PtM 18 - Chapter 9: The Realm of Good and Evil

Last chapter of the week. Enjoy!

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Oster was many things, but a gambler he was not. He would place a profitable bet now and again – that was the nature of investments – but he did not do long shots.

Which was why, after much contemplation and humming and hawing about contractual clauses, he was back in the employ of the Church of Harid Dej. A small but lucrative contract had been offered to him, and who was he to say no to free money.

Oster was no stranger to the Realm of Good and Evil. It was here that the Chosen of both goddesses obtained their special classes, which allowed them to compete with Daoists, Demigods, and even Dao Gods in some cases.

The Realm of Good and Evil had changed Oster’s life, so it was with a tinge of nostalgia that he approached the three-layered shield protecting it with his fleet of ten ships and awaited further instructions.

“Identification,” came voice from the shield. The speaker was none other than the immortal-grade shield’s custodian. Without its consent, it was all but impossible to access the Realm of Good and Evil.

“Oster Fireblight. Allegiance: Harid Dej,” Oster answered. “I have an appointment in about thirty minutes – I hope this inspection won’t take too long?”

The custodian ignored Oster’s snippiness and scanned him and his fleet with a pane of intrusive golden light. The scan repeated several times before the custodian was satisfied. “You may enter the shield and proceed to authorized areas,” said the Custodian. “Follow the path. Don’t stray.”

“I will do as instructed, custodian,” Oster said.

Golden sigils lit up on the outer shield, then rotated like gears, revealing a small opening, barely large enough to accommodate Oster’s flagship. Oster led his fleet through the tight entrance, and only stopped just outside the shield to reprimand a few less-skilled pilots before they did something that got them all killed.

The Realm of Good and Evil was a small planet, and once past the shield, it was possible to access every point in the realm. But Oster knew that procedures were strictly followed here, and carefully guided his ships along one of the many established flight paths.

They soon arrived at the void ship port, where an entire dock had been reserved for him and his crew.  “Everyone, stand by for secondary inspection,” Oster instructed. Like clockwork, an inquisitor appeared at the dock. “Good day to you, inspector.”

“Good day to you too,” said the inquisitor. He hefted a small device and performed a secondary scan. “You’ve been here before and have come back for an appointment. Can you specify with whom, and where the appointment will take place?”

This was a test, of course. Everything was recorded on a docket, and he would never have been allowed inside if they hadn’t known he was coming. “All I’ve been told is that I am to meet with the realm’s leadership the moment I land,” said Oster. “About my crew…”

“They will be seen to,” said the inquisitor. “As for your meeting, I will personally escort you there. Please have your mercenaries remain aboard the ship until their day pass is approved.”

“Don’t worry, they’re love lazing about and doing nothing for their hard-earned coin,” said Oster. As did he, come to think of it.

They boarded a smaller shuttle that led them past short, squat buildings where the residents of the realm resided. In the distance, he could see a lone tree towering over all other structures in the realm. No other plants were allowed to grow in proximity of that tree, and countless demons could be seen tending to its massive root system. It was said that its roots reached all the way into the core of the realm.”

“You’ve the quantity of Star-Eye Clansmen since my last visit,” remarked Oster. “And is that hammering I hear? From high-level smiths? I recall hearing similar noises back in Titanvale. You wouldn’t happen to have a few thousand Daoists kicking about as well, would you?”

The inquisitor shot Oster a glare. “It would be best if you restrained your inquisitive nature here, Mr. Fireblight.”

“Forget I said anything,” Oster said to the inquisitor. He took a mental note of each of these targets, however, as there was good money to be made with this sort of information.

The Realm of Good and Evil was one massive city. Not an inch of land was wasted in this place, and that included the ten-kilometer kill-zone around the realm’s one and only Tree of Good and Evil. Countless transcendent crystals and inkwell jades lay buried in the rich soil, along with large chips of wood that overflowed with vitality.

So many trees of life, reduced to mere fertilizer, thought Oster. He could think of many better things to do with such materials, but then again, the twin goddesses were unfathomable, and their goals immeasurable by mere mortals.

