The Ancient Prophecy Ch. 11a

"Wait a minute..." Atrus frowned. "Your fellow priestesses framed you? How could they do that? I mean... they're supposed to support you!"

"I... I have a very close relationship with the high priestess... So they deliberately accused me before her... In her position, she had no choice but to banish me..."

"She had no choice? So the high priestess basically knew that you're innocent?" Atrus asked.

"Of course...! I mean... I just don't go around, begging people to rape me!"

"I believe that's not what Master Atrus asked, Mistress..." Maya said slowly. "We mean why don't you just expose the entire fraud? I mean, the high priestess in on your side, right?"

"Not anymore..." Anna sobbed. "She's the only one who still believes in me..."

"That doesn't sound too good." Maya mumbled.

"Now she's about to be replaced... The secret of my innocence will be lost forever..."

"It's not true!" Maya said. "We can tell them!"

"They won't believe you, because you're outsiders. Such matter is an internal issue, and no feedback from outside is accepted, let alone appreciated."

"We'll figure something out." Atrus said, then circled his arms around her waist. "Meanwhile, don't worry about it, Anna dear. We know the truth, and we will expose it."

"I hope you're right, Atrus..." Anna pressed her palm on the fabric on her chest. "Or else, this will be the last time you see me in this uniform..."

The journey to the north was uneventful. The area of Northern Aragon was the least developed part of the kingdom. The region was mostly vast meadow with hard and rocky ground, therefor unsuitable for farming, so only a few cities could flourish here. The climate was less friendly as they approached the Northern Sea, which was famous for its deadly storm. The wind blew hard, and the sun parched the land mercilessly. The only place that was quite habitable was the beach along the Northern Ocean, where several fishing villages sprouted there.

One of them, a city called Tymm, was the unofficial capital of Northern Aragon. It was famous for its aquatic products, such as fish, pearls, and the mostly needed salt. The town was prosperous from their fishing activity and trading. Some people even said that if the area decided to rebel against the government, the town's wealth was enough to support their own army. But the rebellion never happened, mostly because of the good moral and teaching the town had. Tymm was the center of activity of the group of priestess loyal to the Guardian, known as the Order of Lycra.

The Shrine of Lycra was located south of the city, but the party decided to bypass it and went to the city instead. They were exhausted. They had the best horses (a pony for Holgreb) in the land, Roberto had told them, but even the best mounts would be tired after a continuous two-day trip. They had decided not to employ Agar's dragons because of the possible encounter with the rumored dragon. They wanted to evade bloodshed if necessary.

"Finally, a sign of civilization!" Aurelia said while they were looking at the city from a top of a small hill. "I got bored seeing the prairie..."

"If you've lived most of your life in the desert, prairie is like heaven." Holgreb muttered.

"The thing is, I'm glad we're here." Lynn heaved. "Honestly, using portals are easier..."

"If the demonic presence is strong here, they will notice our magical force." Calem pointed out. "There are times when we want to be in low profile."

"Well, we're here." Atrus concluded. "Get rooms in the inn and get some rest. We'll visit the shrine tomorrow morning, then we should be ready for some action."

He glanced at the new guy. Sir Falstoff rode silently on his black mount. He hadn't spoken a word throughout the journey. Atrus couldn't be sure, but he could feel the tension rising between the new guy and the rest of the party. Just like Roberto, Hawk had said. He would say Roberto was cheerful compared to this guy.

"What do you want to do?" Atrus asked, keeping his polite composure.

"It's none of your business." The man grunted. "I'll see you tomorrow." Atrus fought to resist his annoyed feeling as Falstoff rode away toward the city.

The party departed for the city. Atrus rode his horse slowly, both because he wanted to see the sunset, and because he had Anna riding in front of him. She also had been very quiet through the journey she didn't even protest when they rode their horses faster. He could understand her distress, but he couldn't understand her total silence.

"Does it bring memories?" Atrus asked. "I mean going back to your hometown."

"Bad ones..." she answered quietly. "A small village west from here... That's where I was raped..." She choked. "Yes... I wish I would forget it..."

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better, dear?" Atrus asked again. "You've been very quiet I'm starting to worry about you."

"That's sweet, honey." Anna kissed his cheek lightly. "But let's get the job done."

