OOC:Epidemic [Lycanthropy]::OOC
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It was the evening of the tenth moon of Annum 140 and Larcius was just finishing up the preparations for the morning ceremony. With the last of the ninety candles placed along the alter the priest of Palus turned on his heel and strode from the chapel.

His orange and yellow robes were tossed about in the wind that gusted through the village streets - his home was two blocks from his place of worship. The moon hung ominously above, its colour was a rusty red and cast a blood like glow on the city streets. Larcius was not a man who believed in curses, omens or bad luck - but that didn't make him any less uneasy.

As he rounded the last corner before his street he walked headlong into a man dressed in black. Larcius was nearly knocked from his feet, if it wasn't for the mans' quick reflexes as he caught the falling priest, he would have been. Larcius straigtened himself and thanked the man, the man simply nodded from beneath his wide brimmed black hat. The priest was a polite man, and so he stuck his hand out and introduced himself - the black figure shifted uneasily and nodded once more declaring himself as "Legion". Larcius simply smiled back at him, respecting his distance, thanked him once more and resumed he travel home.

Legion smiled.

~X~

The sun had just crested the horizon, casting a refreshingly warm glow on the faces of those congreated in the square before the temple to Palus. Larcius stood at the alter, his still hand lighting the last of the candles - it was a blessing that the air was still this morning for the ceremony would hold much less awe if the candles were not all ignited at once. AS it were, there was not a breath of wind and all ninety candles burned brightly behind the priest.

He turned back to face the glowing crowd, he beamed with joy as he cast his hands to the sky. The sun silhoutted him as it rose and he called to the heavens above, "Palus be our light, our guide and our friend. Show us the path to righteousness and drive away the demons that inhabit our souls."

At the completion of the final prayer the priest felt a pang of pain in his side. He grunted, the crowd remained silent. The pain shot up through his ribcage and rested for a moment in his chest. Larcius try to withhold the cry - the pain intensified and his entire nervous system flared with anger. He could not hold back and as his mouth open a wretched sound bellowed outwards. The crowd remained still as the priests body suddenly convulsed, and the man fell to the ground. His body was jerking and moving sporatically between screams of pain and cries for mercy. Suddenly his flesh began to tear and beneath the soft pallid skin was revealed to be thick grey muscly flesh on which the veins glowed blue. From his back sprouted great grey wings. His fingers became claws that uncontrollably tore the flesh from his face to reveal a blank ashen form underneath. The crowed did not move.

The creature stopped moving, silence filled the air. Moments stretched into minutes and finally the grey form stirred. It clambered slowly to its feet, as if it was the first time it had experienced life and was becoming accustomed to its body. Once it stood it examined itself with eyes that it did not appear to have. It was the same size and build of the priest, except its flesh was muscle tight and ash grey and its face was bare of features. Two long, thin muscled wings extended from its back.

Once it had examined itself it looked to the congregation before it. Its gaze was stern and convicting. It stopped on a pudgy man sitting in the front row, all eyes fell to the man. He shifted uneasily in his seat, "what, what? Stop looking at me!" He called to the creature.

An unearthly hollow sound boomed from where the creature stood, "you are guilty, you shall be punished."

"I did nothing wrong? I am a religious man, I swear! I go to church, I donate to Palus. I am a man of our god! I have done nothing." The creature seemed to float as it moved across the interveining space between it and the accused.

"I am The Judge and you have been found guilty. Repent." The creature stood before him, the man cowered - he begna to whimper and beg for mercy. "Only those who repent are granted the gift of mercy. Repent."

The mans sobs stopped and he spoke in a low whimper, "alright.. I did it... I did it to her..." The Judge stared blankly as the man spoke, it's absent gaze locked onto his crumpled form "She was only five... But I did it anyway, and I'm sorry - I didn't think, I didn't mean... I'm sorry." The man climbed to his knees and bowed his head before the creature, "I repent."

The creature reached out with a clawed hand and touched the back of the mans head, "You killed her, the only justice of taking ones life is to have ones life taken." And The Judge moved its claw slowly across the mans juglar and his kneeling form collapsed forward. The creature stepped backwards, it looked to be in pain. It's flesh was melting away, the wings began to turn to a tar-like substance and beneath the blank ash face was that of a solemn presit of Palus.

Larcius collasped, sprawling in the pool of the sinners blood.

Somewhere in the crowd a man wearing a black wide brimmed hat placed a hand on a young womans shoulder, "The world is changing, for the better."

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