A Quest for Sweet Suffering: Chapter 2 – Searching for Trouble

Chapter 2 – Searching for Trouble

Emerging from the crimson mist, Astorath finds himself in the ruins of the advanced civilization of the past. Towering buildings that block out the afternoon sun lay in ruins that have not been touched for generations and are slowly decaying with no soul in sight. He makes his way to a destroyed church that was once also a giant mech, which lies in the ruins of a tower. The mech’s face, cannons, and legs are rusted, yet it’s still a sight to behold. Climbing up the mech and into the Church, Astorath takes note of the architecture, statues, and paintings are all ruined and sees that they have a haunting beauty to them. Before he goes past the altar, he genuflects and crosses himself.

In the heart of the mechanized church, Astorath breaks through secured metal doors with his mace and activates a trap that makes fire spew from the walls, ceiling, and floor. He walks through it all as if it were nothing and then finds a monstrance that holds a seemingly still fresh consecrated host, the real body of Christ. After patting out the fires on him, he again genuflects, crosses himself, and says a short silent prayer before picking up the monstrance and kissing it.

“Of all the things to leave behind. I will make sure that You are put in a proper place of adoration and worship,” Astorath says to himself and to God.

Astorath shields the monstrance through the flames, pats the flames out again, takes the monstrance out of the Church, and then walks back in the direction he came until he is found by a man who is covered in ash, dirt, and rags.

“You there, boy! Where did you find that monstrance at?” the man asks as he approaches Astorath.

“That church over there. It was locked up behind steel doors and protected by a flame trap, but I managed to get it,” Astorath says.

“You’re a tough one, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I-”

Something grabs Astorath’s attention which confuses and startles the man.

“What is it? Do you sense ratmen, beastmen, cultists, or both?”

Astorath hands the man the monstrance before firmly gripping his mace and heading to the direction he is being drawn to and finds ratmen with their prisoners getting out of a rathole. He uses his blood magic to crystalize his blood and shoots it at the ratmen to efficiently kill them and save the captives who thank Astorath afterward and recognize him as the man who was defending their town days ago.

“Head back home that way,” Astorath says while pointing in a direction. “Do not worry about food or drink because you’ll find it along the way and do not worry about any dangers because none of them will bother you. I have a feeling they’ll be coming for me soon enough.”

The captives thank Astorath again and head on their way.

“Did you know those people? They knew your name,” the man asks as he catches up.

“No,” Astorath says while taking back the monstrance from the man.

“So, you’ve saved many towns from the ratmen?”

“Yes, I have.”

“Then maybe you can save the people here from the monsters. More horrible things than ratmen inhabitant it.”

“If this place is such a hotbed of horrors, then hasn’t the church sent its soldiers to cleanse it?”

“Ha! They’ve abandoned this city and many others generations ago. Don’t you see that with your own eyes? After the war that ended the future, the technology that humanity relied on so much that allowed it to build everything around you and explore the stars was destroyed and the knowledge, tools, and whatever could be salvaged to repair it all was lost forever because of mankind’s negligence. To be honest, I don’t blame them for letting large cities like this rot while only tearing down and rebuilding others like the ones in the Vatican and the capitals of kingdoms.”

“I see.”

“Heh, I can see that you’re not too interested in the subject even though I can’t see your face.”

“You’re right. My only concern is for the things that God has tasked me with.”

“That’s a cold, but reasonable way to look at things.”

“It’s not my fault that the Church hasn’t sent any soldiers or help for you and those who remain here.”

“No, it isn’t, you’re right, but you seem like the kind of boy that wants to do something.”

“The only thing I can do is offer up my prayers and penance for your sake, which I’ve already been doing to some extent as the kingdom of Onocrotalus does for the world. I could also…hold our Lord for now.”

“What is it?”

Astorath heads off with the man chasing him to see what’s going on until Astorath comes to a stop and hides himself in the dark. A couple of minutes pass until a herd of beastmen appears in the distance. They approach with dozens of crates on their backs and shoulders all of which have the seals of the Church on them. The herd is comprised of women with the bodies of spiders, a man with the body of a lion and a secondary head that’s a snake, and a man that’s half bull and half tiger just to name a few. Both Astorath and the man follow them to a different abandoned church than the one that Astorath was at. The outside walls are covered with blasphemous markings and symbols and are decorated with the hanging and crucified bodies of men, ratmen, and beastmen alike.

“You’re not honestly thinking about going in there, are you?” the man silently asks.

“Yes. I can hear the silent voice of God telling me to,” Astorath whispers.

“Is that how you found this monstrance, the ratmen, and knew that those beastmen were coming?”

“It is. My people practice being in a state of constant pain and penance so we can hear His silent voice since God is closer to you when you’re suffering.”

“If you say so.”

Astorath steps out of the shadows and heads directly towards the desecrated church.

“Wait, do you even have a plan to face all those beastmen? There are probably more inside,” the man says.

“I do. My plan is to go in there, hit them with my mace, and use my blood magic on them,” Astorath explains.

“That’s not much of a plan, but if you think that’s what God wants you to do then do it. I’ll be keeping my distance.”

“No, I need you there to hold up our Lord. It’ll weaken the demonic powers there and make it easier for me to win.”

“What?!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll put a blood crystal shield around you when we’re in there, and even if you die, you’ll die with God in your hands and doing His will. What greater honor is there?”

With nothing more to say and nothing to actually lose, the man reluctantly agrees to go with Astorath into the church. Despite the straightforward plan, they stop by the doors as Astorath plans out who to attack first. They watch as the beastmen and men and women sparsely dressed in the same blasphemous markings on the church carved onto their bodies.

“The rats have failed to bring in today’s sacrifice. I haven’t seen them on my patrols,” a woman with half the body of an eagle says to a man with the face and limbs of a minotaur.

