All expression winked out of Ryker’s face and his face beca impassive like stone. I couldn’t tell if that was good or bad.
Temur and I exchanged a look of silence, both of us waiting for him to speak. Wanting to know what move he would play next.
The big guy adjusted himself on his seat. "You know where the chaos Cult killed hundreds of Awakeners because they want to summon.....!!"
Ryker’s eyes shone, and the air around him thickened. It wasn’t threatening, exactly, but it might as well have been.
I felt the weight of it pressing down, and his voice cut through the tension like steel, perfectly matching his narrowed eyes "Who are you guys? Are you here just to play tricks on ? Are you sent by the Major?"
I swallowed, forcing my voice steady. "I don’t know what you an by Major. We’re Awakeners who just climbed to this floor not too long ago...."
He didn’t let up. "Then how do you know about what happened with the Chaos Cult on floor 102? That’s classified information that wasn’t made public. Are you spies? Where are you from? What organization supports you?"
I could see the gleam of his blade beneath that calm tone. As if he was hiding a sword below a perfect, calm lake.
Temur leaned forward and answered before I could, his stare locked with Ryker’s. There was no self-preservation in him, none that I could see. "This is also classified. We were part of those who were kidnapped, but we managed to get ourselves freed. Then we killed the chaos mbers and sent an anonymous tip to the Tower Guards."
I watched Ryker’s face as Temur spoke. His expression barely changed, just the tiniest widening of his eyes. After a long pause, he spoke again.
"Well, this is certainly new. I don’t think you are spies or working for the Chaos Cult. But it’s surprising that you were part of what happened on floor 102. Nothing directly links the Chaos Cult to it, but everyone knew it was them.
"How did you manage to escape, then? From what I know, the Chaos Cult is careful to clean up after themselves. But this ti...they let you live. Oh. I see. That’s why they wanted you dead. Hm. But that doesn’t explain why they didn’t just kill you instead of kidnapping you."
His eyes narrowed, head moving as if calculating sothing too fast for to follow. "Is there sothing of value you’re keeping from ?"
I shook my head. "There isn’t. Captain Ryker, why don’t you just tell us how you might be able to help us?"
He was silent for a mont, then rifled through papers on his table and pulled one out. "I’ve read your reports on the one who kidnapped and attacked you. That ability is quite peculiar and rare. He is the Blood Necromancer, Kaelith."
I stiffened. A Necromancer. "The Blood Necromancer...? Is he...popular?"
"He was. Back when he began to climb, sothing happened, I don’t know the details and he vanished. But even then, he was a known mber of the Chaos Cult. He must have ranked higher in the cult now to be able to use such a powerful artifact."
Temur’s voice cut sharp. "Now that we know who he is, the only thing remaining is to find him and get Litha away from him. No ti to lose!"
I raised my brows. Of course, nothing is ever that easy.
Ryker confird my thought. "If Kaelith is now a high-ranking mber of their cult, that only ans one thing: he’ll have access to personal guards and money. Lots of money."
Temur frowned. "What does money have to do with all this?"
Ryker laughed, the kind that always seed fresh when talking to people who hadn’t seen much of the Tower. "Because with money, you can buy power! How do you think he got an artifact that pierced the zone? You can build your strength, but don’t forget money as well. Tch, tch, you still have a lot to learn. But that’s it. That’s the help I can provide you."
I felt the weight of his words settle over . Temur and I sat in shock.
"But that’s hardly anything! What can we do with just the na? What about the location and everything else?" I asked, anger flaring. After all that talk, that’s all he was giving us? Not even a crumb.
"That is what I can provide for you as Captain Ryker. But I have more. Before I release that, there’s sothing we should discuss, if you manage to track the Chaos Cult, I want every detail about them. Important or not. I want it all. And you must give all credit to ."
"Agreed," Temur said imdiately.
"Very well. What I have for you is a link to the Chaos Cult. Sothing like a month ago, one of the High Priests of the Chaos Cult went to floor 102 after the...incident. But weeks ago, there was confirmation he was now on this floor. If you can find him, maybe you’ll be able to pull information about Kaelith."
A flicker of hope ran through . I grabbed onto it. "Captain Ryker, this information about the High Priest... I hope you have more. How to find him and such..."
"Of course. I’m interested too. I’m waiting to find sothing to nail him to. We tracked him to Orha, not surprising."
"Orha? What’s that?"
"Every floor has towns like this. It’s like a den for criminals, dark markets, and such. Also a common place for assassin guilds to hide. But that’s the last I know of his movent. Either he’s still there, or he’s gone. I can’t confirm, but I’m guessing he’s still there, he looks like he’s trying to lay low."
"Maybe he’s waiting for Kaelith. The High Priest rank must be important...or maybe he’s even Kaelith’s subordinate!" I was itching to stand and start looking for the High Priest imdiately.
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