Chapter 108: Finding Religion
Early morning light hit Gulchtown hard. Countess Velma stood in her battle gear near the training ground, watching the last of the battle preparations.
Elves checked their spear tips. The human soldiers stacked oil jars. She kept her arms crossed, her eyes moving from one group to the next, making sure no one slacked.
A couple of young elves nearly dropped a crate, and she shot them a look that straightened their backs fast.
Athena and Beatrix walked up beside her. Their clothes looked fresh—someone had cleaned them overnight.
Athena still had that ready-for-a-fight look, her hand resting near her blade like always. Beatrix kept glancing around like she expected something to jump out of the shadows.
Neither of them said anything at first. They just fell into step with Velma.
The Countess turned her head and smiled at them warmly. "Thanks again for watching out for Ethan. I mean it. He may not have survived the journey without you."
Athena shook her head. "Don't thank us, my lady. Your son doesn't need much protection these days. He's strong enough on his own. Honestly, sometimes it feels like we're the ones who need him."
Beatrix snorted. "Yeah. If anything, he saved our skins more than once. Whatever power he's got, and those friends he keeps making, we wouldn't be standing here without them. It feels weird to think that we are supposed to be his teachers."
Velma frowned. The look made her seem younger for a second. Athena and Beatrix both caught it and thought the same thing without saying it—Ethan got his face from her, that sharp edge under the soft parts.
"Power? Friends?" she asked in confusion. "What are you two talking about? Ethan is still just a boy. He needs guards around him in this dangerous outside world."
Beatrix and Athena glanced at each other. The corner of Beatrix's mouth twitched. If Velma knew half the things her son got up to at night, she'd lock him in a tower and throw away the key.
Athena almost laughed out loud at the thought of trying to explain Ethan's 'alliances' without getting slapped. The whole thing felt too big for a morning conversation. Besides, he had made them promise not to share all details with the Countess, especially about the dark nymph.
"We don't even know how he got those abilities," Beatrix said. "We've only seen pieces of it. But he's not a kid anymore. That much is clear."
Velma sighed and looked out towards the town. The training ground noise faded for a moment. "I still see the little guy who used to hide behind my skirts and play with his sisters. I guess he's grown up while I wasn't looking. Where is he, anyway?"
Athena shrugged. "I checked his room. The maid said he went out last night and never came back. She said he just walked out at night like he had somewhere important to be."
Beatrix smirked. "Your son probably slept in some tavern after all the fighting. A young man like him is allowed a drink now and then. Or a woman. After the orcs and our brutal journey, I wouldn't blame him."
Velma's lips tightened. "He's the future Count of Fondel. He can't just wander off like a nobody. If he starts acting like the rest of these fools—"
A group of townsfolk pushed past them then, their voices rising in a chant that cut through the morning air.
"Debauchery is eternal! Embrace the faith that turns every secret hunger into living flesh! Praise the Lord who answers the body's every prayer!"
They kept repeating it, louder as more people joined from the side streets. Women mostly, their clothes loose and simple, some with skirts high enough to show thigh when they walked.
A few older men were mixed in, looking just as worked up, their faces flushed like they had already been drinking. One woman laughed and pulled another close as they passed, kissing her, not even caring who saw.
Velma's brow creased. "Religion? In this town? I never heard of it before. The last temple here fell apart years ago. Come on, girls. Let's find out what this is about."
She left her guards standing there with confused faces and followed the crowd. Athena and Beatrix stayed close.
The streets filled fast. People spilled out of doors and alleys, all heading the same way. The chant bounced off the walls and mixed with the usual morning noise of carts and vendors.
They ended up in front of an old shrine that had been cleaned up overnight. Fresh paint still smelled sharp to the nose. The stones had been repaired.
"Debauchery" was painted in big red letters across the spire, with the paint running a little at the edges. Someone had even hung new cloth over the doorway.
Beatrix stared in awe. "What the hell is this place?"
Velma pushed through the people without waiting for an answer. Inside the hall, it was packed—mostly women in thin clothes that clung in the growing heat, a few old men, everyone chanting the same thing over and over. The sound filled the space until it was hard to think.
