The Sun Service

Wendy’s stomach growled.

“Ugh. That smells so good.”

Neku laughed.

“What? I didn’t get breakfast.”

“Then it's a good thing there is a feast today.” Neku smiled as she said it.

Wendy and Neku seemed to be in very good moods. Darx had no clue what to expect with the sun service, but it helped to see the girls relaxed and excited. Apparently the incredible smell was roast razorboar, and it was everywhere inside the church. A razorboar was a massive pig-beast native to Riledo. They apparently raised them as cattle in the western plains. Darx couldn’t imagine it, he’d seen a painting of a group of Battle Nuns fighting one as a child, and it had stuck in his head. The nun on the ground, her broken spear piercing the massive beast’s chest, the arrows sticking out of its back, the mage casting fire at the beast’s flank. If that painting was at all accurate he couldn’t imagine the people that raised them as cattle.

If Neku was right, they had brought hundreds to the capital for today’s feast. Usually the church made and handed out stew on feast days. But today was a very special feast that had been planned for months. That meant it was planned well before Darx came to the church. The plans would have begun before he even returned to the capital. So the special feast couldn’t be on account of him. When he stated that out loud Neku didn't agree, she didn't say he was wrong either, her reaction had brought questions into his mind. Was this a part of a prophecy? Had they known the choices he would make? Did they know he would be here?

“Good morning, Blessed one.” A cluster of Battle Nuns walked towards him. Darx couldn’t help but smile, it was a full party, a full party of Battle Nuns. Despite everything he'd seen and experienced, it was incredibly exciting to see them all together. Darx felt like a kid again, looking at figures larger than life. The craziest part was he had met several of them, talked to them. Raina, the blue-haired mage that made the bath for him when he first came to the church, she met his gaze and looked away shyly. Soraya, the one he met in the library, She smiled at him seductively when his eyes met hers. Dalia, who stood at the front like the group’s leader, strong posture and proud eyes, but she looked at Darx like she was worried he didn’t like her.

He recognized those three, the other three he hadn’t met yet. A tall lady in a hood, she had long legs and a low-cut habit that showed a lot of cleavage. She had a two-handed sword strapped to her back, so she must be another fighter.

The next nun was obviously an archer. Her habit was unarmored, her bow nearly as tall as she was. She stood out with her pale, pearly-white hair. She was quite cute as well.

Lastly a lady in a large hood with a rather revealing habit. Blonde hair spilled from her hood and she had some kind of runes tattooed on her arm. She was most likely a mage.

“We shall escort you to the Temple.” Dalia continued, Darx realizing he hadn’t spoken at all, just stared.

“Yes.” Darx managed. This group was as beautiful as the ones he remembered seeing as a kid. No wonder he had wanted to become an adventurer, his early influences had been Syvis saving his life and then Battle Nuns. And now he was their Blessed One. It was strange.

“It is a pleasure to finally meet you.” The archer stepped forward and curtseyed, her voice was light and soft, and she blushed as she addressed him.

Darx stepped forward, took her hand. “The pleasure is mine, I’m Darx.”

“Charlotte” She answered, smiling at him. “Umm, and this is our leader, Dalia.” She said gesturing to the stern looking nun who looked even stiffer now that she was wearing her heavy armor.

“I live to serve you, Blessed One.” She stated as she bowed, re-asserting the power dynamic Darx disagreed with.

“Dalia.” He acknowledged her, then added, “We all serve the Goddess.” Neku had convinced him not to fight with Dalia, but he would at least try and stop her ridiculousness from spreading to the others.

“Yes,” Dalia replied, bowing again, “of course.” Her very pointed deference to him was bothersome, but at least it wasn't as bad as yesterday.

She turned to the others. “I believe you have met Raina and Soraya.” Darx nodded as the ladies bowed to him.

“This is Anya.” She said, gesturing to the tall one with the sword.

“An honor, Blessed One.” Anya stepped forward and curtseyed.

“And this is our cleric, Judith, whom you have not met yet.” The blonde stepped forward and curtseyed.

“A pleasure, ladies.” Darx answered.

The battle nuns surrounded him, Dalia and Anya in front, Judith and Charlotte on either side of him and Raina and Soraya behind. Neku looked annoyed as she and Wendy were forced to walk well behind him.

