ALL NOVEL 40. Pontifex Maximus Tavalscar
Astaria noticed a lone priestess kneeling and praying before the statue of Ceres. Deciding the best option available to her was to get the priestess's help, she gestured for the group to be silent as they walked and stood off to the side, waiting for the priestess to finish her prayers.
After a minute, the priestess rose to her feet, turning to the group with a warm smile and revealing her outfit properly now she was standing.
Her attire was a combination of catholic priest robes over an ankle length toga, all white with the signature colours of the goddess prominent in the clothing’s accents. It was quite the odd sight for those unfamiliar with the standard religious garbs of this world, the style clashing between two different religions from Earth that would never be associated.
From what Astaria knew, this style was a development from this world’s progression, the toga being introduced by the gods as it was the garment most of them wore while making their few and rare appearances throughout history and the priest’s attire being incorporated after since many of those at the temple offered healing to those in need. The addition of another piece of clothing that could provide an increase to the priest's attributes became very helpful and it was a style that the general populous recognised as a healer's garb, so the temple had apparently decided to make the combined style uniform across the continent, thus ending up with the style currently seen on the priestess.
The style varied slightly depending on the god each temple worshipped, but the base priest's attire for each was similar. A priest's rank could also be ascertained by the number of vertical bars on the end of each side of their collar, and in the cases of the highest ranks, a laurel wreath that adorned the head.
“Thank you for waiting, many Immortal Warriors have visited today and disturbed the other temple priests in the middle of their worship, so it is nice to meet those of you who respect the temple's customs. How may I help you?”
The priestess had 2 gold stripes on her collar so was a fully initiated priestess in the temple, the 2nd rank above new apprentices, genuinely smiled at the group which Astaria returned as she spoke.
“I’m sad to hear others like us have been so rude. We are looking for a member of the temple who would be able to assist us with the formation of the first guild of Immortal Warriors. If it is not too late, may we make this request?”
Giving a slight nod, the priestess began to ask a few questions.
“Before I see if there is anyone available, can you confirm that you have a total of 10,000 Temple Contribution points and 50 gold? Without this requirement, you will be unable to form a guild and we have had to turn down many others like yourselves today because of this fact.”
Astaria nodded as she spoke.
“We have. We made sure to meet all the requirements before we came”
With a bow, the priestess responded before walking into one of the side halls.
“That is appreciated. Please wait a moment while I see if anyone is available.”
While waiting for the priestess to return, the group began to talk in a low murmur, talking about their experiences so far. It seemed like everyone outside of the combat group was still below level 5, managing to gain what experience they could from a few enemies encountered on their travels to the capital, and from the various quests they had completed. While the quests did not give much in rewards, the total accumulation of Temple Contribution Points from their large group was more than enough to cover the difference left after the rewards from killing Square Jaw.
Connor had also reported his success in his negotiations with Marquis Caspallian, mentioning how the high ranking Noble wanted to meet directly with her. This was welcomed as having ties to the kingdom of Alennos’s ruling elite would mean - provided negotiations were successful - she had the opportunity to get access to some of the kingdom’s resources to aid in her next undertaking in the empire.
Depending on the outcome of her current plans, it could either make or break everything she had devised so far.
The group waited no longer than 5 minutes before the priestess returned with a man in his 50s behind her. He had long, grey hair tied up in a ponytail swaying behind him, a laurel wreath adorning his head. His robes were similar to the priestess with some additional gold embroidery around the edges and 6 gold bars adorning each side of his collar.
In the past Astaria had only seen this man A few times from a distance while he gave speeches, but never had the chance to speak in person. After all, it was rare for someone to speak directly to the Pontifex Maximus of a main temple, especially one in the capital of a kingdom.
Astaria stepped forward to give a respectful bow, yet corrected herself after remembering she was now a woman and moved into a curtsy, still quite rough in execution but correct, nonetheless. The rest of the group followed her lead from behind with varying results.
“Greetings Warriors sent by the gods. I have been informed that you wish to formally establish a guild?”
Astaria rose from her curtsy, recalling what she could about the man before her.
“Greeting’s Pontifex Maximus Tavalscar, I apologise for requesting assistance this late in the evening, however, our schedule is incredibly busy with many of us leaving the capital tomorrow at dawn. We do indeed wish to formally establish a guild and have made sure to meet all the requirements before coming this evening.”
The Pontifex Maximus gave a warm smile as he gestured towards the statue towing above them.
“In that case, please come this way. I will admit it is quite an honour for me to be the one to help establish the first guild of Immortal Warriors. Out of curiosity, may I ask your name?”
Astaria who was a few steps behind answered as the group loosely followed behind her, intensely watching their conversation.
“My name is Astaria. I imagine you are asking because of the World Announcements?”
The Pontifex Maximus chuckled as he stood before the statue, glancing back at her as he spoke with an air of anticipation.
“Indeed. I have seen your name appearing multiple times these last two days, and I must say your feats are impressive for someone who has just arrived in the world. When the gods first informed us about your impending arrival, we were told your growth would be slow at the start, however, it seems some of your group may be the exceptions to that. I can see you becoming prominent amongst your brethren and imagine you have the god’s attention.”
Astaria let out a slightly hollow laugh, shaking her head in slight exasperation. Looking in her inventory, she pulled out a small leather pouch which held 50 gold coins and handed it to the Pontifex Maximus.
“That's one way to put it. I had an unexpected meeting with Fortuna as I entered this world… and it was life changing, to say the least.”
The Pontifex Maximus cocked an eyebrow before taking the bag of gold and placing it before the statue, then focused on clasping his hands and assuming a posture in prayer.
“Oh? Well, it seems no coincidence that your group is the first to make such achievements with Fortuna watching over you. Anyway, let us begin.”
In Caelus online, the way the system interacted with the inhabitants and Immortal Warriors was different. For nearly every native, they had only access to their own personal information, parties, and raid parties. However, in the cases of those blessed by the gods, that was slightly different. The majority of those blessed worked within the temples across the world, and they had access to limited functions of the system. This mainly was extended to having access to what they called ‘world Announcements’, which to the players was known as server announcements.
For the Pontifex Maximus as the head of a temple, he would have at least had access to the server announcements, however depending on how much the gods blessed him, he may have had access to more.
After a few moments in prayer, the Pontifex Maximus raised his head and looked at what Astaria assumed was a screen that appeared only visible to him, pressing a few things before a system message appeared before Astaria.
Reading through the new screen, Astaria saw several blank fields ready for her to fill in.
“Before you is the guild registration screen. Please fill it out, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. I shall assist you as best I can.”
Giving a quick word in thanks, Astaria started filling out the information.
