The ringing of a bell startled him awake, his eyes shooting open and his body rolling sideways off the bed, where he slams into the floor with an "Oomph!" It couldn't have been more than an hour. His head felt like it was filled with cotton as he groggily rubbed the sleep from his eyes. It took him a while to orient his thoughts, and when he was finally able to, he let out a groan. That stupid bell kept ringing over and over; it was loud and annoying, making his head pound in tune with it. The bell also meant something important was happening, which meant he couldn't just go back to sleep.
Stumbling to his feet, he grabbed whatever outfit he could from the closet and put it on. He didn't have time to make breakfast as he blearily exited the house. It only dawned on him what was happening when he saw the procession of villagers all moving toward the church path. Warily following behind the crowd, he wondered how Dahlia was feeling at the moment.
The church was set up much the same way as the town hall, rectangular in shape, with two rows of pews and a central aisle that led straight to the podium. There were a few differences, though, like the town hall being made of wood, whereas the church was made of stone. And the walls and pews gradually got narrower as you reached the front of the church, causing an effect that drew all eyes toward the podium.
Taking a seat in one of the back pews, a weight pressed down next to him, and he found that Maria had snuck in beside him. She gives him a nod of recognition, and he returns it. Further up, Cassidy and Stephen are sitting together. They both seem a little nervous, with Cassidy fidgeting in place and Stephen barely moving an inch.
As everyone gets situated, Dahlia takes the first steps onto the podium. She's anxious, clenching her hands to prevent a slight shake from being noticeable. Church was something of a nostalgic place for Gabriel. His mother had been a devout Catholic and had often taken him when he was a kid. After she left, well, he didn't really have much of a chance to continue attending.
"Ahem, I-I'll be starting then." Dahlia clears her throat a few times before starting the sermon. The sermon was…interesting, and he wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. It wasn't traditional in any sense. In fact, several aspects of the situation were off. Whenever this time period was supposed to be, they probably wouldn't accept a woman being the priest, and the sermon itself followed no structure. And yet the people of the village didn't seem to bat an eye. Of course, that's when the System decided to rear its ugly head once more.
The System is here to make sure everything stays fair within the setting. The System takes into account everyone's backgrounds. For a setting like this, it provides jobs. As long as you participate within the setting, then the System will take care of the rest!
It presented itself as a bunch of nonsense, but the key parts were easy to pick out. It was also an indirect confirmation of what could happen if they refused to take part, simply hiding in their houses until the timer ended. Letting the System interfere in such a way had its benefits; of course, it also had its downfalls. Like with the shoddy manuals, as well as the sermon that it was most likely feeding Dahlia.
"...for in the words of our Lord, we must practice forgiveness, patience, and grace. But what are we supposed to do when others do not practice the same? Those who do not treat you with the respect you treat them. They infect our community like a plague, and before you know it, your neighbors have been turned against you, and the children have been led astray. So what should we do about this plague? Simple, we must find the cause and tear it out by the roots…"
The room's atmosphere slowly sank the longer she spoke. It made him shift uncomfortably in his seat, glancing around for an escape. While he wasn't exactly religious anymore, church was a place of comfort for him as a kid. It was where his fondest memories of his mother resided, so to see a comforting place be subject to paranoia and suspicion made him deeply uncomfortable. Beside him, Maria was frowning, but she said nothing and sat completely still in her seat. Looking around the room, he could see the villagers glancing around with suspicious glares, while others cried softly, mourning loved ones or perhaps from the stress.
When it was finally over, he wanted to leap from his seat right then and there and return to the comfort of his house; those plans were foiled, however, when the village head took over Dahlia's place at the podium.
"Everyone, please stay for just a moment. I have an announcement to make." The village head waited until everyone was seated again, those who had already stood up to leave having returned to their spots, and then continued, "After some careful investigation, Gregory and I have found the source of the disease in our humble community. If you would follow me to the town hall, then the reason will be made apparent. That is all." The village head steps down from the podium and stalks out the front door, most likely to prepare whatever was in the town hall ahead of time.
"This does not bode well." Maria frowns as the village starts to file out of the church.
"It's just another thing we have to deal with; it feels endless." Gabriel sighs. Standing up, they follow the crowd once again, and he arrives at the town hall to find it completely silent. A stark difference from the previous meeting, where an idle chatter filled the room. Settling into the same corner as last time, the other Players decided to join him. Dahlia was there, and while he wanted to ask her about the sermon, it wasn't the time, so he pushed it off for later.
"Now that everyone has gathered, it is time to reveal the culprit of the disease that has wrought our community. Bring them in!" The village head calls out, and the back door opens. A man with short brown hair enters, dragging with him the Night Merchant and Jens. Both of whom are cowering in the shade of the roof lip. The Night Merchant glares at the crowd, his rage evident on his face. On the other hand, Jens is terrified; he's shaking and keeps his head focused on his shoes. They both step around the sunlight streaming through the windows.
"Behold, these two are foul creatures of the night that have invaded our town! Infecting and murdering those we love." The village head then roughly grabs both of their arms and shoves their hands into the sun.
"Agh!" They both scream as their flesh starts to burn, smoke visibly rising from their hands. The village head holds it there until blisters start to form before letting go, both of them wrenching their hands back and moving as far away as they could from the light. The room broke out in a series of whispers and gasps.
"I can't tell if this is a good or a bad thing…" Even the Players weren't immune to it, as Cassidy whispered to the rest of them.
"It's best not to get our hopes up," Stephen responds.
"Tonight, we will let them burn on the fire as a sign to all those who have turned away from God that if they should ever target this village again, they will face our wrath!" The announcement gave Gabriel a strange feeling; he didn't know exactly what to call it. It was a mix between anticipation and dread. The vampires that had started this whole thing were soon to be out of the picture. But it wasn't like this was all of them; last night had proved that. If they got lucky, maybe killing the original would cause them all to die, but there was no guarantee. And when had luck been on their side so far?
"No, no, please don't do this!" Jens cries out to the crowd, but only receives enraged shouts. His eyes roam the room before tearfully catching on to Gabriel's own.
"Please…" He sobs, and Gabriel can only shove down the unease in his stomach as he watches Jens get dragged out of the building along with the Night Merchant.