Callum and Jane put up fierce resistance, but we're helplessly outmatched against Endyr's godlike control over Mana. She countered their every play and steadily drove them into a corner. She half expected them to accuse her of cheating, but strangely kept their peace despite losing 60 gold between them. Perhaps they were afraid of being countered, or maybe they just weren't that shameless.
Regardless, Endyr walked away from that table a fair bit richer than when she entered. She had learnt previously from Aryll that for Ascenders, gold and silver were the only real currency of value. Nothing mystical could be bought with copper coins, so gold became silver and platinum became gold. Since Renée, Callum and Jane were all Grandmasters, earning a dozen gold coins wasn't too difficult for them, especially in a bubbling city like Sky Cross.
No later than five minutes after she had won, Kulkiri walked through the door with a large bag swung over his shoulders. He spotted Endyr and sauntered over with no shame, causing a vein to throb in her forehead. "And where have you been this whole time? I was beginning to think you had fallen down the stairs and broken your neck" she snorted. Kulkiri just smiled and scratched his head with fake embarrassment. "Sorry, I met someone on the way and lost track of time. But anyways, I got your disguise for you."
He handed her the bag and pointed towards a door to the side. "There's the ladies bathroom, just get changed there."
Endyr shot him one last look of annoyance before doing as he said. The "disguise" was just a black robe that covered her body and a domino mask which fit on the top half of her face. She tucked her hair under the hood and walked out, regulating her body temperature with Mana to stop sweating from wearing a thick robe over her other clothes.
No one payed Endyr any attention as she rejoined Kulkiri, evidently used to people sneaking around in suspicious attire. Considering most Adventurers had a casual belief in Jester and Daemon, it was indeed a normal sight to behold in a Guild. Seeing her ready, Kulkiri led her out of the Guild, nodding at others as he passed. They walked through different streets, gradually approaching the same area where the Harvest Church and Guild fought the Blood Coven. It was the speediest part of the city Endyr had seen so far, so it didn't surprise her that a criminal hub would be establishes here. Although...
"Wouldn't the Harvest Church have taken the chance to clear away any criminals here while assaulting the Blood Coven?" She asked, doubting anybody remained. But Kulkiri shook his head as he kept walking. "The Churches don't care about civil order. Dealing with gangs and such is the governments job, but with Le'garde being out of office most of the time, corruption is pretty common. And in fact, it was the people we're going to meet who tipped off the Church about the Vampires in the first place. It's a common relationship."
"Are they not afraid of retaliation? The Guild may protect its Adventurers but I doubt they have anyone to back themselves up with."
"Heh, you've never interacted with the dark side of society, have you? Both the Orthodox and Secret Gods don't align "Themselves" with the Underworld, and allow it to remain neutral. Having a platform to act on without legislation is useful even for righteous organizations. And besides, it's always better to have a known threat than an unknown one. In short, the Underworld of Sky Cross will only need to be on guard against rogue avengers and not the entire Cult."
"Will that still be the case even with the severe losses of the Cult this time?" Endyr was skeptical. The Blood Coven had lost an Epic Tier member and a Branch of Degeneration, which the System had classified as extremely rare. If she were them, she would absolutely desire revenge. Especially since Navruavati and Aenrys encouraged carnage and indulgence.
Kulkiri also seemed to have realised that the significance of this loss could complicate things. He mused in silence as his steps slowed, but he quickly resumed his past pace. "If things get as bad as you think, then the Churches and Le'garde will definitely intervene. It's not like the Vampires can sneak a Legendary in or something. You might not have faith in the Gods, but you can have faith in the Churches."
The paradoxical statement made Endyr raise an eyebrow, but she got the message. The lofty Gods might not care about Humanity, but their clergy naturally would. Well, doomsday cults like the Esoterics of Destiny and the Ark Covenant seemed to have no qualms about mutual destruction, but they were the exceptions. Of course, this meant the Churches were a bigger opponent than the Gods too, and would hunt her far more doggedly.
As Endyr ruminated on her many challenges and foes, she and Kulkiri reached their destination. A dilapidated square, with a cracked stone fountain in the middle, surrounded by several bent trees. Walking with a familiar purpose, Kulkiri placed his hand on one of the tree trunks and gestured for Endyr to approach. When she had done so, Kulkiri infused Mana into the tree, causing it to glow a soft blue. Endyr looked on in surprise as she felt a change in the Mana flow, the "tree" quickly becoming a hotspot for Mana to gather.
Under her gaze, she saw the tree take on a similar aura that she felt when was stuck in the Vampire's spacial trap. "Is that a portal?"
Kulkiri chuckled. "Indeed it is. This will lead us to the Underworld of Sky Cross, and is one of the reasons why they can survive between the Cults and Churches. Their leader is rumoured to be an ancient Sacred Ascender, one with a Space Affinity. Now then, this is taking a fair bit of my Mana so hurry up and come here."
Endyr reached out and touched the tree, feeling a suction that she didn't resist. Beside her, Kulkiri's form blurred and shattered into points of light, quickly sucked up into the tree. Endyr felt the same happening to her, her thoughts turning muddled as she disassociated into individual parts. Time lost meaning, time lost meaning before, all of a sudden, Endyr realised she was whole again. Shaking loose the remnant disorientation, she turned and saw she was standing on a dimly lit street, Kulkiri looking at her slightly ahead. Seeing she had arrived, he raised his arms.
"Welcome to the underbelly of Orvonia."