'What do I do?! What do I say?!'
Nolan stared at the door before him, his face pasty whited as he tried to keep his balance.
He sucked in a huge gulp of air,
'I don't want to face this demon, but I have to! I have to inform them of that bastard!'
He gritted his teeth.
The simple image of that boy staring him down was unable to leave his head. Buried within his pupils was an image that constantly inspired deep horror within his soul everytime he closed his eyes.
He truly believed that boy was not human. No, he couldn't be...
He was a devil. No, a demon!
Shaking his head, Nolan stared at the door with even more determination than before.
"Come in." A raspy, strange voice came from inside the room.
Steadying his thoughts, he walked in.
The room was not very large. It was situated not far away from the gate. It was an inn where Hunter's came to spend their time after a long day of hunting down Aether Beasts.
Since it's as very close to the gate, it saw a lot of traffic. Today, the inn was full, but there was always a certain room reserved for a few honoured guests.
These guests were the Pilgrims in charge of all matters concerning the gate and security around Valestorm. At all times during the day, there was always at least one of them here.
Much to his chagrin, all three of the Pilgrims were here today.
The room wasn't very large, but it was decorated rather lavishly. The furniture was created from wood Nolan was certain didn't have ordinary origins.
The lights in the room had elements of advanced mana tech that distributed the illumination evenly around the room.
There was food, fruits, and even alcohol on the table at the center of the room. Nolan swallowed his saliva staring at these things. Although the guards got treated better than the average citizen, it has still been a while since he had seen such opulence.
Despite not having been an important member of society before it all came crashing down, he had still liked a life of laze and luxury, at least in his own opinion.
Having nothing to do all day besides drowning himself in alcohol and rally forms of revelry, he truly missed those days.
'Perhaps if I can give them something good, I'll get to experience the goods days again!'
This thought made Nolan even more certain of his choice.
The three pilgrims sat on high chairs in the room.
The one on the left wore a black silken robe and wore a red mask with two horns protruding from the temples. There were slits were the Pilgrim's eyes were supposed to be, but when he stared into them, Nolan was only able to see darkness, leaving him deeply unsettled.
'The Sky Ward Pilgrim.'
The Pilgrim on the right wore a deep azure colored robe and wore a demon face green mask that seemed to change colors Everytime he stared at it. This Pilgrim had long hair flowing down from their head, adding a layer of uncertainty to the Pilgrim's gender.
'The Earth Ward Pilgrim.'
And finally, the Pilgrim seated at the center of the two.
A deep scarlet robe, as well as a matching mask that resembled a gnarled, twisted root of some sorts. The Pilgrim's hair was neither short nor long, sitting comfortably at their shoulder.
Sitting beside this Pilgrim was a giant, seven feet tall tiger with two three feet tall horns jutting out of its head. The moment he stepped into the room, Nolan felt his life was no longer in his hands, thanks to the existence of the beasts.
The reason for the existence of this beast was simple. Amongst other things, this Pilgrim, was a Summoner, one of the very few Summoners in the entire dome of Sands.
'The Heart Ward Pilgrim.'
Despite being of no consequence, Nolan was a head of the guard. He didn't have the right to demand and audience with people as lofty as the Pilgrims, but he could request for one and expect to be heard out.
"Speak. What do you want?" The Sky Ward Pilgrim said. His voice was warped through the mask, but Nolan could still tell.
Nolan cleared his throat as he began giving his report,
"This morning, a squad of soldiers from the military camp arrived to drop off their quota."
The Sky Ward Pilgrim raised his hand,
"You came here just to tell us this bullshit?! Do you want to die that bad?!"
The Earth Ward Pilgrim chuckled, their feminine voice somehow echoing through the room,
"Calm down, Eddy. Don't frighten him. I'm sure there's more to it than that. Go on..."
Nolan took another deep breath to stop.his shaking,
"Okay. As usual, I performed the usual checks at the gate. This time, they brought an unfamiliar face."
Nolan's face scrunched up in displeasure,
"I am sure that boy is up to no good here."
The Sky Ward shook his head, "And you wanted to meet with us based on just a feeling?"
The Earth Ward spoke softly, "I see..."
