By the next day, I had received my first official assignment. It was a job for two, and Mary—the assistant division leader had assigned it to me.
"Along with Mark? So it's the same thing that Daniel did with me."
Mary nodded. "Just to put him through on field work and all. Hopefully, there are no surprises this time."
"Can't say for sure. My life is full of surprises. I'll just pray that my luck doesn't rub off on him."
Mary chuckled. "Where were you going before I met you if I may ask?"
"I was going to look for Father Azrael," I answered. "He's been missing for a few days now. But now, I wonder, how did you know I was here?"
"A little birdie told me."
"...."
Habit, I guess. Or, are ladies just like this?
….
Now that I think of it, there is virtually no woman in my life.
That can't be a bad thing, right?
….
"Alright, where does he live?" I asked. "I'll get the job done before evening."
"Good good. He's not very far from you actually," she replied. "Just a few minutes away. Room 127."
"Oh, that's pretty close. Alright then, I'm off."
"See you," she waved.
See you?
******
A few minutes later, I was doing the same thing as Daniel once did, waiting at the door for someone that seemed to take eternity to respond.
Coincidentally, Mark returned a while later, not through the door, but from outside the dorm.
"I'm sorry! Have you been waiting for me?" he asked, rushing down the corridor.
"Yes, I have," I replied. "Did you just return from a session?"
"Yeah. I'm all sweaty and dirty now," said Mark. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Well, that won't do. In summary, there's a task for us both. But, you need to wash up and get into your cassock before anything else. I'll brief you on the details while we are on the way."
"Thanks for your understanding," he said with a polite smile. And then, he rushed into his room with the agility of an elephant. "I'll be done in a minute!" he said, his voice vanishing in the distance beyond the door.
He somewhat looks like a younger version of Will. He's also got that fierce personality, and he's quite an overly respectful fellow.
Suddenly, Mark opened the door again. I was nearly terrified that he would say that he had finished up in a little over ten seconds, but that wasn't the case.
"I'm sorry!" said Mark. "I should not have slammed the door in your face. My manners are lacking. Pardon me, sir! Do you wish to come in?"
"Uhh..no, it's fine, really…"
Mark bowed. "I'm really sorry sir! Please don't be crossed with me!"
"No! Really! I'm fine! Instead, you're wasting time by dawdling here."
"Very stupid of me, in fact," he added."To waste your precious time!"
And once again, he slammed the door and ran off, saying some incomprehensible words.
Three seconds later, he reopened the door. "I'm deeply sorry sir! I shouldn't have slam-!"
"Yes, yes, I get it. Please get on with it already!"
Mark nodded, making sure to close the door silently this time, before running off for the…nth time.
A few moments later, he was fully dressed in his grey cassock, and armed with his cross and rosary. Mark sighed, shut the door, and came by my side.
"Alright then, we first head to the quarters. There we may find a Crusader or two that may help with the portal making."
"I have asked around," said Mark. "The portal making caught my eyes long since I enrolled in the Academy. Here in division 5, the ladies are usually the only ones capable of making portals."
"Even Will can't construct one?"
"I asked. Neither of the brothers can. I hear they only go on large scale missions to serve as support. So, the ladies are always present in those cases."
Hmm..
Oh!
"Ah! Yes! Do you know Daniel?"
Mark shook his head.
"Then, you don't know all of Division 5, just yet. I don't know if there are any more, but he surely can."
"I guess we can consult his assistance."
"Uhh…"
"What's the matter, sir?"
"Daniel is also…missing…"
"Missing?" inquired the black haired teen with the lift of a brow. "Also? Who else is?"
"It's nothing that you should be worried about," I replied. "Seems I'll have to make an attempt. I've had some lessons after all."
And with those words, we had completely exited the dorm. I pulled out my cross and observed the weight on my hand. It had increased again, and I didn't know why.
"But, sir," Mark raised a finger, almost like a student in class. "not to be rude, but isn't that dangerous?"
"It is. And it's nothing rude to call out something like this. It's risky because If I don't get it right, then we'll most certainly end up in a random place."
Mark thought to himself for a while. "What about the assistant division leader? She seems like she could help."
"That isn't someone you casually meet for such affairs," I sighed. "Why did you think that?"
I thought it pretty strange for such a respectful person to come up with that suggestion.
"Well, it's only that she seemed closer to you than anyone else in division five," Mark answered.
"Eh? Really?"
"Well, I see you speak to her quite regularly during the weekends. I also never see her open up so much with anyone else."
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
"No offence, but why do you seem to know so much?"
"Just a habit, I guess, observing people and things…" Mark said, playing with his fingers.
"Uhh, a very strange habit. I see you on the benches during Saturdays. Do you just sit and watch people?"
Mark smiled poorly. "It will only sound weirder if I explain it."
"Well it's fine. It's fine," I waved, brushing it aside. "We just need to get to the Missionary quarters and see if anyone can be of help."
