Chapter 62: Arishem

Arishem is an eccentric old man...

He doesn't have a dazzling reputation nor a terrifying notoriety. In every, on paper at least, he's just like many other people out there; a civil servant and married man.

The old man is known by his close friends to be the 'clown' of the group. He brings in laughter with him and energizes conversations with his witty remarks. And for the most part, the majority of his family also knows him to be like this.

That said, this was the image that he created for himself that increased his effectiveness as a Spec Ops agent. He created a fake persona, just like Cedric did, to make sure that he could remain as sharp as he could be against their enemies.

With his tenure as an agent, Arishem had received a fair deal of experience when it came to scammers or alarmists. There were some people who tried to use him after learning of his private identity. Suffice it to say, all of them received a bad ending courtesy of him, especially if they can't keep their hands to themselves.

So when he received a text from the kid which he honestly nearly forgot had ever existed, he was of course skeptical.

After all, what could a kid fresh out of his parole, know about the underlying darkness of this city...this world?

Yet at the same time, this kid had been nothing but polite to him. And Arishem knows that the kid wouldn't try to scam him with a matter like this, especially after knowing where he came from and what he experienced there.

Even the old fart of the RMC vouched for the kid. And Arishem himself did a background check on the kid, so he knows that he's clear.

Therefore, he decided to give it a shot. See what the kid was talking about, at least. If the kid lied to him, he will be punished for wasting his time. If it turns out that the kid's right, then shit! Now they have a fucking lead! And wouldn't that be great?

So, there he was, accompanied by brats training under him. He didn't bring all of them for this preparation, just three.

Using the cover of the night, they traveled. Unseen by many as they they jumped from one building to the next, eventually reaching a spot where they could overlook their target destination.

"...a bar, Teacher? Are we here for Inebriation Training?" One of his brats asked.

"Stupid." The other one spat at the previous one, "Teach already said that this will be an actual mission, weren't you listening earlier?"

"How about we wait until Teacher debriefs us before talking, yeah? I think that would be a much better option." The third student of his interjected before the other two students started bickering and giving away their positions.

Arishem just sighed and observed the bar from his perch. For some reason, he fails to sense the 'sinister feel' that the kid told him about, but he's not about to leave this stone unturned just because he hasn't seen a clue yet.

He faced his students and cleared his throat before saying:

"Infiltrate that place and map out everything in there. If you see something strange or 'sinister', you are not to engage. You have 20 minutes to learn everything you can about that place. I want every room checked, every secret entrance marked, etc. Once the time is up, you are to return to me to give your report."

"Yes, Teacher!" His students chorused.

"If you are spotted and forced to confront the enemy, don't hesitate to release a signal. And also, make sure that your identity won't be compromised. Understood?" Arishem clarified.

"You'd be singing for us in no time, little boy."

"W-what are you planning to do? What's going on here? Who are you people?" 021 asked in a row, showing a panicked expression.

'Ah, so that's his play.' Arishem snickered to himself as soon as he saw his brat's expression.

"Oh, no need to be scared. We haven't started yet! To answer your questions in reverse order; first, we will become your worst nightmare. Second, well you're the dumbass that got caught so why don't you tell us? And finally, well haven't we said it before? We'll take 'good care' of you."

"D-Don't! Don't touch me! I'll scream! I'm loud! I'll be alerting many people here!"

"Oh please..." One of the cultists sneered. "You think we don't know that? This place is a soundproofed idiot! Even if you scream bloody murder here, no one from the outside will hear you!"

"S-so you think you can make me talk, huh? Go then! Do your worst, freaking Heretics!" 021 spat in their direction.

One of the cultists gasped, and with a feigned offended tone, they said: "Heretics!? My, how uncouth and uncultured! Kids these days have no breeding!"

"Right? Why don't we educate him, Sister?"

"We should!" The female cultists grinned maliciously before proceeding to deliver a crisp slap on 021's face, leaving behind scratch wounds from her sharp nails. "We're Zealots, you uncultured swine!"

"...there's a difference?" 021 dumbfoundedly asked.

"Of course, you imbecile!" The other cultist replied harshly. "Heretics are those who simply turned their back against their faith. We, Zealots, have discovered a new God to worship! One that is infinitely better than the ones who have!"

"That's stupid...if your God is really that great? Then why are all of them operating in secret? And in a bar...really? Of all the possible places you can think of, you've chosen a bar. Tch, some great religion this is."

Smack! Pow! Boom!

The cultists delivered a series of blows to 021 after he disrespected their faith. They weren't able to control themselves and their strength. Once they're done with him, 021 is bloodied, losing a few of his teeth, and seeing stars.

The female cultist grabbed a mop of his hair and screeched loudly in his ears:

"Mind your words, boy! If you haven't figured it out yet, your faith is in our hands! We can summon all kinds of horrors to make sure that this experience becomes unforgettable for you!"

"O-Oh yeah? Like what? Demons?" 021 replied despite the difficulty in doing so.

The lady gave him a soul-chilling smile and said: "Yes, exactly!"

A portal suddenly appeared out of nowhere and from there, a demon crawled out, drooling at the sight of the bloodied and tied-up human.

Arishem who's been watching this turned solemn. It's as the kid said, something sinister was truly in here.