A Tale Of Two Cults

Jack had sent five bats to patrol the city and take out anyone who was trying to sacrifice others. The bats were guided by the assistant, who was able to identify the nature of a situation more precisely than even Jack could, so it was the perfect patrol system. Some citizens were scared of them but still went about their daily life since they did not seem to attack indiscriminately. It was a temporary solution, but a solution nonetheless.

In the meantime, Jack had been offered tea and had learned a lot about this mysterious culture. According to Margi, the old woman who had approached him, they were deeply religious and all followed the same gods for thousands of years. But the people are split into two major sects, which roughly translates to the Serenity and the Abundance Sect. The Serenity Sect is interpreting the religion's scriptures as internal guides to solve an internal struggle, a process which will lead to absolution and bring them closer to their gods. The Abundance Sect is interpreting the scriptures as means for action and seeking absolution by externalizing their struggles.

What Jack had observed at the altar was a traditional sacrificial ritual executed by a shaman of the Abundance Sect. By killing her own children, she was hoping to get closer to her gods and viewed it as a tool of ridding herself from her human struggles. The same was true for the other things he had observed, including the abuse, rape, murder, and otherwise disregard for human life. It was not only tolerated in their faith but even encouraged. A man who had dozens of slaves die during their mining work was revered in their social circle since he experienced a loss which brought him closer to god. What stood out to Jack was the way people were rewarded not for making themselves suffer but for making others suffer. They do not mutilate themselves but mutilate others. They had turned hateful actions into a spiritual practice.

Jack did not hide his disgust during her explanation, but took solace in the fact that his bats had already killed over 100 people in this city who had either tried to sacrifice others or had attempted to stop his bats from performing their cleansing duties. Jack looked at Margi and sipped his tea, "Then what does the Serenity Sect do?"

Margi looked at the table and her expression relaxed, "We are creating inner peace. We do not harm others, not even animals, and we seek a peaceful coexistence with all life."

"Then why aren't you stopping this?" Jack looked firmly at Margi.

Margi looked down at the table and paused. "For thousands of years, both sects had been equally involved in guiding the people. The governments were composed of both factions and there was an understanding between the sects. Sacrifices occurred in some parts of the country but they were rare. It was a more peaceful time. But, about 300 years ago, the Abundance Sect started to gain more and more power due to the growing attacks by the creatures and the increasing wars with the other countries. It broke our delicate balance and the sect was able to take control over all the governments in the region. The large altars in the major cities were constructed not long after and it was then when things like slave trade, murder, sacrifice and other acts became prevalent. Our sect became less relevant and our members have shrunk from 50% of the population to less than 30% in just a few hundred years." Margi looked back up at Jack and he could tell that she was deeply hurt by her words even though her voice did not waver.

"Are you the leader of this sect?" Jack asked.

"I am the highest ranking shaman of my sect in this region. But I am not the leader. Our sects do not have leaders but a collection of high-ranking priests or shamans who have been recognized by the people and given responsibilities." She said.

"Then I will give you responsibility now." Jack said while he looked at her. "Take control over this city's government and inform the people that the laws will change. Slave trade, sacrifices, abusing children, murder and other disregard for human life are forbidden. I will leave my bats here to enforce these new laws."

Margi looked shocked at the confidence and firmness in Jack's words. He did not try to negotiate with her but told her what would happen next. For a man with his power, it must be natural behavior, she thought to herself. But, to her, this was not an unexpected development. She had been tested by her gods every moment of every day. She had 6 children throughout her long life but five of them were long dead. Killed in sacrifices, murdered on the street or fallen to the creatures. It was not an easy life for her. Even her last remaining son had converted to the Abundance Sect and had abandoned his loving mother. But she forgave him. The pain of losing his five siblings and the teachings of non-violence were impossible to accept for a man who wants to succeed in this world. Even she had doubts that non-violence was the right decision with the constant threat of creatures in the city's outskirts. But now, there was a chance. Maybe it was the final test for her faith. Maybe it was the reason why she had been holding on to her faith for all this time even as others had lost it. This man could be able to change things. She did not agree with the murder of those who were evil but she understood immediately that this man was not of this world. He was not subject to their laws and not to be understood by their moral sense. He was not one of them but a tool by the gods.

