Paladin 4: Chapter 25

“Where can we find these ophanim?” Darren asked as soon as they were clear of the museum.

“You used to be able to find them in every nearby office. But nowadays, they’re more likely to be found under lock and key.” Asuriel frowned, eyes scanning the nearby buildings as though she could see through walls. “But that’s because most of them are supporting local networks. If we want one of them communicating with the wider world, we will have to visit the local cluster.”

“Then we will fight our way to this cluster, if need be,” Darren prepared to summon Ashe and Melancholy from his Inventory at a moment’s notice.

But that proved entirely unnecessary.

Asuriel had to do some searching on her interface, but eventually, she found the cluster. It was located in an older-looking building with faded blue windows, but inside, everything was clean and polished and in excellent condition.

“There are seraphim in there,” Darren warned.

“Those are the borderline cases. As long as we don’t look out of place, they won’t bother us.”

Darren frowned. That didn’t make much sense to him.

“They’re kind of like robots,” Asuriel explained. “They’ve lost their creativity. Just follow my lead.”

They walked in like they belonged, and Darren saw rows of seraphim sitting down at terminals much like the one he’d seen Asuriel working at when he’d plucked her from the heavens.

A single guard stood behind a counter, though she carried no weapons and didn’t look like much of a guard.

“Authorized people only beyond this point,” she said with a dull, monotone voice. Her eyes looked far away, and she seemed to be looking straight through them.

“Hi, we’re with the protectors, and we’re here for a routine inspection. We have a quest.” Asuriel was prepared to reveal the quest Darren had received from his mother since the way sigils worked for humans was similar to how the Protectors distributed jobs to the lower ranks.

“Present your Protector identification and inspection forums,” the seraph said.

“That’s the thing. We came over in a big rush, and there wasn’t time to complete the proper paperwork...” Asuriel smiled hopefully.

“Authorized people only beyond this point.” Her voice was dull and monotone.

“We really need to get by...” Asuriel said, slowly nudging by the counter.

“Authorized people only beyond this point. Attempt to pass, and I will be forced to activate security measures.”

While Asuriel distracted the seraph, Darren tried to slip by. He still had his cloak and hoped it would cover for him well enough to get by this monotone seraph’s senses.

But as he slipped past the desk, it was like he crossed an invisible line.

Lights overhead turned red, and a loud siren wailed above them. The light and noise of the alarm would draw attention from all over.

Worse, the monotone seraph turned. Eyes still dull and glassy, she looked straight at Darren, despite his Cloak of the Mysterious Hero disguising him.

“Authorized people only beyond this point. You have been identified as an intruder. We are now issuing a quest to the Protectors to apprehend you. Error. I am having trouble identifying you. Please provide your identification information. You will be charged with--“ the monotone seraph droned on in the same tone she’d always used, even with the alarms blaring brightly overhead. Darren didn’t stick around to listen to what she had to say. He indented to make himself scarce as quickly as possible.

He grabbed Asuriel and ran out the door, holding her over his head as he darted into a nearby alley.

“Will they be able to track us?” Darren asked.

“I... I don’t know. But we should find somewhere to hide. I can check in with the local protectors to see if a quest to apprehend us actually went through. I think your cloak slowed them down, though. She wouldn’t have asked for identification otherwise.” Asuriel smoothed the wrinkles out of her clothes and looked around the alley they found themselves in.

There were no rapid footfalls or sounds of pursuit, and after a few minutes, the two calmed down. They’d made it out safely.

***

The better part of a day had gone by in the heavens, and Asuriel thought it would be wise to rent a place to call home for a while. Their investigation would take more than a day, and while the two of them could go a long time without sleep, it was still useful to have shelter.

“Wow, Darren, there’s so much room!” Asuriel spun around in the building they were renting. She flopped belly-first on the floor and unleashed her wings, flapping on her back without hitting any furniture. “Look at this! I can spread out without hitting anything! I never used to be able to do that in my old apartment!”

“I’m happy for you,” Darren chuckled. As Asuriel called it, the ‘apartment’ reminded him of some of the dense housing complexes in the Blackwind Empire. Since he owned several palaces, he was less than impressed with the size of their new accommodations. What he was impressed with was the furnishings. The seats were beautifully patterned, and the windows were of the finest glass he’d ever seen. Each pane was of higher quality than the lenses of the telescope Thalia was so proud of.

He recognized the box sitting in the middle of the room as the same one he and Laura played games on, and he was eager to turn it on. But when he searched for a button, Asuriel laughed.

“It won’t turn on.” Asuriel shook her head sadly. “Real televisions are in short supply. That one probably broke down long ago and is just here for decoration now.”

“A shame...” Darren was disappointed for a while, at least until Asuriel found the bedroom. There, a pleasant surprise awaited him. The frame was a simple thing carved of normal wood, but it was just as sturdy as the rest of the buildings the seraphim made to contain their immense, inhuman strength. It was probably made from the nearby trees, which grew steeped in Divine Aura from the time they were saplings.

“Ah, it’s good to be in a real bed...” Asuriel sighed as she flopped down on top of it. “While all your beds are fit for a king, give me springs and foam over goose feathers and rose petals.”

