“No? What do you mean, no?!” Jonathan asked the moment Gaven returned from the cathedral. The moment they had entered the city, the paladin had gone off to fulfill his promise, and was now standing in front of Jonathan looking quite self satisfied.

“The bishop said it couldn’t be done so long after their deaths, and refused the meeting.” He said with a smug grin on his face. “I told you it was a waste of time. Take them to the pyre.” He finished, giving an order to Leb, who had been waiting with Jonathan and Alice. He seemed happy to leave before things between the arguing adventurers could escalate.

“Are you sure you explained the situation properly?” Jonathan asked, his frustration increasing. He wasn’t exactly sure how divine magic worked as Dalmatia didn’t have high enough mana concentration to produce deities, but from what he had seen around the planescape, priests, clerics, even some druids were able to contact the dead years, if not decades after their death. Was the bishop not powerful enough? Was he a fool? Or just plain lazy?

“Of course! I made an oath after all.” Gaven assured him, “I told him that there was a good possibility according to a member of my team that the cultists were harvesting their souls. I told him about you and how you came to this conclusion, or at least the little you shared with me. His exact words were: ‘It can’t be done if they have been dead longer than a week. And besides, if that many soul gems were moved in markets, people would notice. I have more important things to focus on.’”

“Let me go talk to him.” Jonathan insisted, not about to let the issue go.

“He isn’t going to meet you. The church leaders have more important things to focus on that chase the whims of newbie adventurers. While I can’t stop you from going to the cathedral, you won’t find him willing to talk.” The paladin explained, infuriating Jonathan even further. “Now, I must tend to my own holy duties. Send a messenger to the cathedral when you take another mission.”

Without further talk, he was gone, soon disappearing into the crowd.

Jonathan felt dumbfounded. What was going on with these people? He was positive Gaven wasn’t telling the whole truth. But a divine oath couldn’t be broken without some serious backlash. So what the hell was going on?

Without even realizing he had been walking through the city, Jonathan found himself sitting in Alice’s dining room, staring blankly at the wall.

“Well,” She started, shaking Jonathan out of his thoughts. “That didn’t go as planned. What’s next?”

“I don’t know.” He admitted. “Go on more missions? Without more information, and the higher ups refusing to investigate the ideas of lower ranks, what else is there to do?”

“Are you sure about the whole soul gem thing?” Alice asked, seeming to come to some kind of conclusion.

“Almost certain. But without someone to verify-”

“Then, we should go!” She interrupted him. Jonathan cocked his head, not sure what she was implying. “We can leave the city without taking up a contract. It won’t be official, but we can investigate without Gaven. There are more towns and villages around the mountain, so if we can’t get answers here, we should go to one of them.”

Jonathan stared blankly at her. Where was this coming from?

Alice continued, “I know it can be risky, but if you are sure you can find something that can help to bring a stop to this, I think we should try!”

Was Jonathan sure? He was so used to being in a commanding position, having power, that not being included in the big secrets and being dismissed felt like a personal insult. Was he really just grasping at straws, trying to find connections where there were none? Would he risk his, and more importantly, Alice’s life to prove something that might not even be there?

“Alice.” Jonathan spoke softly, not wanting to commit to a course of action on a whim.. “How do you think the current situation is being handled?”

She thought of the question for a long time, before deciding on an answer.

“Not well? With the undead roaming about, people are fixated on them. Every day there are more postings to cull them down, but they keep rising, and no one knows how. The other adventurers are also getting frustrated, but the money keeps flowing in so no one minds. I haven’t seen a single job offer to track the cult down, so they keep killing villages…” Alice’s eyes widened in realization, as something clicked in her mind. “They keep killing villages!”

She ran to her room, soon coming back with a map of the surrounding region. She laid it down on the table, pointing out different spots around the city.

“The fishing village where we just came from. Mining outpost here, farmers from here, another fishing village.”

Jonathan was now intrigued, watching as Alice pointed over a dozen spots on the map, all with important resources a city would need.

“They are cutting off our supplies. Food, minerals, lumber, everything. The city isn’t big enough to have an airdock, so more supplies would have to be carried over land, or possibly through the salt lake. They are trying to starve us out!”

