The Bargainer 6 (Patreon)

Commissioned by Kejmur

-VB-

The Bargainer
Chapter 6

-VB-

The priests brought themselves and all of their followers into the holy grounds of their god’s domain.

Soyan was not someone particularly strong or weak. She was just a normal girl who was given the unique title of a “follower” because she readily helped her friend, who was the original  follower with her seat. She only got the seat because she was an associate and friend of the followers and because she couldn’t bare to see her friend’s body get desecrated.

She still shuddered when she imagined what would have happened to her if the other Seats hadn’t come to save her.

Ah, yes, seats. That’s a thing in this religion, whose god turned out to be actually real and not as “they do not interfere directly” kind of gods that most other people had.

See, her friend - Yahana - was a “5th Seat of Sacrifice,” which was a voluntary seat taken by said seat holder where they practice abstinence of violence. There were other seats, like but not limited to “Seat of Justice,” “Seat of Strength,” and “Seat of Deceit.” Yahana was the fifth holder of her seat and for a good reason. See, whenever someone had issues with the followers of the Beast that Rends, they would target the Seat of Sacrifice because they, due to the creed they upheld, never fought back.

Of course, the rest of the followers would come to fight for their sisters and brothers, and most perpetrators would end up dead in the streets.

Yahana was a good woman. She was the heart of the Followers of the Beast that Rends, advocating for the Beast’s respect for those who walked the way of non-violence. She made people smile.

And then the worshippers of the Red God came and killed her as an example when she rejected their creed in public.

The 2nd Seat of Violence, the same man who still held that seat to this day, along with the 4th Seat of Deceit went and killed all of the Rhellor’s worshippers. The 4th Deceit burned to death and the 2nd’s face burned away.

The same 2nd Violence knelt on both knees before their god and drank the “Seed of Power.”

He dropped the vial as his body convulsed. He dropped to the floor but no one helped him.

His body twisted and grew. His once pale skin turned green. Fur rose and covered him. And then he grew in size. One and a half man. Two men. Three men.

And then it all stopped.

Slowly, the 2nd Violence stood up.

Their god smiled so gently as he helped him up. “You’ve overcome your inner demon and took its power for your own. Rise, oh son of mine.”

For a moment, there was a thrum of power, and she collapsed along with everyone else but their god and 2nd Violence as something crashed down upon them. Her entire body felt too heavy for her. She felt like she was going to crush into the ground.

Then her god whispered something and then the pressure was gone.

Scared, she slowly stood up.

“What a command presence you have gained, Violence,” Beast that Rends crooned as he patted Violence as if he wasn’t three times bigger than the biggest man or that he had a snout more like a lizard if it had saws for its teeth. “Would you like a name from me?”

Violence immediately knelt down on his now scaly legs. “Yes, Your Eminence.”

“Hmm. How about … Shahanshah? Just like the emperors that once held that title, you shall force all others to bow before you.”

There were cheers but Soyan only felt anxiety. It was her turn.

“Soyan, the 6th Seat of Sacrifice. Come.”

She walked up, hoping she looked confident even though she wasn’t.

“I heard that you threw yourself into danger to save your friend’s body.”

She blushed. “I… Yahana was a good friend, Y-Your Eminence.” She froze up towards the end when she fumbled with her words. When the Beast that Rends didn’t immediately strike her down, she kept on talking. “She was a good woman. A good person. I… I couldn’t allow her to be so disrespected right in front of me.”

“Hmm. Perhaps you should have been given a seat of bravery,” her god hummed as he reached out and brought out a vial containing the Seed of Power from … somewhere. “I have power before you. Would you use it for the sake of others?”

It was the same question her god asked of 2nd Violence.

She knew that she was free to reject. Her god told her that not everyone was ready, and a few already had rejected.

But … if she had power, then she could stop others from doing what they did to Yahana. How they made a spectacle of her murder.

She reached forward and took the vial, uncorked it, and drank its content in one go.

It was bitter and sweet and slow and fast and purple…?

She choked as something welled up inside of her. She screamed as pain erupted from her back.

When it all stopped, she realized that she was on the floor, and she slowly got up.

And something fluttered behind her.

She turned to look and …

“Wings…?”

“Wings of doves, creatures that symbolize devotion and peace,” her god crooned.

One of her feathers fell … and then sunk into the rocky floor as if the ground was sand. She gawked.

“And feathers so heavy that very few things could penetrate them. You will certainly be able to offer others shelter underneath your wings. Would you like a new name?”

She nodded absentmindedly as she stroked her new feathers that felt no different from regular feathers… but she’d just seen one sink into the ground.

“I dub thee Gabriel, and you shall be my messenger of peace in the days to come.”

Messenger of peace... 

She liked that.