"What do we have to do?" a young man called out, arms crossed. "This ain't free, is it?"
"Of course not!" Serafine replied with a radiant smile. "All I ask is your faith. A simple pledge to Lady Sera's Divine Grace, and you shall witness miracles beyond your wildest dreams!"
"Miracles?" a grizzled farmer asked. "Like what?"
Serafine's eyes gleamed. This was her moment. "Allow me to demonstrate!" She turned to Calix. "Hand me the… uh, holy artifact."
"The what?" Calix asked, bewildered.
"The bucket," she whispered through gritted teeth.
He handed her an old wooden bucket they'd found lying around, and Serafine held it up as if it were the Holy Grail. She muttered a quick prayer under her breath, a mix of nonsense and whatever vaguely spiritual-sounding words she could think of before placing the bucket on the ground.
"Behold!" she cried. "A miracle in the making!"
The villagers leaned in, their expressions ranging from curiosity to outright doubt. Serafine activated her ethos, channeling a small amount of energy into the bucket. It began to glow faintly, a soft golden light emanating from within.
The crowd gasped.
"It's glowing!" someone exclaimed.
"A sign of divine favor!" Serafine declared. "This bucket shall never run dry! Whatever you place inside will multiply a hundredfold!"
A brave soul stepped forward, a scrappy-looking boy holding a single potato. He dropped it into the bucket, and Serafine quickly activated her ability again. The potato glowed briefly before splitting in half.
The crowd fell silent.
"It… shrank," the boy said, his voice flat.
"Uh, no," Serafine said quickly, scooping up the potato halves. "It's… symbolic! Yes, a metaphor for life's trials! Sometimes, things must be broken before they can be rebuilt stronger than ever!"
The crowd didn't look convinced. Calix buried his face in his hands.
"Alright, alright," Serafine said, raising her hands to calm the murmurs. "Let's try something else. Calix, bring me the… other holy artifact."
"Please don't say bucket again," he muttered, but handed her a small bowl this time.
Serafine repeated the process, this time focusing more carefully. When the bowl began to glow, she subtly dropped a handful of seeds into it. Moments later, tiny green sprouts began to emerge, growing visibly before the astonished eyes of the villagers. Of course, it wasn't actually a miracle.
Once again, Calix was doing the work, his healing magic progressing the growth of the plant.
"A miracle!" she announced triumphantly.
The crowd erupted into cheers, the earlier mishap forgotten. People began stepping forward, pledging their faith to Lady Sera's Divine Grace. Serafine basked in their adoration, already feeling the boost to her Ruination Points.
"See?" she whispered to Calix, who was still glaring at her. "Told you it would work."
"You got lucky," he grumbled. "And you owe that boy a new potato."
"Details," Serafine said dismissively. She turned back to the crowd, raising her arms like a victorious queen. "Rejoice, my friends! For this is only the beginning of the wonders to come!"
As the villagers chanted her name, Serafine couldn't help but grin. Her "religious initiative" was off to a chaotic but undeniably successful start. And with every new worshipper, her power grew stronger. The possibilities were endless as long as she could keep the miracles coming.
The village wasn't much to look at, a cluster of modest homes and a marketplace with more chickens than shoppers, but Serafine saw opportunity in every stone, every hut, and every gullible face.
She had just begun weaving her web of influence when trouble came knocking in the form of a rival cult.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Serafine muttered under her breath, watching from the safety of a tavern window as a group of fanatics paraded into town.
Their robes were an obnoxious shade of gold, embroidered with sun motifs that practically screamed "holier-than-thou."
At the front of the procession was a man who could only be described as a walking sermon.
His hair was slicked back, his chin was held high, and his staff, oh, his staff, was tipped with a gaudy crystal that looked like it had been stolen from a jewelry store clearance rack.
"Who's that?" Calix asked, peeking over her shoulder.
"That," Serafine said, her voice dripping with disdain, "is competition."
The man strode into the town square, his voice booming as he declared, "Rejoice, people! For I, Father Aldous, have been sent by the heavens to guide you to salvation!"
"Salvation from what?" Serafine whispered to herself. "Boredom?"