Jonathan nodded at the explanation. It made sense. Using undead as a distraction, the cult was targeting the towns and villages that kept the city alive. It was a clever strategy, and one that would be difficult to counter without knowing the full extent of the cult’s resources. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he had been underestimating the numbers the cult held. If this was indeed their plan, they had far larger reach than what he was originally led to believe.

“Do you think the leaders have realized this?” Alice asked, looking at Jonathan for confirmation.

“They must have. But if this is their response, that raises even more questions. Imagine yourself as the leader of the Order. With this theory in mind, how would you distribute your people to mitigate damages?”

“Umm… I suppose I would prioritize the villages. Send groups of adventurers to protect them from attack. Next, I would send scouts and spies to find out the cultists and follow them back to their hideout. A small rotating force would keep the undead away, instead of the manhunt this has turned into. Then, if the hideout is found, I’d dispatch a strike force to clear them out for good.”

Jonathan nodded in agreement. He would’ve done the exact same thing, with some minor adjustments. “So, what does their response tell you?”

“Do you think they are in league with the cult?” She asked the moment she realized what he was implying.

“It’s possible, although I don’t want to delve into conspiracies. But the lackluster response, not engaging obvious leads… Something is going on at the leadership level. What about the church? What are Ameryst and Sirenus gods of?”

“Ameryst is the god of wealth and greed.” Alice explained. Suddenly some of Gaven’s actions made a whole lot more sense. Wealth and greed was the perfect fit for a dragonling. “Sirenus is the goddess of art and creativity.”

That was odd, and the moment Alice’s words left her mouth, her frow burrowed. “Why would Gaven ask the bishop of Sirenus to see if the souls had moved on?”

“Why indeed.” Gaven had deceived them from the moment he had suggested the idea. Jonathan guessed his plan was to plant the idea of Sirenus’ bishop to his head in case he went to the temple himself to ask after him. Was the church leadership in league with the cult too? Or was the whole thing just a coincidence?

Jonathan stood up and started pacing around the room. Was there a greater conspiracy in the works? Who was in it? Gaven was occupying his list of suspects in the first place. What about Morrison and the other leaders? Morrison seemed like a straightforward guy, but had assigned Gaven to him. But he seemed to have some kind of relationship with Alice. A favor for a friend, he had said. They could probably trust Morrison. He didn’t know enough about the city leaders to make an educated guess on their part. The bishop of Sirenus? On the list he went for the time being.

If the higher ups were intentionally covering for the cult and weakening the city, the chances were that they wouldn’t uncover anything from here. Not as long they took official contracts and Gaven was guiding them away from the answers. But if they were in cooperation, they’d have a much harder time uprooting the plot.

“I think… “Jonathan started, debating on the course of action. Too many things were still up in the air. “I think we should stick around.” He finally decided.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

“Right now, all we have are theories. Maybe the leaders have a plan that isn’t clear for us. I want to see how the problems escalate, and how they are handled before rushing into action.”

The next several weeks, Jonathan and Alice went on for more missions. The main priority for him was to gain enough trust for Morrison to dismiss Gaven. So far, no luck. The paladin had also sensed Jonathan’s apparent hostility towards him and kept himself mostly out of the way. There wasn’t another argument like they had on their first outing together, which made him tagging along easier to tolerate, but Jonathan still held his suspicions for the reborn.

During their time off, Jonathan kept on inscribing the various trinkets they had found from the fishing village, making decent money by selling them in the headquarters. As his expenses were miniscule, and nothing he was in dire need of was sold in the city, he slowly kept accumulating wealth to the point he could’ve bought his own apartment from the city, if it wasn’t for the refugees.

That was one of the things that had changed. Smaller settlements on the outskirts of the shroudlands were no longer safe to be in, and their people had flooded Rong in numbers. Homelessness had started to become a real issue, and Jonathan saw more and more people sleeping on the streets by the day. Food prices also increased slowly, as the citizens started to notice shortages in incoming shipments. Something needed to change soon, or the city would eat itself alive.

On a routine mission to clear out an infestation of undead, the trio found themselves delving deeper into a recently abandoned mine. They had barely made it twenty meters past the entrance, when a sudden pulse of energy washed over them, halting their advance.

“What was that?!” Alice asked immediately.

