(3rd Person POV)
Between overseeing Hellfire HQ's construction, Arthur monitored his growing cult through his divine domain.
The Divine Revelry System had proven remarkably effective - in mere weeks, his follower count had reached 20,000.
"This deserves celebration," Arthur smiled, activating his divine computer.
The upgrade to his domain had granted him this powerful tool - far more sophisticated than ordinary computers.
It tracked each follower's progress and automatically generated appropriate tasks based on their chosen paths. A stage actor might receive a mission to join a specific theater production, while a musician could be tasked with composing for a festival.
The reward structure proved elegantly simple: side-missions earned 10-15 Faith Points, while main missions could grant 20-25 FP.
Followers could also gain smaller amounts through traditional offerings - six goats or seven sheep converted to 1 FP. However, most preferred completing missions for their higher returns.
Tonight, Arthur had special plans. His fingers moved across the divine keyboard, assigning a celebration mission to his festival organizers and senior members.
He invested 100 Divine Points into the event, marking the milestone of reaching 20,000 followers.
The sudden shower of Faith Points galvanized his followers in Angel City. Festival organizers immediately began coordinating, pooling their divine-granted talents for one massive celebration.
Within an hour, a thousand senior members gathered to celebrate their growing numbers. Their combined revelry would generate even more divine energy, creating a perfect cycle of celebration and growth.
Arthur watched with satisfaction as a thousand followers celebrated in the underground sanctuary of Dionysus HQ. This celebration served multiple purposes - rewarding his dedicated senior members while subtly encouraging them to expand the cult's influence further.
***
The vast chamber pulsed with festive energy. Followers danced and sang while others gathered around the stage, watching actors perform divine-inspired plays. Wine flowed freely, its sweet aroma mixing with incense and laughter.
Elena sat with Crystal near the central fountain, both enjoying the unexpected celebration.
The promise of 25 Faith Points had drawn Elena here, though she found herself genuinely enjoying the festivities.
"A celebration in the middle of the afternoon?" Crystal sipped her water, young face glowing with excitement as she moved to the music. "Our Lord's ways are mysterious indeed."
Elena smiled fondly at the girl. "We mortals can hardly fathom the depth of his divine planning, Crystal." She smoothed the girl's hair affectionately.
Near them, a bard struck up his lute, his voice rising clear and strong: "From sacred vine and joyous heart, Our Lord brings light to mortal art. Where false gods chain with iron decree, Dionysus sets the spirit free! His mercy flows like sweetest wine, His grace makes mortal life divine!"
The bard stretched his arms skyward, imagining Dionysus seated upon clouds of golden light, bestowing blessings upon his faithful. "Through dance and song we praise his name, Through joy and art we spread his fame. The old gods fade like morning mist, While Dionysus leads us to bliss!"
Elena and Crystal swayed to the music, their smiles reflecting the room's jubilant mood.
Around them, the celebration continued unabated - dancers whirled, actors performed, and wine flowed so abundantly that some followers lapped it from the floor, lost in divine ecstasy.
Sudden gasps filled the chamber as golden scrolls materialized before each follower. Shimmering text appeared, outlining a new divine reward system:
{Basic Contribution (Daily performances, minor recruitment): 5-10 FP
Minor Contribution (Successful productions, active recruitment): 50-100 FP
Major Contribution (Large-scale events, significant recruitment): 200-500 FP
Outstanding Contribution (Revolutionary projects, mass conversion): Up to 1,000 FP!}
The celebration, already joyous, erupted into pure ecstasy. Dancers linked arms, forming circles that spun with wild abandon. A chorus of bards lifted their voices in harmony:
"Great Dionysus, who sees our chains,
Grants us freedom from mortal pains!
Through his grace our talents soar,
His sweet wine makes spirits pour!
From his mercy flows our art,
His divine gifts set us apart!
Under his reign our souls run free,
Through him we'll shape this world to be!"
Elena swept Crystal into her arms, both spinning with delight. Their laughter echoed through the underground chambers, faint traces reaching the streets above where oblivious citizens passed by.
***
From his divine domain, Arthur watched with satisfaction. His followers' dedication pleased him deeply.
A notification on his divine computer caught his attention - John had received an important mission.
Opening the details, Arthur saw the task: pray for the mentally ill patients at Elder Bane Asylum.
The reward was substantial - 500 Faith Points for healing half the patients, though it would cost John 60-80 FP of his own power.
"A fair exchange," Arthur mused, knowing the healing would require significant divine energy.
The situation had changed dramatically since "Cuckoo's Nest" began filming. Back then, Arthur's mere 10 Divine Points - depleted from purchasing the Divine Revelry System - had made healing the asylum patients impossible.
Now he'd accumulated 300 Divine Points. Even after spending 100 on the celebration, he retained enough power to heal the patients himself. Yet Arthur chose a different path, pressing 'confirm' on John's mission instead. Sometimes the greatest divine lessons came through enabling others to help.
***
In his apartment, John stirred as his scroll pulsed with golden light. Reading the mission, his eyes widened. "Pray for the patients at Elder Bane Asylum?"
The faces of those troubled souls flashed through his memory. If he'd known he'd meet them, he might have saved some of the 3,000 Faith Points Lord Arthur had gifted him. But regret served no purpose now.
The mission required 60-80 Faith Points to heal the patients. John rose without hesitation, moving to his wall safe. Inside lay thousands of dollars - his earnings from recent acting work.
He counted out $16,000 methodically, knowing it would convert to the needed 80 Faith Points. The money's loss meant nothing to him. Faith Points, direct connection to his lord's power, held value far beyond mere currency.
One didn't measure devotion in dollars, after all.
***
The next morning, John arrived at the asylum set as usual, settling into his role as Randle for the film's final scenes. The mission to heal the patients weighed on his mind, but with a week's deadline, he chose to wait. These prayers needed to come from John himself, not his character Randle.
As early July arrived, they filmed the final scenes. The ending struck deep into everyone's hearts - Randle's tragic fate after the lobotomy, and Chief Bromden's mercy killing with a pillow.
Even Vivienne, despite playing the stern Nurse Ratched, couldn't hold back her tears.
Firfel, though only a visitor to the set, wept openly. The entire cast struggled with their emotions as they watched Chief Bromden escape to freedom, carrying hope to the outside world - hope born from Randle's sacrifice.
Arthur approached John, placing a steady hand on his shoulder. "You did well, John."
John's smile carried the weight of Randle's tragedy as he nodded respectfully. The role had changed him - perhaps more than he'd expected.
He could feel pieces of Randle's spirit lingering in his consciousness, that fierce desire to fight against oppressive systems, to bring freedom to trapped souls.
His gaze drifted to the real patients shuffling through the asylum corridors, then to the head nurse, a feline demoness who managed the facility. Something of Randle's determination flickered in his eyes as a plan began forming in his mind.
***
Moonlight cast long shadows through Elder Bane Asylum's windows as John slipped inside. A coiled rope hung at his belt - an escape route if needed.
He moved silently through the familiar corridors, now eerily quiet without the usual daytime chaos. Each door he passed held sleeping patients behind it, while distant footsteps marked the night nurses' rounds.
Finding a central position in the ward, John knelt and began his prayer, channeling his 80 Faith Points into healing energy. Divine power flowed through him as he whispered words of healing.
In their beds, patients stirred uneasily at first, their faces tightening with brief discomfort. Then something remarkable happened - warmth bloomed in their minds, spreading like gentle sunlight through their bodies. Decades of mental fog began lifting, replaced by a clarity many had forgotten could exist.
Golden light, visible only to John's divinely blessed eyes, pulsed through the ward as Arthur's power worked its miracle.