“They’ve been failing us more often than not recently. Would you and your flying brethren know why that is?” the minotaur man asks.

“Besides the orcs and the fiery people of Canis, we’ve heard rumors that the people of the Onocrotalus are intervening in our affairs as well.”

“Onocrotalus? Isn’t that kingdom nothing more than a legend?”

“To some it is, but their people do show their face on occasion and it appears that our plans are pushing them into action.”

“If anything, this is at least reassuring to know that our actions are having an impact on the God of the Catholics. Speaking of which.”

The beastmen break open the crates with their bare hands to reveal monstrances, statues of Christ, pictures of the Blessed Virgin, and other holy symbols and objects. Seeing these unrepentant sinners with these sacred objects lights a holy anger within Astorath forcing him to move and take the man beside him into the church and in the view of everyone in it.

“That’s the kind of person rumored to be part of Onocrotalus. Have you come to give that monstrance to us?” the harpy woman asks. “Your kind isn’t known to betray your Lord.”

“You’re right on that last part,” Astorath says before lifting his now bleeding right arm.

Instead of blood coming out from his arm, the blood that Astorath uses for his blood magic comes from the many monstrances and consecrated hosts and wine. The blood splashes onto and into the many sinners in the church and crystalizes to immediately impale them from inside and outside. What would’ve taken ten minutes for a squad of the most elite soldiers in the Church to accomplish was done in a minute as all the sinners in the church lay dead and in pieces. In his amazement, the man next to Astorath looks up at the monstrance before averting his eyes in reverent fear and thanking God for His mercy.

“How did you do that?” the man asks.

“The blood of Christ flows through me while I live in a state of grace and, for that reason, all sources of the blood can be used in blood magic,” Astorath explains before leaving the church, “Take care of this place with your people.”

“Where are you going?”

“To do God’s will, of course.”

“What about this monstrance? Isn’t this yours?”

“I gave it to you, so no, it isn’t. What is your name so that I may pray for you? Also, give me the names of everyone I know so I may tell them to Onocrotalus.”

“My name is Alumnus,” the man says. Alumnus then lists off the names of everyone he knows and then says, “And pray for everyone else I might’ve forgotten.”

“I will. Thank you for helping me. God will make sure that your blessings increase.”

Alumnus watches as a crimson fog suddenly appears that Astorath walks into and disappears in. Now with a church and a threat from the city dealt with, Alumnus gathers his people to clean the church, take the crates of sacred objects to be put in a proper place, and tells them of Astorath’s deeds and of his renewed confidence in what blessed unknown future God has for them.

A Quest for Sweet Suffering: Chapter 1 – Starting at the Destination

Chapter 1 – Starting at the Destination

A lone young man walks out of a crimson mist with a black serrated mace that he holds with a bloodied hand. He walks forward into a desolate town without looking around as if knowing for sure where he is going and that there are no dangers around him. As he walks through the streets, most people are startled by his appearance while others scoff since they already know where he’s from just by his bloodied appearance and chilling doll-like mask alone. The young man makes his way into a bar and takes a seat at one of the tables in the corner. He has the attention of everyone in the bar all of whom look and whisper about him.

One of the waiters hesitantly approaches him and asks, “Could I get you anything, sir?”

“No, thank you,” the young man says.

“No water or bread?”

“Nothing, please. I’m just here to wait for someone.”

“Okay,” the waiter quietly says before walking away.

A group of three people in the bar then sit with the young man.

“What’s a guy like you from Onocrotalus doing here?” one of them asks.

“To do God’s will,” the young man answers.

“Aren’t we all? What’s your name?”

“Astorath.”

“Right. You’re a man of few words, aren't you?”

“I usually am unless I have to deliver a message.”

“I see, I see. I’ve never talked to one of the people from your kingdom. Truth be told, it’s as if I’m talking to a living legend, or somewhat living. Honestly, how can you live with all those cuts on your right arm and your hand constantly bleeding? You can take your hands off the mace, you know. You’re among humble folk.”

“These cuts and constant bleeding are a penance for the sins of the whole world.”

“Yeah? Is it true that your entire kingdom is blessed with Stigmata and that you’re born with it?”

“We are.”

The three look at each other with concern.

“I can’t imagine how it must be to live with that pain for your entire life.”

“We from Onocrotalus get used to it. Besides, it’s a blessing.”

“You don’t seem too blessed with that crimson crown of thorns, cuts all over your arm, that bleeding hand that’s holding your mace, and that mask of yours. Why do people like you wear it anyway?”

“It’s another part of our penance. Each mask represents a sin that we do penance for whether it be ours or someone else’s.”

“What does your mask represent? Is it your sin?”

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Oh, come on. You’ve been so open to us so far. Why keep this from us? We won’t judge you if the mask represents your sin. We’re all devout Catholics guilty of some sin. I know that I have to confess later this week for sins of my own.”

Astorath looks around the room as if aware of some danger and then gets up with his mace even more firmly gripped in his bleeding hand. The three sitting with him are unsure what to do or say to him and choose to simply watch. Everyone else in the bar is now refocused on him as he walks around while looking around the room. He comes to a sudden stop before looking at the floor. In the blink of an eye, a ratman emerges from the floor just as Astorath lifts and brings down his mace to kill the half-man, half-rat monstrosity.

Seeing the ratman scares everyone in the bar who then go to the guards to immediately mobilize them since seeing one ratman means that there are more nearby, and sure enough, more start coming out of the ground and dark hiding places to attack, eat, and kidnap the town’s population. These ratmen are armed with rusty daggers and short swords and clothed in dirty rags. Some of them have armor and weapons that are in better condition that were stolen from the town’s armory and some are as tall as men, if not taller and more muscular with more humanlike faces than the others. While this is happening, Astorath is taking care of the ratmen that emerge from under the floors of the bar and holes in the ground that appear too small for them to fit through, and yet, a seemingly endless number of them keeps coming. Everyone around him is doing their best to not get in the way or help out by fighting with spears and swords that the bartender keeps in the event of a bandit or ratman attack, though what they have doesn’t seem to be enough.

