Shrine of Lust

Goblins, the small-statured, primitive little creatures everyone knows about, but seldom like to think about. Everyone knows the common characteristics of a goblin that easily stick out even with just a glance. They range in height from about three feet to around four and a half, with green skin that can fall anywhere from a dusty olive to a brilliant emerald. And goblin faces are just as distinct as their build, with a nose that can fall somewhere between a pig-like 'snout' and a flattened bat proboscis. These are underlined by a wide mouth from which small tusks protrude. They've very fine tuned senses as well, a fact made clear by features such as the previously mentioned nose and their eyes, which are big and glossy, larger than one would see on a human of similar size. And just as noteworthy are the ears, very large, nearly as wide as the skull on either side and alone taller than the rest of the head, which might jut out straight up, point back or out from the skull, or droop down beside the face.

Among the less intelligent of the sentient races, goblins nevertheless are at least capable of speech, although it often proves to be very crude in comparison to humans, elves or others. Most prefer to live on the fringes of greater kingdoms and civilizations, organized in tribes that prefer to stay out of the way in dense forests or rocky badlands. Legends and histories of the more civilized races often paint them as rapacious little imps who live only to loot towns and kidnap and rape the females of higher species. While that is far from an unfounded rumor, most people today are at least more grudgingly accepting of goblins that at least make the attempt to integrate with civilized society, at least as much as is possible for them. Now they're typically seen as little more than a minor nuisance or mischievous pests, rather than as outright evil, and are generally accepted as having some minor use and value.

In this chapter, three women of a holy convent discover that a certain goblin has far more 'merit' than they ever would've expected, and discover an entirely different way to show their religious 'devotion'...

***

It was a vibrantly sunny day in the middle of the town's park, with clear blue skies overhead and the brilliantly blooming flowers of late spring filling the gardens with life. Indeed, for most anyone who had the time to simply sit and enjoy it, it should've been just about the perfect day, but the young man and woman sharing a park bench didn't reflect that mood, wearing only pleading and guilty expressions.

"Angelos, I truly am sorry, but... but I've made my decision." The incredibly pretty young woman said, finding it hard to meet her partner's eyes as it felt like her heart was about to rip itself in half.

"Camilla please! I know this is a hard decision to make, but I want you by my side! I want us to lead a life together!" The man sitting just beside her pleaded desperately, taking his hands in her own, but still she just couldn't bring herself to look up.

"I...I love you! I really meant it I swear!"

But while the girl trembled at those words, she only hung her head lower.

"I... I feel for you too. But I feel the call to the temple as well and... and I'm sorry, but it's one I just can't ignore."

The sorrowful-speaking girl was Camilla, a young woman on the cusp of adulthood, having just come of age a couple of weeks ago. Growing up poor, she'd found herself in the company of the Priestesses of the Goddess Juno quite frequently, and had found much comfort in their charity as well as in giving back to their cause. She had in fact been planning to join the holy order of women, when a little less than a year ago she had met Angelos.

Angelos was a traveling adventurer of the usual sort, journeying across the country, slaying monsters or helping with other tasks in exchange for coin, a life far more exciting than anything Camilla had ever led, though he didn't really have any truly heroic tales to his name. Still, when the young couple had first met they were quite smitten with one another, and Angelos had desperately sought to woo the beautiful young woman.

But while Camilla had taken a chance at this blossoming romance, she'd only had that chance because she hadn't yet taken her vow to the Temple. But if she were to take the vow before Juno, she knew she'd be pledging her chastity, pledging her virginity to the Goddess and the holy order for the rest of her life. And if she wanted to do that she simply couldn't take a husband.

"Camilla I'm begging you..." Angelos still made one last attempt, finally taking her chin in his hand and tilting her face, forcing her to look at him, see the desperation, the desire, the love for her in his eyes. "Don't go to the temple. Marry me! I-I can... I mean, we could..."

"Angelos... I just cant..." But even though those words were so gentle, even though he saw how much it hurt Camilla to even say them, they still cut into the young man like a knife. "This is the hardest choice I've ever had to make in my life, but even if it hurts me... hurts us now, I feel in my heart that my life is meant to be dedicated to the Goddess... I'm sorry, but I just can't choose you over her."

