Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

Chapter 94: A Quick Assessment - Part 1

Arriving at the edge of the forest oozing dark clouds into the ether like a charcoal fire, Raven and his party noticed a decorated violet tent pitched right near its entrance. Crowned with golden stripes, reflective silver laces, and a collection of oddities like crystal balls, magic circles, and insignia, the tent took their attention away from the forest as they carefully moved closer.

"Before you venture into the darkness, know your limits," reading through the sign hanging at the tent's half-opened curtains, Raven turned to his party members to get their input about the situation. "Should we?"

"I don't sense any monsters…" Erika replied, and the rest reluctantly nodded in agreement.

They all had one way or the other to sense the presence of the monster, but since nothing seemed odd, Raven led the charge inwards. Upon stepping in, his vision split in two. The shimmering light crystals hanging from the low ceiling blurred his vision. However, carrying no fae blood, the others quickly adjusted, while he struggled for a while until his mind adjusted to the dangling lights.

Looking forward, his eyes still squinting from a sudden headache, he noticed the frame of a veiled woman sitting on the other end of a translucent violet curtain. Taking a step forward, he was about to enter her chamber but stopping himself, he decided to look around for a bit more.

'Decorative junk…' Laying everywhere inside the tent, were lamps made of gold, candle stands with silver handles, as well as items too tacky for anything but a circus.

"Come in~" Tired of waiting around, the sweet voice of the woman urged them inside.

Shifting their attention to her sitting behind the veil, they noticed her fingers suggestively beckoning them inside.

"Allow me to read your strengths and weakness, or you can go ahead and plunge yourself to certain death," covering her face with her hands adorned with chained rings, the elven dark lady giggled like a pixie. "The hero's party, I knew you'd eventually be here. Why not let me test your limits so you can actually make a difference before dying?"

Sliding the veil to the side, Raven walked right in and glared into her starry eyes. Like an ocean reflecting the night sky, her eyes were darker than dark and flooded with shimmering spots like stars instead of an iris or a lens.

"You wouldn't be the first person to try to threaten us with prophecies of our deaths," retorting with those words, Raven glanced up and down her chocolate skin. Dressed in a violet blouse with a pattern made of golden rose, she was barely covering anything, and the underside of her breasts was hanging right out.

Lowering his gaze further, he noticed yet another violet garment the size of a young girl's panties. Being near transparent with nets for leggings, the young woman was clearly not interested in properly clothing her body.

"Done ogling my body?" Giggling through her veiled mask that hung down to her chin, she turned her gaze to the rest of Raven's friends as they quickly walked up behind him. "If so, maybe we can start by reading your palms? I can tell you exactly how well you'd match with the monsters inside that forest up ahead."

"And why would you do that?" A bit suspicious of the woman, Raven wanted to dig into her intentions before making any deals.

"Well…" Slowly turning her head to Raven while letting down her netted cloak, she wore a devious smile. "Another girl came through here a few hours ago, I'm sure she can handle the place without your help, but I doubt you'd be happy to let someone else do the heavy lifting, especially since you'd learn nothing about the horrors you might be facing soon."

"How do you know all this?" Erika asked, stepping up to the woman's desk.

With yet another giggle, the woman extended her closed fist towards the priestess.

"You're not the only people your goddess speaks to, or blesses for that matter," slowly opening her hand, the woman revealed a rosary resting in her palm. Etched on the metal was the portrait of Aphrodite holding wheat in one hand, and a newborn in the other suckling on her breasts.

"A high priestess' rosary?" Erika's eyes widened as she realized what it was.

The greatest honor given to a priestess of aphrodite, a title–one burdened with responsibilities and the lifelong pilgrimage around the world to help those in need with the goddess's gospel. But how could one become so twisted? So provocative in their duty towards the goddess? The woman's clothes alone bled depravity, and yet she was meant to be a high priestess?

That fact just would not sit well with Erika.

But before she could voice her concern, the high priestess grabbed Erika's hand. Squeezing it in her palm, she closed her eyes for a spell and as she opened them again, her eyes began to glow with magic circles spiraling out through her gaze.

"A trapper's daughter, a priestess of Aphrodite…" Cackling once more, she smiled at Erika before closing her eyes and letting go of her hands.

"What did you do?!" Feeling a sting in her very soul, the priestess could feel her entire being shivering with an unshakeable cold.

"I looked through your person," Opening her eyes, which were now back to normal, the high priestess shook her head a few times and continued. "Your skills as a trapper are phenomenal, if anyone can survive in that forest it's you, but I don't understand why you went with the priestess as your main class. A hunter, archer, ranger, or even a rogue or a thief would've been perfect for you."

"A priestess telling a priestess not to be priestess, I don't know how much I trust her after that," feeling more and more concerned under the high priestess' presence, Amedith wanted them to leave the tent as soon as possible.

"It's a burden being a man or woman of god, especially when you realize what your idols truly are," the smile on the priestess died instantly. "Do you think I was always this way? A wandering fortune teller? No, but the goddess sucked me of all faith, and now all I am is a servant who knows nothing else, so why don't you be a tad bit more humorous?

Amuse me with your talents, otherwise, leave me to my own company bustling with boredom."

Finally seeing the true nature of the priestess coming out, the distrust in everyone's heart began to melt away. So far her act had been quite telling, but when her faith was challenged, her true self finally came out.

"So? Are you leaving?" Washing the somber look off her face, the priestess leaned forward and teased the party by slightly pulling down her blouse with a finger to reveal more of her cleavage. "I can use some company~"

"Ughh, just read our palms!" Covering Amedith's eyes, Mel offered her free hand to the priestess to read.

"Great," doing the very same thing as she'd done with Erika, the priestess began reading everyone's stats one after the other.