Dance of the Gods

Veronica got on the public carriage, paid for the ride, and made her way to the cathedral.

Since it was an unfixed carriage, the route it took was very direct, but there were also people who went different directions which elongated the ride by a lot.

She didn't mind though it actually gave her something very nice... Time to think.

Her thoughts were still a bit scrambled since the last night's dream. What she was planning to do was a little scary, but more importantly very exciting. The world she came from had nothing like this, no mystery, no ascension, no magic. It wasn't boring in any way, and it also wasn't even remotely comparable.

Watching the colorful buildings pass her by, seeing the sun shine high in the sky, feeling the warmth seep into her very soul. After spending nearly a week in this world she finally felt it... comfort. The one thing she was missing all this time. The feeling of belonging.

This sensation made her very happy and also a new thought appeared in her mind.

'Maybe... Maybe if there's no way back... It wouldn't be so horrible to live in this world...'

It brought a grand smile to her face, and everyone on the carriage stared at her like she was some sort of mental patient. Not that she cared for their opinion, no matter how much she tried, the grin wouldn't go away.

The houses passed by her one after another, soon they turned worse for wear and the establishments became of lesser quality... She was approaching the edge of the Dirt District.

The road was more eroded and not well maintained, she truly reached the bad part of the city.

The carriage moved along and soon slowed down. It stopped in front of a large building with two clocktowers. Just as Veronica began climbing out of the carriage they sounded twelve times, marking midday.

Walking towards the large church she stopped and looked at it in the daylight. Last night with her mind in shambles she didn't really see the building, but now she finally had a chance to examine it more clearly.

The building was a dark purple colored, but their tones differed between parts of the structure. For example the contours around the windows and the double door was darker than the actual wall. It looked truly magical, nothing like she had ever seen...

Except the theater, but that was on it's own level.

When she finished basking in the beauty of the cathedral it was time to go inside. In midday when the sun was at its highest the main ceremony room was at its darkest. All the windows provided some light, but most of it got scattered through the gigantic room.

This caused no alarm in Veronica, since she knew the only person who lived in this shadowy place... A kind old man.

'Where is he anyway?... Wait, didn't he say that at this hour he usually eats lunch?... Let's go to the kitchen then!'

On the way she looked at the colored, picturesque windows again, but this time the meaning was much more obvious. It was the most important events of the Church of Time's bible.

Her knowledge of said bible is kind of small, but she understands two of the windows. The first showed a woman in purple robe flying in a world made of colors. There was a bright light behind 'Her', making 'Her' presence have a holy feel to it...

The Birth of the Goddess of Secrets...

The second one was much worse, and even the least religious person had knowledge about it, because this event effected all of the gods... The God War.

The window showed nine holy figures fighting each other, while the purple robed 'Woman' just watched. Behind 'Her' stood all 'Her' followers, while 'She' protected them from the devastating war.

The God War was an event all the six orthodox church's canon talked about, they were all different in some way, making their deity seem better than the rest. But the core of them were the same.

It was the casus belli, the reason why the Great War began. While the gods fought on plains beyond the regular human's comprehension, in the real world a self destructive war was fought from which no victor arose.

The exact details of that time are all over the place, exactly because there was no winner. There is a famous quote that a lot of people know –– 'The history is written by the victors.'

Veronica never was one to believe that, in her opinion there is no such thing as a reliable source in history. At the end of any war all sides write their own versions which contain them as either the heroes or the enemy as the villains, in most cases it's both.

The God War and Great War were the same, no chance of getting answers which weren't affected by the writers' morality and nationality... Such a shame.

*Sigh* "I would love to know more of the real history of this world." She whispered to herself when her thoughts finally released her mind.

Slowly her head turned from the amazing window designs and she continued walking towards the kitchen. She still remembered the exact way, and soon she was standing in front of the door, trying to find an answer to a very important question.

'Should I knock or just barge in? He wouldn't really care for either, but going in without knocking is very rude... *sigh* Who cares...'

