Cults

"Well spent most my early life in a cult." Daisy began to explain.

"Ohhh.... nooo..." Helen gasped.

"Yup... so life was pretty normal... or so I thought at the time, praying to a Deity, Blood Sacrifices and practicing Rituals and Dark Magic." She carried on describing.

"That sounds pretty bad....." I commented on the story so far.

"Yeah..... Cults.... are religious groups trying to reincarnate or summon their Lord into this plane." Grace explained.

"Is that bad....??" I added.

"Cults generally worship Evil beings and gods…. And they are generally extremely powerful especially in the plane they rule." Helen explained.

"So in our Cult worshipped an Unnamed God of the Abyss, it spoke to us in whispers and even at times possessed individuals. Granting us immense power allowing us to summon humongous tendrils and even mutated some followers into grotesque soulless mindless monsters, at the time that was considered the greatest sacrifice, to give one's self to the Dark lord. Any attempt to escape or breaking of rules would result in mental neutralizing, they would draw a rune on their head causing them to lose any emotion and thought, becoming a mindless automaton that just responds to commands." Daisy carried on explaining.

Suddenly the door opens, causing all of us to jump back. Grace instinctively threw her daggers at the individual entering.

"Hey guys...-?!" Jay yelled out in pain as two daggers flew through the air impaling themselves deep into the side of his arm. "WHAT THE HELL!" He yelled staring at the two protruding dagger in his arm.

"I'M SO SORRY!" Grace yelled running towards him.

"No No No No don't touch them!" He yelled at her as she instinctively attempted to pull out the daggers.

"Ohhh God!" Daisy yelled standing up noticing the commotion, quickly running to him.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" Jay yelled at Grace the blood now soaking through his sleeves.

"I'm sorry! You just startled us!" She apologized to him.

"It's alright…. I can help you..." Daisy tried to calm him down.

Jay tensed his whole body slamming his eyes shut, as Daisy went to pull out a dagger. Grace placing the scrying orb on a nearby table held his other hand as he struggled to hold back the screams of pain as Daisy pulled out both daggers and quickly activating her tattoos glowing golden and placing her golden glowing hand on his wounds.

"I'm so so sorry!" Graces carried on apologizing to him.

"You'll be fine now!" Daisy said giving him a pat, "The wound wasn't too deep!" she smiled.

"I'm so so sorry! I'll pay for your clothes repair or a new top!" she offered.

"It's fine.... I've worn worse. Thanks Daisy." He replied seemingly less angry and accepting her apology.

"No problems!" she smiled walking back to the bed.

"May I?.." Jay asked Grace pointing at one of her daggers.

"What?.. Sure!" she agreed handing it to him.

"Thanks." he replied cutting out the blood stained part of the sleeve tossing it away and handing the dagger back to her. Pulling out his wand and pointing the end at the hole in his sleeve, muttering something his wand emitted a sparkling blue light traveling down the hole slowly repairing it in the process. "Right... good as new..." He said will a smile picking up the orb off a table, "And here's your orb!" He said handing it to me.

"I'm sorry! Jay!" Grace apologized profusely.

"It's alright.... it all turned out fine.... just watch where you throw them next time." He said brushing off the incident, "So what's you all on edge?.." he asked.

"Ohhh Daisy was telling us the story on she grew up in a cult until she was saved by Paul." I answered him.

"Ohhhh really??!!!" He replied jumping on the bed ready to listen to the story with us.

"So.... One day we was told we were infiltrated." She began to explain.

"Woah Woah Woah wait..... At least someone brief me on what happened before this." Jay requested.

"She was in a cult... they worshiped an unnamed being from the abyss. That grants them powers but also mutates people.... and anyone who is out of line was mentally neutralized." Grace summarized.

"My God....." Jay replied his jaw dropped opened leaning back horrified.

