"Sorry for intruding. We just wanted to thank you for the invitation to the welcoming party and personally deliver the gift basket," Vivi said, taking the lead as the more accustomed of the pair to the high-class ambiance.
"Very considerate of you," replied Michal Purnama, an Executive of the Kinta-Lath-Macbur Cult, accepting the gourmet gift basket.
Meanwhile, Harold Nelson retrieved two more glasses of wine from a cabinet. He poured for Alexander and Vivi from a dark purple, fancy wine bottle.
"We should introduce ourselves properly before resuming the toast," he said, leading Alexander and Vivi to join the circle, expanding it from eight to ten, before picking up his glass. "I'm Harold Nelson, CEO of Kinta-Lath-Macbur," he introduced himself and took a sip. The seven who were about to toast before Alexander and Vivi's arrival joined him, sipping from their glasses. Vivi did the same naturally, and Alexander followed with a slight delay. "We'll refill the glasses when we return to the original toast."
Michal Purnama raised her glass. "Michal Purnama, CFO of Kinta-Lath-Macbur," she introduced herself, taking a sip, and everyone followed suit.
"Gunnar Svendsen, COO of Kinta-Lath-Macbur."
The four men and one woman, seemingly personal guests of Harold Nelson, stated their names and professional statuses in turn.
"Guy Elianov, Vice CEO of Golsent & Son."
"Jorge Ortega, fourth in line heir to MexiCorp Holdings."
"Antonio Ortega, seventh in line heir to MexiCorp Holdings."
"Daiki Ito, CEO of RyokuKai Corporation."
"Hanna King, daughter of very, very rich parents," said the woman with an Australian accent.
"Vivian Ashford, Vivi, similarly, daughter of just rich parents," Vivi said, using the cover established by the Bureau's assets and connections.
"Alexander Milhouse, a guy who likes to jog," Alexander introduced himself, the Bureau having spent considerably less effort on his cover.
"Hahaha," Harold laughed, along with those who appreciated the developing humorous atmosphere. "Wonderful, young and old getting along together, hahaha."
"Speak for yourself when you call someone old, Sir," Michal admonished.
"But I didn't mention names," Harold said in defense, though his smile gave him away. "Alright, please accept my apology, whoever assumed this older man was talking about him or her."
Harold placed his glass on the table behind him, picked up the wine bottle, and refilled everyone's glasses, as promised.
"Vivi, Alexander, you joined us at the perfect time. Our friends Guy, Daiki, Jorge, Antonio, and Hanna have decided to become members of Kinta-Lath-Macbur. The decision was made a week ago, but it won't be official until the welcoming party two days from now. Until then, we gather here to toast and share a pleasant evening."
"So, no matter when we arrived, we'd have been intruding," Vivi teased.
"Not at all," Harold assured her. "The more, the merrier. Let's finish the toast," he said, drawing everyone's attention. "To new relationships under the Canopy of Silver and Roots, Kinta-Lath-Macbur."
"Kinta-Lath-Macbur!" the group repeated, with only Alexander and Vivi remaining silent.
"Vivi, I understand you didn't receive an invitation card to the welcoming party," Harold said. He got behind his desk and retrieved an invitation card from a drawer. "Here you go, so the security will know to let you in."
"Thank you," Vivi said.
"Sir," Gunnar interjected, "I remember seeing 'Ashford' on the list of invites. What are the chances we sent an invitation to Vivi's parents?"
"It's quite possible," Harold replied. "Many affluent guests are set to arrive. Lorian sent invitations to all the upper echelon of society in the region. It would surely be a surprise if Vivi's parents were among them."
"I don't know about this," Vivi said. "My parents are rich and, yes, they do frequent upscale events, but mainly if they know the host. I don't recall them ever mentioning Kinta-Lath-Macbur. Then again, I'm not particularly interested in their circle of friends or business. I suppose we will need to wait and see."
"All the more reason for us to get acquainted," Michal said, guiding Alexander and Vivi to join everyone on the sofas rather than remain standing.
"We actually had plans to enjoy the evening air," Alexander said apologetically.
"It is nice outside," Hanna remarked.
"We've been meeting in the office every day since we landed. A change of scenery would be appreciated," Guy added.
"I get it, I get it," Harold said, raising his hands in defeat. "I was worried it might be too rowdy with the preparations for the welcoming party and our members spending time all over the estate. Call me old-fashioned for wanting a bit of peace and quiet, hahaha. We can venture outside if you all insist."
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"In that case, I don't mind staying, Alex," Vivi said, affectionately leaning on him.
"You are happy, and it doesn't feel right to reject our new neighbors," Alexander agreed.
Leaving the office, Alexander and Vivi were attentive to the movement of Magick. Gunnar exited first, slightly reducing the presence of Magick in the room. The same happened with Michal. It was interesting when the five new recruits left the office; they radiated a bit of Magick, but it wasn't coming from them. Instead, it seemed to latch onto them, with the source being the last to leave the room – Harold.
'No, Harold is just half of it. The rest remains in the room,' Alexander wondered.
'It's coming from below,' Vivi deduced.
It was a disturbing Magick that made them feel as if creepy crawlers were on their backs. Nevertheless, it wasn't strong, and not even Harold was at their level of proficiency, or he would have noticed their Magick.
