In an inn located at the rim of the slums, ten figures sat around a table.
"I see… thank you. That very helpful, Mage Bek, Mage Sekiro. You too, Adorned Edsin. You did very well."
Harita nodded at the Council Mages' timely report and placed the piece of parchment they had purchased on the table.
"What is this, sir?" A Knight asked, his gaze peering down at the detailed layout and conspicuous marks strewn throughout it seemingly in random.
"It's a map, Knight Elijah" Harita pointed to a particular spot on the map, marked by a star and a skull. "And, according to Mage Sekiro and Adorned Edsin, this place seems to correspond to an entrance of sorts, or something of the same function."
One of the Squires nodded, then raised a question: "But what about the rest of the symbols, are there entrances to this supposed labyrinth there, too? That… that sounds rather doubtful.
"Too much entrances to one place means an immense amount of muscle required to stably guard them all. Not to mention the unavoidable risks of an invasion, a raid, or something to the same effect. The locals may instinctively avoid the place, as well, but bold and powerful officials would not. Once ample preparations are made, the place would collapse in a day, at least. And yet, such news have not been told to us.
"Do you jot think so as well, sir?" The Squire glanced irefully at the Council members, then finished politely.
Harita sighed inwardly.
'The Council and the Order never had a good relationship, especially on the lower ranks. This is why I specifically requested for relatively higher ranking members. It's really too bad that I only have one Knight with me. Most of the high-ranking members are away fighting off that terrible beast.' Fighting the urge to scold his subordinate, Harita pressed a hand on the young Squire's shoulder and looked him in the eye with a mellow expression.
"Come on, come on," he beckoned softly. "Let's keep the fighting for after the job, alright? We're all professionals here, after all. The important thing is our mission, nothing else."
"That's right. Calm down, Squire Owens, what would you do if your significant other were to hear of this?" Knight Elijah agreed, sitting on his own chair with crossed arms.
The Knight looked like an infallible statue with his broad shoulders and tanned skin, donning plated heavy armor.
'How noble,' Harita praised.
Knight Elijah had been a member of the Order for over five years now, with a dozen major cases solved under his belt. To others, especially those of a lower rank like Squire Owens, he was an honorable man with the mindset and conviction built to reach the higher ranks, something all Order members dream of.
'…Well, not all," Harita chided. Having been a member of the Order for a mere couple of months, with his high position practically handed to him during his early recruitment days, he had never had the will nor resolve to reach for the higher ranks.
That said, that didn't mean he was going to reject the position should it come. 'Only an idiot would do that.'
"We begin the operation as soon as possible.
"Using Adorned Edsin's divinatory senses and Mage Sekiro's observation skills to map out the interior of the supposed base—which may contain the person we are searching for, the child named Horis Han Li.
"We, the Order, will serve as the vanguard and take immediate action shall the need arise.
"Mage Bek, how long will your sleeping spell last on those goons?"
"Ten hours… well, six, by now. As long as there isn't any interference."
Harita grimaced.
"Not much time, then." Then, he looked up, peering at the rising new moon in the far-off distance. "Nevertheless, we have to continue."
He swept a glance at the entire room, his gaze sharp and refined. This was one of the many things he learned to master as a leader.
A leader must know when to be soft, cruel, and unyielding at any given time.
With a nod, the investigation team finalized several details of their coming mission, then set off, leaving the inn room behind with nothing but the shadows left.
Up above, higher than anybody, a new moon rose in the Sky Beyond, casting its luminous light upon the world.
Bathed in that light, Harita felt more energized and powerful, as if his very soul was soaking up the moonlight.
'Still, it isn't the same as the Hunter's Moon… Though I guess it'll have to do.' Standing in front of a particular building, he nodded to Adorned Edsin, and the young man stepped forward, Mage Sekiro with him.
Knight Elijah accompanied them, as well.
After a minute, then two, and finally five, the one Council members and two Order members stepped peeked out, giving the signal. They had long used divinatory powers to determine that the entrance Adorned Edsin had been the one with the least amount of danger there is.
Closing his eyes, Harita sighed and opened them again, his feline eyes once again resolute. With a hasty step, he entered the hideout, and went down to the cellar, holding a lantern he had prepared beforehand.
…Up above, where a titanic avian creature of yellow and sapphire, with intelligent golden eyes, flew high above, tempestuous winds surrounding its once-beautiful form.
Yes, once beautiful. What had once been the greatest of beauties, the Mother of Clouds, Sister of Rain, had been tainted by blood—its own blood, and various wounds, gashes, lacerations, burn marks, and bruises. Some parts even looked frozen, suffering from frostbite, or dried, as if all moisture and water contents had been drained from it before.
In its neck, which seemed to be barely hanging by a thread, was deep wound that reached down. Signs of targeted attack were gathered there and around it.
*Shrieeeeeeek!*
The creature screamed, raising its majestic voice to lofty heights, rupturing the eardrums of a few unprotected Alchemists and Recreants. The Transmutation and Detachment category wasn't exactly known its defensive ability.
Luckily, the Creators and Fighter had been prepared. Of the five categories an Adorned can be set into, these two provided the most chances to offset such a predictable attack.
Noticing its ineffective attack, the titanic avian creature suddenly raised its head, then contorted its face—seemingly. Avian weren't known for their expressive likeliness, rather, it was the change in its body language and movement that raised the attention of many.
