"Now is the time to take back our city from the likes of Mister Satan! Now is the time to purify our children's minds from his unholy and pernicious influence! We are lost, my brothers and sisters, we are lost, wading through the darkness, wading through sin and abomination!"

Quentin Parsimon paused in his solitary diatribe, and listened to the echo of his voice throughout the nave. His face was red with exertion;he'd been rehearsing for hours, trying to find the right combination of words, the biting sentence that would strike a chord in his audience.

"Yes...yes..." he muttered, catching his breath, "that's very good...'wading through sin and abomination'..."

He slowly looked around him. He was alone in the great church, but he could already imagine the crowd that would gather in the aisles the next day. He could see them, he could see his faithful sheep... But he wanted more of them, he needed more of them. If the whole city took his side, then he would be able to beat Mister Satan. But still...how could he possibly cause the downfall of a man so cherished, not only by the city that bore his name, but also by the whole wide world?

He gritted his teeth in frustration, and made his way towards the altar. He walked up the steps and spread his arms.

"But lost we shall be no more! For He showed me the way!!"

"Why don't you make that a She?"

Parsimon nearly gave out a yelp of surprise. "Who..who's there? Wha...what are you doing here?"

He frantically looked around, but found no one. He turned back to the altar. And screamed.

Standing below the cross was a woman. A tantalizingly, damnably beautiful woman.

"Who...who are you?"Parsimon demanded shakily.

"Who do you want me to be?"

In the blink of an eye, she was standing right in front of him. She leaned forward, and whispered silkily, "I can help you, I can save you...Do you want to be saved?"

"Ye...yes..." he replied, entranced by her voice.

"Do you want...power?"

He hesitated and she continued, "Do you want to defeat Mister Satan?"

"Yes..."he said hoarsely.

"Then I believe you and I can do business."

He nodded silently. All he could see was her eyes. Crimson colored, like her hair, and pupilless.
 

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