Catpurr 24: The 7th God

Catpurr 24: The 7th God

At his name being called, Adam froze, unsure of what to do as the priestess lifted her hand, beckoning Adam forward.

“Don’t be scared.” The woman giggled as Adam remained rooted. “I’m a prophet, I’ve gotten a vision of our meeting WAY beforehand LuL. Tho, in our future you were way taller.”

“Lul?” Adam recited, confused at the word before picking on the word, future.

“Ah, sorry. My ability is a bit wonky. Sometimes I see things from random futures and mix words. Don’t be shy, I don’t bite.”

Adam looked toward Sehn and Titania, both giving him a nod.

"It's ok. She can be trusted." Titania said.

"Just not with your money." Sehn added.

Reluctantly, he approached, shuffling across the black tile floor as the woman known as Coco left the pool, dripping water across the temple with her still wet body. Looking at her, she was short, standing only at about five feet and three inches, just a bit taller than Adam with icy blue eyes.

"Your hood, remove it please, I want to see what you look like." Coco instructed, with Adam hesitating.

Does that mean in our future she doesn't know what I look like? Adam narrowed his eyes.

After everything everyone had said so far, it didn't seem like the best course of action, especially in a temple filled with zealots. However, turning back to Titania for assurance, she nodded, giving Adam the go ahead.

Adam sighed.

He did as told, with Coco letting out a gasp and going wide-eyed.

Oh boy. Here we go.

She stood in front of Adam, staring, looking at him as she slowly raised her hand up.

Adam tensed up, was this it? Was he about to die again? Where would he even respawn? Would he be naked in the city? What-

The woman placed her hand on Adam's head, touching his ears.

"O.. M… G." The woman said slowly, her eyes entranced as her other hand began prodding at Adam's ears, pinching them.

Wha?

"Ow!" Adam hissed, backstepping and grabbing his ears. "Why did you pinch me?!"

"Oops. Sorry." The woman giggled. "I just had to see if they're real!"

Adam scowled at the woman, upset at the audacity. Yet his anger soon dissipated, replaced instead with disgust and confusion as the woman's expression shifted into zealous fascination.

Danger! Adam went to run yet was suddenly caught, lifted off the ground by the woman's embrace with his back cracking in the process.

"SQUEAK!" Adam's body involuntary let out, making Coco go wide eyed and hug him even tighter.

[-10 HP]

"UGK!"

"YOU'RE SO CUTE! DO YOU WANT TO JOIN THE CHURCH?! I CAN MAKE YOU MY PERSONAL ASSISTANT!"

"Let me go! Let me go!" Adam screamed, his back popping once more with another squeak sounding out. WHAT THE HELL?! WHY IS MY BODY A SQUEAK TOY?!

"ACK!" Immediately his cat claws came out, scratching at the woman's face only to screech against her skin like metal on metal.

The irritating sound echoed out, making Adam cringe as every fiber of his being shuddered.

"Oh! Don't do that! You'll activate my divine protections!" Coco laughed, still maintaining her crushing grip. "I could just eat you up, you're so adorable!"

"Hel-help! Kelp me!" Adam cried, struggling, the woman giggling as his breathing began to get shallow.

This is how I die. I knew I shouldn't have come here.

"EHEM!" Titania coughed, finally interrupting Coco.

Released from her embrace Adam fell to the ground, foam at his mouth as he collapsed on the floor.

"Oops." Coco said, crouching down to poke at Adam's crumpled body on the floor. "Are you ok?"

"Please… I just… want… my ticket.." Adam groaned.

"For the Abyss? Sure! That's what everyone comes for. All you've gotta do is strip!" Coco giggled, her expression suddenly morphing into one that horrified Adam

"W-what?!"

"Take off your shirt. I need to see your mark to confirm your status." Coco added, poking Adam on his nose. "Heh, I booped your snoot."

Undressing, Adam took off his cloak, showing off the mark on his back.

"Is this a joke?" Coco asked, rubbing a cold hand over the etching seared into Adam's back. She spun, looking at the duo of adventures.

"You know impersonating a God brand is punishable by stockades don't you? I knew you two were always getting into trouble and having money issues." The priestess hissed, eyes twisting in fury as she began to radiate energy. "But to do it to a child?! I'll incinerate your bodies until your bones have been turned into ash."

"W-w-what! We didn't do that! He said he needed an abyssal ticket so we brought him here!" Sehn cried, the floor beneath his and Titania's feet humming to life with golden particles as the temple responded to the priest's anger.

"It's true! We'd never hurt a child!" Titania cried in a mix of outrage and fear as the temple shook, a wall of energy suddenly encircling the inner sanctum of the temple. The two attempted to run, yet chains of spectral light erupted from the ground, binding the two in place.

Seeing the misunderstanding, Adam acted quickly to save his benefactors as mana began to condense around Coco.

"I need a ticket!" Adam yelled, standing in front of the priestess to block her palm that was preparing an attack.

"Stand to the side, I'll protect you. They won't be able to hurt you anymore." Coco said, lifting her other hand and lifting Adam into the air, displacing him as her orb of power grew and

"I HAVE A QUEST!" Adam screamed, making the woman's expression shift and the suffocating energy immediately die down.

"A quest?" Coco repeated, blinking before she deposited Adam beside her, looking down at him.

"You have a quest?" The woman asked.

"Yes. I need a ticket or I'll die. I swear it." Adam said, with Coco narrowing her eyes.

She doesn't believe me.

"I swear." Adam reiterated.

"If you're saying this because you're afraid they'll hurt you, I can protect you." Coco said.

"My system says I need an abyssal ticket. Please." Adam reiterated again.

A moment passed, then another before finally she turned away.

"I'll humor you then. Stand in the middle of the circle." Coco instructed as she walked back to the pool of water.

She crossed her legs, sitting on the black slab edge as Adam assumed the position on the center most symbol on the floor.

"Stay still." Coco said before the engraving came to life with blue energy.

Suddenly, Adam began to feel a heavy pressure on him, like dozens of hands poking and prodding.

"Gah!" Adam let out, as his tattoo glowed, releasing an ephemeral shadow that snaked along his body, quickly coating him with flickering rolling shadows.

"I-I-im-impossible!" Coco cried, the shadows rising off Adam to twist into a massive glowing glyph that hung in the air.

A symbol of a Serpent Devouring itself.

Adam screamed, his body feeling as though it were breaking apart as his HP began to drop, each second another point of health.

"A-a- seventh? A seventh god?!" Coco gawked, frozen in place as Adam's eyes rolled to the back of his head, passing out.