Prophet of Sin: Oath of the Lantern (part 3)

“I just don’t see why you thought to ask me.” Melica stated. “Religion isn’t exactly my field.”
“Well I’d have to choose between a non-religious light and dark, and a nun doesn’t exactly get the chance to form many connections like that.” Lillian stated.

“Honestly? It’s getting rather hard to see the difference.” Melica stated looking over at Levan who was showing off for some of the younger learners. “Something I would have thought you understood by now.”

“We’re talking about....” Lillian paused, and snapped her fingers in front of Melica's face. Lately watching Levan sent her into a sort of trance, and this one wasn’t breaking. “Ugh.” Lillian walked off to the tavern.

“Trouble in Hell?” Trox questioned as she sat down.

“I’m not in Hell.” Lillian rebutted. “Not yet.”

“Neither is Ameri, but that’s what she says.” Trox replied. “Oh. speaking of, she said to tell you that you’d have to die first.” Lillian just looked at him. “She just does.” He stated. “She has always been pretty strong willed.”

“Seems to me I’m committing to darkness either way.” Lillian softly replied.

“Where then lurks thy challenge, wanderer.” Trox replied. “In how others raised the, or in how one believes them?”

“So he quotes scripture too now.” Lillian questioned. “Definitely not Ex-preacher Travis Oxadon.”
“You haven’t answered the question.” Trox stated. “It takes more than a sudden rage to summon demonlings.”

“Yeah wasn’t that hard.” Lillian replied. “All it took was going against everything I’ve been training my whole life for.”

“Have you considered how few people around you seem to have that problem?” Trox questioned. Lillian looked up, and looked around. See hadn’t seen some of them in years, but she knows most of them were devoted once upon a time. Now they were sharing a beer with Desmo, a demonling, as he was sneaking around. As if on queue, Levan and Melica walked in entranced with each other. Finally she turned to the only merchant she knew who was not under orders from the church, and he merely drank his beer in response. “You really need to work on your stealth, mate.” Handing his beer soaked ice cubes to Desmo. “Then again the plan seems to work just fine, eh?” he stated as Desmo stumbling around before flopping onto the counter.

“What do you think anyways?” Lillian asked Desmo who barely turned to look at her. “I mean don’t you have any complaints?” Desmo looked at her confused before making a series of dismissive and apathetic motions. Lillian sighed. “No point in not looking is there?”

“You haven’t studied in 3 days?” Trox questioned. “I thought you wanted to be yourself.”

“Shut up.” Lillian somewhat chuckled even as she replied before heading off to find some books.

Meanwhile way out in her part of the desert Ameridena was just waking up. “How in this realm he lives with being this largethic all the time I’ll never know.”

“Perhaps examine one's own sins before looking at the sins of others.” A preacher stated as he approached Ameridena.

“What for?” Ameri rebutted. “Not as though you lot ever do. Trust me, I know.” She stated smuggly.
“I, father-” the began preacher ignoring Ameri replied.

“I won’t remember, I don’t care, and I’m not going to.” Ameri stated flatly. “Unless it involves… those more personal thoughts of yours~” She giggled, and as the preacher stumbled over himself. “Don’t be so sure now.” She mocked. “No one is going to do that the way I do.”

“Am I bargaining with the demon lord of lust, or pride?” The preacher rebutted.

“Is it really bragging, if it is fact?” Ameridena stated already behind the preacher who attempted to jump out of her grip in response. “I mean do you know of something else that can read thoughts?” Despite his own protest the preacher reacted in her embrace. “I’ve found it to be a rather unique trait, and one of the many reasons.” She leaned in and whispered into his ear. “I~ don’t~ bargain~” She flinched as a strange cross was pressed into her left breast. The preacher jumped back after realizing where he had put his hand. What he thought was sounds of pain became the clear sounds of pleasure, and the burn mark on Ameri faded.

“The fifth sun has turned dark. The balance between Sol and Luna has warped. Dark beast have begun-”

“Uuuggghhh.” Ameri threw her head back, and tackled the preacher. Pinning him down with ease. “It’s always the same with you holy boys. There’s not going to be an end to light. And even if there was, why would I help you stop it?”

“Release me this instance!” The preacher shouted. “While there is still time to save your soul.”

