CHAPTER 6
Assemblies of Light and Dark
On Northwest Main Street, the road known as Adventurers Way, stood an impressive building. It was a grand construction meant to resemble the Pantheon, and many people considered it one of the city center’s primary landmarks.
This was the headquarters of the Labyrinth City’s top administrative authority, the Guild. Several of Orario’s top adventurers had gathered there, in a room large enough to house hundreds.
Finn, Riveria, and Gareth were present from Loki Familia. From Freya Familia, Ottar and Allen. Shakti from Ganesha Familia, and Alize and Kaguya from Astrea Familia. This assembly consisted of familia captains, their seconds, and other top officers. It was a veritable Who’s Who of the city.
“Representatives of all familias are here, I see. We are ready to begin our regular meeting to discuss measures in the face of the threat posed by the Evils…”
The man who addressed the congregation was a rather chubby elf by the name of Royman Mardeel. He opened proceedings in a calm, measured tone.
“…But before that”—his eyes flared open—“how do you intend to explain the state of our fair city? I’ve forgotten the last time we went any amount of time without seeing some kind of attack, not to mention that despicable business on North Main Street just the other day!”
The Evils’ activities had really ramped up in recent days. They had started as mere arson attempts on factories, which, while horrible, resulted in little to no civilian casualties. The soup kitchen massacre was different, and the start of a much nastier trend.
As he was one of Orario’s highest authorities, these constant attacks caused Royman ample embarrassment. His equally ample flab jiggled from side to side as he gave everyone present a dressing down.
“Well, maybe if you let us go after the bastards instead of orderin’ us on expeditions like it’s a damn picnic, we could do something about it, you fat pig!”
It was Allen, the catman, full of anger, who spoke out against Royman’s words. “You got us tryin’ to balance clearin’ the Dungeon with runnin’ all over town lookin’ for those assholes! Is your head full of swill or somethin’?!”
“B-but you don’t understand!” protested Royman, somehow able to keep his composure under Allen’s furious interrogation. “Without Zeus and Hera, we must make efforts to maintain our legitimacy, or else order could fall and give rise to a second Evils! That’s why it is vital that we break new ground in the Dungeon and demonstrate our strength on the world stage!”
“Just admit that all you care about is keepin’ your greasy little backside glued to that seat,” Allen spat back. As Royman cowered in fear, Finn stepped in.
“Bickering will get us nowhere, my friend,” he said to Allen. “We came here to end fights, not start them.”
“I ain’t your friend, prum. Now take your peacemakin’ bullshit and shove it up your ass.”
The bad blood that had long existed between Orario’s various factions reared its ugly head once more. Riveria was the next to speak up.
“Your obstinate refusal to listen to others reflects poorly on your mistress,” she said, closing her eyes.
“You want me to tear your wings off, pixie?” Allen growled back.
His eyes shone with murderous rage. Sweat began to dribble down Royman’s cheeks. It was not looking like it would be long before the meeting would become a bloodbath.
Only a few members appeared undisturbed by the hubbub. Shakti looked serene, like she’d seen it all before, and Ottar never showed much emotion to begin with.
“I want to go home,” sighed Asfi, watching the farce play out. “We’re about to see first blood, and the meeting hasn’t even started yet.”
It was Asfi’s first time being invited to one of these gatherings, and she didn’t much like what she was seeing. “Loki Familia and Freya Familia have always been at each other’s throats,” said Kaguya, sitting nearby with a feigned smile. “Just sit back and let it play out.”
“What, and watch them kill each other?” replied Asfi, a despairing look on her face. “Why did Hermes and Lydis send me here by myself anyway? Those two are going to get a piece of my mind when I return!”
“Ooh!” said Alize, leaning in. “I think I see why you and Leon get on so well now! Both of you are so hardworking, you don’t know how to say no!”
“If you know, then why do you keep doing it?!”
