In a dark room bearing similarities to an underground chapel-like chamber, there sat a man on a chair, the man was tied to chains. The chains went to his arms, his legs, even surrounding his torso.
The man slowly opened his eyes, looking around groggily.
The air reeked of incense and dried blood.
`Where the fuck am I, what happened?` The man thought to himself, `The last thing I remember was…` just then a sound came.
"Ahh, you're awake, about time sleeping beauty."
The man looked up towards the sound and when he saw the person standing leaning against the wall, he suddenly remembered what had happened, the clearing, the fight, the dagger and the poison, he remembered it all.
He felt an anger rising, "You bastard, you used poison." he growled in a low tone.
He then said, "You damn cult bastard, you will regret this." As he said that he tried to transform, while he still had that angry and ferocious face… but nothing happened in fact the only thing that happened was that his face went from angry and ferocious to… constipated.
He looked confused, "What did you do? What have you done to me?" His voice became increasingly fearful and desperate.
Thorn seeing this started to laugh, "Hahah, you should have seen your face hahah looking all ferocious to all constipated haha." The man upon seeing this felt anger rise through his fear and desperation.
Thorn who had contained his laughing said, "Calm, its the chains, they bear the lords power, we blessed them using a souls, your not getting out of them and your transformation doesn't work… but you already know that hahah"
The man looked embarrassed then he felt fear, genuine fear rising from deep inside. But he still had that ferocious face outwards, acting all tough.
Thorn just stared at him calmly then turned to leave, the man upon seeing this became nervous, "Where are you going?" Thorn just said in a calm voice, "Honey, don't think you are my only girl."
The man upon hearing the mocking calmed down, and realized his impulsiveness, how embarrassing.
When Thorn left he found an Apostle, "You go and start preaching for the wolfman, also don't give him food or water." The Apostle nodded then smiled and left.
Thorn had plans, he was going to make this wolfman a believer, but he realized the usual stuff wouldn't work, his soul is stronger, too different, he needed time and rituals to grind him down. Had the wolfman wanted to become a believer the usual ritual would have worked but he doesn't want to and will resist, so it's not quite enough, and sure the lord can act directly but he doesn't want to bother the lord since he must be busy.
On the other side in the dimension the lord he was talking about, Malrik, was sipping a soul and relaxing.
He had used his powers to conjure a nice palace and a nice hammock he could sleep in, he didn't need sleep, but he could simulate it and he had to do something to pass the time.
He was quite proud of his subjects, they worked smart, fast, and efficiently.
He was getting a steady supply of souls.
As he finished sipping the soul in his hand he slowly slipped into simulated sleep.
On the other side.
Thorn was planning the conversion of the wolfman, and had a solid plan.
Back in the cell, the wolfman had been listening to the same chants, prayers and matras being whispered and then shouted by the Apostle. He felt like his ears were bleeding and his hunger was gnawing at him not to mention thirst, his mouth felt dry, every breath seemed to cut against his dry throat.
He listens to their arguments for the lord, and he knows they are wrong, they are cultists, fanatics, crazy people. They are perversions of humanity.
All of a sudden the door opens, Thorn walks in, he motions for the other cultist to leave.
Then only he and Thorn are left, Thorn brings out a book, it looks like a bible, "This is our lord's Bible, we give it out for the people, it has what is needed to become a qualified believer in the lord." he says.
The wolfman sneers, "So this is your brainwashing guide."
Thorn just smiled, then said, "Now you are going to repeat after me." Just then the wolfman sneered and said, "And what if I don't?" Thorn smiled and said, "Then I'm going to call in a whole group of believers who are going to say these prayers at the top of their lungs."
The wolfman sneered, "That's it?" Thorn smiled at the provocation and then turned to leave.
The wolfman was surprised, he wasn't going to persuade him? Then he started to regret it, repeating some verses was way nicer than listening to a group of men screaming in your ears.
He then said, "Wait, I can repeat the matras." But Thorn just ignored him.
Then entered a group of men, each with their "Bible" and started to preach in a loud tone.
The wolfman felt regret.
As Thorn was breaking the wolfman, Loyd was working with the merchant, their plot with the rabbits had worked out better than expected, so well it had spread to other towns the famine here was nearly non-existent.
The town which had been swarmed because of the merchant moving his HQ here was now swarmed because of food.
The amount of money the cult was making monthly, or weekly was huge.
Loyd felt this incredible sense of pride as he watched how the town had grown under his cultivation. He mused, "This must be how Thorn feels when he successfully manipulates someone." he chuckled.
But speaking of Thorn and his manipulation, Loyd was worried, with this amount of new people entering the town, some of them are bound to notice that something is wrong, and that the faith here is not catholic as it is portrayed on the outside.
But then again, that wasn't his problem that was Thorn's problem, and he trusted Thorn's abilities.
The Thorn he was speaking of was having a blast watching the wolfman being coerced into repeating mantas. After the group of men screamed phrases and mantras in his ears for a few hours, he didn't refuse to repeat mantras and phrases.
And Thorn was surprised how he hadn't asked for food or water for days even when his voice was dry and rasp, he just kept going, albeit under threat, but still.
They had also not been allowing him sleep, when he fell asleep a Husk would whip him.
These damn cultists, they are all sadists
They had not allowed him food, water or sleep. Had he been a normal human he would've been dead.
They had been humiliating him daily, whenever he tried to argue their lord, their beliefs they would start to shame him.
He had started to nod along just so they would shut up, just so they wouldn't keep going. But right after giving the nod it… felt like a betrayal but also relief.
The days passed as Thorn kept observing the conversion of the wolfman. Now they had reached a climax, he could feel it, sense it.
The wolfman had been fighting the never ending barrage of brainwash.
`I hate them and I will never join them.`
Then a few days later it was.
`But what if they are right? No, I know who I am.`
But… now… it was.
`I don't know anymore.`
He was so tired, the room felt like it was pulsing with the chants, the eerie silence between chants.
His jaw was no longer so tightly clenched, a knot in his chest seemed to loosen.
He had started to chant the mantras in his head, even when they weren't chanting, he couldn't stop.
Thorn had seen all this happen in real time, his posture was no longer defiant, the clenched fists, the staring them down, it was all long gone, his posture was now slumped, submissive, reflecting the erosion of his spirit.
It was time for his final move, the final push.
He walked in, looking at the wolfman's defeated posture he couldn't help but smile.
"Do you want the suffering to end? Do you want the lord's approval?" he asked. The wolfman looked up, his eyes no longer burning with fire.
The wolfman asked, "Do… you think he will accept me? After all the bad I've said about him?" Thorn smiled and said, "Of course, all you have to do is accept him." As he said this he conjured a contract and united one of his hands and said, "Drip some blood on this paper and then push your finger in the blood."
The wolfman raised his hand tremblingly and bit his tongue and moved his finger over the paper, but just before he pushed his finger in the blood he hesitated.
`Was this what he wanted? To follow this lord?´
He had been so defiant before, so repulsed, but the more he heard the more he felt a connection.
`Yes, this is what I want.´
He pushed his finger on the blood leaving a clear print.
He cried out in pain, then he smiled in relief, as if the suffering lifted instantly.
His eyes, which had been empty, lack luster before, were now revived with a new spark, a spark for the lord.
He chuckled and said, "Lord, you are what I've been missing, I am sorry for not have found you before."
Thorn watching this scene unfold smiled, a sense of accomplishment welled up.
He had found the lord yet another loyal and useful subject.
CHAPTER END.