Two temples stood in the tree’s periphery – one to Jezeriah and one to Harid Dej. From what he’d deduced, these two temples were extremely important, and were always manned by the saint-level vice-pontiffs of each faction.

Most of the priests in the realm lived and trained in these temples, and only those who’d performed meritorious services or with high enough rankings could enter the tree itself. It therefore came as a surprise to Oster when the inquisitor led their shuttle to the gaping mouth of an opening at the base of the tree.

“Follow closely,” said the inquisitor. “One wrong move, and I’ll cut you down.”

“I would never dream of doing something so foolish,” said Oster. He was used to such treatment by inquisitors and did not take the threat to heart.

The tree was much larger on the inside than the outside. Most of the Realm of Good and Evil’s facilities were outside the tree, but anything important or top-secret resided in this forbidden location.

The most famous of these facilities was the dreaded Root Prison, which was said to contain several saint-level prisoners. From what little he knew, this was also where the Monkey King, Sun Wukong was imprisoned.

The inquisitor led Oster into the heart of the Tree of Good and Evil, where a pillar of wood ran from top to bottom, conducting energy between realms. A small group of buildings formed a protective ring around the conduit, and it was to one of these buildings that the inquisitor guided him.

No less than fourteen cardinals as well as both vice-pontiffs were waiting for him when he arrived. What a high-profile lineup, Oster thought as he reviewed the information he had on each of these individuals. Even their shield guards are at least late gold rankers.

“Cardinal Undine,” Oster greeted as he spotted a familiar face in the room. Undine didn’t have a shield guard, as she’d yet to find a replacement. “It’s great to see you that you’ve worked your way up the corporate later, so to speak. Congratulations on your promotion.”

“General Fireblight,” Undine greeted with a curt nod. “I’m honestly surprised to see you here. My bet was that you’d turtle in your house until Clear Sky left Mendin.”

Nonsense,” said Oster. “There’s no money to be made by sulking at home.” He looked around for a seat but found none.

“Mr. Fireblight, we called you in for a consult,” said the Vice-Pontiff of Harid Dej, Vice-Pontiff Lorimer, “We require your services in capturing Daoist Clear Sky. As we mentioned to you in our correspondence, you will be awarded a single Transcendent Transmission Token for your trouble, which can be used to travel to another transcendent plane via the Bridge of Ascension.”

“It looks like I’ll need to stop you there,” Oster said. He retrieved a steaming hot teacup from his storage ring and took a sip. “I believe renumeration was already discussed. You offered an Immortal Ascension Token, and I accepted.

Vice Pontiff Lorimer smirked. “There must have been some kind of miscommunication. For starters, you don’t qualify to even use an Ascension Token, as one must take a half step into immortality to survive the journey. We merely agreed to give you the opportunity to obtain an Immortal Ascension Token. Whether or not you can earn it is up to you.”

Oster wasn’t new to this type of negotiation. The carrot was the immortal ascension token. The stick was the sudden change in renumeration. “Well played, Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. Fine. I’ll bite. What do I need to do to earnan Immortal Ascension Token?”

“Your most basic task,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer, “and the one you will need to perform to earn a Transcendent Transmission Token, is to formulate an effective plan to capture Daoist Clear Sky and prevent him from releasing his Master, Sun Wukong. The Monkey King is currently languishing in the Root Prison, and it is very important to both goddesses that he remains.”

Oster’s smile faded. “I’m afraid I can’t help you then. Formulating a foolproof plan to contain Daoist Clear Sky is all but impossible at this point.”

“We are aware of the difficulty of this task.” It was the vice-pontiff of Jezeriah, Vice-Pontiff Clockmaker who spoke. The man had a sharp nose and wore a perpetual sneer. Oster didn’t like him one bit, and he was pretty sure the feeling was mutual. “That is why your plan merely needs to succeed in forcing him to retreat. And on the off chance that the twin goddesses have overestimated Daoist Clear Sky, and we manage to capture him and his many incarnations, you will earn both a Transcendent Transferal Token and an Immortal Ascension Token for your trouble.

