Temple of Lust Ch. 01: Baptism of Cum

Lana stood in front of the giant stone portal framing the two sets of heavy wooden doors, rethinking every decision that had led her here. There were countless stories discussing the Temple of Ilaraan, but most of them were so utterly unbelievable, they were most likely just wanton fabrications. Standing here now, Lana started considering the option that they were not.

She didn't want them to be. The Ilaraan sisters were known throughout the land as the holy priestesses possessing powers of exorcism which could combat the strongest spirits and secret rituals that would banish the darkest of demons. Many had tried to unravel their methods, discover the source of their abilities, but none had succeeded and to this day they remained a closely guarded secret. No one could copy them.

That, of course, was what had spawned all the myths. When people cannot explain something, they will try and look for the answers in their fantasies. Some revered them as blessed, the true paragons of the holy light, bestowed the power to repel evil in the name of the greater good. But most weren't as naïve in their explanations. Most stories claimed they practiced dark witchcraft disguised as miracles to gain the publicity of their patrons, or that they were simple mages whose feats were blown out of proportion. Some went even farther and said that they pact with the fiends they dispel and take the credit for banishing their own evils, or that they performed all kinds of perverse rituals or human sacrifices to gain their might. Those Lana didn't want to turn true.

It didn't help that they never let anyone witness their work or that the survivors of their exorcism often described discontinuous scenes of nudity and pleasure coupled with pain and drunken nonsense.

Lana always wanted to join their order. Ever since she herself was a subject to their healing, after a fiend had taken over her mind years ago, she craved to one day be like them. She had no memory of the incident, only dark dreams the spirit shrouded her mind with while borrowing her vacated body. No one ever spoke to her about the incident and as far as she knew, nobody ever saw the exorcism, but when all others had said her to be beyond saving, the sisters had not hesitated and saved her. No matter how others warned her about them, she would forever be grateful for that.

The one that opened the door, however, wasn't anywhere near as affable as she pictured. She looked down on her, head and a half taller than she was, her eyes hard and calculating. Long black robe covered her entire body, only a silver chain with the symbol of their order hanged above it. A black and white nun hood framed her face, what remained betraying no signs of emotion. Her stare penetrated right through Lana, making her attempt to hide her face under her short, shaggy blond hair.

"What do you want, child?" she spoke in a steady, but not irate voice.

"I..." She wanted to say she is not a child, but her reason stopped her. The sisters probably called everyone that.

"I... can I come in?"

The priestess seemed to measure her with a hint of curiosity creeping through her controlled expression. "Come in?"

"I have nowhere to go," she responded.

"Another one from the attacked village? Do you too seek to join our order, child?"

Another one? Then somebody else made it here too?

She couldn't keep the thrill from her face. Lana had no idea whether anyone else had survived the raid. For a moment, the notion of seeing a familiar face had almost made her agree on the spot.

In the end, she had managed to compose herself and replied cautiously: "Maybe. I mean, I wanted to, but..."

"Are you unsure?" the sister butted in. "There's no place for doubtfulness in our temple, child. Do not return until you make up your mind."

"No, please! I have nowhere else to go! I want to join your order! I have wanted to for years, but I never had the courage to come! Please!"

The nun stopped in the doorway and made a quizzical look, not dissimilar from jeweler appraising a stone. Whatever she saw in Lana then, it was enough for her to give in to her pleading. She stepped aside from the entrance and motioned Lana to come in and into the Temple of Ilaraan.

Her heart raced as she crossed the threshold of the massive door, almost jumping upon the loud bang when it closed behind her. It was considerably colder inside then outside, but that was probably true only in the summer heats which were burning outside. The sister beckoned her sharply and without a word led her through the silent public chapel where people would come to pray to the sisters' holy light and the deities which they worshiped. Occasionally a pilgrim in need would request a healing from the sisters to appease their soul or to relieve their sins in the confessionary. No one ever spoke of what happened during the process. No one ever seemed to remember.

