Sorry this one took a bit longer than usual, but assignments have kept me busy and updates will be slow for now. Can't promise they'll get faster but I will try.
Right off the bat, before we get into this chapter: SPOILER ALERT !
If you haven't read up until chapter 56 of Allen Blaster's Diligence of the Shield Hero, then please ignore this chapter. You have been warned.
Now can I just say that I have been dying to get this interlude out. It is by far my favorite...and I hope you all enjoy.
Big thanks to Qinlongfei for beta reading this chapter and providing important feedback and suggestions. Along with Allen Blaster for letting me use his character in my story.
With that said, let's get it started.
The sun was shining down on them feeling the soft warmth on her skin made her feel alive.
She was dressed in the cloth of a noblewoman, sword at her hip to show her military training and the insignia of her family pinned to her dress.
The sound of her children playing nearby as her husband stood with her in the light. It wasn't a perfect life by any means, but it certainly felt that way.
She was at peace.
Then it all went dark, as if all the light in the world was gone.
Her children were gone, her husband was gone, it was like her whole damn world had came crashing down around her.
And she found herself being forced onto the ground, chains on her wrist and being held down by stronger arms.
In front of her, she could see her husband, her Arthur writhing on the ground before her...a slave seal on his chest, electrocuting him and making him scream out in agony.
" AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Arthur's screams filled the air and she could only watch in pure agony as her husband was tortured in front of her.
Dark figures who stood from the shadows looked down at her, uncaring eyes, remorseless at the pain they were causing.
" PLEASE STOP !" She cried out to the figures.
" We know EVERYTHING whore...confess now or watch your beloved Mon-Keigh suffer for another hour..." They said coldly.
She bit her lip, knowing that there was only one way she could get out of this.
" I admit it ! I did it ! Please stop !"
The electrocution stopped at that moment and silence whispers came from all around her, judging her...
" So you admit that you betrayed your own nation ? Acted against its best interest ? Even taking a human concubine and poisoning your own bloodline..."
" Yes ! I admit to all of it ! " She pleaded to the best of her ability " Please just punish me ! Let my children and husband go ! Execute me to the Soul Worm if you must, just please !"
" No...don't do it please..." Arthur muttered in pain as he laid on the floor before her.
A single figure stepped out of the shadows, their face indistinguishable, as they drew a clawed hand towards her.
" No...death would be too kind of a mercy for you...I have something special in mind for you and your children..." The figure said with cruelty in their voice " But first...let us remind you the might of Siltvelt..."
She could only watch in horror as the figure grew into something inhuman, something monstrous, with claws and fangs...it looked like a demon.
Before it turned to her husband who was defenseless against this monster.
" NO ! LEAVE HIM ALONE ! PLEASE ! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS !"
She screamed and begged, but it was in vain...as her husband was torn apart limb by limb in front of her eyes.
His screams of agony filled the air and Victoria thought that she would have gone deaf from it, until the monster mercifully sliced his throat.
And now her husband laid there, a bloody mess, barely recognizable of the man she once knew...
" No...oh god no..."
" Its all your fault Victoria...all your fault..."
With those haunting words, the figure faded into the shadows, the hands that once held her down were gone too along with the chains...
That did not mean that she was free. Far from it.
She was simply living a different hell now.
" Why did you leave us mommy ? "
" Why did you betray us ? "
Her eyes widened as she turned to see her children standing before her...their faces were bloodied, as if they had been tortured.
" N-N-No...I never meant for this happen...I'm so sorry !" She cried out to her children, trying to run to them but they seemed to get further and further away the closer she tried to get " Pl-Please come back ! We can be a family again ! I'm sorry !"
" Sorry doesn't bring us back dear..."
She stopped in her movements as she heard a familiar voice...
And she turned her head to see her husband standing before...what was left of him anyway.
There were bits of flesh peeling off of him, a dislodged eye, several bites and cuts that he was bleeding from.
" I never wanted to be with you...and look where it got me..." Arthur turned away " You deserve to be alone Victoria..."
" Arthur...no please...please come back ! Don't leave me !" Her eyes wet with tears as she held out a hand to her children and husband that faded into the darkness, never to be seen again.
And she was left all alone...forever.
Maybe she really did deserve this.
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" You're not alone mother...I'll be here for you "
A voice cut through the dead silence and she raised her head to see a young girl standing before her.
With long blonde hair and blue eyes, squatting down and offering her hand.
She had a smile on her face...and it was enough to cut through the darkness.
And the world had a bit more light in it again.
Interlude 4: Light in the Dark
The nun gasped as her eyes opened to see the ceiling, she felt the sweat on her brow built up from the nightmare she just had. She wiped her brow to soak her sleeve in sweat.
That dream again...goddamnit.
The elder nun pushed the thought away for now, she had work to do, she can deal with her internal demons later.
Nobody ever said the life of a nun was easy, now did they ? And being 'Altara' her day was especially packed.
Altara's day started bright and early. Much earlier than any of the other nuns since she had additional responsibilities to handle. She had grown accustomed to this schedule and routine she had worked out for herself.
She rises from her comfortable bed as she rubs her eyes a little to move the sleepiness away and felt the telltale pop of her bones. Another dreadful reminder that she's getting old, but she can't let that keep her down. Having a high level also helped stave off those feelings of oldness.
A pair of raccoon ears pop up at the noise coming from outside, the chirping of some birds at the window and the warm bright sun peering through the window of her bedroom.
She preps a small bath for herself so that she can relax her bones a bit. As she steps into the cool water, they help get her mind into that professional attitude that she is known for.
