The atmosphere grew tense as no one was willing to back down.
"Stop fighting!"
Theia called out, her voice sharp before her mind could process any more. She felt that all of this was just a misunderstanding, but it seed too late. The seed of doubt had already been planted. Onia was convinced these people were cultists, and the rcenaries believed Onia to be the sa.
"We’re on the sa side! Onia, this is the rcenary, tasked with helping and my friend wipe out the cult! rcenary, this is Onia, my sister! There’s no need to fight! It’s all a misunderstanding!" Theia’s voice rang out with authority, enough to lower so of the rcenaries’ weapons.
"Is she really your sister?" one of the leading rcenaries asked.
"Yes! Please, sheath your weapons! Our enemy is down below! We don’t need to fight each other." Since Theia was the one speaking, the rcenaries hesitated and started to lower their guard. They had been instructed to listen to her, even if she wasn’t their highest priority.
"Miss, we’re willing to back down, but it seems your sister isn’t," one rcenary pointed out.
Onia wasn’t holding a weapon, but her eyes were still filled with malice, searching for an opening. She clearly didn’t trust her own sister.
"Onia, please," Theia said, her voice pleading. Every second wasted here put Reeva in more danger. Onia’s purple eyes darted around fiercely, still distrustful.
"Brent, can we trust Theia?" Onia ignored her sister and directed her question to Brent, who stood with his sword still raised defensively, his own eyes full of suspicion.
"For God’s sake, trust , Onia!" Theia cried out in frustration. "My friend is down there, fighting the cult!"
"These ’friends’... who are they?" Onia asked, unconvinced.
Theia hesitated. If she ntioned Reeva’s na, she risked losing her sister’s trust entirely. The church had drilled into people’s minds that the cult could brainwash anyone, and in many cases, that was true. But not this ti—Reeva wasn’t a cultist.
"He’s Penu," Theia decided, offering a half-truth. If she stayed silent, Onia’s suspicions would only deepen. "The guy who opened the burger shop."
"Oh..." Onia’s disbelief was evident. After searching Theia’s eyes, however, she could tell her sister wasn’t lying. Could the burger rchant really be a mystic? Onia would never have guessed in a million years.
"He’s fighting the cult right now! If we don’t help him, we’ll be dood!" Theia did her best to sound convincing, but Onia remained on edge. Brent, however, was starting to believe Theia’s words. They didn’t sound like the claims of soone under the control of a cult. Still, trusting Onia completely ca with its risks.
Brent opened his mouth to say sothing, but his voice faltered as he noticed a group of people approaching. They were dressed in white robes bearing the symbol of a sun torch. It was none other than the Sun Church, led at the front by Plutus.
Onia’s face lit up at the sight of the church; there was no need to worry now.
"We’ve received so noise complaints. What’s going on here?" Plutus asked with his commanding presence, addressing everyone, including the rcenaries. Many on both sides bowed to the priest, offering their respect. Even those who didn’t believe in the church followed along to save face.
Only Theia remained unmoved, a bitter expression on her face. Her past with the Sun Church was anything but pleasant—after all, they had nearly killed her once. Fortunately, she was still seated on the ground, making it harder for the church mbers to notice her.
"Sir Plutus, we’re investigating a cult and encountered our sister. Can we rescue her from this cult mber?" Brent explained quickly, pointing toward the rcenary group.
"Wait, before you say anything more..." Plutus raised his hand, silencing Brent as he signaled for one of the priests to approach. She was a truth diviner, able to discern facts through divine guidance.
"Please, repeat what you just said."
Brent carefully reiterated his side of the story, and once he finished, the truth priest nodded. However, Plutus knew better than to take the nod at face value. As an experienced interrogator, he understood that the truth priest’s powers only confird whether the speaker believed their own words. Turning to the rcenaries, Plutus asked, "And what’s your side?"
"We’re here to exterminate a cult," the rcenary leader answered truthfully, despite knowing the church might be involved in so underhanded dealings with the cult. Their hope now lay in that not being the case.
Again, the truth priest nodded.
"Which cult are you exterminating? And why didn’t we receive a notice?" Plutus asked. Reporting potential heretics to the church was standard protocol.
"We received intel that certain priests might be dealing with the cult. We were afraid they’d prepare their forces if we inford the church," the rcenary leader replied, choosing his words carefully. The truth priest confird his sincerity, but so priests in the group were less than pleased.
"Preposterous! You should be hanged for doubting the church!" one priest yelled.
Quickly, the rcenary leader defended himself, "That’s the intel we received. Our client chose not to report it to the church."
"And who is your client?" Plutus asked.
"We don’t know. We were hired through a third-party contracting company," the rcenary leader replied. It was standard practice in their line of work. If a client wished to remain anonymous, they could hire rcenaries through an interdiary. It cost extra, but it was a service often used by influential figures.
Once again, the truth priest confird the rcenary’s words.
Plustus got a satisfied expression, this I all in the realm of his expectation. However when looking around his eyes land upon one figure, she a blonde hair but upon closer inspection, it’s actually a dye color.
It’s not normal for anyone to dye their hair color unless they have sothing to hide. With that in mind, the priest opened his mouth again.
"Hey you, love there are you involve with a cult?"
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