Devourer

Chapter 82: Faith and Duty

Mother Justina sat down wearily on a nearby bench. She looked up to see the prisoners from Tralis sitting together in groups nervously eating. She could see that some of them were in tears and trembling. Why they were trembling was very obvious. The very same beasts that had slaughtered their fellows were calmly patrolling this giant room. 

Justina scanned this massive room once again and once again she felt that familiar chill go up her spine. It wasn’t that she feared for her life or the life of the soldiers. The soldiers were being treated well at least on paper. Their food was good with even meat and cheese being on the menu. The room was well heated and beds were about as clean and comfortable as a prisoner of war could hope to expect. They got daily baths in a shared shower room and they could report any health issues to receive treatment.

The issue to her was not that the treatment was insufficient. It was that the treatment was too generous. Mother Justina knew that the real reason why most prisoners are treated poorly is not that they are hated and scorned. It is that it is expensive resource wise for good treatment. Not only that, infrastructure like accommodations are difficult to create on short notice. So prisoners end up in overcrowded conditions, in unsanitary conditions. Disease is rife, and with poor food storage the only things the prisoners receive are mouldy food that is less perishable. Like bread, hard cheese and gruel made from half rotten ingredients.

What Mother Justina was seeing however, was a very well constructed and well supplied prisoner containment structure. Almost as if this place was built especially for this purpose. From what she has seen, even the monsters had ways to easily access this structure, with vents and tunnels for them to emerge from. Those vents were quite disturbing, when Justina walked past them she would occasionally hear skittering and strange sounds echoing out from the vents. 

This place was constructed in advance, as if the Empress and the Great Beast knew it would be used. It was well maintained, well staffed and well supplied. The patrols and their schedules were already pre planned. The schedules of the prisoners were also well planned. They slept in large common rooms and ate in massive canteens. They were then led to this workyard where they were tasked with breaking down stone. The stone was supposedly dug up by the Great Beasts Hive and the prisoners were tasked with breaking them down into chunks that could be used for cobblestone. Then they returned for a shower, a meal and finally they went to bed. There was even half an hour set aside before bed for the Priestesses to conduct prayer services to help calm them down.

“Mother Justina.” an unfamiliar voice said.

Justina turned to see an ageing woman in her late forties standing next to the bench she was sitting on. The woman was wearing the white robes of the Priestesses of Mercy, what’s more the ornamentation on her robes indicate she was a High Mother, the second highest rank of the Priestesses of Mercy.

“High Mother.” Justina said as she hastily stood up and bowed respectfully to her senior.

“Raise your head, Mother Justina.” the woman said as she graciously reached forward to take Justina’s hands and raised her up.

“I am High Mother Meria. High Mother of the High Temple of Mercy in Averlon.” Meria said with a gentle smile.

“I remain Mother Justina of the People’s Church of Mercy in Tralis, revered High Mother. It is an honour to meet you, High Mother Meria.” Justina said courteously.

“The honour is mine.” Meria replied with a nod of her head.

“To what do I owe the honour of this visit?” Justina replied.

“I just wished to have a small chat, as you know I have sent some of the younger sisters to aid you in this place.” Meria said.

“Of which I am very grateful, High Mother. Their aid has been invaluable to the peace of mind of these poor souls. The fact that Elysian Priestesses are extending their kindness puts many of their minds at ease.” Justina replied. 

“That was my intent as well, these misguided souls are in a hostile nation. Being shown compassion from the people they came to conquer would comfort them.” Meria said.

“Again you have my thanks, then to what do I owe the honour of your visit?” Justina asked.

“Perhaps there is a better place to talk.” Meria said as she turned her head to look at the nearby door.

Justina nodded as Meria turned back around and the two left the canteen they were sitting in. Justina was led to a vacated private office and the pair sat down on a small couch. The owner of this office must have vacated it at the High Mother’s request. 

“What do you wish to speak about, revered High Mother?” Justina asked. At those words Meria let out a sigh as her gaze grew distant for a moment. Then without even looking at Justina she began to speak.

“Tell me Mother Justina, does the state of your nation bother you?” Meria asked.

“In what way do you mean?” Justina asked as she furrowed her brows.

“Does it not bother you how in your nation powerful men can drag women, wives and daughters away to be defiled on a whim?