Asfi’s pent-up anger came to a boil, and she exploded in a fit of rage, causing all heads to turn and wonder if they had even been paying attention to the meeting. Gareth, on the other hand, wisely ignored this distraction and attempted to move things along.
“Much as I hate to agree with Royman,” he said, “the blame for that awful attack rests squarely on me. I cannot excuse my failure.”
At the old dwarf’s grave admission, the room suddenly fell solemn, and everyone’s eyes gathered on him.
“This was a brazen and sudden attack on our city,” said Shakti. “There was no way we could have predicted it, and even if we had, there was little we could do to stop it. Especially when we consider the perpetrator was Arachnia herself. Finn and I had been expecting the attack to come in the form of explosives, and so we issued orders to be on the lookout for suspicious packages and the like.”
“Explosives?” said Alize quizzically. “But why?”
It was Gareth who answered her question. “Because of those ignition pieces the curs had been stealing,” he said. “We thought they might use them to build bombs.”
“With those installed,” Riveria explained, “an explosive device could be easily detonated by anyone. It would be as simple as turning on a magic-stone torch. You can imagine the threat that would pose.”
Around the entire table, heads nodded in comprehension. It explained why the Evils had been attacking and ransacking factories. It also made it easy to see why Shakti had been so concerned; if bombs had been detonated across Adventurers Way that day, the damage would have been incalculable.
“Unlike magic swords and magic items,” said Shakti, “a bomb of this design could be used even by followers of the Evils with no combat ability whatsoever. It all fit together too perfectly, but it seems we missed the mark.”
“Or perhaps they’re still keeping that plan in the back pocket,” suggested Riveria with a sigh.
It was Kaguya, who had been quietly listening all this time, who spoke next. “I see,” she said. “I believe I understand now. However, I would have preferred you shared this with us sooner.”
Her condemning tone was barely hidden. Finn, who had concocted this hypothesis a few days prior, decided to lay all of his cards on the table.
“Half of that is that it was only a hunch,” he said. “The other half is that we didn’t want to make security too tight, or it would tip off the enemy.”
It was common knowledge by now that Valletta’s attack on the soup kitchen had been a mere diversion and that Finn had predicted and forestalled the true attack elsewhere in the city. However, Kaguya’s disdain was palpable, even behind her polite veneer.
“So in your mind,” she said, “this terrible tragedy was all part of the plan? All those women and children nothing more than beads on your abacus to be tallied and weighed?”
“I didn’t predict just how devastating the attack would be,” protested Finn. “…But I suppose we’re well beyond excuses now. Still, we scored a decisive blow against the Evils, make no mistake about that.”
“Man, what would we do without heroes like you?” came Allen’s sarcastic reply.
“You’re right,” said Finn. “Ideally, we wouldn’t have to make these decisions. We need to find an answer that gets us out of this mess, but I can’t.”
He cast his eyes downward in shame. Kaguya, Allen, and the other adventurers who had doubted his decision found they could say nothing in response to his contemplative silence. Even Royman’s constant bluster was nowhere to be heard. A hush fell over the room as everyone considered what a dire predicament they were in.
“All right, all right, enough of this!” came a bright, sunny voice, completely lacking in tact. “All this gloomy talk is making me want to stress-eat!”
It was the captain of Astrea Familia, standing out of her seat.
“Why are you always like this, Alize Lovell?” said Asfi with a sigh. “Can’t you see we’re trying to be serious here?”
“But it’s true! Everyone here is doing their best to protect Orario. Why do we have to sit around pointing fingers?”
“““!!”””
Their eyes all shot wide open. Allen, Kaguya, Riveria, and Finn. Even Shakti and the other adventurers watched on with the same look of shock.
“Learn from your mistakes, and give people credit when they get things right! That’s how you talk things through! Even kids know that much, right?”
Her proclamation silenced the table. It remained so for several seconds until, at last, a boisterous laugh rang out.
“Ha-ha-ha!” chuckled Gareth. “You certainly aren’t afraid to tell us what’s on your mind, missy! And yet, you’re absolutely right!”