“This is a very nice bed.” Hopefully, the seraph they rented this living space from wouldn’t mind when Darren took it with him. He could certainly use something like this.

But they couldn’t sit around and enjoy themselves forever. They might still be in danger if that quest with the protectors had gone through. Ashe hadn’t found anything with her browsing, but Asuriel wanted to check in on the Protectors office herself, so she left Darren and Ashe behind in their new apartment.

Darren closed his eyes and used his other body, hidden away back in the Blackwind Empire to check in on everyone. Things were still going smoothly in the mortal world, and Cassandra was excited to hear about their adventures in the heavens so far.

“You know, we could use some new decorations for your palace in Whiteguard. Using the bed of the previous king just seems icky.” Cassandra placed a finger on her chin.

“Don’t worry, I won’t forget to take it,” Darren promised.

“The sofa too! And the curtains! I wouldn’t mind having a little slice of heaven to call home.”

Darren chuckled and nodded. “I will leave nothing behind.”

Asuriel returned shortly after that, so Darren had to return his clone in the mortal world back to its resting place. Asuriel wore a grin on her face, so he was pretty certain their escape had been successful, and no quests had been issued to apprehend them.

“Look what I’ve got!” Asuriel said as she slapped two pieces of paper down on the table.

“Your mission was successful?” Darren raised an eyebrow.

“Psht, of course! Don’t worry. There’s nobody after us.” Asuriel waved her hand dismissively. “But while I was there, the clerk was very impressed with me. I said I was new in town and had been doing a little demon slaying lately. Fifth orders like me are pretty strong here in Calabor, so you could say I’m pretty strong.” She flexed her dainty bicep and gave it a kiss.

“Yes, I’m sure they were very impressed.”

“Anyway, since I mentioned I wasn’t doing anything for work besides posting pictures of you online, she suggested filing to become a protector. Apparently, fifth orders get fast-tracked. There are no grueling training sessions and no months of waiting for a slot. You just fill one of these things out, take the test, and boom, you’re in!”

Darren glanced down at the pieces of paper again. “And there are two of them.”

“Yeah, one for you and one for me!”

Darren frowned. Why did Asuriel want the two of them to become heaven’s equivalent of law enforcement agents?

But then he saw her hopeful and smiling face. The eager expression on her eyes reminded him of when they’d first met. She had just joined the Protectors, which had been a dream come true for her. But that dream had been snatched from her as quickly as it had come, largely because of her unfortunate meeting with Darren.

He supposed he owed her this much. He wasn’t sure if it would help his plans as much as Asuriel seemed to think it would, but he was willing to take the risk for her.

“Alright. Then we will join the Protectors together. But first, there is something I must do.”

Over the past few encounters, Darren had started getting a feel for what the seraphim were like. With his fifth-order wings, he could fake being one of them visually easily enough. But something distinct about him meant any demon who paid him a second glance could tell he wasn’t a seraph. If he removed his cloak, the same would be true here for the seraphim in the heavens.

Now that he had more seraphim to study, he realized why it was the case. There was something unique to his body. His power was tightly interwoven with his flesh in a way that purely magical beings like demons or seraphim lacked.

He needed a way to mask that without the help of his Cloak of the Mysterious Hero, though studying the cloak would certainly help.

He focused on himself, masking his body in a web of Divine Aura. He pushed his soul out of him, and his skin took on a brilliant white glow. For a moment, he looked like a cloud of man-shaped energy. It took him a while to take control of the process, but eventually he was able to obfuscate the distinctive human-charactiristics that marked him as a mortal.

“Darren!” Asuriel jumped in surprise when she rounded the corner. “For a moment, I thought someone else had walked into our apartment! What are you doing?”

“I constructed several common and uncommon-grade skills. Used together, they mask me to the senses of seraphim. What do you think?”

Asuriel tapped her chin in thought. “Hmm... it does feel like there’s something off about you, but that can easily be chalked up to you having a strange passive skill that alters the flow of Divine Aura through you. The fact that you’re a fifth-order being should have people convinced you’re a seraph, since there aren’t any fifth-order human sigil wielders. You do feel a bit...”

“What?” Darren asked when he saw Asuriel’s look of concern.

Ashe was the one who answered. “Clumsy. As if your control of Divine Aura is pathetic. No seraph would waste their Divine Aura so. Though the fact that you radiate so much would be considered a sign that you have more than most at your level.”

Darren frowned. He didn’t want to look inept. He spent the next hour revising his skills a little further, this time with feedback from Asuriel and Ashe. Eventually, he had something the two of them considered passable. He could go out without his cloak and strike most people as a powerful but clumsy fifth-order seraph who had more Divine Aura than he knew what to do with.

“It will have to do. Let’s go.” Darren and Asuriel left their apartment, and Ashe returned to Melancholy’s blade. Asuriel practically skipped all the way to the Protector’s office with a big smile on her face all the while.

