"Sir Rocky, do you wish for me to show you the correct method to worship the Gemini Gods?" Pope Cole asked, as he saw Rocky and felt like he did not know proper Church etiquettes.
"Yes please, since I'm here to make a request, I might as well do it the right way" Rocky said, as although he had never been to church before, he decided to learn the proper etiquette to worship the Gemini Gods today.
"Follow me...." Pope Cole said, as he led Rocky to the base of the statue of the Gemini Gods, where a ceremonial sword was kept on a stand which looked like the lap of a woman.
"This figure.... It looks like the woman who is tattooed on my back" Rocky said, as he studied the figure made on the base of the statue of the Gemini Gods and found it to have astonishing resemblance to the tattoo on his back.
"She is called the 'Queen'. She is said to be the strongest servant of the Gemini Gods.
Every Gemini statue throughout the universe will always be found with the figure of the 'Queen' on the base" Pope Cole explained as he gave Rocky some lore about the Gemini Gods that he was unaware about.
"So what is the proper method to worship them?" Rocky asked, as Pope Cole took his right hand and stuck out the thumb.
"For the faint hearted, we provide them with the Blood Apple fruit to perform this ritual, however, traditionally it's supposed to be done with our own flesh and blood...." Pope Cole said as he proceeded to press his thumb against the sharp edge of the blade, drawing a small stream of blood.
"The sword is the symbol of the Great God Shakuni.
It is his preferred choice of weapon and it's said that not even the sword saint himself can beat Shakuni in a battle.
Blood is the symbol of the Great God Ravan, and by bleeding for him, we show him our devotion" Pope Cole explained, as he took his bleeding thumb and rubbed his blood over the feet of the statue of the God Ravan.
'Isn't this slightly sadist?' Rocky wondered internally, as he found this ritual to be slightly barbaric, however, proceeded to do it anyway.
Ravan and Shakuni heard Rocky's prayer loud and clear on floor92.
They had already been tracking Rocky's life and were aware about the circumstances surrounding Riva, however, they had deliberately decided to not offer any help, as they wanted to break down Rocky to his psychological lowest.
Today, Rocky had come before them begging for help as a last resort, and helping him here was going to leave a lasting impression on his mind.
An impression that would undeniably breed loyalty in Rocky's heart in the future and would help Shakuni guide Rocky on the right path.
"What are you planning to do now, brother? The boy is clearly desperate for your response–" Ravan asked, as he looked towards his brother for guidance on what to do next.
Since Shakuni could peer into fate and future, Ravan usually let his brother make the big decisions on the life of mortals, since his brother was better equipped and more knowledgeable regarding the same.
"We will answer his prayers and issue weekly quests for him that he must complete if he wants to gain next week's supplies of medicines.
For him to keep his sister alive, Rocky will now be forced to work to the bone and work with his morals put to a side, as we will force him to become the warrior that he needs to be by controlling the one thing that he is most desperate for" Shakuni said, as Ravan shook his head in disappointment.
"Sometimes I feel you are too cruel brother, if you want you can cure Riva of her ailment right this moment, but you won't.
And I don't know if it's right or wrong, but I do have faith that it's for the best" Ravan said, as he shrugged his shoulders in nonchalance.
Ravan knew that Shakuni could cure Riva if he wished to, however, instead of giving a permanent cure, he wanted to control Rocky through the supply of Riva's medicine, forcing him to perform increasingly difficult jobs that would see him tear through the tower at an unprecedented speed.
"Cruel or not, I will do whatever it takes to push us to floor 101, and I see no wrong in pursuing the method that I see best suited for it," Shakuni said, as he presented his final verdict to his brother.