“Both goals will be difficult to achieve,” said Oster. “I tried it once, and it didn’t work. And to be honest, I ran the calculations. Our odds of eliminating Daoist Clear Sky are less than two percent.”

“So you’re saying it’s possible?” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer, raising an eyebrow. “That’s already much better than we expect.”

“It’s possible, but not probably,” said Oster. “And since time is money, I accept your offered consultation contract. Let the twin goddesses be our witness.” Gold and black light flashed as the offer and acceptance was sealed by both goddesses.

Oster then took out sixteen jade slip and threw them out to the cardinals and pontiffs. “Since the terms of our contract are no longer as generous, we will go with the basic package, which shall be based on the information you provided earlier. I will also stay for three days to consult on further improvements to the basic plan.”

“A basic package?” Vice-Pontiff Clockmaker interjected. “Unacceptable.”

“Then pay me my rate,” Oster snarled. “Or has the supply of Immortal Ascension Tokens dwindled without my knowledge?” Oster’s probe for information proved quite fruitful – many of the higher ranking cardinals exchanged nervous, and Vice-Pontiff Clockmaker visibly restrained himself instead of lashing out. There really was a shortage. Maybe Petros was the smarter one, looking for a way off-world the moment he got back.

“There’s no need to get angry, Vice-Pontiff Clockmaker,” Vice-Pontiff Lorimer said in a conciliatory tone. “I did change the terms of our agreement.” He picked up one of the jade slips Oster had given them and spent a few minutes reviewing the plan. “How interesting. Your basic plan includes fixing up thirty-seven deficiencies in our outer shield, and no less than seventy-one deficiencies in our internal security measures. I didn’t think there were so many layers to it, forget critical weaknesses Clear Sky could use to infiltrate us.”

“Whoever drew up your original defence plan was incompetent,” said Oster. “And to be fair, it wasn’t built with shape-shifting doppelgangers, multiple incarnations, and karmic obfuscation in mind. Daoist Clear Sky has several abilities that even the most powerful transcendent planes rarely see. Your plans must be adjusted to account for this.”

“I don’t agree with some of these recommendations,” Vice-Pontiff Clockmaker said. “The flaws you’ve identified are spot on, but tripling our manpower? This will provide too many opportunities for Clear Sky to infiltrate.

Oster sighed. “If you’d actually read the plan, you’d know that this is the point,” said Oster. “If you want to capture him, you need to give him an opening. Otherwise, cut that two percent chance down to one in a thousand. I’m not saying we should introduce critical weaknesses. But weaknesses must be offered, and they must be offered here, on terms we dictate, and in a timeframe we dictate.

“I for one think it’s a wonderful plan,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “What do you think, Cardinal Undine?”

“Oster has many undesirable qualities, but he is a professional,” said Undine. “He would never give us a shoddy product if the payment is adequate. Which it is.” She glared daggers at Oster and dared him to say otherwise.

“I very much regret passing those books on aggressive negotiation tactics to you, Cardinal Undine,” Oster said. “But you are correct. The basic package is mostly basic because of my hands-off involvement. For me to take command of your operations is a previous service, but to my knowledge, the Realm of Good and Evil would never compromise its command structure under any circumstance.

“Is this it, then?” Lorimer said. He was clearly disappointed. “The plan is detailed, but…”

“It’s incomplete,” Oster said. “If you look at the final section, you’ll see a list of deficiencies that have yet to be addressed. I haven’t addressed them because there is a gaping hole in my information on the Root Prison. It will need to assess the prison in order to draft the final plan.”

“The Root Prison is the most important place in the Realm of Good and Evil,” said Vice-Pontiff Clockmaker. “Few are allowed inside, to the point that we only rotate personnel every ten years.”

“I think you need to be a little more reasonable, Vice-Pontiff Clockmaker,” Vice-Pontiff Lorimer said. “He just wants to take a look around and see if any holes exist. I’ll personally be keeping an eye on him, so the risks are insignificant.”