Anna had changed her clothes to normal attire, stripping off all her Lycra identity. People in the town were familiar of Lycra costume and priestess collar, and they didn't want any unwanted attention. They headed to a small eating establishment in the outskirts of the town. It was a nice, quiet restaurant, serving local seafood. They were quickly seated. The restaurant was lit by little candles placed in each table, giving a romantic sense to the customers. Atrus took some time staring at Anna. She was indeed so beautiful by the candlelight. He could see the flicker of the fire in her eyes.

"Anna... you're beautiful..." Atrus commented.

"Thank you, honey." Anna blushed. "For a moment I just forgot my fear."

"For this moment you should forget your fear." Atrus smiled. "For the first time we can eat together by the candlelight without worrying that something is also on fire in the kitchen..."

Anna chuckled lightly. "You'll pay for that, Ranger..."

The waiter came by and took their order. Atrus used the chance to dig something.

"Is there anything else, sir?" The waiter asked.

"Yes. We're just married..." Atrus said, then looked at Anna who was blushing. "So my wife and I want to go for a vacation somewhere around here. Can you give us any suggestions?"

"What is your original plan, sir?" The waiter frowned. "If you're content with the seaside view, may I suggest the Grand Rock, a tourist establishment west from here? It's an excellent place for a honeymoon, sir. A few Elven couples went there last week, and they said they enjoyed their time there."

"How about the east part?" Atrus asked again.

The waiter quickly turned pale. "You... don't want to go there..."

"What's wrong?" Atrus mimicked a suspicious frown.

"I'm sorry, sir, we just don't tell our customers this. Fear is bad for business." The waiter hesitated. "We have a problem... a big one..." He lowered his voice. "We have a dragon..."

Anna posed the best freaked-out look Atrus had ever seen. "What?!" She hissed.

"Don't worry, you're safe here..." The waiter said quickly. "For some reason the dragon leaves this city and the rest of the western cities alone, so I'd suggest going west, but not east from here."

"How bad is the problem?" Atrus asked casually.

"It fried a few villages... It was a red dragon, and it could spit fire... Don't spread this news. This city is already in uproar from that rumor. As I said, fear is bad for business."

They continued their dinner in silence. An evil dragon would be the last thing they ever imagined to fight against. No further conversation was needed, for they knew what in each other's mind is. They'd learned one more thing; fear is bad for appetite.

Lynn hovered across the room and toward the bathroom. She was happy to be able to fly again. Throughout the journey she hadn't been able to fly so they wouldn't attract unwanted attention. Even worse, she had to fold her wings beneath her satin dress. But she really enjoyed her time with the party. It offered her new experience and view of the realm she vowed to protect. The entire realm was more magnificent than her home in Heaven. Clouds... clouds everywhere...!

She looked at the bathtub and tried to figure out how it worked. She had asked Aurelia earlier how to use the kitchen sink and she was embarrassed to ask the Elf again. It was far simpler in Heaven. You wanted something, you prayed to the Gods for it, and it would come true. Gingerly she toyed with the metal mechanism, trying to make it produce hot water.

Her antennas on her head twitched as she sensed someone coming. She was supposed to share the room with Maya, but she was supposed to be away until late at night. She frowned when she heard the door opened. She readied several volleys of magic missiles and met the unwanted guest.

"Stay where you are!" She yelled as she popped out of the bathroom.

The new guy stood near the door, staring at her, completely petrified. He still wore his black plate armor and carried his backpack. After a while, she realized that he was staring, specifically, not at her.

"What are you looking at?" She said, annoyed.

"You're..." Falstoff hesitated, "Naked..."

She looked at her body and remembered that she forgot to put on her dress back, but made no attempt to cover her nakedness. "Okay...? So...?"

"It's... uh... unusual for Humans... to... uh..."

"Then how do you guys take a bath?!"

"No... I mean... not in the public..."

"I'm not in the public! This is my room!"

"Oh..." The new guy looked along the hallway nervously. "I... I thought..."

"Your room is at the end of the hallway, next to Holgreb's, by the stair."

"Uh... thanks..." The man hesitated, but his gaze remained fixed on her body.

"Do you need anything else?" Lynn asked again. "Why are you looking at me?"

"Because..." He swallowed. "You're beautiful..."

She tried to act as calm as possible, but couldn't hide the blush in her face. "W...what?!"

"Never mind..." Falstoff quickly left and strode across the hallway.

Lynn closed the door and heaved. Her face was hot and her heart beat faster. She had never felt this before. She couldn't be sure what's wrong, but she had a hint. She couldn't stop thinking about him, and when she did, it got worse. She approached the mirror and looked at her body. Am I really beautiful? Her hands found her well-rounded breasts and tweaked her nipples. She'd heard that breasts were the ones that made a woman pretty.

