The Insider System

Chapter 27: Light Temple

Running up the steps Lake saw there were still plenty of people around even though it was getting dark. "Halt, no guild business. You know that Joy. Get off the temple steps." Joy came to a stop and said "This boy qualifies to enter the temple."

Joy crouched down to Lake and whispered, "Lake show them your Light magic. It's the only way they will keep you safe." Doing as he was told, Lake gathered some Light mana around him. "Ok he can enter, but only him." After the man said this, Joy let Lake's arm go and said, "Once you go inside, ask for protection and tell them what happened. I'll come and get you once I pay your bounty."

After she said this Joy walked down the stairs and towards the Alchemist guild. "You should come in if you want to see the temple head before tomorrow. She enters seclusion around this time. Also hand me your weapon, I'll give it back when you leave."

Lake did want to see the temple head, so he walked up the stairs handed off his sword then went into the door. When he entered he saw the inside was one large garden. Light was pouring down from the ceiling. Lake wasn't sure where it was coming from but he knew it was magic, and by magic Lake meant pure light mana.

Walking into the garden Lake could feel the distinct flavor he had felt when he used Light magic earlier. Seeing only one person in the garden, Lake walked up to her. "Protection granted."

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"Thank you. I wasn't sure if you were the right person." This had made Lake's life a lot easier; he had been unsure who he should ask to be granted protection. "Um, do you know why I need protection?"

Lake wanted to know if she was already aware of what had happened. "Because you were attacked by the Dark Guild Alliance and during the fight you killed someone from the Assassins guild."

"I actually killed two people. Was the other not from the Assassins guild?"

"No, the other was from the Thieves guild, and they don't avenge the lives of their members the way the Assassins guild does. When you kill a member of the Assassins guild they hunt you and all your friends and family until you run out of time and they kill you, or pay the Blood bounty. They do this because it makes most people too afraid to resist when they come for them. The Thieves guild just treats the death of their members as part of business."

Lake found this an interesting way for them to act. It was quite funny to not allow people to hurt your assassins. One of their rules was don't defend yourself, or you get in trouble. "So how much is the bounty?"

"It depends on who you killed, you have to pay the amount that the Assassins guild spent on training them." Lake understood now the Assassins guild didn't care about their members as people, they saw them as property, and if you break it you buy it. Now that Lake understood his situation, he wanted to know about the Light Temple and how it was different from a guild. "Why did Joy bring me here, instead of the Alchemist guild?"

"Because you'll be safer here the assassins guild had a chance of getting to you there. Most guilds have lots of members that are also part of the Dark Guild Alliance."

"And what's stopping them from coming here?" The temple head smiled and said, "Me, It's my job to keep the guilds out of the Temple. If they send someone here I'll kill them. But they would never do so because it would start a war with the Light Temple" This made it sound like the Temple was stronger than the guilds.

"What exactly is the Light Temple?"

"The Light Temple was founded after the Demon lord killed the Light goddess during the last Calamity. We try to strengthen the light branch of Magic in this world by teaching it to as many people as possible, and building sanctuaries like this one in as many places as possible. We hope this will allow the goddess to be reborn eventually. It's a similar method the Demon worshipers used to use to allow the Demon Lord to reincarnate every generation."

"And the Demon Lord just allows this to happen?"

"No But he's still weakened from the final fight between them. The current situation is just the opposite of how it was when the Goddess was alive, and the Demon Lord would reincarnate to fight her. We are just on the losing side at the moment." Lake thought this was dumb and they should just let both die and be done with it.

"So how does this affect Light Magic? I am still able to use it." The Temple head giggled a little. "Light magic wasn't really affected, Holy magic was. The Goddesses name is misleading because she took the God of Lights surname after they were married. She was the Holy Goddess before the marriage."

This almost made Lake's brain stop working, but as long as her followers were alright with it he guessed it was fine. "So Holy magic doesn't work anymore?"

"No. It's just a lot less likely for people to be given the attribute and even with it it takes more effort to use Holy spells, but as the Goddess gets closer to her rebirth it's getting easier for them. That's why people who have it are treasured by the Temple."

Lake was almost done asking questions, but he really wanted to know how the Demon Lord won this time even though he had lost so many times before; He bet it was something really dramatic. "Why did the Goddess lose this time instead of the Demon Lord?"

Lake saw the Temple Heads face become sour, as she said. "One of the Demigods in her army betrayed her during the final battle. He stabbed her in the back with a blade cursed with Demon Blood Poison, and it weakened the goddess enough to let the Demon Lord win."

"Why did he stab her?"

"The betrayer made a deal with the Demon Lord for greater Unholy powers. After he stabbed her he left for a different world, but thankfully the oracles said the Light God killed him a few days ago. they stabbed him through the heart with the same knife he used on the Light goddess; it took almost 20 years for them to find him but with the goddesses life avenged, It won't be long before the Light God goes for the Demon Lord."

One name came to mind as the Temple head said this; Laka. Lake would bet his life that the betrayer was Laka. Lake couldn't help but think, "What a stupid bastard." "It's time for me to enter seclusion. Let me show you where you'll be sleeping tonight."