Chapter 223 New growth (1/2)
Beyn was a Priest and he was proud of that cla.s.s. He had worked hard in the seminary, his faith blazing with an admirable glow, such that he had earned promotion and placement into a small village at a young age.
He still thought back on his time at the college, within the Path Sanctuary in Luxon. A mighty citadel filled with learning, preaching and the contemplation of the Path. He'd been happy there, tearing through scripts and sitting at the knee of his teachers, absorbing their wisdom and delighting in his deepening knowledge of the System and the way in which it improved the lives of all peoples.
Respect was due to the System, reverence also! It was omniscient, it was omnipresent and it had saved all of the civilised peoples of the world from certain destruction. It had shown them the Path to salvation!
That is what Beyn had firmly believed his entire life.
Looking around the dusty people surrounding him now, it was hard to comprehend just how he had come to be here.
Such wondrous happenings, such revelatory events, they defied understanding, let alone explanation. If he were to take his lessons, relate his experiences to his old teachers he didn't doubt that he would turned over the Seekers for questioning. Perhaps he would even be purged. Yet he could not deny the evidence of his eyes, nor the wellspring of hope that had erupted in his heart.
He had paid for his newfound belief with an arm, but it had been so worth it.
The evidence was all around him. The System had chosen to present its aid, its benevolence, through an entirely unexpected medium. Monsters! Ants from the Dungeon! It seemed preposterous, yet wasn't it said, ”The ways of the System are unknowable by mortal mind”?
Truly none would have expected this turn of events!
”Priest Beyn” he was greeted by a pa.s.ser by.
”Good Morning. May the Path be clear before you and our saviours clack their mandibles with blessing upon you.”
The person smiled and nodded, their eyes flicking towards the direction of the colonies great mound, barely visible now from this place, before moving on. Indeed, the ants had done so much for these people and Beyn intended to be sure that they were properly grateful. The monsters infesting the nearby woods had been nearly eradicated by the tireless workers, wood had been provided that was now being made into houses, fencing and other such structures. Crude farms were being erected in order to secure a food supply for the near future and as more people came south, fleeing the violence that continued to ravage the surface, so too did the needs of the community grow.
He moved amongst the burgeoning village now, smiling, giving blessings to those who approached him. An encouraging word here, a smile or a nod there, a hug and compa.s.sionate prayer for those in distress. Beyn moved amongst his people and did his utmost to buoy their spirits so that they might take advantage of this wondrous blessing that had befallen them.
A sanctuary in such troubled times, protection, given by the System itself in the form of their ant guardians.
Suddenly inspired, Beyn stopped in place and raised is one hand to the sky and began to speak, his [Expert Preaching level 9] causing his voice to soar over the din of the village.
”Let us give thanks, O travellers! O weary folk of a fallen kingdom!” he cried.
The refugees were accustomed to his frequent outbursts of preaching, they were not surprised to hear his sudden oration. Compelled by his powerful voice, they turned to listen as they had many times before.
”We have suffered much. The pain of loss, the heartache of our destroyed homes. Monsters have risen to the surface in a way that hasn't been seen for thousands of years!”
A ripple pa.s.sed through the people at his words and the crowd slowly began to coalesce around the crippled priest. Monster pouring out of the Dungeon was the stuff of nightmares, a forgotten legend, that they had witnessed with their own eyes.
”And yet, the Path is never straight, the path is never clear before our feet. It is not for us to decide the way, but for the System! We have been delivered from Monsters, by Monsters! Our insect saviours, led by the Great One, have defended us, provided for us and granted us sanctuary in these times of fear and death.”