“It came from outside!” Jonathan turned around in time to see the ground behind them breaking as rotten hands pushed through. “Behind us!”

“In front too!” Gaven called out, readying his weapon.

Over three dozen zombies and half of that in ghouls rose from the ground blocking off their exit and more behind. Jonathan caught a glimpse of a receding dark figure vanishing from the entrance, before he was forced to focus on the immediate threat. Was this an ambush? Had Gaven led them here to be killed? Jonathan would have the time to worry about that after the fight.

“Alice! With me! We need to secure the exit!” He shouted, not wanting to leave his back open for Gaven to strike, but what choice did he have?

Alice dashed into action, her wind sword already activated. As she ran past Jonathan, he cast a mage armor on her, coating her body in a protective layer of mana. Out in the open, the undead weren’t too much of a threat. One could circle around, picking off single targets with room to maneuver around. In a confined space however, the threat they posed rose significantly.

Alice’s movements were fast and precise, her sword flicking through the air as she slashed her foes. She was doing great on her own, but the enemies were numerous. Jonathan assisted where he could, blasting the undead away with powerful gusts to keep her from being swarmed. There was just one problem with his approach. Without natural wind and the limited air around him, he had to expend far more mana to generate the same result he would manage outdoors. That was one of the great weaknesses of the air element. Caves and underground dungeons meant that every movement of the air had to be generated by mana, instead of manipulating what was already out there.

Another zombie was cut down by Alice, making a small dent in their overall numbers. She dodged a swipe from a ghoul, extending the motion into a swift kick that knocked the assailant over. Another one was coming at her from behind, only to find himself smashed against by Jonathan. Alice glanced at him, giving a hasty nod before she was forced to dodge another attack.

“A little help here!” Gaven’s voice came from behind, causing Jonathan’s anger to flare up again. Help? Why should he help the betrayer?

But if he had led them into an ambush, why was he defending them? It didn’t matter right now. The fact that Gaven was fighting the undead was the only reason they hadn’t been swarmed from behind.

“Hold onto something!” Jonathan roared and gathered mana to his throat. The spell was costly, but should provide the paladin some reprieve. He released the spell, Dragonshout, by yelling out three short words.

The words hit the paladin’s back, who lurched forwards, but managed to stay upright. The shout echoed in the tunnel, blasting most of the undead behind them farther off. Gaven didn’t waste the moment, rushing to inflict as much damage as he could as his enemies recovered.

Jonathan didn’t have time to celebrate. Three ghouls had managed to get through Alice’s defensive line and were rushing towards him. He checked his mana, cursing as over half of it was gone. They needed to bring an end to the fight soon.

A gust of wind aimed at the approaching ghoul’s feet managed to knock one of them over before the remaining two were onto him. Jonathan cast a mage armor on himself and engaged his enemies. They were faster than him, their claws and sharpened teeth draining his barrier with each strike. Point blank air cannons pommeled their rotting forms as Jonathan tried to fend them off. A quick glance at Alice revealed her starting to be in trouble.

He didn’t have room to maneuver. His spells were doing damage, but not enough. He needed a quick solution to end the fight. But what could he do?

A swipe from a ghoul finally managed to break his barrier, the claws raking his skin as they sliced through his coat. Jonathan retaliated by shoving his fist into the ghoul’s mouth and releasing a burst of air that blasted its head into pieces. One down, two to go.

The cave behind them was lit up. Gaven was breathing fire, setting the undead ablaze. That was something Jonathan could use. He drew on the hot air behind him, sending it past him into his remaining opponents. The heat roasted the unlife out of them, and the ghouls fell as burnt husks.

“Alice! Get back!” Jonathan shouted, drawing more heat from behind. Alice disengaged and ran towards him as Jonathan inhaled the heated air. Another dragon shout would pretty much tap him out, but it would bring them that much closer to ending the fight. The heat burned his lungs. The moment Alice wasn’t in the range of the spell, Jonathan shouted the three words.

Fiery force left Jonathan’s mouth, pushing the undead off balance. The lighter variants were sent flying through the cave entrance. Jonathan panted, completely spent from mana. Alice ran back into action, executing the undead before they had a moment to recover from the shout.