When some from her congregation called for her and told her about what was going on on the central plaza, she was reminded of her vision. She had a strange Sym ability that allowed her to see things and associate thoughts in different ways compared to others. To her, it felt like she could send her thoughts out into the void and get them back, but changed. Often she got images or sentences that were meaningful to the region. She was able to predict droughts, attacks and even diseases on occasions. She was treated as an oracle by others even though her ability was highly limited. She could not see everything and her accuracy often depended on her interpretation more than on the vision itself. But there was one vision that she had been seeing for many years. It was the image of a large swarm of birds that carried a powerful being. Wherever the swarm flew, the land would prosper and life would be elevated. Trees grew, flowers bloomed and rivers expanded. Cities became prosperous and full of life while the lands bore more and more crops. But the being also brought death and destruction with many people being slaughtered by the birds. It was an image that she had often dreamed about.

When Margi first saw Jack murdering the priests of the Abundance Sect, she was scared and horrified. But her people insisted that she pay attention to the two children on the altar rather than to the bodies of the priests on the ground. She could see that the children were covered in a large blanket and their faces looked lush and healthy. They looked more peaceful than any child she had seen in the past decades. Only then did she find the courage to approach the man and was ready to sacrifice her life for the people. If he was evil then the city and herself would be doomed. If he was good then she would be able to converse with him.

It was only after she had seen the anger in his eyes over the attempted sacrifice that she knew he could be trusted. But when she saw him summon five large creatures out of a portal and instructed them to patrol the area, her knees almost gave out. These strange creatures looked like the birds from her vision. They were much larger than what she had imagined but their long bodies, black-purple skin, wide wings and owl-like faces were identical. Tears ran down her face when she saw them follow his orders and her people immediately knew what her strong reaction meant for them. Things were about to change.

Sitting on a pillow in front of her coffee table, she bowed her head and placed it onto the table while her hands laid flat beside it in a gesture of respect and reverence, "I will do as you say."

Jack left the house of the shaman and jumped to a high building. It was the largest building in the city and seemed to be a temple or church of some kind. The city itself did not seem like the modern cities he had seen in the other alliances but seemed quite archaic to him. The houses were small, the people lived simply and there was little luxury or convenience to be found anywhere. The only thing that did impress him was the flourishing manufacturing industry. He noticed many large factories which seemed to be producing Sym devices at scale and it was no worse than any other facility he had seen so far. There was more to this culture than what first meets the eye. There must be a reason why they were able to maintain their position against the other alliances outside of their large population.

He had connected to Margi through her communicator and let the assistant handle the instruction and coordination of her task. She would be accompanied by a bat with an invisibility ability at all times for protection and would now be going to the main government building to take over. Jack was already on his way there and would prepare everything. He did not plan on killing them but will tell them that they either have to comply with his agenda or leave the government.

When he arrived at the mayor's building, he noticed only ten people being present even though the place had enough offices to accommodate over 100. He went into the main room where they were having a meeting and appeared right in the center as they were engaged in a deep discussion. When Jack appeared with his white and emotionless mask on, all the 10 men visibly flinched and he could detect their heart rates increasing rapidly. They must have heard about the man who had not only slaughtered dozens of priests but also commanded powerful creatures which were patrolling the city and shutting down all sacrifices.

To Jack, this was just a formality. He did not care about their governments or their disputes. Even if Margi had lied to him about her position, it made no difference to him. His bats and the assistant would enforce his will onto the people no matter what. If the Serenity Sect was indeed better, then this was a plus but he did not care either way. They would have to comply.

He took a step towards the group and spoke with the local tongue. His tone sounded firm but it also had a hint of boredom. "As you already know, I have taken over this city. I will put someone else in charge. You can either follow her every command faithfully or leave now. Of course, you can also resist me but that would mean death."

The men were scared of Jack and his bored tone made them even more afraid. It signaled to them that he had no patience and just wanted to get this over with fast. They even suspected that he would prefer killing them all instead of talking to them just for convenience sake. The men exchanged quick glances between each other. There was no room for negotiation. This man was not to be reasoned with.

Yet, the mayor stood up and put his sword on the table. He looked at Jack, "You are defying our faith and our gods. How can we not resist you?"

