Chapter 221: The Priest

The atmosphere was tense the moment that man dropped to the floor, everyone knew then that the priest had messed up.

She strides towards him and squats beside his body, he wrestles trying to get a hold of himself now free of his captivity in pandas hand. She pays no heed to everyone's gasping stares and tries to help him up. The man, seeing her begins to thank her for her mercies.

She smiles gently and takes his hand in hers, "You must now devote your life to Frozia, you must serve her will and spread her word throughout the lands. Tell them how she has saved you this day."

He nods vigorously, "I will. I swear it I will."

She tells him to go and then turns her attention to me. Looking at her I can't discern what intentions maybe she's just sliced the hand of my servant my Undead creature if anything I'll say she's trying to make a statement the firm statements that she needs an intense with only force and magnitude to rebel against me. And quite frankly I wouldn't put it past one serving a goddess such as frozia to be forcefully rebellious.

Just as I'm about to speak to her for the first time she turns her attention away I guess landing on the one floating beside me, Anselm.

"I have heard much about you from our goddess," she says, bowing her head to him,"

Anselm, never been one to have another how to him is flustered and takes his precious time thinking of what to say to her.

In that span of time I choose to steal back her attention and I do so by asking, "What did Frozia do to you before you became her priest, or is it priestess?"

She frowns deeply at this she knows the truth she knows that goddess of winter and ice demands sacrifice for one to become a priest or priestess of hers.

"That, is none of your concern." she speaks sternly.

I chuckle, "If you want to recruit for your goddess you should do it properly, if you truly love your goddess there shouldn't be any shame in telling this man and everyone else who you preach Frozia to, what you had to do to attain the powers you now hold. The powers of winter and ice."

By this time panda has been treated under the attached it onto the stub that was there. And perhaps Anselm had thought up a response to her bow. Leon still sat upon his horse and Matthias stood without place, staring between the two of us and likely trying I decided beforehand who will turn up victorious in the match of unspoken might.

She sees this all as well, she knows by my challenge she stands to lose out on authority, authority I'm sure she's begun to cherish and love deeply.

She narrows her eyes dangerously and me and breaths out, "The gruesome practices you speak of no longer occur, the goddess has chosen wisely to gift her children her power without sacrifice or suffering..." she trails off and I put on a smirk, deciding to help her finish.

"For now..." her reaction tells me clear as day that I'm right, "So this is just the waiting period, Frozia is building up her might and power over the continent with sweets and candy, and when she succeeds she'll switch back to the ruthless brute she was before, demanding cold burns and frostbite as show of faith."

A moment passes as I say this and I assume she has nothing to say to my assessment, I a correct, I've won. My chest fills up with the warm, prideful feeling of bringing someone arrogant down a notch or two.

"If you know Anselm then you must know who I am then." I ask, stepping out of the guard station at last. 

I walk up close to her and she's almost as tall as Anselm and just like him she exudes a cool frosty feeling, although I can only tell because of how long I've spent with Anselm around me. A normal person wouldn't be able to tell she were giving off cold, hers isn't as strong as Anselm's.

Up close she's even more stunning than I thought, I have to fight to keep on my straight smug face and not have my mouth fall open in marvel.

I wonder if she was simply this beautiful before becoming a priest of Frozia, or if it was becoming a preist and being imbued with power of a goddess that made her this way.

For now I'm betting it's the former, after all, Anselm didn't have a glow up when he got his Cryomancy, still looks like the same tough faced man I met in a cave.

She nods, "Yes, I do know of you. You are the unreliable prophet."

I guess I can't help but look surprised. The unreliable prophet? Is that really frozia thinks of me?

She sees this and tries to drive in a stake, "Yes, you are the one she chose to represent her name, her will and her glory on this continent and yet you are the least reliable of her chosen, you do not have what it take do you? No, you don't."

Now well I'm sure that was meant to be insulting I can't help but feel that it is an accurate representation of my feelings towards frozia. The goddess wishes me to do something I wish to do for myself, she has the means and is ready to threaten and deliver on her threats she is a menace to me.

I shrug and smile back at her, "You're right, I am unreliable and I'm quite thankful that you're here Priest uhh..."

"Leona, you may call me Leona." As she offers her name I can't help but look to Leon and wonder is there a thing between them today be siblings or cousins or some sort of relative but I know that should be impossible I mean look at her and look at him it's like the distance to culture here in the city is somehow surrounded by myth of lions and big cats.

She sees me look between them and shakes her head, "No, we are not siblings, or cousins or lovers. It is simply a coincidence that we bear the same name."

I nod and continue on with what I was saying, "Well, Preist Leona, I am glad that you are here, because it means that I am no longer bearing the burnt burden if carrying your Goddesses religion."

She narrows her eyes at me again, stepping closer even, "Our Goddess."

I don't flinch, "Speak for yourself."

We remain this way, locked in a glaring match though I struggle to keep my thoughts filled with anger rather than the straying thought ls of how I'd love to have her blue lips.

"Ah, now now, I think we're gathered her for something..." Anselm breaks in, pulling me away and leaving her to herself.

"Right, we are. Matthias, I want a full count if how many armed men you have ready for combat in this city."

"Combat?" Leon speaks at last, "I will prepare the men but who will we be facing."

In a split second I struggle to decide whether to burst Leon's bubble about his combat readiness and position as Marshal. I can't have a crippled Marshall now can I? I need a man who can inspire the men to battle and ride in with them, even to their deaths.

Looking at him up on the horse I shrug. I guess he can ride to battle with them.

Choosing not to for the time being, at leat until I gather the fighters here and merge them with the militia I have Juri and Kaylin building for me.

"Like I told Matthias, we'll be fighting the Marquess and I hope everyone is ready." as I say this my eyes land on Leona, and I find that she's staring right back at me.

"I am ready and so are the disciples."

"Disciples?"

"I am not the first to be chosen nor will I be the last. I am simply the first to have manifested the Goddess's powers, there are many others with potential, waiting for the time they will understand the will of our Deity and manifest her powers on the land she means to claim."

At this I give her the first genuine smile from me since out meeting, "So you're saying you're ready to fight?"

She nods, "Yes, as a Preist of Frozia it is my duty to expand her teachings through the land by any means necessary, war is simply one of them."

Ahh. That's more like it. With her and these disciples she speaks of, I will have quite a force to be reckoned with. I'm starting to appreciate having a Goddess on my side... Sort of.

Our goals are only aligned, but our vision for the future is entirely different. Which means I have a new enemy on the material plane with me. Frozia's Preists. 

Dealing with them...will be a challenge.