75 The Ritual Pt.4 (1/2)

After removing the bodies from the statue, the priest and scribes had come and quickly taken down all the images that were on the women's back and painted in blood.

The priest and nuns were praying in front of each of the women's bodies. But they were not allowed to remove the bodies to prepare them for either burial or cremation. Instead they were left in their place until the situation was figured out.

I found myself sitting a little way away from the corpse and the praying nuns. The sound of their prayers and the clanking of the soldiers that were preventing the citizens from getting close. Created an interesting crescendo of sound.

But that was at the back of my mind. I was sitting at a table with some important looking individuals. A tent had been erected a table set up that had a couple guards standing outside of the tent to make sure prying ears could not overhear the conversation.

Odd was sitting at the head of the table. While I sat to the right of him. Across from me was sitting the Commander of the Army. Next to him was the female blonde-haired guard. Turns out that she was the Commander of the Guard.

She had taken off her helmet and a delicate face lay beneath it. Her eyes are a bright amber color and she has two black lines that run from each of her eye to the top of her forehead.

Finally, next to me sat the Bishop.

It felt like all the eyes were focused on me. I felt like the odd woman out in this situation.

”Guild Master,” the Bishop says.

He was an older looking gentleman that had salt and pepper colored hair that was peeking out from his hat. On his hat was embroidered a crown and angel wings. That must be the symbol for the White Goddess.

It was the same symbol as the Black God. Minus that fact that the wings on his symbol were spiny and reminded me of bat wings. He was completely clothed and white and, on his nose, rested round spectacles.

His eyes were partially closed, and I wondered what those glasses even did for him.

”What Bishop?” Odd asks rather coldly.

He had turned into almost a completely different person. I had seen a few different sides to him. At first the carefree drunk, a moment ago and playful joker and then a mournful man. But now he was imposing like a leader.

The tone did not discourage the Bishop at all.

”Who might this child be?” He asks looking at me. I tried to control my expression and stay calm. But I was the furthest thing from calm.

The moment that this Bishop had shown up he had not taken his eyes off of me. It was as if he knew that I was something was up with me.

Was it possible that he could see the mark of the Black God? Wouldn't those that served the Goddess be able to tell the differences between believer and non-believers when they were at the bishop level?

My thinking had slowly been warped into the thinking of someone living in a fantasy like world!

”Bishop that is the Guild Master's daughter. Although, I would like to voice my concerns for showing a child these atrocities,” the Commander of the Army says.

Looking towards him, I give him a small smile. It was nice that he was worrying about me like that, but it was also a little unnecessary. But I am sure from his viewpoint that it was a relevant worry.

The Bishop looks down at me.

But decided not to comment any further.

”Shall we continue?” Odd asks slightly perturbed.

His eyes are sharp and cold as they sweep across the table.

No one answers. He leans back in the chair and lets out a small sigh.

”Did your priest and scribes come up with anything on the images that are burned into the women's back?” Odd asks.

The Bishop clears his throat and speaks. An attendant appears from behind him and hands him a small tablet that a milky white color. The attendant's presence is light air. She had light brown hair that was draped over her shoulders and she was dressed in white similar to the bishop.

”We have complied all the images and have link the story back to the creation of the God's. The is the story of how to Profane God ate his counterpart. The Goddess of Good. The depiction has been shown a total of ten recorded time. It appears that this is a ritual to call down the presences of the Profane God.

To either imbue his followers with his power or to spread his might and seal the Goddess of White,” he explains as the table begins to glow.

He pushes it to the center of the table and the tablet lights up and images of women displayed in the same ritual appear.

”Do we have any way to combat this?” The Commander asks.

”At present none of the cities that have had this ritual happen have survived the destructive might of the Profane God. If we are to survive it looks like we would need a Champion of the White Goddess,” the Bishop elaborates.

The feeling of defeat was like a heavy weight just pressing down onto everyone shoulders.

”We have our the [Four Guardians],” the head of the guard retorts.