"Good siblings we are gathered here tonight to celebrate and honor those who will lay down their lives for our benefit. People who have seen it in them to let the power of the end itself devour them and become our instruments in bringing down evil. People who have been brave enough to not only realize that everything, everything is wrong, but who have taken the next step out there to cut down the bloated mass of society itself."

Sister Alyssa Highthorn preached from her dais before the Fleshpit of Alagra, the nearest sacred site of the Order of the Apocalypse to the border of the kingdom of Chilvale. Seeker Legio and his party had arrived there only a week after the mission that had taken them through every nock and cranny around the Stronghold. It was customary to oversee a rite when one visited a temple, sanctuary, or fleshpit and Legio was a devout follower if nothing else.

Alyssa had welcomed him with open arms and a kiss as was expected of a Sibling to greet a Seeker. In turn, he had given her the greeting cut across the forearm with his sacrificial dagger as was expected of a Seeker to greet a Sibling. The rest of his followers had been spread out through several taverns so they would not arise suspicion before convening at the fleshpit. The fleshpit had been erected within the cellar of a Vintner over 100 years ago and was filled up with the corpses of slaughtered animals, people, and monsters.

It had a unique touch in that over the century there had been spilled tonnes of wine down to further marinate the fleshpit, it was a bit strange but not heretical. The purpose of a fleshpit was to serve as a nexus for infernal power and become an unnatural nexus for mana. Unholy energies and natural magic would slowly marinate the pit and give the location properties that made it an excellent place for rites such as the one that Alyssa was leading.

Several naked prisoners and volunteers kneeled down on the floor before the dais. Each of them whether they were volunteering for the rite or not had been brutally and ritualistically scarred using obsidian daggers, in addition to having either been castrated or had their noses removed. Attendants were already pouring the discarded meat into the pit as Alyssa continued her speech.

"These brave souls will enter the pit as lesser beings, unclean and without the burdens that will come to define them. The ones who make the choice to become more than what they are will rise from the pit as true Warriors, as Champions of the End. As for those who do not make the right choice, well, they will join the pit and be there as a testament to future applicants. Now, let us watch them make the final choice, the penultimate sacrifice in service to ridding us of this corrupted world."

And without much more ceremony the chosen people were kicked into the pit or jumped down into the fleshy mass, pushed in the case of the prisoners, and kicked in the case of the volunteers. Squelching sounds filled the underground chamber before they were drowned out by the loud clapping that Alyssa started up. Robed Initiates stepped forward to begin dancing and singing around the pit while Alyssa chanted in eldritch tongues to summon forth the power of the pit.

Seeker Legio turned to leave once the ceremony entered this stage, his presence was no longer necessary, and while he didn't mind the screams that would follow. He did mind the possibility of having to deal with an Initiate accidentally falling into the pit and having to help fish them out before the nascent Champions ate them.

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"I think 12 out of the 30 will be able to go through the process, truly it is an auspicious time as it is hard to get more than 6 out of 30 to feast on the flesh. We tried to starve people for a few days before the rite but it didn't meaningfully help with it."

Sister Alyssa was busily eating her stew while conversing with Legio in the privacy of her own home. To the public Sister Alyssa was a noted scribe that specifically helped the poor and uneducated with her quill. Legio admired the subterfuge as her profession gave her ready access to almost every layer of society.

"Such rites have never been my forte to be honest. I work much better out in the field with a blade and a few salves rather than leading grand rites. But I have a Seeker sibling that specializes in rituals, field rituals rather than pit ones but I should make sure the two of you are introduced some time."

"Oh that would be grand, Seeker rites are a mystery to me so having a chance to get a morsel of knowledge about them."

Alyssa stopped for a moment and chewed her food consideringly before continuing.

"That would be a unique experience. At any rate, I know you are probably tired from all of your journeying, but could you tell me about your band your goal? Unless that is not becoming of ears such as mine to hear it."

"Nono you are more than worthy to hear about our task."

