Whispers in the Dark

Irisia tutted as she finally made her way out of the underground complex.

I hate making this trip, she thought to herself as she passed the tight formation of elite knights surrounding the entrance on her way out.

The entrance to the secret research chamber was located inside a special block within the Theocracy's Temple of Magic. She had to go through several layers of guards and security checks just to reach the inner cloister of the temple where the special block was located.

Upon getting there, Irisia then had to navigate through 5 floors of an underground labyrinth using a scroll imbued with a unique guidance spell. One wrong step could spell instant death at any moment.

On top of that, the Supreme Chancellor herself frequently visited to check on the progress of the Staff. The possibility of her presence alone was an absolute deterrence to any potential intruder.

It was the most secure place within the Slane Theocracy, almost as secure as the Treasury before half of it was obliterated 100 years ago. It was the second most secure place in the world.

The Cardinal of Darkness chuckled as she walked out of the Temple of Magic.

If they only knew…..

She gazed up at the late afternoon sky with a brief look of contemplation, before pulling up the hood of her cloak and making her way towards the market square.

While the Temples of the Gods traditionally occupied different sectors of a city, the newer Temple of Magic was unique in that it was attached directly to the Central Temple where the Supreme Chancellor presided. The Central Temple was seated on the northwestern edge of the Immaculate Capital with its back to the great Fire God Mountain.

On the other hand, her destination-the market square-was smack in the center of the Immaculate Capital. It was widely regarded as the "melding pot" of the city, where clergymen from different sects, positions and levels of seniority mingled in the name of commerce. Peasants set up stalls for basic commodities, while merchants managed stores with more...exotic goods. All of them were, of course, human. And their sole faith-the Six Great Gods.

Within half an hour's time, Irisia arrived at the center of the capital. However, instead of entering the great bustling plaza that was the heart of the capital's trade, she ducked into a dark alleyway, careful to keep her head down to conceal it under the shadows of her hood. The Cardinal walked briskly to the center of the alleyway, stopping in front of a small, dimly lit tea shop. She entered.

The inside of the tea shop was as murky and lifeless as it looked from the outside. Jars of tea leaves sat on rows of decrepit wooden shelves to the left, their labels already faded to the point of being indiscernible. To the right were a series of dusty glass cabinets crammed with tea-related utensils.

"How can I help you today?"

Irisia looked to the source of the voice, where a bald old man sat behind the shabby-looking counter at the other end of the room. The old man did not even look up as she entered, his face hidden in shadow as he tinkered with the oddly shaped teapot in his hands.

"I'd like to purchase a red bubble tea pot."

Upon hearing this, the old man halted the work in his hands for a brief moment before quietly resuming as he replied in a monotone voice:

"Our backroom may have the item you're looking for. Feel free to take a look in there."

He tilted his head briefly towards the small curtained doorway on the wall to the right of the counter.

The Cardinal nodded her thanks before making her way to the doorway, carefully brushing aside the violet curtains as she went in.

Behind the doorway was a tiny room, empty save for a large box made from an unknown grey material. Engraved on the top of the box was a strange sigil that glowed with a blood red light.

There were only a handful of individuals within the Theocracy who could recognise the significance of the alien carving, and Irisia Kiv Jovarus was one of them.

Irisia placed her hand on the rune, closing her eyes and allowing the connection between her and the rune to form.

[Password]

A hint of nervousness crept into her voice as Irisia spoke: "The Goal of All Life is Death."

Hsssssssssss…..

The eerie sound that reverberated from the box resembled the inhaling of some dreaded beast, and for a brief moment, the Cardinal panicked as she felt as if all the air in the room had been sucked dry into the box. The feeling lasted for only a second, and her sudden bout of hysteria soon disappeared entirely as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The lid of the box finally slid open, revealing a plain looking crystal ball within.

The crystal ball took on a bright blue glow as a cold female voice was emitted from the object.

"Cardinal, I trust you have good news?"

Irisia's eyes lit up with a mixture of reverence and just a hint of fear at the sound of the voice.

"Your holiness, it is truly an honor. I am pleased to report that everything is under control. Our agents have slowly begun to penetrate into the other Temples, and I believe it is a matter of time before we can begin to embed eyes and ears into the Inner Sanctum of the Central Temple."

"What of the Staff?"

"It is as you predicted. The Staff is showing activity once again. I managed to delay my report to the Supreme Chancellor for the time being by provoking Kareth, but I suspect it will be a matter of time before she catches wind of the matter and personally investigates. The corpses of the two senior researchers I killed are undergoing memory extraction through the device you provided me. The results will be sent to you within the next few days."

An emotional undertone crept into the icy voice from the crystal ball as it muttered: "Hmm….so the Hand's premonition was correct. Could it be….?"

Irisia's eyes widened in surprise. "Y-your holiness?"

The voice returned instantly to a cold and indifferent tone: "It's nothing. What of the captured Floor Guardians?"

Irisia gulped as she replied. She had been dreading this part.

"Based on the limited intel I've been able to gather, the imprisoned ones are still unresponsive for the most part. Any and all information regarding their confinement is entrusted solely to the Black Scripture and overseen directly by the Supreme Chancellor. I'm afraid I have made little to no progress in that regard."

The voice did not sound surprised, replying in an indifferent tone: "I see….so that insufferable whelp still insists on playing the figurehead. Well, no matter."

The voice continued: "You've done well, Cardinal. I take it you've already adjusted to the previous augmentations we've provided? More will come as long as you continue to deliver your end of the bargain."

A naked hunger shone from Irisia's usually emotionless eyes upon hearing the voice's promise. "Of course, your Holiness. I am happy to serve. Long live the Church of the Deathless!"

'Enough of this "Your Holiness" nonsense.' the voice replied coldly. "There is only one being worthy of any claim to divinity. You may refer to me as Archbishop."

Irisia winced as she heard the sliver of annoyance in the voice's reply. The last thing she wanted to do was piss this person off. "Yes, Archbishop. To the Glory of Ainz Ooal Gown!"

"Mmm... yes, indeed. To the Glory of His Majesty, to the Resurrection of Ainz Ooal Gown."