Chapter 66: Search

Ash and Skadi were quickly led by inquisitor Irene and her superior, the high inquisitor. The topic was sensitive, there are eyes and ears everywhere.

Their paranoia was expected, especially with the crazy fanatics encroaching in the city of Sal Viento.

"Thank you for listening, your majesty." The high inquisitor bowed deeply and Irene had to follow suit with a bit of reluctance.

She just couldn't believe that he was the emperor of Leithanien.

"Sure, now spill." Ash crossed his arms and he raised a brow.

"Ahhh, you see. These are trying times here in Sal Viento. There are monsters coming from the shores, especially at night." The high inquisitor frowned heavily.

"Why are you telling her this? She's a heretic!" Irene hissed at Skadi. Now that she had a good look at the bounty hunter, she knew that the woman was an Aegirian.

Ash blinked at that and he was lost on why they would view an Aegirian as a heretic. They were the ones trying to take care of the behemoths and seaborne.

"Ahhh, it's because forehead here thinks that Aegir is where seaborne came from huh?" Ash asked no one in particular as he looked at the high inquisitor.

"Hah, that is true yes. The incident that claimed our golden flagship... The Stultifera Navis, it is still remembered all throughout Iberia. And the ship is out there. The monsters are from the deep, so too are the Aegirians." The inquisitor sighed, massaging his temples.

"Dario! Are you trying to conspire with the Aegirian? And why are we bowing out heads to the emperor of Leithanien? This is Iberia!" Irene glared at Ash. Not appreciating his little nickname for her.

Ash sneered and Irene bristled, her feathers stood up on end at the look on his face that was plain as day. He thought she was a goddamned idiot.

"You should reel in your subordinate. Lese majeste is a serious crime. And forehead, shouldn't you study more? Do you seriously not know about Paradiso and Leithanien?" Ash almost can't believe how ignorant she was.

"Irene! Shut your trap girl. Forgive her, your majesty. She's not the sharpest tool in the shed. Her prowess as an inquisitor is laudable though." Dario could feel his lifespan get cut by multiple years with his subordinate's antics.

"Listen forehead, she is my subordinate. That means she has political immunity. You're lucky you know what the hell's happening here. Because if not, your superior here knows what will happen." Ash's killing intent bore down on them like the weight of the world.

"Y-yes..." They managed to squeak out and he nodded with a snort. He then gestured for them to continue in telling what in the world is happening in Sal Viento.

"There is a group called the church of the deep hanging around here. Sal Viento is pretty far away from the inquisition's headquarters. That's why they're trying their nefarious schemes here." Dario squinted.

Skadi thought she had heard them before. Back on her bounty hunter days. But she just couldn't put a finger on it.

"They are promising people salvation. You see, due to the silence. This town is in bad condition, even with Paradiso's cheap merchandise. People are desperate for protection. The seaborne are emerging sporadically." Dario explained and Irene glared at the floor.

"I see, so paranoia is consuming the populace." Ash put a hand on his chin and thought this might be more than trying to convert people.

"Indeed, the people are wasting the resources from Paradiso. And the church is giving everyone their so-called gifts... Seaborne flesh, despicable bastards." Dario gritted his teeth.

Skadi's eyes widened and Ash donned a steely expression. "But why are these bastards giving that to the citizens? They can have more support by providing normal food and peace of mind through their religious bullshit." Ash didn't understand.

They would have more support from the people by doing that. It was the most efficient way to have them trust the church.

He then felt Skadi pull on his sleeve. "Maybe it's a part of their plan? Ash, not everyone works like you. You value efficiency and safer results. This is just plain recklessness."

Ash thought about it some more. Piecing the puzzles of their actions. And then it came to him, remembering what cultists want to do through movies and shows.

"Bastards... They are experimenting on the people! they want to turn into seaborne. And what better way than seeing others transform first before themselves?" Ash gritted his teeth and he slammed his fist on the table.

The inquisitors were shocked by his strength and revelation. When they look at their actions after hearing his hypothesis, it makes sense.

"Those cultist bastards..." Irene held her sword and gun tightly.

"Irene, calm down. We're outnumbered, even though we are swordmasters, it is foolish to try and storm the town to look for suspects." Dario reeled her in.