Her heart almost jumped when a pair of gloved hands circled around her shoulders. "Don't scream yet, it's me." Maya said quickly.

"What are you doing here?! Can't you knock first?!"

"I didn't use the door." Maya gestured at the opened window. "And what are you doing, standing naked before the window?"

"Just wondering..." She hesitated. "D...do you think I'm... uh... pretty?"

Maya looked confused. "Um... I don't think I can answer it correctly..."

"Why?"

"Because I'm a girl. If you want a true, reliable answer, as the guys!" Maya looped her arms around the Fairy's waist. "But if you're that desperate, I say you're beautiful. You're in love?"

"No...!" She said hastily. "Are you tired? Do you need a bath?"

Maya smirked. "You can't operate the bathtub, can you?"

"How did you know?" The Fairy was surprised.

"Of course I do." Maya guided her friend to the bathroom. "It's a common Fairy problem..."

The girl squirmed and cried in pain as the dark lord thrust his member deep inside her womb. She struggled, but the chains kept her spread-eagled on the air. The dark lord stared deeply into her eyes, making her wince in fear. The pain didn't go away. Instead, fueled with the fear in her eyes, the demon jammed his cock deeper inside her. On the background she could hear the pleading cries of dozens of other young girls being violated elsewhere in the dreaded building.

The girl glanced at another form, pleading for help, but her hope collapsed when she saw that the woman was also bound on her chair. The goddess could only stare in horror as the girl was violated before her. There was nothing she could do. She only said a prayer she knew would come unanswered.

"You're mine now, bitch!!" Daemon roared.

The girl's body glowed brightly as the evil magic worked on her. She screamed as she reached an unwilling orgasm and felt the demon exploded inside her womb. The greenish tendrils sucked her power greedily, stripping off her youthful dignity. She slumped on her chains, defeated.

Daemon spotted the hooded woman standing on the door. "Your report?"

"They have arrived, Master." The traitor bowed. "What is your order?"

"Stick to our plan. They will offer no threat to you. In fact, my pets will occupy them while you do your part." Daemon stared at her sharply. "That is, if you do your part..."

"Don't worry, Master, I will!" The woman said quickly.

"Then make it so. It's your only chance of surviving the wrath of the Underworld..."

The great gate of the Shrine of Lycra welcomed them. The shrine was located on a small hill overlooking the city of Tymm. The complex itself stretched about a mile across the hill. It was worthy to say that the Order of Lycra was the biggest kingdom-approved religion in the land. A big hexagonal building served as the main building, connected to the rest of the complex with a network of tunnels and walkways. The rest of the buildings were located behind, separating the shrine from the living quarters for at least two hundred priestesses. A pair of tall towers stood between the main building which, Anna claimed, housed the two gigantic bells used to signal certain daily events in the shrine.

"Sleep well?" Atrus asked, noticing the outline around the wizard's eyes.

"No!" Calem snapped. "That Dwarf snores!!"

"I wasn't that loud!" Holgreb shot back.

"The sound pierced the magic barrier." The wizard added. "You know how bad it was."

Atrus looked at the nearby sun clock at the courtyard. "Ten o'clock... We're in time..."

"What?!" Anna yelled. "Cover you ea..."

Too late. There were two loud bangs followed by a stream of loud howl from the twin towers. While Anna was prepared, the rest of the party had to suffer the preliminary bang.

"What in the name of Guardian is that?!" Holgreb howled after the sound ceded.

"That's the bells', so get used to it..." Anna grunted. "It's ten o'clock, the end of the silence session in the shrine and the beginning of the routine daily activities."

"Make sure you make a copy of the schedule to each one of us..." Aurelia growled.

"It won't be as bad inside the shrine." Anna said. "They're supposed to be accepting guests by now. Come on!"

Lynn stole a glance at the new guy at the corner of her eyes. She wasn't sure, but when the sound waves reached them, she'd seen Falstoff unaffected. He'd never moved from his place. Did he have immunity to such waves? Suddenly Falstoff turned around and locked his gaze to her. Her heart jumped and her nicely folded wings jerked under her dress. She quickly turned away, her face blushing.

A massive double-door served as the main entrance to the shrine. Already a large group of people had been gathering around the courtyard. Anna said the shrine was always crowded with worshipers and volunteer workers. Such influence was remarkable for a shrine in a small town.

