Ezekiel was once again sitting inside a holding cell, though this time he was permitted to keep his belongings on his person. The cell was also significantly better than his previous one, as it had a cushioned cot, rather than just a wooden bench. It was also located within the Dross Cathedral, which was generally better than a Tier three Guild Building in every way imaginable.
Shine was actually taking the time to go over the steps they had taken to get away. They were trying to figure out what they could have done to have escaped the Legendary Guild Leader that had come after them. But other than avoiding the Church entirely, they just couldn’t think of anything.
What’s worse is the fact that heading towards the Church was only a good idea in the short term. It would’ve been obvious that the pair would head towards the Cathedral, as that was the organization that he was well known allies with. If anything, they were lucky that it was the Guild Leader that had caught them, rather than the many Cultists that were temporarily running rampant.
Fortunately, there had been very little fanfare when Ezekiel had been brought in. From what he could tell, the Cathedral was trying to keep his presence under wraps. He figured it was likely because they wanted something from him. Though he couldn’t think of what it could be. While he had made significant strides in his work as a professional enchanter, the level that the Church could reach was still beyond him.
A clanging echoed through the holding cells as a door opened to the side of the area. Shine stopped going over plans in Ezekiel’s head, and they turned to see who was approaching.
“Ezekiel Luminance, your presence has been requested by the Grand Scholars.” A woman dressed in the standard Scholar robes stood in front of his cell.
Ezekiel noticed that there were minor alterations to her uniform that made it more suitable to the hotter and drier climate. He also realized that this was not an official Scholar, but actually an Apprentice. Given the distinct lack of colorful enchantments woven into her robes. Though he figured she was a Radiant Mage, due to her distinctly golden eye color.
He was somewhat surprised at her power level. It should’ve been well known that he was more than capable of killing even peak level Apprentices. As well as being able to flee from multiple Adepts if needed. A part of him was curious as to whether or not she was sent as a show of trust, or if they didn’t think he warranted the presence of an Adept Scholar.
Standing up, he nodded his head, stepping to the opposite side of the cell from the door. As she opened the cell, Ezekiel slowly approached, and exited without issue. As they walked to the end of the holding area, he realized that there were several Cathedral guards, ranging between Tier two and three, that were waiting for them. Each one was armed with enchanted weapons. One of them was holding a set of shackles.
“You know those don’t work on me, don’t you?” Ezekiel said. Shine just snickered slightly as Ezekiel moved his hands to place them in the shackles.
The familiar hum of the enchantments activating met his ears, and for a moment, he was surprised to sense his mana escape his grasp. Shine nearly gasped in surprise as Ezekiel’s control over his mana wavered. But a quick flex of his will brought it back under control. Another flex had the shackles fall to the floor.
Ezekiel raised an eyebrow in surprise. He turned to look at the apparent leader of this group of guards. A man dressed in armored robes that showed he was both a Scholar and a guardsman. A Cavern Mage, from what he could tell of his physical aesthetic accents. One that was near the higher ends of Adepts, if what little Ezekiel could sense from him was accurate.
“New model?” Ezekiel asked. “If so, you might want to work on an encapsulating formation, rather than a binding one. Void mana is similar to Tempest, in that it is naturally shapeless. But to a greater extent, in that it is also formless.”
The leader of the Scholars looked surprised but nodded his head in acknowledgement. Behind him, Ezekiel heard the Apprentice that had opened his cell scribbling notes for reference.
“Appreciated. I am Scholar Tychos, and behind you is my apprentice, Nora.” The guard leader introduced himself. “Might I ask why you seem so relaxed? You are under arrest after all.”
“I trust the Church of Ten. Even if you’re rumored to have a number of under the table dealings, the Dross Cathedral is still a part of the Church of Ten.” Ezekiel said. “The fact that you’re in open war with the Cult of Light just means that you’re even less likely to harm me right now.”
