Chapter 106 - Yuzu’s Request

Finn sat down on the covered steps in front of the police outpost. He stared out into rainy night, his thoughts occupied and unfocused.

For some reason he began thinking about Chief Yun. The Chief was a man who brimmed with a relaxed confidence that comforted those around him. Finn had never seen Chief Yun upset or angry. At first Finn simply admired Chief Yun, aspiring to embody the unbreakable, unwavering spirit of his mentor.

But there were nights when Finn was helping out at Chief Yun’s private office, and he would catch the Chief in moments of reminiscence. At these times the light in the Chief’s eyes would dim, and the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth seemed to deepen. He would take out a cigarette and hold it in his mouth, not lighting it as if he simply forgot to complete the action as he lost himself in thought.

“You smoke?” Finn asked once after seeing this happen several times.

The Chief immediately shook himself out of his reverie, removing the cigarette from his lips with a smile, “No. Hate the taste.”

“Why do you have cigarettes then?”

“Why indeed.” The Chief laughed, not giving an answer.

Yun’s mood instantly brightened as Finn saw the mask return over the his eyes, and the darkness inside his mentor was instantly hidden behind his usual spirited personality.

At that moment Finn understood that his mentor, in all his skill and intelligence and power, was still just a man, struggling to make his way in the world.

The sounds of footsteps approaching shook Finn out of his memories as he saw a young boy run up to him.

“Message for Officer Finn Mackenzie.” The boy announced. As he stepped into the porch light Finn saw the boy clearly. He was no older than ten years of age, was dressed in the usual dress of a courier, with a felt hat that covered his soaked face, and an oversized coat that was slick from the rain.

“That’s me.” Finn said, receiving the letter.

It was written in neat, but rushed handwriting.

We discovered a big lead at the cabin. Sorry, can’t meet you tonight. I’ll catch you at HQ tomorrow with the news! - MK

Finn scanned the letter quickly then looked up at the boy, who was just about to run off, “When did you get this message?”

“Not too long ago. I only had to run ten blocks.” The boy said, “There were four officers, they looked like they were in a hurry but the woman officer kept saying she had to send the message.”

“Right.” Finn nodded, letting the boy go.

He wondered idly what kind of lead Minnie had found. There wasn’t much to go by, except that it didn’t seem particularly dangerous. He tucked the note in his pocket and sighed, standing up and putting on his hat.

He hailed the next carriage that passed by, directing it to the Railyard District. It was getting late, but he only had one more day before he had to make a report to Locke. He planned to do a bit of rummaging in Chief Yun’s files to see if he could find anything of use before he finally rested for the night.

~

“I have a request.”

On the grassy plateau deep in the woods, Yuzu calmly stated her request to Medusa.

“There will be visitors to this place in the coming days.” Yuzu said, gesturing towards the shrine, “I ask that you grant safe passage to them, and let them travel through the woods unhindered.”

Medusa kept her gaze lowered as she bowed down onto one knee, “That can be arranged.”

As soon as Medusa spoke the words, Yuzu saw a bundle of illusory golden strings shimmer vibrantly on the plateau. When she was at the shrine with Argus she had observed these strings. They had been weak, resembling faint trails of smoke - the futures of the patients that were to be escorted into the forest by the police.

Without interference, it would be a harsh journey. It wasn’t certain whether they would make it to the shrine or be able to pray effectively. But their prayers were vital to Yuzu’s recovery and so she decided to take action and ask Medusa directly for assistance. With this promise the future had been set.

Yuzu nodded, turning to Argus as she said to him, “You were right, though I’m still surprised she agreed so easily to help us.”

“It is a bit of a mystery to me as well.” Argus nodded, looking thoughtful as he glanced over to Medusa, “I only knew that she was ready to accept whatever request we had of her, since this is what her God instructed her to do. Pleasing you has been the primary thought on her mind ever since she approached us.”

“A God... instructed her to help me?” Yuzu frowned, looking over to Medusa as well. The kneeling woman seemed to notice that she had garnered their attention and trembled slightly as she kept her head bowed.

“It appears you’ve made quite an impression in the world with your actions.” Argus said, “Perhaps this will not be the only audience you will receive in the next while.”

They spoke softly to each other under the power of concealment while Medusa waited patiently as the rain pelted down on her head and back. After the pair finished speaking, the shorter figure said to Medusa, “It seems you have a request for us as well?”

“Yes- A small one, if you would be so gracious to honour it.” Medusa trembled, not expecting to be called on so directly. Had it been obvious that she had been preparing herself to make a request? She hoped that they did not take offense or think she was too callous in asking for something from them.

“I mentioned before that the monks have been assisting me with the rebirth of Prince Deka. We have set up several locations to hold the rituals to gather the required energy. However... Recently I’ve been feeling that the energy in those shrines has been corrupted by an outside influence. So I created this shrine in secret. It’s only a few kilometres from here, hidden in a valley.”

“There has been some activity nearby by Lord Noga’s forces. I am afraid that the shrine will soon be discovered. In return for assisting you with your shrine, I would like to request your protection of my shrine.” Medusa bowed her head so that it was pressed against the ground, her forehead pushing into the mud and grass. “This is my own concern, I was not asked to request this by my Lord.”

Yuzu looked at Argus, “She wants my protection? Can’t her god do that for her?”

“The process of resurrection is arduous and delicate. It is likely that Prince Deka has very little agency to make changes in the world.” Argus replied after a moment, “However you should know that helping him means going against Lord Noga. There’s no doubt he’s actively seeking out the Marked Devout to drive them out, though perhaps he doesn’t know the whole picture.”

After hearing these words Yuzu tensed up, suddenly looking at the kneeling woman with a critical eye.

Yes, Medusa had assisted them on their way through the unnatural forest, but she had essentially admitted that these changes were a direct result of her and her god’s actions. Yuzu had been so caught up in reaching the shrine that she hadn’t taken the time to consider the nature of Medusa’s involvement in the current events.

Hundreds of deaths, chaos in the city, a horrible parasitic disease - these were things that caused untold amounts of suffering.

“Indeed.” Argus said softly, replying to Yuzu’s thoughts as if she had voiced them out loud.

“If that’s the case, forget helping her, we should turn her in.” Yuzu muttered, “If she continues these rituals to her god and awakens him, things will get even worse. More and more people will suffer.”

“That is most probable.” Argus said, “The forest will completely transform as Deka re-establishes his presence in the physical world. Who knows what will happen to Noga City, which already shows contamination from the life energies that have taken root.”

“Why hasn’t Lord Noga already done something about this?” Yuzu asked, thinking carefully, “You said he should know what’s happening, right?”

“Indeed. I think every Exalted in the city is wondering this. Suffice to say it’s a given that if he could do something, he would. A divine kingdom is being born right on his doorstep. Such a thing is not trivial, nor is it easy to hide.”

”For a powerful ruler such as Noga this is a major embarrassment, and a sign of times to come.” Argus frowned. “After all... to have such a disaster happen right on his doorstep... Every powerful rival of Noga will see this as their chance to strike.”