They couldn't afford to be caught. If Jhene was right here in the Duststorm Tabernacle, Kanae and Alicia risked running into her. There was also Claudia, who they had to return to soon before she called in the cavalry. Not wanting to draw anymore suspicions from the guards, Father Malik began to leave.

Kanae wanted to find the location of the portal the pregnant woman spoke about first. It could be a Rift that the clergy here were having trouble clearing. Rather, she hoped it was a Rift portal.

“Malik!” A prisoner slammed against the cell, hands gripping the iron bars until his knuckles turned white. “Have you gone mad? It’s not too late. Allying with the succubi and their cult isn’t the way!”

The man was a jackal beastman, whose dark brown fur made coarse from age poked through the sad frock pocked with holes. Two others sat in the cell with him, both looking just as tired and defeated. A sad lamia woman picking at the scales on her tail and a human man of Arkesian descent.

"Who are they?" Alicia asked the charmed priest.

"Deacons of the Priesthood of Three. The one in front of us is Bali, and the two in the back are Meena and Rahael," Father Malik explained.

"What are you saying? Is there someone else here?" Bali squinted.

"We're here to help. But we don't have time right now. We'll come back to break you out as soon as possible," Kanae explained, causing the three priests' eyes to widen.

It seemed as though the light that had gone out in their souls had reignited. Meena and Rahael grabbed each others' shoulders with a reassuring squeeze.

"Thank the Many…" Bali sighed. "The tabernacle, everyone here signed up with the succubus. They… They are building some kind of mechanical factory downstairs, sending people through portals. Father Malik and Father Bashj showed us, wanted us to join them as clergy of a new order. But we refused. The accursed succubus had us thrown in here. She plans to charm us into convincing followers from our church to come. That mustn't happen!"

"Factory… portals… That sounds like an engine. The same one I spent years trapped inside." Alicia glowered.

"I promise you, that won't happen. Well, I think things will work out even if they send you back to the church. For now, just trust me," Kanae implored them.

They returned upstairs to consider their next move. Father Malik busied himself with dusting the vases again, and no one really bothered him. Kanae and Alicia mulled over the information they had learned. All that construction material, the thralls, and secrecy… It was clear as day the Cult of Lust and Depravity was building a new engine.

"What do you think? Shall we take a look? It isn't as though anyone can see us," Alicia said confidently.

"Yeah." Kanae nodded in agreement. "I bet it's past the main worship hall. Let's take a quick look to confirm and—"

"Malik, where in three hells did you go?"

The gruff voice made Kanae and Alicia tense. They whirled around to find Jhene, the Mistress of Subjugation, strolling out of the main chamber. An air of impatience surrounded the hobgoblin succubus as she stormed up to the priest. Several shrunken monster skulls adorned her waist. It looked like she had been busy hunting. 

"Uh… What?" Father Malik stared forward absentmindedly.

Alicia grinded her teeth. Her eyes blazed with fury. Father Malik possessed a small letter opener knife tucked into his belt. One hand inched closer to the otherwise harmless weapon. But the priest wasn't doing it of his own volition. Kanae squeezed Alicia's hand, and Father Malik readjusted his belt instead.

"Tch. Old cattle are not even worth milking… Bashj is looking for you downstairs. Get moving," Jhene said.

Father Malik rolled his shoulders and left the foyer for the main chamber. Maybe she suspected something, but Jhene paused and sniffed the air with a couple of deep huffs. Her scrutinizing gaze scanned the entire foyer but found nothing of interest. 

"Ugh. I hate ranching stupid cattle. Sure, Elaine! I'll take over, so you can keep an eye on the mutt. You're lucky I love you, bitch." Jhene followed Father Malik in as other clergy emerged to begin their daily duties.

Change of plans. Kanae pulled Alicia out of the mosque. It was too dangerous for just the two of them now. She didn't doubt that they were more than capable enough to fight Jhene, but doing so would put the Priesthood of Three and the pregnant resistance member at risk. There was also no telling what else the Duststorm Tabernacle was hiding up their sleeves.

