Chapter 16: The Appointing

I’d almost forgotten who I was talking to for a minute there. I went myself, and noticed the basket that she was referring to. My washed clothes from Earth and some light armor, courtesy of my dragon seamstress. It even came with a raunchy note to it, scorched along the edges.

Did she hiccup?

I pulled the clothes out eagerly, itching to get back into my outfit with some modifications: a breast plate, a pair of shin guards, thicker boots, and metal gauntlets. The dark slacks and hooded cape were mine, but Rhea also tossed a brown vest, the material something similar to leather without the subtle shine.

I brought the contents of my gift basket inside, where Faye continued having no problem staring at me, probably anticipating me getting dressed in front of her.

What a dirty woman…

It was a shame she refused to own up to it.

“You ought to pay me,” I whispered, teasing her. I walked back to my bed and tossed my clothes on my sheets, before unbuckling my belt in front of her.

She gasped, but she didn’t dash out or protest, the youngest of the Belmauer’s not as pure as everyone might have thought…

Maybe Faye didn’t think I would go along with it, but at this rate, she should have taken the hint. Instead, her feet were glued on my floor. Until Mae snuck up behind her from the door I didn’t close, her head peaking over her shoulder.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Mae whispered over Faye’s ear, scaring her. She jumped, but the look on Maelise’s face wasn’t impressed. “Are you gawking at my husband?!”

“ABSOLUTELY NOT!” Faye cried out, defending herself.

“Okay, that’s good to hear. Because I would hate to think that you’d take my Serrian away from me!”

“Please! I do not want Butcher! I don’t have eyes for criminals of his caliber!”

Mae was skeptical, but Faye didn’t give her a chance to comment further, quickly changing the topic while Mae blocked Faye’s peep show by standing right in front of Faye while I got dressed. “I was merely distracted with how I will become this priestess the both of you are suggesting I be.”

“The stats system. Don’t worry, I already broke it down to Knives. You know, right after I gave him my milk?”

Well, that’s putting it mildly...

“But I don’t have a problem reciting it for you, Faye.”

“How about we walk and talk?” I suggested, finishing up arranging my clothes. “Lead us to this Essera while you explain everything to Faye. I’m eager to see how this appointing works.”

“Sure! Also, when I ran out to the kitchen, I got us some on the road snack bars. They are special mana boosters, as well as stamina and strength boosters.”

“Mana boosters?” Faye asked confused.

“Maelise will go into depth.”

“To the dungeon we go!”

Maelise took the outside route, which I didn’t mind, because the mountainous scenery was beyond breathtaking. Once we stepped outside I felt lighter, and the air was just as liberating. The smell of sulfur was still there, but not as strong as a lower elevation. The sun was out, and for the first time since I’d been here, I got to see bright blue skies. I had to admit, this place had a peaceful vibe to it. I wouldn’t think that I was in hell, well, Relo-Hell.

We continued to walk down the round path, along the outside walkway of the grand castle. Mae explained everything she had said to me last night to Faye, who seemed more than interested in understanding how this mana trade worked. At first, she was skeptical, until Mae pulled out her bow and arrow and demonstrated the power that is magical energy. The head of her arrow started to accumulate ice, turning Faye into a believer. She explained the concept of life force, and how we convert it to mana, a unit of useable energy in battle. Which is why it was important having her, a priestess, around, so we could heal and cycle our mana faster.

“Is that all the dungeon is used for? As a shrine for your Essera?”

“Pretty much. We used to keep prisoners of war down there in another squadron, but not so much now.”

“If all of this is important in keeping enemy pillars from moving with points, then where is Lady Lusts’s temple located, and why hasn’t anyone destroyed it yet?”

Mae giggled. “The pillars of the seven deadly sins cannot be destroyed. If they could, Greed and Pride would have definitely destroyed them by now.”

“They aren’t hidden from the masses?” I asked her.

“Well, not really. Ours is in the capital, but our goddess made it perfectly clear that she doesn’t want anyone going to the temple. Especially when she’s absent. It’s almost like her sacred birthplace. As for the other sins, they don’t make it a habit of hiding theirs, seeing as no one could bring it down. So why bother?”

“Well, with all of this magic, I’d think that someone would have found a way to bypass these points and destroy the pillars head on,” Faye said.

“It’s a good thing they are invulnerable. Trust me. Litheenia would have been buried in corpses if that were the case. We’d be even less protected than before.”

“Speaking of protection, I ran out of ammunition last night. I don’t have any more rounds in my shotgun.”

“There’s no need to worry about that! I have a few on me. Not to mention, as soon as you stepped into Relo-Hell, your weapons were enchanted, remember? Try shooting your gun. You should notice the perks given by Lady Lust’s Kiss!”

“What is Lady Lust’s Kiss?” Faye asked.

“A blessing from our goddess Onessa upon her beloved blood squire,” Mae clarified. “It gives Knives some boosts, perks, new abilities—”

“Mae, I think that you’re forgetting something,” I said. “My special abilities are locked.”

“Oh, right! Shoot. I need to ask Lucile about that. Honestly, it’s the first time I’d seen that. Hmm, maybe you should try shooting a few regardless. Maybe it’s a glitch.”

Like, in the matrix?

“Here, go on,” Mae said, handing me about six bullets.

Well, here goes nothing.

I pulled my shotgun out of its holster, loaded, and fired into the calm blue sky. Round after round. After my fifth shot, another came out, with the same recoil as the previous bullet before it.

But those shots were normal. There was nothing special about them.

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Honestly, I was shocked, because I’d just seen a fire ball coming out of Rhea’s hand last night, and ice forming at Mae’s arrow tip a few minutes ago. But I guess this was one of my limitations on a weapon that didn’t have an ability before. Other than being only able to kill demons here in Relo.

