Catpurr 23: Temple of the Gods

Catpurr 23: Temple of the Gods

After sitting through a lunch with Sehn and Titania in the back office of the guild, Adam was eventually led out of the building through a back door that deposited him in a damp alley behind the office. Exiting, Adam was greeted to the flurry of crowds moving, people talking, and sounds of people haggling or advertising their wares.

“Once we get you certified with the temple we’ll bring you back here to do some more training.” Sehn assured, making Adam tense up.

“Please no.” Adam unintentionally voiced out, with Titania and Sehn laughing at his reaction.

Titania leaned down, touching the hood on Adam’s head, pullin it further over his head. “Remember, we can’t let anyone see your ears until we get to the temple.”

"And remember." Sehn said, eyeing the ring on Adam's finger. "Ball your fist up when walking through a crowd, harder for pickpockets to steal from you."

“Yeah. Got it.” Adam replied.

“Take my hand so we don’t lose track of each other, the city is very big.” Titania offered.

At her outstretched hand, Adam froze, the image of his master suddenly overlapping with Titania, dredging up memories that were both fond and painful.

"Adam?" His teacher said, only for her form to break with Titania smiling at him with concern and repeating his name.

He took her hand, the rough texture of her calluses and not so soft palm a far cry from what he remembered a human's hand feeling like.

Come to think of it, the Guild Master's hand was rough as well. Adam thought to himself, wondering if he misjudged Titania and her class.

The trio walked, exiting out of the cramped alley to merge with the flow of pedestrians.

"Gabbages!! Get your gabbages here!"

"Roho fruit! Guaranteed to improve performance in bed!"

"Tired of sticky feet?! Get Medic Schols anti-aging, anti-stink foot cream!"

Adam walked through, eyeing the peddlers pedaling their wares and shouting nonstop.

"Hey lass! Cute kid! How about a stuff toy for your youngin?!" A bearded man yelled, blocking their way.

"No thanks." Titania smiled attempting to politely walk by, yet the man insisted, stepping more in their way. "No, sorry we're very busy."

"C'mon! Everyone likes toys! You won't deny your child a gift."

"We really are busy, sorry no."

I guess we would look like a family on a stroll. Adam thought to himself, feeling strange as Sehn muttered "Take a hint lad."

"Only fifty coppers! Nay! I'll drop it down to thirty just for you!" The man insisted, attempting to grab Titania's hand to force the doll into her clutches.

This was a mistake.

"I SAID NO!" Titania snapped, her free hand suddenly up and forming a ball of sizzling green flames in her palm. Several onlookers stopped, observing the scene but no one said anything as the man went wide eyed, dropping the toy as he immediately fled.

"Tsk. They never understand when to piss of." Titania groaned, picking up the stuffed teddy bear that had been abandoned.

"Here you go." Titania said, handing Adam the toy.

"Errr. Isn't this stealing?" Adam replied with Sehn roughing Adam's hair over his hood.

"Think of it as a tax for bothering us." Sehn said, the trio resuming their journey.

It didn't take long before Adam was brought in front of an ornate building, one decorated with red flowers, ocean blue tiles, and ornate pillars carved out of bone white marble that had waterfalls flowing out of them into large pools of water.

"Ah. The Rip-Off-Temple. Never ceases to amaze me how much they manage to get away with." Sehn said, hands on his hips as he spied a group of heavily armored paladins walking up the stairway leading into the church.

"Why do you call it the Rip-Off-Temple?" Adam asked, prodding for information.

"Oh you'll see lad." Sehn scoffed, beckoning them along where a Paladin at the gate immediately began scowling upon turning and eyeing the trio.

"SehN! Come to pay me what you owe?"

"Doesn't the church teach temperance and patience?" Sehn replied, making the man's expression tighten.

"We also teach honoring one's word and paying our debts." The man growled, gripping his halberd.

"Relax Howard, I'm good for it, ya know I always pay back what I owe."

"Yes but only after cornering you behind Oharra’s and beating you until you can't walk. Whose the runt?" The guard asked, nodding toward Adam.

"Who, this? My son." Sehn laughed with the guard unamused.

"Bull. Not only are you poor, you're ugly. Both physically and spiritually. I refuse to believe anyone would procreate with you willingly."

Ouch.

"That's hurtful. I thought we were friends."

"No."

"Frenemies?"

"No."

"Colleagues? Can we settle on colleagues?"

"Absolutely not."

Titania stepped forward. "He's with me. He's my nephew. I just want to introduce him to Coco."

"Hmm. If you vouch for him, sure. But no funny business." The man grunted before putting his hand out.

Sehn sighed, with him and Titania depositing a silver coin each in the man's hand.

"Ehem." The man coughed, jiggling his hand as the trio tried to pass.

"What? Him too?! Don't kids eat free or something?" Sehn exclaimed with the man pointing at a sign nearby.

"Five hundred coppers?!" Sehn yelled, reading the sign that had images of coins and words Adam didn't understand.

"If you don't like it, leave the runt."

"It's fine, I got it." Titania said, taking what appeared to be a piece of hard plastic in the shape of a square and tapping it on the guards outstretched wrist.

A moment passed, then another, before finally, Howard nodded, stepping to the side to let them through.

“See? Rip off.” Sehn said to Adam as the trio entered the temple.

“Sorry. I’ll pay you back.” Adam offered, with Titania waving him off.

“Don’t worry about it.” She said, with Sehn muttering something about debts.

Entering up the stairs, Adam was amazed at the spaciousness and grandeur of the temple, going over the manpower required and the funds needed for such grand architecture.

Wouldn’t be a problem if they used undead. Adam thought to himself, dispelling the thought as the trio walked through crowds of knights, warriors, and people covered in heavy religious robes.

Adam shrunk into himself, remembering his last not-so-friendly encounter with religious zealots.

At least I’m not branded anymore.

“You’ll be ok, just follow me.” Titania said as the pair entered through a grand marble archway that brought them into a massive circular room that held no roof, exposing the occupants to the open sky.

In the center of the room, there appeared to be a massive runic engraving on the floor. At first glance, it appeared simple in its design, a circle within a circle with rings linked into each cardinal direction. However, upon walking on the sigil and inspecting it, it was all but. Each line of the etching was composed of dozens of smaller etchings, tiny, and hard to perceive if not for Adam’s familiarity with runes.

Incredible. Wonder what it does. Adam thought to himself, stopping for a moment to admire the time and commitment to creating such an ornate and complicated rune.

Only zealots could be so committed.

“Adam? What’s wrong?” Titania asked, noticing Adam staring at the floor and admiring the runecraft.

“Oh uh. Sorry, spaced out.” Adam replied before following along, eyeing the six pillars ahead that were each decorated oddly and engraved with different emblems, two of which Adam recognized from Titania and Sehn’s abyssal tickets.

Must be altars or something. Adam thought, observing the various differences between each pillar. From one being covered in vines, another decorated with swords, and one glowing with fairy-like lights, each column was unique.

However, what really caught Adam’s eye was what lay in the center of the columns. A square tub, one filled with steamy water and a scantly clad priestess laying on the edge of the pool with her arm and leg dangling in the water.

“Oh, hi Sehn, hi Titania.” The white-haired woman purred, her voice flirtatious as she greeted the two adventurers. “And hello Adam Fenix Glow.”

At his name, Adam froze, dropping the doll with the two beside him frowning. He'd never told anyone his middle name, in fact, the only person who knew it was Master Razalia because she'd been the one to give it to him.

“Welcome to the Temple of the Six Gods.”