Her sword flashed again and again as she cut down the weakened undead. A stink of burnt flesh filled the cave by the time she was finished and ran to assist Gaven who was smiting his remaining foes, his axe infused with holy energy. The battle had been intense, but they were winning.

As the last of the undead finally fell, Jonathan collapsed on the ground, the adrenaline of combat wearing off. Three level up notifications made themselves known at the corner of his vision. Alice and Gaven soon joined him. Out of the three, Gaven was the least exhausted, his strength and body focused build giving him increased stamina. Alice had suffered some fairly serious injuries, but nothing life threatening. She uncorked a healing potion, taking small sips as the trio sat down.

“Are you okay?” Jonathan asked, his voice hoarse from the inhaled heat.

Alice nodded, grimacing as the potion took effect, knitting her skin closed in several places. “I’ll be fine. Let’s just get out of here before-”

Jonathan never learned what she was about to say, as a powerful aura extended from the entrance, interrupting her. Despite their fatigue, they instantly jolted on their feet to witness a hooded figure walking slowly towards them, clapping slowly.

“That was quite a performance” The figure spoke in a surprisingly pleasant voice. Jonathan would’ve imagined a presumed cultist sounding nasally, but the man had a voice of a storyteller. Soft, and soothing. “I didn’t believe him at first, when I heard there was a newbie mage throwing advanced magic around, but color me impressed. I’d really like to know your secret.”

Cursing himself, Jonathan analyzed the man. He had seen someone outside before the undead emerged, but had forgotten his existence in the midst of the combat and tapped himself out. From the looks of it, the hood man followed a similar build to his own, high mental attributes with just enough body enhancement to not die from a papercut, although the man’s level was far higher than Jonathan’s.

“Are you the one who conjured the undead?!” Gaven snarled, taking a stance between the cultist and his allies. Jonathan was slightly confused at this. Perhaps it was just an act to not blow his cover, or perhaps he had misread the paladin.

“That would be me, good sir! And bravo for surviving them!”

“How did you do that?” Jonathan asked, not being able to help himself. If things came down to a fight, he would be useless, so he might as well stall out for time. “They were unattached. If you were a necromancer, they would’ve carried out your mana signature.”

Jonathan could feel the man smiling underneath his hood. “How do you think?” He asked, his voice infuriatingly polite. Why wasn’t the man attacking?

Jonathan gave the question some thought. The energy pulse that had initiated the combat was an obvious clue. Casting his mind back at the start of the fight, he tried to recall the feeling of it. The pulse didn’t feel sinister, but rather a blast of nearly pure energy. The key word was nearly. It had held something within, something Jonathan wasn’t familiar with.

“You did something,” he said, his mind racing through the options. “But I don’t know what. Since you are in a talking mood, why don’t you enlighten me?”

“I wish I could. Honestly, I’d like nothing more than to spread the knowledge around. But it is still early for that, far too early.” The man drew a wand from his pocket and pointed it lazily at the trio. “Now, my master would like a word with you, Jonathan. You can either come willingly, or we can fight, I’ll kill these two friends of yours, and you’re still coming with me. The decision is yours.”

The man made no sense. First he unleashed a horde of undead on them and now he wants to talk? Perhaps the undead were meant to just wear them out, or beat them bad enough that the man wouldn’t have trouble capturing them afterwards. Going with him obviously wasn’t a good idea, but if it meant protecting Alice…

Jonathan glanced at the woman, who was staring at the cultist steely eyed. She was ready to fight the man. Gaven’s head turned slightly, one of his bright yellow eyes focusing on him with suspicion. Stalling for time, Jonathan asked another question.

“What does this master of yours want with me?”

“Just to talk with you. On my word, no harm will come to you if you choose to come without resisting.”

A blatant lie. Or was it? If the man wanted to hurt him, he would’ve done so already. Jonathan glanced at his mana bar, noticing a few points having regenerated. A desperate plan started to form in his mind, and he sent out two small streams of air to Alice and Gaven. The rest would be up to them.

“No harm will come to me, eh? Alright then, you have my attention. But if anything happens to my friend…” Jonathan said warningly and took a step towards him. Alice grasped his hand, giving him a small shake of her head.

“Trust me. It’ll be fine.” He reassured her in a low voice, before breaking away from her grip and followed the man out of the cave.