Monroe

Two Hundred and Eighty-Seven. Divine blessings do what?!

The next door that Sierra knocked on opened to reveal a young Adonis. The man was tall, maybe an inch and a half taller than Bob's six feet three inches, with a classically handsome face, square jawed, with high cheekbones. He had grey eyes, with slightest hint of laugh-lines, short trimmed brown hair, and the faintest trace of stubble.

He was well muscled, but not overly so, an athlete rather than a body builder. He was nude, and showed no embarrassment regarding his erection.

"Beyruce, I'd like you to meet Yorrick Wrathsbane, High Seat of the Warlocks Guild, who is escorting Mr. Robert Whitman, an envoy from Earth," Sierra gestured to both Yorrick and Bob.

"Gentlemen," Beyruce bowed slightly to Yorrick and nodded his head to Bob. "I was told you'd be visiting us, and that you might have questions?"

Bob nodded. Unlike Leah, he had no trouble keeping his gaze locked on Beyruces' eyes. "I take it you're also a summoner?"

"For my speciality, it's a requirement," Beyruce smiled.

"What is your speciality?" Bob asked.

"I'm a follower of both Hedon and Vorax," Beyruce explained, "and the service I offer is very special." His smile widened, and he shifted his stance slightly. "There are people who aren't fulfilled by simple sex, although I like to think I fill them quite well," he winked towards the camera crew, shifting again so that his cock bobbed up and down. "No, my clients need to truly consume me to be complete."

Bob frowned. He wasn't sure where this was going, but he had a feeling it was going to end up someplace unpleasant.

"Some of my clients like to cut it off first, some even cook it, but while we aren't supposed to have favorites, we do, and my favorite are the ones who like it raw," Beyruce closed his eyes and his erection visibly twitched, growing even larger. "The ones who bite, rend and tear," his breathing was heavier, "chewing and swallowing, all the way down to the root." He let out a husky groan. "They'll look me in the eyes as they devour me, inch bloody inch."

Bob tried and failed to restrain a wince.

"If no one needs my special services, I'll provide all the normal entertainment you might like, but those days are so boring," he sighed. "I'm sure you can understand why I rely on summoning."

"Regeneration rituals are expensive?" Bob half asked.

Beyruce chuckled, "That they are, and I have only a few clients willing to spend the extra crystals to go all the way, as it were."

"And you aren't being coerced in anyway to work here?" Bob asked, knowing the answer, but asking the question for his own peace of mind.

"Not at all," Beyruce assured him. "I'm normally here by appointment, but some days I'll come when I'm bored."

Bob looked at Yorrick. "I got nothing," he said.

Bob declined the summoning spell as Yorrick sat down across from him.

He was back in Glacier Valley, determined to eat dinner before he took delivery of his indentures.

He pointedly ignored the warlock as he and Monroe worked their way through massive steaks. He was trying very hard to forget the things he'd seen that day.

Cannibalism was the least of it. Rape, pedophilia, and necrophilia were the worst of it, as far as Bob was concerned. Scat and watersports barely even qualified.

"So, you've seen the worst of it," Yorrick said with a smile, reaching out to pet Monroe, who hadn't been bothered at all by the events of the day.

Bob sighed and looked down at his meal, then back up at Yorrick. "I was hoping you'd wait until after dinner," he grumbled.

Yorrick nodded, "Normally, I would have given you a few days, or even a week to let it all sink in," he agreed, "but I've gotten word that the Church of the Light is about to launch a smear campaign. The public tends to believe the first perspective they hear, so it's crucial that I either receive your endorsement, or not, right away. I've got to get ahead of this."

Bob shook his head. "Why would the Church bother? I mean, no matter my opinion or how you spin it, the Empire isn't going to lure away anyone who was likely to follow the Chruch's beliefs."

Yorrick sighed. "It's what they do," he explained. "The dissidents we send to Greenwold keep the flame of righteous indignation burning, reinforcing the rhetoric that the Empire is 'Evil.' The Church has used the Empire as the monster in the dark, an unseen threat that will surely reach out and devour the unfaithful." He shrugged. "It works, so they've kept that fear going. If they change the playbook now, some of their faithful might start to question other articles of the faith, and they can't afford that."

"Before I go on the record endorsing anything, I'm going to talk to the King," Bob hedged. "Tentatively, I'm somewhat alright with the Empire. I may not agree with everything that happens there, but my own morality aside, you aren't misrepresenting it."

"Once you're finished eating I'll portal us over to Harbordeep then," Yorrick suggested.

"Bob, Yorrick," The King of Greenwold greeted them.

