by L. M. Kerr
The Reemer Tribe’s encampment was essentially a copy of their original camp back on their home planet. While the materials they had to use were limited, they still managed to create a smart-looking town, bustling with activity.
In lieu of trying to look secretive or move carefully, Micheal had simply walked into the encampment and began to act the part of a Byren that had permission to be there.
He walked with an authoritative stance, but talked kindly, acting as if he had been sent here to learn more about Farian culture. He played his part perfectly, looking exactly like someone that belonged.
Even with his admittedly decent acting, Micheal took care to avoid talking to anyone that looked important. He ended up questioning a string of female Farians that were folding and washing sets of laundry.
It had taken a little coaching, but Micheal’s friendly attitude, combined with a small bribe of exotic fruits he’d bought and stored in his Spatial Ring, eventually won through. The innocuous nature of his questions also likely contributed to how easily they were answered.
‘It’s in exactly 6 days.’ The end of this week would mark the start of the Life Festival. His rapid rush here had given him a large amount of time to work with. With this many days of free time, as long as he went all out, it wouldn’t be a pipe-dream for him to ruin the Vile King’s plan here.
He gained a bit more information about the location of the various Tribe encampments, but most of what he learned were things he already knew. Still, it was reassuring to figure out the exact date and to know when and where things were going to happen.
There was one last startling thing he’d discovered.
‘Darmaton Pigs had begun to grow scarce.’ When he’d heard that particular bit of gossip, his stomach had taken a turn.
Darmaton Pigs weren’t particularly important. In fact, they weren’t even officially considered a Magic Beast.
They were, however, an extremely delicious delicacy for humans and Byrens. The Farians seemed to feel neutral about the taste, but somewhat valued the pigs for their durable hide that was excellent for creating hardy shoes, vambraces, and packs. The increased price led to them becoming too expensive to barter for, a source of complaints for the women he had talked to.
In history, Darmaton Pigs were judged rather favorably… up until the Darmaton Plague broke out, a devastating illness that killed off a sizable percentage of the humans here on the Second Layer. The estimates varied due to the fluctuating number of humans arriving, but even the lowest guess gave a death toll in the millions.
This plague actually harmed the Byrium Race far more than it hurt humanity. The Divine Might Sect alone lost tens of thousands of its prized, elite warriors, as did the other Great Sects, while the general Byren populace was cut by around a third. The overall power of each Byren force took a major hit, seeing losses that set them back decades.
Even the Orkals and the Rakkonians were not spared, warriors and wizards alike dropping like flies.
The Farians were ostensibly the best off after the disaster. They lost less than 1% of their populace, in part because of their unique Bloodline Magic. This plague’s infection spread through one’s bloodstream, a fatal weakness when facing a race of beings that regularly cleansed and modified their blood.
Unfortunately, the Farians’ near invulnerability to the disease led to some painting them as the perpetrators of the plague, causing no end of friction and suspicion.
This was an engineered and devastating act of magical bio-terrorism, the deadliest one that occurred throughout humanity’s entire history of the 7 Layers.
And it was all caused by a single man.
‘Bastard.’ Micheal ground his teeth at the thought, helpless rage building in him. This plague, one that killed millions of his own kind, was part of how the Vile King gained his moniker, after it was discovered to have been caused by his efforts.
In his first life, Micheal had arrived in the Second Layer well after the plague broke out and died down, around half a year before the Great Disaster fully began. He never had to directly face the vile illness, one that was able to bring a proud warrior to his knees in just a single day.
Still, he had heard the tales and seen the aftermath. It was a sickness he would not wish on any man, Byren, or creature of any race, with the sole exception of most Deities.
Unfortunately… it also happened to be a plague that he could not stop.
Constantine’s plans were incredibly detailed and deep. The man had spent years setting them up. Micheal was putting his all into foiling them, but he was not a miracle worker. Once things reached a certain scope, there wasn’t much he could do on his own.
Stopping the Darmaton Plague from washing over the entire Second Layer was physically impossible, even if he went all out.
The Plague was magically engineered to go live around a month from now. There was simply too little time, and even then, who would believe him? Certainly not any of the Great Sects, or the other races that saw each other as enemies.
However, if he just wanted to save as many humans as he could…
His eyes narrowed as a grim smile appeared on his face.
.. .. .. .. .. ..
Back within the territory of the Divine Might Sect, Humanity’s Spawning Grounds were as active as ever. Humans morphed into view constantly, a steady stream of new arrivals that burgeoned ever greater as the stability of the First Layer went up.
As travel became more and more safe, crossing the Great Bridges became easier, and moving through the dangerous skyscrapers became a much more manageable task. People could move with greater speed, increasing the rate at which people could travel to the Second Layer.
This influx led to a relative boom of hopeful travelers, swelling the ranks of humanity at a faster rate and rapidly filling up the many man-made Camps.
Among all of those village-like Camps adjacent to this strange forest, one Camp in particular stood out from the others.
This Camp, at first glance, looked largely identical to the others. It possessed short stone walls, a paved street, was full of medieval-looking buildings and bustling with people.
