C
Literature
Cleric's Trial, Goddess' Shame A young woman was currently asleep in her bedchambers, wincing a little bit as she seemed to be having a rather intense dream or a possible nightmare, but she seemed not to be tossing and turning, her long orange hair tied into tails that ran just in front of her shoulders. She looked reasonably petite as well, just barely five feet tall and with a plain body, nothing to write home about, but some found her cute. As she sleeps, a young man dressed in white robes is outside her bedchambers, kneeling in front of the door and praying. "May the Goddess grant her servant true sight." The Goddess quickly heard his prayer, and the young man's spirit soon appeared in the heavens. His destination, a large ornate marble temple, loomed overhead as he was reasonably close. Gathering his thoughts, he walked into the temple proper to find out what was happening. The temple was impressive, with white marble with gold accents on the columns and murals showing the art of the goddess' many miracles and wondrous deeds lining the walls. Though, he could hear the growling of what sounded like an enormous beast further inside, causing him to pick up the pace as he headed for the main chamber, a hint of a foul odor tickling his nose a bit as he got to the end of the entry hallway.  He opened the door to the main chamber. He hurried in, seeing the girl who was sleeping in the room earlier kneeling before someone, and as he got closer to the girl, the smell grew worse as he looked up at who the young woman was kneeling in front of, and he knelt right away with her, a severe blush crossing his face. There, in the middle of the main chamber, sat a woman, who did not appear to be that much older than the young woman kneeling before her, but the white robes with gold accents she wore, along with a divine aura about her, indicated that she was most likely the goddess that he was praying to earlier.  She had brown hair, golden eyes, and a tall, lithe, graceful body with a bit of emphasis on her chest, but most who beheld her presence would call her beautiful. She was also quite tall, more than double his height; he could probably guess at least twelve feet tall, if not bigger. She was sitting on what appeared to be an outhouse bench, judging by her lower robes bunched at her feet and the visible dark brown, almost black haze rising from beneath where she was sitting. A group of angels was tending to her, some trying to fan the air around her to help cut the stench, another couple helping to rub her very much distended belly. The goddess was quite pink in the cheeks as her stomach gave up an ominous growl. One of the angels, currently taking a break from tending to the goddess, spots the young man that entered the main audience chamber and nods. "Sister Cecilia is alright; she was just communicating with the goddess, informing her of the goings on in the world. You can return to the world of the living now; she will be back soon." The young man, not one to disobey an angel of his goddess, complied and soon disappeared in a flash of light, waking in his body a few moments later. He got up and hurried back to his bunk lest he get into trouble. Meanwhile, the goddess' blush multiplied further as her bowels roared before an awful squelching noise erupted from behind, a wet spluttery fart as more loose mess emptied itself into the abyss beneath her. The angel attendants nearby could not help but go a little green as even they could not help but react to their holy mother's stench. "Excuse me, my dear child…" The goddess called out, clearly ashamed of her rather explosive bowel blowout. "No, no… I-it's alright, my goddess. I understand the burden you have taken on for the sake of the world; for me to insult you as you do your holy work would be downright treasonous of me…" Cecilia replied meekly, though she looked visibly ill, her face green as she could feel her stomach turn. An angel quickly flew to Cecilia's side, casting a healing spell on her. Cecilia felt a little better, not quite as sick as before, though she knew she could not stay here too much longer, especially if her goddess' bowels continued to wreak havoc on the throne. "Thank you, my child…  I have heard the people's prayers, and I shall do all I can to aid them, though, after the recent plague that swept through the elvish forest, I am doing all I can to keep as much suffering at bay as possible…" The goddess says with a trace of sadness in her voice. She felt terrible that she could not take on the additional burden for the humans. Still, judging by the size and straining of her enormous belly, she knew she could not take on any further sickness without bursting. "It is alright; we will see this through. Thank you, my goddess." Cecilia stood up and bowed before disappearing in the same flash of light that the previous young man did, and her wince slowly faded on her body as she came out of the dream. The goddess' stomach roared, and with nobody present but her angel retainers, she gave an almighty grunt as she pushed on her bowels to get some relief. The temple shook violently with the force of the goddess' fart, the pressurized gas traveling through the enchanted pipes under her throne. She had to sit up, her bum having to completely cover the hole to prevent as much of the haze of unholy stink as possible from leaking into the temple proper. What did come up was nothing short of revolting, the pure essence of sickness and suffering, the angel attendants nearest her recoiling almost violently at the awful smell, even their divine bodies unable to handle it as they quickly flew away to get some relief. Blushing like mad, the goddess hid her face in her hands, mightily embarrassed as more slop burst out of her with further