Throne of Steam

The cathedral stayed silent for a few seconds, the faint haze numbing the senses and eliciting prayer from those within.

"What kind of arrangements you have for me, father?" Garett promptly asked, appearing really forthcoming.

If I appear intent in going with the arrangements, maybe he will give me a more favorable position… Garett thought while fighting to have his eyes appear as sincere as possible.

"You are a scholar, right? And you seemed very interested in the studies about occultism… Maybe you should become a member of the Hunt, it would suit someone with your… capabilities." The priest nodded as if pleased with himself for coming up with this arrangement.

"Becoming… a hunter?" Garett's eyelids twitched.

"Do not misunderstand, the hunters affiliated to the church use their knowledge to hunt wild mutants; it's a very noble duty. If you accept, I'll forward you to one of our most experienced veterans." The priest continued to nod, his eyes shining as if he was a child who found a new toy.

Why do I feel like this would not end up well? Actually, this seems very fishy to me... Garett bit his lips, a little apprehensive.

"I-I don't like violence, father. Maybe it would be best if you gave me time to think about it?" He tried hard to come up with some excuse, but everything seemed to get stuck on his throat.

BONG!

Then the church's bell tolled, announcing the middle of the day had come, and with it a wave of believers started to enter the church.

"There's no need to rush, child. I'm sure everything that happened seems like a lot to take in, but everything will come into place, eventually." The priest then took a small token from the insides of his vests, engraved on it there was a figure resembling a three-tailed snow fox, its eyes shining mysteriously.

"Take this thing to the captain on guard duty when you're ready, he should be an easy man to find; always training new recruits near the gates or drinking in that filthy pup, what was its name again? Oh yes, 'The Gravebear Lounge', you should be able to find him there as well."

While Garett was feeling dizzy about the sudden influx of information, Father Charles forced the token in his hands and directed him to the exit.

"I eagerly await your decision." These were the last words he heard from the priest, who forced him out through the side exit.

Being chased out in such a fashion, it took a few moments for Garett to snap out of his daze; the blinding sunlight shone down hard on his eyes, aggravating the stupor.

What just happened!? Was there really a need to chase me out like this? You could just tell me to leave… Garett scratched his head, unsure of what to do next; the strange token glistening in his hands.

"Maybe I should find the guard captain? Even if I don't plan on becoming a hunter, it would be beneficial to meet with important people in the city." Muttering to himself, he heavily walked in the direction of the gates

…

The area near the gate was obviously one of the most crowded areas of the city, a great number of merchants and wanderers could be seen, each one engrossed in the most distinct types of activities.

This is also one of the most dangerous places in the city. A lot of thieves come here to look for new victims… Garett quickly made an inventory of his possessions, taking note of anything that could make in a target.

"It's not like a poor wretch like me has anything of value." Chuckling to himself, he made way to the main gates.

While walking, he started to actively practice the control of his newfound powers. Focusing on extending his senses, even if the Perception ability seemed more like a passive one; he figured that acting actively should help, even if just a little.

Slowly extending his senses, he realized that something akin to a bubble encompasses his surroundings, it's not like everything inside this bubble was detected by Perception; but everything that concerned him was.

There are a few beggars looking at me, probably eyes for the underworld gangs? Do they register everyone that enters the territory? Maybe they're looking at me because I don't come here often… His confidence in his new ability grew, while he couldn't magically hear the contents of other people's conversations or the like, he felt a lot more confident.

Maybe the underworld bosses are Marked people as well? It would explain how they came to have enough power to rule one of the sides of the city… Coming to a conclusion like this, Garett slowly realized a terrifying possibility! Most probably those people in positions of power should be mostly Marked who held a ritual to some kind of entity!

Lost in his theories, Garett eventually reached the square near the main gates. A bunch of jobless tramps wandered this area, as the factories often looked for cheap labor; the smog mixed itself with the mountain mists, creating an environment somewhat difficult to breathe.

"When I was a kid, I remember the air wasn't rough like this; the mists were the domain of the goddess, calming… soothing." Garett let out a sigh, thinking of the long lost years of his childhood. His mother and sister occasionally pop up in his mind whenever he thought about it.

"Talking to yourself, Garett?" A familiar voice came from behind him, taking him out of his reveries. Garett turned, already matching the voice with the face behind him.

"It's a good way to take note of your thoughts, I wasn't expecting to see you here, Hilren," Garett said with a smile.

I was thinking of how to find you yesterday but I didn't know where to find you. Now that's convenient, you seemed very talkative… Pleased with this turn of events, Garett approached the young knight.

"And what about you, Hilren? What brings you to this place? I thought this area was under the supervision of the Church of Mists."