Tell me is it true when a nobleman tours the countryside he can help himself to any woman that catches his eye? I hear he can take her in his carriage in her own bed or even take her back to his estate to serve as a toy. I even heard the common folk call their carriages bastard carts, because of how often women are impregnated within them. All of this is just rumours of course…” High Mother Meria said in a tone that betrayed the fact that she did not think it was just rumours. In truth she was just being polite.

“Yes it bothers me and no it isn’t just a rumour…” Justina replied softly.

“I can tell you what bothers me. How in this nation, the rich drink fine wine, commision art, and buy artisan tailored clothes. While the least among us struggle and starve. Elysian cities have rather famous slums, you know? We are famous for excess and debauchery. We have the best whore houses and drug dens in the world. Elysia gets sex tourists from as far as the Divonia Empire. 

Recently the Empress has reorganised these lands and the Empire has received a rather significant source of income. Can you guess what that is?” Meria asked and Justina shook her head, getting quite confused at the flow of this conversation.

“You see I have been speaking with the Empress and she has legalised the production and export of narcotics. She has maintained that consumption of such narcotics within Elysian lands is still prohibited but exporting it to foreign lands is now legal. Prostituition has also been legalised with whore houses now needing to be registered business locations.” Meria said and Justina visibly recoiled in shock.

“But won’t that promote such vices? The criminals will use this to expand their enterprises.” Justina sputtered.

“Not if the criminals answer to the crown. In the Great Beast’s words or at least as it was recited to me by the Empress. If they are going to snort that powder and pay for sex we might as well tax them for it. Violating these laws is now punishable by death and with the Great Beast’s children roaming the lands being a criminal now carries significant risk. So most of these organisations have decided to become legal businesses. 

From what I heard there are still a small handful of drug dens, but due to the new taxation laws on narcotics production and the increased risk of consumption few can now afford it. The Empress has acknowledged that some of these things will never truly go away due to the failings of human nature. So she decided to simply accept it and minimise it. Thus those handful of drug dens are tolerated but if any expansion occurs there will be action taken.

Now prostitutes get health checkups to ensure they aren’t carrying any diseases. They are afforded the protections that a legal working citizen can expect. They are protected under the working laws that prevent exploitation. Their employers must now pay them on time and declare their worker’s salaries to the tax bureau. 

The largest sources of export income of Elysia used to be wine and jewellery. We do have many gold mines afterall and large amounts of fertile lands. But now the narcotics export has increased significantly. Though the sale of it is in extremely limited quantities the high price they fetch more than makes up for it.” Meria said.

“Revered High Mother I am struggling to decipher the point of this line of conversation.” Justina replied.

“You see Mother Justina everything I have said generates wealth from vices. Said wealth is now being reinvested to improve the lives of the citizens. So tell me Mother Justina, is it wrong to capitalise and accept the failings of human nature in order to improve the lives of all?

The slums are slowly being converted into entertainment zones. Whore houses are safer for the workers, gambling houses are now regulated, hotels are now appearing in those areas for tourism. Their lives are getting better all through practical measures that although accepting of the vices, they end up improving the lives of those who live there.” Meria said and Justina’s mind began to contemplate those words. 

If holding onto strict doctrine means condemning the innocent to suffering then is that moral? It’s not like the people were not committing those vices, condemning it has done nothing. Justina herself knew whores end up selling their bodies because they have little choice. When the choice is to spread your legs or starve there isn’t really a choice…

“Then tell me Mother Justina, from the perspective of a Volerian, how can the sins of Volerian practices be used to benefit the people?” Meria asked and Justina started to contemplate those words. But try as she might she couldn’t think of anything. The culture of abusing women and extreme pride has brought nothing but harm to the good people of Voleria. So Justina shook her head, indicating that she had no idea.

“It’s a difficult question isn’t it? In truth the Great Beast has no idea as well. He views this distasteful aspect of Volerian culture to be redundant and a harm to the good of the Empire. Thus the Great Beast fully intends to uproot that aspect of Volerian life root and stem. 

It’s funny isn’t it? How we swear ourselves to the good of all, yet all we can do is clean up after the greater men and women. They do what they will and leave a trail of corpses in their wake, while all we can do is try to ease the suffering of those caught in the destruction. 

This is something I have personally battled all my life. What is right and what is wrong? The sacred texts give such simple answers but in truth reality often makes those solutions impossible or pointless to even attempt.” Meria said as a sad smile crossed her face.

