Chapter 23 - The Eternal Enclave

A tall, robed man entered the temple. Brushing past the initial lunch rush. He was easily discernible from the rest, even amidst the crowd of refugees. Pale skin, like alabaster, with azure scales covering his hands, palms, and bits of his face. His eyes were a piercing yellow, that of a dragon’s. A third eye rested on his forehead, sculpted out of opal and protruding from a small patch of scales. A long swishing tail trailed behind him and he carried a staff that sprouted a bush of cherry blossoms.

Glancing around, the Dragonkin pushed through the crowded halls past the entrance, towards the small dais where Tendo and the Seekers awaited him. A feeling of unease washed over Andros as the druid approached, sweat pooling around his palms as the stranger’s lizard-like gaze met his. Yukiko seemed to sense his unease and held onto his hand in an attempt to calm him down.

Andros smiled at her gesture, returning it with a gentle squeeze to let her know his appreciation.

As the druid approached, Tendo offered him a respectful bow. “Thank you for coming,” He said. “I know this is an unusual request, but we have an unusual situation… I must admit… I wasn’t expecting one of your station to grace our humble temple.”

“The Eternal Enclave takes matters of the soul very seriously,” the druid spoke. “It would be unbecoming to send a novitiate to handle this, presuming everything that was in your letter is true.” He turned his gaze onto Seekers, meeting each of their eyes with an inquisitive look. “And these must be the investigators you mentioned. If you do not already know, I am Liu Shen, Sentinel of the Eternal Enclave. It is my sacred duty to root out all disruptions to the Wheel. If even one soul goes unaccounted for, the very world weakens.”

Kuana bowed in respect. “It is an honor, kaitaki… sacred guardian.”

Seconds later, Yukiko and Akaja followed with a bow, and with some prodding from Yukiko, Andros reluctantly paid his respects as well.

Liu Shen returned their bows with one of his own. “Show me the body. I wish to confirm your claims with my own eyes.”

They led Liu Shen to Xue’s room. It took some convincing, especially toward Andros and Tendo, but Xue’s body was left relatively untouched since the previous night’s incident. Traces of that strange oily substance still lingered on her skin, especially around her eyes, staining it black. Upon seeing this, Liu Shen immediately got to work arranging a number of loose blossoms, branches, and incense burners in various places around the room. The room quickly filled with smoke, giving off a pungent smell reminiscent of warm volcanic sand.

“Close the door,” the druid requested. “You may stay if the incense agrees with your lungs.”

Tendo opted to wait outside, and the Seekers remained. The smoke made Andros feel woozy, and elicited a few coughs from Yukiko, yet the more he breathed it in, the more… weightless he felt. As if the room had faded away into endless nothingness, and Andros were just floating in the void.

Through the smoke, he saw the druid’s eyes turn a solid white. He set his hands on Xue’s body, causing her empty eyes to glow a similar color. The druid’s third eye began to shimmer as Xue’s body rose to hover mere inches off of the bed. Then, she began to decay, her skin peeling away, bones and flesh fading away into dust.

“What are you doing?!” Andros rushed forward to pull him away.

The druid, without breaking concentration, thrust his staff towards Andros, knocking him away. Andros gasped, stumbling away from the sudden blow. Before he could say anything more, Xue’s body had already faded away, leaving behind nothing but dust and leaves on the bed.

“Do not interrupt me again,” Liu Shen warned. “You are angry. Conflicted. I understand, but your hypothesis was right. There is no soul, not even one to call temporarily back to the body. I simply disposed of an empty husk.”

“Disposed?” Andros scoffed, rubbing his hand against his chest.

“Perhaps that was too cruel of a word…” The Druid sighed. “I merely returned her body to the earth to become nourishment for the World Tree. Her body bears no connection to her soul. Even after one’s death, the body is still an anchor for the soul as it makes its way to the World Tree. There is no such connection here. A body with no soul is a husk, liable to be possessed by malevolent forces.”

Andros felt Yukkiko’s palm on his chest. “Andros…” she whispered. “Please calm down…”

Taking in a deep breath, he closed his eyes and nodded. When he opened them again, the smoke that enveloped the room had already begun to fade away. “My apologies… you’re right.”

“Anger is a part of grief,” Liu Shen said. “And grief is a natural part of life. Regardless… Lady Xuefeng is a victim to a heinous act, a crime that spits at the very concept of life and rebirth.”

“And we have a pretty good idea of who’s responsible,” Akaja said, crossing her arms.

“Who?”

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“The Grand Admiral,” Akaja furrowed her brow. “Xue was…” She glanced over to Andros, and then the others, as if trying to get their permission whether to tell him or not.

The seekers quietly glanced amongst themselves. Nobody objected.

Akaja explained the results of their investigation so far. Yu’s murder, the attempt to frame her, though she left out most of the information about the Pallid Lady. A smart move, Andros thought. He wasn’t sure if the two groups would get along as well.

Liu Shen listened intently, not uttering a word until Akaja was finished. When the tale was summarized, he rubbed his chin in thought. “The commotion in Suzaku Castle was your doing, then? And the old Admiral’s body was not present? That is quite the claim… though we went a Senior Druid to tend to the Admiral’s body, and she reported all was well.”