As they moved to a sitting area in the gardens, Harold was constantly greeted by the Cult's members without showing any sign of being bothered. They held a casual conversation, with Alexander and Vivi being asked numerous questions about their relationship and families. After forty minutes, Alexander felt comfortable enough to laugh openly and enjoy the company, which was more Vivi's type – or at least her parents' type. She, too, became overly friendly, especially with Hanna. The two exchanged stories about their forced camping trips, initiated by their fathers, who shared the same enthusiasm for the bush – rich people style.
"What? Come on, Alex, let's stay a little longer," Vivi said, making a sad face.
"Do you work on Sundays?" Antonio asked.
"He doesn't, so what's up?" Vivi inquired.
"Babe," Alexander struggled to find the words.
"Alexander, would you do me a favor and come with me for a bit?" Harold said, uncrossing his legs and getting up.
"Yeah, help Harold, and when you're done, we'll go," Vivi urged, poorly disguising her agenda to hang out a while longer.
Harold laughed and, with a hand on Alexander's back, led him back inside the estate and to the restroom. "No need to say anything. I know that face."
"I think it was the wine. I'm not used to-"
Harold covered his own mouth until Alexander's voice faded. "Ask someone for the way to my office. I'll wait for you there until you're done. When we return, let's just tell them we had a man-to-man talk."
"About what?"
"No one will ask, besides maybe Vivi. Tell her I wanted to know more about her parents to befriend them if they're truly the Ashfords on the guest list. Say I asked for the perspective of an outsider."
"I don't think she will approve…"
"We can return now, and you can tell her the real reason you want to go, or you can answer nature's call and think about a better solution."
Alexander's stomach grumbled. He sighed. "I'll try to think of something. Feels like I have the time. Sorry…"
Harold didn't answer, just gave him a light shove inside the restroom.
'It worked!' Alexander thought, astounded.
He and Vivi had hoped for the opportunity to be left alone inside the estate, though they were aware of the slim chance of it happening. In fact, getting inside was a feat they had wagered on with less than ten percent confidence, let alone directly meeting the Cult Leader and being welcomed to stay.
'The Bureau outdid itself with its intel and Vivi's cover…'
Alexander stood by the restroom door, listening.
'I need to get out when there’s no one around, or at least when few people have their backs to the restroom, then move as quickly as possible without alerting anyone.'
He waited for the right moment, opened the door, and quickly closed it behind him. With lithe movements, honed in his training, he dashed toward the source of the Magick within the estate.
It wasn't easy. Outside Harold's office, the Magickal signature was very faint, and besides keeping track of it, Alexander had to move skillfully, skipping along high walls and darting across the ground to avoid being noticed. Fortunately, most of the cult members weren't wandering the estate at this hour; they were either resting or in the communal rooms.
Finding the office on the ground floor, Alexander avoided it and searched for a stairway leading underground, which he found not too far away. As he descended the stairs, a sense of dread assaulted him just before his foot touched the tiles of the dimly lit underground floor.
The corridor had four rooms on each side and a door straight at its end. From the eight side rooms, Alexander sensed different kinds of Magick, all with a wicked atmosphere, especially from the third room on the right, which he estimated was Harold's office. From the room at the very end, he felt the most malice.
'No matter what, don’t get caught!' Alexander told himself.
All his senses were heightened to the max, but he refrained from enhancing them further with Magick or Symbiosis, fearing that it would be too much and he would be detected.
Reaching for the first room on the right, Alexander tried to sense the Magick beyond the door to determine if it would be dangerous to open it or if it was being operated by a person or, like David, by strange items and Runes. He felt no other presence inside.
'The Cult doesn't have a real reason to place traps or alarms; otherwise, they'd have started with armed security on the stairway, right?' he thought.
He turned the handle and pushed. At first, the room appeared like a normal wine cellar. Alexander focused his vision, and the scenery changed. On the ground appeared a glowing purple shape, resembling a human figure with its head cut off, surrounded by strange writings.
Alexander retrieved his phone, not to take a picture – the camera couldn't capture the Magickal spectrum – but to draw everything he saw. After making a quick sketch, he left.
In the same manner, Alexander moved between the rooms, examining all but the first on the left and the final one.
'The people in the first room might stay there longer than I have. I should head for the last room and then go back to the restroom…'
He moved swiftly and cautiously, making his way to the last room, driven by the sense of malice emanating from it.
Approaching the last room, Michael braced himself. String, in his chest, which had been mellow for reasons it didn’t share, was getting jittery for the first time in nearly a month.
'This could be the most important room to determine the Cult's plans. If there are no people inside, I can't miss this opportunity!' he thought. He also had a personal motive: earning a notable evaluation from Vivi to help approve the next mission and to gain Merit Points. Risk Assessment Level 5 provided the most.
He grabbed the handle and opened the door.
Time froze.
It was staring back at him from a dark space, full of clashing stars. Suddenly, String stirred inside him, forcing Symbiosis ON. It didn’t make a difference in terms of powerup, but for the first time, String supplied him with more than just a Magickal boost. It unified with Michael, and from his eyes, rebelled against the mysterious power.
Surprisingly, the dark silhouette with a bright purple outline and eight glowing purple eyes retracted its gaze.
Next thing Alexander knew, he was back in the restroom, sitting on the toilet.
His first reaction...
"Phew…" He let out a breath. "I didn’t shit myself."
His second reaction...
He threw up on the floor.
"What the fuck happened?!" he exclaimed.