The King was in his humanoid form, sitting on his throne in the audience chamber, reviewing paperwork.

"Your Majesty," Bob nodded, echoed by Yorrick.

"I take it you've decided to endorse the Empire's recruitment campaign," Kellan said after signing a document and handing it off to his Seneschal, Ericka.

"I wanted to speak to you before I committed to doing so," Bob replied.

"Your loyalty is commendable," Kellan rumbled. "I have no objections to your endorsement," he began, "although I must warn you that Huron is planning a campaign of his own, and you're likely to be painted in the same light as the Empire. He does not recognize the flaws in his faith, and while they aren't as grandiose or all consuming as Yorrick would have you believe, they do exist, and they have a real impact on the political landscape. While I rule Greenwold absolutely, it's much easier to do so with the willing and eager help of the Church."

"Thank you, your Majesty," Yorrick said.

Kellan let out a sigh. "You're much more palatable than your predecessor, Mr. Wrathsbane, but I think I liked it better when there wasn't quite as much contact between my Kingdom and the Empire," he said.

Yorrick chuckled. "Unfortunately, given both our nations efforts to attract people from Earth as permanent residents, I'm afraid the Empire and the Kingdom of Greenwold are going to interacting much more extensively, if only because our citizens are accustomed to global communications, and are unlikely to tolerate being denied them."

"I'm all too aware," Kellan replied dryly. "To that end, Ericka has a proposal for purchasing and placing in orbit a series of communication satellites. If you could deliver it to the Emperor, it would hasten the process considerably."

"Of course," Yorrick grinned, "I'd be happy to operate as your back channel to the Empire." He turned to face Bob. "With his Majesty's permission, let's go get you in front of a camera."

Bob wasn't sure if he was surprised that the video hadn't edited out the nasty bits or not. He could have certainly done without seeing a replay of his spine being ripped out through his chest, and watching that asshole snap Monroe's neck was infuriating.

Watching Yorrick go full-on Wrath Demon was disconcerting. On the one hand, Yorrick was an easy going guy, always quick with a joke, and not all reluctant to make them about himself. On the other hand, there was the Avatar of Bael.

He also felt that the video didn't need to have shown him pounding Torlin into paste, but they'd used the full recording.

The spin they had put on it was that no one in the Empire was above the law, not even one of the five pillars. The voice over, which Bob didn't recognize, had also explained that Bob was perfectly within his rights to attack Torlin, as the man had committed a crime by attacking Bob in the first place. They went on to explain that Torlin could have been bound over for sentencing, but no one in the Empire would object to his immediate execution.

Bob paused the video and then closed it.

This was his second time watching it, and he couldn't find any issues beyond the Empire being the Empire. He didn't want to see the Pleasure Palace footage again. Hell, he hadn't wanted to see it the first time.

"Any objections?" Yorrick asked.

"No?" Bob replied. "Call it societal conditioning, but I can't help but feel a bit of trepidation when it comes to the Empire."

Yorrick shrugged. "It's probably the conditioning," he agreed, "although that Veritas blessing isn't helping."

"Helps a lot actually," Bob grimaced. "It's let me know I could believe all those people who said they weren't being coerced or under duress."

"Well, yes, that," Yorrick nodded, "but I was referring to the fact that every Divine Blessing you have works to subtly influence you toward the ideals of that Deity."

Bob blinked. "I'm sorry," he said slowly, "but it sounds like you said that divine blessings twist your mind?"

Yorrick winced. "Twist is such a strong word," he muttered. "Think of it more like shaping, or better yet guiding."

"So this Veritas blessing is influencing my mind?" Bob took a series of slow, deep breaths.

"Yes?" Yorrick asked. "What did you think Divine Blessings did?"

"I thought they gave you some sort of magical power!" Bob replied hotly.

Yorrick shook his head. "Stars and stones, there are times when I fucking hate the Church of the Light," he spat out vehemently. "Bob, you of all people know that nothing in life is free, there is always a cost. Why do you think the first Divine Blessing doesn't require you allocate a skill point, but later ones do?"

"Because the first hit is free," Bob whispered in horror. "You'll come back and pay for the second."

"Yeah," Yorrick nodded. "Your blessing of Veritas is useful, and the downside to it is fairly minor as you're one of the most honest people I've ever met, but Veritas is part of the Church of the Light, and that Pantheon despises the Empire. Veritas' influence on your mind can be seen in how you've reacted to the Empire overall, not just the parts you've found distasteful."

"Fuck," Bob mumbled.

"Fuck," Yorrick agreed.

"I can get rid of it though," Bob said, remembering his conversation with Trebor.