Once she is finished, she dries herself off and gets to brushing her hair. It is imperative that all priests and nuns of the Three Heroes Church looked as respectable and approachable as possible, being the faces that the common folk turn to in their times of need. They must at all times look presentable.
She had a big day ahead for her.
As she brushes her hair...she takes care not to have the brush hit her ears. They were always sensitive, especially at her age.
She dons her white robes of a nun , putting on the pendant of the Three Heroes Church to signify her loyalty. She then grabs her other tools and equipment she is almost ready, it honestly amazed her the things you could hide in these white robes.
She puts on her white veil over her head to conceal her animal features, and she looks herself in the mirror.
Perfectly human...at least that's the illusion she keeps up.
She heads downstairs and grabs a quick bite to eat, before leaving the comforts of her home and steps into the light, feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin.
Feels like a good day.
Most nuns and priests of the Church were actually provided with sleeping quarters to stay in if they had no immediate place of residence. Altara being a 'Mother' which essentially meant that she was a superior to younger nuns, meant that she would be entitled to some of the personal quarters reserved for higher ranking members of the Three Heroes Church. She declined since she had managed to scrounge up enough money to buy her own house a few years back.
Nothing too big or small for her purposes, just a decent sized house that was in close proximity to the cathedral where she worked. Plus, she preferred the privacy of her own home.
Say what you will about the Three Heroes Church, but never let it be said that they don't pay well.
The cathedral wasn't really that far from her house, so she could relax a bit and enjoy her walk. On her way there, she passed by several common folk and shop owners going about their daily lives, a few of them even gave friendly smiles to her. Clearly revering her as a nun of the Church.
" Thank you for all your hard work " Some of them said as they passed her by on the street...
She wondered the kind of different reaction she would probably get if they knew what she was, but she put that thought aside for now.
Altara walked up the steps leading to her place of work, giving a nod to the knights stationed by the entrance who gave a respectful bow to her as she entered the cathedral. She took a deep breath as she took in the pleasant and serene atmosphere of this place.
" Ah ! Mother Altara, good morning to you " Preacher Logarius greeted her with a smile as she entered.
" And a good morning to you to Logarius " Altara gave a greeting nod " Are we all set for this afternoon ? "
The preacher nodded " Yes, but we have some work and preparations that need to be done before this afternoon so we better get to it "
" Agreed" Altara walked with Logarius as he gave her the rundown of things that needed to be done.
Time for her work day to start up once again.
As a 'Mother' of the Three Heroes Church, Altara's responsibilities and duties were vast on a day-to-day basis. Her usual routine consisted of delivering sermons and prayers, educating younger or in-training nuns, look over the cathedral's budget, make sure the priests and nuns did their duties, took their breaks and made sure that the cathedral was up to the standards of the Church.
There was also her occasional night job, but those seemed to be infrequent most of the time these days.
In short her day was usually packed, but today was a bit different since she was busy with a whole new matter. The Church was organizing a food kitchen and supply give away in the Beggars District and slums to feed the many poor souls that couldn't afford it and help them survive another week. These are activities that the Church did on occasion in order to earn some good reputation among the lower classes of Melromarc.
So most of Altara's morning consisted of helping get things ready, there were going to be 2 teams in total. One in the Beggars District, the other in the slums. At the moment, she was behind the cathedral making sure that everything they needed was loaded up.
" Get that food loaded up now, I want us ready to move out in the next two hours " Altara ordered.
" Yes, ma'am " Her subordinates called out as she took a mental stock to make sure that everything was in order.
Charity assignments like these were typically volunteer...so the turnout wasn't exactly high.
The only ones who willingly signed up or were available for this assignment were Jaune, Jackson and Pyrrha.
" Remind me again why we have to do this ? " Richard complained as he handed off another crate to Jackson.
" Because its your JOB, now stop whining like a petulant child and load up the rest of the supplies " Altara said sternly.
Richard...he was kinda dragged into this by Jaune, but he was reliable enough.
They were all good men and women who were devoted to the church. Not like those suckup toadies such as Consevatie and Amelia who only joined for their own personal reasons.
" Mother Altara ! We're here "
The older woman turned to see a familiar blonde hair young woman approach-almost unrecognizable from the same little 3 year old baby she used to take care of when she was young.
And the girl had brought her friends.
" So sorry we're late, we had to settle some things at the guild " Alice apologized.
" Its alright my dear , I'm glad you and your friends could make it. We could use some extra hands for this " Altara greeted the adventurers with a smile. Turning to the rest of Alice's group.
" Good to see Altara ! Its always good to visit you " Rufus had the same go lucky look on his face.
" Address her properly, she's a nun of the Church Rufus ! " Nina scolded the young man.
" Its alright, I'm not so hung up on formalities honestly " Altara waved them off as she turned to the wizard of the party.
And Clarissa of course...just giving a nod. Altara respected that.
" As a member of the Three Heroes Church, I would like to formally thank you all for your assistance, despite not being members of the Church yourselves " Altara spoke in a professional tone, but her gratitude was genuine nonetheless.
" Hey, no need to thank us ! We're always happy to help " Rufus said with a cheery smile. Nina nodding in agreement with her teammate.
" We didn't really have much else to do, so we figured we would help Alice out on her Church duties " Clarissa shrugged.
" Yeah, right. You were the first one to agree to help Alice " Nina said with a smirk.
"...Shut up " Clarissa rolled her eyes " So we're supposed to be handing out food and supplies ? "
" Yes, we plan on setting up a kitchen in the Beggar's District and the slums, along with passing out some supplies to those in need " Altara explained.
