The sun had sunk behind the trees, leaving the sanctuary draped in a twilight that painted the stained glass with hues of blood and shadow. Renn sat on one of the wooden pews, his dagger resting across his lap as he wiped it clean with a rag already stained dark red. The amber crystal on the altar glowed faintly, casting reflections that danced across the white stone walls like silent ghosts. Beside him, Lilith stood tall, her silhouette sharp against the dimness, adjusting her habit with golden embroidery that seemed to absorb the light rather than reflect it. The air inside the sanctuary was cool, thick with the scent of moss and old wood, but there was an unspoken tension neither of them acknowledged.
Renn let out a long sigh, breaking the silence as he scrubbed at a stubborn stain on his blade's edge.
"Those idiots in the chat are still rattling around in my head," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm that barely masked his irritation. "Useless nuns, huh? Let them laugh all they want, but after today, I'd love to see them face your shadows and walk away with anything more than shit in their pants."
Lilith turned to him, a soft smile curving her lips, her red eyes glinting with a mix of devotion and mischief.
"My lord, their words are just empty noise. They lack the vision to understand what we are, what we can become. But you… you see it, and that's what matters."
He raised an eyebrow, setting the dagger aside and crossing his arms.
"Sure, because I'm a visionary genius, right? I'm just trying not to look like the dumbass who let a bunch of kobolds kick his ass. But you're right about one thing: what we did today wasn't half bad. That shaman didn't know what hit him when you sent him to fry his own buddies."
She laughed, a warm sound that echoed through the enclosed sanctuary like the chime of distant bells.
"It was a pleasure, my lord. But I feel he was only the beginning of what I can do for you. There's more in this place, more power waiting to be claimed."
Renn stood, stretching with a grunt as his joints cracked again.
"Speaking of that, we've got a handful of those weird chalices the system gave me. If we're going to shut those bastards up, we need more ground, more resources… more everything. What do you say, Lilith? Should we risk checking out what's north?"
She tilted her head, her gaze locked on him with an intensity that knotted his stomach for a moment.
"I'm always ready to follow you, my lord. Wherever you go, my faith will carry me."
"Perfect," he said, pulling a Chalice of Revelation from his bracelet's inventory and holding it aloft. "Then let's kick that Faith Fog in the ass and see what the system throws at us this time."
He activated the chalice, and a blinding golden light erupted from it, slicing through the northern fog like a razor. The gray veil that had shrouded the horizon slowly dissipated, fading like a sigh on the wind.
[System]: You used a Chalice of Revelation. The Faith Fog is dissipating. Countdown: 10, 9, 8…
Renn squinted as the fog cleared, revealing a rugged stretch of low hills and sparse vegetation, dotted with gullies that crisscrossed the land like scars. The wind blew hard, kicking up sand and gravel that rattled against exposed stones, and an eerie silence filled the air, broken only by the rustle of dry leaves.
"Looks like a shithole," Renn said, his sarcastic tone cutting through the quiet. "But I guess we didn't come here for the scenery. Ready to kick some ass if anything pops out to say hi?"
Lilith nodded eagerly, her hand brushing the prayer tome hanging at her waist.
"Always, my lord. My faith and my shadows are at your service."
They stepped into the newly revealed clearing, their boots crunching over loose gravel as the wind whipped at their faces. The terrain was treacherous, with hills blocking their sightlines and gullies that could hide anything. Renn kept his dagger ready, his eyes scanning every shadow, while Lilith walked beside him, her presence a blend of calm and alertness that steadied him more than he'd admit.
They hadn't gone more than a hundred steps when a shrill screech shattered the silence, followed by the sound of rapid, scrambling footsteps. From behind a nearby hill, a pack of goblins burst forth like a chaotic horde, their small, hunched bodies moving with frantic energy. Some carried crude bows made of twisted branches, others wielded makeshift spears tipped with sharpened stone, and at the back, a taller, slyer goblin shaman watched with gleaming eyes, its feathered, bone-covered staff trembling as it muttered dark words.