As Astorath’s right arm begins to bleed, he begins to conjure his blood magic. He then says, “Enough of this,” before striking the ground with the palm of his right hand and making the ground beneath the town floor with blood. The ratmen underground are drowned and flushed out and those that are above ground near the holes are stabbed by tendrils formed by the blood. Soon after, the entire town is cleansed of the ratman threat and the blood that was bursting from the ground subsides along with Astorath’s bleeding. Walking out into the streets of the town, Astorath is met with thanks and cheers from its inhabitants though he is not celebrating at all, and looks around as if there’s still a threat remaining.

“What is it? Are there more coming?” a concerned townsfolk asks.

Despite the concerns and questions of the people of the town, Astorath keeps quiet and walks around looking for something. That particular something comes bursting out of the ground. It is a multiheaded ratman with muscles greater than those that any man could obtain and faces that look uncannily human despite also appearing like a rat. It immediately punches Astorath’s head clean off and then violently tears his body into pieces before yelling out a terrifying cry of victory. Half of the townsfolk run away, others are frozen in fear, and few hold their weapons firm despite wanting to flee.

“Surrender and we may allow you to live as our slaves, or better yet, turn you into one of us,” the large mutated ratman says.

A few of the townsfolk fall to their knees in surrender while others are still unsure of what to do or are still willing to fight. One of Astorath’s hands starts twitching and then one of his legs. His head starts rolling around and his blood that’s spread around begins to stir as his body and limbs lift themselves up in the air before forming themselves in the shape of his original body, but taller with his limbs and head connected to his body only by his blood that visibly flows between them like strands of wire. Seeing this fills the townsfolk with hope and the mutated ratman with confusion who goes to try to kill him again, however, this time, it is unable to land a hit on Astorath as his limbs fly in the area to avoid all its attacks. Blood comes out of Astorath’s right hand and into the ratman drowning it and making blood burst out of each part of its body.

“Repent, if you still can,” Astorath says to the ratman before it explodes into pieces and a mass of blood.

Now that the fight is over Astorath’s body reforms itself back into what it once was. After recovering from the sight of it all, the townsfolk cheer and thank God and Astorath who is walking away from them.

One of the townsfolk asks him, “Why don’t you stay? We need a protector like you and we need to repay you for saving us.”

“Send a messenger to the Church’s authority about what happened here and they’ll send troops here to defend you and help you get back those who were kidnapped,” Astorath says.

“We’ve asked for their help before and you’ve seen that we’ve had to defend ourselves.”

“They’ll send troops this time now that you have proof of God’s favor and that the ratmen have interest in this town. Also, it is God who you must thank and give praise to for saving you. Not me.”

“What are you going to do now?”

“Continue on my path of penance as always.”

A crimson mist suddenly appears in front of Astorath, filling the townsfolk with unease. They watch as he walks into it and disappears, and no matter how much they search, they can’t manage to find him. Afterward, they do as Astorath said and the Church does send troops to set up in the town. The townsfolk also give greater praise to God and spread the story of what happened here throughout the Church’s territories.

Immortalis Fides: Lore - The Human Kingdoms of the West

The northern kingdoms that are found in what was once called the UK and European countries such as; Italy, France, Spain, and Poland.

Leo-Lion

"Duty and Service"

    Founded on two separate northern islands, the kingdom of Leo is a center of commerce and a source of the most knights, soldiers, and leaders of the Church's military besides the kingdom of Oron. They boast of their jack-of-all-trades nature and have troops stationed all over the Church's kingdoms save for the southern regions, the kingdom of Bernhard, and the wastelands of Eastern Europe.

Serpentis-Snake

"Work, Penance, and Reward"

    Known to be a criminal nation by some, the kingdom of Serpentis has been associated with mercenaries, especially since it won't dedicate troops to the Church's army without promise of an appropriate payment. They have the largest number of skilled human archers, blade-dancers, stealthy scouts, and guards and penitents who will give their lives to God without question.

Equus-Horse

"Protect and Give"

    The people of Equus are known for their craftwork and ability to invoate. Their number was hired to fix the technology of the past and were said to be able to get prototypes of them in a state that would've been able to work if the disasters that destroyed everything hadn't happened. In terms of their cities, their walls are the tallest and strongest, and much can be said about their buildings and army as their troops are the most heavily armored in the Church's army and typically wield large shields, sometimes even wielding two shields at once as weapons of both offense and defense. These soldiers guard the most important cities besides their own and places where the top Church leaders meet.

Noctua-Owl

"Reflect God's Will"

    In a land that lives in constant night, the kingdom of Noctua is known for its knights of the moon who have black skin and bright yellow eyes. Their soldiers are the most elite knights of the Church and have a brotherly rivalry with Leo to fill the ranks of the army with more of its members and obtain glory and honor for its kingdom's name with Noctua having an advantage in that their strange circumstances of their land has gifted them with extra strength, higher perception, and the ability to use magic such as the kind that allows them to mask their approach with dark fog and blind with light that can flash from their eyes.

The southern Kingdoms that are found in what was once called the areas of Africa, the Middle East, Greece, Romania, India, and Turkey.

