"It reeks."
The strong metallic scent that lingered in the air stung my nose. The others seem to act as if it's nothing more than the very metal we walk on, but the smell of blood is unique.
It was not like this yesterday.
"Something bothering you?" Muller said, looking over his shoulder.
We were hiding in a dark area that was in view of City Hall. We noticed that there were two guards posted at the front, so going in as a group might prove troublesome.
"I wish you had a sensitive nose," I said, keeping my eyes on the two guards.
"Not everyone is blessed with super-sensitive ears and noses, you know." He then let out a sigh. "Come on, let's get this over with."
"Wait, where are you two going?" Kelly spoke, holding her notebook. "I want to—"
"Stay out of the church's way unless you want to be branded a heretic," Muller said coldly.
Kelly stepped back, a dejected look on her face. She turned towards me as if looking for a different answer. She lowered her notebook once she noticed I was shaking my head.
"So…" Rinne spoke quietly so as not to draw needless attention.
The street we were on wasn't empty, but it wasn't packed either. Many people just walked by, occasionally casting glances in our direction. But knowing Muller and the severity of the situation, Rinne's efforts might be in vain. Not that I would tell her.
Things never go as planned.
"You want us to stay here?" She then leaned closer to me and spoke in a hushed tone. "With her?" She glanced back at Kelly.
"Sto—"
"You and Sara will be on standby," Muller said in my stead. "If you can't handle that, then you go up there and get them to open those doors."
"I'll…stay here." Rinne tugged at my sleeve. I could see the concern in her eyes as she stared at Kelly. All I could do was gently rub her head. Still, I find it quite jarring how shy she acts when others are around. In a way, it's also worrying.
"You got that, Sara?" Muller turned to face the small girl who was keeping an eye on the guards without ever being told to do so.
"Y-yes, Father Muller."
"Master Muller." He narrowed his gaze.
"Y-yes, M-master Muller."
Sara seemed obedient, but that could be because she didn't want to be taken to the orphanage. I could not blame her. The Middle Core's orphanage is nothing but hell. I can only speak for the boy's side: endless nights being forced to build and repair the city's steam networks. Harsh punishments awaited those who failed to complete their tasks.
Judging by the way Rinne looks, I'd say the girl's side is worse. Perhaps even a living nightmare to which hell would be found preferable.
Leaving the others behind, Muller and I approached the doors to the city hall. Two female guards, their eyes glued to us, approached.
"Stop!" one guard brandished a pistol towards Muller without a hint of hesitation. Even the military is not allowed to directly threaten a member of the congregation without proper cause. "This place is off-limits." She spoke in a stern voice that seemed out of character for how neat she looked.
"No hesitation, just how I like them," I said, approaching the guard to get a better view of her chest. The female guard's uniform buttons up to the neck, but since her uniform seemed to be ill-fitted, I could see a gap.
"I said STOP!" She turned her gun on me. As she did, I caught a quick glance of bandages beneath her clothing.
"Whoa! Hold it, messy." I said, faking being afraid of the barrel pointed at my forehead. "We are simply here on behalf of the church to examine the wounds of everyone on sight. We have received reports that a gas that might be harmful to humans was released after the attack on the city hall yesterday. All we are here to do is examine everyone here as the first signs of infection are shown by discoloration on their chest."
The guard raised a brow as she turned to Muller.
"We are simply healers from the Church of the Steam Goddess."
I'm glad that Muller is playing along, but going by the looks on the women's faces, it might be for naught.
"Cut the crap." A more relaxed guard lowered her partner's gun. "She might not know, but I certainly do. The church will never do something like this unless some crazy, backhanded scheme is involved. So sorry, Father, and pervert." She gave me a disgusted passing glance. "But the church has no authority in matters involving the government in times of emergency."
Emergency, huh? We are here because of a void spawn. The city is instructed to notify the church should it encounter one. No untrained human has the power to kill those abominations.
"Will you not let us humble servants do our job?" Muller said, raising a brow.
"I wish for you two to walk away. If we can settle this peacefully, then I will record none of this. But should you not, we will take appropriate action.
"It is rather disappointing to see the actions of a disciple outright rejected like that," Muller walked up to the guard. "May the Goddess forgive you for this treason upon her will."
With those final words, Muller slammed his fist into the guard's stomach. She staggered forward, her breath coming in desperate pants. Then, with his metal gauntlet for a hand, he bashed the side of her head.
Before the other guard had the chance to recover from her shock from the events that had just transpired, I slammed the side of my blade into her head, knocking her out in a single blow.
I could feel the eyes of the people staring at us as the sounds of footsteps grew closer and the murmur of the crowd grew louder.
I reached for the guard whom I knocked out and undid her uniform's top. There was a set of bandages stained red, wrapped tightly around her chest. I undid the bandages to reveal a nasty gash that tore into the bone.
"That's why you said that," Muller said, looking over my shoulder. "I must say, you've gotten rusty."
"What else am I supposed to say? I needed to look at their chest to see if they were really brainwashed."
"What gave it away?" Muller said, placing his gauntlet on the doors of the city hall. He gave it a push, but it gave no sign of opening.
"She and her partner look like hostesses."
"Are you sure? They just look like a couple of pretty women, but that's not uncommon for the guards. Rumor has it that the most disciplined ones are from the orphanages."
"Yeah, that may be true, but their bodies don't show the usual scarring. And don't play dumb."
Muller shrugs his shoulders at my last comment. He, Margaret, and I are all orphans. One was stolen by the church and raised to be an assassin. Another was forced to do unspeakable actions, resulting in her ability to easily collect information. And a runaway who met a hero of the city. No orphan leaves without scars, whether they be physical or emotional.
"Let's regroup with—"
—WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP
Interrupting Muller was the blaring sound of the Middle's Core's PA system.
[WARNING: Steam pressure unstable in: Middle Core—Middle Ring—Upper Core—Upper Ring. Please be advised that steam devices will not function. Avoid unstable valves, bridges, and elevators until this issue is resolved. This message will now repeat…]
I turned to Muller, who looked away, scratching his head. He knows what I am about to say.
"So, make that class 3 a class 4," I said snarkily. "Still think our little party can handle it alone?"
"The goddess has chosen this as an opportunity for us to better ourselves." He then turned behind us. I followed and noticed the three girls running up to us. "That one may prove why the goddess dealt us this hand."
At first, I thought he was referring to Rinne, but as I looked closer, Kelly was acting strangely. As she moved, she was gripping her notebook with an emotionless expression in her eyes.
"I fully believe that they have successfully stalled us," Muller said.
"Yeah…you might be right."