"I highly doubt that, sir," said Mark. "Unlike Exorcists, Missionaries don't engage in these activities. I'm afraid that they won't be able to help us."
Sigh…
"Indeed."
"...."
"Ok, let's do this instead," I suggested, "I'll take my best shot now, and go in myself to confirm if it's the right place. And then, I'll signal for you to come in or not."
"But isn't that dangerous..for you?"
"It'll be fine," I answered.
And then, I lifted my cross with bold determination in my heart. I thought of my destination—using the image which was provided by the Missionaries, and tilted the cross till an edge was pointing farthest from me. When it stopped pointing, it began to poke—through the very fabrics of space.
Warm blue light shone through the opening, as I moved my arms in a circle. In a second later, I had finished with the portal.
Mark glanced at the appearance of the place beyond the spatial gate. "Well, it looks like the right place."
In a forest, there was a cabin. This cabin was shrouded with lots of leaves, camouflaging it as one with the forest. If one looked not far beyond the trees, there seemed to be a small, fresh lake. But, strangely, no one could be seen.
I entered the portal.
Raising my cross, I declared my identity in a voice that was neither too loud or low. "Joshua, Division 5."
"There were meant to be two of you," said someone from behind. I turned, and then found a woman in regular clothes emerging from the woods. She did not have a uniform, as I had expected her to, since the job required that we be of support to other Crusaders who were already on site. So, of course, I was slightly on edge.
"And who might you be?"
The woman glanced at the portal, at my cross, and then at my ring.
"Sylvia, Division 3," she replied, pulling out a cross. And then, she waved the cross in the air.
"Welcome!"
"WELCOME!"
"...welcome!"
"Yo!"
A group of people seemed to have appeared from nowhere at once. There were about eight of them—with only two in cassock, and only two being females. They didn't come from the woods, but rather, it was as if they had always been here.
Because they were.
"I'm able to conceal the presence of things and people," explained Sylvia who had noted my bewilderment. "I am the assigned leader of this mission, so take no orders aside from the ones I give."
With those words, she walked towards the open portal, her black hair dancing behind her back, and reached into it. A second later, Mark was dragged into the forest. He fell on the ground, quite flustered and a bit frightened as well.
Sylvia gazed at him with two sharp eyes. "Identify yourself."
"Ah..uhh..Sir!" Mark shouted at me. "Have we been captured? Who is this woman?"
All he sees is the woman?
If he could see the people, then he would have seen that some of them are in cassock.
"No, we haven't been captured," I replied. "It's fine."
"Do you really mean that or are you being forced to say that?" he insisted. "I could run back and get help!"
I closed the portal.
"Ah!" Mark exclaimed.
Sylvia glanced at me with a frown, crossing her arms over her chest. "You haven't briefed him yet?"
"Well..uhh..we were a little..um..preoccupied with other issues and so-!"
"Tell you what. You're incompetent."
"...."
She's much harsher than Daniel.
Mark hurried to his feet, and distanced himself from Sylvia. "Are you, perhaps, one of us, dear miss?"
"I am Sylvia of Division 3, and you'll be joining us in a mission to investigate a certain myth that is tied to these lands and the small village beyond it," she said. "You are free to remain in uniform as long as you do not leave the forest. If, for any reason, you are required to move to town, then there must be no sign of your Christianity in your make-up."
Mark nodded.
"Now here are the rules," she continued. "No loud noises. No unnecessary talk. No unnecessary venture. Don't do anything that we weren't asked to. Do not attempt to make contact with anyone you see, other than the people here. Instead, alert me at once. If I'm unavailable, then alert any other Crusader here. No fires should be made for any reason. No hunting. No playing with the water. No unnecessary portal making. No running around. No cutting of trees, I've assigned some others for that. No visiting other cabins. No searching for me. If I'm unavailable, then I'm simply unavailable. Regardless of the situation, make no attempt to lend me a helping hand. Instead, aim to support the others. In the event that I am captured or that I perish, escape should then become your first priority. Do not wait on others to tuck tail and run. If you are injured or captured, make sure your ring remains with you. We can pin your location with that. Do not get into a battle that you can avoid. Always remember that getting someone else in on the situation is the wisest option."
"Uhh…"
"And now, some more specific rules," she added. "If you ever see an old woman with two bells suspended horizontally by a stick, alert the others at once. If you see a strange smoke, or hear something like fire burning even when there is no fire in the area, then you have met a demon, alert the others immediately. If you see someone who looks like me but doesn't act or sound like I would, run away immediately and tell the others. If everyone suddenly begins to act strangely, then escape to the Sanctuary and call for help as soon as you can. And most importantly, if you see someone who doesn't obey any of these rules, report him or her to me at once. I'll have them demoted immediately."
Mark was more worried about remembering the rules, than of disobeying any of them.
There were indeed a lot of rules.