Ordeal similar to ere, a dark shade all around with thin luminous light. Leon was well aware of mirage. The Disciple of Envir in due time stepped forth. The fog was similar to before, pungent and tingling. The face was still unclear, hiding behind the masking murk. It was resembling the dormant scenario that happened before arriving in the forest.
"Are you going to hang on to me like a parasite?" Leon asked
"Well…you are back in town, which means you will interfere with our mission" The Crike's boss spoke
"You are still clinging on to calling it a mission" Leon gave a teasing smirk
No response ….
"From when Envir accepted abduction?" Leon asked
"Path of Sweet Dreams given by Envir… you got me when you blabbered all the truth last time. But… you don't have the complete picture" the enemy giggled "Envir is a goddess who has many followers. One among those divine followers is…"
"Devina…" Leon interrupted
"Oh, Revenant, you are a smart man. Sure you don't want to join us?"
"Speak you devil… let those words out already" Leon growled, with a hoarse delivery.
"Ohk…ohk… so devina is willing to grant me power, that would make me nearly immortal, powers that even the gods resent. But that's when I sacrifice those thousand girls I abducted" The mastermind was still hidden
"Are you out of your mind? Aren't you powerful enough? What's with the greed" Leon was relentless
"It's not greed dammit, it's a mission" The voice crackled a little "you are not the only one who wish to ascend the Ascensions"
"So you want to be an emperor too" The fog increased grievous folds, suggesting the end of the sweet dreams.
"No… I want to help Tistra Domiscus, achieve his dream"
"So you are a slave"
"I am his child"
"He never had a child" Leon was answering back
"He accepted me as one" reply came soon after
"Who knows, maybe it's because you are useful" Leon was ragebaring
The fog grew….
More dense clouds came…
And finally when it was time for the mirage to end, he dashed in. He premeditatedly angered the foe, to make him lose deliberation of the situation. And it worked, Leon was inside the fog.
The mysterious man tried to stride back but was too late. And that's when the masterpiece got revealed… it was a girl… in her 20s… She was beautiful but morbid at the same time. Her eyelids were pure black with attractive glare. Her pupils dilated as her identity was revealed. She was exposed, nearly endangered.
"You bastard" she cried
"Gotcha" Leon was admirable.
But the mirage ended…
The time was exhausted…
The fog faded off and Leon came out of his sleep…
__________________________________
Far off in the secret quarters of The Order Of Day Embers, Silas stood alone in his room. He had a glass of wine, held in nostalgia by extrapolation of his plans. His troops were mobilizing across the "Industrial Piece".
Order of Day Embers had one endgame: to eradicate the Crike Syndicate. Since the day they took their first breath, that's what had been rattling their minds. Some lost their wives, some lost their daughters to the gruesome stalkers.
The sudden upheaval in Industrial Piece was gladly because of the clue they unveiled. A misprinted letter thrown in the trash, that got to their hands. It had some code relics they had interpreted early on during their investigations. And the address was "Hard Metal Warehouse". A place of knowledge- not akin to its name. It was a simple workshop for many, but was a home for a hybrid Alchemist "Wimblen Harbour". And when I call him hybrid, I mean it. He was a mad alchemist who turned his joints into screws, his bones into metal pipes and his heart into life ichor artifice.
But the mad alchemist had surely earned his respect in the Industrial Piece- that's because of his savant invention of "The Wheel House". It was an absurd deal for civilians, but a house moving on caterpillar tracks was surely cost saving for the industrialist. They gave him their heartfelt gratitude, as he never patented his work, and even provided many of his services for free. And that's how the mad man became Industrial God.
Currently, as obvious it could be, Wimblen was working in his Hard Metal Warehouse. His beard grew old with his life source. But his enthusiasm for contrivances stayed the same.
That's when Rutherford- the shield of Order of Day Embers, along with his two men, reached the Hard Metal. He was Silas's most trusted man, someone he could trust with a blindfold on. Their mission was to exploit the real fraud hidden in the Hard Metal streets, to exploit the biggest pest Wimblen Harbour.
Wimblen, jesting with his new gadget was reported by a man about some guests. It's not quite often for him to receive some, so he indulgences them a lot.