eruptions of wet gas. "I hope my children will aid me soon… oooh, this is vile…" the goddess moaned faintly; despite the relief feeling good, there was simply too much in her for her to be able to move correctly. She could only hope that the people could treat themselves the best they could or she could get some respite from this. The following day back in the world of the living, Sister Cecilia woke up to the sound of knocking at her bedroom door. A little confused, she got out of bed and opened the door, unsure who in the church would knock at her door this early morning. Standing there was an older priest who looked quite concerned as Cecilia opened it. She nodded, straightening herself up as best she could. "Father Seldrin?" Cecilia said as she looked at him, still in her nightgown. "Sister Cecilia, you spoke with the goddess last night. How is she faring?" Father Seldrin asked her in a worried tone. "She is unwell, Father. A plague swept through the elven forest, and she can barely hold on." Cecilia replied, somewhat discouraged. "That would make sense; it is time for the ritual." Father Seldrin nodded as he looked at Cecilia. "Prepare yourself, as you and a few others will likely be the vessels for it. We will prepare the ritual site and should be ready within two hours." Father Seldrin walked out of her bedchambers, leaving Cecilia to prepare. Cecilia, for her part, was very well versed in the ritual, having seen it performed many times during her years at the grand cathedral. She was an attendant to many of the vessels during the ceremonies and was responsible for taking the purged sickness to be purified. But, ever since she could travel to the divine plane to see the goddess, especially when performing her divinity's most sacred and sacrificial act, she felt she would soon be called to serve that way.  As she got dressed, Cecilia put a hand on her empty stomach, rubbing it absentmindedly. Her mind wavered a little, thinking of the following discomfort and wondering if she should simply refuse to be a vessel. Sure, being the attendant was not glamorous work, as seeing the angels at work with the goddess herself would attest to that, but she could not help but feel anxious. "No, Cecilia, the people need you, and more importantly, Mother Velandria needs you." Cecilia chided herself for her brief wave of cowardice and apprehension as she finished putting on her robes before leaving her bedroom and heading for the outdoor grounds of the grand cathedral. The grand cathedral was an awe-inspiring sight both inside and out, with many paintings and stained glass windows of the various gods and goddesses of the world and their famous stories. The towering marble spires and fancy architectural details would impress even the most discerning artisans. It was as much a monastery as a place of worship, and in the back was where the monks, priests, and sisters of the various orders of the gods lived. Cecilia headed to the grounds behind the cathedral and looked at the buzzing activity among the other priests and sisters. Five wooden seats with holes had been constructed and set up along the grounds, cast-iron pots underneath them. Nothing Cecilia hadn't seen already, but she was still quite nervous as Father Seldrin's words followed her.  "Sister Cecilia!" Someone called out from the busy scene before her, shaking Cecelia from her brief reverie. Cecilia turned to the source of the voice, a tall, somewhat heavyset woman with blue eyes and straight brown hair carrying over a spare pot. "Sister Hera!" Cecilia hurried over to help Hera with said pot, the young sister's expression brightening as she got to Hera. "Nervous for the ritual, hon?" Hera asked Cecilia as they continued to get spare pots for the other benches, noticing the younger woman's still skittish movement. "Maybe a little bit? It would be my first time being the vessel, though…" Cecilia answered, eyes fluttering a bit as her heartbeat slowed. Hera looked at the nervous young sister with concern, and after they put the pot down, Hera gave Cecilia a gentle hug. "It's okay. I'm going to be with you as one of your attendants. I made sure to ask Father Seldrin yesterday, just in case." Cecilia hugged Hera back, sighing in some relief. At the very least, someone Cecilia trusted would be there for her, and she felt a little more at ease. Everything was in place after another thirty minutes of preparations, and the bells tolled. The grand cathedral was packed full of people, all looking up at a priest dressed in black robes standing at the pulpit, giving a sermon. "As most of you know, the foul and disgusting orcs had poisoned the water supply leading into our city, leading to many of us getting sick, some of us gravely so. We were able to find the source of the poison and cleanse it, but some of the water went further downstream, sickening villages all across the land. Our friends in the elven forest have also suffered a vile plague at the hands of the cruel and insidious dark elves. Mother Velandria, in her infinite compassion and mercy, took pity on the elves and took on their plague into her body. Mother, be blessed." The congregation murmured among themselves momentarily, some in concern, others in disbelief. "Today, we pray that Mother Velandria finds relief from her burden, and we implore her to remove the last water sickness from our lands and cure those afflicted. Let us pray." The people began chanting in unison with the priest and the other holy men and women in the back on the grounds, Cecilia and Hera. Meanwhile, in the heavens Velandria was still seated on the bench, a hand on her belly as she noticed the pain slowly dull. "Ohhh… thank the All-father…" Velandria moaned in relief as one of her angel attendants hurriedly approached. "They