Concrete Scourge
The smell had gotten worse as the week passed. Breathing in through a filter, smelling incense, and wrapping your body with waxed seals and talismans had become an annoyance as of late. Streets were full of processions of men and women in the livery of their god preaching. Apartment tenants were keeping to themselves as they stay in their rooms praying and hoping. Those who can't afford to lose their jobs took a step out in the dark with hope they can reach their workplace alive. Twenty residents in the lotus lane have turned into ghouls and many were careful about who they'd let in.
In the second floor there was a family who feasted on a neighbor's innards and when the Neo Crusaders found the scene. It did not look pretty as they burned them in their holy fire. Each street and lane had a member of the Church Union. Which made you realize how truly powerful and influential they were to occupy an entire city without anyone's permission; most of the districts were now full of the dead. Contract users, who have made pacts with devils, were with the clergy as they searched for the abominations and the undead. They were usually those who have been hoping for power and a wish. Like the Necromancers who need to be licensed, registered, and approved by the OB and the TCU.
A Paladin of the Church, wearing the gilded red cross proudly on his chest knocks on the door. Wearing chainmail, body armor, and webbing holding 300 rounds. On his back is a light machine gun, and a broadsword is on his hips.
"How may I help you, Sir?"
I asked. The Paladin scanned the room. He checks the fridge and takes out an artifact. The artifact spread a holy glow all over the room, touching every corner.
"You are clear."
He took out a recording device. Asking questions such as if I've encountered the undead, and had meetings with a demon as of late.
"Here is my clearance after an operation. You can confirm the details."
The Paladin frostily takes the data from my transmitter. Behind the helmet, I could see hate, anger, and then joy as he realizes what we have done. He puts away the transmitter.
"I see I stand before a slayer. I shall mark thy home with a clearance for the church."
The Paladin takes out a hammer and nails the prayer of St. Joseph beside the door. He also hands me a charm of Saint Christopher. With the Paladin finished, he moves to the next room, scouring every resident until everyone is checked.
The one in the first floor, the oldest, seems to have been found having an unlicensed and unregistered item of demonic qualities and has been chained up and dragged to the Inquisition for questioning. The Paladins ride on Augmented Warhorses to navigate the streets of Changye. 180cm tall horses equipped to handle the narrow alleys and lanes. Destriers who have gone under mutated changes to accommodate the paladins and crusaders of the era. The beasts could ram through walls, kick a car to the side and face the unholy without a flinch. Not to mention their Hounds were dangerous. Those dogs could sniff out a heretic and tear a throat open without even you knowing.
The service train is limited. Without the proper working documents, an OB agent or Clergyman would detain you or question you. The train station near Asobe Street was chock-full of passengers herded by a Vicar and accompanied by clerics who were recording every passenger getting in and out of the station. If you have no talisman, charm, and purity seals. It's going to be a long day for you.
The busy streets were full of men and women wearing respiratory masks. It was like walking through this thick miasmic fog where you have to wave a light around to cross. A preacher was preaching; holding a bible on one hand and his dominant hand holding a rosary.
Most of the shops have been closed with the miasma still spreading from the lanes. Above, through the green fog of the undead is the sight of Upper Changye; a star shining and held by eight pillars bringing illumination even as the fog blocks the light of the sun.
A sight to behold even as the dark tries to consume Changye most of the time. Can't even imagine the amount of power needed to light up this city. The apartment where the office was lit up as well. Talismans on the walls, and posters of the TCU plastered everywhere as the Church uses this event to spread their teachings and bring more men and women to the light of the TCU. You can hear the novena playing on the speakers and those who worship their gods kneel in front of the altars to hope for salvation. One of the families in the building; where Kei's office is located has a family praying to their god. This family is devoted to Shangdi and has lit up incense to block off the miasma.
Kei's office was the same as everyone in the building with the exception of having a signboard saying this was an office affiliated with the Shichinin no Ken Association. Entering the office I smell an aroma diluting the scent of the miasma. I took off my respiratory mask and dispose of the filters on the bin.
The board next to the door had no notes. In the office Eta is maintaining her gear while Boss was speaking with someone through a headset. She was extremely annoyed. Her eyes could drill a hole with how she's glaring.
I placed my gear on my work table. Turning on the computer, I read through the emails, sort through the spam, and finally skimmed through the work-related emails with messages from the affiliates under the office reporting rumors of anomalies. The lanes were still covered in miasma, but anomalies thrive under this miasmic air, breathing it in and providing energy to the anomalies who seem to relish this opportunity. I wonder if there is some sort of connection. It was not surprising if monsters can attract anomalies and if a person can become afflicted; there was no rule that a monster can't be afflicted too.
"We have a problem."
She stood in front with the light behind her glaring at our eyes. With hands on her hips and a raised chin. She looked extremely annoyed.
