A few weeks after the conversion of Osbern. The scouts and Osbern are back in the tribe. They have started to slowly spread Thorns doctrine and subtly influence the people around them to know or believe in the lord.
The work started small with certain mantras they all started to use here and there. The values they had started to live by and also to expect others to live by was also subtly influencing the people around them.
Since the tribe wasn't big to start with, the 5 scouts plus Osbern was a rather large percentile of the tribe since they all started to slowly implement these different values and beliefs many didn't quite catch the change or that they were being influenced at all. They are used to living in the woods and everybody wants everybody's best, who would think a group of infiltrators in the skin of their kin would be plotting their change in belief, a conversion of their belief.
Sure, they noticed that they were acting strange but summed it up as some insider thing among the scout group. The younger generation was the most at risk of conversion. The scouts are looked up to by the younger generation, most kids in the tribe strive to be a scout, and when a scout group like this one starts to act differently the younger generation starts to follow and copy what they do and say.
What they didn't know was that all the mantras, all the phrases were slowly corroding their will and resistance to the lord. And if the younger generation starts to say and do these things with their friends it doesn't take long before they bring it home. All this means that the younger generation is spreading this like it's a virus.
The older generation, the parents, don't need to say the mantras and phrases, but hearing them all the time and discussing them with their children are enough, over time it will corrode their will and their resistance.
And it didn't stop there, the scouts started to "make" symbols that they painted at hangout spots and on their houses. And what does the younger generation do? They copied, and they painted these symbols in their rooms, not knowing it was the symbols of the lord, meant to break down a person's resistance to the lord and his conversion.
The parents just needed to be in the house for these symbols to be effective, and all this combined was starting to affect the tribe population a lot. The only ones who noticed the change in behavior among the people, were the old people of the tribe, the ones who had the least interaction and connection to the younger generation, and in turn less exposure to the mantras, phrases and symbols.
When they saw the strange behaviours of the tribe's people they called a meeting with the tribe chief.
They expressed their worry about these new things among the younger generation and how they are acting so strange.
The way they speak has changed, the way they view the actions of others and their reactions to others actions have had a major change. The weird symbols all over town, the townspeople seem nearly drawn to stare at the symbols, sometimes they enter this trance like state where only physical touch can awake them.
The chief looked disinterested in the old people's worries and said, "My grandchildren and even my children also talk about these things and write these symbols in their rooms, but I don't see the problem with it." He genuinely didn't, he was "infected" which meant a lot of the previous rejection of the lord, and rejection to the talk about the lord has disappeared.
He wasn't going around preaching but he also wasn't going to stop the younger kids from having some fun. He also thought the symbols, mantras and such were promoting unity.
And sure it was promoting unity alright, but not the way he was thinking.
While this was happening in the tribe, Thorn was working far back in the town, most people who enter town might not become believers of the lord but they know of the lord, which is positive for the spread of the lord.
The more people know about the lord the higher the chances of a person becoming prepositioned for the lord's conversion.
Thorn was standing on the balcony he had made the Husks build in the church so he could overlook the town. Behind him stood the priest, the one who had helped the progression of the lord by letting them in and allowing them free reign.
"You should know we aren't catholic by now right?" Thorn said while still facing forward.
The priest looked surprised thinking `No shit, you do blood sacrifices and weird evil rituals where some don't survive, and the catholic doctrine is twisted beyond belief by you cultists, only an idiot believes you are still catholic.` but he didn't dare say that, he wasn't crazy, he had seen what happened to people who didn't do as Thorn wanted and expected of them.
"What? Sir, what are you talking about? You are the most catholic person I've ever met." He had to smile and play the oblivious priest.
Thorn sneered and said, "Shut up, you stupid priest. I know you know what we are, you're not fooling anyone with that terrible acting." Thorn turned around and looked at him with a mocking look.
"Even the town cuck wouldn't fall for that, and he thinks his wife's three month belly came from his six month crusade." He said with some gloating.
"Wait?! It isn't his?" The town priest asked shocked, still feigning ignorance.
Thorn just stared at the priest, he was thinking before that since the priest had been so "helpful" he could let him live, but now… maybe not.
The priest seemed to understand his position and quickly apologized. "Sorry, and yes, I know you are not catholic."
Thorn let go of the scowl and said in a joking tone, "See, that wasn't that hard, you should've come clean earlier."
The priest looked like he had eaten shit, he didn't want to die, come clean earlier? Ha, no way.
Thorn looked at him and as he slowly turned back to face out over the town again he said, "You know you have to join us if you want to live, right?"
The priest lowered his head with a solemn look on his face, he didn't want to join this group of fanatics.
He missed the days of famine, sure people died and it was sad, but now people still die, but… from different reasons, and they don't even die as themselves.
But he also knew, if he wanted to live he needed to become one of them, to become a fanatic.
Sure, he disliked the idea of killing people for their souls, but he believed he could control himself, he believed he could control himself and only kill bad people.
But then again, who is he to judge others? A bad person judging another bad person? What a joke.
Snapping out of his self deprecating thoughts, he looked over at Thorn who held out a piece of paper.
