Chimaera's Conquest: The Legend Of The Devourer
Chapter 156: Infiltration (1)

Chapter 156: Infiltration (1)

"So that’s why you were naked," A’Mila nodded, scratching Fenris’s ears. "And here I was about to think the worst..."

"Let’s forget about that," Adrian interrupted, getting serious. "What did you find out about the Church and those Ravens?"

"There’s not much to say," Amelia replied, retrieving a map showing the Church’s layout. "Except that the Church has been transformed into a fortress."

"It’s something they did after the Zodiacs attacked?" Adrian asked, looking, moving his hands across the now heavily guarded entrances.

"That’s unlikely. They must have done it after deploying all the heroes to prove their ’loyalty’," Sophia remarked. "Most likely, it was another one of the Raven’s ideas."

The Ravens. They seemed to have gained a lot of influence following the Pope’s announcement of joining forces with the Church. Even in the slums, while no one outright cursed the Ravens before, they were scared to death of them.

However, things seemed to have changed a lot. The Slum-dwellers now straight up refused to mention them as if taking their name would curse them or something.

"They who must not be named," Adrian mumbled, thinking he had heard the phrase before someplace. "Must feel good to have such fear over the public."

"Who would’ve known these people would turn out to be Potterheads," Sophia commented, making Adrian chuckle.

The two earthlings knew what the term meant, but Amelia and A’Mila didn’t seem interested in that discussion.

"You two can joke later all you want," Amelia rolled her eyes before pointing at the map. "Let’s figure out this shit first."

"If the Ravens were responsible for this, then I might have an idea for dealing with them," Adrian replied. "But what about the elves? Are they still here?"

Amelia nodded, not saying a word. Sophia grabbed her hand, trying to console her friend. Adrian didn’t say anything, either. He knew it would be difficult for Sophia to go against her people despite what they did to her.

As strong of a warrior she was, it had been ingrained in her mind always to help the elves, and now they were headed towards a war with them.

Adrian knew the exact scenario would occur, so he delayed coming to Nexaria in hopes that the elves would leave for Alfvania by the time they attacked the Church.

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

The elves were still hiding in the Church, probably negotiating terms for voiding Vincent’s hero contract.

’As much as I would love to hunt Vincent, a fight against the Church, Ravens, and the Elves simultaneously would be suicidal,’ Adrian thought. ’Judging by the situation, stealth is our only way in.’

However, something else was bothering Adrian even more. If the elves were there, they’d probably tell the Church he was alive. Then, the Ravens would be ordered to search for him in the Wilderness.

As such, it was only a matter of time before they realised the Nexarian outpost was no longer theirs. From there, it would only take a few minutes for the Pope to figure out that Adrian was already in Nexaria.

"They’re gonna tighten security around the church soon," Adrian commented before getting up and preparing to leave. "I’ll be gone for a bit. Could you fill A’Mila in on the Church’s forces while I’m out?"

Sophia stood up, ready to go with him, but Adrian asked her to stay seated. Adrian knew he could handle what he was about to do, but he wanted the girls to stick together and watch out for each other. That’s why he was going alone, not even bringing Fenris with him.

’The Innkeeper might not tell the Ravens about us, but I can’t say the same about those who watched us arrive yesterday,’ Adrian thought, climbing the stairs. ’I need to distract them while I can. Thankfully, I know exactly where to find them.’

***

Recently, every day was a day to party for the Ravens, and this day wasn’t any different. People were enjoying their newfound fame with booze and women who were more than willing to entertain Nexaria’s new protectors.

However, suddenly, someone kicked open the doors leading to their private bar, and a man came walking inside as if he owned the place.

The room fell silent as all eyes turned towards him; their eyes widened with shock and disbelief when they saw Red walking in.

The last they had heard, Red had jumped into the Veil, chasing after the man who had been seen with Vesper. Many had assumed he was dead, but here he was, walking into the bar as if he had never left.

As the murmurs grew louder, a burly figure pushed his way through the crowd, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Red!" the chubby man exclaimed, choking as emotions ran wild.

"Stop crying, you moron!" Red rolled his eyes, but Chubby wasn’t paying attention.

Without hesitation, he wrapped Red in a bone-crushing hug and lifted him off his feet. Red’s lips curved into a wistful smile as he gently patted the man’s back.

"Easy there," Red winced before forcing a smile. "It might not look like it, but I’m injured in a lot of places."

"...sorry," Chubby mumbled, releasing Red with a sniffle, wiping away his tears with the back of his hand. "I thought you were gone for good, and after what happened to Dad-"

"Alright, enough with the crying," Red shook his head, smacking the giant. "Man up and stop crying like a bitch!"

Before their reunion could get any deeper, however, the mood was interrupted by Tim’s arrival, and he didn’t look as pleased with Red’s arrival as the rest of them.

Tim looked around, and everyone returned to business as if Red had never arrived. Even Chubby stepped out of the way as Tim approached Red, placed a hand on his shoulder, and welcomed him back.

"It took you a while," he said. "Did you lose your way or something?"

"Try jumping into a Veil and see if you can last there," Red replied nonchalantly.

"At least your loud mouth is still the same," Red smiled. "Come, the boss wants to see you. Says he’s got something important to discuss."