Chapter 43: Never Had Much for Religion (Patreon)

As Hugo launched off the belfry and took to the skies, I’d taken the elevator to the basement location and wandered out onto the street. Curious about all the activity going on in town, I chose to walk along the main road through the town square. The line for the golden elevator was longer than I’d thought and I tried not to stare at the waiting would-be adventurers that I passed by. Only looking long enough to note their robes, armor, and various weapons. They all sort of blended together rather quickly and so it was jarring when a voice called out, “hey Lucas, over here!”

I looked and saw Elijah waving at me. I almost didn’t recognize him now that he’d swapped his hoodie for chainmail and now looked more like a knight with his short sword and shield. The rest of his group was there with him. Rebecca gave me a polite nod when I came over while Hemi and Sebastian avoided looking at me.

“We came out here as soon as the System said the elevator was unlocked,” Elijah explained.

Damn, did I sleep through another System message? How is that even possible?

“That’s good,” I said. “Though it seems like everybody else had the same idea.”

“Will you join us again?” Elijah asked.

He’d seemed the most impressed by my fighting abilities earlier and there was an eagerness in his eyes still.

“Actually, I’ve got something else to do today,” I said, which disappointed him and Rebecca.

Sebastian snorted, taking my refusal for cowardice. “Something more important than clearing a floor?” he asked.

“Oh, I don’t think I’m ready to take on floor 96 yet,” I said with a smile. The four of them stared, wondering if I’d misspoken. “I can’t guarantee it’ll be the same for you,” I continued, “but you should know that cave spiders are weak to fire, Specters to other spirits, golems to electricity, and goblins… well goblins are just like us only smaller and they come in larger numbers.”

Despite how we’d last left things, I didn’t wish them any ill will, and they didn’t seem like the type to join with Martin. The group looked stunned at what I’d said and as I walked away whistling a cheery tune, I overheard Hemi say, “I think we should buy more supplies first.”

The church and cemetery were on the edge of town. Once I got there, I could see the second group of people more clearly. There was a nearby wagon filled with stones. People would come to grab a stone and then carry it outside of town, halfway across a field, and then drop it alongside others. I recognized a few of them from the angry mob that had cheered for Harold’s death. This was on Martin’s orders. Not that I disagreed with it.

[Hugo: What are they doing?]

[Lucas Hudson: They’re putting down a ring of stones around the town to mark the safe zone perimeter. Anything past the stones is fair game at all hours, but anyone inside is protected until curfew.]

It was a smart idea, but I wondered if part of the reason for doing it was to reinforce to them how safe the town was by giving them a task devoted to marking down where they should remain.

None of them noticed me and I left them to it while I stepped onto the church grounds. Hugo was already on the roof waiting and he flew down to sit upon my shoulder before we went inside. The inside of the church wasn’t what I expected.

It was a simple church, built from wood that looked like it could have been cut down by nearby forest trees. The same could be said for the wooden pews that filled most of the space. There were windows on either side that let the light in and an altar sat at the end of the church with a cup on it. Other than that, there were no religious symbols or iconography to speak of. It just looked like someone’s idea of a Christian church that had been renovated for people of all faiths.

None of that stuff took me by surprise, though. No, what caught me off-guard was that every pew had at least one person sitting in it with their head bowed. Some of them were even doing it with their hands clasped together. I was never much for religion and even less so now, but I suppose that during the end of the world, some would turn to it. It seemed like a massive waste of time but doubly so when the System had laid such a clear path to strength with the stats and points system. Why waste the time asking someone else for help, real or imaginary, when you can just help yourself?

My footsteps echoed loudly across the wooden floor. None of the worshippers seemed to mind or take any notice of me.

What Earnest had spoken of was on the wall to my left, clear as day. A painted mural depicting one red rose in a field of green with the sun shining overhead. It was a simplistic thing, like something an amateur might paint because their child asked for it. There were no people or other details in it except for one tiny word scrawled at the bottom. I bent down and looked closer. The word was Maria.

Was that the name of the painter or of the rose? Perhaps they were one and the same. Either way, it wasn’t a lot to go on. How many people could you ask if they knew a Maria before others caught on that the name was significant? It didn’t seem like many people were pursuing the town founder quest at the moment and I saw no need to encourage others to do so. No, there had to be more here. Someone must know who painted this and when there’s a church, there’s usually a priest.

I looked around and frowned. Only if there was such a person, then they were clearly absent.

I approached the nearest worshipper who was sat in a pew praying. He was wearing a bright orange pizza delivery uniform and looked like the luckiest level one that I’d come across so far. He must have found somewhere to hide in the forest until the town had been formed and then rushed straight there. It was impressive in a way, especially considering the neon sign he was wearing that passed for clothes.

“Excuse me, do you know whose church this is?” I asked him softly.

The man didn’t respond. Not even when I asked a second time right next to his face. Carefully, I put my hand out and touched his shoulder. The man’s eyes remained closed.

“He’s in some kind of trance,” I said to Hugo. “I think they all are. Maybe this is the next clue?”

*New Quest Unlocked* [Drink from the chalice] – …

Odd. No snarky description or message this time. There was an altar at the end of the church where a silver cup sat that fit the description of a chalice.

“Did you…?” I asked.

Hugo nodded. “I got the same quest.”

We approached the altar and saw what looked like water inside the cup.

“Should we?” Hugo asked.

I shrugged. I doubted that it was poison. The System was violent and sadistic, but it always seemed to give people a chance to get out of whatever danger it was throwing them into. Some quests I’d undertaken had been helpful, while others had not. Still, they always rewarded you with a loot box with the chance to win something good. Even with all the trash we’d won, Hugo had managed to get a bird squad together to add to his ghost army, and I still had my ever useful Viper Fang kunai.

“I guess I’ll go first,” I said.

I took the chalice and drank before setting it back on the table. It tasted like cold water.

“Is that it?” asked Hugo.

“I don’t feel anything,” I said, right before a dizziness struck me.

My balance became wobbly, and I had to sit down in the pew at the front to stop myself from falling. I’d thought a few deep breaths might calm me, but then the room started spinning. My vision was growing hazier. Hugo became concerned. He kept asking me if I was okay, but his voice sounded further and further away. Eventually, I could no longer hear him. Darkness took my sight until there was only one thing left to see.

[Do you wish to commune with the gods? Y/N]