have begun the ritual, Mother." He said, breathing slightly hard. "I know it will take me a while to get down to them; I am still afraid of…" A loud, bubbly, dangerously wet spray of gas reported out of her motherly behind. The angels closest to her recoiled at the sharp increase in stink, trying not to cough or retch in her presence. "Some of the elven plague is still coming out of me and could cause further harm. I am not sure my children could handle it. Let them know I will be down soon." The angel bowed and flew back down to the world of the living to tell the priest giving the sermon that Mother Velandria had heard their prayers and would be down soon. Inspired, the congregation and the other holy men and women continued their prayer in earnest. Thanks to said prayer, Velandria could stand up off the pot, the angels swiftly sealing it with an airtight lid as the goddess could not help but stretch gingerly; having to sit for so long had her legs fall asleep on her. "Mmmph… I must have been sitting there for a few days now All-father, that feels good…" Velandria gave up a faint moan as she stretched and did a couple of shallow squats. She thought about not coming down yet before chiding herself. "Come now; you will have plenty of time to prance and frolic about later; you have a job to do." Velandria admonished herself as she walked gracefully out of the temple and into a waiting beam of light to descend to the mortal realm.  As the congregation prayed, a soft glow enveloped the cathedral as Velandria made her descent. While most of the regular people praying in the cathedral could not see her, a gentle warmth enveloped everyone as the priest caught a faint glimpse of her outside the window. The waiting holy people got a better sight of her as she approached them, Velandria walking with surprising grace despite her massive bloated belly, and the entire group went silent in awe as they knelt before her. An older woman in her late sixties eventually stood up and faced Velandria. "We thank you, Holy Mother, for gracing us with your presence. May you be forever blessed." "Thank you, dear Abbess…" Velandria replied, a faint touch of annoyance in her voice. It wasn't intentional, but her hold slipped as her stomach growled. "Are the vessels ready?" "They are, Holy Mother." The abbess replied. Upon hearing that, Cecilia stood up, heart thumping in her chest as she approached Velandria. Four other young women approached her, the tension between the five of them palpable. Velandria put a hand on the first girl's head, chanting a prayer as Velandria's belly shrunk, and the girl started filling with waste. After a few moments, Velandria repeated the process until she got to Cecilia.  The young priestess noticed that her goddess was still quite bloated, and the other vessels had seemingly not taken in much of her waste. But, there was no time to question the goddess as Velandria put her hand on Cecilia's head and chanted. Hera noticed that something sounded different about that chant, her eyes widened as she was ready to spring to her feet, but Father Seldrin quickly put a hand on Hera's shoulder, holding her in place. His expression was equally worried, but he knelt by Hera, nodding slightly. Cecilia's eyes widened as she felt her stomach swell violently fast, the strain nearly causing her to collapse in shock as Velandria's stomach went completely flat. The Abbess, knowing what was going on, quickly ran over to Cecilia and held her, Seldrin and Hera following suit. Velandria stepped back, feeling much lighter now that she could dance and jump around. But one look by the Mother Goddess at Cecilia told her to pause. After walking around and blessing the pots, she nodded at the Abbess, Father Seldrin, and Sister Hera. "Come! We must make haste!" The Abbess called out as the three lifted a shocked Cecilia, carrying her over to one of the toilets, the entire assemblage praying for Cecilia now as they knew the significance of this moment. Cecilia could barely register what happened; she was in such pain that all she could do was clench her cheeks shut for dear life. The prayers did help a little bit, and as Cecilia was safely perched on her bench over the blessed pot, other novices holding her robes out of the way so she did not soil them, Sister Hera knelt next to Cecilia, hands on her very much distended belly as Brother Elias started to rub Cecilia's back. Hera cradled Cecilia's massive belly, feeling how taut and heavy it was. "Go ahead, Cece…" Hera said quietly to Cecilia, sensing that the younger sister must be in unimaginable pain right now, the group's combined faith and prayer keeping her upright. Cecilia gave up an almighty groan of relief as she relaxed the grip on her backdoor, an unholy gurgle preceding a demonic blast of concentrated filth into the blessed pot beneath Cecilia's rear, the sound loud enough to alert even the people in the cathedral, such was the force of the initial blast. The priest presiding over the congregation in the cathedral hopped up in surprise and quickly called the remaining parishioners back to prayer, knowing what was happening in the courtyard. "May the Holy Mother protect her and us all." The priest murmured, clearly worried about the heavy growls from the cathedral grounds. The other holy men and women near Cecilia's initial blast recoiled violently at the unholy stench, many breaking into involuntary coughing fits. Hera and Elias quickly went green in the cheeks; by some miracle, they could keep their breakfast down; the Abbess and Father Seldrin were not so lucky. They quickly retreated, retching and throwing up on the grass away from Cecilia, making the sister blush heavily and put her head in her hands as she still felt undeniably full. Another similar blast