Sachihiro

I become an initiate of the Order by the mere virtue of managing to find this place and petitioned to be a member. Maybe I'm spoilt by the exclusivity of the Conclave but I find it extremely irresponsible that they don't have a more stringent selection policy here. From what I know Asriel to be able to do I know the knowledge that can be found within the Hidden Palaces could be extremely dangerous carelessly used.

But I do somewhat understand from it's history and purpose that the Order isn't primarily about the power that could give any maniac the knowledge to rule over thousands. Tiba itself was founded by refugees and like minded people in need of refuge, and to this day they refuse no one entry into the mountain enclosed city.

But I'm still surprised at how easily everything has been going for me. The existence and whereabouts of the Tiba city in the desert of Tiba is an open secret in Persian controlled Iran, Anglo and the Mbali Grasslands that boarder the desert in the rocky region known as the Steppes that encompasses all three territories.

From any of these areas that border the desert it's fairly easy to get a fairly accurate map. It's just that not many mundane have the know how to travel the desert safely or the endurance and vitality to make the trip straight there without getting lost or dead from dehydration and heat stroke. Horses would die and desert dwellers are very difficult to tame.

But I've Awakened only a few years and no longer cloaking so anyone with a efficient enough examine or soul sense can easily tell that I have. So my arrival at the stone city gates wasn't much of an anomaly to the people that keep track of all the new arrivals and their purposes here.

This is my first mission as an agent of the Conclave of Sahdow and I'm not sure I'm exactly right for the job description. Barbarians aren't really known for their subtlety and lying skills are they? And the more of the different races, cultures and peoples I am exposed to the more I realise how extremely Barbarian I am.

Though I may not be sure how good of a lied I am I know I'm quite good at spotting lies and reading body language. And I'm confident enough in my own abilities that already Joseph and I have changed how we will approach this mission.

I came into this city alone and I found Tiba alone as we separated long before I reached even the outskirts of the territories surrounding the desert. And we will meet here as strangers that get to know each other and form a friendship instead of try to infiltrate and investigate the ranks of the Brotherhood together.

I've only been an Awakened a few years but I have already long since fully finished Awakening into my power. Though to be honest there still seem to be changes slowly taking place to my actual physical body as Entril the Ancient Beast I met within the Dawn said there would be.

I have mana and access to the many world defying abilities it opens up to me. Though my affinity is actually in water and my control sloppy and my casting slow and weak. Nothing still surprises me more than being able to cast magic, but I'm the first Barbarian with a zanpakutō to Awaken and having my Rage in my nodachi half apparently I'm no longer really 'cursed'.

But the talent that's really important for this particular mission is the Awakening to sexual proficiency, I'm a stud. And as a fledging stud I have come to Tiba both seeking enlightenment and to begin my education at the Brothel as a potential acolyte.

* * *

Training to become an acolyte of the Brothel Temple is actually very difficult, who would have guessed? We spend hours everyday learning what is termed psycho'anology from a Mind Delver who has access to our psyche, there are no secrets kept from the teachers at the Brothel. Which is why it has never been infiltrated by a spy or plants from other deities as far as I know.

But someone at the Conclave discovered that it isn't that they don't like spies, but they don't like spies with neferous intentions. Nor do they like applicants that won't take their vows to Erotica seriously and I am determined to be the perfect student while in their care.

Psycho'anology with Kwesta the Mind Delver has become a good look in the mirror for me and I assume all of us. He brings out my darkest truths to light for me to face and we sit there and discuss them until I understand them as much as I can. Everyday I meet the man in his large comfortable office chambers and he brings up things that have shaped who I currently am and some of my personality traits since my childhood.

The man has that aura of trustworthiness and peace that ensures I eventually talk about thing I thought I'd keep secret forever. And he brings up things id thought i had forgotten. There is a type of naked shame to being seen by another person without the facad of normalcy or sanity. To be truly seen by another even your minds darker thoughts and insane musings.

But we somehow moved passed that shame to true free introspection into my psycho'anology. I later learnt the man is actually a Chosen of the deity with the title Revealer than has to make finale decision on a trainees eligibility for becoming an acolyte.

After a one on one session with the revealer I go to the temple proper for meditation and prayer to the deity in question. The time is allocated for a one sided dialogue with the deity and meditation within her presence for her influence to filter into our lives apparently. There are prospective trainees coming into the Brothel everyday in hopes of being chosen for the vocation of being a Brothel priest or priestess.

