Dark Ritual
Veronica spent a few seconds looking at everyone. Gerald looked the most normal. His skin had a small bright glow to it, and his hair seemed on fire, but other than that, he was the same.
His brother, Cory, looked like a ghost. His skin was nearly see-through, and it left afterimages with each movement.
When Veronica's eyes landed on Ted, she took a step back from surprise. He grew taller, and he looked much paler than usual. If Veronica didn't know better, she would've thought Ted was already dead.
He didn't say a word, just looked at each of them once, nodded, then began walking in a specific direction.
The three of them followed closely, and while walking, Veronica looked down at herself.
Her white and yellow dress was full of small punctures at the places where her thorns went through it. With curiosity, she touched those points on the dress, and felt the fabric stay unharmed. The damage was just an illusion of this Plain.
Ted led them to the street next to the church, and upon reaching it, they left the Ethereal Plain. They didn't dare to get too close, since the cultists would've sensed their presence.
The street was empty, which wasn't surprising. The four of them landed in a dirty alley, and they each looked towards Ted for orders.
He had his eyes closed while mumbling something under his breath. Eventually, he cursed and stared at the church with a grim expression.
"I can't divine their numbers or Items. We have to go in blind." He turned away from the building and looked at the brothers. "Cory and Gerald will enter through the right side entrance, and I will move in from the front."
He then turned towards Veronica with a serious expression. "You will move from the back and try to find Father Martin. If he is not there, or he is dead, move in to support us."
Veronica stared into his blackish-purple eyes. Only now did she notice how old they were. It seemed like Ted's looks were in his early thirties, but those eyes told about his real age.
They showed no emotion inside them, but somehow Veronica knew... They were sad and regretful, like living through that many years brought no satisfaction, only more pain.
She nodded with understanding and move towards the back of the church. Upon reaching the door, she stopped and took a deep breath.
"Be careful. You don't know what's in there!" She heard her brothers reprimanding and cautionary voice, which brought calmness to her heart.
"How is Michael doing?" she asked in a whisper.
In the past few days, they did some testing with the connection. Tom could see and hear what Michael did from any distance, but he could only communicate with him if he was in the same room as Veronica.
It was weird, and they didn't understand why it worked like that, but at least it gave Veronica a way to keep tabs on Michael.
"He is pacing inside a room with the Material Box in his hands. Don't worry about him. Focus on the task ahead. I will say if something happens to him. I promise!"
Veronica sighed after hearing that, and she noiselessly stepped inside the church. The door closed behind her on silent hinges, and she moved to check the first room to her right.
She knew exactly where each door led to, but she checked them out, anyway. The first on the right led to a closet with a few jars of different food items, and a bunch of clothing, sheets, towels, etc.
After a second of looking through everything, she moved to the next door, which led to the church's small kitchen.
The room was much worse than the closet. The table was overturned and cracked, chairs were splintered, and Veronica even found a little blood inside. It was right next to a few broken plates and cold, spilled food.
It took her no time to determine the cause. The cultists had found Father Martin in the kitchen, eating. He tried to put up a fight, but had no chance against Ascended.
Veronica hurriedly checked out the Father's bedroom and the small library, but both were empty and in disarray.
After she stepped out of the small library, she heard voices coming from the main hall, and with fast, but silent steps, she approached the area.
...
Gerald stepped inside the church with his brother in tow. They both had their guns out, while Cory held that accursed mask in his hand, too.
Its name was the Mask of Wrathful Temptation. It was a Relic of the 4th Order, made with the Characteristics from a 6th Order Soldier and 7th Order Sinner.
The mask gave a lot of great spells and abilities, plus a large increase to physical prowess, but the drawback was one of the worst Gerald had ever seen.
You basically had to give yourself over to the consciousness locked inside the mask. It would get control over your body, and only if someone removed the mask could you escape it.
Gerald knew exactly why Ted had given the mask to Cory. He was the only one who might reason with the spirit. It was a last ditch effort if things turned from bad to worse.
The golden cufflink was much weaker. It gave a few good spells, which would be especially useful against the Lunatics, but its drawback was hefty too.
While using the Blazing Button, you would feel your soul burning. It wasn't a physical pain, and it wouldn't do any harm, but it stopped you from using it too often.
Before heading inside, Gerald also made a Prayer, which was the Devout Follower path's speciality. He could've Prayed to any higher order being, but since he was part of the Church of Time, he Prayed to the Goddess of Secrets.
She gave him the ability to move faster and stay hidden easier. It also provided him with anti-divination, which wouldn't be too useful in a fight.
With all the preparations done, the two of them entered the large hall. At that exact moment, the enormous doors of the main entrance swung open, and Ted stepped in.
From the sides, both the brothers and Veronica watched as he walked towards the front, where about a dozen cultists stood around the main altar.
Veronica spotted a stripped old man chained to it. The beating bloodied his face, and strange symbols were carved into his skin.
The cultists stood in a half circle, which gave clear sight to Father Martin's broken body.
Each of the cultists wore brown robes, with wooden masks hiding their faces. Each mask depicted some an emotion, and it was easy to find their leader.
His robes were filthy and disgusting. He was the only one without a mask, but his face was so ugly that Veronica wished him to wear one too.
Below his hood, reptilian eyes stared at Ted. A mad grin twisted his mouth, revealing pointed teeth that grew erratically. He moved his tongue over them, which cut open the muscle's flesh.
He spit the blood on the curved knife in his scaly hand, and he raised it towards the ceiling, while mumbling something incomprehensible.
With a quick move, he grabbed Father Martin's manhood and, using the dagger, he cut it away. The Father screamed in pain, but his arms and legs were chained to the sides of the altar.
The ugly man held onto the manhood, then tossed it into the lit brazier in front of the altar. The flames sizzled angrily, and as the cultists chanted, it turned brown.
Veronica's eyes welled with tears as she looked at his friend, dying on the slab of stone.
With slow and careful movements, she hid behind the pillars and made her way towards the altar. Cory and Gerald did the same thing on the other side.
In the middle, Ted was halfway through the room when he raised his gun and pulled the trigger. The bullet travelled impossibly fast and exploded when it reached an impenetrable barrier.
The cultists laughed and giggled madly, then continued their chant.
The leader cut away one of Father Martin's ears, then his eye, nose, tongue, and lastly, his throat.
All this time, the Unbroken and Veronica could do nothing to stop them. The barrier was made by some powerful Relic or Item, and they simply couldn't move past it.
Each of the body parts and eventually the body itself, landed in the huge flames. The more kindling it got, the higher the flames became.
The chanting grew in volume, and the flames started to take shape. It wasn't clear what the thing in the flames was, but it was huge and terrifying.
Veronica and the others felt that time was running out, and in one desperate attempt, she ran towards the altar.
She jumped in the air and got stopped by the barrier surrounding the altar. She didn't know if she was close enough or not, but she had to try.
One hand reached behind her back and pulled out Silent Whisper. The rainbow dagger glinted in the low light of the church, and just as the lead cultist's eyes widened, Veronica activated its ability.
The loud chanting and the sizzle of the fire went away, and the room was plunged into silence...