Jack looked outside towards the large window behind the men where three of his bats were hovering in the air and observing them. They looked like hawks ready to catch a mouse. Jack took his time and slowly looked back at the mayor who was still standing at his table. "You can believe in whatever you want and follow your religion to your heart's desire." Jack said with the same bored tone as his eyes started scanning the other men who were sitting and looked petrified. Then he took three steps towards the table and looked back at the mayor. "But if you kill, sacrifice or abuse the people and the children then my bats will rip all of your limbs off and eat you alive." The entire room started to shake as Jack's anger led to a wave of Sym energy spreading in all directions. The men in the room started to feel physically sick and some coughed while bending over the table.

Then the assistant interrupted. "Jack, stop. You will kill them." The words echoing in his head brought him back to reality and he retracted the energy he had exuded. He looked across the room and the men slowly recovered and looked back at him.

Jack collected himself and continued. "You can leave now if you want but no matter where you go, my new rules will be the law in the entire alliance. I am taking over everything. You can either be part of the government and secure your spot or you can decide to resist somewhere else. Even if you decide to resist, you will probably never see me again but you will see the guys behind you a lot and their temper is worse than mine." As Jack uttered the last sentence, the men turned around and their eyes fixated on the three bats which were still hovering in the air. Their eyes looked black and vicious while they seemed to prepare for strange attacks with fire, black fog and even lightning emerging from their wings. The men were silent and they did not discuss amongst themselves. They had likely already planned for such a scenario before which is why only 10 people remained in the building.

The mayor picked up his sword and placed it into his holster. Then he slowly looked around at his men. "We will surrender."

Jack smiled faintly. The three bats disappeared to patrol the city with the others and Jack grabbed a communicator on the table. Thanks to the assistant, a simple touch was still enough to gain full access over any device. The assistant had carefully researched the data it had gathered in the region and gained a lot of information on the governments, the religion and the two sects. It was enough to create a legal code and more efficient government organization to be implemented immediately and swiftly. For the assistant, it was easy to communicate with thousands of people at once so it would be the brain of the entire organization until the government had enough experience to be self-sufficient. Jack placed the communicator back down. "I have placed documents for you into the device and also distributed them to all of your communicators. There is a new legal code and rules for the management of the city. You will find an operator who is taking charge and will be able to answer all of your questions. But keep in mind that the operator is not just there to explain things to you. The operator is directly communicating with the bats so if you do not comply then you will become their breakfast. Do you understand?"

The mayor sat back down and looked at the communicator. "Yes, we will carefully review the documents." To the people, sacrifices were an important part of the culture and everyone had been part of them in one way or another but not all were fond of the act. It was just something that needed to be done to be closer to the gods. Banning them would disrupt the fabric of this city and lead to riots, the mayor thought, but there was nothing he could do.

Then Margi and her followers entered the room. When the mayor saw her, his mouth opened and only a whisper came out. "Margi…". She was known as a benevolent force in the city but all she had was the trust of the people without any power. As the leader of the Serenity Sect's branch, there was no way anyone would give her enough authority. She fully sustained herself through the foods she obtained from her believers but she had no wealth or belongings. For some, she was as close to a saint as one could be but to others, she was an embarrassment who wasted her talents and influence to live in poverty.

Jack noticed the reactions of the people as she entered the room. "You seem to already know her. She will be the new mayor of this city, at least temporarily. If she does well, she will have the job indefinitely. You can all keep your current positions except for the old mayor. You can be her advisor but she has full authority to kick out anyone she dislikes without a reason. And before you get any funny ideas, Margi will be protected every second of every day. If anyone tries to harm her, they will be ripped apart before they can even make a move." Jack gestured towards the window where the 10 men saw a bat suddenly appearing out of nowhere as it removed its invisibility cloak. "Even if you think you are alone with her, there is a bat nearby. It can see through walls, inside your pockets and even inside your mind. There is nowhere to hide from it. If you understand what I'm saying then nod."

All the men in the room nodded with a pale face.

"Great. Margi, you know what to do?" Jack said with a smile as his mood had slightly improved.

Margi gave a gentle and dignified bow as she passed Jack. "Yes, the operator you have connected with me has shown incredible knowledge and expertise about this city and country. I will do my best to serve you and the people of this city."

Jack smiled and gave Margi a gentle tap on the shoulder. Then he opened a portal and disappeared. Margi sat down at the table opposite of the men and smiled. "Then, shall we begin?" The men looked at the kind and gentle woman who had such a welcoming aura but they could feel the cold stare of the 5 meter large creature hovering behind them which was ready to attack if they just looked at her funny.

Serving in this administration would be even scarier than the rituals they had to participate in. They all prayed that they had made the right choice.