“Even a small risk is unacceptable,” said Vice-Pontiff Clockmaker. “Anything else is on the table, but not this.”

“Then I’m afraid I can’t help you,” Oster said. “Furthermore, I won’t be responsible for the success or failure of this plan.”

“I for one think we should let Oster have a go at it.” Surprised eyes turned to Cardinal Salamani, who’d remained silent thus far. “Everything we do here is based on compromise, is it not? That is how our two factions have manage to coexist for thousands of years.”

“This concerns the very foundation of our church on the Inkwell Plane, Cardinal Salamani,” Vice-Pontiff Clockmaker. “But you are right. Every decision here is built on compromise and passed through this council democratically.

“All in support?” Vice-Pontiff Lorimer said. Four cardinals of Harid Dej and two cardinals of Jezeriah raised their hands.”

“You see? Not even your own faction supports this nonsense,” said Vice-Pontiff Clockmaker.

“That remains to be seen,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “All against?” This time, five cardinals raised their hands. The remainder abstained. “Since it’s six for and five against, we’ll agree to your request.”

Vice-Pontiff Clockmaker looked like he’d swallowed a lemon. “I see that greed has sewn its seeds among our clergy once again. Fine. Have it your way. But those of you who crossed the line had better give me a good reason not to expel you from this chamber!”

“Then I’ll be escorting Oster to the Root Prison,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer.

“Not so fast,” said Vice-Pontiff Clockmaker. “I’ve agreed to let Oster inspect the Root Prison, be we have not agreed to how much time will be allowed. Fifteen minutes is my bottom line. Any more than that, and I’ll use my once-per-decade veto to overrule you.”

With that, Vice-Pontiff Clockmaker’s seat shimmered, and his likeness vanished, as did several others in the room. Not everyone was here in person. Undine and Salamani were here, however, as was Vice-Pontiff Lorimer.

“Fifteen minutes isn’t a lot of time,” Oster said to Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “Out of curiosity, what did you have to pay them to secure their votes and abstinence? Sacred treasures? Some high-class offerings?”

“I’ll be keeping our back door dealings a secret, thank you very much,” Vice-Pontiff Lorimer said. “Especially from you.”

Oster shrugged. “It doesn’t hurt to ask.”

“Unfortunately, there’s only so hard I can push,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “So we’ll have to make do with what time we have.”

“If the plan fails, I’ll just pin it all on that old fossil,” said Oster.

The Vice-Pontiff roared with laughter. “That’s the spirit!”

***

Oster didn’t like it when things went too smoothly. Humans were unpredictable creatures, with all sorts of wants and taboos. As such, even reasonable requests were often denied, much to the detriment of all parties.

He was therefore quite nervous as he entered the Root Prison with Vice-Pontiff Lorimer, Undine, and the rising star in Jezeriah’s faction, Salamani. Walls of stone were replaced with walls of clay and wood that isolated this place more effectively than the immortal-grade shield protecting the Realm of Good and Evil ever could.

“You’ll note that communication is impossible from within the Root Prison,” Vice-Pontiff Lorimer said to Oster. “Only those that have imprinted their will upon the tree’s core with the assistance of the twin goddesses may initiate communications or observe what goes on inside. Vice-Pontiff Clockmaker and I are the only ones inside the Realm of Good and Evil with this authority. Naturally, the pontiffs also have this authority, but for strategic reasons, they cannot remain in the realm.”

“Aren’t there many more saints in Mendin?” said Oster.

“There are, but for political reasons, we can’t have them stationed here,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “Two Vice Pontiffs and their shield guards. Four saints in total. This allows for a balance in both factions and also the safety of the clergy and its supremacy in the Mendin subcontinent.”

“There were no painted Daoists out there, I noticed,” Oster commented. “Another security measure?”

“Jezeriah and Harid Dej are still a bit skeptical about these cultivators and have placed a temporary ban on their incorporation into the Realm of Good and Evil,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “The outside clergy is rife with them, however.” Judging by his disdainful expression, he did not approve of this recent development.”

