The entourage was, in a few words, small but mighty.
Earlier that day, after the meeting, Rafael had gone with Brut and, another sinner, Ger. They purchased an imposing carriage, in black and three horses. Two white mares for the carriage and one black gelding for Brut.
They returned to Gomorrah and left with Medea, Brut leading.
They did garner a lot of interest, though the sinners looked on with scorn, barely hidden on their faces. The little group managed to get to the union hall without any form of attack and met with the council representatives.
The session began, the union eyeing them with something akin to the offspring of envy and scorn. Rafael had done his research on registrations and they provided as much as they could in preparation. It happened as follows;
Name – Gomorrah
Crest – A golden shield bearing the Force of Gomorrah as though it had broken through the ground.
They shot him a questioning look, Brut raised his arm and they nodded, some staring at the arm a bit longer than others.
Main Occupation – Theft, as at the time of registration.
This caused a reaction from the union and they looked at Rafael, as though they could somehow figure out his plans.
Population – Out ter roughly 200, men count shy er 110 hands, the women no fewer than 60 and then yer have them lil' urns.
As at the time of registration. Rafael added. He got their attention once more and held it longer this time. The sinner at their head looked as though he was going to say something but thought better of it and continued.
Sin Level – We cannot tell just yet. We will, after registration when you give us the trackers.
They nodded and continued down the list, marking them off in some places and leaving others unmarked. Either due to the fault of the union or Gomorrah's lack of the said item. All in all, they provided 50 of the 65 criteria required and were officially registered. The trackers as well as the crest bearing materials were to be provided by the union in one fortnight.
The trio walked out of the hall, the carriage pulling up for them. Rafael stopped at the top of the steps and faced Medea. He leaned in towards her, "Take the west side. I'll go east. Take note of everything. Their storage, resources, occupations. I want to know everything Sodom runs on. He whispered. She nodded and he smiled, then hugged her. "Take care."
"I don't have a choice."
He chuckled and they separated. "Now Brut, in any case, should things get rowdy, guard her with your life."
"Aye, sir."
"We'll meet at Gomorrah."
Rafael nodded and watched them leave. Medea stole one more glance at him through the window and the carriage pulled away. He went in the opposite direction, the sun glistening off his sultan.
Rafael stuck close to the walls, avoiding attention as much as possible. It was inevitable though, as sinners everywhere bore the sign of registration, their crested apparel. He noticed, however, that people wore their trackers differently. Some in their head jewelry, others on their arms, he'd even seen one on an eyepatch. The sinner had stared back at Rafael as he passed by.
He walked on; he'd gotten to some kind of marketplace. The stalls here were mostly clothing material based though there was the occasional jewelry seller. It was rowdier here. The buzz of the place at a steady pitch.
They were organized into rows and columns. Other items were being sold too. He'd noticed pink and blue smoke rising from a stall in a column off to the left where small colored bottles lined the tables in front of each stall.
There was the steady clanging coming from a distance. He guessed that was the metal works. The bells of mobile traders chimed in their addition to the symphony of the place. An occasional clatter sent a trader scurrying about their spilled goods, at times barking at the culprit.
He walked into a stall. The man had fabrics of different shades of blue. He had long blue hair, he was dressed in a long flowing robe of light teal and his tracker was in a sash of moonlight glow hanging on one shoulder.
"Welcome, my fair man. I deal only in the best of colors." He said, spreading arms in pride.
"It's all blue." Rafael looked around.
"Exactly!" The sinner exclaimed, flashing bright teeth. "From icy mint, sky hue and cool breeze, down to cool slate, dark teal and moonlight glow." He spoke breathlessly as if words constantly flowed from his lips.
Rafael looked about with pursed lips. This man's tracker showed he was a sentry but Rafael had his doubts. "I didn't notice any processing stalls." He remarked offhandedly and the trader chuckled,
"Of course not. We all get our materials from Whitehelm. They supply Sodom as well as most of Rothgard. I heard they also supply a small portion of Nineveh, but I doubt that you know." He added with a wave of his hand.
Rafael nodded and turned to step out. "Wait!" The man reached for his arm, "Have a look at these fabrics. They're from the latest shipment." He whispered.
However, Rafael made to move out, spotting eyepatch and a handful of guards coming down the column. He gasped, letting the trader pull him back in. He looked about anxiously.
"Is there any other way out?"
The man gasped, "Are you a fugitive?
Rafael stared, wondering what his next reaction would be. The man surprised him, giving him a double-handed handshake. "You're one of the lucky ones. Your tracker must be going haywire." He gushed, spinning Rafael, "Wait," He looked aghast. "You're not a sinner?"
He had no choice. "Let's make a deal…" Rafael said breathlessly.
Eyepatch and the guards neared the stall, checking for the unmarked fellow in black. The blue-crazed trader moved out suddenly, walking away from them in brisk steps.
It drew their attention, they called after him. He kept on walking, a guard moved and he broke into a run, the others immediately tore after him. They got to him quickly, eyepatch grappling one of his arms with sin.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" The trader yelled, drawing even more attention. Sinners gathered. Eyepatch and his men faltered, letting go as they looked about frantically.
He spotted a flash of black disappearing around the corner from the trader's column and bolted after him, not caring about the destruction in their wake.
Rafael knew he had to escape. A confrontation could lead to him being exposed before he could explain and an explanation didn't guarantee his safety. These were sinners after all, and Sentinel level too.
He ran through the marketplace, slipping under or leaping above obstacles. Eyepatch and co. followed in a trail of destruction, they started lashing out with their sin, trying to trap him. Rafael's all-around awareness was his sole savior.