“I. Don’t. Bargain.” Ameri stated firmly looming over the preacher, and closing in on each word. “The holy army you’re knowing matching through MY sand isn’t going to get back home until I get a taste of them, and neither.” With the last two words Ameri’s voice became stern but flirty as she sank down. “Are you~” His screams of protest mixed in with his unwilling pleasure.

“We must march on brothers and sisters.” A very important looking figure spoke. “Who shall protect the light if we do not?”

“Perhaps.” muttered James as he looked out to sand for a while longer than the others. “We should ask why the light doesn’t protect us.” He looked to his right thinking he was ushered forward, but saw no one there. He and others began to notice many of their companions simply disappear, and occasionally some simple vanished into the sand. Around half of them were spared by the time they made it to Alkcove, but still more disappeared.

“You seem to have gotten her rather worked up.” Thomas, the ex-preacher who greeted Trox and Lillian stated.

“Just what exactly are you doing, Thomas?” the important looking figure questioned.

“Why I am helping to undo the tyranny I was once a part of, Paul. What’s it look like?” Thomas spread his arms apart.

“You confess to your sins at last.” Grand Preacher Paul stated. “To think I once trusted you in the company of this vile spider!” He shouted as more of the crowd vanished.

“Interesting the relationships one can forge.” Thomas stated. “Interesting as well I think how many lies one can tell when giving a single mission.”

“How dare you.” Paul replied. “I told you more than almost anyone, and it shall take one more than one lone demon to make it false.”

“Believe as you wish I suppose. I have stalled more than enough.” Thomas replied praying for the protection with block a fireball from Paul. “We both know the danger of stopping her now!” He shouted.

“It is what must be done.” Paul replied with a glare. With that the battle began. James held off the town people with the other, but he couldn’t help but notice he was much gentler than his comrades. Watching our of the corner of his eye as civilians were attacked with full force. His stepped back in shock as he attacked a spider leg.

“They won’t notice.” Ameri assured him. “They never do.” she stated matter a factly as the fighting continued while going around a giant spider and the male she was addressing, “Amazing what one doesn’t see isn’t it?”
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In Alkcore’s  old church
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Lillian sighed, and almost tried to join the fight herself, but Levan grabbed her shoulder. “There here to stop you.” He stated. “The best way to help is to prevent that.”

“Provided you’re sure.” Melica rebutted, but Lillian calming double checked the circle before walking to the center.

“You’re one to talk, you know?” Levan chimed as Lillian prepared, and Melica walked over next to him before playfully punching his shoulder.

“Shut up.” Melica scoffed before snickering a bit. Both looked to Lillian as people outside began pounding on the door. Lillian was lost in her chant, and performing perfectly. But that also left her mind rather exposed as evident by the swirling desire Desmo was chasing after. Levan threw various ingredients on the ground forming a large foam like substance, and Melica chanted while moving her hands to harden it. Already the pounding was much quieter, so both smiled, and lovingly stood by each other. Lillian continued her chant in silence. With Desmo grabbing various desires and thoughts. Sometimes consuming them moments after they appeared. It was a long time before cracks in the door began to show. But finally it broke apart, and the makeshift wasn’t going to hold for much longer. So Levan got behind Melica, and both prepared for the incoming battle.
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Back with James and Ameri
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There was a long silence before James responded. Talked of the door being broken down, and victory being close. “What are we even fighting to prevent?”

“A young girl.” Ameri stated. “The one who summoned that demonling. Supposedly that’s all it’s going to take to end the entirety of light.”

“Isn’t that suppose to be you?” James questioned. Ameri stared at him a little confused.

“I suppose I wouldn’t know, but I certainly don’t remember anyone acting as such.” Ameri said after a bit of a pause. James also paused before nodding.

“My great grandfather thought it was only a matter of time.” James stated before pausing again. “Now here we are.”

“Now here we stand.” Ameri replied. “And here perhaps we stay, wasting away in our doubts and our fears. But is it not that we had doubts and fears, or even that we lost ourselves.” James stared at her before running, and she grabbed a few men before having her way with them. James charged towards the church as Levan and Melica defended it as best they could. It was a losing battle, but all they had to do was stall. For the moment they question James’ actions, but settled on calling him an ally for the time being.