Corvus-Crow

"Salvation Only Comes Through Death"

    This mysterious kingdom, just like Noctua, is cloaked in constant night. Their land is dead, and yet, they, their vegetation, and wildlife somehow live. The living things in this land appear half-dead with both the animals and people having a corpse-like appearance to them since their skeletons and inner flesh are regularly exposed. Life persists regardless and manage to get by with it constantly dying and being reborn day in and out. To the people of Corvus, this is just a reminder and a blessing with the appearance of a curse that all who fall to sin can rise again no matter how dead to sin they may appear. They wield heavy swords, hammers, and spears. In terms of defense, they never use shields or any kind of armor because they are resilient despite being glorified walking corpses. They are so resilient, in fact, that they use the spikes and thorns that adorn their weapons to cut not only their enemies but also themselves to use their magic to conjure thorns, insects, and poisons to further increase the suffering of their enemies to force their repentance.

Canis-Dog

"Life is War"

    The ever-warring kingdom of Canis is a place full of firey people who live in a firey land filled with volcanoes, hostile wildlife, and plants that are also alive and carnivorous. They wield maces, axes, long swords, and can use fire magic to burn their enemies, heal their wounds, and ignite themselves full of energy. Since they are violent people, they are good friends with the kingdom of Bernhard and even have sparring tournaments with them. Their crime rates are low due to their low tolerance for it and have troops fighting the ratmen in the wasteland since they can survive in it as their bodies are used to the savage conditions of their own homeland.

Polypus-Octopus

"Always Searching, Always Questioning"

    The strangely cold lands of the kingdom of Polypus are ever-shifting. Its wildlife and vegetation are peaceful and won't attack anything unless provoked, which makes it a wonder how some of the animals, especially the once carnivorous ones can survive without eating. It's people can also go for long periods of time without eating. That's not the only area where they are strange since the people native to this land have more than one eye per eye socket and have light blue or completely white skin. Some of its people even have tendrils for arms or legs or have additional eyes on different parts of their limbs, body, or face. Depending on their knowledge and fortitude, they can levitate, fly, use ice magic, psychologically get into someone's head, or summon creatures of ice. They are not a warring people so they mostly keep to themselves and out of the Church's affairs and politics unless there's a dire need for it or if one of their spiritual leaders has a premonition from God that they need to warn the Church about. One example of this was the birth of the ratmen, orcs, and elves that no one knew what to do with since the premonition warned of a new humanity being born. They, however, were prepared for the new human races and were able to keep their kingdom free of the infestation of Pope Sylvantic's ratmen.

Immortalis Fides: Lore - Banishment of the Blasphemeriers

    Because most of Earth's cities were in ruins, criminals were either executed immediately or in public, or put in the most basic of prisons. After the ratmen, orcs, and elves became a concern, prison reform and updating were pushed to the side to deal with the new present problems. Some crimes were now ignored while others would only result in empty warnings, slaps on the wrist, and minor debts to be paid in either labor, currency, or materials. In kingdoms where law enforcement was stricter, hands would be cut off, executions were more common, there were public beatings, or a criminal would be disallowed from working within a given region that knew of their name and crimes. Banishing people would be a common punishment, especially when the prisons became full.

    Since the banished had nowhere to go, they would wander the lands and make their homes in nature, or more likely, start again in a different kingdom. Those who were stuck in their criminal ways would not stay too long in foreign lands or be killed by the law or rivals. Eventually, those who could live nowhere because they were banished from most safe places wandered out to distant lands. People would report that they saw these people walk across bridges of ice or dirt and into the fog in the direction of what was called the Americas hundreds of millions of years ago or the North and South Poles. These same bridges would disappear within hours as if the entire event was a dream, however, it is also reported that beastly men would walk from these fog-covered bridges and back into their home territory.

    There were reports of oxen with the bodies of men, women that had the lower half of a serpent, men with the limbs of goats, and women that had the bodies of horses just to name a few. To the witnesses, it seemed as if the creatures of ancient Earth folklore had come to life. These beastmen would either attack their homes, leave them alone, or slaughter a nearby undefended village down to the last animal and take whatever weapons, armor, and food it had. It is only thanks to those who were strong and brave enough to face these beasts that undisputable physical evidence was obtained so that the authorities would take this threat seriously. Theories and speculation started to run rampant from there.

    Were these people really the criminals who walked across the mysterious bridges and into the fog? Was this a result of some heretical or heathen ritual or did these people transform for a similar reason as the ratmen, orcs, and elves? At this present moment, no one can tell for certain. The only certain thing is that these times are unprecedented and there is seemingly no end to the challenges to God's Church and her faithful.

Immortalis Fides: Lore - Separation of the Chosen

    All eyes were now on the Holy Land as it held the last remnants of the futuristic past. Materials that were found far from Earth, barely functional tech, and prototype weapons and armor of war were kept far away from the kingdoms of Pope Sylvantic and Bernhard with the reason being that they were researching and recovering the knowledge on how to repair and use them. Both kingdoms agreed to let the territories in the Holy Land do this as long as they agreed to give them access to the fruits of their research once it was usable and they did agree though they secretly had an area where they kept the most destructive and volatile materials and tech for themselves for the safety of everyone in the world. After the transformation of Pope Sylvantic's Eastern Europe and the kingdom of Bernhard, the Holy Land kept their special possessions even closer than before even as the orcs of Bernard demanded the results of their research and the weapons they had prototypes of to push back the tides of ratmen and expunge them from wherever they hid in the kingdoms of men. Divisions started to grow among the people as some wanted to give what they had to the orcs out of fear, respect, or the want to protect themselves after two larger kingdoms weren't able to control the objects of the past.

    Some in the orc kingdom began to grow violent and sent raiding parties to take what they wanted by force, which was supported by other kingdoms who had allied themselves to them. In addition, Pope Sylvantic's ratmen sent his own forces to steal what they could from under their noses, however, both forces faced considerable pushback since the land was heavily defended by a large portion of the Church's armies that still supported the Holy Land territories and right to decide what they wanted to do. One faction within the Holy Land had enough of the conflict and betrayed the others. They sent their forces to aid the orcs and during the conflict, what happened twice before happened again as the volatile materials and tech caused a chain reaction of explosions throughout the land. Unlike the ratmen, but just like the orcs, the people and environment in the Holy Land changed in different ways.

