After receiving directions from the System, Endyr shared them with everyone assembled. While Himmel had been predictably suspicious, Kulkiri and the brothers had supported her.
With no clear option to take, Aryll and Ruby decided to trust Endyr's words and follow her down the eastern path. Endyr tucked away the coin she had pulled out to fabricate an excuse and began to lead the way.
She, Kulkiri and Aryll took the front. Victoria and Ruby were in the middle while Himmel and the Brothers formed the rearguard. The eight Grandmasters slowly made their way down the passage, eyes peeled for anything irregular.
After a while of nothing happening, Aryll turned towards Kulkiri and Endyr, speaking to them in a relaxed tone. "So, what do you think of this mission so far?"
Endyr look at her from the corner of her eye as she focused on watching the Mana flow. "Are all missions this dangerous?" she asked casually.
Kulkiri chuckled beside her as he raised a lantern he has procured from...somewhere? She really had to ask him where he stored everything at some point.
"I would say missions such as these are rare enough. After all, it's not every day an Epic Vampire shows up and starts preforming ritualistic sacrifices. Most of the time, Adventurers are just tasked with culling monster hordes, clearing ruins or bounty hunting."
Aryll chimed in after Kulkiri finishes. "To be honest, I've been an Adventurer for years but this is the first raid I've done. Most of the time I just hunt monsters or criminals. The pay obviously differs but its stable enough work. After all, there will always be evil to hunt."
"Hmmm" Endyr refrained from commenting as she switched topics. "Does the Guild have a patron Deity, or a commonplace God amongst Adventurers?"
Aryll tilted her head in thought before shrugging. "The Adventurers Guild was allegedly joint founded by Sol, Xerxes, Daemon and Jester in the early Fifth Era. The main principles of the Guild are thus: Reputation, Combat, Wealth and Entertainment respectively. Apart from the Evil Gods, any religion is allowed. Of course, few will choose to flaunt their status as a believer of a Secret God."
"The creation of the Guild can be seen as a miracle in and of itself" Kulkiri added. "Sol and Xerxes have an intense dislike for each other due to sharing the Authority of Fire, and few are willing to cooperate with the Gods of Mischief and Deceit."
The conflicts between the various Gods was well known to "Their" believers, so the existence of the Guild was indeed irregular in Orvonia. While Jester was disliked by most, "He" was deemed as largely harmless-as long as "His" pranks never picked up momentum. On the other hand, Daemon was scorned and hated just as much as Seraphic.
The God of Deceit and Trickery had ruined as many lives as the Evil Gods, even if "His" methods weren't always as bloody. Instead, "He" preferred to subtly plot and scheme large and intricate crimes. All crime, except for murder which was the domain of Nyx, Navruavati and Aenrys, was attributed to "Him".
That was the biggest difference between Daemon and Jester: the latter got up to all kinds of trouble that may not necessarily be malicious, while the former only played big and was guaranteed to hurt society's order.
Aryll and Kulkiri conversed as Endyr removed herself from the conversation, focusing on the Mana flows in front of her. The deeper they went, the less the Mana's ebb and flow. If before it was like a gentle wave, now it was as flat as a mirror. If it wasn't for the System, Endyr would have thought the hallway lead to a dead zone. Anywhere with living creatures had a flow of Mana, corresponding to their Affinity. But from what she saw, there wasn't plants or even dirt!
The only Mana present was the omnipresent types: Space, Time, Gravity and Air. Of course, Endyr was unable to extinguish the first three from each other, only knowing they were present in the hallway. And she wasn't the only one to notice this.
"This is highly unnatural" Aryll frowned as she peered ahead. "I detect no organic Mana whatsoever. This goes against the natural laws of Orvonia."
"Perhaps the Vampires truly have blocked all Mana signals in an attempt to cover something up?" Kulkiri suggested.
"Whatever it is must have a massive presence on the area then, if they went to such extents to hide it" Endyr frowned as she tried to guess what the Vampires could be planning.
"The presence of Kismet alone implies that" Kulkiri chuckled as he adjusted his lantern. "But yes, this raid hides more secrets than I thought. Perhaps those lovely ladies from the Harvest Church know more about what is going on."
Aryll shot him an amused glance. "Don't tell me you've taken a fancy to them" she teased with a knowing smile. "Believe me, Harvesters don't make good sprouses."
Kulkiri let out a chuckle as he stroked his mask. "I'm simply complimenting their beauty and sophisticated nature. There's nothing wrong with admiring something good, is there?"
Aryll rolled her eyes as she turned towards Endyr. "A word from the wise: beware the priests of Gaia and Tiamat. The former all desire to build a harem and spread their seed as much as possible, while the latter will suck you dry."
Endry was taken aback as she raised an eyebrow. "What? How does that work?"
"The Church of Gaia promotes the belief that it is the inherent duty of all living things to reproduce as much as possible and propagate the species. The Church of Tiamat on the other hand, believe that intercourse is the culmination of love and the ultimate expression of devoutness towards each other. They don't promote polygamy, but encourage partners to have sex as often as possible."
"...What about Dendron? What does "He" promote?" Endyr asked after a slight moment of hesitation, her curiosity temporarily surpassing her surprise.
"Dendron supports "His" sister obviously, but places more emphasis on the male side of things. Gaia believes women should take the lead in the harem, while Dendron encourages men to build a harem instead. The subject is a cause of some friction between "Them" and "Their" believers."
Receiving an unexpected seminar while trying to find the source of the irregularity, Endyr couldn't help but have her mind wander. 'Now that I think about it, I think I did see something about this is that anthology book. The Churches of Gaia, Dendron and Tiamat were collectively known as the Churches of Sex!'