If there was only one thing that stood out about it, it would have to be the large, towering church that dominated the center of this small town.
This church was created entirely from some type of white stone, giving it a stark, but bright appearance. Colorful windows of stained glass dotted its walls, warm sunlight rushing inside. A faint halo seemed to glow off this rock, giving it an ethereal gleam.
“Come one, come all. The Purgatory Church welcomes those of all kinds!” Standing out in front of the church was a crier dressed in all white, addressing the people moving along the bustling road before her. The crier was female, a tanned girl with beautiful blonde hair and a friendly smile.
Most passersby moved along in front of the church, going about their business. Many, however, took the time to talk to this crier, or a few of the other ones that could be seen standing just inside a large archway that led into the interior of the church.
“Why a church…?”
A pale woman with a scarred, disfigured face, long red hair, and a muscular body grumbled to herself as she glared over at the massive edifice down the road. This woman was dressed in a set of tight brown leather armor that covered most of her body, glittering scales visible on her uncovered arms as she crossed them.
Simone Alto, the leader of the Rury Group, scratched her head as she tried to think up a possible answer.
After she had been cured by Micheal, genuine gratefulness had swarmed within her. Having their impending doom hanging over her and her allies had been something out of nightmare, a horrible truth that they had been forced to suffer through on a daily basis. The fact that this strange warrior had swooped in out of nowhere to save her, conversely, had been like something from a fairy tale.
Simone glanced around the busy street, scanning it out of habit. She felt naked without her teammates, a group she’d grown accustomed to being with
at almost all times. This part of her mission required her to go alone, while the rest of her admittedly boorish allies stayed in one of the Camp’s inns.
She sighed in frustration. Nothing that man said seemed to make any sense, yet he was always right. She stamped her foot angrily, startling a few nearby passersby.
After she and her team had been cured, they had left behind the Inheritance ‘Legion’ had opened up, traveling off to complete a mission he had set for them. They had already spent several days working on it and were eager to get back to the Inheritance, to grow strong enough to get revenge on Baron Rex.
And now, their mission culminated in coming to this church, one of the last things they needed to do.
Religion was always a heavy topic for Simone. There were so many religions that existed, of all kinds and varieties back on Earth. Some of the people that were transferred to this mystical hell gave up on religion, while others grew even stronger in their faith. Many saw this as a ‘trial’ of sorts that they needed to endure.
In practice, the Purgatory Church allowed its users to practice any religion they wished, as long as they also acknowledged and followed the tenets of the Purgatory Church. It was a surprisingly open religion that had begun to swell in popularity over the past few years, one people could follow while also keeping their beliefs of old.
Those core tenets were relatively simple. Do the right thing, stand by and aid those in need, follow justice. Simone had done a little research on it after she had been told by Legion that she would need to come here.
After a few more seconds of waiting, she finally sighed as she began to walk forward. She might as well get this over with.
“Greetings to all!” The crier out front continued to welcome people walking by. As she caught sight of Simone, her eyes lit up.
“Welcome, child, to the Purgatory Church! Please, do come in!” The woman smiled at Simone, motioning for her to walk inside.
Simone grunted in reply, not really sure how to respond. How was she a child...? She wasn’t much for niceties. She walked past the greeter, brushing off the awkwardness.
The other members of the Purgatory Church that were standing near the front also smiled cheerfully at her. Despite how out of place she felt, she couldn’t help but notice how genuinely friendly they were.
There was a fine line between a creepy cult and a kind welcome, and the people out front seemed to have perfectly found that boundary.
After she walked into the front lobby, she found herself in a rather comfy atmosphere.
The entrance hall had dozens of people within it, talking in small groups of three and four. Some of them wore the robes that indicated they were affiliated with the Purgatory Church, while others were an assortment of mostly normal, non-Church outfits: leather armor, plain shirts and pants, even designer clothes from Earth.
The lobby was large, with a white tiled floor that was covered by a large, green carpet. Several peaceful paintings were hung up on the walls and there appeared to be actual light bulbs installed in the ceiling, giving off light. There was a large reception desk with three workers at it, two men and a woman, set in the back of the room, near the center.
Simone’s feeling of being out of place stuck with her as she made her way through the room, flatly ignoring everyone present. She did her best to stay calm, a feeling of nervousness settling in her gut.
“Uh… hello.” As she reached the reception desk, she stuttered slightly as she waved at the sole female of the three Church members.
“Hi! Welcome to the Purgatory Church’s Central Branch.” The receptionist, a pretty Asian woman with black hair that was tied up in a bun, greeted her with a smile as she went on,
“How can I help you?”
Simone blinked for a moment before replying, words coming from her mouth that she had practiced a dozen times before:
“I’m here to talk to Archbishop Irin about the Guinevere Plan.”
This was the message the mysterious Legion had asked her to convey. Well, the first part of it, anyway. According to him, Archbishop Irin was one of the leaders of the Purgatory Church here on the Second Layer. She didn’t know what the Guinevere Plan was, but it wasn’t really any of her business. It was just the message she was supposed to say to get in. Maybe it was a codeword.
