Breaking Providence (Original Fantasy)

“It is a p-pleasure to see you again, Hero. I look f-forward to traveling together.”

As the Holy Priestess stammers her way through her greeting, she gives Marcus a deep bow before rising just as fast. The half-orc finds he can only nod at her distractedly, despite the… bounce of her chest practically demanding his attention. It IS nice to see Angelina again, bodacious body and all. In fact, part of him is vaguely, distantly relieved that she’s no longer under the purview of that Bishop, Archibald.
 
Not that Marcus necessarily had any reason to believe the Bishop was planning anything untoward with Priestess Angelina, but he just hadn’t liked the way the rotund bald man had looked at her. Not one bit.
 
At the same time, he’s also vaguely and distantly surprised that Angelina is even here. The impression he’d gotten from her back in the Chapel was that his very presence made her uncomfortable. There was nothing Marcus could do about that back then; he was just another orphan there to be Awakened after all. But now? Was it really right to have her assigned to his party permanently? Wouldn’t that not be fair to her?
 
Except… Marcus could barely spare a second thought towards that concern, busy as he was staring at the Beastkin Thief in their midst. Eris, as her Holiness had named her, was a petite, small thing. With cat ears and a tail drooped down behind her, she was practically half his size. She was also keeping her eyes on the ground, making her seem even smaller to Marcus’ senses.
 
He felt stupid now for his previous thoughts. When that other orphan had been Awakened with the Thief Job, Marcus had almost been happy to see him carted off by the Paladins. He’d had several of his own belongings pilfered by the other boy after all. Whenever Marcus was foolish enough to leave one of the scant few things he owned alone in the orphanage, he could trust it to go missing.
 
Back at the Chapel, he’d even thought to himself that it was actually fairly generous of the Church to not kill Thieves on the spot. Yes, because Indentured Servitude was so much better. Enslavement to the Church was such a great outcome. Marcus had actually believed that, but now… now he’d had his eyes opened to the world around him. People like Paladin Eric and Chief Blacksmith Karn might have been good sorts, but Bishop Archibald definitely wasn’t… and he was a Bishop!
 
The thing was, Marcus had thought Serafina was different until this moment. But now… now here she was, foisting a slave off onto him. Damn it all, if it wasn’t one thing, it was another.
 
“Priestess Angelina will be your healer, of course. If you take injury in battle, she will be there to restore your health and increase your strength and speed. You need only allow her Light to flow through you and in conjunction with the power of the Destined Hero, you will be able to fell any foe.”
 
As Serafina speaks, Marcus stays silent. Because… what can he say, really? It’s not just seeing a cute girl in chains and a collar that’s making him rethink his original stance on the Church’s treatment of ‘Evil’ Jobs. No, of course it isn’t. It’s also his own situation that has him realizing his original stance was just plain wrong.
 
He still feels it in his heart of hearts. Maybe he let himself be convinced otherwise for a fraction of a second, but Marcus still knows the truth even if no one else is willing to accept it. He is the Dark Lord, full stop. And so… by all rights, he should be in the same situation as Eris. Or maybe something worse even. He should be chained and shackled and locked up in the Cathedral’s dungeons right now.
 
By all that the Church teaches, that is where Marcus belongs.
 
… And so he stays quiet, even as Serafina moves on to Eris, stepping up to the diminutive Beastkin and fiddling with her clothes and collar and shackles.
 
“And this, of course, is Eris. She will serve as your sneaker.”
 
“Thief, you mean.”
 
Marcus winces at the words the moment they come from his lips, but he can’t bring himself to regret them. Serafina’s eyes dart over to him and for a moment she looks disapproving. But apparently being the Destined Hero buys him a LOT of leeway with the Holy Pope, because that moment passes and she’s all smiles again a moment later.
 
“The Church prefers not to use that word, Marcus. People like Eris might be disadvantaged… but that doesn’t mean they can’t still be valuable members of society. Eris, for instance, will be a member of the Destined Hero’s Party. Your Party. Could she possibly have hoped for anything better than this?”
 
Not trusting himself to speak, Marcus just stands there, watching as Serafina continues to touch Eris’ collar and shackles. Only now does he begin to realize that there’s a purpose to her touching.
 
“But yes. Eris here did in fact Awaken as a Thief just today. She went to another Chapel just like yours only a few hours ago, where it was discovered precisely what Job she had. An unfortunate set of circumstances… but she’s been very compliant so far all the same. The most compliant sneaker that we’ve had in a long time, in fact. That’s the thing though, Marcus. Eris can be so much more than just her Job Title. Yes, being a Thief is the core of her being, but if utilized properly by someone who is not intending to break the law and steal from people, she can do plenty of good in the world.”
 
Serafina looks to him, her smile widening.
 