He knew what to do, he had seen this happen many times before. He took the small knife Thorn held out to him, he looked at the knife and it looked quite ceremonial.
It isn't a knife you use to file an animal that's for sure.
He raised his hand and pricked his finger, he winced at the slight pricking sensation, then he raised his hand and dropped a few drops of blood onto the paper.
Looking down at the paper and seeing how the blood made a small pool on the thick parchment that made it all come crashing down, it felt more real.
He knew, once he pressed his finger in this drop of blood, he would never be the same again… for better or for worse.
He hesitated just slightly, he was still quite curious, would he be like the others? Would he be special and be able to resist the control? He wanted to know how it felt, he felt curious.
He tremblingly moved his finger towards the parchment paper and lowered the tip of his finger down and into the small pool of blood.
Feeling the wetness of the blood and the roughness of the parchment underneath his entire being changed.
He no longer felt fear, hesitation, suspicion, anger, distrust or any negative emotion towards the cult, he just wanted to do the lord's bidding, he wanted the best for the lord, no matter what.
He then snapped back to reality as he felt a slight wet sensation flow down from his left eye, it was a tear.
He was crying… no he was not crying, the part of him that thought he could resist the lord and was dying, was the one who was crying.
He felt happier than ever, lighter than ever. He lifted his finger from the parchment and then looked at the blood on his finger tip that had started to dry around the edges.
"So, are you done crying? Because then you can go out and preach, make yourself useful." Thorn said in a dismissive tone, this priest was annoying as hell taking forever, just get out of here already.
Thorn felt the regret well up, he should've killed the priest not converted him, what a blunder.
The priest eyed Thorn with some dissatisfaction, why was he so rude? They were all serving the same lord.
While Thorn was getting on with the priest. Pause. In another place not too far away from the town, a person was moving with elegance, he looked like he wasn't even touching the ground, just… kinda floating forward, and at surprising speed as well.
The elegant man soon arrived at a clearing, and in the clearing stood a… house? No, more like a manor.
He moved with the same speed towards the front door, after climbing the stairs, also with elegance, he entered the house.
Upon entering he was greeted by some large stone stairs, possibly marble. He seemed to know the way, after making his way up those stairs aswell. He walked in a minimalistic but at the same time richly decorated hallway, soon he arrived at a wooden door.
He looked at the door for a second before a voice came from inside. "Hermann, you can come in." The voice had this elegance, it was… alluring, to say the least.
The man Hermann opened the door and entered, upon entering he was greeted by a beautifully decorated study, further back in the room centered in the middle there was a beautiful wooden desk situated.
Behind the desk sat a man, he looked to be somewhere between 30-40 years old. He had red eyes and pale white skin.
Had Thorn been here, he would've recognized the man as a vampire.
"What is it that you want, Hermann?" The man asked in a lazy voice, like he couldn't be bothered.
Hermann lowered his head and knelt down.
"The town, sir, the one you asked me to observe, the one with the cultists." Hermann gathered his words and courage and looked up, only to be met with the elegant man's red eyes that just started to show interest. "Yes, Hermann, what about the town? Has something interesting happened?"
Hermann nodded and said, "The cultists have increased their number of members and also their connections, they have also established a trading network, an impressive one at that," The elegant man looked amused but below the amusement was some worry hidden.
This territory belonged to them, their coven, he didn't want to share it with anyone, especially this cult, who seemed like a big eater.
But as the leader of the coven, for his reputation, he had to keep pretending to have everything under control.
"Send two of our coven members to check out the town, and if we can kill or subdue them somehow." He said still trying to keep his arrogant bravado.
Hermann bought it, hook, line and sinker, "Yes, William, sir, I will personally look over the mission. Also do you want me to warn the other covens close to ours of the cult? They might not be as prepared as us." Hermann asked.
William frowned, then said, "No need, we will solve this cult on our own, we are vampires, apex predators. We can't be afraid of some fanatical humans with unknown powers." But deep down he had this worry.
This worry was his gift, he had not only survived but also solved many dangerous situations with this ability. It would tell him when he would be in danger and even in real time as he made choices tell him if something would be more or less dangerous.
But he had chosen to ignore it, he simply could not believe a group of humans, no matter how big, could pose a threat to them. It might be too arrogant, but they were vampires.
Hermann stood up and without waiting any longer, he made his way towards the exit, William looking at his back as he walked out felt even more uneasy for some reason.
He simply shook it off as delusion, Hermann was one of his best, what could happen to him?
He was strong enough to go against some of the elite members of high level vampire covens, like the Volturi.
He chuckled, "I must be getting rusty, it was a long time since our last real battle, but then again how much of a real battle can humans pose," he chuckled to himself, nearly believing himself how good he was lying.
Back in town, Thorn, who had finally gotten rid of the priest, was relaxing looking out over the town, he wanted some more excitement. Manipulating these humans was too easy, only the shapeshifters still give him some excitement now, of course helping the lord is the greatest excitement.
Just then he caught the priest out of the corner of his eye, he was preaching down on the street.
"For previously being such a sceptic of the lord, he sure is advertising him well now." Thorn said to himself. It must be all the conning he did as a catholic.
CHAPTER END.