"Goblins," Renn said, his voice laced with mockery as he raised his dagger. "Great, because I was getting bored of kobolds. How about giving them a special welcome, Lilith?"
She nodded, her expression hardening with cold determination.
"With pleasure, my lord."
Before the goblins could organize, Lilith raised her hands, and an Enhanced Shadow Barrier formed around them, a solid dome shimmering with golden streaks in the sunlight. The goblins' arrows struck the barrier, snapping like brittle twigs, while the spearmen's thrusts bounced off with a metallic clang that echoed across the clearing.
"Watch the shaman!" Renn shouted, pointing at the staff-wielding goblin. "That bastard doesn't look like he's here just to watch."
Lilith turned her head toward the shaman, her eyes narrowing as she assessed the threat.
"Leave him to me, my lord. Mass Confusion should do it."
With a sweeping gesture, she unleashed a wave of dark energy that rippled outward like a lethal whisper. The wave hit the goblins, and their eyes glazed over instantly. Archers began firing at each other, their arrows piercing their own comrades in a bloody mess, while a spearman turned and stabbed another in the chest, laughing as if possessed. The shaman, caught in his own mind, raised his staff and fired a bolt of black energy that incinerated two of his spearmen before they could react, their bodies collapsing into charred heaps.
Renn charged in, capitalizing on the chaos with practiced precision. A goblin tried to block him with a spear, but he deflected it with a twist of his wrist and slit its throat in one clean motion, letting the creature crumple into a pool of green blood. Another attempted to flank him, swinging a bow like a club, but Renn saw it coming, rolled under a clumsy swing, and drove his dagger into its gut, finishing it with a quick twist of the blade.
The battle raged with brutal intensity, but Lilith's power tipped the scales. The goblins, trapped in their own confusion, decimated each other, while Renn picked off the stragglers with precise strikes. The shaman, finally breaking free of the spell, attempted one last attack, conjuring a crackling bolt of dark energy that streaked toward Lilith. She saw it coming and reinforced the barrier, but the impact staggered her, dropping her to one knee with a gasp.
"Lilith!" Renn yelled, sprinting toward her as the shaman prepared another spell. A spearman tried to intercept him, but Renn dispatched it with a swift strike to the chest and leaped at the shaman, burying his dagger in its skull with a dry crunch. The goblin collapsed, and the battle ended in a heavy silence, broken only by the drip of blood onto the ground.
Renn knelt beside Lilith, helping her up carefully.
"You okay?" he asked, his voice steady but tinged with concern as he gripped her arm.
She nodded, her breath ragged as she leaned on him.
"I'm fine, my lord. Just… a little drained. That shaman was stronger than I expected."
"Too strong for my liking," Renn said, wiping his dagger on the dead shaman's tunic. "But we did it. Look, he dropped something shiny over there."
The goblins' bodies began to dissolve into ash, leaving behind small crystals that glowed with a white and golden light. Renn picked one up, examining it with curiosity.
[System]: You obtained 25 Sacred Energy Crystals. Resources collected for eliminating hostile goblins.
"Sacred Energy Crystals, huh?" he said, twirling the crystal between his fingers. "Not bad for a bunch of rats with sticks. Let's haul this back to the sanctuary and see what we can do with it."
Lilith smiled, catching her breath as she stood with his help.
"A fine haul, my lord. With these, we can strengthen our home."
Back at the sanctuary, Renn set the crystals beside the altar, watching as the amber crystal seemed to react to their presence with a brighter glow. He opened his bracelet, scanning for options to use the resources, when the system chimed in again, its voice echoing in his mind:
[System]: Construction available: Sacred Watchtower. Requirements: 10 Sacred Energy Crystals. Description: A defensive structure that expands territory vision and detects corrupted threats.
Renn raised an eyebrow, shooting Lilith a crooked grin.
"A tower, huh? Hope it doesn't topple in the first stiff breeze. What do you think, Lilith? Fancy a view from up high?"