“For instance, under the guidance of the Destined Hero, Eris here can act as a scout. She can act as a spy. She can sneak into places that you wouldn’t be able to sneak into, and gain access to things that you would not normally be able to gain access to. At least, not without plenty of brute force on your part. Hence, she is a sneaker. In the same way Angelina will reinforce you with her healing spells and the Light, Eris here will support you with deft fingers and quick feet.”
 
He almost opens his mouth and asks Serafina why Eris needs the collar and shackles then. Why can’t they free her, and let her choose? But he doesn’t. He doesn’t speak up, because he knows that the Church will not allow it. A Thief going unsupervised? A Thief free to do whatever they wanted, to get up to whatever mischief they liked?
 
Marcus couldn’t be sure that even his status as the Destined Hero would allow that much. So instead he stays quiet, and after a beat of awkward silence, Serafina beckons to him.
 
“Come here, Marcus.”
 
He does so stiffly, and when she holds out a hand, he gives her his own. She brings it over to Eris’ collar and in a flash of light whatever Serafina has been doing is finished. Marcus blinks the light out of his eyes, only to find Serafina giving him a crooked grin.
 
“She’s yours now. The ownership of the collar was transferred to me earlier today, while we were waiting for you to be discovered. Now, I’ve transferred it to you. No one in the entire Church can give her orders now… only you can. You need not worry about daggers at your back, Marcus. Eris will be your creature, through and through.”
 
Did Serafina truly not realize she was gifting him a person? A living, breathing person? Marcus grimaces, still not entirely sure how to respond. He’s also caught off guard by the way Eris’ eyes have lifted from the floor with the transfer of ownership. The little Beastkin stares at him silently, with big eyes that Marcus can’t quite read. He doesn’t know how to even begin guessing what she’s thinking about all of this.
 
“Your Holiness, w-would it be alright if we used the Cathedral as our base of operations and-!”
 
“No.”
 
Marcus blinks, having gotten so caught up in Eris’ stare that he was distracted from what else was happening. Until, that is, Serafina’s sharp denial of Angelina’s request managed to pull him away. Looking over, he parses the last bit of conversation and half-blanches. The idea of staying here at the Cathedral… it turned his stomach if he was being honest. Not just because of his own situation, but also because of Eris now as well.
 
That Serafina had shut it down was good… but also strange. For whatever reason, the Holy Pope didn’t like the idea of them staying in the Cathedral any more than Marcus did. But why not? Wasn’t this her own seat of power?
 
Offering Angelina an apologetic smile, Serafina looks over to Marcus.
 
“While Marcus is the Destined Hero, and the Church must do all it can to support his journey, he is not meant to be OF the Church. He cannot be beholden to the Church, for instead… he is ABOVE the Church.”
 
Marcus’ eyes widen at that declaration. Angelina, meanwhile, lets out a sharp gasp.
 
“Y-Your Holiness?!”
 
But Serafina stands with her back straight and her head high seemingly paying Angelina no mind as she stares Marcus down.
 
“You will be given funds for your journey, Marcus. And I would recommend staying in the city long enough for your arms and armor to be delivered wherever it is you find yourself. But after that… you must follow your instincts. The Dark Lord is out there somewhere, and when the Church fails to find them ahead of time as we have this generation, it falls to the Destined Hero to seek them out. You are the best suited for the task of hunting down their vile presence and putting an end to it once and for all.”
 
Serafina takes in a breath, collects her thoughts, and continues.
 
“You must not let anyone hold you back, Marcus. Let no one dictate your path to you, not even me. Move forward with surety and purpose. So long as you have Angelina and Eris at your side, I know in my heart that you will not falter.”
 
With a soft smile, Serafina steps forward and goes up on her toes, laying a chaste kiss on Marcus’ cheek. Nothing too intimate… if one doesn’t know of what happened to them earlier in that chamber on her throne. Marcus, of course, colors at the kiss, blushing profusely as the Holy Pope pulls away and gives him a simple nod.
 
“Now, come. Let us get you squared away financially, and then you must be on your way.”
 
As she leads them out of the room, Marcus can’t help but feel like he’s been struck upside the head. Again. Will the blows ever stop coming?
 
-x-X-x-
 
An hour later, he sits on the bed in a fairly spacious inn room, staring at his big, green hands. He’s finally had time to process everything that’s happened since his Awakening and… ultimately, it still doesn’t all make sense to him. He’s sat here for what feels like a good hour just thinking about it all. Yes, he still feels like he’s the Dark Lord. But everyone still thinks he’s the Destined Hero. No, he doesn’t know what the fuck is going on, even now.
 
That does raise a simple question… why the fuck is he still here? Serafina herself had been what finally got him away from the Church, but he was still in the Capital, the seat of the Church’s power. He was still within easy reach of the Paladins if the mistake was uncovered and they wanted to seize him to wait for the REAL Destined Hero to show up.
 
If he truly wanted to take the extremely large amount of gold that Serafina had given the party and run, he definitely could. Angelina alone wasn’t going to be able to stop him. He could easily be outside the city before she even knew he was gone.
 