They took a little door in the far corner of the chapel instead of the much more welcoming larger passage, presumably leading to the sacred areas of the temple restricted for its priestesses, and Lana found herself in a small hallway. It went on without a turn until they exited into a large, grassy courtyard in a shape of a square with green bushes and large stone statues. Statues which, as Lana noticed, depicted generously shaped women in priestesses' garbs, their impressive bosoms bared on display from their undone robes.

"Is something the matter?" the priestess asked, making Lana realize she had stopped to stare.

"What are... those?" Upon the raised eyebrow she added: "Those statues aren't something one would quite expect in a temple."

"An Ilaraan sister cannot be perplexed by something as simple as nudity," She said in a stern voice. "One's body is as natural as the light shining from the heavens or the blooming of trees in a spring. Evil takes many shapes. In order to become a priestess, you must learn to be resistant to all its temptations, even the physical, lest you will be taken by it. You must have no shame."

Her last words reverberated in Lana's head like the tolling of the bell. A lot of the stories told behind the back of the sisters claimed that they practiced perverse rituals or open sexual acts. Largely, Lana thought them to be simply a way to discourage people from worshiping them. Secretly, she had hoped some of those stories would turn out to be true. Now some of them were starting to make sense.

They continued onwards, passing a group of young sisters walking through the courtyard. There even were a few brothers among them, male inhabitants of the temple who took care of its more physically demanding tasks, though they never practiced any of the priestesses' mystic arts. They wore their plain brown robes and seemed to distance themselves from the women, walking quickly and with a gap. Lana tried paying the nuns no mind as they entered one of the buildings, when something among them caught her attention. A glimpse of ginger hair.

Was that...

She tried turning around but the priestess stopped her, holding her by the shoulder in a firm grip until the young sister got lost in the crowd. She wrenched herself free of her grasp and stared her right in the eyes.

"Why did you stop me? I just thought I saw someone I knew but I couldn't get a good look before she was gone!"

"Until you completed the initiation you are but a guest on the temple grounds. Do not stray where there's no place for strangers. I will give you a room to stay in and some food to eat while I put a word in with Mother Myraan. Until then I expect you not to wander while I am gone, if you wish to stay."

The priestess glared at Lana till she bowed her head down in acknowledgement, then continued further inside and into a small room. There wasn't much to regard except a small bed with simple, formerly white sheets, an empty cabinet and a small table with a candle. There was a small, curtained window but the light of the day was quickly receding, leaving the room gloomy. The priestess took up one of the candles from the wall in the hallway and lit up the one inside before returning it back and shutting the door behind them.

She motioned Lana to sit on the bed and stood with her hands folded, her piercing gaze not ceasing to measure her, still. It might have been a minute until she spoke.

"What is your name, girl?"

"Uhm... La... Lana. Lana Tornea," she stuttered.

"Not anymore. While you are walking between these walls as a part of the Ilaraan order, you will refer to yourself as Sister Lana. It is now as much part of you as the one you've been born with. You have no last name. Should you wish to be referred to under a different given name, tell me now before the baptism."

She shook her head.

"Very well. Are you a virgin, Lana?"

"What?" she yelped.

"I hope I don't have to explain what that means," the priestess said exasperatedly.

Lana closely inspected the floorboards, trying to hide her reddening cheeks under her hair, but it was too short. She hoped the dim light of the candle would serve in her favor. "Y... yes."

"Hmm. At your age that's unusual."

"I'm not even twenty."

"Yes, still. I would recommend you keep it that way. Should you fall pregnant unexpectedly, you will likely be expelled from our order."

Lana would have been surprised they even accepted people who hadn't remained pure if it wasn't for a weirder premise in her words that there was a risk of pregnancy in the temple. That, coupled with the odd, explicit statuary and the priestess' commentary from before, had left her convinced that there was something highly unusual about this place. And she wasn't sure whether she liked it.

"Have you ever indulged in sexual pleasures?"

"I just said I am still a virgin."

"That is not what I asked," came the sister's reply, making Lana's cheeks burn like embers.

"With... myself?"

"I was assuming that one."

