130 Negotiations With Priests
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“Our deaths mean way more and we must handle our lives with care. I am not implying something like you people don’t matter, but the church doesn’t want their members to die pointlessly without a proper plan.” Said Seth. He had a point there, but at the same time, it still felt like they were being irresponsible and lazy, just doing whatever their “bosses” say is very stupid. It is clear that this church is more like a company with a boss that just tells their workers what to do than an actual church where priests cannot just be ordered around even for higher authorities as much.
“We are not allowed to do anything against the demons unless they begin attacking the town, but I have heard from rumors amongst other wandering Priest Groups that Knights are coming here soon, directly from the Duke.” Said Ellergest. “Some said that the Duke was gifted the head of a demon to “wake him up” and do something about the demons… Whoever did that was certainly gambling. He could had gotten his head chopped off instead… Oh well, whatever’s the case, knights might be coming next week, perhaps.”
“I see… Well, that is good news. May the Holy Spirits bless the one that sent the head, he could have saved this entire village from destruction… I hope those knights and soldiers are competent, however.” I said. “It would be a pity that they all came to just die pointlessly. Anyways, let’s go back to the main topic. I can work for you for a fee, a part of what you’re paid.”
“Interesting way to make you into an ally… Oh well, there’s no other way around it then?” Wondered Ellergest. “If you’re really meaning to do such a thing, we take jobs from Monday to Sunday from 6 AM to 8 PM. You can come to the small church here and we’ll quickly bring you with us. Most of the jobs we do leave us exhausted after we use our magic so much, so we’ll be able to take more jobs with you at our side…”
“Excellent then…” I said with a smile. “Now, let’s talk about the fee.”
The fee, I wasn’t going to do this for free, church or not, you’re going to pay me for working for you, no matter what, and therefore, I want to be paid fairly and simply put, given the money I deserve, the money I want is not that much. I am a humble man after all, I just want a part of that fee, a small part that showcases my efforts depending in what I do.
“If I do the whole healing myself, you’ll give me 80% of the fee, if I only support you, I am okay with just 50%.” I said. “I think that’s a fair amount for my efforts.”
“Y-You’re asking for way too much, you rat kid!” Roared Jack, his entire face was red like a tomato, and he seemed to be growing redder due to being drunk. He was already talking incoherencies, I don’t know why priests are just allowed to get drunk but I guess they call alcohol the holy drink or something.
“I think that’s a bit too much for what you’re worth, Blank.” Said Seth. “But then again, we have yet to see if all those things are true… Perhaps? We should agree to your demands when we see what you’re capable of doing.”
“Hmm… Yeah, I suppose that’s right.” Said Ellergest. “Come to the church tomorrow morning at 6 AM so we can bring you with us.”
“I see, that’s good then.” I said. “But can’t I continue doing my own work for those without enough money to pay for the fees?”
“Yeah, you can do whatever you want, being a serf also makes it so nobody cares about you enough to bother. The church won’t do anything against you as long as you’re just a kid doing what kids do…” Said Ellergest. “Although there are some very conservative priests that would try to stop you because they would say you’re doing something illegal, thankfully we are not corrupted by money, we are simply doing what the church wants to, prioritizing those that pay is sadly the only thing we can do.”
“Sometimes, we hold special events where we try to heal those that can’t pay, but not everyone can be healed. Some people have things that are very hard to heal or solve, a broken bone, or even a missing eye… Those things are a bit beyond our capabilities, only Lord Ellergest here is Rank 2 as of now, both of us are yet to reach that Rank with our Spirit Stones.we have not been able to receive the Blessings of the Holy Spirits as much without having to vanquish evil to gain positive karma.” Said Seth.
“Positive Karma?” I wondered.
“It is the essence of what you gain by defeating a monster or doing what your Talent is about. Everyone gains positive karma over time, and when a set amount is reached, the Holy Spirits will bless us with a Blessing, which will enhance all our capabilities, even physical strength. I might look old but I am fairly strong!” Said Ellergest.
So that’s what they call EXP? Positive Karma… I suppose it makes sense in a way, killing “Evil beings” such as monsters, demons, beasts, and even “evil” people such as bandits, thieves, and more all would give you “Positive Karma” of course there is the obvious thing about killing normal people giving Karma too, but they are probably neglecting that aspect for the positive ones so they mask the reality of a crude system where people simply level up by killing other living beings.
“We need to vanquish more evil for Positive Karma…” Sighed Jack. “I am getting closer to my eighth Blessing; I can feel it! We need to exorcise some ghosts, undead, or something…” He sighed while drinking some more beer, or whatever was left from the cup.
“I see how it is…” I said. “Anyways, I guess that’s it for now.”
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