Within a secret underground base sowhere, a couple of people showed up wearing black priest robes with hoods covering their faces. So even wore veils which further made it difficult to discern their features.
The atmosphere within the underground base was gloomy and tense. Well, considering its the, anybody could expect this, but today, in particular, the atmosphere was heavier.
Nobody spoke, those who ca just sat in their respective seat. So were ditating, others were busy reading or doing sothing to pass the ti.
There are at least twenty seats here. So far, only eighteen seats have been occupied. This ans that they're waiting for two more mbers to arrive before they start this gathering.
Of course, it wasn't just the black-robed priests here. There were servants here as well as other...creatures that most people wouldn't want to see roaming around the streets.
Those who would witness this event might think that these people were fond of each other because none of them were even trying to talk to each other. And in a sense, that might be true. But that's mostly because they didn't want their respective identities to be at risk.
They might be mbers of the sa cult, but that doesn't necessarily an that they trust each other. And for people like them, that's to be expected.
A small commotion broke the silence of the venue, announcing the arrival of the last two mbers the group was waiting for. Without any further ado, the last two mbers sat on their seats, and one person who was sitting at the far end of the table lifted a wooden mallet and slamd it, creating a noise that signaled the start of this gathering.
"You're all gathered here for a rather alarming developnt recently." The guy who looked to be their superior/leader stated.
"Are we safe to assu that this has sothing to do with the recent raids we experienced at the hands of the Shadow Runners?" One of the mbers pointed out.
"Yes, indeed." The leader nodded in agreent. "For so reason, the Shadow Runners were able to locate most of the bases we have at the Black Thread City, capturing many of our mbers. As a result, we are facing a risk in our developnt there."
The so-called 'Shadow Runners' were the organization that Arishem was a part of. They're a bunch of talented assassins who were raised by the governnt and took an oath to protect humanity. They're also the ones launching an offensive against the Cult of the Demon Saint.
"Do we have any ideas how they managed to do that? As far as I rember, you told us that your operations were guaranteed to be covert." Another mber questioned.
"That's right. But I also distinctly rember telling all of you that that's not a total guarantee because Humanity as a whole is a highly progressive race." The Leader replied, "As for how exactly they did it, our spies couldn't co up with the complete intel. All they knew is that soone developed a tool which helped the Shadow Runners bypass the ntal Barriers we placed on our mbers."
"That's...worrying." A mber muttered loud enough for everyone to hear and agree.
The ntal barriers were one of the key components behind the whole 'unseen' profile of the cult. Through those, their mbers could fool the interrogation of the governnt and continue developing in secret right under their noses.
Along with their thods of hiding their bases from their detection, they managed to lay down the foundations for their growing belief and continue operating in an extrely low-profile manner.
"The Shadow Runners are known to be relentless in their hunt. As of 30 minutes earlier, the current damage they had done to the Black Thread City branch already accumulated to at least 90%. The rest are either still relatively hidden or deed unimportant, that's why they're left alone."
"I believe that it's more of the forr since we're talking about the Shadow Runners. That said, the important thing is that our Black Thread City branch is in grave danger. In the grand sche of things, even that small branch is necessary for our steady developnt as a whole. If that branch was destroyed, we'd be risking years of worth of delay to our plans." The leader stated.
"What's our plan then? High or Low profile?"
"That is what's next for our discussion. I will be needing your input for this." The leader admitted with a sigh.
"If we go for a low-profile approach, it will take so ti. Even then, unfavorable developnts might still occur. Going for a high-profile approach on the other hand is also risky since we'd be in the headlines as soon as we do sothing. Both choices will delay the completion of our main objectives. How long? Depends on what will happen, really." The guy who ca in with the Leader added.
"...if I may." Another mber raised a hand. The leader looked at her and nodded, gesturing her to say what was on her mind. "Why choose between the two? Can't we do both?"
"Explain." The leader commanded.
"Well, if we have the resources for it, I'd say let's go for a direct attack but not on a large scale." She stated. "We can disguise so of our Acolytes as Terrorists to launch an attack on the Black Thread City."
"If they do that, they will surely catch the attention of the Superhumans out there, and that's the idea. They will be the distraction. We will send the core group, tasked with helping the remaining branch mbers to relocate or hide even deeper within the city to slowly recover their forces."
"That plan sounds good and useable. Only, we have to take a few considerations." Another mber interjected. "Do we even know what exactly the tool they used to bypass the ntal Barriers? Because if we don't, then the whole operation would fail. All they would need to do is to launch so surprise interrogation and the branch mbers would be exposed again."
"That's a valid point. And to answer that, our mbers already discovered what it is. Simply put, sobody developed a new Rune that disables a person's ntal barriers. The spies said that it was extrely effective and they already got their hands on it." Their leader stated.
"Currently, they're trying to decode it and make sothing that will counter it. I also asked them to investigate who made it and, if they can, sabotage the production of those runes."
"How very thorough of you." Said by another mber, and the Leader just snorted at that.
"Well if that's the case, then I guess we could offer our support. So of my n are idle anyway and frankly, they're looking for action. However, I won't be sending them unless we receive the tool that would counter that rune first. I don't want the Shadow Runners after my tail if they sohow captured them." One mber proposed.
"That raises another concern though." Another mber comnted, "If the Shadow Runners got their hands on that Rune, that must an that they're already distributing it to other cities as well. How long since they've started hunting our branch mbers, anyway?"
"As far as I know, they started a week ago." The Leader replied.
"That's plenty of ti to get a head start on the Rune production." The sa mber added, "Not that I'm skeptical about the skills of your spies but that much ti is enough to make dozens of functional Runes to be distributed. Did you send your n to monitor that too?"
"No." The Leader sighed and massaged his temples. He tapped on the armrest of his chair a few tis. "I'd tell them now, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's already too late for that."
"This ans that we have to stay cautious for the rest of the month and observe the movent of the governnt closely." Another mber stated, "Although we have laid out our foundations, we still don't possess enough strength for a direct confrontation."
"Sad but true." The Leader comnted. "I ask you all to do the sa. Be cautious for the rest of the month and closely observe the events happening around your respective territories. We don't want a direct heat on us right now."
"...so, about the operation? Should we iron out the details for that?" The female mber who suggested it brought up the topic once more.
"Right, let's brainstorm everybody."
What followed was the cult mbers ironing out the details of their plan to save the Black Thread City branch.
They continued their discussion until they filled out all the holes they could currently think of about the operation. Since there were 20 of them brainstorming for ideas, they finished rather quickly and once they were satisfied with it, they signed it off and continued to discuss other things such as their developnt directions and their main goals.
Once their ti was up, the leader ended the gathering. The head figures of the cult went back to acting as if they didn't know each other before returning to their respective territories, leaving the Leader there at the eting venue.
Resting his back against the chair, he massaged his temples due to stress.
"I hope this operation fixes things or else, my neck will be at risk."
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