Tychos just looked thoughtful at that. Not expecting a young man like Ezekiel to have such open faith in the Church. Though he did appreciate it all the same. He was well aware of what some of the other Cathedrals, specifically outside of Tarquessa, thought of Dross and several other cities in the desert.
As the group walked through the Cathedral, Ezekiel and Tychos spoke at length regarding the differences between Cathedrals. During this time, Ezekiel made somewhat of a rapport with Tychos, as both had been wronged by the law on previous occasions. Ezekiel, by the Empire’s greed and power grabbing, and Tychos, by officials on the payroll of some debt collectors. Ones that brought his family no end of trouble when he was younger.
As they moved through the Cathedral, Ezekiel and Shine couldn’t help but admire the difference in architecture. He was well aware of the different appearances in the Cathedrals around the world. Mostly caused by the fact that every place had different cultures and means of building one. But this was the most startling difference he’d seen in a long time.
The city of Dross was built with low blocky buildings that made it look somewhat like brick cobble stone from above. With thick walls that were very good at blocking out the heavy sandstorms outside. Along with these artificial features, there was a large mountainous crag that sat next to the city, taking up part of the space. This crag was actually on the opposite side of the city from the large, lake-sized oasis.
It was also where the Cathedral was built, at an elevated level from the rest of the city. Unlike in other cities, where the Cathedral was usually built into the central areas. Instead, the Cathedral was partly built into the crag, with several auxiliary buildings closer to the city.
Countless aqueducts also ran through the city, almost all leading towards the Cathedral, or to farms placed here and there. Ezekiel couldn’t be certain, but he thought he saw several instances of enchanted Runes carved into the aqueducts that he could see as they moved through the Cathedral grounds. Shine suggested that they might be for reinforcement and filtration.
However, they wouldn’t be able to look into anything like that anytime soon, as they quickly approached the chambers where they would be meeting with the Grand Scholars.
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Ezekiel had hoped that the meeting with the Grand Scholars would go well. But it seemed that Dross’ strong-arming tactics were on full display today. Ezekiel was barely able to get a word in as accusations were thrown his way.
Luckily for him, most of the Grand Scholars that were meeting with him were more concerned with the revelation of the Cult in their city. So, the one Grand Scholar that was bombarding him with questions was easily ignored.
However, that didn’t change the fact that the Grand Scholars were of the unanimous opinion that Ezekiel needed to once again become an affiliate of the Church. This time the Dross Cathedral, before they were willing to lend him any assistance.
This did lead to an argument, as Ezekiel was utterly adamant that he is not tied down to a Cathedral that he had no connections to. Needless to say, he was both frustrated and happy when he was marched out of the Cathedral.
He still considered himself fortunate, however, as he knew that, if it wasn’t for the technicality of him uncovering a Cultist plot in the city, they could’ve held him for at least a little bit longer. As it was, he was given a ‘thank you, now get out’ treatment by the Scholars.
Tychos, being the closest guard captain, was instructed to guide him to the city’s administration building. In order to get his documents in order so that he could legally reside in Dross. But the moment that was finished, Ezekiel and Shine looked for an inn, so they could rest up before leaving in the morning.
“Why are we heading out right away? I thought we were going to try and lend a hand to the war, in order to get through to the Empire with some reinforcements.” Shine asked as they were accompanied by Tychos to an inn.
“If they weren’t doing everything that they could to rope us into a contract that won’t let us leave the city, then maybe we would continue with that plan.” Ezekiel replied. “Joining the Cathedral here would mean we can’t get to the Empire. So, there’s no point in remaining here to try and help.”
“So, what will we be doing instead?” Shine asked.
“Given what’s going on, and how there’s no good options right now, we’ll be going with a bad option.” Ezekiel said. “Hopefully one that won’t bite us in the ass.”
Ezekiel, Shine, and Tychos came to a stop in front of a large multistory building. One of the few in the city that had more than three floors. Unlike the inn back at Waypoint Five, this inn was more like a hotel from Ezekiel’s previous life.
