Cult Of Horns
For his next visit to a vassal sect, Anoteros decided to go to the Sect Of The Horned One. The people here were a proper cult–Though they weren’t a devil worship cult. The so-called ‘Horned One’ was probably not a devil… Not that it mattered since the Elt clan had such a cult as their vassal anyway.
Nonetheless, the worship of devils was often seen with a bad eye, so those who could avoid having to bear this title would rather do so.
In any case, the people here were all quiet, hooded figures. They only spoke or made a noise when necessary.
“Young Master Zixuan, it is a pleasure for us to receive your visit. My apologies, but the Horned One is still in seclusion”
“It’s fine. The Horned One has been in seclusion for decades, I heard. I wasn’t expecting him to bother meeting me out of all people. Would he interrupt his seclusion even if my Valdre came?”
“Definitely not, Young Master”
“He clearly doesn’t have time for anyone. Regardless, I am here to speak with the sect leader”
The hooded figure nodded.
“I will lead the way. Please follow me”
The grounds occupied by the Sect Of The Horned One were much smaller than any other sect Anoteros had visited so far. They didn’t have many disciples here anyway, and the way they cultivated was through worship in the ceremony room, which Edrick got to see as they passed through it.
There was no sacrificial altar or great pits to throw virgins into. There was only a high, pyramidal platform in the center of the room, and a giant, obsidian black horn hanging from the ceiling via chains. In general, the entire sect was covered in horns.
Horns served as sconces on the walls, holding up the torches that acted as the only source of light. Indeed, the sect was small and also underground... Not very deep below the surface, but deep enough that most people here rarely saw the light of day, or of the moon, for that matter.
The hooded guide led Edrick to a tall, old wooden door.
“The sect leader dwells beyond this door, Young Master. He has already been made aware of your presence”
The guide pushed the door open, bowing down whilst doing so.
Edrick gave the cult member a nod and stepped inside the room. He found himself inside a very dimly lit space. The corners were flooded with darkness, as only a soft green glow was emitted from a flame of the same colour, trapped in a bizarre chandelier.
The flame was locked inside a bottle and seemed to move around like a living being. The motions felt a lot like those of a rat attempting to find a way out…
“Sect Leader Falmax”
“Young Master Zixuan, come and take a seat. I must admit, it has been a long time since we had any visitors outside of scheduled meetings”
Falmax sounded simultaneously youthful and ancient. The way he expressed himself made it seem like he was a young man who had lived all of his life surrounded by old-fashioned elders.
It might be the case, but Falmax was definitely not young. He had been the leader of this cult for a very long time, appointed by the Horned One to serve as his representative since even before the Horned One had gone into seclusion.
The sect leader’s face was hidden beneath the darkness of his hood, and even his hands were unseen, covered by gloves wrapped in long talismans.
“I have heard of your recent visits to some of my contemporaries. I presume that you also wish to discuss business with me? If so, allow me to be direct… There are two things that the Sect Of The Horned One desires above all else: New recruits and horns”
“I am afraid we do not have much to offer in return, however. We only have manpower, our own brand of craftsmanship utilising horns exclusively, and in rare cases, perhaps a blessing from the Horned One”
Anoteros readjusted his sitting posture.
“Do not undersell yourself so much, Mister Falmax. I hear that the craftsmanship of your sect is exceptional. In particular, I have heard a lot about your talent in array making. I hear that you were responsible for the arrays protecting the territory of my clan”
“Thank you, Young Master, but... While of great power, we do not produce much at all. Our ways are quite hungry for time and resources. Incorporating the holy greatness of our guide into what we create is never a simple affair”
“I heard as much… Listen, although I am making business deals, I am also doing my best to simply establish a rapport with the vassal sects. I find it to be a shame that we are so tightly knit together, yet communicate so little. Wouldn’t you agree? I wouldn’t mean to criticise how things have been run, but I feel that it is a missed opportunity for us at the Elt clan not to more closely involve ourselves with the sects we sponsor”
Edrick brought his hands together and slightly leaned forward.
“Let’s set things up for the future. I will make sure to furnish your sect with horns and youths motivated to worship the Horned One. In exchange, I’ll merely ask for some of your expertise in array making and other areas of craftsmanship. I hear that your methods depend very strongly on your faith, making it non-replicable even by the beloved Velvet Pixies of the crown”
“Indeed, but we unfortunately do not have the capabilities of production to compete with the Velvet Pixies. Also, as a cult, we do not exactly have a great reputation. As such, the price at which we can sell our products always ends up being far too low for profit”
“So we store everything we make for the most part… Why don’t I show you our storage facility? Our stocks are quite abundant”
“I would love to see them... And speaking of selling–Would you be willing to trust me with some of your products? I plan on kick-starting a business soon with the assistance of my two noble wives. I could try to see how willing people are to buy your products at a fair price when sold with me as an intermediary”
The sect leader tilted his head slightly.
“That seems like a good idea. We have tried using intermediaries in the past, but they weren’t very good or trustworthy. It would certainly have better odds with someone like you at the helm”
“You flatter me, Mister Falmax. I’ll check just how high your products can go for. We can discuss the splitting of the money once we know the price ranges… If it works out, it should serve as a good influx of money for your sect”
They exchanged a few more words on the subject before Falmax led the way to the hidden storage facility.
It was just as the sect leader had described…