" How exactly are we going to get the food and supplies to the slums anyway ? The pathways are too narrow and small for a carriage to pass through " Clarissa questioned with her arms crossed.
" Good question. Thankfully, I came prepared " Altara gestured to two carts, the kind that you could physically push with two people " I had these two carts borrowed so we could transport what we need to the slums to get set up. Much easier than just carrying it on our backs, wouldn't you say ? "
Nobody argued with that. Carrying that much stuff would have been impossible for them or at least would have forced them to make several round trips.
" Ah, shit !"
A curse followed by something being dropped, Altara turned to see Jackson drop a crate filled with food as it was being loaded onto the carriage.
" We better help "
" Definitely. Get to it boys and girls, I want us ready to go by the afternoon " Altara ordered.
" Yes, mother. Rufus, Nina help Jaune and the others load stuff into the carts. Clarissa you're with me, we'll help move the carts a bit closer to the supplies and then help carry them "
Altara couldn't help but smile at seeing her little priestess taking command.
She felt like it was going to be a good day.
After finishing preparations and parting ways with Jaune's group, Altara and her group of adventurers started making their way to the slums. The responsibility of pulling the cart forward fell to Rufus and Nina, along with Alice and Altara herself. Despite the young priestess insisting that the older woman let Clarissa pull it, the superior nun waved her off and said that she wasn't that old yet.
It honestly wasn't difficult or strenuous for her at all, with the help of Alice and her group. Altara herself was in the prestige range, while Alice and her group were still in the common range, having reached level 40 a long time ago, so their levels made the whole thing a simple matter.
So Altara decided to pass the time by chatting with Alice a little.
" So how has the adventuring business been going ? " Altara broke the ice with a basic question.
" Its been going pretty good, still plenty of work to be found down south here. Though I've been hearing some chatter in the guild about increased bandit activity to the north..." Alice said, her expression turning grim " Demi-human bandits..."
Altara's eyes were sympathetic, a part of her already knowing where her former student's grief comes from.
" Its disgusting that pathetic cowards would take advantage of the Waves of Catastrophe as a means to fatten their own coin purse " Altara said with disdain towards every bandit group out there, especially demi-human ones. Knowing all too well what they do to the women they capture.
" Yes...I heard the Bow Hero recently recruited Beast Slayer into his party, something about taking down some bandit groups in the north " Alice said softly.
So the Bow Hero is pursuing some bandits groups with Slayer. Good. Though perhaps he should reconsider him as a permanent companion given how...radical Slayer can be in his ideologies.
" Hopefully the Bow can keep Slayer under control " Clarissa commented.
Alice made no comment at that but Altara could sense her little priestess's discomfort on talking about Slayer. The two had history and they didn't exactly part on...good terms per say. The older nun pondered saying something comforting to the girl, but perhaps silence and not bringing it up to just focus on the task at hand would be better.
The slums smelled like piss and the tall buildings that surrounded them created narrow paths that just barely provided enough space for them pass through. Even in the afternoon, the light of the sun could not hide the filth and corruption that ran through these streets.
Altara couldn't feel at ease in a place like this, her hidden weapons providing a small comfort to her.
Just as they were about to make a turn to the spot where they would be setting up, 3 men stepped in front of them blocking their path.
Demi-humans specifically, two dogs and a cat.
Her heightened hearing picked up footsteps coming from behind them and she turned her head slightly to see 3 more demi-humans behind them.
Altara kept her weapons ready, some part of her already seeing where this was going.
"Now ain't this a laugh ! What's a couple of Church rats doing in the slums ? " The dog leader yelled.
" We're just here to render aid to the people here " Altara explained in a tone of professionality.
" Ha ! So now the Church wants to play heroes and help us ? The Church doesn't give a shit about any of us ! "
" I'll admit that we haven't done the best job of providing aid to the people living here...but please ! We just want to hel-"
" Shut it bitch ! We don't want to hear it from some whore of the Church " The cat man yelled and that hit a nerve for Altara.
Nobody calls her Alice that.
" Now that wasn't a nice thing to say..." Altara said, her voice cold as ice.
One of the dog's got angry and pulled out a knife " Fuck off you bi-"
Altara smacked the blade away, causing the metal to clatter to the floor , before she delivered a hard punch directly to his face which knocked him down.
" You bitch ! Get the-" The other dog was cut off when Altara punched him in the face too.
Diplomacy just ended.
Altara glanced at the other three demi-humans who were behind them...and were in the middle of getting their asses handed to them by Nina and Rufus.
It wasn't even a fight. Nina was a master hand-to-hand combatant and Rufus was stronger than any of these punks. Clarissa didn't even bother stepping in, just watching from the sidelines with a bored expression. Altara couldn't even really blame her inaction since the outcome of this fight was pretty clear.
The worthless demi-humans didn't stand a chance, it was clear that these miserable urchins had never fought anything tougher than some other pathetic street urchins who don't know shit about fighting.
The cat tried to charge her with a knife, but Altara sidestepped and delivered a punch to the gut which effectively knocked the wind out of him. Before grabbing his arm and throwing the man over her shoulder and onto the concrete ground, before finishing him off with a punch to the face.
The nun glanced behind them, Rufus and Nina had effectively decimated the ones behind them. And the only one remaining was the one dog from earlier who she had effectively handled, but was still standing and looked very pissed off.
" Y-Y-You bitch ! I'm going to kill you ! I'm going to-"
He was cut off when Alice delivered a blow to the side of his head causing him to crumple to the ground like a ragdoll. And it probably hurt a lot more on account of the fact that Alice's right gloved hand were lined with metal plates which the nun hadn't noticed before.