“Here we are. The Dross City Inn. you’ll be able to stay here for as long as you can pay. Though, since you’re a Hunter, you should be able to get free lodgings if you sign up with one of the mercenary groups.” Tychos advised. “I’m sorry, by the way. I had honestly expected that you’d receive at least some help from the Grand Scholars.”
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“It’s not that big of a deal. Although, if you’re really sorry, then there might be something you can help me with.” Ezekiel said. “Nothing illegal, or something that should get you in trouble with the Grand Scholars. But not something I’d imagine a man of your station should be giving advice for.”
“... What do you need?” Tychos asked.
“I don’t suppose there’s anywhere you know that I might go to play a good game of cards?” Ezekiel asked.
Tychos looked confused for a moment. Wondering why this kind of question would be something Ezekiel thought of as difficult for him. Then he thought about it, and he realized that Ezekiel wasn’t asking for directions to any of the official gambling parlors.
Straightening up, Tychos glared at Ezekiel, as he was fully aware that Ezekiel would know that such dens were gathering points for the Tarquessa Underworld. Something that he, as an official guard captain, should be removing from the city.
“Why do you want to know?” Tychos asked in a warning tone.
Ezekiel raised his hands in defense.
“I’m just looking for a place where I can play a game without house limitations. I know coins are the standard when it comes to gambling. But, since I need to get to the Fjorya Mountains as soon as possible, winning a few favors might be something I can do.” Ezekiel said. His words seemed to somewhat calm Tychos down.
“I’m not looking for work, if that’s what you’re worried about. I wouldn’t pick them over the Church if I didn’t think I’d be able to get away from them. Especially if they try to get me with the same contract conditions as the Grand Scholars did.”
Tychos took a moment to think about it. Turning to Nora as he did. He was relaxed now, but he still wasn’t sure that this was something he should help Ezekiel with. Finally, he decided on a course of action as he replied.
“I can’t tell you that. As an official guard of the Dross Cathedral, I have a duty to ensure that such dens are removed, whenever possible.” He said.
“Ezekiel, look!” Shine exclaimed. They saw something that Ezekiel couldn’t right now, but he needed to pay attention to what Tychos was saying.
“Regardless, I’m sure a man of your experience should be able to find his way North without too many issues. Even with the Cult of Light committing sins and spreading conflict all across the desert.” Tychos said as he backed away from Ezekiel. “Good luck to you. Nora, come along. We’re leaving.”
Ezekiel gave his thanks, watching Tychos and Nora leave. As they got further and further away, Ezekiel turned his attention to Shine.
“What did he do?” Ezekiel silently asked.
“He left us a message. To the left, beneath that bench.” Shine said, poking Ezekiel’s spirit to indicate the direction they were referring to.
Turning to the left, Ezekiel noticed an arrow carved into the ground. It was clearly made by a high-level Cavern Mage. At least a Peak Adept. Although, given that he hadn’t felt any mana released by Tychos, he was wary of whether or not it was actually him who left it.
Moving over to the bench, Ezekiel bent over to see what was underneath. What he saw wasn’t something that made him happy. The same went for Shine as well.
“Didn’t these guys just try to kill us?” Shine asked incredulously. “Why should we be going back there?”
“Probably because these guys are shifty as hell, so they should have an answer to our problems.” Ezekiel said in a bland and empty tone.
Beneath the bench there were three words carved into the stone ground. Words that hadn’t been there previously.
“Red Stone Guild”
Sighing loudly, Ezekiel drew Shine from their sheath, channeling mana to reinforce their actions. Swiping to the side, Ezekiel and Shine erased the words from the ground beneath the bench. Standing up straight, Ezekiel put Shine back in their sheath before marching to the inn. He refused to deal with this today. So, for now, he was going to get some food, drink, and sleep. He’d visit the ones who tried to kill him in the morning.
