Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

Chapter 182: The Church Of Elenaria

Elevated above the steam and the circling roads, was the isolated church of Elenaria guarded by shamans of all shapes and forms. Some humans, some demi-humans, and plenty of abominations held like dogs, stood guard in front of the massive gates of the castle-like tall building. Decorated with stained glass with starry engravings, the church was as radiant on the outside as it was inside.

However, its entrance was only reserved for the most devout followers of Elenaris, only a handful had even stepped inside.

"So you have arrived…" Moving closer to the hero's party, a winged guard with an eagle face stomped his staff in warning. "We'd heard you'd be here, our goddess warned us."

"Warned you?" Raven repeated, already not liking where the conversation was going.

"Are you gonna make this difficult?" Amedith questioned, his fingers tingling with the guards slowly surrounding them.

The eagle demi-human puffed out his golden armor and stood as a shield between the party and the entrance. It was clear that Athenia's chosen weren't welcome, and if they still wanted to make their way inside there was only one way to do so. That is until the door to the church opened on its own.

"What? Who opened the gates?!" Screamed the eagle as he quickly turned to look, but even as he rushed towards the gate and looked around, there was no one on the other end, and it seemed like the gates had truly opened on their own.

"Seems like your goddess, doesn't mind after all," said Raven, making his way towards the entrance.

Following right behind him the rest of the party members quickly walked by the guards. The devout, of course, didn't want to let them in, but with the doors having opened on their own, none of them could stop the party in case it was their goddess's will. Especially since the moment they stepped inside, the door closed behind them on its own as well.

Turning to the front, at the idol of the goddess towering behind the preacher's podium, Raven along with the rest of the party finally laid their eyes on the goddess of absurdity. Veiled in an eye-covering cloak, a smile was flashing from the idol, and long sleeves that stretched down to her knees fluttered in the wind despite being made of rocks and iron.

A chuckle echoed through her lips, though they remained sealed, and the many hands on her side moved under her and some rested over her hips.

Much like her chosen, she had no eyes but a crescent crown like the moon, and in it were reflected the countless stars of Stellaris.

"Quite a peculiar pack, I wonder what my sister was thinking when she chose you?" She hummed, smiling at the party still.

Moving closer, Raven led the rest behind him. His eyes locked with the goddess, he didn't want to take them off of a mortal enemy. The deal was yet to be made, and for they knew Elenaris the goddess of absurdity, progress, and the stars could end them that instant.

"Athenia wants to talk to you, she has an offer and we're here as her messengers!" Raven exclaimed, and the next thing the party knew, Athenia slipped into Amedith's body and stepped forward just like she'd warned them she would.

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The goddess shared a moment just staring at each other. Not a word was spoken, but the tension between them was palpable to the others.

"You've taken my chosen from me, what else could you want?" Asked Elernaris, blaming the goddess of death for plundering her chosen.

"I don't reign over death, sister," Athenia replied, her voice mimicked through Amedith's lungs.

Pacing around for a little while, she tried to find the best words to present the offer to her. Alliance against the heavens, in return for some control over Nerva. She could return lust greenery to this desolate place of rust and iron, and all it would take was a single shake of hands.

"What do you say, sister?" Athenia didn't need to speak her mind, Elenaria already knew what she was there to offer.

"Leave me in mourning, I only wish to be left alone away from the mess of other gods," glancing across every face inside the room, Elenaria decided to make her own unique offer.

"The alliance of monsters is threatening my land and my people, my chosen is dead, so if you want me to even consider your idiotic plan to rebel against other gods, at least present those monsters' heads as offerings first."

"What alliance?" Aria asked, stepping forward.

"I'll tell you about it later," shifting the flow of conversation, Athenia looked at the idol of the goddess, clad in a starry gown. It reminded her of something, something that had been bothering her before the party even walked inside. "Why don't you strike them down by raining the stars in their camps?"

To Elenaria who was a free god and one that was forced to mingle with the others, that suggestion sounded like suicide as a god interfering directly in the matters of mortals was considered a breach of heavenly laws.

"Unlike you, I'm free and that comes with its own shackles," musing over Athenia's suggestion even still, Elenaria came up with yet another suggestion. "However, since you have a tendency to break heavenly laws, how about you help me once and I'll consider your offer. Hells, I might even let you meet your dead father as he flits through my domain of the stars."

Athenia's eyes widened at the counter-offer, it was so tempting, so bizarre that she couldn't believe what she'd heard. However, with a gulp she tried to ask if she was telling the truth, but to her shock, the idol of the goddess turned back to a stiff piece of rock and iron.

Not because she wanted to tease Athenia, but the fact that her followers were about to breach the church to drag the entire party out in cuffs.