Altara was so proud.
The older woman reaffirmed herself as she still had to deal with these undesirables.
She turned to the other dog man who was now looking up at her in fear.
" Get the hell out of my sight. NOW ! "
The demi-humans quickly picked themselves up along with their knocked out comrades and ran away in fear.
" Well, I'd say we're off to a good start..." Altara said sarcastically as she turned to her former pupil " Thanks for the save and nice glove. What is it ? "
" Its called the metal cestus, its just a leather gloved lined with metal plates " Alice explained as she held up her right armored hand.
" Couldn't convince her to get gauntlets so this was the next best choice " Nina commented.
" Gauntlets were a bit too heavy, so this was a good alternative and its pretty light while still keeping things damaging " Alice said with a smile.
" Well, hopefully we won't run into anymore rats and urchins. Let's get moving " Altara ordered as they started proceeding.
The rest of the trip was actually pretty peaceful, they managed to make it to the designated spot without any further complications. The spot they had chosen was a nice and wide little clearing close to the residential area of the slums...if they can even be called that. It was as good a place as any.
Once there, they got to work setting things up. A few tables to pass out supplies, two pots to cook some food in which Clarissa kindly lit up a small fire to get things going, among other things.
Cooking didn't take too long and with the delicious smell of food rising into the air, came the residents of the slum that were coming to get something to eat.
It was not a pretty sight to see to say the least.
Many of the residents looked starved or hungry, many wore tatters that could barely be called clothes...there were even some children who looked as though they hadn't eaten in days.
Altara had seen it before. She experienced it after all.
The residents looked surprise at the sudden appearance and Altara was about to make an announcement when Rufus beat her to the punch.
" Who wants free food !" Rufus shouted to get everybody's attention " Come one, come all ! We got plenty of food here and we have some supplies to hand out to everybody "
After about a brief second of hesitation, th large crowd of people quickly moved forward, eager to get something to eat.
" Already, one at a time , no pushing- Hey ! I said no pushing !"Rufus shouted
With the rising number of people, Altara and her small team set up a system. Rufus and Nina would focus on handing out supplies like blankets, clothes and non-perishable food to bring back, while herself and Alice handed out hot bowls of soup to the people. Clarissa was in charge of making another batch since it looked like the line wasn't getting any shorter.
" A lot more people than I anticipated " Alice commented.
" Nobody chooses to live in the slums, they are either born here or forced here by circumstances. " Altara recites an old quote she heard long ago.
" We could have used more people to help out this assignment " Alice pondered out loud.
" Definitely, but we even if we did, I doubt the people would appreciate a large detachment of knights and priests. Better a small team go in than dragging a whole platoon out here "
The two continued chatting while passing out meals, talking about Church matters and the like. It was a nice distraction to keep things moving.
The line continued moving a slow and steady pace, but Altara did notice a few that stood out to her.
A raccoon demi-human woman with her children stepped in front of her, one boy and one girl. They looked hungry, their cheeks were chiselled and they looked weak.
She didn't even notice her grip on the ladle had gotten more much harder...as she calmly poured some bowls of food for them.
" Here. Eat it slowly, its hot "
She barely heard their thanks as she watched them move to the side to eat it, the two children eating happily with their mother, who smiled and patted their heads. They looked so happy and content, even if it just for this one small act of kindness...
Nobody treated her like that back then.
" ...Altara...Altara !"
The old nun was shook out of her stupor as she turned to see her former protege looking at her in concern.
" Are you okay ? "
" I'm fine Celi- Alice " Altara almost misspoke.
" You haven't done that in a while..." Alice mused but didn't push further.
Altara shook her head, she couldn't allow herself to get distracted at a time like this.
Things kept going smoothly...until Altara noticed that the crowd had gone oddly silent and they seemed to be making way as a group approached them. A demi-human gang specifically and she knew that some of them had weapons. Altara caught sight of two familiar dog demi-humans who were the same ones that Altara had beat up a while ago.
" That's them boss, that's the bitch who beat us up !" The dog pointed his finger at her.
" What a surprise...the Church of the Three Heroes has bothered to grace us slum rats with their presence " The demi-human leading the gang, was a bull demi-human. Horns on the head and he had red hair.
Altara immediately noticed Alice and the others having their hands on their weapons. Alice and Rufus with their hand on the hilt of their blades, while Clarissa and Nina looked ready to launch a spell at the gang before them. Altara herself was more than armed to take down these ruffians if it came to it.
She quickly thought about the consequences and potential ramifications of killing these bastards right here and now. There would be no legal consequences for her or Alice and her group. These were dirty criminals who made their living off of exploiting the weak and unprepared. She thinks she would be doing the world a favor ending them right here and now...
Although...
Altara glanced at the crowd of people that had gathered here, some watching with fearful faces, while others seemed curious to see how this was going to end. And Altara knew then that she couldn't kill them.
It would do no good for the Church's reputation if on the same day they dispatched help to deliver food and supplies to the downtrodden living in the slums, the group also slaughtered a gang of demi-humans( Albeit them being criminals) would probably scare the people too much to ever trust the Church again after this.
No, this required a more...subtle approach.
" Stand down, I'll take care of this. No spells or spilling blood either, we're here to help not scare these people " Altara whispered to Alice who gave her a look of uncertainty, but nodded and gave her team the order to stand down.
Altara took a deep breath and walked up to the leader, not showing a hint of fear or hesitation.