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“I still don’t feel very comfortable about this.” Shine said as they and Ezekiel walked towards the Guild house for the Red Stone Guild. “I mean, what if there are still some Cultists left that happen to have better impulse control than the others?”
“Doubtful. I’m actually pretty certain that any remaining Cultists would’ve been inspected using various means at this point. That, or they would’ve run away when they realized that they were going to be checked out.” Ezekiel said. “Especially given that the Cult of Light wants to destroy the Underworld organization’s means of money making.”
It had been roughly a day since Ezekiel was given his hint as to where he might find answers. During that time, he and Shine had been subtly looking into the results of the previous incidents. What they had found out was that there was a massive witch hunt going on. Specifically focused on looking for those that reacted negatively to Ezekiel’s presence.
This had been made somewhat easier, since the Church had decided that they didn’t need to keep his presence a secret since he wouldn’t be joining them. Something that Ezekiel felt was just further support for his decision not to sign on with the Dross Cathedral.
Walking through the main gates, they were temporarily stopped by some Hunters on guard duty. But upon introducing himself, he was let through without issue, and guided towards the Guild Leader’s office. He received some dirty looks on the way, but for the most part, he was left alone.
He did see the Hunter that had arrested him, however, and felt a substantial amount of joy at the fact that he was watching the man literally digging trenches. The best part was when the supervising Cavern Mages saw he was finished, and immediately refilled the trenches so he had to start over again.
“Serves him right.” Shine said with a huff of satisfaction. “Maybe this’ll teach him not to do that anymore.”
“Unfortunately, it’s more likely to teach him not to get caught.” Ezekiel said with a sigh. “Moving on. Any ideas as to what we should expect? I’m assuming that we’ll need to do some jobs for the man to get connected to the people we need to meet. But any suggestions as to how far we should go?”
“... No services that would make them put us in a cell that we’d need to escape from later?” Shine asked. “Which is kinda hard to do, since Void Magic is still really unique.”
The two continued bouncing ideas as they made their way to the Leader’s office. But upon reaching their destination they were forced to stop. Though they did have a better idea of what they were willing to do at this point.
Opening the door to the Guild Leader’s office, Ezekiel and Shine entered. Expecting some sort of opulent room filled with various decorations. But they were pleasantly surprised to see that it was a fairly spartan room, with a portrait of a family, and a case filled with what looked like medals and other items and awards. Including several competitions for various gambling tournaments.
Seeing the same stout man that had captured them before bringing them to the Church, Ezekiel and Shine moved to sit down at the chair in front of his desk. A small mouse sat in a bowl of water that was boiling hot, like a hot tub.
“So, I wasn’t quite expecting to see you again so soon. But given what you’ve done for me and my Guild, I figured you would come back at some point. If only to investigate us for yourself.” The Guild Leader said. “Ah! Before I forget, the name’s Alphonse Redstone. Yes, I named the Guild after myself.”
Ezekiel and Shine were somewhat surprised. They hadn’t expected this to be how the conversation was started.
“Actually, and I mean no offense when I say this, we were hoping to avoid coming back to where we were nearly killed by Cultists.” Ezekiel said truthfully. He was well aware that lying to a Cavern Mage was basically impossible, so there wasn’t any point right now.
Hearing Ezekiel’s words, Alphonse also looked surprised.
“You’re not here on behalf of the Church? I thought you were a fairly staunch ally to them.” He inquired. “And if you didn’t want to come back here, why did you?”
“First, while I’m an ally to the Church, each and every Cathedral operates differently. I did not enjoy them trying to twist my arm into an Affiliate Contract that wouldn’t let me leave the city unless it came under direct attack by the Cult of Light, or the war with the Cult was declared over. With all lost cities having been reclaimed.” Ezekiel said.
Alphonse actually winced at the strictness of the stipulations made by the Church. They were utterly ridiculous, especially for someone as valuable as Ezekiel. They might as well put him in a cell and keep him there. Then he realized that the fact that he could basically waste their time and resources by running away was likely the only reason they didn’t do so.