“Tch. Self-righteous brat,” Allen muttered.
“If you have an objection, let’s hear it,” said Riveria with a smile. “That self-righteous brat just offered the most sensible suggestion we’ve heard all day.”
Alize’s voice was like a ray of sunlight that breathed new life into the barren discussion.
“Look at that!” she said, puffing out her chest. “My beautiful pearls of wisdom just stunned all these first-tier adventurers into complete silence! He-hem! I’m so great!”
“Please don’t push it, Captain,” said Kaguya with a despondent frown. “You were doing so well, too…”
Finn looked across the table at the two girls and cracked a gentle smile.
“Heh. Well, unfortunately, I haven’t any good news to share, but perhaps I can point us in the right direction,” he said. “Let’s start by going over the reports from Shakti’s crackdown on the black market the other day…”
Finn took the lead as each familia reported on what they’d learned about the Evils. The meeting covered information from a wide variety of sources, including Orario itself, the depths of the Dungeon, and even towns and cities farther afield. The participants listened to reports, then discussed and debated the implications. It was meticulous, time-consuming work, but nobody complained because they all realized, at a time like this, knowledge was their most potent weapon. Only by leaving no stone unturned could they protect their own lives, as well as those of their familias. And so, everyone shared their opinions and wanted to hear what the others thought.
“I suppose that covers everything up until today,” said Finn, after the minute hand of the large clock hanging in the hall had undergone three complete revolutions. “Is there anything else anyone wanted to bring up?”
At that point Ottar, who had largely remained silent throughout the entire proceedings, finally opened his mouth.
“The Evils have at least one powerful warrior on their side,” he said. “A true-born fighter, from what I can tell.”
“Ah, the person who tore a hole through that adamantite wall,” said Alize. “Nobody’s run into anyone like that, have they?”
Alize didn’t seem even slightly intimidated by coming face-to-face with the most powerful adventurer in the city. It was Allen, who had also seen the hole himself, who answered her.
“Still, there’s gotta be someone,” he said gruffly. “No one we know coulda done it, not even the Evils’ top brass.”
“Hmm, I know we don’t have a lot to work with,” said Finn, “but Ottar, how would you estimate this individual’s combat ability?”
Ottar dropped his voice even lower than usual and replied, “Level Six. No lower.”
At this, the entire conference room began to buzz.
“What?!” Asfi was unable to conceal her surprise. “That’s the same as the Warlord himself!”
Level 6 was a lofty feat indeed. So lofty, in fact, that Ottar was the only adventurer currently in all of Orario known to have attained it. The idea that the Evils might have a warrior of his caliber on their side was almost too distressing to consider.
“…We also ran into a mysterious foe while securing the black market storehouse,” Shakti added, as if one earth-shattering revelation hadn’t been enough. “A woman of unknown origin. A mage, or perhaps a magic swordswoman. She did not go after us directly, but she was able to defeat a force of around thirty trained warriors, including me.”
“She fought off Ganesha Familia by herself?” mused Riveria, furrowing her graceful brow. “I’ve never even heard of a mage that strong…”
“It wouldn’t be the first time a powerful adventurer went unannounced,” said Gareth. “We suspect that years ago, Osiris Familia had access to multiple first-tier adventurers they never told anybody about.”
Back when Zeus and Hera were around, there were many other familias who vied with them for supremacy. Among them were those who harbored Level 6, or even Level 7 captains without reporting it to the Guild. All fought to be the best, but in the end, it was Zeus and Hera who came out on top.
The other gods and goddesses, their familias gutted, often had no choice but to leave Orario entirely. However, some stayed behind. Sebek Familia was one such example, though by now it was a mere shadow of its former self.
For this reason, it was hard to dismiss the possibility of a secret Level 6.
“…Well, I can’t speak to the allegiances of the mage,” said Finn, “but it seems clear to me that this Level Six is on the Evils’ side. We all ought to stick together for the time being. Nobody wants to run into them alone.”