She swallowed. "Eh... I was close to this one man from my village. But it ended before anything real happened," she stammered. Speaking about it still brought hurt to her heart. Though they didn't end up on the best terms, she wished upon the heavens he had got out. Their disagreements seemed so inconsequential now.

"And with a girl?"

"...barely."

Which is the whole reason for the argument, she thought.

"Are those questions necessary?" she asked. "What does it have to do with being a priestess?"

The tall sister produced a cane out of nowhere and whipped Lana across the fingers. She squeaked in shock more than pain, but there was still a pink mark left at the place of impact.

"Watch your tone, disciple! No one shall suffer disrespect from a fellow sister. And to answer you: yes. An elementary attribute of every full Ilaraan priestess is absolute control over one's body. Should a fiend break your focus through mortal delights," she spoke and as she did, she jabbed her cane against Lana's privates through her skirts, directly hitting her clitoris. "It will take control of your mind."

For emphasis, she twisted the stick around, sending a quick wave of pleasure up Lana's spine. She immediately lashed to push the thing away, but the priestess only tightened her titanic grip slightly and held it there.

When she finally let go, Lana's fingers were locked tight around the bed frame, her legs shaking. Partly from the shock and horror at the sudden attack and her sheer helplessness against the huge woman's strength. Partly because that feeling of helplessness might have been the most erotic thing to ever happen to her. She would have to let her mind clear before she decided whether she wanted to beg the sister to continue or to smash her head in!

"If this were to happen during an exorcism, we would have two bodies to reclaim!" she continued on. "The evils our order faces will test you. And they will do it through the weakness of your flesh. You will not become one of us till you learn to ignore them."

She waited a few moments before putting the cane away back into her robe. In the brief moment as she did, Lana caught a glimpse of bare skin underneath it and a glint of a metallic sheen.

"I will now go to take care of all the necessities of your initiation. A ceremony is taking place tomorrow, where we accept new disciples among our ranks; escapees from raided villages, mostly. I will arrange for you to join in with them. You will have dinner delivered here, the restrooms are around the corner. I will come to collect you tomorrow for your baptism. Do not wander the halls alone."

Before she shut the door, Lana asked: "Wait! What is your name?"

The priestess turned to her briefly, holding the doorknob. "You may call me Sister Gertha."

Then she left.

Lana stayed sitting down, staring at nothing. She recounted everything that happened since her arrival and couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something odd happening here. From the naked statues, the sister's invasive questions, her aggressive move on her, to her apparent lack of clothing beneath her garb. Everything in this place seemed to have sexual undertone.

Of course, that was partly what enticed her so much about it. Her village was full of prudes and living there was suffocating. She once got a beating from the mayor when he caught her kissing with his son. And she got off way easier than him. But being here now, she had second thoughts. Just what has she gotten into?

True to Gertha's words, a brother arrived later on, carrying a salver with bread and cheeses and a glass of water. He handed it to her and left her to eat alone in silence. She expected someone to come collect the tray later, but no one came, so she did the only thing she had left to do. She laid down and let sleep take her.

* * * * *

In the morning, Lana was greeted with rapid knocking which had torn her from her dreams. It didn't let up until she reluctantly stood and opened the door.

Another brother awaited and she was presented with a light breakfast which she took in return for the empty salver, the brother leaving without a word. She wasn't yet hungry since she was still half asleep, so she waited some time before delving into it. It didn't leave her terribly full, but it replenished her strength enough to make her remember what awaited her.

Despite Sister Gertha's word that they would come for her in the morning, it wasn't till the noon bells rang that she finally arrived. She entered the small room, carrying a black habit with black and white hood identical to hers. Like always, she gave no greetings.

"Put it on," she ordered.

Lana took the garb from her, expecting the sister to leave. She didn't budge.

"You're still here."

"Yes," she replied and continued to stare her down with her hands folded.

"I can't if you are here."

The look she gave Lana made her expect her to pull out the cane from her sleeve again, but instead she replied: "Yes you can."

Somehow, her whispery tone was more convincing than any screaming she had heard in her life. Reluctantly, she started undressing, first her shirt, then her skirts followed. She reached for her new habit then, but her hand got slapped away by that damned cane.

