[Melas] Chapter 108: Disruption (Patreon)

It was with a dour mood in which I carried myself to the inner city of Jahar’taw. The mountain of Jahar seemed like a hulking, massive obstacle which I did not want to climb. I still did, anyways.

Because I had to.

Jack and Lisa had asked for me. They would not endanger me, right? Unless they did not know that it was going to be dangerous, either. The Dark Crusaders had called for me. They might have suspected something was up. It was my paranoia speaking again, but it was entirely possible that they figured out who I really was.

Melas. Daughter of the Fiend. The child of Aria. Valeria Aimy Corinna’s only offspring.

But more than that. I was Melas. The murderer of Victorianius Valens, a Dark Acolyte and Disciple of the Dark Crusaders. He was not the only Dark Crusader I had killed. But he was the only one I knew.

I didn't even know if the Dark Crusaders wanted me dead. I just knew that I had betrayed them. And I would not want to know what a terrorist organization like them did to traitors.

I shook my head as the mana train crested up to the top of the mountain. We entered the caldera, being engulfed by a brief moment of darkness, before entering the bustling, sprawling city within. We stopped at the station, and I stepped out onto the platform. I pushed my way through the crowds, mask not yet worn. Then I slipped into an alleyway, quickly pulling up a hood and bearing the metal on my face.

Good thing it’s enchanted to be lighter, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have even been able to look straight. I shook my head as I crawled through the dark alleyways of Jahar’taw. I was less worried about running into thugs, then I was into somehow, magically running into Lilith.

I could deal with any ordinary criminal without a problem.

I finally arrived at Snowy Stew’s restaurant and entered the basement after a quick check-up. I found Jack and Lisa waiting there, drawing some eyes from all the Goblins within. They were Humans in a Goblin establishment. Sure, they were not the only ones. But they certainly stood out.

I approached the pair, giving them a curt nod as I spoke. “What’s going on?”

Lisa smiled her usual smile as she greeted me. “Hello, Aria. Glad to see you arrived on time.”

On time? I thought with a frown. They did not give me any timetable to meet them. She probably was putting up a show for any eavesdroppers. “Of course,” I said simply. “Are we to leave for our meeting now?”

I paused for a moment. And quickly added a Goblin’s grunt.

Jack— whether it was out of instinct or on purpose— grunted and stood up. “Let’s just go.” He stalked off, and we left the den.

We had arranged for a different meeting area with the Dark Crusaders. After our last spot was compromised thanks to Didar, we had to find a more inconspicuous spot to speak with them in.

Mahir, the Dark Acolyte we spoke to from before, waited for us in an old warehouse. It was a storage depot— some kind of mana tech facility. Not government owned, considering it did not have the MTRDT’s markings on its front.

He nodded at us as we arrived, before leading us through assembly lines with many Goblin laborers working their jobs. Finally, we arrived in a private room and the door shut behind us. A dozen other Goblins waited behind him in the room as he turned to us.

Lisa was the first one to speak. “Disciple Mahir, why did you request to speak with us?” She raised a brow. “Has there been any issues? I believe our payments have been made on time, without a problem.”

I casually rested a hand at my waist— on the gray-steeled dagger— ready to draw it at any point in time. Thankfully, the Goblins did not seem on edge.

“There have been no issues,” Mahir started, “not from your side, at least.” His gaze turned towards the room of boxes around us. “You noticed that we’re in a factory, correct?”

I nodded— that was obvious. Lisa and Jack did too. “This is one of your Dark Crusaders’ undercover operations,” the man pointed out.

“It is,” Mahir agreed. He crossed his arms, his face twisting into a scowl. “We do not do this just to gain a foothold in Jahar’taw, of course. As you may know, the Goblin population in the Taw Kingdom is one of the highest in the world. While creating jobs for them may earn us some goodwill, nothing matters to us more than helping our own kind.”

I wanted to roll my eyes. Did they really just invite us here to spread the good word about their organization? Because I had seen the depths of what they did. The darkness they allowed to flourish. I did not agree with it.

“Quit beating around the bush,” I growled. I was trying to sound like a Goblin would. “Why did you call us here?”

He sighed, shaking his head. “Our operations have recently been… disrupted.” There was a deliberate tone of voice here. As if he did not want to continue. But he had to, anyways. “I am not sure if you’ve heard, but there have been a delegation from the Church sent to Jahar’taw.”

“We heard,” Lisa said, drawing her lips to a thin line. She looked worried. But more worried than she normally would be— just to put up an act. “We have been monitoring the activities of Saintess Lilith and the Holy Knights closely. Just to ensure they do not intervene with our group. But, of course, we highly doubt they’d be interested in a group as small as ours.”

“That is, unfortunately, not the case for us.” Mahir shook his head. “That Saintess scum has been targeting each and every one of our cover operations. Even innocuous factories like this are assailed. Hundreds of Goblins are put out of jobs. In the name of what is right and just. In the name of the Church.” He spat, and the glob of saliva went sailing to a wall. “Don’t they realize they’re only bringing more people to our side?”

Was that not a good thing? I was pretty sure he was upset about it; however, shouldn’t he be pleased? Perhaps they really do want to help their own kind, I thought.

Lisa stepped forward, diplomatic as usual. “While I understand things must be hard for the Dark Crusaders right now, especially with the renewed presence of the Church in Jahar’taw, may I ask how this affects us?”

“It means we won’t be able to keep up our end of the deal,” the Goblin admitted. He gestured at a Dark Crusader behind him, and was handed a pouch. “Here.” He offered it to us.

I narrowed my eyes as Lisa took it. “What do you mean? What’s this?” I glanced between the two, confused.