" I am Mother Altara and I was dispatched by the Three Heroes Church to render aid to the people here, along with handing our supplies to those who need it " Altara's voice held a tone of professionalism and coldness to it " And you are ? "
" Adam Taurus " The bull man smirked " Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy to get some help at long last...but the problem is, you guys are doing this on our turf and well...there's a tax for that sorta thing "
" How much ?" Altara inquired.
" Usually I like to stick to silver, but since this is a special matter how about say...50 gold pieces ?"
That's enough to feed 20 families here for years...and this bastard wants us to pay it. Disgusting.
" Oh come on, don't give me that look. We all know how rich the Church is, surely you can spare a few gold pieces for me and my crew " Adam said " We gotta eat too ! "
" Yeah, come on, give us some money !"
" We need some too !"
" Don't we qualify as part of the slums ? "
Some of Adam's men shouted in support, some of the people in the slums also looked supportive of the group.
" If you can't pay well..." Adam explained " I'm afraid we're going to have to move you guys "
" I'd like to see you try! " Nina shouted from the back.
" Feisty one, so what's it going to be ? " Adam awaited Altara's answer.
The old nun only needed about a minute to think it over in her head.
" Well, I'm sorry to say Mr Taurus but we cannot pay such an absurd price..." Altara voice was as cold as knife and sharp enough to cut " But we will not be moving either..."
" Oh? You really want to do this the hard way-"
" I'm level 78 " Altara cut him off.
That whisper made Adam shut up as he now looked at the nun in caution and slight fear.
" The girl and her group are level 40 silver ranked adventurers " Altara explained.
"...Is that supposed to impress me ? " Adam said tauntingly, though it lacked bite.
" No, its supposed to tell you EXACTLY who you are messing with..." Altara took a step forward and Adam took a step back " Now listen, on any other day, I would just kill you right here and now "
Another step forward from her , another step back from Adam.
" But we're supposed to be on a charity run and I'd rather not scare all the kids here by spilling blood...but make no mistake Adam, we are fully capable of grinding you and your posse into the ground, the Chief God knows that you are the kind of demi-human that makes it worth it " Altara whispered.
" So what's it going to be Adam ? The humiliation of walking away...or the pain and humiliation of being beaten down by a nun ? " Altara said threateningly " Make your choice "
Adam was silent on the matter, his gang of ruffians looking at their leader in worry.
Before he made a decision.
" Let's go..." Adam turned heel and started walking away, keeping his head down to avoid further embarrassment.
" Boss you can't be-"
" Shut up ! And keep walking " Adam grumbled as he kept walking.
Altara held back the smirk as she watched Adam and his posse disappear into the crowd. Though as soon as they were out of sight, the crowd of people now looked unsure of whether to continue to trust them or just leave. Not good.
" Apologies for that intrusion ladies and gentleman " Altara spoke formally as she tried to think of a way out of this " So...how about a show to go along with the meal ?"
The people looked confused for a moment before Altara focused her mana and conjured up three balls of light into the air. The simple conjuration was enough to amaze the entire crowd, not surprising since all of them had probably never seen magic before up close and personal. The few kids were staring in amazement and curiosity.
Altara didn't stop there, she made the balls of light fly and dance around her. The crowd cheering on at her performance.
" Alice dear, a bit of help ? " Altara called out to her apprentice.
" Of course, mother..." Alice nodded as she stepped up.
Altara faltered slightly at being called that, but kept her concentration on the spell. She knows Alice probably doesn't mean anything by it, it was customary for younger nuns to refer to superior nuns and priests as 'Mother' or 'Father'.
You'd think after being called that every other day, she would get used it...but she never did. It felt unearned when she called that. Like she didn't deserve it.
She pushed it from her mind as Alice joined the performance.
Her former apprentice focused as dark shadowy tendrils were summoned into her hand and some of the audience backed away a bit in fear.
One thing that always surprise people were Alice's magical affinities, she had affinities for support, yes...
But she also had an affinity for Dark magic too.
Alice directed the tendrils of shadow into Altara's balls of light causing the two elements to mix together in beauty.
" Now !" Altara gave the signal and launched the balls of dark mixed with light into the air, causing it to explode like a firework. Light sparks mixed in with the beauty of the shadows made the explosion that much more attractive.
The crowd cheered and many clapped, the kids were positively ecstatic at the show.
" Well done, Alice " Altara congratulated her apprentice with a smile.
" I learned from the best..." Alice smiled as the two gave their audience a bow.
The elder nun needed to take a breath after getting back home, the food kitchen took a little bit longer to wrap up than usual. And her stomach growled showing that she hadn't eaten much since the small loaf of bread she had in the afternoon.
She hadn't yet taken the time to change out of her nun clothes and had merely taken off her white veil to look herself in the mirror in her room.
Her instincts kicked in as she heard the familiar creak of her door open, her enhanced hearing picking up the sounds, followed by the wind blowing past, already knowing who was there...
She turned her head toward a shadow in the room, not even turning fully to speak.
" I know you're there Phantom, reveal yourself "
The shadow stilled for a moment, before a figure stepped out from the shadows, resembling a man.
" Mother Altara...your presence is requested at the cathedral "
" Can't this wait until morning ? "
" I'm sorry to say, but the request is urgent...it pertains to the matter of the Beast Army..."
Altara's head picked up at that name" I'll be there momentarily... now leave"
" Understood " The Phantom respectfully bowed before disappearing.
The old nun took one last look in the mirror...before she let out a sigh and put her veil back on.
Time to get back to her real work. It was a good thing she hadn't taken her tools and weapons off yet.
She left the house, checking the street for any passersby since she didn't want to be seen by anyone. Thankfully the streets were empty as she quickly headed to the cathedral.
