Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy. Dark beauty.

Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy. Dark beauty.

"This is the Black Cathederal," Yorrick gestured broadly as they walked up the steps.

Ed just nodded. After their visit to the wall, Yorrick had insisted that this was the next logical stop.

The Cathederal looked exactly as it had appeared in Yorrick's promotional video. Black marble flecked with gold, and an amazingly detailed statue of Mor'Noctum at the entrance. What hadn't been on the video was the stunningly beautiful woman waiting for them just inside the doors. Ed was a happily married man, but he could admit that this woman, with her alabaster skin, raven tresses, and perfect curves was a looker.

"Mr. Secretary, allow me to introduce you to Elisa Carldona, one of the High Priestesses of the Cathederal, High Priestess, Ed Hanson, Secretary of Defense for the United States of America," Yorrick said smoothly.

Ed offered a handshake, or a forearm clapse, whichever they preferred, to the High Priestess.

Elisa smiled revealing a brilliant smile, and canines that were significantly longer and pointer than what Ed would consider normal. She shook his hand, and he felt an almost electric shock as their skin touched.

"I should warn you, Mr. Secretary," Elisa continued smiling, "that offering your wrist like that in the temple is considered an invitation to supply members of the clergy such as myself with a dram or two of blood."

"I'll keep that in mind, High Priestess," Ed replied, forcing himself to pull his gaze away from her enchanting green eyes.

She laughed, a light, playful sound, and moved to his side, slipping her arm under his. "Allow me to give you a tour of the Cathederal," she offered, gently tugging him forward.

Ed shot a glance at Yorrick, who gave him the slightest of nods.Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

Ed took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, allowing the High Priestess to guide him into the Black Cathederal.

"Without meaning any offense, I take it that you are a vampire?" Ed asked.

"I am," she agreed, "it's not an uncommon choice for higher ranked members of the clergy, as it allows us to serve our Goddess for far longer than our mortal lives would have otherwise permitted."

"Again, I'm not trying to be offensive, I'm just completely ignorant," Ed began carefully, "but how exactly does the whole vampire, undead thing work?"

Elisa laughed again, and leaned against his shoulder slightly. "The first thing to understand," she replied, "is that undeath is curse, regardless of which particular flavor you refer to." They had been walking down a hallway, and it now opened up into the Cathederal proper. It was beautiful, and it called to him in a way that the Church of the Light in Harbordeep hadn't.

There were seven alcoves on each side of the huge chamber, and while they were cast in shadows, he could still see that each contained a statue. There were rows of comfortably padded pews, all facing the far wall where a massive mural stretched across the wall, the central figure of which was clearly Mor'Noctum.

Looking up, Ed stifled a gasp. There didn't appear to be a ceiling, but instead a night sky above them, thousands of sparkling stars providing the limited light.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" The High Priestess asked softly.

Ed nodded slowly.

"I can still remember the first time I entered the Cathederal," she mused. "I was only nine years old, and my mother and father had come to Karce to take shelter from the oncoming Tide. I'd never been a particularly devout child, but as soon as I entered the Cathederal, I felt the call."

Elisa shook her head, and smiled up at him. "That was a millennia ago, but the memory remains as clear and powerful as the moment it was created."

Ed's first instinct was to correct her words in his mind, changing them from 'That was a millennia ago' to 'That seems like it was a millennia ago.' His second instinct was to keep his mouth shut and not correct the thousand year old vampire. He attributed the thought that went along with that instinct to Bob.

"As I was saying before, the beauty of the Cathedral distracted us," she continued, "undeath is a curse. It has to be, otherwise the hidden benefits would require an incredibly high teir to obtain. Our Goddess offers us a series of Divine Blessings that mitigates the curse." She sighed. "It does require a dozen of them, but ultimately I feel that it is worth the price."

"I don't suppose you can go into specifics?" Ed asked.

"Moving, is it not?" Elisa asked quietly.

Ed gave a reluctant nod.