“The Root Prison’s construction is interesting,” Oster said, changing the topic. “If it was built of stone or metal, there would be cracks or weak points where formations and materials joint. The clay seals off all cracks, while the root wood fills the prison with an inviolable will, making it impossible to enter save through this single checkpoint.”

The checkpoint in question was located between two guard houses excavated from that same clay. There was a frightening number of powerhouses within, though only three inquisitors – one peak gold ranker and two later gold rankers – went out to receive them.

“Vice-Pontiff Lorimer,” the lead inquisitor said. “I was not informed that you would be visiting, nor have I received clearance for additional visitors.”

“Here is the edict that was drafted in council just a few minutes ago,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer, handing the inquisitor a document.

The inquisitor’s golden eyes reviewed the document several times before grunting and waving them through. “I can approve your entry, but I cannot defy the tree’s will. Those who pass through the doorway will need to open themselves up for inspection. I will not be responsible for anyone’s life or death in this matter.”

“Many thanks, Chief Inquisitor,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “Well? Shall we?” The Vice-Pontiff walked through a relatively small entrance not much larger than a burly soldier. Undine and Salamani followed, then awaited Oster on the other side. “Don’t worry, Oster. It’s just a formality. The Tree of Good and Evil slumbers, and my permission is all you need.”

Oster wasn’t a gambler, but backing out now would look extremely suspicious. So he steeled his resolve and walked through the doorway. A will not unlike oily water washed through his person, defiling him and blessing him simultaneously. Fortunately, the will was passive in its examination, and detected nothing amiss.

“There. That was easy, wasn’t it?” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “Welcome to the root prison. You have fifteen minutes and counting to inspect whatever you like, starting with this doorway.”

“I don’t think I need to inspect the doorway,” Oster replied. “Its weakness if obvious – the inspection isn’t intrusive at all if one of the two vice-pontiffs vouch for the person in question.”

Vice-Pontiff Lorimer raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying I’d invite Clear Sky into the Root Prison?”

“Don’t discount the possibility so quickly,” said Oster. “He could be standing right in front of your chief inquisitor, a saint-level ranker with an inspection class, and he would detect nothing amiss. That’s how good his disguises have gotten.”

Having said his piece, Oster made the best of his time in the prison. The Root Prison was poorly constructed, but fortunately, much of the divinity that had tempered the Tree of Good and Evil over millennia had leached into the soil, creating a barrier of naturally occurring divine runes.

The wooden portions of the walls were even more difficult to pass through. Dao Origin fragments had somehow embedded themselves into the Tree of Good and Evil’s root system. As such, even peak law-stitching experts would have trouble sneaking in.

“This prison is made form the toughest material I’ve ever seen,” said Oster. “I don’t think Clear Sky will be able to infiltrate the prison using brute force. Disguise is the most likely option.

“Is the inquisitor at the entrance in possession of divine artifact?”

“The Tree of Good and Evil is better than any divine artifact,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer.

“I disagree,” said Oster. “My first recommendation is that he be assigned one or even two divine artifacts, preferably aligned with detection.”

“You make it sound like divine artifacts grow on trees,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “Moreover, inquisitors are extremely rare, and almost all of them belong to Jezeriah.”

Oster shrugged. “I can only make recommendations. If you’ll allow religious politics to jeopardize the Root Prison’s safety, it’s none of my concern.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “Shall we continue?”

“Yes, let’s,” said Oster. “Have you tracked down the demons known as Clever Dusk, Drezil, and Graceful Twilight, by any chance?”

“I reviewed our prisoner files and confirmed that we did not capture them when we secured the Tree of Life in Verdant Crossroads,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “Our records say that a powerful figure retrieved them just prior to our invasion.”

“That’s a pity,” said Oster. “Because I’m still not convinced we can prevent Clear Sky from infiltrating the root prison. It would therefore behoove us to lay a trap for him inside the prison itself. What of Titan Thunderfist and Titan Shatterstorm? There’s also Daoist Frozen Thorn and Daoist Frozen Rain.”

“I’ve already checked on them,” said Undine. “They’re located in the outer ring of the Root Prison.”