So then why was he still here? Well, part of it was because of the arms and armor he’d been promised. Marcus had to admit, he didn’t know what shape the armor Karn had in mind for him would take, but he was excited for it. Something enchanted out the ass, but roomy enough for him to grow into? It sounded amazing. Marcus had never owned armor before. He kind of wanted to at least see it.
 
On top of that, that halberd had felt so good in his hands. He wanted to play with it some more. Rather, he wanted to fight with it. Wouldn’t do to go out into the wilderness unarmed and unarmored. Even if he was the Dark Lord or Destined Hero or whatever, even if he had a half-orc’s constitution, he still needed equipment.
 
More than that though… Marcus was seriously considering giving this whole Destined Hero thing a try anyways. They hadn’t found him out yet. So maybe he COULD be the Hero? Maybe he could be what they needed him to be and save the day. The only hiccup to that was the expectation that he would hunt down and kill the Dark Lord. He didn’t exactly intend to kill himself any time soon.
 
But that didn’t mean he couldn’t do some good in the Destined Hero’s name, right? Even at the orphanage, they heard about the Holy Empire’s troubles. Banditry was on the rise, for one. There were monsters and evil creatures always preying upon border towns as well. Plenty for him to do, even if he never actually ‘found’ the Dark Lord at all.
 
The way Serafina had spoken back there… acting like he was the supreme authority, even above herself, giving him control over Eris’ collar and making it clear to him that no one from the Church could order her around anymore… it had Marcus wondering if there might have been some hidden message behind the Holy Pope’s words.
 
For instance, there was that information she’d given him about Eris. Why would Serafina gift him a Thief that had literally Awakened just that day? Was it truly as Serafina had said, and Eris had just proven to be exceptionally compliant? Or was there something more to the Holy Pope’s decision?
 
One would think Serafina of all people wouldn’t speak in riddles, but the way she’d acted, it was almost as though she thought he’d be in danger if he stayed at the Cathedral overly long. Whether that was danger of being killed or danger of being accosted, Marcus didn’t know. Maybe he was reading into all of it way too much.
 
He did know one thing for shit-sure, however. Even in his state of total inner turmoil, Marcus couldn’t let Eris’ situation continue, not for one more moment.
 
Pushing off of the bed he’s been sat on for an hour now at long last, the half-orc strides for the door with purpose. He steps out into the hall and makes his way to Eris’ room, knocking and clearing his throat once he’s outside her door.
 
“Its Marcus… may I come in?”
 
For a long moment, there’s no answer. He doesn’t know what he’ll do if she doesn’t say anything. He’ll probably still enter anyways, but he’s trying to be respectful here. He doesn’t want to accidentally walk in on her getting dressed or something like tha-
 
“… yes.”
 
What can only be Eris’ voice drifts through the door, startling Marcus almost as badly as if she’d yelled at him. Blinking, he slowly opens the door and steps into the room, closing it behind him as he goes. Eris is sat on the bed when he enters, but the moment she sees him, she leaps to her feet, seemingly uncertain.
 
Marcus doesn’t give her the chance to speak. He doesn’t even approach her. He doesn’t have to. When Serafina said she transferred ownership over to him, she meant it. He could feel it now that enough time had passed. Niggling away in the back of his mind. He had complete control over Eris’ collar and shackles. And through them, he had complete control of her.
 
But while Marcus might not know who or what the fuck he was just yet, he knew one thing for certain. He wasn’t going to be a slaver, full stop.
 
And so, he’s already reached out with his mind as she hops to her feet. He’s already taken hold of that connection he has with her collar and shackles… and shredded it into nothing. As he purposefully destroys the magic linking them together as Master and Servant, Marcus watches the collar around Eris’ neck snap open, and the shackles around her wrists and ankles fall away. It all clatters to the floor, defunct and disabled.
 
Bouncing on the wooden floor of the room, both of them stare down at the instruments of her enslavement for a long second. And then, Eris lunges at him.
 
Marcus lets it happen. He’s not about to let her kill him, but he’s also not against letting her work out some of her hatred and frustration on him if it’ll make her feel better. She’s free now so really he’s happy to support whatever she wants to do next, so long as it doesn’t end up with her back in the Church’s clutches. He figures he’ll let her scratch him up for a little bit and get it out of her system before they sit down and talk things through. It only makes sense in Marcus’ mind.
 
… Which is why he’s so surprised when the Beastkin lands on him, but rather than clawing him up and trying to turn him into shredded meat… her lips slam into his, and she kisses him deeply and passionately with a LOT more tongue than Marcus is expecting.
 
The half-orc’s eyes widen from their half-closed state as the diminutive Beastkin kisses him like she’s trying to suck the damn life out of him or something. Eventually, they do have to break apart for air. As their lip lock ends, Eris pulls away just enough to look him in the eye, a conniving smile on her lips as she licks them eagerly.
 
“My Lord.”
 
… What the fuck?!

-x-X-x-

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