“Dalia always puts me at the back.” Darx heard Raina whisper behind him.

“I don’t know.” Soraya said a little louder. “I kind of like the view from here.”

Darx turned his head and Soraya winked at him, a wicked smile on her face.

“Soraya.” Raina chastised her fellow nun quietly. Darx heard Charlotte snicker beside him.

“Children.” Judith muttered under her breath.

“Sisters.” Dalia said sternly, and the rest fell quiet.

As they approached the large open section of the church that was the temple of Imris, Darx began to hear drumming. Low, booming drums beating out a simple rhythm.

“The dance has started.” Dalia stated as they walked around a corner and up to a set of large wooden doors. Beside the door was Priest Gabriel and his attendants, men in heavy robes carrying symbols of Imris, the large ruby sun amulet and the “Hands of the goddess” a silver circle with two hands reaching downward. The Priest looked to Dalia and she bowed. He nodded approval back to her. Darx couldn’t help remember that Dalia had been the one that brought him back yesterday. She had completed her mission and the Priest seemed pleased with her.

“I hear, Darx, that this is your first time joining us.” The Priest said to Darx.

“Yes, there weren't regular services in Merton.” He answered.

“A tragedy, but one that will quickly be remedied.” He replied. “The ladies will lead you in first, show you where to sit.” He said it as much to Dalia as he did to Darx. “Your companions may join you. I will enter later.”

“You are in for a treat, Blessed One.” Soraya whispered as the doors opened and Dalia started to lead them into the temple.

The drums boomed through the massive and empty stone building. Darx was in awe. He’d read about the temple, seen drawings of it, but in person it was so much more. First off, it was massive, thousands of people could fit inside this room. It was also incredible high. Massive marble pillars supported the ceiling that was several stories above. He looked to the ceiling and saw the windows he knew were to let in the sun light, a number of them darkened to create the dim atmosphere the temple was currently under.

In the lower light it was hard to make out the identity of the statues of Zrephian Kings, Queens and heroes that lined the walls of the temple. Yet the dim light did little to dull the brilliant red hue of the statue of the goddess. A massive ruby sculpture sitting at the base of the stage they were on.

“Come, Blessed One, you must sit before the people are allowed to enter.”

“Sorry.” Darx answered. The temple was incredible, he had lost himself for a moment. Darx couldn’t find the drummers, but the beat resonated through the temple, he could feel it in the floors.

The nuns led him to a large chair on a raised set of steps to the right side of the stage and Darx sat. Then the Nuns fanned out behind the chair, three on each side.

“The drums?” He asked Neku when she and Wendy reached him.

“They are below us, attached to the pillars Darx. They are specially designed and enchanted to resonate the sound.” Neku said.

“I love it.” Wendy said, then, “Neku, where do we stand?”

Darx realized they had no chairs for the two of them, just for him. Neku just smiled at Wendy and sat down beside Darx on the steps, leaning against his leg.

“No way.” Wendy said.

“Come on, it isn’t so bad.” Neku replied with a smile. Wendy sat down and leaned against his leg like Neku.

Darx could only imagine what he looked like sitting there, the battle nuns behind him, Neku and Wendy leaning against his legs like he was a warlord and they were part of his harem.

“Hey, you two can take the chair, I’ll sit on the step.” Darx offered, feeling uncomfortable.

“Don’t be absurd, Darx. The people aren’t coming to see Wendy and I.” Neku answered.

“I don’t like this.” Darx said.

“You don’t like us sitting with you like this?” Neku said, running her hand up his leg. Wendy laughed.

“It seems like something a man should enjoy, Darx.” Wendy said, teasing him as she also ran her hand over his leg.

“Okay, just please stop.” Darx yielded, this didn’t feel like the place to be doing such things.

The ladies looked at each other and smiled. But they stopped.

In a few moments the drums accelerated. The massive stone doors at the far end of the temple swung open. Darx had read about the Dwarven earth mages that came and balanced the incredibly large and heavy doors so that they would open and close with little effort. He wished he could watch them operate from up close, but as they opened he could see that wouldn’t be possible. A massive crowd filled the central square of Riledo, and the noise of them dancing, shouting, and singing was deafening.

