Chapter 2
Inside a tavern barely fifty yards from the Church at the heart of Megalith City, some thirty Awakened were eating at plain wooden tables set across a floor of local hardwood.
Most wore clerical robes or knightly armor. The rest were unaffiliated Awakened with no formal ties to the Church.
Old Yarne's Tavern catered to Awakened, so its standards were naturally high. When the server respectfully brought out the roast, Elise paid more than a dozen silver coins for the meal.
The prices were posted plainly on the wall. No tavernkeeper with any sense would dare cheat Church Awakened.
The meat came from mid-level First-tier farmed monsters, seasoned with premium spices purchased through the merchant guilds. For four people, a dozen-odd silver was steep, but fair.
Glenrius, Roland, and Telynia dug into the roast at once, talking between bites.
"I never expected this many Awakened to come to Megalith City," Telynia said.
"If the Pyreflame Woods haven't produced any new Transcendent items, what's drawing them all here?" Glenrius asked.
Roland lowered his voice. "Theron was a devout servant of our god. May his soul find peace."
The three of them had already heard about Megalith City's recent troubles from Elise.
A quiet heaviness settled in her chest.
Megalith City was a frontier settlement, far from the heart of the Blythean Empire and pressed against the very edge of the Kingdom of Hesse.
After the attack on Hayan Province, the Church of Light had begun purging cultists, criminals, and rogue Awakened from the region—and many of them had been driven toward places like Megalith City.
The reason was simple. The farther one traveled from the empire's center, the more room villains had to breathe.
On top of that, the Convergence of Planes had begun. Spiritual forces from other planes were seeping into the material world, and for Awakened willing to risk places like the Pyreflame Woods, there was always a chance of finding newer, stranger, more powerful Transcendent items.
That was why so many Awakened had flooded into Megalith City of late. Plenty of cultists and criminals had come with them, and the Church had no choice but to keep order with everything it had.
"Glenrius. Roland. Telynia." Elise cut a small piece of roast, her tone turning serious. "I want to do my part for the Church. Will you join me in registering a team for disciplinary missions?"
Roland answered first. "Of course. I would be honored to work with you."
Glenrius, the strongest of the three, considered it for a moment before nodding. "Hall of Discipline missions require at least half the team to be Church personnel. I'm honored by the invitation."
"Elise, the honor is mine," Telynia said, visibly excited. "These are Church missions!"
The Church of Light's disciplinary missions were essentially bounty commissions, though never open to the public.
Once the Church identified a cultist or criminal, the Hall of Discipline first assessed the difficulty of the arrest, then assigned the mission to a registered Awakened team of suitable strength.
Registering a team for disciplinary missions required at least half its members to be Church personnel, and the team's strength had to be formally evaluated by the Hall.
Elise was a Cleric and Roland a Knight. Between them, they were qualified to bring Glenrius and Telynia onto the team.
There was only one issue.
"Elise," Glenrius said, a little concerned, "how do you think the Hall of Discipline will rate our team?"
Roland had taken Hall missions before, so he explained before Elise could ask. "Their assignments follow the one-rank-above rule. A team with Prime First-tier strength is normally sent after Senior First-tier targets."
Their current lineup was one Prime First-tier elven archer and three Senior First-tier Awakened. Under normal circumstances, the Hall would only assign them Senior First-tier targets.
For Glenrius, that wasn't ideal. He wanted the team's overall rating raised to the equivalent of two Prime First-tier members. That would let them hunt Prime First-tier Awakened.
To reach that threshold, Glenrius, Roland, and Telynia all looked at Elise.
Elise was now a Senior Cleric—but back when she'd been a mere Standard Cleric, she had already fought at Senior level. There was a real chance the Hall of Discipline would recognize her as having Prime First-tier combat strength.
"I'll do my best," Elise said.
She meant it. She wanted skill experience, which meant she needed worthwhile missions—and the higher the mission grade, the better.
It wasn't just about training quality. It also affected the split of the rewards.
If she was evaluated as an ordinary Senior Cleric, her share in the team would shrink. But if she was recognized as Prime First-tier, the four of them could divide rewards at a clean three-three-two-two ratio.
Elise was no longer short on money, but she still wanted more say within the team.
And strength was the loudest voice of all.
With the matter settled, they rested a while to recover their condition, then headed for the Church's Hall of Discipline.
The Hall occupied a castle-like building attached to the side of Megalith City's Church. Inside, more than a dozen Church Awakened in clerical robes or knightly armor had each claimed a quiet corner to study or train.
One wall of the first-floor hall was hung with wanted notices—mostly investigation, pursuit, and arrest missions.
Elise walked in and went straight to the long desk facing the main doors.
Finding the Church official in charge of registration, she stepped forward with Roland. "In the Light God's name, we'd like to register a four-person team."
"May the Light God watch over you," the priest replied.
He produced several registration forms made from specially treated monster hide.
Elise accepted the Aurelian forms, handed one to each of her teammates, and looked down at her own.
The form was divided into vertical columns. From right to left, the fields required name, class, and self-assessed strength.
Under her teammates' watchful eyes, Elise filled in the strength column: Prime First-tier Cleric.
Forms submitted, all that remained was to wait for the Hall's evaluator.
For anyone claiming Prime First-tier strength, the Church assigned a Second-tier examiner.
When Elise arrived at the sandy training yard beside the Hall of Discipline, she saw someone she had met once before.
"Grand Knight Chalmers," she said, surprised.
She hadn't expected to find Chalmers, eldest son of Viscount Fris, here of all places—let alone serving as the evaluator for Church enforcement teams.
Chalmers Fris stood beside the sand yard the knights used for practical combat drills. When he saw Elise, surprise flashed across his face as well.
Elise was a genius. Would the Church truly let her put herself in danger?
Or had the situation in Megalith City grown so strained that even Elise had to be sent into the field?
Several thoughts crossed his mind, but he still greeted her with a graceful salute.
"The beautiful and holy Lady Elise," he said. "It's a pleasure to see you again."
He was about to greet her three companions when he met Roland's and Glenrius's stern gazes.
Chalmers paused, then offered a deliberately helpless smile.
"Grand Knight," Glenrius said, stepping slightly in front of Elise, "we're here for our evaluation."
Roland, driven by a sudden surge of protectiveness, added without hesitation, "Grand Knight Chalmers, we are servants of God. 'Beautiful' is not a word that belongs beside 'holy.'"
"Then let us begin the evaluation," Chalmers said, declining to argue.
He was only here to help the Church. What was wrong with trying to win Elise's favor? It aligned perfectly with House Fris's interests.
Besides, Elise was exceptionally talented. Chalmers had already decided to be strict when evaluating her teammates.
That was the plan, anyway.
Then he picked up the registration forms the priest handed him, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Roland, Telynia, and Glenrius's information was fine. Their ranks matched their self-assessments.
But Elise had rated herself a Prime First-tier Cleric?
That couldn't be right. Hadn't she only just become a Senior Cleric?
Chalmers looked up at her again, extending his senses toward the aura she radiated.
"Elise," he said, "congratulations on becoming a Senior Cleric. But..."
He lightly shook the form in his hand and gave a helpless smile.
"For the sake of your safety, I find it very difficult to sign my name to this."