Feeling a defeat like he'd never known in his life, Angelos only let his arms fall numb after Camilla had so softly taken them away from her face. She looked ready to burst into tears any second, but the adventurer just looked stunned beyond any sense of feeling, as though a pall of hopelessness had gripped him like a vice and was squeezing his very soul out.

"I... I have to go prepare for my vows now... But know that I'll pray to Juno for your safety every day... goodbye Angelos." And with a tear-stricken final kiss on the man's cheek, Camilla rose and solemnly walked away from the closest thing to a lover she'd ever known.

Watching from just beyond a tree and some bushes, concealed from the girl's eyes as he'd been strictly ordered to do, an altogether different sort of creature watched the heart wrenching farewell. Blazh was Angelos' half-civilized goblin adventuring partner... well, 'partner' in a sense, but really assistant or even servant would've been a slightly more accurate way to describe him; the little green imp certainly fit more of a subservient role to the rugged human adventurer rather than an equal comrade-in-arms.

Blazh had watched Angelos' relationship with Camilla for pretty much its' entire duration, at least from afar as the human man had always insisted Camilla not meet him properly, perhaps wanting to appear more capable as a totally solo hero. But now he'd just been watching Angelos sit alone on the bench for close to ten minutes after the pretty human girl had left, and his 'partner' didn't show any signs of stirring; he looked like he'd just had his soul sucked out.

Not knowing what else to do, the goblin timidly stepped out from his hiding spot and shambled over to the forlorn adventurer. Angelos didn't even acknowledge him as he stepped right next to the bench.

"Uhhh... What we do now?" Blazh nervously asked in his crude speech.

For a moment Blazh thought that Angelos still wasn't going to move or say anything, but the man eventually tilted his head just slightly, staring down the goblin from the corner of his eye, and Blazh could sense something dark behind that glare.

"...I can't accept that." Angelos eventually spoke after a long silence, his voice greatly saddened yet also tinged in a menacing intent.

Blazh took a step back as he swallowed down a nervous lump. He'd never seen his human partner with that look in his eye, and it terrified the little creature. But Angelos was hardly paying attention to the goblin anymore, instead he'd just noticed a potion shop right across from the park. A sinister idea started to work its' way into his mind, and with his face set in stony commitment, the scorned man finally stood from the bench.

"Come on Blazh." He ordered gruffly without even turning back to his partner. "We'll see exactly what Camilla's 'heart' is telling her soon enough..."

***

The following day, the soon-to-be sanctified virgin Camilla was standing in front of the glorious Temple to Juno. She was dressed in the finest silken robe she'd ever been blessed to wear in her life, colored a white as pure as her spirit, the sheer fabric falling down her body as fragile as spiderwebs, as well as a near-translucent veil crowning her head and falling down to the small of her back. A few other bits of simple jewelry adorned her, brass bangles on her wrists, small silver rings through her ears, and a small, sparkling crystal vial of holy oil held by a silver chain around her neck. It was by far the nicest clothing she'd ever been given, but knew she was only adorned as she was so they might celebrate even a fraction of the incomparable beauty and elegance their Goddess possessed.

"Now don't you look lovely. The Goddess is certain to be pleased by her newest acolyte." A warm, loving voice sounded out from the temple halls behind Camilla, trailed by a truly elegant woman emerging from the torch-lit halls into the sunlight.

"Ah, t-thank you Mother Superior!" The young girl turned with a slight startle, quickly bowing to her superior priestess. "I've been waiting for this day a long time. I truly do hope I live up to the Goddess's standards."

"Hey, no need to worry so much." A much more energetic voice called out, courtesy of a far more youthful woman approaching with a brilliantly friendly smile. "You've been hanging around the Temple since you were just a tyke. The Goddess knows your devotion to her. The ceremony's practically a formality at this point, so just lighten up and you'll be fine."

"She's right dear, you know well what to do. Simply speak as your heart tells you and the Goddess will welcome you with open arms, as will the Temple." The more mature woman confirmed with a soothingly warm certainty.

