rector 2

0 unspent Grace

Stats

3 of 3 unspent

Might. 12 Agility 11 Health 14

Perception 10 Ingenuity 12 Calculation 11

Charm 9 Influence 7 Spirit 11

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Abilities

Sanctum

Rite of Sanctuary

Sanctums claimed 1 of 2

St Kentigern's Catholic Church

"So if it's like a game, even number are best. So how do I..."

Influence is terrible, so how do I... Maybe just saying it? "Influence." The number went up. As their didn't seem to be a option to change your mind I kept my mouth shut as I considered how to spend my other two points. I could raise Influence all the way to ten, but I didn't think that would help me in a fight. Spirit might be good for a priest class, but my abilities both seemed to be based on the sanctity rank of the church. So...

"Agility and Calculation." Being able to move around better could only help me, and Calculation sounded like it might make me smarter, which couldn't hurt.

Tok was looking at me muttering to my self. So since she and Chloe might not have noticed they had points... "Check your information, you may have have points to raise up your stats."

Chloe looked excited as she called for "Character sheet" and Tok asked for "Information." and they both after a moment began calling out the stats they wished to raise. Chloe called out Might three times, while Tok choose to raise her three mental stats across the board.

As Rill seemed to be rounding up her discussion, I considered making some kind of speech, only for her to cut me off before I even began with a shout of "We fight!" before heading out the front doors with her scaly legion.

Me, Chloe and Tok glanced at each other before scrambling to catch up with them.

At the first glance of the "frogs" I decided to ask questions when the non human people used a common word to describe something from their worlds to understand what they meant by those words.

The Bluestone clans "Frog" Was frog shaped, but with dark blue skin, horns, and was about the size of a cat, but a whole lot wider. The ones right in front of the church, and just within a hundred feet of the alter, were bunched up a dozen feet from the new shoreline and looked to be fairly distressed and generally unhappy. To each side were several dozen other Frogs, all with their heads angled to look at the church.

Then they slowly maneuvered their bodies so they could focus on me, Chloe and Tok as we stepped out of the church.

Noooooo, that wasn't creepy at all.

Chloe quipped. "I think our buddy is back again."

I looked back and forth. "Well it looks like they can't come in."

Rill turned to look at me, then pointed her hooked blade at the ones milling around at the foot of the new slope in front of the Church, "Those ones can, and you know what that tells me."

I glanced down at the amphibians in question. "What?"

She barred her teeth into something that technically was a smile. "We eat well tonight."

Okay, I guess I should feel grossed out. But I had eaten frog legs before, and meat was meat.

There was a splash of water as something moved out in the lake. Rill looked out there for a moment before she began to lead her band down the slope. The rest of us followed along with a slightly higher level of caution.

At the bottom of the slope, we spread out a bit. All keeping a wary eye on the water. Despite our best efforts, it got in close before one of the lizard guys started to point and shout, only to get bowled over as it burst out of the water and landed partially on top of him in a clumsy heap.

Since he was the only to get attacked first, I think he would have been the only one to keep the benefit of Sanctuary. But since it got to him, he must have already been out of the radius.

The thing was not a frog, but it had started out as a lot of frogs. Some how the bodies of dozens if not hundred of the creatures had been torn apart and stuck back together to make one bigger, shoddily made frog. A vary large one, with at least three heads, one bigger then the other two. As well of dozens of "eyes" which filled out some sockets all around the head but where filled with many smaller eyes all squished together.

All in all, gross. Horrific, but mainly gross.

And then everyone attacked, more out of wanting to wipe the horrible thing out of existence then on anyone's orders.

The frog thing lifted itself on three smaller legs below it's body to free it forelimbs to smack away as people as they tried to close in, as well as drag it's bulk forward bit by bit, trying to reach me. One of it's hind legs shot out to send the closest lizard guy flying back to splash out in the water behind it.

Then it's main mouth opened and something long and purple lashed out at Chloe as she was beginning to step forwards. The dancer got her mop handle up in time to partially block it, but the long tongue just bunched up on the front of the stick as smaller tongues at the end flailed about, latching onto Chloe's hands keeping her from just tossing the tongue wrapped stick away, even if she wanted to.

You know what works great on a big fleshy tentacles grabbing ahold of some one. Hook shaped blades.

Rill chopped the fleshy thing in half, dropping most of it to the ground as Chloe and Tok pulled the other end off of the Dancer. The thing pulled back the stump as it sprayed dark blood from the severed end, but before the lizard girl could do anything else, a tongue from a smaller mouth had wrapped itself around her foot and pulled her sideways with a jerk of it's body to yank her off her feet sideways, before pulling her in toward it's mouths.

I looked down at the hammer in my hand, I guess I could run up, try to get past it's clawed arms waving around in the air, all to get in close enough to smack it in the head with a hammer. Or I could do something useful.

Running past Chloe as she kicked the tongue in disgust, and failed to move it away from her even a tiny bit, I got in close enough to Rill to touch her forehead just before she got pulled in close enough to get clawed at by it's forelimb.

"Sanctuary."

Then I threw up my shield as it lurch in close and brought one of it's forearms down on top of us. I don't know if the metal shield was strong enough to have stopped it's claws from being driven through, because that wasn't what it was doing. Instead it closed it's webbed paw over the top of the shield and lifted it, and me, since my arm was in the straps on the inside of the shield, up into the air. Then slammed me down on the ground.

Right in front of it's blood smeared biggest mouth.

"Crap"

Then Chloe was dancing, down the hill, with her mop handle twirling above her head, as she spun, leaped, and brought it down on the "build a frog" monster with a crack of something breaking inside of it.

You have been inspired with a +2 to your might by a dance of power.

"Oh, you are a Bard."

Mid spin I got the stink eye from her, before she brought the other end of her stick up against a smaller head as the creature turned to line it up with her.

All around, lizard warriors dashed in to hack away at arms, legs and it's main body. Rill, with her foot now free, rolled up below it's head and chopped deep into one of the small arms below it, hacking a paw nearly free, and just getting out of the way in time to avoid being crushed beneath it as that one side collapsed to the ground.

Me, I got the heck out the way and began pointing at people and calling out "Sanctuary" at them to see if I could get it to work at range. It didn't look it was working, but I didn't want to get in their way by trying to get in close enough to use a claw hammer on it.

A few lizard guys that had taken some hits, either walked and were half carried away from the fight to were a lizard person in a butter cup yellow wrap with leafy green embroidery was doing something with her hands that seemed to take away the agony of their wounds.

Oh sure. She get a healing ability.

In what must have been only half a minute the creature was bleeding all over and nearly butchered in all it's missing body parts.

Then Rill commanded "Step back! Get clear!" in a shrill voice.

I was already clear as I watched everyone else take a few steps back. Chloe looked confused, as the rest of the Bluestone clan stepped up.

Then they began pelting the creature with the white land scaping stones from the flower beds from out in front of the Church. Okay, at least they aren't stealing anyone else's rewards. A point of Grace for each of them, just for a symbolic attack. Nice system to live in, but totally broken for a game.

Oh wait, I one of them. I never actually hit it, so... My hammer bounced off it's head. It gave me a personally annoyed look with the remaining eye on that head. a moment later Tok lumbered up close to it and buried her conduit bender into one of the side heads with a crunching sound.

A moment later it slumped to the ground and sort of began falling apart.

Rill poked it with her hook. "Is it dead."

I checked my Template and saw that once again I had disembodied Fancypants. Man, that guy really has it out for me. "Yeah, the template gave me another point of Grace, I don't think it would if it was till alive."

She dashed forward and buried her hook into the top of the main head before looking over at me. "Trust, but confirm."