    The people who had turned on their own now had red eyes, long ears, and gray or light blue skin. Their lands were now marshlands with trees and animals that could seemingly reach the skies. They could now wield dark magics that allowed them to slip into shadows, conjure fog, and spew acidic liquids from the palms of their hands. Because of these things and their actions, they became known as the dark elves, and their kingdom was named Abaddon. The weight of their sins caused many of them to repent and hundreds of their people enlisted in the army as penance and many more would enlist to fight once it was discovered that the dark elves could walk harmlessly in the wasteland of Eastern Europe.

    Those who dwelt in the most conservative of the Holy Land gained sharp ears and golden eyes and skin. The sun seemed to shine longer in their lands and fruits, vegetables, wildlife, and life in general lived longer and were more abundant. Some of the people here could wield fire, beams of light that could blind and melt metal, and the light from their hands could heal almost any sickness or wound. These people became known as the high elves and their kingdom was named Oron. As it was before, the lands of the kingdom of Oron were the center of politics, knowledge, and best-kept secrets and treasures in the Holy Land. Not many of their number were involved in the Church's military and those who were became generals and soldiers of renown.

    In stark contrast to their brothers, there is one section of the Holy Land where the ruins of the past have been completely erased and nothing but forests remain. It's almost as if God had reset the area to its original beauty since not one bit of the old world was left. The people here now had slightly brown skin, circular long ears, and shades of brown eyes. They could wield the wind and nature followed their every command. These people became known as the wood elves and their kingdom was called Matias. Like in the past, they acted separately from their brothers and compromisers who stayed out of politics and conflicts that didn't directly affect them nor influenced events that were small in scale. They made homes out of nature and hunted evil men and ratmen wherever they hid.

    All the kingdoms of the Holy Land considered themselves blessed because of what they obtained. Even the kingdom of Abaddon considered themselves blessed in that their punishment brought most of them to repentance. Now that every bit of the past's technology and foreign materials obtained during it are gone, there is no going back to the space fairing days of the past anytime soon, which in itself was also considered a blessing by most as humanity moved forward into an uncertain future no longer worried about the remnants of the past.

Immortalis Fides: Lore - Church Militant

    After Pope Sylvantic's reign, one kingdom boarding Eastern Europe that was once called Germany hundreds of millions of years ago decided to take the remaining advanced weaponry for its own because no government body should hold it, not even the Church. At first, most people trusted them since they had the most people speak out against Sylvantic, but many distrusted them because they had taken justice into their own hands against Sylvantic on several occasions that they didn't always take credit for, and most of their people controlled the military and guard. Regardless of people's worries and support, this kingdom did whatever it wanted and got the chance to do it without pushback after the Great Betrayal. They were the first ones on the frontlines to defend humanity against the ratmen and sacrificed the most. They also were the ones who made defenses around the border separating the lands of ratmen and mankind and boldly made excursions into the wasteland only for their men to die in them.

    Because no one could contest its power, the kingdom took whatever it wanted as payment for its help, executed those it considered heretics and traitors, and occupied territories and buildings of importance all in the name of the greater good. They hastened their research into repairing the advanced technology of the past and were said to have used it against the ratmen on the border. Factions within the kingdom started to grow as some opposed what the kingdom had become, others said that they weren't doing enough, and some other groups were in between. Fights broke out between these groups until one day, a similar event to the Great Betrayal happened to this kingdom where a chain of explosions caused by the damage of advanced technology changed the land and its people. The vegetation and wildlife had grown twice as big with some of them being as tall as churches and become poisonous and its people now had green skin, jagged teeth, could eat the fruit that grew from its land, and were twice as physically strong as they were before.

     Because of this change and the lands not being as dangerous for normal humans to inhabit, many in the kingdom considered this change a blessing. In addition, their people could now enter the wasteland of Eastern Europe without any effect on them, which only further proved to themselves the validity of their virtue. The kingdom was now named Bernhard and its people were called orcs, named after the humanoid creatures of millennium-old fiction. Many of those in the Church were concerned by this change as the people of Bernhard were also more violent and demanding of them while others were happy that there was now a people able to strike within the ratman-infested wasteland, but at the end of the day, both could agree that this added to the many new changes of the present age and were wondering what else could happen, especially since those in the Holy Land held the last remnants of the space fairing age.

Immortalis Fides: Lore - The Great Treachery

    Due to the events of the Great Space War, the Earth was a wreck and the Vatican was no different as it had been a primary target, however, an area in Eastern Europe not too far from Constantinople was in relatively good condition. Because of this Pope Sylvatic, moved all of his clergy and the seat of the Pope to it along with the scraps of advanced weaponry in the hopes of repairing it and keeping them in his care. Sylvatic's papacy was one marked by degeneracy of both the sexually deviant and violent nature as he had taken advantage of the lack of technology to hide his sinful ways. The center of Catholicism became no better than a den of prostitutes with daily orgies and a place where Sylatic could invite his detractors so that he could kill them at his own pace and quietly dispose of their bodies. At the time, those who were still faithful to God could only pray for his conversion and hoped something would change since no rebellion against him could succeed because of the advanced weapons of Sylatic's guards.

    One day, during the many parties, something caused the explosives in storage to go off. Some say it was God's direct intervention while others say it was an accident caused by drunk partiers or the rats and vermin that were said to have lived in the basements. Regardless, a series of chain reactions and explosions shook the land and the entirety of the Eastern European region became a chemical wasteland that no human could enter. Soon after, since nothing could be done about those who resided in Eastern Europe, a funeral was held in honor of the lost souls, and a new pope was crowned who brought the Church and her people back to her roots and instilled a new age of peace. This age of peace came and went until rumors started circulating about rats who could speak and act like men.