“It is not that we will lose to dark!” James stated between swings. “Nor that our doubt and our fears will return. No!” James stated now fighting against the people he once called his friend. “I say onto you, my people. It is not who we were in the light, but who we are in shadows that defines us.”

“And so I speak.” Lillian chanted louder going through several motions as James helped hold back the forces of the church. “And so I see the light, and hear all it has to say. And I say in turn, that I reject it.” James, Levan, and Melica spoke the last half as Lillian did dealing massive blows to the forces attacking them. “I’ve seen your sun, and I’ll take a lantern. I have seen your day, and I’ll take the night.” Lillian some of the last few parts as one preacher charge for her seconds too late. “If that’s what it takes, I’ll make my own damn light!” Lillian shouted completing the ritual, and pushing everything back in a massive shock wave. The circle everything had drawn shine a bright, dark purple light before fading away. Leaving only the dust to clear. When it finally did settle most eyes fell onto Desmo. The demonling was still shifting his body in weird ways, and making rather strange sounds. After a couple seconds he stood firm, and pushed out a tail with a claw at the end. Giving a wide grim as he looked at it. Lillian picked him up to examine him. “A little more greed than I was expecting.” She stated, and Desmo merely grabbed at the air in response. Both screamed as the crowd charged through, and grabbed Lillian with ease. Carrying her away, and over to a grand preacher preparing for an exorcism. In a brief moment of fear Lillian and Desmo acted as one unit. James charged through the foggy smoke, and cut the holy book in the preacher procession in half.

“All this for a shadow?!” James shouted as the crowd around him clear, so he was more visible. “A war!? A war for a battle we already lost!” James gestured to Lillian who was now holding Desmo like a teddy bear. 

“She is more than a shadow, now.” The preacher rebutted. “It can’t be changed. She will one day be a demoness.”

“And when you remove the darkness from a demon what happens?” James questioned. The crowd looked awkwardly at each other. “Does anyone know?!”

“Normally you go insane for a couple years.” Ameridena stepped forward. The crowd gasped as several bodies fell to the floor while others staggered in behind her. “Whatever the case it would do more harm than I’ve ever done.” For the first time in many years a few people looked ashamed. And for the first in many of their lives, a demoness had a right to glare at them. “Now.” Ameri shook her spider abdomen, and many flitched as a very large load of something very wet was inside. “I’m rather full, and by extension feeling rather generous. So no one else has to go through me, provided they leave before i’m… peckish again.” She stated. Most began leaving, and kept a wide space between themselves and Ameri. Ameri shrunk herself down a bit to make it easier for them to do so.

“Not even a little offended?” James questioned as he made no attempt to move.

“They didn’t like me before, and they don’t like me now.” Ameri replied. “I fail to see what’s changed enough to offend me. Other than the lack of lust in the newbie I suppose.”

“Wouldn’t be the first to grow into that sin.” Lillian stated matter of factly. Ameri was taken aback as Thomas walked up next to Lillian.

“Being easily distracted in one studies can have some advantages.” Thomas stated as Lillian rubbed the back of her. “Particularly, when one is so studious about it.”

“I had my oath picked out… mostly…” Lillian replied. “You didn’t say you were… so much like me… ”

“You and I, are different as night and day” Ameridena stated. “Amy Rident. Now, she was like you. Buried in the shadow of her 4 siblings.” Lillian perked up.

“Two brothers?” Lillian asked, and Ameri raised an eyebrow.

“One was the oldest, and the other was the second youngest.” Both Ameri and Lillian finished the sentence in a pleasant shock. “Buried in the shadow of a very similar family.” Ameri began again. “Always more curious than anyone knew what to do with. Unlike you, however, she wasn’t forced out. She just left this town one day.”

“Her body was never found.” Thomas concluded. “Many claimed she was eaten by the demon who emerged shortly after. Others prayed the light had mercy saved her.”

“As did she.” Ameri stated. “Hopelessly lost in the sands she prayed in every way she could think. Until finally something answered. And shortly an overgrown spider, named Ameridena, confidently declared herself a queen of sands, and anything that dared to walk in it.” Ameri stood tall at her full size before walking off. “Just keep trying, newbie. You’ll get somewhere eventually.” She winked, and Trox called for Lillian as she disappeared.

“Going to Mortiker, already?” Thomas questioned.

“Someone I need to repay.” Lillian stated.