Darren drew a few looks. It was hard to ignore their gazes when he knew he was supposed to stay unnoticed, but ever since the incident earlier that day when his cloak’s defenses were pierced, he was worried his cloak might fail him at the wrong time. It would be better to establish a credible identity among the seraphim that he could fall back on. He’d only rely on his cloak again if that failed him, and he needed to make a hasty escape.

The Protector’s office was a large and proud building built of white stone and towering just a bit taller than the surrounding buildings. Like all the seraphim’s buildings, it had an austere elegance, with form flowing neatly into function.

“We’re here!” Asuriel bounced on the balls of her feet excitedly. “Oh, they’re going to be so impressed! I can’t wait for the two of us to walk in, both at the fifth order! There’s no way the rest of the Protectors will be able to tell us there’s no room for me in the lunch room! Ha, maybe we’ll kick them out of the lunchroom instead! Then they can eat in the bathroom while crying to themselves on their first day on the job!”

Darren wondered if he’d need to throw anyone out of a window here. It wouldn’t work quite as well since seraphim had wings and could catch their fall. But somehow, he would make it work.

“I’m back!” Asuriel declared.

A bored-looking seraph with glasses leaned on a counter. Nearby, an expansive tavern-like area filled the room. A few halls led in various directions. It reminded Darren greatly of the Adventurer’s Guild back in Limedeep.

“Ah, miss magnificent fifth order, who we definitely have to bring on board...” the seraph yawned. “Is this the amazing partner you were bragging about earlier? His aura control seems a little sloppy for the Protectors.”

Darren frowned. The seraph didn’t seem nearly as enthusiastic to have them as Asuriel made her out to be.

“Ha, you’re such a kidder...” Asuriel punched Darren in the arm. “She’s just teasing you, Darren. Playful protector banter. She meant to say that she’s eager to have you on the team!”

The seraph behind the counter sighed and flipped a page on a small book she was reading.

“Anyway, we have our applications!” Asuriel giddily slapped the filled-out pieces of paper on the counter. The seraph closed her book and looked up with an utterly bored expression.

“Training is waived for recruits at the fifth order. After that, you just have to pass a basic combat competency test. The Protectors hold no liability if you are hurt, maimed, or killed during this exam. If you consent, follow the hall and take a turn to the left. I’ll let the captain know you’re coming. He’ll be administering your test.” The seraph picked her book back up and resumed reading, paying Darren and Asuriel no more attention.

They followed her directions down the hall and to the left, where they came across a plain-looking office. Though everything in it was of heavenly make, it looked rather ordinary, at least by Darren’s standards.

“H-hello?” Asuriel asked anxiously. “Is this the captain? The lady at the front desk said to come see you.”

“Yes, come in and have a seat. I’m just finishing up.” A gruff male voice replied.

Darren entered and sat. The captain was seated across from them, eyes unfocused as he worked with his own interface. They ended up waiting for several minutes, and Darren feared they were caught up in some sort of power play. But the captain finished his work just before the delay turned sour, and he stood to examine his two guests.

“So... Darren and Asuriel Hellsmiter. I take it the two of you are a pair?” The captain raised his brows.

“Yep!” Asuriel pulled Darren tight. Hellsmiter had been the name she’d chosen for the two of them since Darren couldn’t risk using Heavengrace.

“Hmm... normally, we don’t like mixing work and relationships, but we’re short-staffed right now, so I’ll let it slide. You can call me Captain Gaviel, by the way...” the captain muttered as he waved his hand in front of him to dismiss an invisible screen.

“Yes, sir, Captain Gaviel!” Asuriel saluted.

“Okay,” Darren said.

“Follow me,” Captain Gaviel said. He led the two of them to a room even further down the hall, which opened to a chamber with the sky overhead. Darren turned back to look the way they’d come and saw a door standing alone with no support.

“This is our sparring arena. It’s located in a pocket dimension. It isn’t the best pocket dimension, but as long as you refrain from any space-shattering abilities, it will be good enough for our purposes,” Captain Gaviel explained.

“Any other rules?” Darren asked.

Captain Gaviel grinned. “The two of you will face me together. If I decide you can hold your own, you get to join. Just hold on long enough for me to get a good impression of your abilities, and don’t hold back on throwing a few attacks of your own my way. I want to see your offensive power as well.”

“So, we just need to endure?” Asuriel asked. “We don’t need to win?”

“That’s correct.”

“But we should try to win?” Asuriel prodded.

Captain Gaviel nodded. “You should, but I’ve been fighting off and on for a few hundred years. I haven’t met a seraph who could beat me in a long, long time, not counting Prime Saint Horon. Probably Kalaziel and the other Prime Saints as well.”

“What if we do win?” Darren asked.

Captain Gaviel chuckled. “If you somehow manage to pull out a victory on me, instead of starting as rank-and-file, I’ll start the two of you off as officers able to issue your own quests. Normally, it would take a hundred years to earn that title. How’s that sound?”

“That sounds great! We’ll definitely have to beat you!” Asuriel pumped her fist in the air.

“Ha! Well, I wouldn’t get your hopes up, because there’s no way--“ Captain Gaviel cut himself off, barely ducking in time to dodge Darren’s sword as it descended with lightning speed.