“Oh man, we're missing the best part, Neku.” Wendy complained.

“We’re here for Darx, Wendy.” Neku responded.

The first people to enter the temple were clearly nobles. They walked in solemnly in their fancy clothes, walking up to the front, right near the statue of Imris. Many of them looked at him, curiosity, excitement, a few with disdain. They filled the front section and then guards took a large wooden beam and fixed it across the temple behind them. Once it was secured they took their posts on the nobles’ side of the beam and signaled the guards at the back. Nuns and Monks, Fryars, Acolytes and Deacons all designated by their different dress, began to fill in along the sides of the church. Darx could feel their eyes upon him and the excitement, the anticipation in the room build as they entered.

A man in Deacon’s robes walked onto the stage and approached the front, stepped onto a raised platform. From his readings about the construction of this temple, Darx knew that platform marked a point where a person’s voice would carry throughout the temple.

“Imris welcomes her children!” The man shouted, the entire temple resonating with his words.

Immediately the crowds in the square began to move. They were dancing as they entered the church doors.
The way they moved as they made their way into the building made Darx think of waves washing ashore with the tide. They sang notes over the drumming, a wordless song and dance that came pouring into the temple from the square. As more entered the temple they spread out into circles and kept dancing, kept singing. They formed an oval of people reaching the front and sides, then the next people formed one inside of the first one. They alternated their steps, all of them moving together, creating a shifting mass of people that was almost hypnotic to watch.

“Man, I wish I was down there.” Wendy said, leaning across to Neku. “I wish we could be in the dance.”

“We didn’t even get any of the festival wine.” Neku replied. Darx just sat there, taking it all in.

When the temple was filled Darx saw the Priest walk in through the side door. The people let out a cheer as they danced, then another, in time with their movements. Priest Gabriel stepped up onto the raised platform and raised his arms. The people shouted as the dance seemed to accelerate.

“Children of our Goddess!” The Priest’s voice boomed through the temple.

“IMRIS!” The people shouted in response, the dance growing in intensity.

“For whom do you dance?”

“IMRIS!”

“To whom do we sing?”

“IMRIS!”

“To whom do we cry?”

“IMRIS!”

“To whom do we owe our lives?”

“IMRIS!”

“To whom do we owe our souls?”

“IMRIS!”

“And whom do we seek each day at the dawn?”

“IMRIS!” The people shouted louder this time as they all stopped dancing with a loud stomp. The drums stopped with them, the echo taking a second to fade.

“Brothers and Sisters.” The Priest continued, his voice lower, conversational almost. “I tell you Imris is among us. She is here, with us. Even now, we feel her power.”

“YES!” The people shouted.

“We feel her love.”

“YES!”

“We await her light!” He yells this and the people respond in kind, yells, whistles, cries of joy. A lady near the barrier faints in the intense frenzy and two nuns rush to help her. The Priest only continues, ramping up the intensity and emotion of the room with each statement.

“Dark clouds blanket the sky, but is she blinded?”

“NO!”

“The Mountains quake but is she moved?”

“NO!”

“The Demons roar but is she frightened?”

“NO!”

“Today more than any time I have stood before you, Today I tell you, her will is close at hand!” Cries of joy, shouts of “Imris” and “Save Us!” Someone shouts “Amen” and the priest points in their direction.

“AMEN!” Priest Gabriel shouts, and the people echo. Darx can feel the room shift slightly, the Priest is using his [Voice of Command].

“Your Goddess hears you!” He continues, the crowd cries out in response.

“Today, among you stands her answer to our prayers.”

“The Blessed One!” someone shouts.

“Yes, my children.” He is cut off by more shouts. Darx feels the eyes of the people shift to him.

“Today, he is among us.” More shouting, a few more faint and are carried out of the throng by nuns. A lady tries to climb over the wooden barrier and is held back by the guards. Darx can see the people looking at him. They know what the Priest is leading up to, they know who he is talking about. Suddenly Priest Gabriel's voice shifts. He continues, softer, the crowd silences to hear him, hanging on every word as his [Voice of Command] makes his message ring stronger in their minds.