The receptionist seemed rather taken aback at Simone’s response. She paused as she looked down at something on her desk, hidden behind a raised, wooden cover.
“Can I have your name please?” She replied, as if by routine.
“Simone Alto.” Simone said reflexively. After a moment, she mentally reproached herself. She could’ve used a fake name, there was no reason to give her real name.
“Err, one moment, please. I’ll need to check some things.” The receptionist turned away to look at the other two receptionists. She walked up to them and began to quietly talk.
Simone frowned. For some reason, she couldn’t hear a word they were saying. It appeared that the woman had activated some type of sound-deadening Artifact.
Simone’s sense of unease grew. She grumbled to herself silently, wanting nothing more than to be out in the wild, hunting Magic Beasts and living life freely again.
After a few moments, however, the receptionist returned and gave Simone a nod.
“Someone will be down to see you momentarily. Feel free to sit while you wait.” As she spoke, she waved her hand at a collection of chairs that rested against the wall. Simone hadn’t noticed them in her first glance around the entrance area.
“Alright.” Simone grunted and walked over to one of the chairs, plopping herself down without further ado.
Three full minutes passed as she sat there, impatience filling her. She wanted nothing more than to be done and out of here.
The crowded hall gradually began to disperse as roughly half the people here left through the front entrance or moved deeper into the Church proper. Simone seemed to have walked in right after there had been some sort of meeting.
Finally, Simone noticed a man walking towards her.
The man was wearing a set of white robes, decorated with a specific design, a large circle with three smaller circles lined up inside, spread horizontally. This man looked pretty young, barely in his mid-20s, but had bright-silver hair.
What stood out most about him, in Simone’s casual glance, were his glowing, golden eyes.
“Oh my! Sir, I didn’t mean-” The receptionist’s voice took on a hint of panic and worship as she looked at the man, stuttering over her words.
“It’s fine, Shan. Don’t worry about it.” The strange man’s voice was rich and gentle as he spoke, waving away the receptionist’s worries.
“It was good timing for me anyway.” He walked past the desk and over towards Simone, stopping a couple of meters in front of her.
“Good afternoon, Simone.” The man knew her name, somehow, despite Simone not seeing the receptionist leave to tell him. Perhaps the receptionist had some sort of short-range communication tool.
“Hi.” Simone replied shortly. She quickly continued,
“I’m here to see Archbish-” Before she could finish, the man cut her off with a wave of his hand.
“The Archbishop isn’t here right now, but I understand your message must be urgent.” The man gave her an understanding look as he went on,
“Please, just follow me. We’ll get this situation sorted out right now.” He turned around and began to walk away, his voice expectant.
Simone’s mouth fell open slightly as she hurriedly got up and began to follow him, feeling slightly dazed. The way he just took charge of everything immediately vaguely reminded her of Legion a bit. She didn’t even have time to worry about where Archbishop Irin was as she followed the man down a set of hallways, deep into the Church building.
Soon, they arrived outside a small, but nicely decorated office that had its door open. The man walked inside and Simone followed, looking around at it.
There was a large, white marble de
sk that was cluttered with papers, a set of lightbulbs that lit the room up, a blue rock that was set in the corner of the room, giving off a cool breeze, and three plush chairs, one behind the desk and two in front of it.
The man went and sat down behind the desk before motioning for her to sit down on the other side.
Simone sat down on the plush, green chair, finding it to be rather comfortable. She didn’t let herself get distracted as she leaned forward on her knees and immediately began to speak.
“So, uh. Like I said, I need to talk to Archbishop Irin. When will he be back?” She hoped it wouldn’t take too long.
The strange man nodded at her question. It was only then that Simone realized he hadn’t actually named himself or his position.
“You have good timing, Simone. I’ve only been here for a short while. In fact, I would’ve been on the First Layer still if peace hadn’t come so quickly.” The golden-eyed man reached over and picked up a few papers, ruffling through them for a few moments.
“Uh… are you Archbishop Irin?” She replied, not sure what to make of this situation. The receptionist had been flustered by his appearance, so the guy couldn’t just be someone random.
“Before I answer your questions, I’ll need you to answer one of mine.” The man calmly folded his hands on the table as he set down the paper he had been glancing through.
“You know about the Guinevere Plan.” The man said it as a statement, rather than a question.
“Err, yes. The message I have relates to it, for Archbishop Irin.” Simone replied. She didn’t really know what the plan was, but Legion had made it very clear what she needed to say. He had warned her that it could be dangerous if she did not say exactly what he had repeated.
“That’s very, very interesting.” The golden-eyed man shook his head, a hint of amazement entering his voice.
“After all, only myself and Archbishop Irin know about the Guinevere Plan.” The man’s eyes abruptly took on a heavy edge; his gaze suddenly slammed into Simone with the force of a thousand meteors.
“And I just had him executed, four days ago, for treason to the Church and humanity.” His words were spoken quietly and calmly, but gave off a feeling of such tremendous pressure that it made Simone tremble, her heart spasming.