Trapped in Another World With No Magic

Chapter 181: A Surprise Gift From the Friars

Somewhere in a secluded place in the Empire, a man in an elegant blue jacket with goldwork embroidery adorning his clothing, including the outer hemlines of his pants, kneels before a strange, distorted sculpture resembling the roots of a river-dwelling tree. The material is the true mystery, as the greatest alchemists in the world cannot identify the jewel-like substance. And, cradled atop the marblesque idol is a seeming gemstone only a few are permitted to even gaze upon, less they go instantly mad and attack everything in sight in a blind fury until they die of exhaustion, starvation, or being slain.

However, as one of those privileged few, this man knows the truth of the precious jewel.

He knows not the identity of its former owner, nor where it resides now. He only knows that it is the true power of this world, and it is lying in wait for the time to return.

The artifact in question is the mysteriously crystalized eye of a being beyond normal comprehension.

The eye itself possesses an amber color, which only reveals itself when the Great One awakens and turns his gaze upon the lowly servants slowly and quietly spreading the Great One's influence throughout the world.

For the moment, the eye is strangely featureless, which is why many typically think it is only a jewel.

That said, it is a friar's duty to stand watch over the Great One's eye to receive orders.

Suddenly, the doors to the cathedral open, and deceptively light footsteps tap and echo in the large chamber, following a strange path along the outside perimeter.

A soft voice urgently speaks, barely sounding much above a whisper, but in fact, having a normal volume. "Master... I bring concerning news."

"What is it?" asks the friar as he continues to kneel, waiting for orders. He is the friar supplicant chosen for the time being to stand in wait, and it is only the third of his fourteen day period.

"The Priestess appears to have been captured."

This causes his eyes to snap open, and he looks towards the source of the voice, but finds only inky black shadows under the arcades of the walls. The being is a drider, a master of darkness, favoring stealth in all aspects of their lives, including walking on walls to avoid being easily detectable or reachable by potential enemies. "Captured? Are you certain?"

"Yes. The Mendicant lost contact with both the marksman and the priestess while trying to ambush the otherworlder." Her voice is soft spoken, but carries the urgency all the same, even hidden in the shadows. The light of the room comes primarily from the Great One's eye, and as long as others remain out of the light and don't look directly at the Eye, they can maintain their sanity, which is why a blind drider was chosen for running messages and aiding the friar.

The man allows his jaw to free-float, and his left molars tap idly while he thinks. He looks at his cufflinks, which depict a hairless man's head with the ancient elemental symbol for water. All of the friars work together, of course, but the elements serve as cells so that any one captured cannot compromise the others, which is why they never meet in person except in passing when turning over the cathedral. With it, any of the other five friars can kill the sixth by activating the curse of their cameo, regardless of where they are. The same goes for subordinates, though it can be difficult to kill subordinates because their disposable nature means they can be difficult to track down and identify the correct one in the records. Additionally, a great many of their missions require mobility that could be seen as treacherous, but are in fact strategies to accomplish the goal. Additionally, using the cameos to kill low-ranking subordinates would draw more attention to the friars, and with the Fievegal already suspicious, they can't be reckless about revealing the fact that the servants of the Great One can be so easily killed, or they will develop precautious.