She adjusted her robe as she spoke,
"So you are saying you felt something off with him, or did you feel he threatened you, or the safety of our City? What do you mean?"
Nolan decided this was the best time to reveal his cards,
"For one, he said he comes from outside the dome, meaning he is not one of us. He has no ties with the Celestial, Balangol."
The Sky Ward tapped his finger on his mask,
"Is that so? Then shouldn't he have been captured immediately and brought to the temple for assessment and initiation? As long as he isn't tied to another god, and he is willing, he can become one of us, no? Why didn't you do that?"
Nolan bowed his head, "According to the squad leader, he has been given immunity by General Arltzwalt."
The Sky Ward trembled, "That old thing is acting up?"
"I see what you mean. If the General is intervening, then perhaps the boy you speak of isn't as inconsequential as we thought. What do you think, Abigail?" The Earth Ward sighed and turned to the Pilgrim seated at the center.
There was silence in the room for a few moments before she finally spoke,
"Is there anything else?" She said, directing her question to Nolan.
Feeling the pressure build up on him, Nolan struggled to maintain his composure as he thought hard.
Then he suddenly remembered,
"That's it! He- he said his purpose for coming here is to see if he could become a servant to our god."
The Earth Ward chuckled, "How amusing. That boy must be something else, don't you agree..."
The other two were silent.
The Earth Ward turned back to Nolan,
"Alright, we've heard enough. You can take your leave. Perhaps you have stumbled upon something interesting. We'll see in time. What squad are you referring to?"
Nolan spoke rapidly, "Boulder's squad..."
The Earth Ward flipped her hand, drawing a strange notepad from thin air,
"I see... That same troublesome Boulder, huh. Okay, you may leave now."
Nolan took a bow and turned around, swiftly taking his leave.
The moment he stepped out of the room, the tiger with the huge, twisted horns yawned, showing off its enormous, razor sharp fangs and teeth, before falling back to sleep at the feet of the Heard Ward Pilgrim.
All three Pilgrims were silent for a moment before the Sky Ward Pilgrim spoke,
"The old crown is planning something again. Wouldn't it be best to inform the higher ups so we can react in time?"
The Earth Ward nodded, "I agree with him. Although now is not a good time for infighting, I am of the opinion that it is best we get rid of it now, than worry about it later."
The Sky Ward rested his chin on his palm,
"Still, it could be that incompetent was just blowing hot air from his ass. All this could be way blown out of proportion. If he knew he was that dangerous, he should have detained him."
The Earth Ward chuckled, "Have you stopped to consider of he could detain him or not?"
The Sky Ward seemed perplexed,
The Earth Ward shrugged, "Well, you men, with your fragile egos. It is possible the only reason he came crying to us, was simply because he lacks the ability to do anything about the supposed 'boy' himself."
She chuckled, "Either way, we can't do anything else until we get all information. Besides, I'm curious to see what this 'boy' looks like. Hehehe..."
The Sky Ward clicked his tongue, "There you go again, you insufferable wench. Just when I thought your terrible tastes had died down!"
The Earth Ward giggled, "My tastes are exquisite. But that shall be a discussion for another day. My lady Abigail, is there anything you want to say."
The Heart Ward was silent for a few moments before suddenly speaking,
"He said his intentions were to become a servant of Balangol, right? Why not give him that opportunity..."
The Earth Ward chuckled, "You mean..."
The Heart Ward nodded, "There is no soil that cannot be brought to see salvation. So long as those are his intentions, then he can be saved. I shall see the initiation personally. Edward, bring him to the temple."
The Sky Ward seemed baffled, "You want to oversee it personally? Are you certain?"
The Heart Ward turned to him, "I am."
With that, she stood up from the chair and disappeared from the room with her strange summoned creature, leaving the two others behind in silence.
The Sky Ward clicked his tongue, "Why do I have to be the one always doing the menial labor? Besides, why go through all this for what seems like a nobody?"
The Earth Ward shook her head,
"Try to read between the lines, Eddy~"
The Earth Ward shook her head, her masked face appearing even more frightening, as she spoke with an eerie tone,
"Perhaps you'll get to know soon enough. With you, I might be able to satisfy my curiosity as well."