Chapter 29

Chapter 29: The People Who Protect the City

Gods of supreme power dwelled in the keystones of this world. With sight beyond time and space, they cast their gaze on the workings of the world. Devout believers who turned their hearts toward a god and held the power of Spiritual Insight could, through their secret link with the God, glimpse some part of the Mortal Realm’s future, or changes taking place at that moment in some hidden corner of the world.

This kind of sight was not bound by time or space, but it carried the hidden risk of corruption by Subspace. For devout believers with firm wills, however, this dangerous and powerful gift was their greatest reliance when they guarded the fragile lights of civilization scattered across the endless sea.

Inquisitor Vanna had seen a similar vision for several days in a row.

In a half-dreaming state, she saw the boundless sea darken like ink. Then a thunderous roar rose from the depths. The sea split in two, and a terrible trench opened straight down to the seabed. A huge ship wreathed in flames rose from the ocean floor and slowly floated upward in midair like a flying vessel. Behind it walked an invisible giant, its whole body covered in starlight, taking step after step toward the city-state of Pland.

In Inquisitor Vanna’s life so far, a prophetic vision on such a terrifying scale had appeared only twice.

The first came in her childhood. She woke from a nightmare overflowing with blood, and soon after, in an attack by cultists, she lost her parents and received the scar that would stay on her face for life.

The second came four years ago. In a dream she saw a Black Sun rise beneath the city-state, and because of it she wiped out the largest cell of the Sun cult that had slipped into the city. To this day, the cultists’ lingering minions still hid in the vast, complex, ancient tunnels under Pland, locked in a pointless struggle with the Church’s Guardians.

This was the third time. She saw a ship return from the Deep Sea, bringing an unnameable giant back into this world.

She had lied to the priest before her. The prophetic vision she saw was in fact very clear – so clear that even she, an Inquisitor, had been unable to sleep for days.

The priest looked into the calm gray-white eyes of the woman before him and hesitated for a long time before speaking: “But when you prayed to the Goddess, you did not seem to receive a bad answer?”

“The Goddess does not have to warn us of every risk. Sometimes hardship itself is the test,” Vanna said calmly. “Enough about that. What news is there from the Explorer Association?”

The priest nodded at once: “The contact at the Association just sent word. The sacred relic kept at their headquarters has sensed that ship appear in the southwestern sea. But the telegraph apparatus on board seems to have broken down. Right now we cannot contact them. We only know that the ship is moving at its normal speed and on its normal course toward the coastal waters near Pland.”

“It vanished from the sacred relic’s senses for a time, then appeared out of nowhere on another stretch of sea far off its planned route. Now it cannot be contacted and is sailing straight toward the city… and before it went missing, it was on a mission to escort an Anomaly.” The Inquisitor’s brows slowly drew together. Years of dealing with eerie things made her instincts prickle with warning. “If I remember right, that ship is called the White Oak, isn’t it?”

“Yes, the White Oak. Its captain is Lawrence Creed of the Explorer Association, a very experienced captain. Because of the special cargo, the Church was informed before the ship left the city-state of Lunsa.” The priest tried to recall the details as he spoke. “Ah, and the priest traveling with them is a registered priest of the Deep Sea Church.”

“So they are our brothers of the Church… I hope things are not too bad,” Vanna said gravely. “In any case, something is wrong with that ship. The entire route from Lunsa to Pland lies inside the Explorer Association’s safe zone. Yet that ship vanished once from the sacred relic’s senses. I suspect the White Oak very likely left the Mortal Realm for a short time, and may even have gone somewhere it should never go.”

“Inform the Guardians at the Harbor. As soon as the White Oak enters port, they are to keep it under watch. Until all inspections are complete, no person and no item may leave that ship. Has the Security Corps responded?”

“Rest assured. Your uncle – the Governor – has already ordered the constables to secure the area around the Harbor and has raised the Harbor’s alert level. From now until the alert is lifted, all ships entering or leaving Pland will temporarily dock at the backup Harbor on the western side.”

“Good. My uncle has always been a cautious man.” The tight look on Vanna’s face finally eased a little. “As long as he does not let those ordinary people in the Security Corps get mixed up in this.”

The priest looked into Vanna’s pale gray eyes, chose his words with care, and asked: “Do you think… that ship has already been corrupted?”

“We cannot be sure yet. But a ship that briefly leaves the Mortal Realm and then returns is rarely completely normal. Perhaps some item on board has unknowingly changed into an Anomaly. Perhaps it is some hidden mental illness in a crew member. It might even be an extra sailor or a captain who has been replaced. For a sea ship that has already shown abnormal signs, it is never wrong to treat it with the highest caution.”

“Ah… I hope that ship and its crew are all safe,” the priest said, placing his hand over his chest and murmuring the name of the Storm Goddess. “May the Storm Goddess protect all who bravely challenge the sea.”

“May they all be safe,” Vanna echoed softly, lowering her eyes. Then, as if to remind the priest before her, she added: “But if they are not so fortunate, we must also be ready.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Vanna nodded. She was about to turn her attention back to the city outside the window when hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from the stairs.

Moments later, a Guardian in a black uniform trimmed with silver ran up from the stairwell, the emblem of waves and a dagger painted on his chest.

“Inquisitor!” The young Guardian took two quick breaths, then spoke urgently: “We have found a worship site of the Sun cult in the sewers and captured a group of cultists!”

Vanna’s face grew sharply serious at once: “Those cultists who worship the Black Sun? Wait – you said you found a worship site, not a hiding place? They dared to hold ritual Worship again?!”

“Yes. It was a place used to hold rituals. We found evidence that sacrificial rites had been performed there,” the Guardian said quickly. “We also found a large number of victims in a nearby chamber not far from the ritual site – most of them had had their hearts taken in sacrifice. Only… something about the ritual site itself is not quite right.”

From the Guardian’s face Vanna saw a mix of absurdity and confusion. She took up the heavy greatsword beside her, the one that bore the Storm Goddess’s divine blessing, slung it onto her back, and strode quickly toward the stairs: “Lead the way. I will go to the scene myself.”

“Yes!”

The heavy, blessed greatsword clinked against her metal shoulder guards with a clear sound. Her quick steps carried her down the long stairs inside the Great Bell Tower. Vanna came out onto the small square in front of the tower and saw several Guardian squad members already gathered there, waiting. Two Steam Walkers stood at the edge of the square, their spider-like mechanical bodies giving off constant clicking sounds.

Vanna did not stop. She only gave the Guardians a signal to move out and walked straight toward one of the walkers. The huge machine, as large as two double-wheel carriages, looked like a mechanical spider crouched on the ground. Wheels were set along the edges of its steel limbs to let it glide over flat ground, and steel hooks were mounted for rough terrain. On either side of the upper carapace were gun pods fitted with rotary guns.

Purely technological creations had a hard time harming Anomalies or Visions directly. But overwhelming firepower could wipe out the heretic cultists hiding behind them and pulling the strings. Of course, these machines could not show their full power in the sewers, but they were very useful for blocking off exits.

A spray of holy 8-millimeter rounds could, in the blink of an eye, send a whole crowd of fleeing heretics off to Subspace to serve their master.

The gray-haired, gray-eyed Inquisitor leaped straight onto the walker’s carapace. With the sword on her back, she stood steady in the night. Two other Guardians climbed skillfully into the gun pods on either side of the carapace. A series of hissing sounds came from the cylinders and pressure pipes as they built up and released steam. White vapor sprayed from the joints of the walker’s limbs. The huge mechanical spider rose, jumped in a single stride onto the nearest main road, then switched to gliding mode and sped toward the closest sewer entrance.