Chapter 39: Meeting More of My Cultists as a Rock?! (Patreon)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Meeting More of My Cultists as a Rock?!

The first day of Alice's new life ended with a trickle of new followers.

The poorest.

The weakest.

The dregs of Waterhold slowly returned to the abbey despite the dark rumors that seemed to swirl beyond its walls. Some left with full bellies. Others stayed, their hearts filled with faith.

Two candles burned beside Alice the Rock, illuminating the crimson sparkle of her heart-shaped rock core. Alice could feel the faint heartbeats of her faithful, those faithful few who had adorned themselves with the crude rock of her [Divine Mark].

Isaak and Kuonrat muttered to one another before Alice the Rock, their minds ever focused on the next move. At the edge of her [God Sense], Alice watched several newcomers warily. Fane the Puck Boy had left the men behind, the promised protection. There were four men, as far as she could tell, and none seemed particularly pleased to be awake at this hour.

With faces like theirs, they'll probably scare off more than just enemies, Alice thought to herself.

She focused on one man with an eye patch. He really did seem to be on the verge of sleep, but then his partner smacked him in the ribs.

"Fuck was that for?!" Eye Patch hissed, but his partner merely pointed at something beyond Alice's [God Sense].

She knew a moment's alarm, but then Eye Patch's face broke into a twisted grin.

"Ladies, ladies," he said, licking his lips. "Little late to pray. Whyn't you come and play with us for a while?"

Ladies? Alice felt more confused than alarmed.

One by one, four women entered Alice's [God Sense]. They were covered in drab brown robes that left much to the imagination. Alice had the strangest feeling she recognized them...

...and [Geological Memory] brought her back to the brothel, brought her back to the slap, flap, plap of Dale's flabby behind.

"They're prostitutes!" Alice blustered as the four women ignored the Puck Boy catcalls. None of them had ever taken care of Dale, but she had seen at least two of them.

The women pushed their way into the abbey. Kuonrat and Isaak broke off mid-conversation.

"We'll talk later," Kuonrat said, and Isaak staggered away, mentioning something about a brief nap.

Three of the prostitutes looked around the abbey with anxiety written clearly across their faces. A wooden box lay in one's hands. They did not look particularly healthy. They had pale, bloodless faces and long fingers.

The fourth woman looked sickest of all, her cheeks sunken and her hands practically skeletal. She did not look around the abbey like the others. Her eyes remained resolutely anchored onto Kuonrat... and Alice the Rock behind him.

"Momma...?"

Alice blinked in surprise as Urd's voice echoed through the abbey. The Girl had been drawing rocks onto parchment in a far corner of the abbey, showing not the least bit of drowsiness.

Did she say...? Alice studied the palest woman and saw no resemblance. But wait...

"I heard... I heard God," Urd said, drawing nervously towards the four women. "Momma, what are y-you doing here?"

Momma stared at Urd with sunken eyes. It could have been pity in her stare. A flicker of warmth. But then it was gone, as one of the prostitutes moved past her, a small wooden box in her hands.

"It is good that came," Kuonrat said, and he nodded to each of the women in turn. "Very good."

"All of this was quite unexpected," Momma said, and with a start, Alice realized this was the same woman from the cavern, the same woman who had hissed with bestial fury, who had bared claws at Kuonrat.

She had no claws now, however. Just skeletal hands that wished very much for something to eat.

"Such was the Master's Will," Kuonrat said, bowing towards Alice the Rock. He turned to study the three prostitutes. The pale-faced women practically clung to Momma as they continued to look around. "These are the ones?"

Momma's face fell at the question. She bit her lip, revealing unusually sharp teeth.

"I wasn't sure if it was proper to bring them," Momma began, glancing at each of the three women, "but if you have revealed the Master to Waterhold..."

Urd drew closer, all of the confidence she had gained over the last couple days cast aside at Momma's reappearance. Alice dimly realized that Momma might not have been overly pleased to have the brothel's little helper suddenly disappear.

Momma's sunken features fell even more as she seemed to notice for the first time Urd's unbandaged face.

"Your bandages," Momma said simply, and Urd covered her face with a scaled hand. Even here, the scales were speckled with the faintest sparkles. "Where are your bandages?"

"G-God says I sh-shouldn't... that I'm n-not to wear them... anymore..." Urd sputtered, her confidence cracking with each word spoken. The sight made Alice bite hard on her nonexistent lip. "Momma, I'm... I'm sorry I r-ran away..."

Momma blinked, her face suddenly nonplussed.

"You foolish child," the woman said, and she drew closer, earning a worried shiver from Urd. "You have no idea how worried I have been."

Alice felt a flicker of annoyance, but then Momma reached out with one of her skeletal hands and stroked the messy clump of Urd's black hair.

"When you disappeared with that man, I assumed the worst," Momma said, and Urd dared to look up. "What happened to... to your Uncle?"

Alice's stone heart stiffened with sudden realization. She had not thought of Dale in a long time, but it seemed even Momma, the woman whose brothel Dale had seemed to live out of, knew what had become of him. It seemed like the man really had died.