“Secondly, I need help getting north. To the Fjorya Mountains, and ideally into the Empire. The Church has sworn off giving me any assistance, even when I promised to help them out as best I could to earn my way.” Ezekiel explained. “The city itself won’t help me either, since they have to worry about the conflict with the Cult of Light, and the other problems that the conflict is causing. As such, if the above-board organizations can’t help me, I figured that a couple of people working ‘Under’ the board might instead.”
Alphonse did not miss Ezekiel’s emphasis on the word ‘under’. Which Ezekiel was fine with. It wasn’t as if he was trying to be subtle at this point. He could save that for later, when he was sneaking around the Cult and clearing them out.
Alphonse didn’t reply right away. Instead, he looked at Ezekiel for several seconds. His eyes twitching as they glanced all over Ezekiel’s figure. Landing on Shine and Ezekiel’s Void Pouch on more than a few occasions.
Finally, he seemed to come to a decision as he withdrew a cigar from a case in his overalls. Lighting it up with a match, he took a long drag, letting out the smoke right into Ezekiel’s face. His eyes nearly watered, and he had to consciously stop himself from choking on the smoke. But no matter what, Ezekiel didn’t look away. Alphonse held his stare for a few more seconds before reclining into his chair.
“You’ve got balls, kid.” Alphonse said as he slid his hand over a Runic enchantment under his desk. “Although, given what I understand you’ve been through, I guess I can’t really call you ‘kid,’ can I.”
“I’d prefer you didn’t. I’ve worked hard for my reputation. As unintentional as it was.” Ezekiel replied. He had never liked being called a kid, and the fact that he was finally eighteen again made him incredibly happy. As it meant that he was officially a man. At least legally speaking.
“Hmmm. It’s possible for me to help you out here. But I gotta know why I should. Technically speaking, my Guild is one of the few ones left to act as a defensive army for the city of Dross.” Alphonse explained. “As such, my resources are needed to ensure that no Cult activity makes it into the city. Obviously, you inadvertently helped with that. But that just gets you a pass for all the trouble said revelation cost us.”
Ezekiel didn’t miss the tightening of Alphonse’s fist as he mentioned the Cult. This wasn’t an act of regret, either. Ezekiel could tell from the way the man’s body moved, and how his voice ever so slightly lowered, that he hated the Cult with every aspect of his being.
“Well... Helping me is basically giving a large middle finger to the Cult. So, there’s that. But if you need anything else, I’m willing to offer a favor, while I’m still in the area of Dross at least.” Ezekiel said.
“A favor, you say. No offense, but I doubt that there’s much an Apprentice like you can do to help me out.” Alphonse said with a laugh.
“Not without contracts that would ensure my freedom, alongside your assistance. You don't know what a Void Mage can really do, after all.” Ezekial said. “You mentioned resources, didn’t you? I can’t imagine that moving everything you have, above or below, is all that easy.”
Alphonse looked interested at the mention of transportation. As an official Hunters Guild, they were able to buy Void Pouches from the Church. Something that the everyday merchant wasn’t allowed to do. Same with other regular citizens. Also, most Hunters had to give their Void Pouches back to the Guild when they retired.
Worse yet, the secret to making Void Pouches was something that was bound by contracts. Ezekiel wasn’t an exception, and the moment he left the Church, he was no longer allowed to produce Void Pouches. Not that he often did when he was a Scholar, but it was still something he could no longer do. However, there were other things that he could do that the Church of Ten wasn’t aware of.
“This assistance... What exactly can it do?” Alphonse asked.
“First, we need to discuss what assistance you can provide. Even the Underworld works on equal exchange, doesn’t it?” Ezekiel said with a smirk.
Said smirk left his face as Alphonse and his Spirit subtly released their mana. It looked like this was going to be a long and difficult process. Settling into the back of Ezekiel’s mind, they sat back to watch the show that was about to begin.