“If we wish to follow the spirit behind the teachings of the divine we must look at the bigger picture. The end goal for it all must be to make the lives of people better.” Meria finished with a  sigh.

“Are you saying that we as members of the Church of Mercy should trust in the Great Beast and the Empress? The Great Beast is going to melt down the bodies of the fallen to make more soldiers.” Justina countered.

“Yes, that is exactly what is going to happen. Tell me Mother Justina, what are we going to do about it?” Meria asked in response.

Justina clammed up after that statement. In truth she knew, there was nothing they could do. Technically soldiers aren’t allowed to loot the dead but that rule has never been followed either.

“We will do nothing because we can do nothing. I have spoken to the Great Beast and do you know what impression I get?” Meria asked.

Justina just remained silent as she gazed at Meria, her mind a whorling mess.

“The Great Beast tolerates us. He views us as useful, because of the opinions of the people and the seraphim. In all honesty that is true for the human rulers as well. They would not give us so much leeway if the people do not support us and if the seraphim do not hang over us like divine judges.

So the point of this conversation is that I would like to ask you not to fight the Great Beast’s decisions on moral and ideological grounds. It will get you nowhere with a creature like that. Defend the lives and happiness of the people by selling the incentives that would benefit the Great Beast. 

You will have to compromise, to give up things you would never imagine you would have to give up. We are entering a new era, where the land we owned is now on a lease and the landlord is an ancient creature that has lived since time immemorial. That is our future…” Meria said.

“So we should just give up what we hold dear? Wag our tails like a dog for some ancient monster?” Justina retorted, still unable to accept this line of reasoning.

“Yes, that is what all High Mother’s do. We tolerate things because there is no other way. The Divonia Empire the most devout nation practices slavery and has fighting pits.

Volerians are devout, they attend church and keep the teachings of the divine close to their hearts. But yet infidelity and lust is rampant in the nation.

In Elysia it is much the same, hedonism, pride and avarice infects this nation like a disease. Yet in all these nations the Church tolerates all these things. 

Why? Well simply because some things must be surrendered for the greater good. Our faith can only guide how we wish to navigate the world, but it has little bearing on the cold logic of reality.” Meria replied as she sighed and looked down for a moment. Then she looked up and looked Justina in the eyes. Justina saw the gaze of a weathered woman who had to bear too much on her shoulders. 

Justina herself could empathise to an extent. She joined the church because she didn’t want to be married off like a broodmare. She didn’t want to spread her legs for someone she felt nothing for. Most marriages in Voleria were not happy marriages, with women having such low social status they were often treated like property. There was a reason that the Church of Voleria had so many female members, many took their vows to avoid a life of abuse. 

“Shouldn’t you be telling this to the High Mother of Voleria?” Justina asked weakly.

“You have seen what they can do, your words will carry much weight considering you actually spoke with the Great Beast and Empress. It would not be an exaggeration that your testimony will be worth more than any other in the coming days. Whether the Great Beast chooses blood or peace will depend on your actions. The word of a Mother of the Church of Mercy carries much weight as I am sure you are aware. Even if you fail your efforts will secure our place in the future, the church will endure and we can continue to give comfort to the people. Afterall, if not us, who else?” Meria replied.

“I see…” Justina said softly.

“It is a heavy burden, one thrust on you by the vicissitudes of fate. But bear them you must for the good of the innocent, so bear them you shall.” Meria said with a tone of finality.

At that moment Justina thought back to this quote she loved from the sacred texts.

To walk the righteous path is to be beset on all sides by belligerence and temptation

But walk this path you must, for no journey worth the name was ever paved in gold

In that moment Justina made her decision. High Mother Meria was right, she was always powerless. The ability to decide their own fate, to truly decide one’s fate is the domain of a handful of powerful individuals. The rest of the people just make do with what they have. One does not choose the cards they are dealt, one can only play them to the best of their ability. So if her own meagre ability can make a difference then how can she shy away from the righteous path? 

Her words will matter in the days to come. If anything she would need to calm the people. She has seen the beasts walking the streets in broad daylight. The people of Averlon do not seem that bothered by them. She has even seen children feeding them treats, but they do not know what the beasts can do when angered. Justina must ensure the beasts bare their fangs and claws as little as possible. For if they do, blood will flow…

With that final thought in her mind Justina spoke half to High Mother Meria and half to herself.

If it must be done, then it will be done…