"Oh" his hoarse voice buzzed out "what a lovely day… let them in"
Rutherford and his two men entered the grilling mine. Everyone around was fondling with metals, grinding their own crafts. It was a warehouse with a large tin shed towering over. Large mammoth sized screws hanging from the wall, metal scraps lying all around, and amidst it all he stood- their prime target.
But to Rutherford's amazement he wasn't a human- he was a machine. His face had flesh barely, his limbs were completely made of runic metal. He was huge with large but sharp eyebrows. His smile was scary as the metal nuts coated his teeths, his belly was a large spherical metal ball roaring with fuel.
Rutherford had heard this description before and it sought to be funny that time.
But now…
Now he was a little afraid of the beast…
He was afraid of the way he stares blankly with no raw emotions… he was afraid of the large abominant body alchemist held…
He wasn't a human at all, being a machine, he was also a monster…
The rusted table was affixed right at the central pivot. Three members of the Order Of Day Embers, disguised as rich businessmen and one mad alchemist, were all ready for the discussion. It wasn't going to be simple, as the matter was quite sensitive. Any harsh move against Wimblen would turn concluded Industrial Piece into enemies of Imperial town inmates. One wrong move and the peaceful occurrence could become a bloodbath.
Wimblen took the opening "So what is your big idea?"
"We are here with an offer" Rutherford claimed
"And what's your tender?" Wimblen leaned in deeper into the discussion
"I want you to make a hundred strong wheel house for our industrial unit, back in Khasa" Rutherford made an offer, which reluctantly was fake…
"oh man… rich businessmen after such a long time, I felt you would come with something new to work on. I am bored being ordered and praised about those wheel houses. I'm an alchemist, I'm meant to contrive something more mesmerising"
"But we will give a large sum for that… around 1000 Ascension Elixir" Rutherford granted…
Confusion here could be possible. Elixir and Ascension Elixir aren't the same after all. Elixir is like mana or aura in terms of dynamics. While Ascension Elixir is mere currency with Tistra coiled on it. But just like any brutal world, both the Elixirs synergies parallel.
"I don't need money… I never wanted it… do you think I would have been living in this warehouse if I wanted that filthy lavish life" Wimblen was bored, and exhausted by the unscientific conversation. But if he disagrees with the corporation, the mission would fail instantly.
"Seems like you aren't interested in our lavish offer" Drasha bugged in. He was one of the other two who came with Rutherford. But most importantly he was Rutherford's younger brother. A little life in his fifteen's, striving to thrive in the world full of vengeance.
The other man was Umakerok, a man believing in justice. His path was "The Path of Jurisdiction"- obligated for providing equality. But he had one divine power- to judge the soul of a person. To see the Elixir it holds and emits, to feel the pain and readings his soul retains. It couldn't be used multiple times, but a few stealth checks are a piece of cake for him.
"Well… at least can we look for someone else who would love our money" Drasha was arrogant
"You seem more of a businessman. That arrogance is natural" Drasha's camouflage was perfect, as Wimblen praised him "Yes, sure. You can take a look around for your accounting"
He arranged a man, a Hard metal worker, to guide Rutherford and Umakerok around. To their amusement no-one seemed corrupted. No one seemed to be involved with the Crikes, when seen through the eyes of judgement- Umakerok had.
"So, kid" Wimblen asked Drasha "Is that man your brother"
"Yea, the grey haired. But how do you know that?" Drasha was shocked
"I had quite a complicated bond with my brother too. So I discerned it when I looked at you" Wimblen whispered "So, what's between you two?"
"Oh, nothing much. He is quite overprotective of me, so he don't want to indulge me in his business"
"That's some common streak brothers follow mate. Don't let it dishearten you" Wimblen whispered further
The trail was over- Rutherford and Umakerok got back to the meeting table.
"Seems you didn't find anyone to buy" Wimblen taunted the big guy
"Quite not" Rutherford replied "Let's go brother…we should leave"
And right after Drasha got up, the infiltrate being ran into the Hard Steel shouting "Sir.Wimblen, they are fakes. They belong to the Order Of Day Embers"
And Boommmm....
The tables turned out of their favours. Those three were now wrestling in the den of a lion, with hyenas surrounding them. But this was the moment, the moment to savour, as Leon would get his army… an army that will ascend along him….