"Undress completely!" the priestess commanded. Upon Lana's bemused look she added: "That is all the clothing you will wear. For now."

Petrified, Lana took a moment to process her request before she turned around and complied, taking off her underwear, facing away from the woman. She half expected to get ordered to turn around, but the sister let her keep at least some degree of modesty. After she had put on her robe and hood, she was handed a simple pair of shoes to walk in. There wasn't much to them, but she gladly replaced the old, worn-down pair she had arrived in. It all fit her surprisingly well, though the long habit was purposefully loose and there likely wasn't much to get wrong about it.

"What about the necklace?" she asked, gesturing to the long silver chain on the priestess' neck, a simple rhombus shape, filled by two more on the inside, hanging on it.

"The pendant symbolizes your rank," she replied. "You have none."

All dressed, Lana followed Gertha out through the courtyard and into another building. The sun was already directly overhead and started to fall again. On every turn, they passed a number of sisters and the occasional brother, rushing from place to place or walking in groups with their arms clasped. Eventually they arrived at a refectory where the last of the nuns were finishing their lunch that day. Gertha sat her down at a nearby bench and went to bring their food from the kitchen.

Lana looked around the room to see if she would spot the patch of red hair protruding from a hood again, but she was of no luck. She wandered whether it truly was who she thought and if so, what would she do if she saw her. What did she think about the place? If she could, would have she warned Lana, or did she like it here? That, of course, was counting on the option that it really was her.

She was awoken from her imagination by the sound of plates being placed on the table as Sister Gertha sat down opposite her. They ate in silence and by the time they finished they were left alone in the room, everyone else having already left.

"Now we may proceed to your initiation," Gertha announced and Lana's heart skipped a beat. "The ceremony will begin in couple of hours. You must get prepared."

She led Lana through more halls and into a far-off section of the temple, high, vaulted ceiling looming above them, walls decorated with pillars and big brass candleholders. The windows here were tall and stained, picturing many different events or figures, many of them resemblant to the statues with exposed fronts. Every step further, Lana was becoming more and more nervous.

Eventually, Gertha took a turn through one of the decorated doors they were passing, leading to a small room stacked with shoes and hangers full of habits. She stopped there and turned towards Lana.

"Leave your clothes on the hanger."

"What?!"

"Clothing isn't allowed within the sanctum. Disrobe!"

Well, here it was. The moment she would finally lose all her modesty. She stood still like a statue, pinching herself to see it this was just a dream and she would wake up back in the little room. Or back home. She did not.

She reminded herself what the sister had told her the day before:

You must have no shame.

With trembling fingers, Lana slowly took off her habit and hood, clutching it tightly to herself, clinging on to her remaining innocence. But eventually the older priestess' impatient cough would make her slowly lower it down, exposing her small bust, her petite, pink nipples hardening in the temple's cold air. Her round cheeks swayed as she approached the hanger and discarded her clothes for good, leaving her fully exposed. She shuddered as her feet touched the cold marble floor after taking off her shoes and at last, not a piece of her had remained covered.

She clasped her hands over her crotch, covering it reflexively and turned to Gertha. The tall priestess did not seem fazed by her nudity and simply exhaled in acknowledgement before proceeding to undress herself. First, she took off her hood, revealing a long mane of hazel hair reaching all the way below her shoulders. Lifting up her pendant, she let the chain slip under her robe so it would not get in the way as she pulled it free from her body.

Lana's breath stopped. Never in her dreams would she had expected what she beheld.

Beneath the black garb, the priestess was wearing something she could hardly describe. On her huge round breasts, a pair of decorated brass rings covered her nipples, the means by which they held unknown. Small diamond shapes, identical to the one on her pendant, hanged from them, suspended on short bronze-colored chains. Her womanhood was bare for all to see, her mound shaved clean, her lips thin but inviting. But what caught her attention the most was what she witnessed when she turned around. Between her soft, round butt cheeks, she noticed an object she could only describe as a plug inserted in her anus. Bronze like the nipple coverings, I was around the same in diameter and who knows how deep.