"It's perfect, my lord," she replied, her voice warm and approving. "Now we'll see our enemies coming from afar and be ready."
Renn selected the option on his bracelet, and a golden glow erupted from the amber crystal, stretching toward an empty space near the sanctuary's entrance. The light solidified into a tall, slender structure—a white stone tower with golden accents that gleamed in the twilight, its peak crowned by a small bell that rang softly upon completion.
[System]: Construction completed: Sacred Watchtower. Cost: 10 Sacred Energy Crystals. Remaining resources: 15 Sacred Energy Crystals.
"Not bad," Renn said, walking over to the tower and rapping his fist against its base to test its sturdiness. "At least it doesn't feel like it'll collapse if someone sneezes nearby."
Lilith approached, her gaze sweeping over the structure with approval.
"It's one more step toward our stronghold, my lord. With this, our sanctuary will be a bastion worthy of the Sacred Order."
Renn nodded, but his mind was already on the remaining chalices. He pulled another from his inventory and held it up.
"We've still got energy and chalices. How about we check out the east? That roar from yesterday's got me curious, and I don't like loose ends."
"I'm ready, my lord," she replied, her tone buzzing with enthusiasm. "Wherever you go, my faith will carry me."
He activated the second chalice, and the golden light sliced through the eastern fog, dispelling it with the same countdown:
[System]: You used a Chalice of Revelation. The Faith Fog is dissipating. Countdown: 10, 9, 8…
The fog cleared, revealing a gentler terrain of low hills and a clearing where a crystalline spring bubbled up from the earth, its waters shimmering with a white and golden glow. Beside the spring, an ancient scroll lay half-buried in the moss, its surface etched with runes that pulsed with energy.
Renn approached the spring, dipping a hand into the cool water and feeling a tingle run up his arm.
"A spring, huh? This could come in handy," he said, shaking the droplets off his hand. "What's that scroll say, Lilith?"
She knelt beside the scroll, lifting it carefully and unrolling it. Her eyes traced the runes with a mix of awe and reverence.
"It speaks of the Sacred Order, my lord. It says that centuries ago, a holy artifact was lost in these lands—a reliquary holding the power of the first nuns. It could be key to our mission…"
Renn raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms as he processed the info.
"A lost reliquary, huh? Sounds like something those chat idiots would never find. Maybe we could track it down and rub it in their faces."
[System]: You discovered a Sacred Spring. Reward: 5 Sacred Energy Crystals daily. Current resources: 20 Sacred Energy Crystals.
"Well, now that's a gift," Renn said, grinning as he eyed the spring. "Free energy every day. Not bad for a stroll east."
Lilith smiled, tucking the scroll away carefully.
"With this, our sanctuary will grow even stronger, my lord. We can use it to recruit more sisters, to spread our faith."
Renn scratched his chin, glancing at the crystals piled in his inventory.
"You're right. We've got enough to give it a shot. What do you say, Lilith? Up for some company?"
She nodded, her gaze warm and expectant.
"Always, my lord. I'm eager to meet our new sister."
Renn stepped up to the sanctuary's central altar, placing the crystals on the pedestal as Lilith knelt beside him, murmuring a silent prayer. The system responded instantly:
[System]: Resources used: 20 Sacred Energy Crystals. Initiating recruitment ritual. A new nun will be summoned.
Golden light flared from the amber crystal, brighter than ever, enveloping the altar in a blinding glow. A figure began to materialize slowly in the center, shrouded in a veil of light that obscured its features. Renn squinted, his heart beating faster as the shape solidified, but before he could make it out clearly, the glow intensified, leaving him hanging.
"Talk about keeping us on edge," he muttered, his voice thick with sarcasm as the echo of a distant roar rumbled again from the east, closer this time.
Lilith rose, her eyes fixed on the emerging figure.
"Whoever she is, my lord, she'll be a blessing to our cause."
The day faded into dusk, leaving behind a sanctuary aglow with amber light and the promise of challenges and allies yet to be revealed.