"Well, you can ask the priest who gave you the blessing to remove it," Yorrick said, "but you have to be aware that the priest is going to assume that you are doing so because there is something you need to lie about."

"Why didn't anyone tell me about the side effects of Divine Blessings?" Bob asked crossly.

Yorrick raised his hands in surrender. "We do," he replied. "I have ten Divine Blessings of Bael. I was warned at each step that I would become more wrathful with each one. My ability to control my wrath is why I have the name Wrathsbane. The Church of the Light doesn't see any problem with their worshipers becoming perfectly obedient drones."

Bob had been thinking of Trebor.

'Your personality was, and remains, one upon which Veritas has almost no impact. You are an inherently truthful person, as evidenced by the fact that you've only ever felt the discomfort of lying when you did so deliberately,' Trebor explained. 'At the time when you accepted the Divine blessing, the Pantheon of Light's animus toward the Karcerian Empire was irrelevant, as at no point in your planning did you ever consider interacting with them.'

"You need to add this to the video," Bob said flatly. "I don't care how, but you need to make sure that people know that taking a Divine Blessing will influence their mind. People are going to have to take one to access Divine magic, but they need to be more careful, and be certain their choice lines up with their beliefs."

"The Dark Cathederal is very strict about full disclosure when dispensing Divine Blessings," Yorrick replied.

"I was more worried about the Church of the Light," Bob shook his head. "They're the ones who put this whammy on me without fully explaining it."

Yorrick winced. "My own issues with the Church of the Light aside, as the High Seat of the Warlocks Guild, I'm not permitted to disparage them. Our agreement with the Kingdom of Greenwold was written to ensure that we would forever hold the moral high ground, and part of that is that no official statements are permitted to cast a negative light on the Church. Pun intended."

"I'll have to do it myself," Bob muttered.

"Be careful," Yorrick advised. "The Church of the Light isn't likely to view that sort of announcement favorably."

"Fuck 'em," Bob said decisively. "I'm sporting a Divine Blessing of the God of Truth. They brought this on themselves."

"The Karcerian Empire is ready to welcome anyone is interested in joining us. While Robert Whitman formed a brilliant plan, and the King of Greenwold devoted his entire Kingdom toward ensuring its success, the Empire has only donated billions of mana crystals. We'd like to do more. If you'd rather spend the next several months preparing for the inevitable change, we'll help you. You don't have to spend that time in stasis," Yorrick finished with a smile. "Finally, a word from Bob himself."

The video cut away from Yorrick, who had been standing in front of the Warlocks tower, to Bob, who was standing in front of his cabin at Murmuring Falls.

"I was asked to endorse the Empire's offer," Bob began. "I'd been given a tour, but anyone who has lived in a big city knows that there is always a dark side to it. Places the tourists don't go, or if they do, they often don't leave. So, I told Yorrick I'd only endorse it if they showed me everything." He shook his head as he reached up to pet Monroe. "They didn't hold back," he unconsciously touched his throat with his other hand. "I saw the worst that the Empire had to offer, and having reviewed the video, I can confirm that they didn't edit any of it out. So, knowing what I know, and seeing what I've seen, I can say with complete honesty that anyone who accepts this offer will have done so with full and complete information."

He took a deep breath. "Which brings me to my next statement. The following has not been viewed or approved by any member of the Karcerian Empire before being broadcast on Earth. They have certain agreements with Greenwold that prevent them from saying anything bad about the Church of the Light, although it is not reciprocal." He shook his head, then continued. "Before I came back to Earth, the High Priest of Vi'Radia, Huron Alc'malt, provided me with a Divine Blessing of Veritas, which ensures that I know when I'm being lied to, and also that people will know when I'm lying. The stated purpose was to help me be certain of the people I was working with, and to be fair, it has. What he didn't tell me, and what I've discovered that no one on Greenwold has been told, is that accepting a Divine Blessing allows the Diety to subtly influence you. I've always been an honest person, so I didn't realize what was happening, until I visited the Empire. Logically, I couldn't understand why I was feeling so ill at ease. It was Veritas, shaping my emotions."

Bob shook his head. "The Dark Cathedral won't provide a Divine Blessing until you've completed a series of forms, overseen by representatives from the other four pillars, which explains exactly how that Divine Blessing will impact you. The Church of the Light does not. I implore anyone who is considering a Divine Blessing, which is necessary to unlock Divine Magic, to consider very carefully which Diety you are pledging yourself to, and how their values line up with your own." He grimaced. "I should have known better. The first hit is only free because they know you'll come back for the second, which is going to cost you. Learn from my mistake."

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