“Perhaps your Druid was paid off,” Andros said.

Liu Shen glared at him. “That is quite the accusation. My people have no desire for money or material possessions.”

“And you’re sure about that?” Andros asked. “What reason would the Admiral have to hide Yu’s body? Surely, if it had druidic protections, then there would be no fear of any profane tampering, correct?”

Liu Shen sighed. “If your testimony is to be believed… then yes, you are correct. But why should I trust the words of an outsider over one of my own?”

“You have no reason to, but is it not your duty to investigate such matters? Xue’s death connects her to the Admiral, and what do you have to lose if I am wrong? In fact… you have much to lose if I am correct.”

“Uhm…” Yukiko cleared her throat. “Sentinel… I understand you’re reluctant to accuse one of your own of corruption. I know that if someone accused a dear friend of mine of bloody murder, even with circumstantial evidence, I would choose to believe my friend over a stranger.” She smiled, then tapped the side of her head in thought. “So what if we were to find you more substantial evidence?”

The Druid frowned, a low growl escaping the back of his throat. “Then the Admiral and his conspirators would be punished… severely. The Eternal Enclave would be forced to intervene in the politics of this city.”

“Then we’ll find this evidence for you!” Yukiko exclaimed. “That is our mission! To seek out the truth! It’s why we’re the seekers… of truth!”

Liu Shen stared at Yukiko for a while, then the edge of his lips curled into a faint smile. “You remind me of someone…” The smile quickly faded as he turned to the others. “Very well. The Eternal Enclave will leave this investigation in your hands. Under one condition…”

“Oh, thank you!” Yukiko grinned, her excitement spilling over as she started jumping up and down. “What’s the condition?”

“I send a novitiate to accompany you during your investigation,” Liu Shen said. “They will aid you, but in return, they will report your actions to me.”

“What?” Andros shook his head. “Absolute-“

“Andros…” Yukiko turned and set her hand on his chest. “Excuse us for a moment?”

Liu Shen bowed. “Very well… I expect to hear an answer from you soon.”

“What exactly would happen if we refuse?” Akaja asked. “We’ve been doing fine without your help…”

“If your theory proves correct,” The Druid explained. “Then do you truly believe yourself capable of facing the syndicate on your own? I doubt the other guilds would care if you could prove the Admiral’s guilt? Your cooperation would also exonerate you and your friends as potential suspects in this case.”

“You’re threatening us?” Andros scoffed. “Typical…”

“I did notice signs of tampering which must have occurred far after Lady Xuefeng’s death…” the Druid said, his eyes locked on Andros. “And that must also warrant some investigation. However, if I had your confidence and cooperation, I could leave it up to you whether to explore those details further.

Silence engulfed the room as Andros clenched his fist. Bastard…

Liu Shen simply nodded in response, a thin smirk appearing on his face as he took his leave. Once the Seekers were left alone, Yukiko gently sat him down on the bed with her arm around him.

“I know how you feel about the Druids, but… he’s right.” Yukiko spoke softly, eyes gazing up at him. “You yourself said we still don’t know how deep this whole mess goes and whether the Admiral is the only head on this hydra. Wouldn’t it be better to have the Druids on our side than not?”

“He mentioned tampering…” Akaja murmured. “That whole incident the previous night… that’s what he was referring to?”

“The spell I used to try to speak with Xue isn’t exactly… legal…” Andros sighed. “But I had no idea that it could’ve caused…. That.”

“Always a risk with forbidden magic,” Kuana said softly. “But the kaitaki is willing to look past it.”

“So long as we work with him,” Yukiko added.

“And don’t forget,” Akaja said, crossing her arms. “I wasn’t too happy about meeting with Talai’s boss either, but I still did it. All of us are going to have to make concessions, eventually.”

“What about that druid he’s sending to babysit us?” Andros asked.

“Well…” Yukiko smirked. “The Seekers could use an extra member…”

“You seriously believe they’ll be one of us?” Andros asked. “If the Sentinel asked them to slit our throats, they would do it without question.”

“You don’t know that!” Yukiko argued, frowning. “We shouldn’t judge them until we meet them. And besides… they might become a really good friend!”

Andros sighed. “Fine… but I’ll be keeping an eye on that druid. If they so much as try to harm a hair on of you guys…”

“Aw…” Akaja giggled. “You really do care about us.”

“And not just Yukiko,” Kuana added.

Andros’ face turned a faint shade of red, which grew in intensity after Yukiko kissed his cheek. “I like you guys… just don’t push it, alright?”

“So…” Akaja glanced around. “Are we doing this?”

The Seekers nodded.

Once informed of the Seeker’s decision, Liu Shen retreated back to the Enclave’s headquarters in Iwo Park, leaving the adventurers behind to wait for their newest addition. The timing of it all was rather unfortunate. Their job for the Pallid Lady was due to begin tonight, and they had to act quickly, else their quarry would be stolen away by another group of adventurers.

Whomever would be joining them would have quite the initiation. It would be a trial by fire, for sure, and Andros hoped they wouldn’t be too averse to theft. Therefore, Yukiko kindly informed the Sentinel to have his novitiate meet them outside of a small café in the Estrellan district.