“Clearly,” said the preacher, “you defy the natural order of the Blessed. A [Penitent] should not shame an [Acolyte].”
He pinned his cold gaze upon Anna. “Worse, an [Acolyte] shouldn’t shame herself. Give me a reason why I should not have you both expulsed to the Vast Underworld.”
Anna paled, and in the growing light of hope Gerald remembered how young she was. They locked eyes and realized both were being measured against each other.
“I am willing to renounce myself,” he said. “I’ll follow the teachings of your Jointed Goddess. I’ll not touch drink, nor injure your Blessed, nor beat my head with my fists. All I ask is survival. I do not yet deserve forgiveness.”
I might be laying it on a little thick, thought Gerald as he shut his mouth.
“His leg is broken,” said Anna solemnly. “It’s a Major Injury, so he may never walk unaided again. Please allow me to act as his caretaker.”
Clever. She may have failed as an [Acolyte], but she can still be an asset to him by taking on a thankless job. She’s tying her fate to my own. But why is Father even considering my survival as an option? A moment ago, he cared nothing for me.
“I’ll teach him the proper observances, as well,” Anna offered.
Father watched the two of them until Anna’s cheeks began to twitch in fear. Gerald kept his head bowed.
“Guide him properly,” said Father. “May our lady bend our fate.”
“May our lady bend our fate,” echoed the congregation. They began to disperse. Gerald was left with many questions, but only one was pressing.
“Can you please take the hooks off my eyelids, Caretaker Anna?”
I won’t die like this. But can I really call it living?
----------------------------------------
“Gerald, what do you know about Blessed mechanics?”
Anna was fiddling with his leg shackles. They had several identical pin locks which all had to be opened in order to loosen the cuffs. My power must not see her as an enemy right now, even though I don’t trust her. How can it tell? Can it be fooled?
“Nothing,” said Gerald with closed eyes. “I migrated to Marshweld just last month. Before then, I only knew hearsay about Accursed; cultist organizations with strange powers. Heard them whispered of in taverns. Never gave much thought to the rumors.”
“I see. I’ll treat you as an uninitiated, Gerald.”
She frowned. Clunk. Gerald’s manacles fell to the floor. Anna rose on her tiptoes but still couldn’t reach his hands. She dragged a stool over while she lectured him.
“Blessed have strange bodies. They’re governed not by the laws of physics, but by the Aces. That means Attack, Core, Endurance, and Speed. If a Blessed strikes another, no matter how strong or weak each is, the aggressor's Attack will be subtracted from the defender’s HP. Mundane injury can only reduce your HP by 1.”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“What does HP mean, then?”
“No one really knows, but it’s colloquially referred to as Holy Power. If a Blessed runs out of it, the force animating their body departs for the Vast Underworld.”
“What’s the Underworld, anyway? I thought it was a euphemism for death.”
Anna’s eyes lit up. “In the Vast Underworld, faithful followers of the Jointed Goddess—All Emissaries of Bone are eligible, really—who pass away are rewarded with an afterlife. The higher your Rank when you die, the longer you’ll live there. It’s not the only reward for increasing your Rank, but it’s certainly the largest.”
Gerald’s eyes widened in performative curosity. “And how do you increase that Rank?”
“At first? Simply kill another Blessed of the same Rank in single combat! Most deities only reward their followers for defeating foreign Blessed, but the Jointed Goddess is a realist who rules fate, bones, and non-equivalence. As such, she permits fratricide between her believers!”
How barbaric!
“It sounds... ruthless.”
“I suppose it would be if the dead weren’t rewarded. But one Rank is worth a hundred years of afterlife, so it’s not such a raw deal.”
Huh?
Gerald gulped. “Sorry, caretaker, I must’ve misheard. I thought you said each Rank provides a hundred years.”
“That’s what I said.”
“But I might not even survive this life until I'm forty!”
“Not a problem. The reward is unconditional. Why do you think we were so happy to slaughter you after the goddess’ gift?”
Because you’re all wicked cultists!
“I wasn’t sure you had compelling enough reasons.”
Anna’s eyes hardened. Gerald dropped out of the shackles and landed right on his injured leg, which gave out from under him.
HP: 12/14.
“Augh!”
“Oh, you can handle it, you big baby! Pain is vestigial for a Blessed. After a good long rest... your HP will recover fully.”
“Does that mean my Major Injury will recover too?”
Anna simply grimaced. Gerald felt his face fall.
“Is there really no way?”
“In theory, you could increase your Rank to restore your body and extend your lifespan by a few years. But in reality, fighting an [Acolyte] with one leg already broken is suicide. You’ve seen my Joint Lock! They’d just lock your second leg! And a [Penitent] like yourself? They’d have more HP than you, but the same abilities otherwise, so if you trade blows, you’ll fall first.”
“What if I had a higher Core or Attack?”
“Unfortunately, the Aces only increase with Rank.”
Gerald ran his hands down over his face. Finally, his eyes were no longer irritated. He opened them to stare directly at Anna.
“Then I must kill a Blessed that doesn’t belong to the Emissaries. It’s a gamble, but... asymmetry is the only way I’ll have a chance!”
Anna shifted under his gaze, eyes flicking toward the chapel door for just a moment.
She collected her thoughts.
“You can be quite intense when you want to be, [Penitent] Gerald. I’ll see if I can find you an opportunity. It’s just... we rarely see outsider Blessed around these parts. Moreover, Father Ache’s favored [Acolytes] get dibs on fighting them.”
Her voice turned glum. “That would’ve been me, once. But I’m certain I’ve ruined my reputation in his eyes.”
Gerald, uncertain how to reassure her, merely cleared his throat.