"Do we have a special appointment with them?" Calem asked.

"Not really. But they know we're coming." Atrus replied.

"Mistress Anna, are you sure about your outfit?" Maya asked.

Anna looked sadly at her costume. She was wearing her priestess uniform, complete with her badge collar, gloves and boots. She fingered her collar dearly.

"Honestly, no, Maya... I... I'm not even sure I'm welcomed here..."

"Nonsense." Atrus circled his arm around her. "Besides, you're here to help them!"

"No... I feel... so dirty..." She looked sadly at the shrine. "This place is a holy place..."

"And you think you're dirty just because you've been raped?" Aurelia whispered from behind. "It's not your desire to be raped, then why blame yourself?"

"I don't..." Anna sighed. "They did..."

The door swung open gracefully, revealing two tall women wearing almost the same costume as Anna's. It appeared that the uniform had evolved through time... although in a questioning way. The upper hem of the dress was slightly lower, revealing more of their bosoms. Their skirt was also shorter and tighter around the hips, unlike Anna's wider skirt. Atrus frowned at the sight of the priestesses. This was not something he was expecting to see from the priestesses of the most honorable order of the land.

One of the priestesses came toward Atrus and bowed gracefully. "We extends our welcome, Prophet of the Guardian. The Order of Lycra is on your disposal."

"How do you know I'm coming?" Atrus frowned.

"Our future High Priestess has seen your coming, Prophet of the Guardian. She's expecting you, and extends her regret of not being able to welcome you herself."

"Unfortunately, I'm not coming alone."

"The welcome is for everybody, Prophet of the Guardian." The priestess glanced at Anna. "Except for her..."

Atrus knew this one was coming. "Oh, why is it?"

The priestess stared sharply at Anna, making her cower. "She's a disgrace to our shrine!"

"She's a normal human and she wants salvation!" Atrus said loudly, making sure the people in the courtyard could hear. "Are you saying that you don't accept her before Lord Guardian?!"

The priestess quickly went pale as the crowds began to talk among themselves. The party began to play along, talking to each other silently. The panicked priestess quickly changed her mind.

"Of course... uh... Everybody is equal before Lord Guardian!! Now come inside!!"

"I don't think this is such a good idea..." Anna whispered while they went inside.

"Mistress, don't worry too much. Just play along!" Maya answered.

"That's right." Atrus nodded. "I'm sure they'll try again later."

Lynn walked along the hallway while talking to Calem when she noticed that the new guy wasn't with them. "Calem, do you see Falstoff?"

"Not exactly." The old man grinned. "I thought you've been spying on him."

Lynn blushed. "Don't say that... I mean... I thought we're supposed to keep an eye on him."

"I'd have to say he's not very friendly himself. Not a typical type of someone needing help."

"But that doesn't mean he doesn't need us!" Lynn insisted.

"Right." Calem sighed. "Let's face what the shrine has in store, then we'll talk to him."

Instead of the general sanctuary, the priestesses took them to a huge auditorium. The dome-shaped room with high ceiling gave spacious feeling to its occupants. Various sculptures filled the walls and some part of the ceiling, illuminated by sunlight passing through the windowed ceiling and nearby torches. The priestesses seated them on the rows of chairs and excused themselves.

"They said they're expecting us." Maya complained. "And they asked us to wait."

"Save your concern for now." Atrus warned. "There's a lot of time for comments later."

"I share your concern, though." Aurelia whispered. "This building is spooky."

"The design is quite tasteful, if you're asking a Dwarf's opinion." Holgreb said.

"Yeah, huge cozy halls connected by cramped tunnels. Just like underground mines."

"Hey, I don't mind living in the mines!"

"Yeah... and the rats, moles, worms, salamanders..." The Elf chuckled.

Before Holgreb could counter, three female figures entered the hall. Again, they wore the same uniform as before. Atrus could feel Anna's stomach tighten in his hold. Whoever these priestesses were, they had play parts somewhere in her childhood.

"I, Priestess Ursula, extend our warmest welcome to you, O Prophet of the Guardian."

Ursula looked like a middle-aged woman with fine appearance. Her blonde hair flew gracefully against her well-formed and slightly revealed bosoms. Her light-blue eyes stared intently at Atrus. Then she gracefully fell on her knees, took his right hand and kissed it. Atrus frowned. He'd never heard such culture before, especially when it involved a full, passionate kiss.