LOTM: Traveling between epoch

--

"Thale," Eli Walker said sharply, the air chilling with his arrival through the mirror. "I want an explanation."

"How could you be so utterly useless that three random individuals managed to defeat you?"

His first action upon appearing was to reprimand.

"The enemy had a Sun pathway Beyonder… and a Sealed Artifact related to the Sun," Thale replied grimly. "The other two were armed with heavy-caliber firearms."

The hulking, muscular Werewolf had been waiting with this excuse since Eli vanished.

"Hmph. You pass… barely."

Eli snorted and swept toward a chair, lounging into it with casual authority.

"Steve and Zatwin have already withdrawn, sir."

"Living Corpse" Jason—ghastly pale with mottled black veins, a classic sign of his undead Sequence—stepped forward reverently and presented a small item.

It was a silver crown, shaped like a full moon, ringed with crimson rubies and etched with ancient Loen-era Moon runes. A baleful gleam shimmered across its curved edges.

A Grade 2 Sealed Artifact. The Crimson Moon Crown, corresponding to Sequence 5 of the Moon pathway—Scarlet Scholar.

"Keep it," Eli said coolly. "Without it, you wouldn't last five minutes if you crossed Sharon again."

He didn't spare the artifact a second glance.

"Did Zatwin leave any orders before he vanished?"

Jason quickly stored the artifact in a triple-layered spiritual blockade. Despite its potent power, its negative effects were substantial—distortions in thought, hallucinations, and emotional volatility.

"He only instructed us to continue locating and apprehending remaining members of the Temperance faction."

Eli nodded absently. It was unsurprising. A Saint—especially one from the Rose School of Thought—had no obligation to report their actions to mid-Sequence operatives like Jason or Thale.

If Zatwin had truly been focused on capturing Sharon and Maric, then these three wouldn't have chased them from West Balam to Backlund.

"Sir, why didn't you finish off those three just now?" Thale asked, brows furrowed. "You had Steve's body. They should've been easy prey."

Eli's expression sharpened. "We didn't come to Backlund to kill random civilians. Our objective is Sharon and Maric."

"Those three are clearly tied to nobles or the Orthodox Churches. One of them even carried a Night Holy Tome."

"If they remain alive, the Machinery Hivemind will eventually presume we've left Backlund, or gone into hiding beyond their jurisdiction. But if they die, the Church will not rest until we're hunted down."

"Once nobles are involved, it becomes political. They'll pressure the Churches—Evernight, Machinery, Sun—to intervene."

"We can vanish. But Sharon and Maric? They'll get more breathing room. That's unacceptable."

The difference between a street sweep and a terrorist manhunt was determined by social standing.

If commoners died, the city would weep—but briefly. Their families lacked the power or influence to demand sustained attention.

But if, say, Edward Meinard—son of a viscount—died? His family would visit the Night Cathedral every week. They'd bribe bishops. They'd write to newspapers.

This was the cold logic of Loen's society.

"I understand, sir," Thale replied. He didn't care about politics, but he recognized tactical planning when he saw it.

"Backlund is far less free than the seas," Jason muttered.

"I wonder when that fool Senor will finally be killed and turned into a bounty."

Eli cursed his fellow pirate in front of his two subordinates.

"Forty-two thousand pounds. That's not just tempting—it's criminal not to consider it."

Jason licked his pale lips.

The bounty, and the powerful characteristic of a Sequence 4 Pirate Admiral… alluring indeed.

Thale, less eloquent, merely nodded. He didn't need to say it—he was tempted too.

This was the natural workplace culture of the Crimson Indulgence Lodge: cooperation... until the bounty was right.

---

"Let's discuss our plans moving forward."

Eli tapped twice on the armrest. A cue for them to pay attention.

"Sharon and Maric aren't strong in direct combat. But they're annoyingly good at escaping."

"Thale can no longer operate in the Bridge District without raising flags. Jason, take him with you to East Borough."

"That's Punisher territory," Jason noted. "Storm Church oversight."

"Exactly," Eli said. "The Machinery Hivemind won't be able to conduct open investigations there. Too much inter-church red tape."

He let the thought sink in before continuing.

"But don't just hide. We need operational control."

"There's a gang in East Borough. A low-tier syndicate running prostitution, smuggling, extortion. Known as the Hui Li Party."

"Remove their leader. Seize their territory. Use the gang as a front. We need disposable errand-runners. People whose disappearance no one mourns."

"When the Moon is full, their flesh and desire-filled souls will be more than enough to feed you."

Jason nodded. "Understood, sir."

Thale grinned. A feeding ground? Now that sounded like a plan.

---

"Remember a few key rules."

Eli's voice became stern—measured, surgical.

"One: Take over the Hui Li Party quickly. No mess. No riots. Avoid official attention."

"Two: Expand, but only moderately. Don't overreach. We're building a stable intelligence front, not an empire."

"Three: Feel free to skirmish with other gangs—but only gangs. Do not expose your full power, and do not cause chaos in the streets. People still live there. They must be allowed to work, eat, move."

"We're not the Numinous Episcopate. Dead commoners don't serve our cause."

"Four: If you collect protection money, then provide actual protection. Maintain order in your controlled zones. We're not thieves—this is an intelligence hub, not a bandit lair."

"We're here to build long-term infrastructure. A presence in Backlund. One that blends in."

He looked at the two of them meaningfully.

"If I find you extorting peasants or beating workers in the street… I will feed your souls to the Crimson Moon myself."

---