"Ahhh... Now I see why captain Gladiia wants to meet up here." Skadi nodded at her captain's plans.

Ash contemplated a bit and understood too. "Specter's a victim of theirs... She's bringing her here to purge the church of the deep." He blinked and the building they were in started to shake.

Lightning flashed and thunder cracked like a whip. Ash looked like an Asura.

"Laurentina can't be caught by those bastards with normal means. Even if they have good equipment. She would tear them apart... They caught her just after your battle with the firstborn..." Ash looked at Skadi.

The abyssal hunter bristled at the thought. They took advantage of one of her trusted comrades right after they defeated a world ending threat.

"Ash... They made her insane." Skadi's normally blank look turned into rage.

"L-let's calm down please..." Dario sweated bullets with Irene. Ash and Skadi took a breath and they looked at the inquisitors.

"You're the locals here, any information about their location? We'll take care of them ourselves." Ash was pissed and they knew it. But Dario unfortunately shook his head.

"These cultists... Prove to be elusive, if we knew where they were. We would have already destroyed their organization." Dario balled his fist.

"What he said." Irene added and everybody sighed. "I guess we need to scout the area first. Skadi, we will feel for new arrivals. You know Gladiia's scent and I know Specter's energy signature. She's like a beacon of originium." Ash gave her a look.

"Yes, I will tell you when I can locate captain Gladiia. She must have a lead on this church of the deep. Why else would she take Specter here?" Skadi understood the assignment.

"We separate for now, we look for these bastards and meet up here in this place two times a day. In the afternoon and nightfall." Ash ordered.

The inquisitors nodded and they began their search for the offenders.

"We have a problem..." A bishop reported to an abominable looking creature.

"They do not matter, continue your endeavors. The silence will prevail. Abyssal hunters are not infallible." The creature replied with a grotesque voice.

The two groups tried to find more information. But they came up short, as Dario said. They are elusive, and Ash was new to the environment. He does not know where they might be hiding. The town was clean, so he concluded that there's a place where they are hiding.

There were some rumors though. "Did you find anything? We just learned that there's someone called a chosen one. Though it's the only thing we managed to find out." Ash informed the inquisitors.

He scowled, he appreciated his ghosts and Shining more. Scrounging for information wasn't simple. And due to his newfound impulsiveness, he did not have the patience to do so.

"That matches what we found too. And that the locals are more aggressive. Paranoia is starting to affect them." Irene stormed suspicious houses.

As inquisitors, they were basically unmatched in their authority. But the civilians are hostile, even though they knew it could lead to their executions.

"The locals are suspicious as all hell. You cannot trust them, I will do a more thorough search later." Ash already mapped the town. It was time to try and find the more secretive places. Like underground and caves.

"That is true, we will not have success here." Dario agreed and they were about to retire. But Ash picked up on a disturbance with his sensitive hearing.

"Let's go, I feel a group of hostile presence at the shore." Ash narrowed his eyes, they were blank. Yet at the same time, vicious.

The group went to the shore. Dario and Irene frowned, while Skadi glared at the group of glowing eyes that were rising out of the water. (pic)

"Seaborne!" Skadi hissed as she prepared her sword. Dario and Irene looked at each other with a nod.

"So that's the seaborne? Now I've seen one in person. Those things are quite something alright." Ash saw that there were multiple types of them.

Some were bipeds and had tentacles wriggling on their backs. Some looked like a stingray with a yellow sphere on its body. But one thing was for sure. They were ugly motherfuckers.

"Go on and take care of them, I want to see how normal people will deal with those." Ash sicced his minions on the seaborne.

Irene felt like he was being unfair or something. But there were no use for benign thoughts in battle and she sprung to action with Dario and Skadi.

The eldritch looking monsters roared and howled. Pressing the attack against the three combatants. Ash raised a brow at their appearance.

Some looked like flowers, that had sickle hands. Others more mundane, a giant mollusk the size of a human got stabbed multiple times in a second by Irene.

Skadi swung her huge sword and a hurricane got created by the force of her swing. Multiple seaborne getting cut down in half by her monstrous strength.

Dario danced around the battle field and Ash thought that he would be able to fight Skadi one on one if she wasn't trained by Degenbrecher.

The past her would just swing her sword at things after all. Now she carefully aligned her blade and cut the monsters with absolute precision, strength, and speed.