Veronica reached out her hand and began opening the door. Inside sat the old priest at the table, he was calmly cutting up some meat, and as he began to chew a smile crept onto his face. It was his usual kind and warm smile which provided comfort for anyone who's lucky enough to witness it. He quickly ushered her to sit down.

After chewing a while longer and swallowing, he made her stand up again, then looked her up and down a few times. Seemingly satisfied with her looks he sat back down and continued eating, leaving Veronica very confused.

"What was that for?"

He chewed another piece of meat a while longer before answering.

"Oh, nothing. I just made sure you were okay." He said with a playful smile. Veronica just raised her eyebrows and in an aloof voice replied.

"Really? And does it require for your check up to look at my breast and buttocks for a lot longer than other parts of my body?"

Father Martin just laughed and in a mischievous tone answered.

"Why wouldn't a man admire the most beautiful parts of a woman's body, well second most. The first is the eyes at least for me, but most sailors will probably disagree. Anyway, what brings you here other than my amazing company?"

'This man...*sigh* As shameless as always! I thought priests were supposed to be humble, not way too energetic and naughty!'

Her face was burning from a heavy blush, but no matter how hard she tried the small smile kept lingering. It was hard to hide how much she liked this pervert old man, not in a sexual way of course... More like a weird uncle.

Finally she got herself back under control, so she began explaining the situation.

"I came her for a simple reason... If it's not much to ask, could you deliver a message to the Unbroken?" As the father looked up, his smile was calm and patient. He already knew what this was about, and didn't even let Veronica continue.

"So you decided against the Unbroken, understandable given where you live. So what will you do next?"

She turned her head away, there were a lot of questions in her head.

'How much does he know about the Miles Inn and what's downstairs? Do the Unbroken know about it? What should I tell him about my future plans? Is it illegal to be an ascended without an orthodox organization behind you?'

While she was beginning to get lost in all of the uncertainty, Father Martin just laughed at the faces she was making.

"Let me help you out a bit. Yes, I know about the Miles family's secret fugitive hideout. Yes, I know about most down there being ascended. And I even know that friend of yours from yesterday Alex Morrow is pirate captain. So I ask you again, what do you plan to do next?"

His smile hasn't changed, which meant that he didn't just knew all of this, but accepted it and wasn't against it. What really surprised Veronica though was Alex's real identity. She already guessed it a while ago, but getting conformation was a nice touch.

"I think both of us know what I will do next." Her grin would've been wicked for everyone, but Father Martin just found it hilarious and they both had a good chuckle.

"So, freelancer it is. Not too bad, you can make a great fortune if you chose the right path. I only have one suggestion."

The atmosphere around him grew serious, and his whole bearing turned heavy. Father Martin leaned in close and spoke in a whisper.

"If I were you I would stay away from the Vocalist, Listener and Dancer paths. I don't know the exact reason why, but most of the churches seem to discriminate against them or even actively hunt them."

Veronica was left speechless, the first surprise was the old priest's sudden change of tone, the second was what he said. Since morning she wanted to choose the Dancer path, but judging by his warning it was a bad idea.

"Why is that?" She asked trying to find out more, to enlighten herself about how bad this choice would be.

"Something happened in the past, before recorded time... I don't know the exact details, or more like no one knows the truth about those times...*sigh* Anyways, these three paths did something that caused a lot of fear in the others and they decided to destroy them."

'Is that it?! Some suspicion of something happening before recorded time?'

She expected a lot worse, like people of this path committing genocide or something. With this knowledge her decision remained unchanged, and inside herself she knew it was the right choice.

Steadily she rose from the chair, and with a bright smile brought back the cheery atmosphere.

"Thank you for your advice Father Martin. I will be sure to think about it!"

With a heavy sigh he just shook his hairless head. He wasn't dumb and knew exactly that whatever decision Veronica made, it would go against his advice. Eventually he stood up and gave her a huge hug.

When they broke apart his signature smile returned.

"Whatever you decided, Be Careful! This world is very dangerous, especially for an ascended."

Veronica just nodded appreciatively, then walked out the door and headed back home.