As the world is engulfed in darkness, I found myself rummaging through different documents, scanning through various data and the like, inside the chambers of the Cabal Records room, beneath the soaring tower of the Encephalon, Ironhart City's Imperial Command Center. The tower stands at a hundred floors, a view that oversees city’s entirety.
The tower’s shaped like a crown that had been placed on a pedestal, making it clear where the power is seated. It's curved at the bottom that runs straight from its mid-section to about 50 floors then continues straight to the top, like it's piercing the sky. The four elevators run on these side columns all the way to the top. In between these elevators are flights of emergency staircases. The most notable highlight it has is the open square space which should have been the 80th to 90th floors but rather, it served as a garden and lounge area for the workers inside.
The tower's located at the Imperial Grounds on Jiang Jin Street, the center of the city. It’s surrounded by the Regal Guard's Stronghold, the Arbiter's Judiciary Hall, and the Han Smith’s Vanguard. It was created about a hundred years ago. Until now, the tower stands tall, representing the might of Extol.
Inside the tower are various government departments and offices that maintain the city's stability and economy. Records such as personal profiles, businesses, taxes, properties, everything that has value and exists within the city are overseen by the people that work here, under the guidance of Rinnamads that came from Extol.
The Cabal Records room is accessible only to the high-ranking officials within the city. The room is a library of information regarding every court case known to exist within the city. Each person connected to any specific case are dated, filed, and secured inside folders, envelopes, and computers. Every document is contained within the vast sea of filing cabinets within this hall, be it petty crimes or the more heinous ones, every single one is neatly filed and organized. I'm sure to find maybe even a fraction of information I can about Molina and his identity, why he was taken and for what actions was he detained.
I search through various folders, rummaging through different court cases, character accounts, and criminal records but there weren't any that I can find. Surprisingly, the only thing I found were the reports I made about the Demon, his first appearance and the different degrees of crimes he has committed.
I had already forgotten but, when I first saw what it had done, a bloodied street, saving a Rinnamad in the depth of night, I was fascinated. It was the first time that I had heard of such a being that can create such carnage. What kind of being has such devastating force contained within it, and unleashes that for to save a single woman he didn’t know? It was such a bloody mess, the smell of blood, the grunts of broken men being transported, the sea of red that filled the empty street, it was a sight that I can never forget. The woman’s witness accounts also told that he came out of nowhere, in the dead of night, seeming to hear her cries of help.
The first time I saw it in person was when it was attacking three men bigger than his size. The men were apparently the bodyguards of some big-shot Rinnamad who runs a shipping company. Apparently, the Demon found a way to get past the security and almost killed the businessman. We got there before anything else could happened. When we arrived, the Demon took down two of the large bodyguards as I told my men to start shooting but the Demon fled the scene, leaving the two beaten men with severe fractures to their bodies.
We had battles upon battles, scratches, and bruises that I couldn’t count. I never wanted backup, nor did I want the help of my team or anyone else but myself. I wanted the Demon, I wanted to beat it with my own two hands. I hadn’t realized how strong and smart the Demon was back then; I learned the hard way after breaking my fists when I accidentally punched a granite wall when he lured me too close and dodged my punches.
It’s something I want to take for myself, a prize. It might have become my new goal as everything back then was becoming stale for me. I was at the top, one of the very best of what Extol had to offer. I have achieved all that I can as a mere Sevenite turned Rinnamad. I believed that there was nothing left for me to do but to waste my days asserting my power over the people who want to distort our peace. Beating an extraordinary monster such as itself gave my life a whole new meaning.
I was lost in a maze of information, none of them useful to my search. There was one place I have yet to check: the Runic Chambers, a so-called specialized facility underneath the Encephalon. It houses all the restricted data that cannot to be seen by anyone but the officials of the High Council. Within it lies the most confidential data, details unknown to even a person such as myself. It is a chamber known as a myth to some and has also been called as the Shéngjin, the holy house of gold to those who believe in its existence. They say that inside, the walls are plated in gold, and in the center lies a grand round table which seats the High Council.
The High Council consists of all the Magistrate, the three generals of the Regal Guard, and the president who changed his residency 15 years ago to Ironhart City all the while making the City as Fraction 7’s capital and the starting point of power, the fraction’s kilometer zero. The Regal Guard are the highest-ranking military force in the Iron Colony while the Magistrate are the Five Arbiters of Rule who leads the Forgery. The High Council is the can all, be all of this Fraction. They have made this City as the golden land, a somewhat smaller version of Extol, and all of them, rulers to the kingdom beneath.
This city is the supreme power of the Fraction, just simply because of its wealth and economic dominance over the other cities and provinces. But, unlike the others, I believe it has much deeper secrets than what I know of. No one in this world achieved anything by playing nice all the time, I can attest to that myself.
Rising to the top requires sacrifices. Sometimes sacrifices from others as well. At times, you have to feed off or use people to your advantage, maybe even swindle people in some instances. Because to reach the top of the mountain, you must create steps, ladders, with the bodies, efforts, and sacrifices of others, to use them for your own personal goal.