Claudia was right where they had left her. She laid on her side inside the wagon, watching the still charmed inspector dancing for her amusement.

"Whoa! You're back already? I was hoping for a throwdown!" Claudia sat up, disappointment written all over her face. "What happened?" she asked after noticing Alicia's sour expression.

"You might get your chance later. Jhene is really here. Elaine isn't though," Kanae explained.

"My apologies. I almost lost control of my emotions again. Every fiber of my body wanted to attack her. Ranching, Jhene called it. At least she had a choice. I didn't." Alicia clenched her fists.

When Claudia tried to hug her sister, she got shrugged off instead. From outside, they escaped from the Duststorm Tabernacle's courtyard unseen. Quinnsera and the clergy back at the cathedral waited nervously until they returned. The smiles, however, flipped upside down realizing that they didn't come back with their priests.

Kanae took the liberty of explaining everything she saw to them, since Alicia wasn't in a speaking mood anymore. Of course, her current form made it difficult to communicate. No one took her seriously. Especially while taking the appearance of a child. Fortunately, the clergy knew and trusted Quinnsera. As it turned out, the new succubus used to be a cleric of the church before founding the Vanuis branch of the Eminence of Sin. That explained why they permitted her to hold service in their courtyard, as well as finding shelter inside the church.

"Your deacons told me that Jhene might charm them to come here and talk parishioners into going to the Duststorm Tabernacle. That's a trap. Don't listen to them. Instead, Claudia, Alicia, and I can break her hold on them. If they come, look for us on Zayn's edirashem," Kanae explained to Quinnsera the group of clerics.

"Kanae, why don't you and Claudia go on ahead to look for the others. I'll stay in case the priests arrive," Alicia suggested.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, Knight-Commander." She bowed. "I feel if I run into Jhene outside, I won't be able to contain myself again. It may be best that I stay here. We also won't have to risk missing a chance to free the priests when they come."

Kanae and Claudia hesitated to leave Alicia by herself, but she was unusually persuasive, so they relented. The two flew to the Church of One. Its giant single eye centered on the intersecting point of the cross, sitting atop the temple, kept an ever-present vigil over Vanuis and its inhabitants.

Just like at the other church, parishioners and clergy were few. It was just one large chamber with pews leading up to the front, and a statue of the Supreme One behind the pulpit. Pews were dusty and untended to. The only holy man around was, unsurprisingly, an elderly high elven gentleman in a miter cap. Despite his age, he gave his sermon passionately to what amounted to ten people in a church that seated hundreds.

As the pair walked down the aisle in search of Petyr and Riley, the sermon stopped abruptly.

"By the Supreme One, not the succubi. Haven't your kind poached enough from my faith? Begone!" The priest shooed them.

"Continue preaching, bishop. They aren't here to disrupt you. If anything happens, I'll kill them. You have this paladin's word," Petyr said from an inner aisle seat of a pew.

"Of-Of course…" He cleared his throat before recommencing.

Petyr flicked her chin to the empty seats beside her. Kanae and Claudia quietly sat down, but Riley was nowhere to be seen. The bishop's booming sermon picked up again. It spoke of hanging tightly onto faith in difficult times, reconciling what was expected of you by the Supreme One and what one believed was right, and urged fanaticism. Yeah. That was religion alright.

A parishioner closer to the front glanced over his shoulder at them. Claudia raised a hand up to her mouth and made the blowjob motion, causing him to tense up and snap forward.

"Where's Riley?" Kanae asked.

"Sitting as far away from me as possible." Petyr sighed, thumbing behind her to the far corner at the back of the room.

Kanae peered over. Sure enough, Riley sat at the last pew in the back. She could tell by the facecloth. They must have missed her coming in. The elf had taken her hat off and placed it down on her lap. Her eyes were closed and head bowed, quietly listening to the bishop's sermon.

