Hey everybody! We're back and ready to go after some complications. P12ussia has now changed her name and I'll let her introduce her new name.
Yo peeps! My new name is now Blue Eyed Deamon. If you're wondering, it's not meant to be related to Kess's. I finally got chapter one of a Sherlock fic up. Say Yes to Distress is the name, and humor's the game!
Sorry for the short chapter Amiacon's computer died and she needs a new one.
RIP, laptop. You were a true trooper!
Anyway, on with the chapter!
Two GBL priests, one with a robe of dark blue and the other of white, turned around at the sound of stone scraping as the party entered, and one of them gave an inhuman growl. The white one gestured violently with a wicked sacrificial knife and called, "These interlopers will be sacrificed to the glory of Lotus!" as the other prepared to spring. Evecil slammed his hands on the ground, producing an intense shock wave that rushed towards the cultists, massive spikes of ice leaping forward and ensnaring the dark leader in a crystalline cage.
Some of the surrounding cultists rushed to free him with cries of, "The High Priest!" As they hammered on the ice with their knife hilts, Eromreven blasted across the room, demon primed and blade swinging. The air around Arren began to crackle with small sparks, which rapidly coalesced into a larger lightning bolt. Its target: the immobilized High Priest. The Archbishop flung out his arm, and another blast of lightning intercepted Arren's, colliding with a violent crash. Komie ran up behind the Archbishop, using the lightning as cover, and swung downwards only to be blocked by a knife the Archbishop had in his sleeve, then Eronel hit the distracted Archbishop with a throwing knife. He staggered with the hit to his shoulder, and Komie rushed for the opportunity to strike with his Asura Wave. After it hit the floor, the Rogue tugged her knife from the mangled body and turned to face the enemies that no longer surrounded them.
Eromreven had been tearing into the minor zealots as they attempted to free the High Priest. Drenched in their blood and laughing madly, the Berserker crashed through the ice to take a wild swing at the feral priest.
The High Priest, cornered and deprived of his minions, ducked below the massive sword and stabbed with his much smaller knife, slashing the Berserker across the side and simultaneously casting a sleep spell. Eromreven staggered a step or two, then collapsed unconscious against the remains of the ice trap.
"Komie!" Nel shouted. "Get him out of there!"
Under covering fire from the Mage brothers, Komlin managed to muscle the elder Slayer away from the High priest and out of danger. Their party members out of the way, Arren and Evecil each hastily prepared a more powerful spell to finish the job, Evecil pinning the High Priest in place with a set of ice spears and Arren finishing with a Crystal Crash.
"I don't like killing people..." he said weakly once everything had subsided.
Nel nodded and patted his shoulder. "I know what you mean," she agreed.
As Arren and Nel were talking, Komie walked back over to his mentor and waved a small flask of E's custom Sky Tower brew under his nose. The Berserker twitched and moaned, then raised a hand to clumsily grab at the flask. As half of the liquor spilled over his shoulder, he regained his senses and took the drink, downing the remainder. "Oof!" he grunted, giving his head a quick shake. "Strong stuff."
"Seems so," Komie chuckled. "That priest knocked you out cold, man!"
"Yes he did!" agreed the punch-drunk E.
"Wonder how he did it though. You're really hard to knock out."
"Eh. Magic." Eromreven shrugged and unsteadily hauled himself to his feet. "So... Now we head back, yeah?"
"Yeah." They rejoined the others, and the five departed the temple to once again confer with Ophelia, the sole remaining sane member of the GBL order.
"So, it's true?" the girl gasped as they relayed what they had found. "Our Zealots have gone berserk, and that the temple is infested with monsters? Lotus! That demon invaded our temple and destroyed everything! He abused the trust of devout GBL Zealots and has turned them into crazed fanatics! Prophet Hyacith helped me escape from all that carnage and is telling me that we'll need his books to save our wayward brothers."
"An' who's that?" E interrupted her furious ranting to inquire.
Evecil rolled his eyes. "Only one of the best-known prophets on Arad!" he snapped.
"That's right," Ophelia continued. "Prophet Hyacith has four special books that each represents the Dawn, Light, Dusk, and Darkness. Could you first locate the Book of Dawn? It is apparently kept by the Minister of Dawn outside the temple."
"We'll get right on it for ya!" Komie assured Ophelia. He turned and began walking back towards where they last saw the Behemoth. "You guys comin' or what?" The others hastened after the energetic young fighter.
"Ain't you energetic?" E teased.
"Anything wrong with that?" Komie asked.
"Nah. Race ya!"
"Yer on!"