"Oh, yes. I'm here on duty, a patrol team is coming back from an assignment. I'm here to receive them." Hilren puffed up his chest, convinced of the importance of his assignment.

So you're just the errand boy they sent to keep up appearances…. Garrett's lips twitched, wondering how the patrolman's mind worked.

"What about you, Garett? You don't seem to be here to look for work, have you already met the Priest of Mists? I personally reported your circumstances earlier today." Hilren said absentmindedly, with his eyes scanning the surroundings; his expression turning grave.

So it was you! If the Executors keep using you as an errand boy, we should meet frequently! And why the sudden change in countenance, my Perception didn't notice anything out of the ordinary… Garett's nerves became taut, while the young knight was a little naive, he was still more experienced than him!

"Why are you looking worried all of sudden? Did something happen?" Garett said, scanning the surroundings with his Perception ability.

"There's something wrong, I don't see the expedition team, we were supposed to meet here… I'm sorry, we should catch up some other time." His mind churning, the young patrolman took the initiative to end the conversation.

Phew! You made me worried, your face made me think that we were in some kind of trouble… Letting out a sigh of relief, Garett thought of a way to keep accompanying the young knight; as he could let out some vital information.

"Maybe they were just delayed, I'm looking for the Guard's Captain; maybe we could look for him together, he may be of help to your assignment." He talked while following the grim-faced patrolman, steering him in the direction of the gates.

"Oh! Yes! Thank you! You're really my lucky star, Garett! I don't know what I would have done without you." With his eyes shining, he heavily patted Garett's shoulders.

Hey, dude, cut it out! And don't look at me like that! I don't swing that way… With a chill crawling up his back, he distanced himself a couple of steps from Hilren.

The duo then walked in the direction of their new objective.

…

Arriving at the gates, an oppressive atmosphere could be felt pressing down on them. The air felt heavier the closer they got to the outside, one could imagine the pressure accumulated from working here day and night.

I've read a lot in the newspapers, a few mutant beasts would occasionally attack the city gates, that's also why merchants would prefer to form caravans when leaving the city, there's strength in numbers… Garett's senses were being affected by the pressure, he couldn't help but notice that the temperature seemed to drop by a large margin.

"Father Charles said we could find the Guard's Captain in the training fields, it should be easy to find." Garett slowly conveyed the information, he couldn't understand why he was feeling so tense! A very ominous feeling started to take root inside his heart!

"I know where it is. Let's not waste any time, I have the feeling something's about to happen." Hilren also urged as worry tinged his face.

So I am not the only one who thinks like this, huh? My gut is telling me to turn tail and run, should I? I don't have any obligation to continue here… With these thoughts crowding his mind, they entered the area of the training fields; the front area was surrounded by an wooden fence, with the back being the city walls.

There were a few training targets for shooting practice hung on the city walls, the sound of shooting flooding the ears of the passerby. While a few recruits trained in hand-to-hand combat on the left, noisily screaming when they were felled, the ground of beaten sand being the only thing to soften the fall.

They don't seem too worried, maybe they are used to the atmosphere? I guess it starts to feel normal after some time… Garett thought, finding some security on the fact that the people here seemed relatively relaxed.

"Excuse me, this is a private area. Civilians are not allowed here, please turn around." A fat soldier with a flintlock rifle on his back stood up from a wooden bench on the side of the fence, his size almost the double of Garett's.

One of his eyes seemed to be blind, with a burn mark surrounding it, his black beard looked tangled and messy as if he didn't care about his own appearance.

From his neck hung the damaged symbol of a snow fox, clearly evidencing the fact he was an old veteran of the guard.

"I'm with the Executors, and I'm here to request a meeting with your captain." Hilren spoke firmly while holding the symbol of the Eternal Judge, apparently very used to this action.

"An Executor, eh? What do you fellows want this time?" His eye then turned to Garett, scrutinizing every detail there was to be seen, "This one doesn't seem like an executor, why is he accompanying you?"

Why are you so picky about the details!? Do I look like someone so easy to bully? The relationship between Executors and Hunters seem worse than I previously thought… Complaining inwardly, Garett hurriedly took the token Father Charles had given him from the insides of his shirt.

"Father Charles sent me here to meet with the captain as well… He said something about training with the hunters." Garett resisted the pressure coming from the giant, standing his ground and firmly holding the token.

"Oh?" Even Hilren seemed amazed at this, no wonder the brute looked even more surprised.

"Fresh Marked meat? You don't seem like a warrior, kid. It's better if you apply for a peaceful job at the church; You're only going to get yourself killed here." The giant man crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking like a veteran advising his juniors, "Well, orders are orders, name is Burdren, you can find cap'n on that small building over there. If he asks, tell him I let you in."