"Debauchery is eternal! Embrace the faith that turns every secret hunger into living flesh! Praise the Lord who answers the body's every prayer!"
Athena muttered under the noise, "My lady, your town picked up a new religion, it seems. Debauchery doesn't sound holy to me. And these people look and sound strange, as if they are under some spell."
They made their way to a young woman near the front. She wore a white robe cut low enough that you couldn't miss it, smiling like she was already stoned. Her hair was braided with little red ribbons that matched her lips. She looked too calm in the middle of all the noise.
"Are you in charge here?" Velma asked, narrowing her eyes.
The girl dipped her head. "Welcome, Countess. My name's Tabitha. It is a privilege to have you here."
"To answer your questions, Debauchery doesn't have a leader. We have a God—the Almighty. High Priestess Celine is His right hand. She's the one who started all this for us."
Beatrix whispered to Athena, "It sounds like a scam. I've seen this before. Pretty words and then they take your coin or worse."
Tabitha kept smiling like she hadn't heard anything. "Both the Almighty and Lady Celine are out doing divine work. Would you like to join us in prayer? You'll feel better after. Most people do."
Velma watched a group come out of a side door. They looked messy—their clothes open, eyes half-closed, skin shiny and sticky like they'd been sweating hard or worse. One woman walked carefully, thighs pressed together. Another man had his shirt half off and a dazed grin that didn't match the hours of the morning.
"What's going on?" Velma asked. "Where did they come from?"
"The dungeons," Tabitha said, still smiling. "Our Sanctum Sanctorum. Where we accept and enjoy the Lord's gifts. It's where the real blessings happen."
Athena crossed her arms. "What gifts?"
Tabitha's smile got wider. "Come see. It might change your mind about joining Debauchery. Words don't do it justice."
She led them down the stairs without waiting for a yes. The air got warmer with every step. Moans and wet sounds floated up from below, mixed with the occasional sharp cry.
Velma, Athena, and Beatrix looked at each other. This already felt wrong. Velma's hand stayed near her sword. Athena's fingers twitched like she wanted her vision to be ready for impending trouble.
The stairs opened into a big room lit with candles. Red cloth hung from the ceiling, stirring a little in the warm air. Paintings of bodies covered the walls.
The smell hit them first—sweat and sex thick enough to taste on the tongue. It was the kind of odor that stuck in your nose.
Then they saw the far wall.
Over twenty people clung to her body like starving animals. Men thrust deep into her pussy and ass at the same time, their hips slamming hard enough to make her heavy breasts bounce and slap against their faces.
Women knelt between her spread legs, lapping at the overflowing cum and juices while others sucked and bit her nipples, leaving red marks.
Hands squeezed every soft, full inch of her. Fingers pushed into her mouth alongside a cock.
The wet, filthy sounds of flesh meeting flesh filled the room—squelching, moaning, the slap of balls against her ass, the wet pop of mouths leaving her skin.
She had no fight left. Her head was thrown back against the stone, mouth open in a continuous low moan, eyes half-closed and glassy with pure mindless ecstasy.
Every deep thrust forced another soft, broken sound from her throat. Her body jerked and quivered under the endless assault, thighs trembling, pussy visibly clenching around the cocks using her.
Cum kept bubbling out around the shafts and running down her legs in thick rivulets.
The people around her looked just as lost—eyes empty, faces flushed, bodies wet and moving like they couldn't stop even if they wanted to.
Velma muttered in shock, "This is madness. No wonder this religion is called Debauchery! How long has this been going on under our noses? I'll send in the guards and put an end to their blasphemy."
Beatrix grabbed Athena's arm hard. "We're leaving. I don't like the look of any of it. We can come back later with the Countess' soldiers."
Athena didn't budge. Her left eye glowed, which meant her divine vision had kicked in without her asking, the gold light flickering. She pointed a shaking finger at the woman on the wall.
"Bea... That thing... That woman being raped... is an angel from heaven!"