While shooting some enemies, Irene blinked as she felt a tentacle hold her ankles. "Son of a! How is this thing still alive?" She shot it right on the head. It was one of the seaborne that Skadi cut in half like a hot knife through butter.

"Keep moving forehead, a battle against many enemies is like that." Ash instructed and Irene glared at her.

He had a smug look on his face and she knew he was right. She just got overconfident because Dario and Skadi seemed to cut them down without any problems.

And she made another mistake. She was distracted. A plant like seaborne that had a harpoon as it stigma launched it at her like it was a Japanese man, whaling.

"Shit!" Irene tried to swap for her sword because it was faster than reloading, but its trajectory was too fast.

But as a warrior, she didn't close her eyes. It stopped though, when Skadi took a hold of it while midair. Only inches away from her big forehead which was a good target.

"Focus little bird." Skadi snorted at her and she continued cutting down the remaining seaborne.

"Hah, forehead... Maybe you should put a target symbol on that? The seaborne had would love to target it." Ash put an x mark on her forehead.

"S-shut up!" Irene turned red in anger. And before she could screech her displeasure, the other two were done in taking care of the seaborne.

"Ash, we're done." Skadi waved at him and he nodded. He took some samples and put it in his personal dimension. Seeing Ling and Dusk do it, he was now able to make one that is more stable.

His sword didn't complain that it was practically a void in his pocket dimension. Waking up only when taken out and it experienced battle all the time.

But he did want to put things in there alive some day. Like right now, which was a good haul of seaborne material.

"Come on, let's go. This would hopefully make the locals a bit more compliant in our search." Ash could feel eyes on them.

The four of them went back to the impromptu HQ of the inquisitors.

__Skadi's room__

The orca lied down on her bed. "Hah, what is captain Gladiia thinking? We would have already wiped the church out if she just came with us." She sighed.

Skadi then went into deep thought. She has never expected to see any more of her comrades. Yet there she was, her captain that led them through thick and thin.

Gladiia was like a big sister to her. Even though she had a stick up her ass. Skadi would just say that the captain had to be strict. Their lives as Aegir's supersoldiers is not pleasant.

And she was sure that the squad leaders were the most affected about their group's deaths. Skadi went to her pack and took out a harp.

The orca hoped that Specter and Gladiia would hear her song.

Plucking the strings firmly, but gently. Skadi began to sing, her melodious and strong voice resounding in her environment.

She was so distracted that she did not notice Ash entered her room. Looking at her play her harp as she sang a song from Aegir.

"Your voice is really good Skadi, though your playing can use some work." Ash commented and she slowly looked at him. Embarrassed that he was just standing there, watching her for god knows how long.

"Ash... Have you heard of privacy?" Skadi pouted at him, but she would have let him in if he knocked.

"Have you? If I remember, you entered my personal bath without a knock?" Ash snorted and Skadi nodded at him.

"How about I play and you accompany me with your voice?" Ash took her harp and he plucked all the strings for scales. Checking the tune of it.

"Really? I've always wanted for you to play something and I will sing. Your music is heavenly." Skadi smiled at him softly and he patted her head.

"Come on, I expect you to be as good as me." Ash chuckled and he began playing her harp, mesmerizing her for a second.

She then felt his foot hit her leg. Skadi quickly cleared her throat and prepared to sing. (Mizuki and Caerula Arbor theme 2)

The music had a mysterious vibe to it. Somber, yet calm. And Skadi's voice made it feel as if a siren was singing a requiem for her lost friends, all alone in the deep.

While they were playing music, someone added into it and Skadi looked at the direction where it came from.

"Human, I didn't know someone could play Skadi's harp better than any Aegir. Not that Skadi could play it well." Gladiia appeared and the trio went into a staring contest.

Specter then soon followed, she lunged on Ash and he caught her without much problem. "Master~" The nun rubbed her face on his chest and Gladiia raised a brow.

"So you are Gladiia huh? Why oh why did you think that kidnapping my little nun here is a good idea?" Ash locked down the space around them. He called it a perfect cube. It was basically inescapable.

Even Ling who specialized in space would be hard pressed to escape.

They squinted their eyes at each other. Skadi and Specter backing down due to the tension.

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Thanks for reading everyone, ciao.