“The outer ring?” said Oster. “Move them, but don’t make it difficult to find them. Let’s set up a three-layered trap.”

“I might be ablet transfer them into the middle ring,” Vice-Pontiff Lorimer said.

“Can they not be transferred to the inner ring?” Oster asked. “Or is there something different about the inner ring?”

“The inner ring is where saint level cultivators are kept,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “It’s not that we can’t send others there, but that they just won’t last long if we do.”

Oster continued analyzing the prison as they made their way from the outer ring to the center of the Root Prison. Though he was not an expert in construction or formations, he had a keen eye for flaws.  He spotted no less than three holes in the outer ring and four in the middle ring. “The energies here are too concentrated,” said Oster, spotting a spot just outside the inner prison’s boundary. “It’s introducing instabilities in the formation that Clear Sky might be able to take advantage of.”

“Unfortunately, this deficiency cannot be corrected,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “The inner prison is suffused with a powerful will that is difficult to resist.”

Oster overlayed several will-defense skills and even activated a half-step immortal amulet before walking through the light boundary separating the inner prison from the middle prison. Despite his many precautions, the sudden change in atmosphere stunned him for three full seconds.

“My word,” said Oster. “This place is crawling with immortal-grade energy. And is that true divinity I sense?”

Vice-Pontiff Lorimer pressed a hand to a root wall, revealing a prisoner who was chained to the wall. Not much more than skin and bones remained of him. When the last trace of immortality vanished form his blood, he would perish.

Oster’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not just imprisoning them - you’re stripping their energies. And you’re doing the same to the Monkey King, aren’t you?”

“That is correct,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “It’s not often that we manage to obtain immortal class prisoners, as it’s almost impossible to capture them. Most would rather self destruct.”

“Interesting,” Oster said. “I take it from the potency of the immortal energy in this chamber that this has been happening for quite some time. Yet the number of immortal artifacts in Mendin has remained relatively stable.”

“Using this energy to create artifacts would be a huge waste,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “But we won’t be discussing this matter. The only thing you should concern yourself with is how to use the Root Prison to capture Daoist Clear Sky.”

Oster frowned as he reviewed the information so far. There were a few points that could be used against Clear Sky, but he still had too little information. “You should consider leaking news about the Monkey King’s situation to Clear Sky. If he finds out, he’ll lose his cool and may do something rash.”

“We leaked the information out some time ago, actually,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer.

Oster froze. “You did what? And you didn’t find it necessary to inform me of this matter?”

“Relax,” said the vice-pontiff. “I leaked the news by order of the twin goddesses. You should trust in their judgement more, Oster. They’re goddesses.”

That didn’t sit well at all with Oster, but there was nothing to be done about it. He could only plan accordingly. And if Clear Sky attacked, he wouldn’t be anywhere near this place.”

“I’m lacking one final piece of information,” Oster said. “I need the specifics on the Monkey King.”

“That is our last stop,” said the Vice-Pontiff, checking his wrist. “We have exactly six minutes remaining. More than enough time.”

The inner prison was not like the outside world. In the presence of such dense immortal power and true divinity, the laws of reality warped, creating a natural spatial maze that both trapped the prisoners inside it and protect the prison from infiltration.

“Nice place,” Oster said to Undine and Salamani. “You’ve been here before, I take it?”

“Not me,” said Salamani, shaking his head. “I was sent to the prison once on punishment duty, but I always remained in the outer prison. How about you, Undine?”

“Once,” said Undine. “My skillset is well suited to maintaining this maze and channeling divinity. Word is that I’ll be assigned to this prison during the next personnel rotation. Should I do well in performing my duties, there is as good chance that I’ll be promoted to vice-pontiff.”

“What about Lorimer?” asked Oster. “He’s not concerned about you usurping him?”

Undine shrugged. “Harid Dej’s current pontiff has been around for three hundred years. Word is that she’s accumulated enough to ascend and has been awaiting a suitable replacement.”

“You’ve got it all figured out,” Oster said. “How enviable. Unfortunately, I won’t be here to see it happen. Should we meet again after this job, it will be in the immortal realms.”