When she did manage to reach the cathedral, she was greeted by a squad of paladins loyal to the Church. They bow their heads to her and it reminded Altara a bit of her time in the army, back then when she was still respected.
" Mother Altara..."
" At ease " Altara simply said as she entered the cathedral.
The halls cathedral were dimly lit with a few candles and torches here and there, just barely Altara could make out where she was going and would have likely bumped into something.
Her place of work seems so different during the night than it was during the day. When the sun came out, it was a lively place, where priests and nuns would frequent the halls, where prayers and sermons would take place, the sound of knights and paladins in training outside could be heard. And the cathedral seemed nothing short of the pinnacle of what a place worship should look like.
But during the night, it was quiet, desolate, devoid of mostly any person not counting the guards or live-in priests and nuns that would wander the halls late at night to get a glass of water. It was a totally different place during the night, no longer was it the place of worship that many came to in order to offer their prayers and hopes to the Chief God, when night fell it became a stronghold where dark deeds were done, where secret conversations took place and schemes.
When night fell, the cathedral of the light became one of dark. The deeds and acts done here reflecting that very, very well.
She stopped in the middle of an unsuspecting hall, that was also dimly lit but she could make out a lit torch stand on the wall, seemingly inconspicuous.
The cathedral of the Three Heroes Church had many secrets, if you knew where to look for them that is.
Pulling the torch stand downward, caused a series of mechanisms to work, opening up the secret stone door placed right next to the torch stand.
Entering the dark passageway, she presses a button on the inside to seal up the entrance. She'd rather not some random guard or late night priest find this place.
She descended down the staircase that led to the secret underground wing of the Three Heroes Church...a place that held some of their more secret projects.
This was a place where she hoped Alice would never find out about or the things that go on in this place.
Reaching the bottom of the staircase, she headed a bit further down a stone hallway that was lit by torches on both sides.
" Altara, I'm glad you could make it..."
The old nun turned to see a middle aged man come out of one of the other pathways that lead to this hallway. And she instantly recognized the face despite the dimness of the hallway.
Preacher Eli.
A long-time member of the Church, been around since the Great War...and also part of the radical faction of the Three Heroes Church. Though his radical ways were not the cause of him being from some noble family, but due to what happened during the war that made him this way. She didn't quite know all the details, but she had heard stories...
Stories that made her shiver at night.
And he was the one who called her out here...suspicious.
" I hope you have a good reason for calling me out here on such short notice Preacher Eli " Altara couldn't deny that she was not in the mood for this.
" Of course, follow me please..."
The nun hesitated for a moment before following the preacher, they walked for a few minutes in complete silence before they reached a large room, that was outfitted with various wooden dummies for hitting, practice weapons lining the walls...
And in the center of the room were a large gathering of demi-humans, all ranging in different ages and animal clans. Some were as young as in their teens, others in their late 30's. They all sported different emotions on their faces, some had looks of fear, others nervousness, more anger and some...had completely blank looks on their faces, as if they don't care what happens next.
They were all surrounded by a squad of knights that stood on the edges of the room, the light just barely illuminating their faces. It was their duty to make sure that the new 'recruits' didn't get too feisty, which wasn't uncommon on account of the fact that some of them were criminals who had been sold to the Church as slaves.
None of them wore chains to restrain them...but they all wore slave seals. Which made a more effective means of keeping them under control.
Altara knew that very well.
A new batch of beasts already ? We just barely finished training the last batch a few months ago before the wave started.
The Church did much good after the Great War, helping rebuild villages, spreading food supplies to the different provinces of Melromarc and aiding in the overall rebuilding of the Kingdom. But it also did plenty of bad to get some of that good done...one of those 'bads' was the creation of a slave army made up of demi-humans and beastman, that were acquired through various sources. Some directly from the slave market, others from corrupt guards who don't mind handing over a few dirty criminals to them.
It appears the Church is able to make use of these beasts...purely because they are disposable and effective at doing the Church's dirty work. They wore no official band of the Church and they could easily be killed off via slave seal if they were ever captured since they didn't officially work for the Church.
This program had been going on for some time and had proven to be quite effective, it lessens the deaths of their own men by using disposable assets like these demi-humans and beasts. Better they die serving the Church, than serving Siltvelt's High Council.
Altara observed and eyed a few different breeds among the new batch...and quickly found herself disappointed.
They were only a couple of wolves, bulls, dogs and even a lizard that would make for decent frontline warriors. The rest were made up of men and women from the cat, rabbit, pig...and even the raccoon clan.
Oh well. More fodder to fill our spy division. They will need more training than the warriors if they are to be effective.
The demi-humans and beasts were docile for the time being, some merely taking in and observing their surroundings with scared eyes. They were more than subservient-
" What the hell is taking so damn long !? " One of the demi-humans, a wolf shouted in anger. He was wearing cuffs showing that he was a former criminal of some kind.
Well...almost all of them. It seems there was always the occasional dog that needed some extra taming.
" Mother Altara, I think the new recruits are getting restless... if you would" Preacher Eli gestured for her to do her job.
" Of course, preacher Eli " Altara nodded as she took a step forward and she instantly caught the attention of the entire group of demi-humans.
Many looked at her in surprise, others in disgust...it seems none of them were expecting to see a nun in a place like this.
" Good evening to you all, my name is Mother Altara or you may simply refer to me as Ma'am or Altara " The old nun spoke with a tone of professionalism " You are all currently in the Three Heroes Church-"
" No shit !" One of the demi-humans crudely yelled out " Just tell us why we're here already !"