Urd opened her mouth, an answer on her lips, but then her face froze. She turned, slowly, towards Alice the Rock, the conspicuous look not missed by Momma.

"Did God...?" Momma asked, suddenly growing excited. She said no more, however, instead turning to Kuonrat, a skeletal hand continuing to stroke Urd's head. "I have brought the offerings asked for. Our entire stock. I pray they are to the Master's satisfaction."

Momma made a gesture, and the prostitute with the wooden box stepped forward, her hands faintly trembling. [God Sense] revealed that the box was crammed full of dangerous-looking red peppers. Alice had been the sort to burn her tongue on salt.

"Do you have a bowl for burnt offerings?" Momma asked, looking around the abbey when none was found beside Alice the Rock.

It was a moment before Alice understood, and then she sputtered with panic.

"N-No! Don't burn them!" she said, and Urd blinked with alarm herself.

"God says don't!" Urd blurted out. Momma looked down at Urd as if she were a stranger, and then a delirious rapture spread across her face.

"Do you feel it...?" Momma asked, turning to the three women beside her. From their faces, they certainly felt discomfort. "I thought I could feel it when I first stepped inside the abbey... The presence of God."

The three prostitutes turned to one another with wary eyes, looks Momma did not miss.

"You need not be worried, children," Momma said, the word taking Alice slightly by surprise. They most certainly were not kids, with full figures not unfamiliar from the cover of a Playboy magazine. "Master Merry Weather is the freedom you have prayed for. She will accept nightwalkers even like us."

Momma's words bounced around Alice's head a couple times before their meaning seemed to sink in. Because nightwalkers...

Isn't that what they call vampires?

And it was as if Alice saw the four women for the first time.

Their unnaturally pale skin.

The sharp teeth revealed with each word.

And Kuonrat's comment about Momma not arriving until.

"Alice of the Merry Weather, the True God of Waterhold, welcomes all," Kuonrat said, the Priest's words dripping in fervor. The four women turned to him with frightened hope in their eyes. "You have been scorned by Zora, but Master Merry Weather accepts even Fate-scorned such as you. Will you offer yourself up to her?"

The three prostitutes turned worriedly to one another. Alice could not know how much they had been told, but they had clearly not been the believers Alice had received notifications about earlier.

"I offer myself to the Master," Momma said, and all three women turned to her.

She stepped towards Alice the Rock, her eyes impossibly large as she drew closer.

Momma reached out, and Alice watched as the skeletal hand transformed into that of a bestial claw. The razor sharpness dug into her own flesh, earning a palmful of blood.

"I offer this blood as a mark of my leal obedience, My Hungry Master," Momma said, as she dribbled the blood on the earth before Alice the Rock.

[Bloodthirsty] activated despite Alice's confusion. The blood was drawn towards and into her, earning a familiar notification.

Acquired blood: Vampire Prostitute (rare)

For all their talk about being Fate-scorned, no curse accompanied the offering of blood.

But a vampire prostitute, Alice thought to herself as she sipped on the rather meager amount of red delight. That's an unusual combination.

The three women had watched all the while, and Alice had not missed the smallest transformation as Momma cut open her palm. As if in reaction to the blood, the faces of the three had transformed only slightly, but still noticeably. Their faces had become harsher, the fingers of their hands sharper, as if aroused by the fleshly drawn blood.

None seemed eager to join Momma beside Alice the Rock, but Alice had a fix for that.

"Believe in me!" Alice planted the desire in each of the vampires. "You want to offer me your blood and serve as my... You want to be my followers!"

One by one, the women came forward and offered their blood.

"I offer you this blood, Master Merry Weather...!" the first vampire said, cutting up her hand with a transformed claw.

Acquired blood: Vampire Prostitute (poor)

She was not sure if they suffered like Dirt and Urd, but their pale faces certainly did not look all that healthy. She offered the woman a quick [Bless].

"P-Please, accept my wretched blood," the second vampire said, and once more Alice received a notification and offered her a [Bless].

Acquired blood: Vampire Prostitute (common)

"I offer you my blood, God," the third woman said, and Alice was finding that she quite liked the taste of vampire blood. It was not sweet like human blood, but rather had a peculiar tartness that was not altogether unpleasant.

Acquired blood: Vampire Prostitute (common)

As the three women offered Alice supposedly wretched blood, two notifications appeared.

An unbeliever has been converted.

Received experience!

Received faith!

An unbeliever has been converted.

Received experience!

Received faith!

But only two.

Huh. Alice studied the three vampire prostitutes. They all shared the same excited joy on their face, but one of them... one of them did not seem to have been converted. Is one of them just... faking?

Tears were rolling down Momma's face as she stepped forward and embraced the three women.

"I promised I would find you a home," Momma said, squeezing the three women. "Master Merry Weather has welcomed us. Be faithful always."

"Of course, Momma!"

"We believe, Momma!"

"Thank you, Momma!"

The three women wiped tears from their own eyes, and Alice bit her nonexistent lip.

"I require some private words with the Priest," Momma said, and the three women began away. Urd, who had watched the whole scene with fascination, seemed unsure if she should remain.

