cp13

Hey, boy. You hit your head pretty hard there." I felt a hand tapping my cheek. Was I knocked out? I groan as I sit up.

"Thanks, uh…" I blink my eyes open and almost pass out again. I was in the alleyway I saw in my vision. Two robed men rested against the brick wall, the other crouched before me.

"Need a hand?" He asks. I silently nod, and he pulls me up.

"Quite a fight with Gazef you had. You had him for a minute; what happened?" This wasn't good. I knew who these guys were.

They were members of the Slane Theocracy. This world's Big Bad. I couldn't be affiliated with them in any way or Nazarick would have my head on a pike… Or could I?

I scrunch my face up as I try to go through as many outcomes as possible.

Clementine managed to evade the Black Scripture in the canon timeline, one of their elite units. So, escape is an available option if I betray them. If I were to cross them, surely getting my hands on classified intelligence would make me valuable to Nazarick… Or would that incentivise them to send me to Neuronist Painkill instead…?

I weighed the pros and cons in my head.

Pros:

The Slane Theocracy has Yggdrasil items. No doubt, some would bolster my power in some shape or form. This was the main selling point. I wouldn't be able to procure high-quality items by myself.To go to the lengths they have to kidnap me, I have reason to believe they would treat me much better than regular cannon fodder. If I was lucky, recruitment into one of the scriptures.

Cons:

This was the Slane Theocracy we were talking about. The absolute human supremacists they were, they have no common ground with the Sorcerer's Kingdom. I couldn't change the internal dogma within such a short timeframe.If I went with them, I'd be abandoning most of my political work back in the Re-Estize Kingdom. Installing Zanac early was going to be one of my top priorities. A strong Kingdom was necessary for my goals.

Hmm… This wouldn't really have been a dilemma if it weren't for one thing.

They got Renner. This was the thing that forced my hand. I could forsake the promise of sound equipment and a high rank if I had the security that came with Renner.

If I escaped them but left Renner, my presence at the Valencia Palace would be called into question. I'd be kicked out and back on the streets or executed for failing my duties as a retainer. Plus, leaving Renner to the Slane Theocracy left a bad taste in my mouth.

"Boy, you've got a pained expression on your face. Want a drink?" The gruff man held out a waterskin.

"No thanks." I better not tip my hand here. I can't let them know that I have knowledge of what they're planning. "By the way, weren't we at the arena? You brought me here for a reason, didn't you?" I cross my arms.

"Haha!" He barked, "straight to the point, then. I like it. We're part of the Slane Theocracy's Windflower Scripture. We've been sent to the Kingdom's tournament to scout for promising talent. I think we've found one in you."

What utter bullshit. I refrained from spitting in his face. The Slane Theocracy would never do that. They were sent here to kidnap Renner and me.

"We cannot let one such as yourself go to waste. This kingdom is rotten, I'm sure you have seen. They will exploit your talents and discard you as soon as you exhaust your usefulness. The Slane Theocracy is seeking brilliance, and you have shown us just that in today's tournament. We are offering to you the opportunity of a lifetime, Climb."

The exact same words rang out in my head. It hit like déjà vu, but I knew otherwise. This was the first time these sentences were being spoken by this man.

If they've already gotten Renner, then there's no choice. I curse myself. I was planning to warn Renner of this, but I got too preoccupied with Gazef to do so. One drawback of my premonitions, it seems, is that I have no clue when they'll occur.

"I'd love to accept your offer, but my loyalties lie with her highness Princess Renner." I see the man's face stretch into a smile; he must be feeling pretty smug right now.

"Oh ho. Don't worry about that. The Princess will also be joining you in the Theocracy." I feign an expression of thought.

"Hmm, I'd need proof of that. I don't just blindly trust anything anybody says." The man makes some strange hand gestures to his teammates, and they speed off.

"Just wait."

A couple minutes later, a nondescript carriage pulls up by the alleyway.

"Come with me." I silently follow behind him.

The carriage opens, and I see Renner strewn across the seats. I see red, and my hand instinctively reaches for my side.

"What have you done to her?!" I shout. A couple moments pass and my stomach drops. I don't have Kilineriam on me.

I was holding out my open hand like an idiot.

"Bwahaha! Don't worry yourself, kid. She's just sleeping; she'll be awake soon enough." I look back at her form and notice the gentle rising and falling of her chest.

A sigh of relief makes itself heard.

"It looks to me that you weren't going to give us a choice, were you?" The man smiles once again.

"Correct." He turns to his teammates, "see, lads, this is the kind of astute thinking the Theocracy needs. I can hardly believe he's just a kid!" He points at me.

I'm torn between punching this guy's lights out and tending to Renner.

Shit.

I crawl up into the carriage and shut the door behind me. There was absolutely no point in resisting. Despite all my big talk and literal foresight, the outcome hadn't changed, albeit I was conscious this time around.

"Good choice, Climb! We'll be heading to the Theocracy now, so be prepared for a short ride!" I hear the man shout beyond the carriage confines. Short ride? Wasn't the ride meant to be several weeks? Hmph. Probably some transportation magic.

The carriage jolts and begins to move. The windows were blacked out, so I couldn't see anything outside. A lone oil lamp was the only source of light in here.

I look down at Renner beside me, and a foreign feeling wells in my chest.

I really overreacted there, didn't I? Trying to go up against three fully-equipped Scripture members was the height of folly. I shook my head.

Strangely, even when asleep, Renner's presence manages to comfort me. The clip-clop of horse hooves outside drowns out and I become sleepy. I just notice the barest wisps of gas entering the carriage through a narrow hole. Those bastards…

It seemed they weren't leaving anything to chance.

For the third time today, the world goes black.

"Our mission went without a problem, your holiness Dominic." The captain announced.

"Excellent work; once you transfer them to their holding cells, you may rest. Visit your families in good faith. Return in two days refreshed and reinvigorated." I reply. It is met by a deep bow before he left without a sound.

I stroke my chin as I consider his words. As expected of the Windflower Scripture. The capture of both the Princess of the Kingdom and her advisor was no simple feat. My fellow Cardinals would surely be pleased with such news.

After hearing so much about these two, I feel obligated to pay them a visit in person. I lean back into my office chair.

Before doing so, the scourge of bureaucracy comes first. How I miss my days in the Windflower Scripture. There is no need to waste hours writing meticulously about the goings-on of everyday operation.

Though, as a Cardinal, it was one of my responsibilities. I cracked my ageing knuckles and settled down.

I had to write a report.

AN: Super small chapter (more like an intermission), something to wrap up the first arc. Now, onto the second. Climb and Renner are headed to the Slane Theocracy. What's going to happen? Hopefully, Climb learns to not end every chapter by blacking out. Thanks for reading. Leave a review!