"...Very well, I suppose I will simply cut to the chase " Altara let out a sigh " You are all have been bought and brought here by the Church because we have seen fit to make use of you all. You will all be trained in combat and other useful skills to complete tasks and assignments given you by the Church. You are all expected to be on your best behavior and-"
" This is bullshit ! " The wolf demi-human from before interrupted her explanation as he got up to her face, anger apparent " You can't just keep us here !"
" As far as I'm concerned you're in no position to make demands. So why don't you sit down..." Altara didn't step down from the taller wolf, instead she stood her ground " Let me guess, you were some big shot criminal who thought he owned the world, before he got caught like an idiot and sent here ? "
" You bitch ! Do you have any idea who I am ? "
" Another pathetic wolf, I'm going to have to break to make cooperate ? " Altara instinctively readied her weapons.
Anger flashed in his eyes, as he bared his teeth to bite her " I'LL KILL YO-"
The wolf didn't even get the chance to finish his sentence, as Altara flicked her wrist causing her hidden blade to come out and before he could even react she had already thrust the blade into his throat. Blood spilling from his and retracting the blade , the wolf clutched his throat in vain to stop the bleeding but it was no use as he bled out onto the floor.
" Damnit..." Altara looked down at her dress in disgust " I got my robes all bloody..."
" Here miss..." A nearby knight handed her a handkerchief.
" Thank you..." She used the cloth to wipe her face and some of the blood off, but wiping off blood was no easy task so she gave up on that.
She turned back to the group of demi-humans and beastmens, who were now officially scared of the nun.
" This will be your first lesson: None of your indisposable. None of you are official members of the Church, you are all here specifically BECAUSE you are disposable and hence why we have recruited you " Altara said coldly " Perhaps some of you will rise above the ranks and become true servants of the Church...but until then, you are all effectively meat shields and cannon fodder "
" You two, clean this up. Consider it your first assignment " Altara pointed at two dog demi-humans before turning to the rest " The rest of you, the knights will escort you to your new living quarters "
" Y-Yes ma'am !" The two dogs quickly got to work and picked up the dead wolf's body and carried it away.
The rest of the group was quickly moved away by the squad of knights leading the way out of the orientation room.
" You always have a way with words and blades Altara..." Eli said with a smirk.
" I try " Altara waved her hand off to get rid of the blood.
" I swear there is always that one mangy beast among the recruits that need to be put down or beat down to learn a lesson " Eli said derisively.
" They think being loud and big will make them get out of here...they serve as good lessons to the others about what happens to those who disobey " Altara said coldly looking at the blood pool on the floor where she stabbed the wolf.
Such a waste...
Altara's mind drifted back to the many demi-human children living in the slums, all of varying ages but strong and had the will to survive...so much potential.
" Makes me wonder if we should start considering recruiting from the demi-human children in the slums..." Altara said off-handedly and turned to see the surprised look of Eli " What ? Its not like they have much else to look forward to in life besides growing up as thieves or bandits. I imagine quite a few would willingly join our ranks for a hot meal and bed "
Even if they still end up growing up to be killers.
Altara left that part unsaid as she watched Eli's face turn into understanding.
" Its funny that you mention that " Eli said " Because we already tried that..."
We already tried ?
" What do you mean ? "
" After the Great War, the Siltvelt cunts and beasts left behind the bastard children they had with our women after they raped them-"
Altara couldn't help but flinch at that. Even when she was back in command, she knew she couldn't stop the atrocities committed by those damn beasts to the people here...makes her wonder if her own men did such things behind her back. She shook it off and focused on Eli's explanation.
" The little beasts would have been put to the sword or thrown away to starve...but our Eminence in his cleverness, decided that it would be more useful to use the little beasts for our own purposes. He decided that they would be taught in the ways of the Church and have them grow into faithful servants of the Church and perhaps undo a sliver of the evil their heritage wrought on our lands " Eli explained " They would have been converted into our Church and made into useful assets for us "
" I take it things didn't go according to plan "
" You don't know the half of it. The people our Pope put in charge of the project kept dying of...mysterious circumstances " Eli said with uncertainty in his voice " Some were brutally murdered in their own homes. Almost every single person who was part of the project died at some point or another "
" That sounds awful, did we ever find out who did it ? "
Eli looked genuinely angered, it was clear that this was not a fond memory for him or the Church.
"...We suspected it was from some of those void worshipping heretics " Eli said spitefully.
" The ones who worship the Black Eyed one ? " Altara said in shock.
" The very same. We believe those heretical sons and whores were the ones who constantly foiled our project...but we could never find out exactly who did it, but we did find traces of black magic being used at some of the murder scenes " Eli crossed his arms " The bastards denied those children the salvation they could have been given if they had been converted "
Altara decidedly said nothing as Eli spoke.
" Eventually the whole project was shut down and the Pope suggested buying older and more experienced demi-human slaves than going for their children " Eli explained " The murders and deaths stopped after that. Seems like the heretics gave up I suppose "
" I see...so what happened to the children of the original project ? " Altara asked with some hesitation.
Eli however shrugged " Not sure...last I heard the Pope was the one who dealt with them personally..."
" Oh...I see " Altara swallowed the feeling of fear in her throat as she thought about what likely happened to those children.
She hoped the Pope was quick with his blade if nothing else.
" But anyway I hope you didn't call me all the way out here just so I could scare the new recruits " Altara said changing the subject " Couldn't you get someone else to do it ? "
" You always were the most effective teacher out of all the nuns and instructors at the Church " Eli responded " But no, that was not precisely why I called you here "
" Well, please make it quick. I have an appointment later at my house and I'd rather not be late " Altara wasn't sure what time it was, but she was sure she was going to be late at this rate.