Daisy resumed telling the story, "So one Morning we were all taken into the main hall, after locking us in the lead cultist told us that we were infiltrated. She then yelled out to the infiltrator to show themselves. No one responded fearing the recourse if they gave the wrong information. Still refusing to show themselves the Leader ordered her ritualists to begin the ascension ritual. One by one she selected followers and initiates throwing, them through the ritual transforming them into grotesques purple monsters. After around 10 or so followers and initiates the large double doors locking us in were hit with a large earth shattering hits, causing the floor to shake and visibly splintering and splitting the door at places. With one final hit the large doors gave way to the individual behind it. Through the smoke and debris stepped a Young Woman with Scarlet red hair wielding a giant sword in one hand, her eyebrows drawn together grinding her teeth together, staring at the Cult leader advancing towards her."

"Omg.... that was Scarlet?" I asked my jaw dropping in shock.

"Yup but at the time I didn't know who it was." Daisy answered. "The lieutenants drawing their wands fired off many spells at her even calling minions of the abyss to their aid, but without fear she advanced cleaving anything and everything in her way in two. Somehow even spells were cut and the few that even stuck her didn't even scratch or phase her. The cult leader extremely afraid began to panic her eyes wide open staggering back yelling for everyone to attack her. The majority of us foolishly tried to attack her fearing the repercussions of standing idle was worse than death. We ran at Scarlet drawing our daggers trying to stab her, but the first of us passed through her like a ghost, then the 2nd then the 3rd. We stopped wondering why we couldn't touch her, the lead cultist with a smirk began chanting the words to teleport, her body began glowing blue. Everyone gasped as to everyone surprise and her own after the flash subsided she still remind standing there. She turned to look at a cloaked figure holding out a pointed finger cursing the individual. Lowering his hand he pulled back his hood, the black haired young man notifying her of her of her wrong doings and she will be brought to Arcadia for a fair trial." She resumed telling her story.

"OHHHH Ohhhh that must be Paul!" I interrupted.

"The cultist leader laughed manically saying 'you're damned soul is blacker then mine!' she screamed falling to her knees holding her hands up. Scarlet begrudgingly arrested her slamming her hands with Anti-magic cuffs. They argued for a little Scarlet telling him that it's too dangerous to leave her to the courts, as one more individual with a robotic arm entered through the doors. We instinctively tried to flee fearing death for worshiping a Dark God in a cult, but we were stopped by an invisible barrier. 'Everyone please clam down!' the Black haired individual shouted to us. The robotic armed individual attached some more objects on our leader before tapping on his arm and then the black haired individual sent her away through a red portal." Daisy carried on telling ignoring my earlier interruption.

"Omg that is Paul... and Ashley!" I shouted almost unable to hold my excitement.

"Yeah they were..... Ashely then summoned some flying robotic contraption that scanned us and began illuminating our wrists with various colours. Then Paul started the long relocation process sending us to cities based on the colours of our writs, until I was the only one left with no colour painted on my wrist. Sending Scarlet and Ashley away he greeted me with a welcoming smile. He portaled us to a small city and spent the next few days with me, teaching me about life, etiquette and society before introducing me to a loving family who longed for a daughter but was unable to bear children. Before leaving he told me to visit a friend of his who was the head Priest at the local church. Eventually I found out his identity and made it my goal to get into Atlantis and see him again." Daisy concluded her story.

"My lord... he manged to phase people that easily without them noticing?!" Jay asked.

"I don't know what's Phasing..." Daisy replied.

"It's why you couldn't touch Scarlet, it's because he phased you and everyone else away while keeping all the hostiles 'in-phase'" Jay tried to explain.

"I guess so...." Daisy replied.

"Woah... he Phased maybe hundreds of people.... counterspelled the teleport and Portaled everyone... how strong is he?..." Helen questioned gasping in shock and wonder.

"And how is Scarlet immune to spells?... and magically able to cut spells?.." Grace added.

"Is that why you was so excited to see him?.." I asked Daisy.

"Yup.... I trained especially hard just so I'd get into Atlantis!" she said with a huge smile.

"How long ago was this?..." I asked her...

"Hmmm maybe 3 or 4 years?..." She answered.

"I wonder how strong he is compared to other strong sorcerers....." Grace wondered.

"Yeah... compared to other renowned sorcerers." Helen added.

"Well it's pretty well known he takes on hard bounties and doesn't fight unless needed. That's why he didn't do anything to the Cult Leader..." Jay replied.

"Hmmmm.... but what did the Cult leader mean by Damned Soul?.." I asked.

"No idea....." Daisy wondered.