roared out of Cecilia as another surge of waste splattered noisily into the pot; Cecilia was unable to hold herself back as, with a very unladylike grunt, she pushed on her gut to relieve some of the unbearable pressure, even louder and more crude sounds emerging from her behind as more and more waste surged into the pot, it now about a third full. She had only just started a couple of minutes ago. This continued for a good five minutes, Cecilia filling the pot at an alarming rate until one of the sisters called up to Hera. "Tell her to stop! The pot is full, and we need to change it!" She howled, trying to make herself heard. Hera thankfully got the message and stood up slightly to tell Cecilia. "Hold on for a moment, Cece; we will get you a new pot," Hera told Cecilia gently as two monks, with their breath held, approached to take the pot out. "Ohh goddess, please…" Cecilia moaned as she tried to clench her cheeks shut, the gurgling getting louder as her stomach strained to keep everything in, the further growling causing everyone to panic. Luckily, the monks switched the pots out with barely a moment to spare as Cecilia's hold broke, a hurricane of vile winds erupting from her tush before more waste followed behind. Most had to run away from her after that latest blast, the seat itself shaking due to the force. Cecilia held her head, trying her best not to cry. Seeing everyone around her heaving and gasping for air had the poor sister nearly in tears, such was the suffering she was indirectly inflicting on her fellow monks and sisters.  Monks and sisters had to be rotated in and out to tend to Cecilia as she continued to purge the sickness from within her belly, and pots had to be turned out regularly. This horrible mess continued for what felt like forever. Although her belly eventually shrunk to its average size after over an hour of constant purging, Cecilia was exhausted, the poor girl barely able to stay conscious. After most of the stench cleared, Hera, Elias, and Father Seldrin returned, seeing Cecilia in quite the state. Her robes were soaked with sweat, and reeked of sickness and death, worse than any mucking out of the paladin's stables they remembered doing. "She's been through a lot today, hasn't she?" Hera said as they helped carry Cecilia back to her bedchambers. "Indeed, that plague must have been far worse than we thought. I am glad we managed to catch everything in the pots though. Will make great fertilizer when purified." Father Seldrin said as they got to the door and opened it.  Elias was oddly silent throughout them putting and tucking Cecilia into bed, almost running out of the bedroom towards his own bunk room, very much red-faced after the events of the last few hours. Father Seldrin and Hera looked at each other for a moment before shaking their heads. "I'll have a word with Elias later." Hera said as they headed back outside, the older sister being quite gentle considering.  "For the best." Father Seldrin concurred as they closed the door of Cecilia's bedroom. Within a few minutes of them leaving, back up in the heavens Cecilia was kneeling before a now unburdened and still divinely beautiful goddess Velandria, the latter wearing a warm, motherly smile. There was another divine being present with Velandria, an elven woman with brown hair and green eyes by the looks of her but with large gold butterfly wings sprouting from her back. She was a bit shapely, even by human standards, and her expression was equally open and smiling. "Stand up, my child." Velandria called Cecilia, who slowly got up and looked at the goddess. "You have done the world a great service by accepting the elven plague into your body. Both myself and Goddess Dormeria are in your debt." Velandria smiled and bowed, as did Dormeria. "T-thank you Mother Goddess… it is an honor to serve in any way I can." Cecilia replied, still in awe of both divine goddesses, Dormeria in particular. Dormeria quickly stepped up to the startled young cleric and gave her a big hug, pressing Cecilia into the goddess' soft body. "You have no idea dearie, it was absolutely dreadful, that plague on my people. So much suffering and misery, I did all I could to help, but in the end I had to ask Sister Velandria to help, for I tried to do what you two did, but it was way too much for me to handle." Dormeria said as she let Cecilia go. Cecilia blushed, remembering what Mother Velandria was doing but a few hours ago, and it didn't take long for the cleric to paint a mental picture of the elven goddess in a similar situation. "I am glad I could help, Goddess Dormeria." Cecilia nodded. "Before we let you sleep, we thought it would be a good idea to reward you for the help you gave us." Velandria smiled as she put her hands on Cecilia's shoulders and closed her eyes, focusing for a minute or so. Cecilia felt her body flare up with warmth as some of Velandria's power flowed into her, the young cleric looking herself over briefly as she felt the power within her. One of her eyes had changed to a yellow color, creating  "You, my daughter shall be my herald in the world. I have given you the power to perform smaller divine blessings, as well as a limited ability to draw suffering into you." Velandria proclaimed proudly as Dormeria stepped up as well, presenting Cecilia with a necklace of shimmering vines and flowers. "This will aid your work greatly, allowing you to bless plants as well as making it much easier for you to… pass any suffering you do have to draw into your body." Dormeria put the necklace on Cecilia, smiling as well. Cecilia bowed deeply in their presence. "Thank you Goddesses, I shall work in your divine names." She said reverently as she left the temple to go back to her own body, sleeping very peacefully.  To be continued…