"Yes, thank you Mother Lucretia, and you as well Sister Marcella." Camilla offered, a little less nervously this time.

Lucretia was the temple's Mother Superior, the highest ranking priestess who oversaw all of their sacred rights and rituals and also cared for the rest of the convent as though they were her own children; and honestly, they effectively were, especially considering she, like all the other women, had taken a vow of chastity before her Goddess. 'Mother' was truly an appropriate epithet, however, for while she had given birth to no offspring, her lavishly buxom chest and wide, matronly hips would've suggested she'd be one of the most coveted women in the city. Lucretia wore a similar silk robe as Camilla, though hers was a bit more... lax in coverage, given the woman's impressively endowed figure. It was also colored a brilliant purple to signify her rank, and she wore an elegant lavender shawl around her shoulders to further exemplify her position as head of the temple. Similar bits of gold jewelry adorned her fingers, wrists, ankles and chest, as the Mother Superior was of the firm belief that one of the greatest duties of Juno's devoted was to exemplify the beauty that the Goddess had graced women with.

Marcella was another sister of the temple, however she was also one of the temple guardians, one of a small number of zealous warrior women who dedicated their spirits to the Goddess but also honed their bodies and martial prowess for the sake of protecting their fellow priestesses. Marcella was only a few years older than Camilla, but she had taken great care in honing and training her body, and she took great pride in the fact that her body was as powerful as it was lithe and elegant; she wouldn't hesitate to test her blade against any of the numerous so-called 'adventurers' who frequented their city. However, while she would gladly fight, kill, or die with a religious fervor to protect her temple and her Sisters, she was also a jovial girl who loved her fellow worshippers and loved to laugh with them more than anything. Her attire was far less restrictive than the other women, a white silken top half somewhat similar to Camilla's covered her chest, but left her middle exposed, while a short tunic-style skirt hung from her waist, but left her legs free to maneuver. Over those she wore a leather breastplate, arm guards, a leather belt with numerous straps falling down to form a sort of over-skirt, and she wore a decorated yet lethally well-honed short-sword at her side, signaling to all she was a trained warrior priestess of Juno, and one not to be trifled with.

"Well then, we best be off now if we wish to return before dark." The Mother Superior led the way as her two subordinates dutifully followed. They were off to a secluded shrine a ways into the local forest where Camilla would take her final vows and become a fully ordained member of the order...

***

...However, while it did not involve a public display the ritual was not at all a secret rite, and many knew of both the temple's ceremony and the shrine itself. Angelos was well aware that Camilla and the other priestesses would be here today, and he knew exactly how to take advantage of the ceremony to get what he wanted. So both the adventurer and his goblin companion had raced out into the forest earlier that morning, beating the temple women to the shrine so they could prepare for their own 'ordination.'

The shrine was nothing impressive or grandiose, and by now was very old and there wasn't much left to it, but it was still a revered place of worship regardless. What had once been a small sort of raised building was now little more than a half-circle of cracked pillars atop an elevated platform, raised on a small hill with a flight of stone stairs. A single, well-worn but still recognizable statue of the Goddess Juno lay at the back. In the middle of the carved stone foundation was a once-elegant stone fountain that still managed to bubble up water from an underground reservoir. In that particular feature lay the key to Angelos' devious plan.

The adventurer knew that during the ceremony, Camilla would have to drink from the fountain, and of course neither she nor the other priestesses would ever think that someone from the city would dare to taint the waters of a sacred site. The supposed 'hero' smirked darkly as he poured out a large vial of sparkling pink liquid; a powerful love potion he had purchased for no small amount.

"That potion dealer may have ripped me off on the price, but it'll be well worth it after today. According to him, after someone drinks this, even if its' diluted, they'll fall hopelessly in love with the next person they see, and stay in love with them for the rest of their lives." Angelos darkly asserted, the smile on his face growing even more crooked as he emptied the whole vial into the fountain.

"Camilla will see the light soon enough. Then I'll have the love of my life all to myself, and she'll be right where she belongs, not wasting her beauty in some convent."