    These rumors are thought to be nothing more than scary stories until more people start mysteriously disappearing and being killed. Eventually, physical evidence of the ratmen is brought forward to the Church's authority, and then a live ratman gives himself up so that he could speak to them. This particular ratman told the authorities that he was a normal human being until the explosions went off. Most died, however, others such as Sylvantic, his leadership, and followers were turned into ratmen. Sylvantic allowed this ratman to leave the wasteland to tell them that he was back to reclaim the Church that he thinks is rightfully his. The ratman continued to say that most ratmen aren't allowed to leave the wasteland and that people on the border of the wasteland are kidnapped to be forcefully added to Sylvantic's army. In addition, he said that more ratmen underneath the most important cities of the world have been spying on the Church's most important members.

    With this irrefutable evidence, the Church authorities decided to set up defenses along the border of the wasteland and root out the spies, however, on the same day of the ratman's testimony and the days after that, Sylvantic's army and spies assassinated key leaders of the Church and destroyed several settlements. This forced the Church's armies to scramble and after days of struggle, the army managed to push the ratmen armies back to the wasteland and clear out most of them from their cities, but after what happened, it is unclear whether or not they'll be able to handle a full-scale invasion, especially since this was just a taste of it, because of the unknown spies that still may remain under their very homes, and the hostility of the wasteland that no normal human can enter without dying.

My latest books are in a collection and out today!

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Collected in this book are the stories of the first exorcist and Ombra.

The first exorcist was Braxton, the king of Great Britain. Set during the Protestant Reformation, Braxton hangs the Pope and his clergy at the Vatican and then parties with his wives and allies, but as they enjoy themselves in the basilica, demons pick off each one of them until God makes Braxton the first exorcist as his penance and to fulfill his life's purpose. 

Secondly, the first Ombra was a nobody named Mar by God and Ruin by his parents and the locals who lives in the age before a proper Church was formed. On one faithful day, he is given seemingly limitless power with the catch being that only God can control the power Mar wields to bring justice to men and women of legend who bowed down to other gods. 

Each story is paired with Behind the Story details that show a few ideas that comprise each story.

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In the time of heroes and legends when there was no proper Church nor faithful people devoted to God, one unknown boy named Mar, or sometimes Ruin, is called by God to be an instrument of His will. He is given limitless power that God controls through him and is pitted against those he's admired for a mysterious purpose that will lead to the salvation of his soul in an uncomfortable way.

Exorcism of the Hollow: Like a Shadow: Chapter 3 – Fading Pride to Nothing

Chapter 3 – Fading Pride to Nothing

The world is being drowned in a constant rainstorm. Now I know why God has a group of people making an ark. As for everyone else, the rich and powerful stay in their castles and act as if nothing is happening while the lowly and poor struggle even more to get by and find high places like mountains to settle in since many farms and low-income areas have been ruined by the rain. In fact, the rain is so bad that some places have to be accessed by boat now because of the constantly rising water level. I don’t think I’ve missed the dry days more than I do now.

People are so afraid of the rain now that they’re beginning to build their own arks and rafts to build settlements on. Right now, I’m not too far from the ark made by the fellow worshippers of my God, but for some reason, my God has made my body stay a fair distance away from them. Since I’m not doing anything, I look at myself in the reflection of the water and admire the cool black mask I have.

“I wonder why the design is the way it is,” I wonder out loud.

“It’s a mask of shame that pays reparation for your sins,” I hear my God say.

“Huh? What sin?”

“Notice the two mouths on it and dull gold crown. These are representative of your two-faced personality.”

“What are You talking about? I’m not a dishonest person.”

“You say you want to serve Me, but do you do that because you love Me or because you want honor, fame, and to be known as a legend?”

“I want to serve You. It’s the right thing to do after all and is it so wrong to hope for some kind of reward afterward?”

“Love is no debt. You serve someone because you love them and the reward is the service itself. Everything that comes after that is secondary and a result of the person loving you back.”

“The reward is secondary to me, I swear!”

The rain seems to get worse as lightning and thunder fill the sky. Looking at the ground, I see that the water is noticeably rising slowly. I try to move my legs toward the ark but find myself unable to walk.

“What’s going on?!” I ask.

“You are to stay here and defend the ark as the water rises. Behold what’s ahead of you,” my God says. In the distance, I see hundreds of armed men and women charging this way. “You will be defending against them. The so-called heroes that you’ve been bringing justice to have made this battle easier for you.”

“What about my safety? Will I be able to get on the ark after the battle? Can I even defeat so many enemies?”

“The ark contains my most faithful. As for you, the waters of battle will clean your soul. We’ll see about the salvation of your soul after.”

My body readies itself for battle before charging at the approaching army. I guess there’s nothing more to be said. The salvation of my soul was mentioned but nothing about the saving of my life. Does that mean that this is where I die? Have I really been so sinful that my God is throwing me at His enemies to battle them and dispose of me by allowing me to drown out here? The intense battle I’m in distracts me from thinking about this question for now but it still gnaws at my mind. Even seeing the many heroes of renown and living legends isn’t enough to distract me from wanting to think about saving my life.

As the battle continues and dozens of people fall to the power of my God that is channeled through me, the water steadily rises and before I know it, the water level is passed my hips. Everyone is now wading through the water with some even choosing to ignore me and just make a run for the ark even as I cut down those close to them one after the other. I’m still a fair distance away from the ark and am tempted to try to move myself towards it. At this point, I must’ve killed hundreds of people and more are still coming, however, they are all slowed down by the water and some of them are retreating. The waters themselves are starting to become violent as large waves begin to form. They crash into the attackers and sweep some away in their tide.