“Enough chit-chat, everyone,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “We’ve arrived.” Their blurred surroundings cleared up, revealing a rune-covered panel of root wood. The vice-pontiff placed his palm on it, and three seconds later, the wall slid open, revealing a dimly lit hallway.

Oster followed the vice-pontiff inside, while Undine and Salamani took the rear. Screams could be heard through the Root Prison’s thick wood. They seemed familiar.

The hallway opened into an empty room. A feeling of danger swept over Oster as he stepped inside “Is there some sort of hidden doorway I should know about?” Oster said, glancing about the room.

“Of sorts,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “Would you be so kind as to stand at the center of the room? A tertiary scan is required to enter the central prison.”

Oster shrugged and stepped to the indicated position. He still sensed danger, but that could mean many things. Wave after wave of oily will swept through him. Yet as before, it did not sense anything amiss.

“Are we done now?” Oster asked, a little irritated by the multiple scans so far.

“Yes, we’re done,” said Vice-Pontiff lorimer. “It’s a fascinating thing, by the way. I still can’t tell the copy and the original apart.”

Oster’s eyes narrowed. Three pairs of ochre wings sprouted from his back, and his soul and cultivation began to burn. The floor caved in, and golden vines shot out; he tried to evade them but was unable to overcome the will pressing down on him from above.

“What’s going on here?” Oster asked, falling to his knees. “Answer me!” Unfortunately, the three ignored him, and Cardinal Undine began laying down multiple curses and spells on his position.

“I must say,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer from the entrance. “This is by far the best impersonation I’ve ever seen. If it weren’t for a few tells that tipped off Undine, and a secondary source of information, you would have succeeded in infiltrating us.”

“I’m not… sure… what you’re talking about,” Oster grunted. “I… argh!”

The tree roots wrapped around him squeezed, crushing Oster’s body until a multi-colored blood leaked out. “Is that…” Salamani said, dipping a finger in the liquid.

“Ink,” Undine confirmed. “It is as I suspected. This isn’t a person, but a painting.”

“Correction,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “It is a person covered by a painting. Watch as he sheds his outer layer.”

A body rapidly reformed from the mixed blood and paint. It was none other than Clear Sky who appeared, completely stripped of his previous identity. His thoughts were no longer Oster’s, and neither were his mannerisms and quirks.

“It seems I underestimated the Tree of Good and Evil and overestimated my painting skills,” said Cha Ming.

“Don’t undersell yourself, Clear Sky,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “It was a very convincing act.”

“You were completely convinced that you were Oster, weren’t you?” said Undine. “The incarnation is now complete isolated in the spatial, material, and energy dimensions, Vice-Pontiff. It is completely cut off from Clear Sky’s inner world as well. All that remains is a one-way karmic connection that sustains its existence.”

“Excellent,” said Vice-Pontiff Lorimer. “Please proceed with the tracing ritual. We’ll use this incarnation as a starting point to find the others. As for you, Salamani, please coordinate with the inquisitors and our realm defense to track down and capture Clear Sky’s incarnations. Follow the plan. The real plan.”

“Yes sir!” Salamani said. He left the chamber, leaving Cha Ming alone with Cardinal Undine and Vice-Pontiff Lorimer.

“I think I see what’s going on,” Cha Ming said to Undine. “You didn’t actually see through my disguise. Someone on your level can’t do it, and Vice-Pontiff Lorimer barely knows Oster. It think some told on me. It was Oster, wasn’t it? Answer me, Undine.”

Undine smirked. “Look who’s helpless now. You should have known better than to trust him, Clear Sky. He’s tried to kill you several times, after all.”

“I’m not surprised, just disappointed,” Cha Ming said. He tried to twisted his arms out of their uncomfortable position but winced as he failed. “So. A tracing ritual. Bold plan. I doubt it’ll work, but I’m helpless to stop you.”

Unfortunately, Undine surprised him by pulling a small wisp of true divinity from the wall. His defenses slowly peeled away under the influence of the tree.