I think of my options, trying to find someone to get me inside the room. My friends are non-existent, and my acquaintances are limited. I only have a few people whom I believe that I can trust. Those people are a part of my division, Chonzou, Bo, Hayette, Miya, and Jao, my personally hand-picked team of Ward Smiths. I'm not one for friendly talks or small chatter, I get right down to what needs to be done which may have been a mistake at this point.
I can't personally ask them to join me in this investigation, this would incite something more in the lines of a coup. I needed new people, people who are unlinked to the government, people who have a lot less impact on the grand scheme of things.
I leave the Cabal and go back to the ground level of the building. I walk to the middle of the lobby and look around, hoping to find the answer I’ve been looking for. I use the elevator and go up three floors, the walls of the upper floor hallways have glass panels that overlook the wide area in the middle of the building. I approach the glass wall and look down towards the ground floor.
I look towards the entrance of the building where people are lined up by the security team. They place their bags on a conveyor belt that goes through a scanner. They raise their arms and spread their legs as a hand scanner glides through their bodies as the security team personally checks them. Then they line up over the elevators and wait for their turn. They get off on their respective floors, go to their respective departments and work their hours off.
It made me realize how mundane everyone’s life is. How lucky I am to be the leader of the Ward Smiths, having to decide on what to do at most days, having my time to myself, going around the city looking for whoever crosses the line of good and evil. Unlike me, the people below are like drones, bees from a hive, workers that listen to the queen and do their daily bidding without any second thoughts or questions.
I get tired of thinking and lean my back against the glass, I'm ready to give up and just try to bust in the Runic all by myself. I might have 15 minutes before the other Ward Smiths arrive and tackle me to the ground. Now that I think about it, that's just too messy and the impending court martial is going to be a massacre.
Whilst thinking, I heard a distant sound coming from the right hallway going to the south. I slowly approached the sound and heard someone being scolded. I tilt my head to the right and take a peek of what was happening.
“You imbecile,” the man in a fancy black suit said.
“I told you to put the Verraco not the black coffee in the machine,” he irritatingly added.
“But sir, that is the Verraco, Verracos are supposed to be that strong,” the man wearing a custodian jumper said.
“Why you little— “the man in the fancy suit said as he grits his teeth.
The man in the fancy black suit started smacking the head of the custodian. This is unusual behavior as each Rinnamad who works at the Encephalon take a social wellness course each month. This course tackles about how to communicate with Sevenites, preventing most Rinammads from overstepping their power, and how to treat the Sevenites with fair judgement. Not that it matters that much as the Sevenite departments are further above the Rinnamad departments. This is to ensure the safety of Rinnamads in case there would be a time when an emergency evacuation is needed.
He punches the custodian on the gut and the custodian falls to the ground. The man in the suit then pours the hot coffee over the custodian's head as the custodian screams in agony from the heat. The man in the suit kicks the custodian on the gut and I rush towards the scene.
I reach for his right arm and pull it to his back, locking it in place. I push him to the wall to restrain him as he tries to fight back, but my grip wasn't going to budge. The difference in our strengths is visible, I feel that I can lift this man with one hand.
“Hey, whoever you are, you'll hear from management about this!” the man in the suit screams.
“Management's going to detain you if they knew you were abusing a Sevenite inside the Encephalon. Is it not under Article 28, sub section 2 of the Ironhart City Rinammad Employment Handbook? ‘No Rinnamad nor any other individual will overstep their authority whilst under contract in the grounds of the Encephalon’,”
“No, you won't, who are you anyway? You sound like a woman but you’re as strong as an ape,” he provokingly replied.
Crack!
Ahhhhhhh!
“My finger, you dumb piece of— “
“Uh-uh you speak any further, your other four fingers get to bend like sausages,” I replied with a smirk. “You ought to— “
Aaaaarghhh!
“I bet you had enough, now go down to the medical bay, tell them you tripped and fell on your fingers,” I said to him in a sarcastic tone.
“Oh, and don't even try to look back, if you do, I'll gouge your eyes out, you understand?” I added in a threatening tone.
He nods his head and rushes to the elevator while clutching his left hand with his right. I immediately approach the beaten down custodian. I reach my hand out, but he curves into a fetal position, seemingly fearing me. I pull out his two arms and make him stand properly. His eyes were red, soaked in tears, his face expresses deep fear and at the moment, his body was shaking as if he was on shock.
“Go, he won't bother you again,” I said to him, assuring his safety.
“Madame, I cannot repay such kindness,” he replied
“No need. I'm just happy to help. Some of our people are extremely abusive, often times they are out of line. And under the rules of employment, you have the right to be respected,” I proudly said to him.
“Oh, thank you madame, I will never forget this favor you’ve done for me. I shall repay you one day, if I can,” he says as he bows.
He leaves the area in a limping manner while holding onto his stomach. I walk back towards the glass panels near the elevators but then I notice something while I was leaving, a piece of folded paper on the floor. I open it up and it reads,
SL Members meet up at P7 in 15.
-star5
What does this mean, may it have come from the man in the suit or that custodian? I may need to approach the custodian first as he is easier to get hold of without me risking my face and having my authority questioned by the Magistrate, or worse, the Five Arbiters of Rule.
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