Now, I’m standing on top of the water that was about to pass my neck. Looking back at the ark, I see that it is beginning to rise with the waves and is being carried by it away from me. My legs finally move towards it, however, dozens upon dozens of humongous waves are coming at me. Thankfully, my arms use their power to cut their way through them and my legs propel me into the air to fly through and over them. Everything seems like it’s going to work out in the end until I stop flying and get caught in the waves. Under the water, I see the people I was fighting against drowning and being eaten by sea creatures and monsters that seem almost as big as the ark and the biggest castles I’ve seen and that are as long as the walls that protect the biggest cities. My legs propel me upwards and allow me to stand on the water.

As I look around, I see that the ark has disappeared, and have no clue where it can be. My legs are no longer allowing me to fly or walk anywhere and I start to panic because of it. At least the waters are beginning to calm down along with the storm. This comfort is soon shattered as I see something large below the waters rise to the surface and then emerge. It causes the waves to ripple and seemingly makes the storm resume its ragging. This creature is comprised of wings, a body with a hole in its chest, and three heads with long serpent-like necks. One head seems to be made of gold with golden teeth, gold skin, yellow eyes, and a golden crown. Another head seems angelic with a halo around its head that has long flowing blonde hair. Lastly, the third head seems the most human with beige skin, black hair, and a gray crown. This last head reminds me the most of my own face because of how similar it looks.

“Who are you?” I ask the creature.

They all say in one voice while pointing at me, “We are the god that the men of the world bow down to. Many you have met and slain, who were legends, and the children of angels and men were our faithful, and now, only you remain on the earth besides those on the ark.”

“Your God has abandoned you but we are still here,” the golden head says, “All the honored men are dead, their legacies erased, the once great cities are rubble, and those who will find the rubble will not recognize them as pieces of architecture and art without a healthy use of their imagination. The manuscripts that detailed their stories are ruined and no one will tell of their accomplishments. You, however, can be the richest man alive and many will tell your story if you overtake the ark.”

“There’s not only that,” the human-like face says, “Kill the men on the ark, take their women for yourself, and your blood will be the blood of everyone who will survive the flood. You will have an eternal legacy.”

“In addition,” the angelic face interjects, “You will be known as the most virtuous man alive because you will hold the most power in the world and will get to define what is right and wrong. Many will make churches and statues in your honor and no god, not even your own, will ever be worshipped as much as you will be.”

“How will you gain the power to do this all you may be thinking?” all three heads say at once, “You will do this by bowing down to us. This is the only way to become powerful, a legend like you’ve always dreamed of. This is the only way to save your life.”

This is all too overwhelming.

“Decide. Time is short and you will soon be swallowed by the waves if you don’t accept our offer.”

I don’t know what to do.

“Your God has abandoned you to die. We are your only hope for salvation.”

I guess there’s only one thing to do as there’s always been. I let my God have control over my body and my arms move on their own to create a large wave that crushes both the creature and me. As I descend down with it, the mask that couldn’t be removed from my face falls off and sinks faster along with the creature. Both are swallowed by the darkness of the abyss, but for some reason, I stop in place. In the blink of an eye, I find myself in a garden that feels better to be in than the earth I was once on, though I wouldn’t call it Heaven for some reason. This must be the underworld.

Looking around me, I can for some reason recognize people as being the virtuous servants of my God with two of them being distinct since they were the first man and woman. These people welcome and congratulate me for making it here. They explain that this is the place where they must wait until our God comes for us to take us up to Heaven. I guess I was worthy of being saved after all. I’m fine with waiting down here knowing this though I do feel anxious to get to Heaven. In the end, I recognize that saving my life and becoming a living legend was a vain and silly goal to strive towards because the true goal of my life was to always serve my God and make it to Heaven to be at His side forevermore.

 

The End

Exorcism of the Hollow: Like a Shadow: Chapter 2 – Erasing the Legends

Chapter 2 – Erasing the Legends

Before me stands a man with only a half-human face with the rest of him being that of a slimy and slithering monster and a vaguely human head on one of his arms with long flowing black hair. He’s a legend that goes by the name Lucanus. When he was overcome with grief at the loss of his mother, he sought the monster of the seas, found a cave system that led to the bottom of the ocean, and spoke with the monster he was searching for. In exchange for worship, the monster granted his mother life by attaching him to his body. To this very day, he’s been worshipping the monster of the seas and converting others to do so.

Right now, I watch as he uselessly tries to get to me since my one arm has turned the floor around him into ice. Lucanus falls again and again on his face while never losing his will to continue. In fact, he might be getting angrier after every fall. This is both somewhat funny and sad to watch as a living legend struggles to even stand against me. What’s also strange for me to look at is the dark hole in his chest, which I can feel emanating an icy chill that’s colder than the ice he’s slipping on even though I’m standing far away from him.

Finally, after watching Lucanus slip and fall over and over again, my hand twists and moves to control the ice beneath Lucanus to make it jut up from the ground and impale his body before tossing it into the sea. Large tentacles then emerge from the sea and pull the city behind me into it. As this is happening, I am immediately teleported outside of it in an instant.

While watching the last buildings of the once immaculate city be pulled into the ocean, I say to myself, “Maybe my name should really be Ruin as my parents named me.”

“You are what I called you after I saved you from your family and orphanage. You are Mar,” my God says from behind me.

“I am glad that you saved me from being sacrificed to strange gods. I always have been.”

Still, I can’t help but feel as if the name Ruin fits me. My life’s story should also be something grander since I was saved and raised by the God of Heaven ever since I was little. At least I think it should be though I guess I can’t complain about that anymore since it’s now turning out to be more special with all these heroes I’m defeating. An apple instantly appears in my hand. I move my mask aside that still sticks to my head and eat it as I think of what the overall grand goal of my God is and what I will get out of it.