Sadly, though, that was where the break ended.
"Kill it!"
"Get 'em!"
"Attack!"
The next moment, a torrent of attacks rained down on the titanic avian creature of yellow and sapphire, all kinds of elements raining down onto it at high speeds.
It was total chaos.
*BOOM!*
*SNAP!*
*CRACKLE!*
*Hiss~*
*Dun!*
*CRACK!*
*BANG!*
*KA-BOOM!*
Dust, mist, and smoke intermingled. Noticing this, one Recreant shot an arrow into the conflagration of elemental attacks, igniting the smoke and dust with a snap of his fingers.
Boom! A third explosion resounded, and then, the winds stirred.
"Watch out!"
"It's coming! Hold onto something, quickly…!"
The soldiers, guards, adventurers, Samaritans, and even some meager help provided by the high echelons stirred in chaos, running around to get their own handhold, taking cover, or straight up just running away from the chaos of the battlefield.
They knew what was next to come would surely eviscerate the live of many—likely even all of them, just like how it had wiped out so many of them just a few short hours ago.
*Whoosh!*
The winds rose, beckoned by the titanic creature of yellow and sapphire, its wings flapping and generating a magical tempest, summoning back the force of the wind to be by its side. Each flap generated a gale of wind, creating a tempestuous blast that shook the very buildings in the slums like a wooden toy.
And each tempestuous blast swallowed one soldier after another. Opening its maw wide, it swallowed the flying creatures taken in by the tempestuous winds. The ones that were fortunate enough to not get swallowed by the titanic avian creature were unfortunately swallowed by the tempestuous winds, instead.
And there, they were ripped to nadir; their clothes, their flesh, their skin, and even their blood were merciless to the wind, minced and grinded into nothing but red splotch marks. And then, even that was swept away by the tempestuous, raging wind.
Bestial howls of people long gone failed to escape the conjured whirlwind.
Not even a drop of scarlet remained.
And the titanic avian creature didn't stop. Instead, the wind only seemed to grow more powerful and encompassing…
As if it was anticipating something.
…Then next moment, or the moment before that, all of a sudden, the shadows stirred awake, and the people still hanging on suddenly lost all expression as their faces fell and revealed bright smiles.
Donning their faces were masks of various shapes, size, and quality. It was a sad mask, a lonely mask, a sorrowful mask
And all of them fit perfectly on the fighter's faces. For a second ,they even looked as if their strings had been cut momentarily.
In the chaotic battlefield of the slums, suddenly, more than three hundred mages donned a sorrowful mask with a deep frown, completely hiding their facial features.
Then, in a sudden turn of events, the raging tempestuous winds died down gradually and completely lost their initial power, letting the three-hundred-or-so mages down on the ground with a loud thud. Even the most agile Rogues couldn't react on time.
It was if their body wasn't their own, and their minds had been taken over by something else—something vile, cruel, and merciless.
The shadows continued to stir.
And the Legend began to thrash around madly all of a sudden. In its long and majestic beak, a broken mask with a frown lay scattered in fragments, as well as the broken carcass of what once was a living person.
*Ka-CAW!*
The Legend let out a shrill shriek, bit this time, nobody was unfazed.
All because of it.
The Myth.
The shadows—no, the darkness, stirred once more, forming a grotesque mass of shadows, adorned with various masks filled with anguished expressions, and several limbs of various sizes and builds protruding from the mass of darkness.
Its visage was a disgusting one. Menacing. Malicious. Devastating. All-encompassing. Devoid of light, purity, and good, it was the complete opposite of the Legend of the Dead Sea.
Even now, with dozens upon hundreds of wounds and blood staining its majestic form, the Legend continued to exude a mighty, infallible presence. It was as if it was created by the very gods themselves.
Suddenly, the darkness boomed a hearty laugh:
"Ha-ha! What a thrill, what great fun. What a wonderful night! Ah~ this is it. This is what I wanted!
"Finally, after all that time imprisoned, my power has returned!"
The darkness stirred, convulsed, and manifested into various shapes, taking the form of various writhing appendages. The next second, they melted again, turning into tentacles, and the second after that, they convulsed again, turning into a giant, sharp spear.
"Ha-ha!"
With a laugh, the spear of darkness shot out like a cannonball, tearing through the air at amazing speed. Even the sound of it flying away was delayed, having broken several barriers.
For a second, the Legend's eyes grew dark and solemn, finding solace. Thankful.
But then, it was suddenly gone. The golden tint of its eyes shone even brighter than before, and in the Myth's senses, he immediately identified the sudden abnormality.
"A Summoner… no, would an Accomplice be more likely? Or is a Transcendent? Ruling out the others I don't know of, as wells as the empty seats, that only leaves The Devil… but that bastard shouldn't be here. At least, not right now… Odd. Very odd.
"How very exciting!"
It was unknown what the Myth was talking about. What was a Transcendent? Who or what was The Devil? And how was the Myth related to it?
There was nobody to answer.
Everybody in the attacking force, after all, had been placed under his control. If they knew what was going on, he would have known immediately.
As a rain of scarlet rained down on the slums of New Mireton, the Myth and Legend continued their altercation, with no force there to stop them.