"The Shichinin no Ken Association has decided to get involved with the Wight and they demand us to 'help' in the incursion."
"How? Why?"
Eta asks naturally. Kei circled her table. She plugs in the projector and turns it on. On the side, she was showing a file containing detailed slides on the operation the Shichinin no Ken plans to do. The Wight has now a new name: Scourge.
"Fuck."
Eta's reaction upon reading the new name of the Wight was understandable. It was a combination no one wants to think about. An anomaly being used by a Wight.
"The concrete man of ours got captured by the Scourge."
She shows images of the concrete man skewered by the Wight and then the Wight raising the Anomaly as part of the Undead. The Wight seems to realize the potential of this 'creature' and was using it to reinforce his skeletons, giving them concrete-reinforced bodies and exoskeletons which made them harder to kill.
"After resurrecting the Concrete Anomaly. The now-evolved Scourge practically made the lanes into a fortress, creating ten inches of concrete walls with undead workers building a throne. Do you understand now why Shichinin no Ken wants us to help?"
The slides show the Undead was heading to one of the pillars. With one of the eight pillars in danger. There was a chance the Scourge could direct the Concrete Man to reach the pillar and manipulate its foundation. The powers of the concrete man and its ability were still unknown, but the thought of it crippling one of the pillars was a terrifying thought. No wonder they wanted this creature now. You don't fuck with the eight pillars in this city.
"Then shouldn't they call the Graded Agents?"
"They wouldn't. The Graded are currently slaughtering the miasma-enhanced monsters all over the city that are spawning. Upper Changye might look safe, but even they are starting to feel the after-effects of the dread. And with our local monsters using this chance to hunt through the night. They want the associations to purge the Scourge and capture the Concrete Man Anomaly."
"Capture? That will be hard."
"It is. They are sending an OB Necromancer to steal the command of the Undead and bring the Concrete Man to the command of the OB. If they are able to use this Concrete Man, then they will find a good use of it. A creature like that is something the Otherside Bureau will do anything to obtain – which also means other Necromancers and devil worshippers are hoping to get the concrete man before anyone else."
Eta groans and crossed her arms. I could tell she was hesitating. The situation had become complicated with many factions at play.
"I will not allow us to get involved in this travesty. I like money as much as everyone, but this isn't a good way to earn one. Not with the Bureau, Church, and Affiliated Factions warring."
She sat on her desk while gritting her teeth. I had been through many companies, and if there was one thing I learn from jumping from one company to another. Money wasn't just worth it if you die trying to earn it. It's not worth risking your life without certainty you will succeed. Yes, we might have encountered a demon and somehow managed to escape. But there was one currency in this world you need to be careful in spending.
Luck.
If you ran out of luck. You are done. You can't buy luck and once you're out of luck. I doubt you could live in this city for too long. Death was a common occurrence here and there were only a few in this city who want to spend all their luck on something uncertain. I could tell Kei was worried our luck will run out. We have survived and thrived as of late, but will we be able to continue our lucky streak?
She doubts it, and I doubt it. It was an omen and this miasma was the sign we need. Superstition and gut-feeling was the bread and butter of people like us. And this was the world we lived in now where the undead terrorizes the night and where the church had the right to be fanatical.
You'd be the dumbest if you ignore it. But the problem here was not our own. It's what the Shichinin no Ken wants from us. Their demands have so much weight to our office's operations. And although the Shichinin no Ken has been reasonable, when it comes to orders and commands, it's one of the things they wouldn't ignore lightly if you refuse.
"So what's our play here? We can't ignore Sato issuing orders you know?"
Kei kneads her face.
"Eta, don't forget our office isn't a detective agency nor do we capture or kill monsters. We gather information and our role is to compile data on anomalies. We only fight when needed and in this case. We can make it clear we will only participate so we can gather information about this anomaly."
"Will they accept that?"
Kei set her jaws. She's clearly worried about participating in big orders like this. The Shichinin no Ken listens to reason, but they also have many affiliates under their names too and they wouldn't exactly miss Kei's office if we perish here. At best, they'll find a replacement built on the office's hard work. We might be overthinking here, but it's better than not thinking about it all.
"So that's it. We'll go to the lanes. Participate in the slaughter while we interview anyone who might know the Anomaly."
Eta shouldered her two-handed sword and walks to the storage.
"Yes. We aren't taking our chances like the demon fragment, so we're going to pack some food, tools, and weapons."
"I'll have to call my landlord then."
I excused myself and called my landlord about the incursion I'm going to. It's better I make a call first before the landlord has some ideas about renting it to someone. The landlord knows I work for Shichinin no Ken so the landlord wouldn't try anything unless the due is up.
Going back inside the office. Eta hands me a Celestial Forges & Armory body armor and chainmail to wear.
After attaching new litany seals on our sheaths and holsters. We took the service train back to the misery lanes.