“We made a deal with them, Aria,” the young woman explained. “A bulk order of spellbooks and tomes. They would provide us with a range of selections you would choose. But it seems they can’t deliver…” She eyed the coin pouch, as if counting. “Half of what we purchased. So, they’re returning our gold.”

“Wait—” I raised a hand. “But we made a deal. Can’t we offer you something more?” The Dark Crusaders have been our sole supplier of spellbooks for a while; Lisa and Jack had not been able to acquire any from any other sources, especially since we had gotten into an altercation with Didar.

“I understand you have your own… problems.” Mahir spoke slowly, tapping a finger on his round chin. “And while we would like to offer our clients help, we are in a tight situation ourselves.”

“But…”

“The most we can do for you— as a sign of our goodwill— is tell you that the Dwarf crime lord that has been causing you problems. Didar?” He looked at us as if to confirm, and we nodded. “Since the Church has been clamping down on our activities, the House of Or’taq are actively tightening in on them. Especially after their connections with the Puer Kingdom was discovered recently.”

I played dumb. I pretended like I had no idea about what he was talking about. “Connection with the Puer Kingdom?”

“Yes. It seems like this Didar has been bribing officials from the government, getting them to sell their secrets to Puer. This was a major scandal a few weeks back. And now, with increasing tensions between the countries, they’re trying to put an end to Didar’s business.”

“I… see.” I gave him a small nod. “What do you think of all this? Are you… familiar with the Puer Kingdom?”

“The Dark Crusaders have no affiliation with the current monarchy of Puer,” Mahir grunted, almost in disgust. “They’re our enemies. They’re worse than criminals or killers. They are scum that should face the wrath of the Goddess.”

I knew he was referring to the Goddess not in the typical Goddess of Light way which the rest of the world saw. Rather, the Dark Crusaders believed She was a Goddess of Darkness. But the mental image of a kind and loving Goddess smiting pedophiles was pretty funny.

I just wished it was not actually as gruesome as I remembered, and that I did not have traumatic memories from being nearly sold to child-loving slavers.

“We appreciate the forewarning, Disciple Mahir,” I said with a light bow. I had to be respectful. “Are we not to contact you any longer?”

“Perhaps if the business you wish to deal with is more discreet and less troubling…” he trailed off. “We have allies coming to aid us, soon. So, do not be afraid to reach out to us. I am not gleefully cutting our deal short. Do not get it twisted. It is with great reluctance I have to deliver this news.”

“It is fine. Thank you.”

Lisa and Jack both bade their farewells too, and we were off. I was not sure when, but I had relaxed halfway through the meeting— despite the fact that at any point in time, things could have gone sour. I really let my guard down. And yet, even as I left the factory and returned to our warehouse, there was no attack.

No ambush.

The meeting had gone smoothly. It was not a meeting I wanted— nor were its results good for me. But I came out of it mostly fine. And that was all that mattered, right?

Plus, the tidbit about Didar was interesting. It seemed like the reason why he was so reticent in attacking us— especially after being so open initially in targeting Jack— was due to the pressure they faced from the House of Or’taq. Perhaps I could relax just a little bit.

The world was moving. Things were happening. It was not like I had to be on my toes twenty-four-seven, right? I paused as I entered my room. I saw the mess I had. All the opened books. The half built mana tools. The myriad of projects I had planned.

No. I steeled myself. Things are happening, that is why you cannot stop. Or else the world will catch up to you. I had many worries in my mind. Elara. The three strangers. The Abominations. Those were what I feared the most. Nothing else was as pressing of a threat, right?

—--

The dim fire hanging on the side of the dark, stone wall crackled. Beads of wax rolled down the side of the candle, but the figure sitting on the desk did not look up. They read the missive in their hand— the scribblings of scribe who had received the message via spell.

Then they leaned back as their obsidian-black skin was limned by the candlelight. “Go to Jahar’taw, huh?” Estia wondered out loud. Then a savage grin spread across her face. “The opportunity to kill a Saintess with my own two hands… as if I would ever pass it up.”

She got to her feet, paper held in hand as she pushed the wooden door open. She was not at the Infernalis. This was a random inn she had stopped by, on her way back. Sure, Estia could simply fly back in less than a day.

However, sometimes, she just wanted to have fun. The innkeeper stood at the bar, chatting with the one drunkard who was still up even this late at night. He glanced over at Estia, and called out.

“Hey, Miss! It’s not safe out at night—” He froze in fear as Estia lifted her hood, glancing back at him. The drunk man rubbed at his eyes as the innkeeper dropped the glass mug he had been wiping. “D-D-D-D…”

Estia snorted. “Demon, yes.” She snapped her fingers, and all the candles and torches in the inn went out. An ear-piercing scream left the innkeeper’s mouth, even though Estia did nothing. That was expected. She knew the pathetic Humans would react that way— and that was why she did this.

She enjoyed seeing the fear in their eyes. The realization that Demons were not extinct. It filled her night with joy.

The Demon leapt up into the air, being carried by he magic as she soared through the sky. The wind blew against her face as she left the little town of Amanis. It was a border town between Puer and Taw. With the current tensions and looming war, she was certain this town would be deserted in a few months. Perhaps even weeks.

The piece of paper she held in her hand flapped as she flew through the sable dome, soon reaching the edge of the Great Desert. Now, she thought, looking back down at the message. I just have to find a Disciple to bring with me, huh? In other words, this was a babysitting mission.

The question was: who should she bring?

Author's Note:

Don't forget to check out the crossover comic I commissioned between Salvos and Melas here!