Some not making it past the initial interview with the recruiters, others being accepted as trainees but not making it passed the Revealer. Most tragic are those that get to sit with the Revealer as often as they need to but don't make it due to breaking the one rule placed on the trainees, no sexual contact of any kind.

After prayer and meditation its a lesson in mental resistance that we take in small groups of 12 with one of the priests. Barbarians have natural mental resistance by going into the berserker rage when their minds are being tempered with almost without fail.

But I can choose not to go berserker regardless of what is happening and do I stay myself thought the lessons. Mental resistance is apparently necessary for any trainee that wants to climb the priesthood ranks and survive some of the extreme clientele served by the temple.

From there we go to anatomy lessons and we are taught the most basic of humanoid and beast anatomy with particular focus placed on sex organs and birth. In the same small group we explore the humanoid bases and each person chooses a single species of topic to specialise in of course mine is human.

Then we have free time to ourselves which I usually use to get out of the robes, grab my weapons and go sparing. I've discovered that some of these priests are pretty tough and make amazing sparing partners as I learn to fight with Razor in one hand and Kata in the other from an elf Priest named Nyye.

Nyye is a nature elf from Nyx, a territory controlled by the wood, mirk, and nature elves under the umbrella of Celestia. It is within Atrium, another supercontinent and apparently Nyye is a transfer from a temple there so as to help keep all the temples uniform in creed.

The man duel wields a pair of beautiful single handed leaf blades with their edges made of mythril. They are extremely valuable and extremely rare not just because of the mythril but because they are also enchanted with mana infused glyphs of strength, shock absorption and elemental magic resistance. The last a weak enchantment because of it not being specific but still an amazing pair of weapons to behold.

Duel wielding a midium length sword and axe is very advantageous for me terms of speed and versatility of movements. I can block and slash at the same time and attack and defend simultaneously not even bothering to use my eyes as we spar. Dimensional awareness means I know where my opponent is and were his weapons are at all times and I am always on the move never blindsided.

I have no blindspots and my weapons are spirit bound making them actual deadly extensions of my spirit body, meaning to me I just have longer, harder and sharper limbs to fight using. My hair I've learnt to let fly about freely when fighting even into my face and the freedom has been exhilarating.

Nyye though is apparently a 200 year old tier 2 Awakwned so I can go all out without holding anything of my physicality during sparing. There is even a sparing chamber at the temple bottom floors and we grin happily as we figth each other, playing cat and mouse as I use everything in my physical repertoire to get to him while he keeps me back.

That is my favourite part of my day, the time I spend trying to wound a Master skilled 200 year old elf with the agility and flexibility to rival a cat's. He keeps me on the defensive as well, pushing me back and keeping me honest with strikes with surprising strength behind them considering his lean frame and runner's build.

After duel wielding practice it's off to eat in a great hall with many priests and priestess to eat and socialise with people on a large scale. We learn some of the popular etiquette rules here and how to conduct ourselves in the presence of the aristocracy of the different cultures and kingdom's.

From there it's lessons on how to flirt and speak to men or women being cognizant of the topics that trigger their interest, sexual or otherwise. Very much related to psycho'anology but different, it helps me in understanding body language better as well. Then again more free time which I use to get to know the city as we are allowed out for 2 hours everyday at our leisure.

Then it's back and off to bed in a large dormitory with all the other trainees present and we all have to sleep naked. A way of familiarising everyone with naked flesh I assume but I don't really mind, naked flesh I'd common amongst my people.

*

That is mostly my schedule for 5 months. Time in which I am a trainee and may still be rejected at any point with or without cause. Time in which I get to explore the city and the lay of the land and it's people.

There is a deep proud history to Tiba and after thousands of years with wars and changing circumstances all around, Tiba has remained constant in it's desert surrrounded mountain.

The first few days are a struggle somewhat but I develop a sort of routine and my days become rinse and repeat. This causes them to start feeling like they are mixing together creating the illution of time flowing quickly. The greatest obstacle is the no sexual contact rule as on a daily basis I am horny and when time to sleep comes and I watch beautiful women traipsing about naked I miss my women most.

But those are my first five months in Tiba, my months as a trainee of the Brothel Temple of Erotica. The goddess of sex, lust, passion, fertility and sexual healing.

After 5 months as a trainee a ceremony is prepared where a few of the large groups of hopefuls will be chosen to become acolytes of the Brothel.

I am stripped naked and go through a cleansing bath and fast and meditate for a day before being led to a third floor basement whilst still naked and told to enter though the larger rounded door ahead. Simple, I suspect a woman to be waiting inside so I walk in.