CHAPTER 74: GHOST MESSENGER

Mason stood silently on the grime-ridden sidewalk. A pile of flesh plastered before him, oozing with pus from being melted viciously. A ghastly smell emanated from it, but Mason was more concerned about lighting his cigarette. He exhaled a puff of smoke then activated [Cyber-Telepathy].

["Enemy has been neutralized. Merlin, confirm your position."]

Suddenly, a whisper carried by the wind entered his ears.

"Me and Hermes are taking care of the rest of their platoon. However, it seems they have decided to send in reinforcements. Hermes estimates the enemy count to be around 600 Inquisition Knights. 50 of them are suspected to be Gear Mechs."

Mason flicked the ash from his cigarette. ["Would you like to regroup so we can deal with them together?"]

The faint voice giggled. "No, but I do want you to flank them from the other side. Hermes over here has a really devious plan..."

Mason frowned. ["What kind of plan?"]

"You'll just have to wait and see... Let Lance and the others know to lead all the inquisition knights they come across in our general direction. I will deal with all of them at once..."

Mason sighed and began to rub his temples. 'Merlin sure does things differently... I really can't understand that woman...'

He agreed to her requests and forwarded a telepathic message to Lance and the other mercenaries with him. Turning around to face the warehouse, Mason walked to the entrance, but not before turning to face Brandon's melted corpse.

'If all the chief inquisition knights are this strong, this operation will be fairly tricky... Lucien, I hope you know what you are doing...'

...

Somewhere in the dim sewers, Lance and Frederick lead the group of mercenaries toward the exit. Their journey was fairly quiet except for the occasional flowing water. Lance turned to face his team when suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed out from the distance. Frowning, he squinted his eyes and readied his weapons.

The sound was getting closer and closer; he could feel the sweat pouring out from his forehead. He decided it was best to conjure defensive measures. Exotic particles flew together, merging into a shield that he could easily use.

Suddenly, the sound of wet footsteps stopped. A few meters away, a silhouette could be seen. Frederick aimed his flashlight at the person. The visage of a woman covering herself in dirty rags came into view. Lance squinted his eyes, trying to get a better angle on who she was.

"Identify yourself!" He yelled. The woman stopped in her tracks and took off the cloak over her head, revealing a glamourous set of blonde hair that cascaded down to her shoulders. Sapphire blue eyes twinkled in the faint light; even with the backdrop of sewage water flowing beneath her feet. She opened her faint red lips and bowed to Lance and the others.

"I didn't think I would have to meet you here, but the alignment of the stars cannot be predicted that easily..."

Lances' eyes widened when he realized her identity. "Lady Jessica Saint-Clair?! What in the monarch's name..."

She nodded faintly, "Indeed... I have no time to continue speaking. This body is simply an astral projection... Listen closely, the mission's location has changed. Lord Lucien alongside Lord Diodorus have moved The Boundary of Two Worlds to another discrete place... The attack from the church was swift and direct, but thankfully, our divinations had allowed us to anticipate their moves a fair bit sooner."

Lance glanced over at his comrades and then back to Jessica. "I see. So, what do you want us to do?"

She nodded. "Find the Ring of Avoidance... It was an accessary granted to the Heretic Hunter, Brandon the Impaler... That artifact belonged to our family roughly 400 years ago. It was donated to the church when the church faction was born as a sign of goodwill. However, it hides a secret..."

Lances' mouth became sour when he heard Brandon's name being mentioned, but then he quickly remembered what she had said. "Ring of Avoidance... What is that? And what kind of secret does it hold?"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"The Ring of Avoidance is a Halcyon-tier artifact that holds the powers of two domains... It was crafted by an ancestor of ours who was able to merge the powers of fate with that of the dream's domain. Our ancestors foretold a prophecy in which the ring will help usher a new age upon the Marcia Empire, and that the only way for it to play its role would be to donate it to the church. I cannot comment further than this regarding its purpose, as I too am ignorant of the subject... However, it is important to note that my father, lord Abraham, has told me that without it, rescuing lady Elizabeth would be impossible..."

Lance looked at the floor, then gave her a nod. "Ill forward this information to Captain Mason. Is there anything else you would like to tell us?"

Without warning, Jessica's body started to fade away. Her transparent figure was illuminated by countless amounts of stardust that twinkled resplendently.

"Yes... Be sure to hand the Ring of Avoidance to the young man that recently entered your team... HIs purpose is tied to that relic... Once you do, the correct location to the mission will be revealed to you..."

