TAKE X (6-5-17: The End)

> Grab the orb.



Shining rock on a pedestal in a dead-end hallway guarded by (admittedly really unnerving) monsters? Sounds important to you. You nab the rock and stow it in your inventory.

> Scarper.



You make to duck between the two... things and get out of here, but Gio holds up a hand. "Gio? What's wrong?" you ask, mentally adding that he'd better have a good reason for keeping you from putting distance between yourself and whatever these are.

Gio takes a step forward and turns his head to the side. For the briefest of moments, you're very concerned that he's about to start narrating at them. Instead, all he does is place his hand on what you assume is the shoulder of one of them. "Look at them. They must be hurting, Mack," he says, without looking to you.

"They don't have the capacity to hurt. But they do tend to hurt others."



It's... Pia Amata. Anyone who spends any time in Vezretti knows her face. She's the head of the church - the most important person involved in worshipping the One Goddess aside from, well, the One Goddess herself. She has a serene smile on her face, but that does little towards alleviating your unease at this situation. You've never - never - heard anything bad about Amata herself despite all of the bad news flying around about the church, and that in and of itself makes you wary.

"They can be quite troublesome, the Miracle Men," Amata continues. "They don't have much in the way of conscious thought. The One Goddess gives them a task, and they see it through. That's about it for them."

So these are the Miracle Men... they were always the entry in your dad's book that gave you nightmares most frequently, even though there wasn't even a picture of them.

Gio looks up, directing a cold stare at Amata. "And what task did the One Goddess set for them?"

"To protect the stone you just stole, of course." Amata takes a step forward. You back up out of reflex. "I don't know what it is. And to be frank, neither does the One Goddess. But it's important. That said..."



"I am perfectly capable of defending that stone on my own," Amata says as she waves an arm. The Miracle Men melt back down into the floor as she approaches you, eyes blazing.