The Cathedral itself was by far the most impressive structure I had ever seen in either of my lives - although I have yet to actually stand in front of the Academy and just marvel at its splendor since I had been in a bit of a self induced rush - with how it towered over everyone, casting a looming shadow as the sun shone brilliantly just behind its steeples.
It was a little humbling just looking up at this building, the sheer size reminding me just how small and unimportant I was currently; comparing myself to a building sounded stupid, but just standing here in front of it... it was impossible to not compare, nor marvel at this gorgeous construction of mortal piety.
Home to dozens of altars dedicated to the myriad Goddesses of the world, this place of worship was constantly bustling with activity as the many citizens of Mythia came to pay respects to their revered deity or to seek out spiritual counseling.
At all times of day people were coming and going from the Cathedral proper, entering its magnificent hall and seeking out the altar devoted to their deity of choice; the many alcoves attached to the Cathedral proper were filled with pews facing those altars or the seldom tombs dedicated to those that had done impressive deeds for the city.
Virtuous or influential Nobles who helped establish or maintain the city, warriors and mages who kept it safe, researchers and professors who guided the youth to a better direction; not just anyone could become interred into the Cathedral, but those that were here were the best of the best.
There were hundreds of people coming in and out of the Cathedral, so just like out on the streets I just brushed past the people and made my way towards a quieter corner that led down into the public underbelly of the Cathedral; the 'darker' Goddesses were worshipped beneath the earth, and that was where I needed to go.
Not because there was a Goddess I wanted to worship, but because this was where the Cathedral reluctantly housed a group of people devoted to maintaining the balance of the city from the forces of evil.
The Sepulcher Of Sin was many things; it was a rehabilitation center for those who gave in far too much to a single of the seven deadly sins, a monastery devoted to eradicating the evils born of those sins, and the domain of one of the most powerful people in this city.
Within the depths of the Sepulcher there was a necklace that had become forgotten over time, kept amongst the many dark artifacts that were housed down there to be protected by the various 'monks' living down here.
It was that necklace that I was after that boosted all of my stats by quite a bit here in the early game, and since it was both an old artifact and long since 'cleansed' of anything terrible, and with it being located near the fringes of the Sepulcher and just left lying in an obvious spot, well...
All I need to do was get in, grab the necklace and then leave before anyone really questioned why I was interested in being in a somewhat restricted spot; the stairs leading into the depths were dimly lit, the air cool yet thick with the earthy scent that clung to your nostrils.
Crystals illuminated the way, casting an eery glow over everything and allowing your mind to formulate things from nothing as the shadows danced in corner of your eyes, reminding you that one of the deepest, most ingrained fears for all mortals is that of the unknown and of the dark.
Down below was almost as crowded as it was up above, with the layout mimicking almost everything perfectly to ensure equality between all of the Goddesses represented within the hallowed halls of the Cathedral.
The most drastic difference was the heavy, cold air and darkness that clung to everything down here, the immediate shift from up above to down here catching me off guard a little, though I just steeled myself and made my way towards the Sepulcher that was nestled on the other side of the hall.
Its doors were open and the circular room centered around a grand tomb was less illuminated than everything else outside, with a few of the monks slowly shuffling around as they recited their mantras or chatted quietly.
Each wore a simple robe with a colored sash that denoted their prevalent sin; many would have assumed that Lust would be overly represented in an Eroge, but it was actually Pride that numbered the most amongst the monks.
A dirty purple sash over their plain brown robes was the most common sight, and the monks ranged from thin, saddened and dreary to towering hulks of muscle that moved with purpose; Pride came in many forms, and how they dealt with being punished for committing crimes in the name of their Pride differed just as much.
The one that always amused me every single time I saw it was the bright pink sashes draped over those that succumbed to their Lust in terrible ways; everyone had - for some odd reason - believed that the primary members of the Lust Monks would have been overly sexy and buxom women who would provide some very~ nice defeat or other scenes.
And yet they were primarily futanari who ranged from those bulky warriors who had raped too many people or creepy, cringy stalkers and or pathetic simps who committed a crime for the woman 'promising' something to them.
The amount of forum threads 'crying' about this was always amusing to me, and I could barely hold a laugh in now as I realized they were just as 'pathetic' as the people I was seeing now; however, laughing at someone who was here to get help wasn't right, and I definitely wasn't keen on getting punched in the face by one of those warriors who had reformed into rather honorable people.
This was a dysfunctional family now that they were apart of, and even if some of them held onto scraps of their sins they were still a close knit group who looked out for one another... because if they didn't, then who would?