Lance's eyes narrowed. 'Hermes? What does he have to do with this?' He looked back up at Jessica, who was almost completely faded away by now. She smiled at him.

"May the monarch bless your path..."

Lance looked over to where his comrades were. "Alright, you heard the lady. After we leave these damned sewers, let's group back up with Merlin and Hermes."

Before they had anytime to reply, a telepathic message reached them from Mason, who informed them about what had happened with Brandon as well as Merlin's plan. Hearing his words, Lance smiled. He glanced over at Frederick.

"Since Merlin wants us to round up all the Inquisition Knights at the same place, I think it would be best if we split up. Do you remember the gadget we turned into a schematic last night? I think it's finally time to put it to use."

Frederick looked at him for a brief moment and nodded. They split the mercenaries between them and went separate ways through the tunnels.

...

The wind was frigid cold. Hermes stood silently above a tall spire overlooking the street below. Merlin was standing next to him, tapping her heel against the curb, awaiting the arrival of the Inquisition knights. He glanced over at her and noticed her smiling demeanor, which only made his frown deeper.

"Miss Merlin, can I ask you something? How can you keep yourself so calm and collected when killing people?"

She cast her gaze onto him and smiled. "Why would I not be calm?"

"Well... You are killing humans, are you not?.. I apologize if my question is a little disrespectful, but I just don't understand how you can act so calmy while wrecking havoc on the battlefield... Is taking lives truly that easy?"

She glanced back down onto the darkened streets of Astrum Aeternum. "Hermes, what exactly makes a human life valuable to you?"

He furrowed his brows. "What makes it valuable? Well... Life is sacred? And taking that away from someone is unfair?" He frowned. Even though he was answering her question, somewhere in his mind, he didn't truly believe what he was saying to himself.

She continued to gaze down at the street. "You say that life is sacred, but how exactly is that quantified?"

His eyes narrowed, "Pardon?"

"How does one measure the value and sanctity of life? Should we measure someone's value through their moral beliefs, societal contributions, or their quality of life? Or perhaps you think all life is sacred and equal due to them merely existing?"

"..." Hermes stood silently as the wind blew across his face. Merlin continued,

"You can try all you want to answer me, but there is no correct answer. No one knows the answer but the Monarch. Heck, I think even the Monarch will be stumped by a question like this."

"Since no answer exists, I am forced to create one. Who I choose to value in life and who I chose is worthless is something only I can decide, and the choices I carry based on these beliefs are mine alone. I am sure that many of the soldiers I have slain today have families waiting for them. If I were to ask them how much they value the person I have killed today, they would probably place their worth higher than I would have assessed. It's all a matter of perspective."

She glanced over at him and smiled, "I am sure you also believe the same thing, or else you wouldn't have had the gall to kill in the first place, am I wrong?"

Hermes stayed silent for a bit before answering her. "Yes... You are right. I have a goal I wish to accomplish, one that I am willing to kill for... I value this goal over the lives I have taken today..."

She turned around and adjusted her hat. "Indeed, we all do... That is what makes us human. Maybe one day, when I am just a pile of bones, the monarch will judge my actions as wrong, but... Would that not just be his own perspective on the weight and value of life?"

Hermes chuckled. "If you said that in front of the church, they would label you as a heretic and sentence you to death."

She giggled, "After what we have done today, I doubt I would even have a trial in court..."

Almost immediately after she finished her sentence, a wooden stave magically appeared in her hand. Crafted from aged oak, its surface bore the intricate map of time etched in its cracks, each line a testament to the passage of ages. At its apex, the wood contorted into a mesmerizing spiral. It was as if it was a portal leading toward the spirit world itself. Utilizing his [Sensory-Boost], Hermes observed that the cosmic force contained within was sufficient enough to decimate an entire city block.

Unbeknownst to what Hermes was feeling, Merlin continued pouring her cosmic force into the Stellar Artifact; an ethereal slew of colors radiated from its wooden surface. She then tapped the floor with its base. Before Hermes had anytime to question her, a large magic circle manifested itself onto the floor. It radiated a cyan blue texture with Solari symbols etched across its surface. Right as he was about to examine its patterns, it vanished without a trace. Even with the assistance of [Sensory-Boost], Hermes lost all ability to observe the cosmic force coursing through its ley lines.

Hermes looked up at her and adjusted his glasses. "What was that?"

She turned around and smiled. "Just a little surprise I made for our dear guests."

End of Chapter