Everyone’s faces to grow grave. The room fell silent. After an adequate pause, Finn continued.
“Now then, on to the last business of the day—and perhaps the most important,” he said. What he was about to bring up would make the entire three-hour meeting so far look like a child’s tea party. “We’ve received word from Hermes Familia. They’ve managed to locate several new Evils bases.”
““!!””
Alize’s and Kaguya’s eyes went wide, and so did those of every other adventurer in the room. Asfi stood up and gave her report, collated from information brought back by Hermes Familia’s scouting parties over the past few weeks.
“There seem to be three in total,” she said. “All previously abandoned facilities, and quite large compared to those we’ve seen in the past. We don’t know anything about what happens inside, but judging by the number of lookouts, it must be something quite important. These could even comprise the Evils’ main base of operations.”
“Based on these reports,” said Finn, taking over from her, “the Guild has also voiced its opinion that these are important Evils facilities. They’ve recommended we try to strike all three at—”
“Astrea Familia will take one!” shouted Alize, leaping to her feet so fast she startled Asfi, sitting beside her.
“I haven’t said anything yet,” said Finn, wearing a defeated smile.
“You’re going to ask for volunteers to carry out the attack, aren’t you? Of course you’re going to pick the Freya and Loki Familias, but you’ll need one more! Well, I nominate us! We’re the fastest familia around!”
Alize placed one hand on the table and leaned forward, almost as though she wanted to crawl across it and shout her answer in Finn’s face. Shakti, meanwhile, looked at this girl, a girl who showed no fear, who knew when bravery crossed into recklessness, and who, more than anyone else, expressed a heartfelt desire to do the right thing. She looked at her and opened her mouth.
“…Finn. I propose the Ganesha and Astrea Familias join forces. That should make up the numbers.”
“Understood,” answered Finn. “Then, as you say, we of Loki Familia shall make up the second group, and…Ottar, can we count on you for this?”
“Very well,” the boaz man responded with a nod.
Now that it was clear the two main forces of Orario would be taking part in the operation, morale around the table began to rise. It was Kaguya who narrowed her eyes and spoke.
“I’m terribly sorry to interrupt the good cheer, but…are we not considering the possibility this is all a trap?”
Finn’s answer was immediate, as though he had factored it in already. “We must take that into consideration and not spread our forces too thinly,” he said. “For that, we will need the cooperation of other strong familias: Hephaistos, Ishtar, and Dionysus, to name a few. Royman, can you handle this?”
“Well, if Orario’s safety hangs in the balance, I’ll bleeding well have to, won’t I?”
Finn then turned to Asfi. “Post your scouts all over the city,” he said. “If they witness anything out of the ordinary, I would very much like to hear it.”
“Yes,” the girl replied. “I’ll get the whole familia on it.”
There was a noise around the table unlike the previous silences. A bristling energy that came with direction and purpose.
“…Now, as I’m sure you’ve surmised, this will be a search-and-destroy operation,” Finn stated. “Now that we know where these bases are, we cannot leave them be. We must take the initiative and wipe them out.”
His sea-blue eyes surveyed each of the participants around the table in turn.
“The operation will begin…three days from now.”
In their laps, beneath the table, people tightened their fists.
“This operation requires the utmost secrecy,” he went on. “We cannot allow our enemy to figure out what we’re up to. It could be a matter of life and death.”
“Just leave it to me! They won’t know what hit ’em!”
It hardly needed saying who that sunny voice belonged to. Several others got caught up in Alize’s infectious enthusiasm, but Finn’s face remained serious.
“In that case, meeting adjourned,” he said.
However, that wasn’t the end of the story.
“.….…. ”
For there was one woman who, unbeknownst to anyone at the meeting, had been listening to their conversation the entire time. In the empty room next door, an upstanding Guild employee pressed an earring-shaped magic listening device to the wall. Once she heard the sounds of adventurers leaving their seats, she put away her tools and casually left the room.
