Chương 122: 121 - Opal

Deep into the salt flats of Arnup stands the Necropolis of Dust. There, the Vigils of the Veil keep watch over what should stay dead and buried. They monitor the dimensional veil over Laika and intervene when void beasts, or worse, breach it. The Vigils live a life of forbiddance, and they complained to me about their recruiting trouble. Many have been conscripted by force.

While I don't agree on the principle, I'm afraid that such actions are necessary, for the order stands between Laika and those who would see it destroyed. Out of the seven orders, they are the ones who fulfill their roles the best, for all of their targets are sealed, dead, or both. We, on the other hand, can't even rid the world of demons. Excerpt from the journal of the High Priest of Fanon, Verspeiran Mume. On the outskirts of the forest west of Kator, there was a farming village named Greenwall.

Greenwall was home to seven families. The Rabultan family dealt in dairy. They had twelve cows and a herd of goats, making them the richest in their community. The family was headed by a couple in their fifties: a father and a mother. Together, they had seven children. Their youngest was a girl named Opal. She was fourteen and had bright, long golden hair. That day, she'd been tasked with bringing the goats into the forest to graze. Opal didn't go deep. Nobody did.

The edge of the forest was good enough for the goats and mostly safe. Greenwall, being attached to Kator, had a few Gold ranks to scare away most monsters roaming around these parts. Sitting on a mossy rock, she watched her goats, making sure that none strayed too far. They were eating twigs and low-hanging leaves from a birch tree while some were cutting through briar. She was bored, but at least she didn't have to put in any effort. The morning's weather was nice, a rare happenstance for Kator.

It wasn't raining, and the air was pleasantly warm. Opal almost dozed off, the cracks of her goats' steps on twigs and dead leaves rocking her to sleep. She was startled awake by a woman's voice.

"Don't mind me." The woman was wearing a hood, her pale face almost eerie. Opal stood up from her rock and took a step back. The woman waved with a smile.

"Don't worry. I'm only passing by." Opal didn't say anything. There was something about this woman that seemed out of the ordinary. She didn't exude the pressure the village's Golds did. Her goats were not scared of her. In fact, now that Opal looked at them, she noticed the animals were acting like she wasn't even there. The woman shrugged and walked to the base of an old oak tree. Then, out of nowhere, she summoned a shovel and started digging. Opal froze. This had to be a spatial storage device.

She knew of them, but had never seen one in action. The Keepers of the Iron Ink in Kator had them, but this woman wasn't dressed in their traditional robes. To afford a spatial storage, she had to be at least Platinum. Maybe higher. Opal swallowed. The woman seemed not to care for her. Shovel after shovel, she dug a hole at the base of the old oak. She was fast. The earth offered no resistance against her shovel. Why was a woman this strong using a shovel to dig? Didn't she have a spell? Opal was curious.

"Why are you using a shovel?" she asked. The woman didn't stop.

"I'm digging a hole. What else would you have me use?"

"A spell?"

"A spell? Girl, this is an art. Even the best painter in Laika still uses brushes." Opal opened her mouth.

"The art of… digging holes." The woman planted her shovel into the ground and looked at her, sending a shiver down Opal's spine. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"S—Sorry."

"What do you know about hole digging?" the woman asked.

"N—Nothing." The woman nodded.

"Then shut up." Opal watched as she resumed her digging. Shovel into dirt. Dirt out of the hole. Soon, only her head was above ground, and she kept going.

"Want to know why I'm digging?" Opal didn't answer.

"It's fine. I'll tell you," the woman continued.

"I'm going to kidnap someone." She threw more dirt out of her hole.

"The thing is, a very strong individual is protecting my target. He's not stronger than I am, mind you, but it'd be annoying to face him head-on." Opal stopped. Her eyes cut to the gap between the trees. Twenty paces. Maybe thirty.

"You won't make it," the woman said without looking up.

"I'm also not planning on kidnapping you. So don't worry."

"Is it okay to tell me that?" Opal asked. The woman clicked her tongue.

"Just listen."

"Sorry." Opal took another step back. Maybe she should take her goats and go home.

"Where was I? Right, the kidnapping. Have you heard of formations?" Opal shook her head.

"Yeah, no offence, but I assumed as much. Not because you look a bit lost. Well, you do. But I was referring to the fact that formations are not taught outside of the Vigils of the Veil." The woman sighed, resting a hand on her shovel.

"A shame, but that's unfortunately necessary. It wouldn't do if anyone could dispel our seals over forbidden areas."

"Are you part of the Vigils?" Opal asked. Why was a priestess of Nox trying to kidnap someone?

"Ah." The woman hesitated.

"Just… keep that for yourself. We already have too many people who think we are a death cult. We worship the goddess of death. That's completely different."

"Right…" The woman must have picked up that Opal wasn't convinced, because she jumped out of her hole and landed right in front of her.

"Girl, I know what you're thinking. But all we're doing is using our seals to make sure dead things stay dead. Laika is an old world, and all sorts of fucked up things have happened here."

"I see." Opal still wasn't convinced, not in small part because the strange woman was raving to her about her hole and how it would lead her to kidnap someone. She just didn't seem like the most trustworthy person. The hooded woman scratched her chin, smearing dirt all over her face. Then, she clasped her hands together.

"You know what, I sense that you have some potential. How about following me back to the Necropolis of Dust when I'm done?"

"What?"

"When I'm done with my kidnapping, of course. I don't have time to take you there and back. What do you say?"

"You just told me you're kidnapping someone," Opal said.

"I did."

"Why would I join an order whose priestess tells strangers she's kidnapping people""I mean," the woman continued, "you can stay here and look after your goats if you prefer. But joining a holy order is a nice step up. I'll have you reach Platinum, at least."

"Platinum? What rank are you?" Opal asked. The Vigil smiled.

"Wouldn't you like to know, goat girl? Join us, and all shall be revealed." She laughed. Opal frowned. She would be lying if she said she wasn't tempted. Sure, the woman was nuts, but this was a holy order they were talking about. Granted, the Vigils were about the last order she'd want to join, but…

"What do the Vigils do?"

"Good question." The woman tapped her shovel on the ground. She raised two fingers.

"First, we make sure the souls of the dead depart from Laika. Second, we prevent them from coming back." Opal looked away. This wasn't helping her make a choice. The woman coughed.

"You haven't unlocked your class yet. Just so you know, you'll get a better one if you join us." That was true. But something didn't sit right with Opal.

"Why are you so insistent?" she asked. The woman shrugged.

"It's up to you." She turned back to the hole.

"Now take your goats and go. I'll come pick you up later. Think about your decisions well. This could be a turning point in your life." Opal nodded, sensing the finality in the woman's words. She gathered her goats and walked away from the forest.

"One more thing," the woman said as Opal was leaving.

"Don't tell anyone you saw me. Else…" She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't have to. Opal had seen what her shovel did to that hole.

"I won't," Opal said.

"Good girl." * Jenna wiped the sweat off her forehead as the girl left. Fuck, that was close. She would have liked to say it would teach her not to run her mouth, but after a century, she knew it wasn't going to change her. Hopefully, recruiting the girl into the order would keep her quiet while she pulled off her mission. Then she'd pawn her off to Eva. The high priestess of Nox would then send her to some low-ranked Vigils for training, and all would be well. She jumped back into the hole and kept digging.

She had to get deep enough to find the undercurrents of mana. Only then could she carve the first node of her formation. Jenna wasn't scared of Raymond, but taking Alex from under his nose wouldn't be that simple.