Within minutes, all the interviews were finished, and the reporters started doing their own bits, recording speeches over stock footage, and giving a highly censored version of events that wouldn’t scare the general public while still honouring the fallen soldiers and Elites of the many battlefields around the nation.
That was a fairly standard part of any ongoing events broadcast, as there were always battles to be fought, but it did use a solid portion of the time that they needed to fill, and when combined with the interviews, it wouldn’t seem as dull and routine as it did when they were just speaking alone in studio.
Karl retreated to the back of the room where he found the Blue Dragon High Priestess he had met earlier, the head of historians, whose name he had quickly forgotten, waiting for him.
Fortunately, Lotus was there to save him. “Greetings, High Priestess Lilith. Did you have a request for us? I made some great notes on plants I don’t remember seeing in the study guides.” The Nature Priestess greeted the historian.
Her eyes were lit up with excitement about the list of new plants, and between a Nature Priestess and a Blue Dragon High Priestess, who was obsessed with new knowledge, there was a very real chance that they were about to become best friends for the day.
The High Priestess looked just as excited as Lotus and for a second, Karl thought that the two were going to get lost in a conversation about plants, but the older woman turned her attention to Karl.
“Actually, I have a request for you all. An official one. We would like to ask that your group, with their exceptional affinity for stumbling across valuable new things, takes on a mission to the boundary mountains. There is said to be a strange phenomenon there, and the other groups we have sent in lost days of time, with no memories of them, but a feeling that they failed some sort of trial.
With the luck that your group has shown, we have some hope that you will be able to bring back some information.
That’s official, straight from the Church Council. Of course, if the Elites choose to turn it down, we won’t be sending you and Tessa alone, but we have some hopes that everyone present will agree.” Lilith explained.
Karl was about to answer when he sensed a familiar presence over his shoulder, and a sense of menace that wasn’t directed at him, but past him.
Colonel Valerie stepped up beside Karl with a fake smile, wearing a visitors’ hassock, as all guests to the Cathedral Church would. She waited for the High Priestess to notice her and put together her unexpected appearance here with who she was and what it likely implied.
Lilith smiled at her. “Ah, Colonel. What a surprise to see you here, I had thought that you would still be with your tour group.”
Valerie’s resting angry face didn’t even budge at the comment. “Naturally, I came to check on my Elites. It seems someone is quite intent on borrowing them from the Bureau, and I would hate to lose track of their whereabouts.”
Her tone said that she was not planning to spare the High Priestess any of her wrath, which could turn into an epic battle of wills between the representatives of the Church and the Government. So both Karl and Lotus took a half step back from what was shaping up to be an epic cat fight, but the two leaders preferred to fight with mental jabs and not fists.
“That would be a shame, would it not? The Bureau for Elite Development, unable to even track the Elites that they’re supposed to be developing. A tragedy of bureaucracy, really.” Lilith agreed with a solemn nod.
“Indeed. It seems that Holy Quests are becoming increasingly common these days when it comes to new students. The will of the gods is a strange thing.” Colonel Valerie snapped back.
That got a rise out of the High Priestess, that was quickly stamped down. It wasn’t directly doubting the will of the gods, but it was coming perilously close to insulting her deity as well as her personal motivations.
Fortunately, they weren’t the only people in the room, and after a few seconds some of the Inquisitors came over to see what all the glaring was about, just in time to catch the last round of barbs between the two.
Colonel Valerie continued. “I believe that it is time that the students returned to their education. It would be a shame to keep them away from their training for too much of the Semester.”
High Priestess Lilith smiled back, and Karl was certain that her greying hair turned a bit more of a Royal Blue colour as she spoke next.
“It is the will of the Goddess of Knowledge that the group takes this trial. It must proceed.” She declared in a voice that seemed to echo, as if coming from a massive being, not a rather unremarkable priestess.
Then she continued in a more normal tone. “But you will be happy to know that one of your own agents has been called upon to join the mission. She must be there, the fates demand it.”
Two clerics wearing the uniforms of the tour guides burst into the room, looking for their wayward tour group member, and Colonel Valerie sighed.
“I will have a tracker put on them if this continues to be an issue.
Karl, Dana, I will catch up with you when you return. Sister Tessa, Sister Lotus, it was good to see you both again, and I will be waiting for your reports after this Holy Quest from the church has finished.”
Then she followed the angry tour operators out of the room, and Karl noticed just how quiet it had gotten as everyone stopped to watch the drama.
Lilith turned to the room and made a dismissive gesture. “Show’s over, everyone. You have your duties, I suggest that you get to them.”
That made all the news staff scurry back to their work, while the Inquisitors pretended that listening in on juicy gossip was beneath them and the other clerics in the room scattered, leaving to find something to do elsewhere, where they wouldn’t get in trouble with the High Priestess.
Karl considered doing the same, but she was here for him and the group, so trying to run would just make her chase him down again.
“Should we start packing right away, then?” Karl asked, as he still needed to restock and finish cleaning and repairing all his gear.
“You have the remainder of the day, as the flight will leave in the morning with another round of clergy transfers. The details will be provided to you privately later, but the Inquisitors have agreed to help you upgrade your gear for the current situation.” She agreed, straightening her deep blue robes.
That actually sounded pretty good. With all the trouble they’d seen lately, his various uniforms weren’t cutting it anymore, and it was probably time to switch to armour. It would be expensive, and there was a good chance that he would outgrow it, despite the growth spurt that he had already been through. However, if that happened while the armour was still in good shape, he could always resell it to the supply staff.
Of course, having Lotus and Tessa with them, who could repair armour, was a huge benefit. It would make their gear last much longer than it could otherwise be expected to, and between them, they could take care of both leather and metal armours.
Karl nodded his head at the High Priestess before catching the attention of one of the Church Guards who had been shadowing them since they arrived.
“Thank you, High Priestess Lilith, I will take my leave to upgrade my equipment now, and I will be ready to leave right after breakfast tomorrow.” Karl agreed.
Lotus raised her hand. “Oh, I will come with you. You look like you have no fashion sense.”
Karl stared down at the unrepentant little Nature Priestess, who saw nothing at all wrong with what she had said.
Lotus gave him a single raised eyebrow look of challenge. “What? Don’t tell me you’re suddenly fashionable. I bet that if I let you go unattended, you’d do something like trying to outfit match with Thor. Go, go. Let’s go to the armoury and find something that won’t make you look like a dork.”