“In darkness we have walked, my children, led only by Imris’ distant light. We struggle and we fight and weep while Imris leads us through our trials, as she leads us toward a better day. As the darkness shrouds our path, as the storm clouds gather and thunder, we cling to her light, leading us ever onward toward salvation!“

“Save us!” someone yells.

The Priest pauses, looking in the direction of the voice, nods slightly.

“Long we have waited.” He says then pauses, Darx can feel the tension in the room, thousands of people hanging on his words.

When he speaks again his voice is soft, but it builds in volume and conviction with each statement.

“But today.”

“Today.” The people reply.

“But today, I tell you.” His voice a bit louder, more confident.

“Today!” The people respond louder.

“Today her light shines in our midst.”

“Imris!” Someone shouts, others echo it.

“I tell you, TODAY her will stands among us,” he is animated now, gesturing and talking faster, “her right hand, unburdened, has come to embrace us; to protect us."

The room is growing brighter, Darx looks to the ceiling and sees the sun starting to creep into an undarkened window. At the center of the window is some kind of crystal. The Priest is still talking, growing more animated and intense.

“Her hand comes to bring the light of our goddess to us not just to guide us, but to fight for us!”

Shouts of joy ring out.

“To lead us to victory!”

“YES!” the people shout.

“Victory over our fears, over our suffering. Victory over the forces that threaten our very existence.”

“IMRIS!”

“Today my children!”

“TODAY!”

“No longer shall we stumble about, no longer shall we wait in vain for our redemption."

Shouts of “Imris!” and “The Blessed One” erupt.

Priest Gabriel turned to Darx. “Come,” he said softly, holding out his hand. Darx stood up, started walking to the front of the stage.

The Priest turned back to the crowd. “Come forth promised of old, come forth Heir of Zrephia, come forth, return of the line of kings.”

As Darx reached the front of the stage he looked up to see the sun fully enter a small window near the center of the ceiling. The window tilts, guided by unseen workers, as the Priest shouts and the temple erupts in reply.

“I tell you my children the Blessed One is here!”

As he says it the light of the sun is redirected to the statue, to the ruby structure the statue of Imris holds above her head. Immediately the room is flooded with a reddish light, like the light of early dawn, it’s beautiful.

The crowd gasps. Darx sees a nobleman with stunned face kneel to the ground. He sees nuns shriek or gasp, then prostrate themselves. Everyone turns their eyes to him. The people cry out and stop pressing against the barrier. Darx doesn’t understand. He turns to Neku and Wendy, Neku is smiling and bows to the ground. Wendy is stunned, her hand over her mouth, then she kneels. The priest himself kneels before Darx.

What is happening? Is all Darx can think.

The whole temple is stunned. An all-encompassing silence hanging over everyone until the sun moves out of position, and the ruby statue stops shining light.

Dalia steps next to Darx and takes his arm. “Well done.” She says as she leads him back to his chair.

The Priest stands back up, his voice is calm, demure even.

“We thank you Imris for returning your light to us. We thank you for the bounty you give us.”

The people start humming softly and swaying as his voice carries through the room.

“We thank you that in our hour of need you have sent us your Blessed One, to lead us out of darkness, out of fear and death and into a new life, a new day, a bright tomorrow.”

Darx watches, still stunned, as the crowd cheers, praising Imris, crying out “Blessed One”, even as they remain greatly subdued compared to the frenzy earlier.

"We thank you, and we pledge our lives to you, our Goddess. We pledge our hearts and our strength to the Blessed One you have sent us. May we fulfil our vows to you as you have fulfilled your great promise in our presence here today."

Murmurs of "Amen" and "Praise Imris" flow through the temple.

“Now go my children.” The Priest says. “Today, more than any before we have cause to celebrate! Today we feast as never before!”

The crowd cheers, then starts to file out, slowly pouring out of the temple into the Central square. The smell of roast meat pours through the open doors into the temple, driving the throng outside to the feast. But not everyone leaves right away. A not small number stay behind, just staring at Darx.

“What was that?” Darx asked. He felt exhausted.

“Your eyes, Darx.” Wendy said as she stood and placed a hand on his shoulder. “They glowed.”

Neku helped him stand then hugged him tight. “They all see you now Darx. Now everyone knows who you really are.”