Well, I couldn’t say that I wasn’t disappointed. I liked my targets dead fast, and I was hoping that my gift from Onessa gave me a few perks to do just that. I was stuck until we figured out why my special abilities section was locked.

“Don’t worry, Knives! We’ll ask Lucile about it when we come back from the sub-levels. Come on, we are almost there!”

Maelise was excited about getting a priestess, but mostly, from getting to travel with her goddess’ blood squire. And her mate. She had an extra pep in her step, up until we reached those sub levels, a bunch of intricate corridors lined by torch lights and limestone floors. The temperature dropped a decent amount, Faye huddling inside her priestess cape, while Mae and I took the cold along our skin just fine. I could see my breath escape my nostrils, but Faye looked like she was two seconds from having icicles falling from hers.

“Is it routine to keep these halls nippy?!” Faye complained, but then we reached our destination, a behemoth of a statue sitting on an elevation intimidating my party.

The stone was covered in ivy and moss, where two streams poured behind its foundation in a half ring around it. The walkway had parallel pools of waters surrounding it, and when I looked over my shoulder, I noticed these irregular looking fish swimming over coral. I was definitely getting sacred vibes from this place, down to the giant bowl that statue, which I assumed was Onessa herself, was holding.

I gazed into her eyes, pins and needles prickling my finger tips and toes. It’s be my first time looking at the Goddess of Lust herself, but something inside me felt like we’d met before, in a previous life. It was a strange feeling that I didn’t bother entertaining, because I knew for a fact I hadn’t met her before. She was gorgeous nevertheless, and even in the drapes carved along her curves, I could tell she had a real sex appeal.

Hence, her sin.

The posture of the statue appeared to be offering her guests something as she knelt down on the stone base, and when we got close enough, I realized it was Essera—Litheenia’s mana source. It looked like resin, chords of green and yellow around a transparent bluish liquid. But unlike resin, it didn’t appear to be turbid or dense.

The bowl itself was flat enough for us to reach, and I suspected Faye needed to dip her hand in there to gain her white mage powers.

“All right, Faye! All you have to do is open your heart to our Goddess Onessa, and she will grant you your gift!”

Faye was skeptical. She timidly approached the bowl and looked down into it, keeping her hand locked in a loose fist. I could already hear what she was thinking in that head of hers—was it safe? Is this some kind of trick where these heathens are taking my soul?

Regardless, she needed to be a good sport about it and volunteer.

“Come on, we don’t have all day,” I sighed, and she glared at me.

“Excuse me! But I don’t see you dipping your hands into this thing!”

“Well, currently, I’m not useless. So I don’t have to. But, if it’ll make you feel any better, I’ll follow your lead.”

“No way! You go first!”

“Well, I don’t think Knives would get anything from doing that. Oh! Maybe it’ll unlock your special skills!” Maelist beamed. “Okay, try it, Knives!”

“All right.” As a show of faith, I didn’t turn back on my word, and gave the goddess an offering. The temperature was shockingly warm compared to the climate, and when I submerged my hand into the Essera, a ring of script started to glow golds and whites around us. The inlay symbols were nothing I’d seen before, and it freaked out Faye, but not Maelise. Which meant that this was a normal reaction, and I stood there and waited until the glowing stopped.

As for my stats… I was hoping to unlock my skillset.

“Okay Knives, check to see if it’s unlocked now!”

I used my dagger and tapped it on the crest, and regretfully noticed that nothing had changed.

Maelise read the expression on my face. “Nothing?”

“Strange. Maybe you’re right. I’d already gotten a blessing.”

“But the Essera had worked! The sealant was glowing…”

“Let me try,” Faye said, and this time she was eager. Heh, she probably wanted to feel some type of special if it worked for her and didn’t work for me. Whatever the reason, I was rooting for her regardless, because we needed her to become a white mage.

When Faye had dipped her hand inside, the same reaction happened, only this time, the Essera started to glow as well. It was… definitely flashier than my session, a breeze rolling in, bathing Faye in it. She was struck with so much awe that she’d accepted the unfolding without pulling back. When everything settled down, Faye pulled her hand out, and she suddenly had the know-how to open her stats menu.

The gesture required her to interlock her fingers together in an open fist, with her thumbs pointing toward her chest. When she did that, her eyes grew, the first time she witnessed her own stats menu.

“Wait a minute, I thought I’d be a priestess. It says fighter here. Level 30?”

“How about you turn around and try it? You’re looking at my stats,” I clarified for her.

“Ah! Right! I can’t be facing someone if I want to see my own. Oh, what a terribly low level!”

“And what level is that?”

She didn’t say anything, but Mae did…

“Oh, I feel so much better!” Mae cheered. “I’m not the weakest in the party! You’re at level five!”

“No one told you to make that public knowledge!” Faye hissed at Maelise.

I snickered. “That’s pretty decent, all things considering…”

“What is that supposed to mean?!” she barked at me.

“Don’t worry, Faye! You’re still useful to us! As a priestess, or white mage, you have three very important special starter skills, which will progressively evolve the higher you level up. Holy Light allows you to heal your party for a certain percentage, restoring our mana. Light Shield is a dome of holy light that absorbs energy, serving as a shield. It can also protect you from receiving any type of damage for a short time. And lastly, Divine Blast is a holy energy pulse used for minor defenses. When you level up, you can also gain more abilities.”

“Shouldn’t I test it out?” Faye suggested. “A little demonstration to make sure it works?”

“But no one here is wounded,” I said.

“I can change that,” Faye said, immediately pulling the dagger from my hip.

I rolled my eyes. “You’ve been itching to give me some damage since we first got here. Go ahead. Knock yourself out. But only if you can land a hit on me.”

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