"There is no shame in finding comfort in Mor'Noctum's embrace," the High Priestess assured him. "You don't need to revere Her or offer Her worship. Her wings offer shelter to all, regardless of faith." She smiled up at him, and Ed realized that at some point, the fact that she had fangs had stopped concerning him, which was, in and of itself, somewhat concerning.

"I know that Yorrick has a busy schedule planned for your visit," Elisa said, "but if you have any further questions or concerns, or if you just need someone to talk to, I'm here every day."

She unlinked her arm from his and stretched up on her tiptoes, surprising Ed with a kiss to his cheek. Her lips were soft and warm, at odds with what he'd expected from a Vampire.

"Until we meet again, may Mor'Noctum embrace you, may her shadows hide you from wave and tide," Elisa whispered, and Ed felt a sort of heavy stillness fall over him. It was hard to describe, but the best he could come up with was that it was like sleeping under a weighted blanket.

Yorrick beckoned him, and he followed the Warlock out of the Cathedral and back into the sunlight.

"You did well in there," Yorrick said, finally speaking after having remained silent the entire time that they were in the Cathedral. "Elisa took a shine to you, and while you'd be treated well anywhere in Karce, that blessing she gave you will carry a lot of weight with the more devout members of our society."

"What was that?" Ed asked. "What did she do?"

"She blessed you, temporarily, with Mor'Noctum's Divine Blessing, Grave Touched," Yorrick explained. "It dampens your matrix, making you appear to monsters as a corpse and thus of no interest to them," he grinned, "although any use of skills or spells will dispel that illusion if they are directed at a monster or if the monster is close enough."

Ed blinked. "That's impressive," he said slowly.

Yorrick slapped him lightly on the shoulder. "About as impressive as returning to life after being dealt a death blow, right?" He chuckled.

"So, you've seen the Cathederal, how about we make the next stop the Warlocks Tower. I can provide you with a first-hand look at our education system," Yorrick suggested.

"The Warlocks teach?" Ed asked, then shook his head. "Of course you do, that's where the temple of Logos is."

"Exactly," Yorrick agreed, gesturing for Ed to walk up the boulevard with him. "Education is mandatory for every citizen of the Empire. We make sure everyone can read, write, perform basic math, and has a working knowledge of attributes, skills, spells, and paths."

"How basic is basic math?" Ed asked.

"Algebra and trigonometry," Yorrick replied, his ever-present grin widening at Ed's look of surprise. "I've taught tens of thousands of students over my hundreds of years as a ranking member of the Tower," he explained. "One of the first things I investigated once I had free time on Earth were your educational systems. I'd say we're competitive in regards to math, as well as reading, although writing and literature are quite woefully in comparison to your standards," he admitted. "I would say our history is on par with your own, and if our sciences are effectively non-existent, you could argue that our classes on the intricacies of mana are their equal and something you might want to emulate when mana awakens in your universe." Yorrick frowned, his smile fading. "Honestly, I'd recommend you start sooner. You've picked up quite a bit from Bob and Greenwold, and your internet is an amazing tool for disseminating that information, but mandatory classes would be best."

"And," Yorrick's smile returned, "the Karcerian Empire is not only willing but eager to offer you the coursework and published works we use to teach our own citizens, asking almost nothing in return."

"Almost nothing?" Ed snorted. It was hard not to like Yorrick. He was friendly, cheerful, and completely transparent in his self-interest.

"While the Emperor is deeply interested in establishing a cellular network," Yorrick began, "I'm much more interested in establishing an internet for the Empire. I recognize that initially, it will only be available in Karce, but hopefully, we will be able to expand that to the other six cities and even the towns and villages eventually."

"That's," Ed paused for a moment, "ambitious," he finished.

"I'm aware," Yorrick shook his head with a sheepish grin. "I tried to read up on network infrastructure, but it requires a lot of underlying knowledge I just don't have yet. I'm hoping for a favorable introduction to the people who can mobilize the resources to get what I'll need setup and working before mana awakens on Earth."

"Introductions won't be difficult," Ed mused, "but I don't envy you the task of installing infrastructure for this entire city in just a few months, even with magic."

Yorrick laughed. "If I can get this working, it'll be worth every crystal," he assured him.