Mariella, seated beside her, frowned. "Do you think he knows about you?"
"Oh, he knows. And if he doesn't, he will soon enough."
Father Aldous continued his speech, his words laced with promises of divine blessings and vague threats about what would happen to those who didn't join his cause. The villagers, wide-eyed and impressionable, seemed captivated by his performance.
"Ugh, I hate him already."
Calix furrowed his brows. "What are we going to do?"
"Oh, don't worry. I've got a plan."
The next morning, Serafine made her entrance.
Dressed in flowing robes of white and silver, crafted from the finest bedsheets the inn could spare, she walked into the town square with an air of divine elegance. Her hair, glowing under the morning sun thanks to liberal amounts of stolen hair oil, seemed to radiate purity.
"Good people!" she called, her voice soft yet commanding. "I have come to bring you hope, not fear. To offer you love, not judgment."
The villagers turned to her, their curiosity piqued.
Father Aldous, who had been in the middle of another long-winded sermon, visibly bristled.
"And who might you be?" he demanded, his tone sharp.
Serafine placed a hand on her chest, her expression serene. "I am Serafine, humble servant of the heavens." She tilted her head just so, letting the light catch her eyes in the most enchanting way possible. "I go where I am needed, bringing blessings and miracles to all who believe."
Father Aldous snorted. "A likely story. And what miracles have you performed, 'Serafine'?"
At this, Serafine turned to Calix, who was awkwardly holding a bucket of water. She gave him a pointed look, and he sighed, stepping forward.
"Behold," Serafine announced, gesturing dramatically, "my loyal assistant will now perform a sacred ritual, turning this humble water into…" She paused for effect. "…something much better."
"Uh… right." He muttered a quick prayer under his breath, then raised the bucket high, spinning on his heel before throwing its contents into the air.
The water sparkled, catching the sunlight as it cascaded down like a shimmering rain. The villagers gasped, clapping and cheering at what they believed to be a divine sign.
"What nonsense is this?" Father Aldous barked.
"Oh, it's no nonsense, Father," Serafine replied sweetly. "It's faith."
Over the next few days, the rivalry between Serafine and Father Aldous escalated.
Each tried to outshine the other in increasingly absurd ways.
Father Aldous organized a "blessing ceremony," complete with overly elaborate chants and incense so thick it made people's eyes water.
In response, Serafine hosted a "healing session," during which she claimed to cure minor ailments with a single touch, aided by Mariella discreetly slipping peppermint oil onto the affected areas.
Calix, though initially reluctant, became an unwilling star in Serafine's schemes.
One afternoon, he was tasked with pretending to levitate during a prayer circle. Using an old magician's trick Serafine had taught him, he managed to pull it off, though he nearly toppled over in the process.
Meanwhile, Mariella proved to be an invaluable asset.
Under the cover of darkness, she sneaked into the rival cult's camp and sabotaged their supplies.
She replaced their ceremonial wine with vinegar, swapped their incense with sneezing powder, and even tied their robes into complicated knots.
Chaos ensued the next day as Father Aldous's followers struggled to untangle their robes and stifled sneezes during their ritual. Serafine, watching from a safe distance, laughed so hard she nearly fell off the bench she was sitting on.
"Remind me to give you a raise," she told Mariella, wiping tears from her eyes.
As the days went on, the villagers began to side with Serafine. Her charisma, combined with her ability to turn every situation into a spectacle, won them over. Even those who had initially supported Father Aldous started to question his self-righteousness.
At a certain evening, as the sun set over the village, Father Aldous confronted Serafine in the town square.
"You may have fooled these simple folk," he said, his voice dripping with disdain, "but I see you for what you truly are. A fraud."
"A fraud? That's rich coming from someone whose 'divine blessings' smell suspiciously like sulfur."
Father Aldous's face turned red. "I am a servant of the gods!"
"And I'm their favorite," Serafine quipped, flashing him a dazzling smile.
-------------------------
-------------------------
[Mission Completed: Ruination System - Fifth Mission]
Objective Status: Achieved
Reward: +100 Ruination Points (RN)
-------------------------
-------------------------