"Is this fun for you guys?" Claudia turned and asked. "Listening to some old guy toss word salad? This is why Kanae's Eminence of Sin is more fun. They get to have orgies during service!"

"Shhh!" A woman from across the aisle hushed them.

"Lady, don't make me come over there and spank your ass," she threatened seriously.

Hand to her chest, the woman recoiled and gasped in offense.

"Have you two really been here listening to a sermon this whole time?" Kanae asked.

"Dark elf in a turban, front row, far right. Human woman in a pink dress and bonnet, back row, inner aisle seat. They came in when Riley and I did. Congregants have been coming and going since morning. Those two haven't moved since. My guess is spies or charmed. Either way, they are both suspicious. I don't plan on leaving until Riley does," Petyr explained.

"Hey, Kanae. Why don't you crawl under the pews? You're small enough not to draw attention. Charm the dark elf into fessing up if he's suspicious or not," Claudia suggested teasingly.

"Fine… but only because I can…" She begrudgingly slipped underneath the pews, crawling through the gaps on the bottom.

This was only possible because the church was mostly empty. Even though the bishop was on an elevated platform at the pulpit overlooking the audience, the backrests of the benches were high enough to give cover.

Kanae eventually reached the dark elven man's seat. His right foot repeatedly and anxiously tapped the ground. Signs of nervousness. Someone coming to church shouldn't need to feel nervous. Petyr was correct in suspecting he was up to something. From underneath his seat, she casted Charm. The restless leg stopped pounding the floor.

"Who are you, and why are you keeping an eye on Petyr and Riley?" Kanae asked.

"I am Faruk. The Left Talon paid me a handsome sum to board Zayn's edirashem a few weeks ago. I give her updates on what has been going on. Or try to," the elf named Faruk explained.

"Oh, shit… Does… Does she know the Dryoak Consortium loaded the edirashem with magical armaments at Maraag's Crossing?" she pressed him further.

"Yes. I informed her earlier this morning, after acquiring a reagent in Vanuis, which allows me to cast a spell and send a message using magic. They are on their way as we speak."

"The other spy, the woman. Is she with you?"

"Yes," he answered promptly.

"When you two next meet up, incapacitate her. Surrender yourself at The Many's cathedral to a succubus named Quinnsera," she ordered.

The man gave an affirmative response.

Kanae put a hand to her face and groaned. Things just couldn't get any harder for them. But this was good. If Praijya was coming, she had a chance to Skill Drain her. She crawled back to the others, who were eagerly waiting for the news.

"Not good." Kanae shook her head. "That was a Harpy King spy. We can expect Praijya and Nasiri to crash the party. They know Riley got her cargo onto the edirashem."

"We had to travel by caravan. How the hells are they getting here without one?" Claudia asked.

She thought for a second but ultimately shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm looking forward to getting my body back. The Harpy King calls them his left and right talons. I hope he doesn't mind us cutting his legs off then. We'll deal with them in Vanuis once and for all."

After the bishop finished his sermon, Riley got up to leave. Petyr, Kanae, and Claudia did the same. The other spy stayed put, but they did feel her eyes on them as they left. Kanae explained to Riley the same thing she told the others. The guildmaster looked unfazed. Amused more than anything.

"Our arrangement still stands, Kanae. But if they prove stronger and you start losing, I'm not going to hesitate to jump ship. Time to see if you're worth your while. I'll be informing my guild and getting ready for an assault. If you need me, you know where to find me." Riley tossed her hat back onto her head and bowed before taking off.

"You're not going with her?" Kanae asked Petyr.

"And do what? Keep pissing her off? I'm going to find a tavern and get drunk." Petyr dragged her feet on the way out.

"Damn," Claudia muttered. "Maybe those two should just fuck it out and get over themselves. My sisters and I do it all the time when we get angry at each other."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's going to go over well with them…" She rolled her eyes.