Blazh stood just beside his errant partner, watching him taint the holy water and occasionally casting nervous glances up towards the Goddess statute. As a goblin he knew he already didn't hold much favor amongst the gods, but that didn't mean he liked the idea of blaspheming their shrines. And looking back to Angelos, seeing the crazed expression on the man's face that had just kept getting worse, the goblin had a sinking feeling that this was not going to end well.

Angelos propped himself over the fountain, looking down with eager anticipation at the now very faintly pink water which he knew would soon bind sweet Camilla's fate to his own. But he was interrupted by a sudden tugging at his trousers, and turned an annoyed look at the shivering little goblin he'd dragged along with him.

"What, Blazh?" The man asked impatiently.

"Other women?" The little imp crudely asked, referring to the other priestesses they knew would be accompanying Camilla. Apparently even he had the foresight to consider that wrinkle in Angelos' 'master' plan.

But the cocky adventurer just dismissively waved his hand in his partner's face.

"Hardly a concern. It's very simple if you'd actually bother to think for once. Whoever Camilla sees first after drinking the potion she'll fall in love with, so as soon as she drinks from the fountain I'll rush up to the shrine, shouting and calling for her, you know, dramatically proclaiming my love for her at the last second. That'll get everyone's attention and everyone's eyes on me. The other priestesses might be pissed, but they'll just see it as an annoying gesture from a hopeless romantic. But as soon as Camilla's eyes are drawn to me she'll fall head over heels and make the right choice this time. You'll see Blazh. By noon today, Camilla will be throwing herself at me." Angelos bragged with supreme arrogance, absolutely certain that his plan couldn't fail.

Blazh simply made a small, worried sound, and this time the human actually bothered to turn his twisted smile on the small goblin.

"Have a little faith Blazh, my plan is foolproof. But just in case..." Angelos suddenly clapped Blazh on the back, forcing a surprised sputtering grunt out of the poor creature. "...I'll have you here to help, just in case those other priestesses try and... complicate things."

*

A while after the nefarious adventurers had laid their trap, the three holy women arrived at the secluded forest shrine, the man and goblin's presence completely unnoticed. Camilla's heart fluttered with anticipation as she followed the other two women up the stone steps, the weight of a life-defining choice pressing heavy yet warmly on her chest. She saw the old yet recognizable sight of the Goddess's statue looming over her and felt comforted, reassured that she was here making the right choice.

At the top of the stone platform the Mother Superior turned and directed Camilla to step right up to the fountain, with herself and their guardian moving to stand to either of her sides.

"Now sisters, bow your heads in submission to the Goddess." Lucretia gently commanded, and both Camilla and Marcella folded their hands and bowed themselves humbly over the fountain.

"Great Juno, mother of all the world and beloved holder of our hearts, under your ever watchful eyes we bring a new soul to devote her life to your worship." The high priestess chanted devotedly. "Camilla, do you vow to uphold the laws of the convent, to offer yourself, body and soul, as a servant before your Goddess?" Lucretia asked, pinning the youngest girl with a judgmental look, the gravity in her question sending a shiver up her spine.

"Y-Yes. I pledge my life to the Temple, to my sisters, and to the Goddess." Camilla spoke nervously but doubtless poured out her whole heart for both the Mother Superior and the Goddess herself to see.

"Then drink from her fountain, and let her spirit fill you now as it was when she first breathed life into you."

Opening her eyes and looking down into the quietly bubbling, and almost strangely glimmering water of the fountain, Camilla cupped her hands together and dipped them in the water, bringing her face down and drinking deep of the holy, oddly almost sweet liquid.

As the newest convert drank her anointment, Mother Lucretia smiled so warmly at the sight, completely assured that Camilla would not only prove a loyal and devoted sister to their ranks, but would herself find a true sense of purpose and fulfillment in this vow. Reaching her hand across the fountain, she took the shoulder of the still bowed Marcella, causing the young guardian to lift her eyes up and meet the kindly older woman's gaze.

"Come, as our newest sister embraces her duty let us confirm our own faith to the Goddess."