Legio smiled and assuaged the guilty-faced Alyssa with a casual wave of his hand. He drew in a large breath and let the moment rest for a few seconds before he began.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"We are going to cross over the border to Chilvale and then head for a certain noble family's lands. I will refrain from telling you which one, but I don't think it would be too hard for you to figure it out. At any rate, we are to establish a branch there and build a fleshpit. I have brought with me a Brother and a Warrior, but beyond that, the rest are just new Initiates. They haven't embarked on a path yet."

"Would you require aid beyond the hospitality we here in Alagra are showing you? Maybe one of the new Champions-"

"With respect, a Champion and especially a fresh one would be the exact opposite of what I need. They are not subtle at the best of times and this mission will require patience and subtlety. One Warrior is enough and I brought him only because I will have him join or form a bandit group that will serve as a good cover for gathering the material for the pit."

"Nono I understand the fault is mine honored Seeker, but even if you can't bring a Champion with you I do have something that would help the rather, and don't take offense here, untrained Brother you have brought with you. And it would help guide your Initiates as well."

"None taken, and you are correct Brother Rupert is lacking in experience and education compared to a Pit Sister like yourself. He just passed the preliminary trials to rise from Initiate to Brother, so whatever guidance you could offer him would be more than appreciated."

Alyssa had smiled placatingly to Legio before he dismissed her concern and she rose up to walk over to the door leading to her private chambers. She slipped in through the door without a word leaving Legio by the dinner table in silence and darkness until she came back with a large cloth bag wrapped around a square shape. The cloth was of exquisite quality and almost seemed to suck in the light through its dark colour.

"I have worked on this for years but the purpose behind it has eluded me. My hands have worked and my mind has not objected to it."

Her hand stroked the bag lovingly before unveiling the thick tome that laid within. The cover was made out of simple rowan wood and bark, eldritch glyphs had been painstakingly scribbled along the spine of the tome but beyond that it was unadorned. However, that didn't matter as Legio could easily sense what radiated from the pages which he knew had to be parchment created from human skin and letters written with a special ink.

"A Book of the Apocalypse? You have been able to copy one? How? You are a Pit Sister, not a Tome Sister."

Legio didn't even try to disguise the shock and admiration in his voice as he looked from the book to the woman holding it in her hands.

"It was not easy and I spent most of my apprenticeship period just getting the required materials to even begin making a copy, but front work as a Scribe has actually been remarkably useful to supplement my Sister training in this regard. This is my greatest achievement but I feel the call to donate it to your cause. A small group such as yours could easily be led astray or face difficulties with training, and this book will do more than enough to remove most of those concerns. Just be careful with who you let read it, I hope I don't have to tell you that letting neophytes read it would be a horrible idea."

He could wince at the last bit of the statement as he imagined the potential consequences of having a new recruit read in a Book of the Apocalypse. Trained Initiates could barely handle looking at a few pages let alone actually read the content within, but even so this was a valuable gift that exceeded the bounds of hospitality tenfold. Legio did therefore the only polite thing and bowed deeply as thanks.

"Thank you Sister, I will strive to ensure that your sacrifice is duly appreciated. You have honored me beyond what I can presently express."

"See that you do Seeker, I wouldn't want to have to rip the bones out of your pelvis if I found out that you wasted it."

Legio didn't even respond to the casual threat beyond giving her a grim smile and reaching out for the book.

"May I?"

"Of course, I will even leave you to have a read through it. I have to go down and supervise the nascent Champions at any rate. Cannibalizing the failures is common and makes the process take longer so I want to ensure they focus on the properly marinated flesh."

Legio took the book as she handed it to him and mutely nodded while she turned to leave. He didn't actually notice her leaving because by the time any sound should have reached him he was reading through the expertly copied pages. And let the ecstasy of the book clawing at his mind fill him as he idly read. Seeker Legio had rarely been afforded the honour of reading a Book of the Apocalypse before, and while he was no Brother he could still appreciate the hidden mysteries and powerful secrets contained within the book. If he had been less experienced then of course his mind would have already been shattered at this stage, but thankfully, that was not going to be an issue for him.