Why make some build an ark and make me take out heroes one after the other? Will I be rewarded with a kingdom of my own? Maybe I’ll be given riches and land so I can live peacefully in isolation. Perhaps I’ll be known as a hero above all heroes and my God will be recognized as the God above all gods. That last one seems more likely to me than the others since my God isn’t a fan of worldly wealth and people. As soon as I take the last bite of my apple, I am instantly transported to a new location.

“What happened to flying to places?” I ask.

“My timing will not allow that. Societal and spiritual decay is forcing My hand to enact justice on the guilty earlier rather than later,” my God says.

“I see. Let’s not waste any more time then.”

Again, I am transported in the blink of an eye to the place where God wants me. I am surrounded by huts made of stone and rocks all of which are marked with symbols and stories of each inhabitant written on them. The house in front of me that’s the biggest, has the most varied kind of stones, and the most writing on it is probably the home of the person I’m looking for. Sure enough, a living legend walks out of it. The man carries two daggers and is clothed with the skin of wild beasts and men that hardly hide the black hole in his chest and the writing on his entire body and face that detail his greatest victories.

Xanthos is the man’s name and is a mercenary for his god of victory and valor. He and his followers are said to live out here since they want to live for virtue and their god appearing to be like mine makes them outcasts. As he approaches me, he squints his eyes before sheathing his daggers and offering me his hand to shake.

“Welcome, brother,” Xanthos says.

Confused, my arm shakes as if torn between two wills before I shake his hand. Does my God want me to kill or befriend him?

“Do you know me? Have we met before?” I ask.

“Our God has granted me a vision of your arrival in my dreams. Your name is Mar, correct?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Then there’s no reason to be so cautious of me. You can calm your shaking.”

“I’m not doing the shaking. Our God has control over my powers.”

“If He has control over your powers, then they’re not really yours, are they?”

“I guess you could say that, but my life is still mine despite it being dedicated to Him.”

“Isn’t part of your life your own? Sure, God has a good portion of it, but you also have your own where you do what you want to do.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Maybe we don’t serve the same God after all. Come on out everyone! We must pray over our lost brother to save him from the false version of our God!”

Many people with writing on their bodies come out, form a circle around me, and start to pray. My body feels less twitchy, but something is still wrong about this.

“Don’t resist the effects of our prayers, Mar,” Xanthos says. “Our God has brought you here for purification and to give you a home far from the reach of the pagans and heretics.”

“A home? A real home with people who worship the same God as me?”

“Yes! Now, allow us to free you so that you may be with us.”

This seems too good to be true, so, as in everything, I give you control, my God. My shaking stops along with my nerves as my hands move into a praying position. From my clenched praying hands, a green mist seeps out and spreads throughout the settlement of stone and suffocates everyone to death with its fumes.

“I guess…I guess it really was too good to be true,” I say.

For some reason, I am unable to move from my current position and simply fall to my knees in prayer. Perhaps I am meant to pray for the souls of those who just died. Xanthos did say we worshipped the same God, so perhaps there’s a chance they repented at the time of their death or because they were close to the truth. It is possible they went to the place where my God cleanses souls before bringing them to the place of rest in the underworld, so I pray silently until I am interrupted by the sound of horses making their way to me. As I stand up and turn around, I see that the people on horses have holes in their chests and the one that is leading the group of five is a man with most of his face missing, his teeth showing for all to see, a hole in his chest, red eyes, black gauntlets and armor, and one of his arms being a spear-like blade.

Scipio is the name of this man or at least I think it is. It’s said that he is the conqueror of gods because of his stubborn will. He’s a mysterious wanderer who’s said to go from place to place and replace the gods of people with himself so that he is worshipped instead. Are these people with holes in their chests the gods he’s conquered? The horses they ride on also have holes in their chest, and before I can think about it more, they change into a more human form and all approach me with sinister looks on their faces.

“We came here to collect our tithe from these people, but it looks like you’ve killed them all. Care to explain yourself?” Scipio says in a tone of voice that sounds similar to the sound of a serpent.

“They died because my God wanted them dead and used me to kill them,” I say.

“Ah, so you’re another tool for the so-called divine. I conquered their god and many other gods. The ones surrounding me tell me how you feel, how scared you are, and that you want more than just to serve your God. You want to be loved and honored like the heroes and legends of today. You want to be like me.”

“You’re wrong!”

“Then why are you shaking so much? I’m at the very least partially true. The thought of going against your God of the Heavens, truth, and love is constantly on your mind and you are always in danger of going against Him. Do it. Give into your heart’s desire and you can become a legend like me.”

I struggle to move or do anything. Even my thoughts and prayers are all jumbled because of the voices of the gods in my head.

“Let’s work together on this,” Scipio says, “Your God is just another one I have to conquer and I’ve conquered many like Him. If you help me, I’ll let you tag along with me as my henchman. I’ve always wanted a successor.”

In this dire situation, I have only one course of action, which is the one that I’ve always had. I let go of control of myself and give control and my full trust over to my God. My body stops shaking and my arms welcome Scipio as he approaches me. Thinking he’s won, he comes towards me until he is stopped by one of the gods and then by more of them that surround him. He tries to get them out of his way, but no matter what he does, he is unable to do anything against him and they end up dragging him into the earth. Wow. That was something else that I didn’t expect to happen at all.

“I am master over all, even my enemies,” my God reminds me.

“Of course, of course,” I say with a bit of jealousy within me.

Master even over my enemies…

“The enemy that you should master is the one within and never doubt that I am always with you.”

“Yes, I know. So, where to next?” Silence fills the air. “Lord?”

My body moves on its own, goes over to a tree to make fruit instantly grow and fall from it, and sits down. Okay, it’s break time now, I guess. I need it after what I’ve been through anyway.