He burst out one end of the market and looked both ways for a split second, choosing the alleys ahead instead. The men came out and a few sinners around pointed them in the right direction, smiling at the boost in their Sin Levels while some others acted indifferently, receiving boosts as well.
They charged into the alley, one pointed up and they caught a glimpse of the black sultan just before it disappeared above a ledge.
The sinners leaped onto the building just as Rafael leaped towards another but he wasn't going to make it. Eyepatch released his grapple-style sin.
However, Rafael spun, back-first, over the sin. It struck a wall and he sliced it with his sin, grabbing one end as a rope and swinging to the other building.
He struck the side of the building and dropped to the ground, wincing. His hand massaged his side as he moved hurriedly, with a slight limp.
The sinners came after him. He turned another corner and sucked in air sharply. Using Eyepatch's sin had reduced the force but the collision still affected him.
He looked around; unlike other experienced sinners, he couldn't shapeshift. Even so, he needed to heal for a bit.
The sinners got there, looking around. There was no sign of him. Only a flock of blackbirds perched on a heap of rubbish. They neared the pile cautiously when suddenly, the flock ascended, some attacking them, the rest to the skies.
Eyepatch, however, spotted a sizeable black mass within and leaped through, his grappling sin, catching Rafael's ankle.
Rafael noticed the attack, but he was already tasking his sin. He'd made the blackbird constructs, as well as a pair of wings for himself while he healed the injury. He couldn't dodge fast enough. Instead, he concentrated on directing the birds at eyepatch's face. Even so, he remained unfazed.
"Got you now! He growled. His weight was putting more strain on Rafael.
He suddenly let go, boosting to Rafael's level. "Who sent you? He bellowed, striking a punch. The blackbirds were in a flurry about them, Rafael was tossed backward but the birds cushioned him.
He formed the blades. Eyepatch grinned evilly and leaped for him. The birds formed a wall which he tore through. However, at the same time, Rafael slipped behind, slashing with both blades as he went past. Eyepatch yowled and his hand went to his side. He was bleeding sin.
Rafael looked on in horror and the birds were suddenly wiped out in one energy release, Rafael was blasted backward, and he tried to recover his center of gravity, shocked at how high they were.
Eyepatch suddenly tore through the clouds, catching him in a long-range jab. Rafael tumbled backward, suspending the healing. His awareness kicked back in and he flapped the wings, evading a stomp by a single second. Rafael wiped his mouth and Eyepatch scoffed, "Blood? You're mincemeat!"
He burst at Rafael, releasing a flurry of punches. Even with his awareness, Rafael couldn't dodge them all. Although he managed a wall of sin, that only served to reduce the force with which he was hit, for some. The rest caught him squarely.
Rafael had to escape. He fell back, boosting his speed with sin. Eyepatch came straight after. Rafael gasped; they were over Rothgard. He stopped his descent and flew on, planning an escape while evading Eyepatch's sin.
He felt his Regalia constricting, he was running out of sin. Eyepatch was getting closer and his altitude was dropping steadily. He didn't know anywhere around.
Just then, he remembered. A plan came to his mind, but this was going to be the biggest gamble yet. Eyepatch was going higher; he was going to try to attack from above.
Rafael flew over the river, he used the wings to provide a wider canopy and used sin, to slit his sultan, patching it up behind.
There were tubes all over his skin, in a complex setup.
As he dropped, he replaced himself with a projection, sin flowed through the tubes, from a large "chest plate" to his fingertips, forming the construct behind him.
He'd used most of his sin reserves to make it look believable. If this worked, it would distract Eyepatch for a while. He used the last of it to part the water silently as he slipped in…
Myra returned from the castle late that evening, it was dark already.
She lived with her, almost blind, grandmother in a small house within its compound. The house was lonely, detached so her blind grandmother could live peacefully. There were other houses around, built for such purposes.
She came in through the gate, carrying a small bag of apples, and went behind to feed her horse. A mare she'd received from her parents when they were alive. Suddenly a hand covered her mouth. She tried to struggle.
The horse neighed, rearing and she heard her grandmother call out for her.
"It's me," Rafael whispered, wincing as she moved. He let go of her and she faced him, gasping at his appearance.
He was bare chest. However, there was something else on him. There was a black hexagonal chest plate from which tubes extended all over him. Two tubes went upwards ending at the base of his neck. Two wider tubes extended downwards and from them, smaller tubes extended all over him, slipping underneath his trousers.
She froze, staring with wide eyes.
"Myra? Is that you?" Her grandmother's soft voice could be heard as she opened the door into the backyard, shuffling out.
"Yes, mother. She recovered from the shock, walking to her grandmother. "It's alright. Let me help you in." She managed, supporting the old woman.
"Oh, your hand feels so cold Myra, are you coming down with a fever?"
"No." She croaked; she didn't even have a choice there. There wasn't anyone else to look after her grandmother. Who'd take care of her then? She helped the old woman to her bed and lay her down.
"Are you going back out? Your skin feels cold. Why was Reina neighing? Did you see a ghost?"
"Oh, stop mother, why all these questions? Get some rest.," she needed to get back outside to Rafael. She had so many questions.
However, when she got out, he was gone. She gasped, then she heard a crash from within and rushed back in. He'd collapsed and was now sprawled there on the ground in the kitchen.
"Myra? Her grandmother called, coming out of her room.
Myra groaned in exasperation.
"Is that you? What's going on? Don't think you can lie to me just because you think I'm blind. Did you bring a man home?"
She looked at the woman, horrified, "No!" However, her bare feet were inches away from Rafael's left arm. Myra watched in trepidation, a single forward movement from her and the game would be up…