"Can they be trusted?" Kuonrat asked when the three had disappeared. "We were attacked just this morning. I fear many within Waterhold will struggle to accept the Master's Glory."

"They are Fate-scorned," Momma said with a wave of her once-more skeletal hand. "They would be fools not to accept the Master's Blessing."

I guess I have to mention it... Alice thought to herself, though she could not help but feel as though she were tattling to the teacher.

Urd had been on the verge of joining the prostitutes, but Alice stopped her.

"Wait, Urd. I need you to tell the others... But you need to speak quietly, OK?"

Urd's eyes grew wide with confusion, but she nodded eagerly.

"Tell Momma and Kuonrat that one of them... one of them does not believe."

For one brief moment, Alice was not sure if Urd had heard her. But then the child's breathing grew ragged, and a look of absolute revulsion crept across Urd's face.

"Wh-what is the matter?" Kuonrat asked, having noticed Urd's transformation.

The Girl looked up at him, her entire body trembling. She kept her voice very quiet as she continued.

"God says one of the three is a traitor!"

Alice blinked stupidly at Urd. Had she just said there was a traitor?

Momma seemed not to have understood Urd at first. She swayed on her face, but with each passing breath, her face became feral, her hands transformed back into claws.

"Which?" was all Momma could hiss, and Alice had to restrain herself from trying out the [Inflict Suffering] half of [Divine Stigmata]. This felt like the Bram Incident all over again! "I will rip out her heart and offer it to the Master!"

"Urd, I didn't say they were a traitor," Alice said quickly, and the blood left Urd's face. "One of them simply doesn't seem to... to believe."

"Wh-which one, God?" Urd sputtered, her chest rising and falling once more, though this time with fear rather than anger. "I'm... I'm sorry for my... my...!"

"It's fine, just tell Momma before she rips off someone's head!" Alice said. The vampire really did look as though she was about to leap across the abbey and kill all three vampires.

Momma's fury softened, her face turning human once more, though Alice did not miss how her hands remained claws.

"Which one?" Momma asked, and the question made Alice bite her lip.

All three vampires looked awestruck. The notifications had popped up one after another, as if delayed by the other notification of receiving blood. She could not be sure which notification belonged to which woman.

"Th-that is for you to find out!" Alice said, and Urd relayed the Divine Decree. "But no violence!"

An awkwardness settled over the three of them. Kuonrat twiddled his gnarled hands as both he and Momma stared at the ground.

Wait... Momma?

Alice realized she still had no idea what the woman's actual name was. She did not particularly care to call her Momma. Alice said as much to Urd, and a look of confused surprise spread across both Kuonrat's and Momma's faces.

"Your servant's name is Anesa Gry," the vampire said, bowing low. "I am the proprietor of Momma's House."

Alice nodded absentmindedly, and then a silly thought occurred to her.

"Are all the prostitutes there vampires?" she wondered idly to herself, though [Geological Memory] replayed Ana's death almost at once. She had been human.

Urd relayed the question, Alice realizing she had accidentally spoken it aloud.

Anesa laughed dryly.

"No, Good Master," she said quickly. "It is a most unusual Fate to be burdened upon one of my race."

Alice frowned at these words. She had heard Fate mentioned time and time again, but this was the first time...

Does Fate refer to her [Prostitute] class? But there must be more to it than that. Kuonrat's complaints about Fate have to be more than just wanting a new career change.

"You would be surprised, however," Anesa said, and a sparkle appeared in her eyes. "It is surprisingly easy to suck a man's blood after sucking their- "

"Momma!" Kuonrat interrupted, and Anesa seemed to realize the strangeness of her words.

"P-Pardons!" the vampire matron said. "The night's excitement has left me... Please, accept this offering!"

Offering received from a believer.

Received experience!

Received faith!

The box of frightful peppers had been left on the ground, but Anesa lifted it up now. Alice stared at them and could not help but grow awkward.

"Urd, ask if these are... common," Alice said, and her pint-sized priestess quickly repeated the question. Urd, Alice realized, would have no idea what was inside the closed box.

"Oh no," Anesa said quickly. She opened the box to reveal the dozens and dozens of peppers. "It is all most fortunate. We received them only recently from a merchant passing through Waterhold. He had a funny name. I believe it was... Legs?"

Alice nodded to herself. It all seemed absurd, but what was one more absurdity?

"Have you ever eaten peppers like these?" Alice asked Urd, who immediately shook her head.

"Never, Master!" Urd said, looking with some fascination at the many colorful peppers. "Th-they look like... rich people food."

Alice could not shake the awkwardness of what she was about to ask, but she reminded herself of [Consecrate Earth]. FOT's task had already earned Alice a useful reward. Surely the same would come from...

Guidance: Some Like It Hot!

Instruction: Make Urd eat spicy food until she vomits within (8) days.

Reward: Maybe you won't die >:D

"Urd, I have a... special task for you!" Alice said, trying to push aside the embarrassment she knew the request would birth.

Urd became very serious. She stopped looking at the box and stared resolutely at Alice the Rock.

"Of course, Master! I'll do anything!"

Get ready to watch Urd vomit! I feel like I've made a mistake with my life...

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