Chapter 29: Meeting
BOOM
A loud explosion caused the tunnels of the sewer system to rumble like an earthquake. Small bits of sediment sprinkled down from the ceiling, causing Derrick to feel concerned for his safety.
"What was that?" Derrick asked.
"I'm not sure, but we need to keep moving. I can sense the madness intensifying. We're surely close to our target."
"Finally, I'm getting tired of the smell…"
The stale air in the abandoned sewer system clung to Derrick and Ying as they navigated the murky tunnel. In front of them was Old Man Tyrian, who served as their guide. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at a large ornate door with symbolic texts written in ancient Fae strewn across its borders.
Ying looked closely at the inscription. "The Lord is in his Heaven, peace be upon his name."
"You can read ancient Fae? Even most historians have trouble deciphering the texts." Derrick looked surprised at the revelation. He didn't exactly picture Ying as a linguist.
"Just a bit…it served me well in the past."
Old Many Tyrian turned to the duo. "This is our goodbye. You'll find the Central Cathedral just beyond this door. Oh, and before you enter, make sure you put on these robes. They'll help you blend into the crowd." He handed them two purple cloaks with golden ropes that were fastened to the waist. "If anyone approaches you, bow slightly and form a fist with your left hand. Open your right and put your palm directly over your fist. This indicates a greeting as well as a sign of silence. You shouldn't have any trouble."
Derrick reached out and took a purple cloak. He spoke awkwardly. "Thank you for your aid…but why are you going this far to help us? Aren't we strangers?
"Our primary doctrine is uncompromised compassion for the needy. Whether you are a stranger in need of directions or a homeless man in need of shelter, we will aid you to the best of our ability."
So giving hard drugs to the homeless is what you call aid? Derrick kept his thoughts to himself. He would almost feel guilty for saying such a thing to the old man.
"Well now, be on your way, you two. I'll head back to the people near the entrance. They still need my help"
"Thank you."
"Of course! Goodbye, my friends." Old Man Tyrian left the duo to themselves.
They turned towards the gate and opened the large steel doors. Heavy! Who the hell opens these things on a regular basis? Derrick thought
A bright light erupted from the open gates, a grand cathedral. The interior design was adorned with intricate golden details with worshippers draped in regal purple cloaks. Their oversized hoods obscured their faces, creating an illusion of reverence and otherworldly grace. Chandeliers hung from the ceilings and illuminated the area, causing the stained glass to shine with a kaleidoscope of colors. This cathedral was the very personification of opulence.
On the other side of the wall…there were truly people living like this?
The disciples scurried about in a panic. Amid the chaos, Derrick and Ying eavesdropped on various conversations.
"Quickly, we must evacuate! Father Gregory has initiated the ritual! We only have 40 minutes left!"
"But Disciple Bran, we've detected an explosion in the Left path! Disciple William's spirituality and 'Authority' have vanished, and it's been a while since he captured the intruder…"
"Don't tell me…has Disciple William been killed?! He was one of our three lieutenants. We must honor his memory and defend the Father from the intruders!"
That must have been Naoto! I'm glad that he's okay. I'll finish this mission quickly and retrieve Reed Rowley.
His eyes darted back and forth, but the frantic disciples' constant movement and oversized cloaks caused Derrick to quickly lose track of their faces. In these conditions, it would be almost impossible to find Reed Rowley in the dense crowd.
However, that was only true when spirituality wasn't involved.
"Do you think you could create an 'Authority' within the Cathedral that could filter for specific people?" Derrick turned to Ying for help.
"Restricting the conditions of an 'Authority' to a specific is typically only possible for those with immense talent, but the photos we have of Reed Rowley can serve as a reference point for the 'Authority' to filter out suspects." Ying felt proud of his vast expertise in spirituality and bounded fields.
An 'Authority' is a bounded field that is forged from the user's will. It is a field where they hold absolute authority over the world, hence the familiar name. This allows the user to imprint almost any condition they want with various limitations. Ying pulled out the numerous photos of Reed Rowley that Derrick provided before the operation. He created a strong mental image of the man's face and imprinted the image onto his 'Authority'.
Search for Reed Rowley within a 100-meet radius.
Sparks flew and scoured the area with a light invisible to ordinary people. It bounced and danced throughout the courts and stairs until it landed on a target. The man looked nearly identical to the other disciples due to the purple cloak, but the signal was no less sure that that man was indeed Reed Rowley!
"Quickly!" Ying whispered. "He hasn't noticed us yet, now is our only chance!" They slithered through the thick crowd of slapdash cultists while avoiding direct eye contact. Reed Rowley took a sudden turn away from the crowd, Ying and Derrick followed.
Bad bad bad! This is bad! I didn't think that Father Gregory was planning on initiating something so dangerous! I have to leave the country. That man will hunt me down no matter what if I stop moving!
Reed Rowley's catastrophizing raised his heart rate and made him light headed. He staggered and nearly fell to the ground. Two robed cultists reached out to the weak Reed. "Are you okay, Brother?"
"I-I'm fine…get off of me!" Reed shook the man off of him, but the two cultists didn't let up.
"No, you aren't fine, Brother. Come with us, let us assist you!"
"Wha?! Let go! I don't need your damn help!"
The two cultists restrained Reed Rowley and snuck into a room that was isolated from the rest of the Cathedral. The first man, a taller, older wraith, sealed the door with a barrier technique. The second man, a younger half-wraith, pulled out a talisman from his pocket.
"Here's the deal, neither of us are here to hurt you, as long as you cooperate."
"C-Cooperate…?"
"That's right, you get it! I'm sure that you're well aware that you're being hunted by plenty of people. Your existence ties back to some shady activity involving some of the higher-ups in government, so you're living on nothing but borrowed time right now."
"..." Reed Rowley averted his gaze. He couldn't bear the shame of his situation.
"We aren't with the MCPD, and we aren't with Naraka either. We simply need some information from you. If you can help us with a bit of trouble, we'll let you walk out of here as a free man. But if you don't…"
The young man drew his short sword and placed the edge directly on his throat, drawing small amounts of blood. Reed Rowley instantly submitted to the intimidation.
"O-Okay! I'll talk, I'll talk! Just get me outta here and we have a deal."
Man, I didn't think you'd be this much of a pushover… Derrick was disappointed by Reed's milquetoast resolve.
"That's great, but before that, we need to settle an…agreement."