“We have received word from our informant in the Guild.”
All it took was five hours for the information in the meeting to reach the Evils’ ears. Olivas read from the discreet, folded-up notepaper in his hand and smiled.
“The enemy begin their operation…in three days.”
The room was large, but much of it was cloaked in shadow. It was like some chamber secluded deep within a dying ruin, or a cold, dark section of a labyrinth.
There sat several figures, shrouded in darkness. After hearing Olivas’s news, Valletta Grede laughed and slapped her knee.
“Ha-ha! She did it! The bitch did it! Damn, these faithful worshippers are pretty useful!” A smile crept across her face. “Five years ago, we planted her, and we ain’t used her once! All so she could stay hidden until now!”
“Heh-heh. I’m impressed,” said Vito. “I didn’t think you had the patience.”
The man known as Faceless revealed one glimmering scarlet eye on his otherwise unremarkable face.
“Well, what good is a secret weapon if you don’t keep it secret?” replied Valletta, the leader of the bunch. “’Sides, we had to, ’cause of Finn. That little rat’s got more brains than most gods. If he goes sniffin’ around, the cat’s outta the bag. Had to keep it all on the down-low, until now.”
Valletta spoke in a celebratory tone, but Vito wasn’t ready to let down his guard just yet. He returned only a pointed glare.
“Come to think of it, Faceless, where’d your god piss off to? He’s the one who came up with all this, ain’t he?”
The god Valletta referred to was an embodiment of evil. One whose depths of wickedness shocked, frightened, and excited her in equal measure.
But Vito only gave an indifferent shrug.
“Oh, you know how these gods are,” he said. “Probably enjoying a stroll in some little corner of town.”
“Tch, well, his seat’s gettin’ cold. Whatever.”
Valletta would have preferred their leader stay on his throne where he belonged, but his absence didn’t seem to bother her for long. She smiled and shouted back into the darkness.
“You heard us, yeah? Party starts in three days. You gonna be ready? You’re our real secret weapons, ain’t ya?”
Two robed figures stepped out into the gloomy light.
One was a giant of a man. So tall that meeting his gaze would require most people to crane their necks.
The other was a woman with long ash-gray hair.
These were the very two mysterious individuals who were the subject of so much debate in Finn’s earlier meeting.
“I have nothing to prepare,” said the first. “When it comes time to fight, summon me. That is my only purpose.”
His deep voice rippled the air. The man almost seemed to exist on another plane. Vito opened one eye and grinned.
“Heh-heh-heh. Why say a hundred words when a single sword will suffice?” he said. “A most terrifying being indeed…”
“We’d really be screwed without these guys,” said Valletta with glee. “Even that boar bastard don’t stand a chance against ’em, let alone the rest of—”
“Silence.”
A single quiet voice cut through Valletta’s words. It was the robed woman.
“…What?” Valletta asked.
“Your voice is not just a nuisance; it is poison,” the woman said. “I feel sick just listening to it. The stench hits me as soon as you open your mouth. Stop talking.”
Her tone, as if she were talking to some pestilent insect, severely aggravated Valletta, whose face turned red with anger.
“What did you just say to me?!”
“We are content to silently follow orders. Would that you do the same.”
The implication in her words was clear: Everything you do just makes more trouble for us. Valletta couldn’t much take her haughty attitude, but she knew if she let her anger take control, she would end up torn to pieces before she even drew her sword.
“Let’s not overdo it, shall we?” said Olivas with a smile, attempting to keep the peace. “We are comrades now, for better or worse. Our goals may differ, but at present, we walk the same path. Apate Familia and Alecto Familia are preparing to fight as we speak. With those mad warriors at our side, nothing can stop us from spreading the fires of calamity.”
Joy crept into the man’s voice as he spoke.
“Soon our master’s desire will be fulfilled…and Orario will fall.”
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