" Very well...I'm sure you've heard of the trial of the Shield Demon back before the second wave ? "
" Who hasn't ? " Altara rolled her eyes sarcastically before it turned serious "...Was that us ? "
"...Not quite. From what I gathered from the Pope, it was a plot from the King to frame the Shield Demon for rape and isolate him from the other heroes, to what extent however we are unsure..." Preacher Eli looked displeased " And after all the trouble I went through to make sure that damn princess followed along..."
Followed along ? So the First Princess was meant to frame the Shield Hero ? Did Preacher Eli do something to interfere with that ?
" What do you mean by that ? " Altara asked.
" Let's just say that I may have used some of our Eminence's...smoke and shadows techniques to put some thoughts in the princess's head " Eli said vaguely" But despite my best efforts, she still went against the plan and now the Shield Demon is still free to roam Melromarc..."
Altara crossed her arms " So what do you want me to do ? "
" His Eminence asks that you head up the training for this new batch of recruits, train them in your illusion magic and combat techniques " Eli said clearly.
Not surprising. There were plenty of raccoons who could stand to be useful if taught in illusion magic and such.
" Seems like there's more recruits than usual...why the sudden influx ? "
" With the Shield Demon still free his eminence believes that the Church will have to take some more...proactive means of dealing with him covertly "
So the Church wants some more extra disposable hands in case we need to deal with the Shield Demon ? Makes sense...but why is he making such moves ? It doesn't make sense.
Whatever questions she had, she knew it wasn't her place to ask...not yet at least.
" And without sullying the good name of the Church, understood " Altara nodded " Is that all ? I'm expecting a visitor at my house soon and I'd rather clean up to get the blood off of me before then "
" Of course, have a goodnight Mother Altara "
" And to you, Preacher Eli..."
With those last words, Altara disappeared back down the way she came and headed back home.
It had been a long day.
Altara was exhausted by the time she got back to her home. Granted she was usually exhausted after a good day's of work and beating up some urchins, along with her little meeting just now, she was tired to the bone.
She had changed out of her bloodied nun clothing, realizing that she would probably have to burn that later since blood was impossible to get out of white fabric. After taking a quick bath, she slipped into something a bit more comfortable, a night gown for the evening.
She sat in her bedroom, looking at the mirror without her veil on just...looking at herself. Her raccoon ears.
A sole and eternal reminder of what she had lost...and the fault she played in it.
Altara's pondering was cut short when she heard somebody knock on her door and she already knew who it was...and it brought her mood up a little. She went downstairs and before opening the door, used a little blue bow to hide her raccoon ears. She had trained her apprentice well enough for her to easily see through an illusion so an illusion to hide her animal ears wouldn't have worked.
When she did open the door, she found a familiar face standing at her doorstep with a smile on her face.
" Good evening mother, hope I'm not late for dinner " Alice greeted her with a smile, she was wearing in a simple dress.
It was something of a tradition they had, once or twice a week they would have dinner together at Altara's house. Alice had actually lived with Altara for a time when she started out as an adventurer, and even after she moved out she still visited when she could.
" Its alright, I was just getting hungry anyway " Altara waved it off.
" I brought sticky honey roast for dinner " Alice presented the roast she prepared and Altara's heightened smelling almost made her drool at the delicious cooking. She had trained her apprentice well.
" Come on in dear, you can help set up the table " Altara invited her into the house.
The night was filled with laughter and joyous conversation...and it reminded Altara of what it meant to have a family.
Looking at Alice's happy smiling face made her feel joy in her heart and it made her want to protect that happiness. No matter the cost.
She was at peace...if only for the briefest of moments. It was nice to enjoy it while it lasts.
Goddamn this chapter, took a lot out of me...but it was so rewarding.
I'll be honest with you all, Altara is a character I've been dying to write a chapter about her since her first appearance in this story. This chapter really helped scratch that itch. Just a heads up, for those of you who have read Allen's story, please be aware that I have...altered Altara's backstory to give it a bit more nuance and a bit more mysteriousness to make her more interesting. Hope you don't mind that !
:P
Anyway this chapter I really wanted to show the two sides of Altara: The one during the day and night.
During the day, she is a caring and stern mother to the younger nuns and priestesses( Alice) of the Three Heroes Church. Helps out with food kitchens that feed the poor, and even manages to diffuse a would be violent confrontation with Adam and even has dinner with Alice twice a week.
But during the night she becomes a killer who has no hesitation cutting down a slave that steps out of line. These are the two sides of her character and psyche that I am very much going to enjoy exploring.
To sum it up...Altara is complicated. She's a complicated person. I would hesitate to call her 'good' or 'bad' in a sense. She's a character I've modified in a way, I hope you all will be interested in learning more about as time goes on.
By the way, the idea of the Three Heroes Church having a slave army made up of demi-humans and beastman was actually taken from the manga. Where canon Bitchassfumi exclaims that he wants to build a private army made up demi-human children.
This was a deliberate choice by the way.
Now let's answer some reviews shall we ?
To Allyexis:
I'm sorry if this chapter is a little mean, but I promise the next chapter your questions shall be answered...kinda.
:P
To lord martiya:
Huh...I did not know that. The more you know I guess !
To TheSolarCommando757:
I'll be honest, I actually did ponder the idea of giving Naofumi a shield that could replica what Captain America's shield did. But eventually scrapped it since it would be kinda ridiculous to add and it would take way too long for Naofumi to learn how to sufficiently use it properly. So I scrapped it since its such a silly idea.
Now that's all wrapped up, I will see you all in the next one.
Angel Out.