Empire of Souls 53 Vicious intentions 1

Aleks didn't waste any more time and headed back towards the hotel where he knew Brock would be waiting. As he walked through the city to his destination he noticed that the city was still as lively as ever and a continuous stream of adventurers and other thrill seekers were constantly meandering into the city. Many were gathering their parties or building and organizing their forces. The expeditionionary groups and mercenaries were busily preparing for the expedition which would soon take place.

Shops were bustling with many customers and taverns were filled to the brim with rowdy adventurers. Carts, carriages, and wagons made their way through the city causing the occasional crash or conflict between the many hot headed foreigners as they scrambled for space among the busy streets. It was a chaotic scene which was filled with excitement and the thrill of adventurous expectation.

Ignoring the hubbub, Aleks was consistently observing his surroundings even though it appeared he was oblivious. He couldn't shake that sensation of being watched and had to ignore his desire to use 'Astral Projection' to discover where the perpetrator was. Using his abilities for an extended period of time in such a crowded place might attract the attention of those he didn't wish to attract.

No matter, I am certain that given time this person will undoubtedly come to me.

"Master, someone is following us." Whispered Nelay who had snuck up next to Aleks without Lenia noticing. She had been enjoying the sights and exciting atmosphere and hadn't sensed Nelay moving past her and to Aleks's side. She was especially perturbed at not having noticed the person stalking from the shadows despite Nelay noticing.

"I am aware. I think someone is testing us. Let the person follow for now. There is nothing we need to hide, but I have a feeling that soon not only will this person come to us, but will also certainly lead us to the one pulling their strings."

Nelay said nothing more and quickly fell back behind Lenia who scowled at her but didn't say anything. Nelay completely ignored Lenia's actions and simply did not care for her feelings. She only wished to be of service to her master, no one else mattered. Such was part and parcel for her callous personality. In her world, the only one who existed now was Aleks. Everyone else might as well disappear. This vice was already part of her personality and Aleks had decided not to remove it because the benefits of overcoming it were useful to her class. As an assassin, if she could overcome her callousness then she would do an additional 20% damage for every attack while in stealth and not detected.

Grobak, who was walking behind the others, chuckled condescendingly while watching the two women. He found it somewhat amusing watching their little play.

'Stupid women.' Grobak thought.

Of course Orcs didn't have good opinions of women to begin with. They saw them as only for breeding purposes and they especially loved to r-ape human women. This was why there were such a large population of half orcs among the orc tribes, but their status was low and they were treated mostly like cannon fodder. Obviously, Grobak didn't have any ideas about Lenia and Nelay, not only could they easily kill him but they belonged to his master. The other Human women out and about were certainly appealing to him. He imagined the enjoyable screams they would elicit while he ravished them.

'I'll be sure to ask master for one or two, I'm sure he won't mind giving me a few human female slaves to have some fun with.' Grobak licked his lips lustfully while baring his fangs in anticipation.

It was a bit of a walk from the Hotel to the slave district of the city, but Aleks had chosen to walk instead of taking a carriage. The reason being that he intentionally wanted enough time to pay before he returned. He had asked Brock to seek out that Bishop which had been harassing him for days. Since a few hours had passed since he left the hotel, it was a good bet that the Bishop would have already arrived at the hotel to meet with him. If the Bishop had to wait a bit, all the better. Aleks felt that having the Bishop wait on him was much more than he deserved.

Arriving back at the Hotel, Aleks could see that his speculation was correct. There was a contingent of knights waiting outside the hotel from a church he was not familiar with. Their armor was nothing unusual for a knight, but the symbol on their capes appeared to be a tree holding up a world. There were a dozen of them idling about outside of a few carriages, most likely ones the Bishop and his entourage arrived in. Clergymen would never reside in a hotel, so seeing these knights was a clear indication that there was a good chance the Bishop Brock had mentioned was most likely here.

Aleks was almost certain of this. While a Bishop was not the most powerful and influential clergymen belonging to a church, they were still quite important in the hierarchy. Oftentimes, it was the Bishops who were placed in command of church forces or were sent to lead negotiations or other such important missions. Bishops were advanced class beings and while not especially powerful themselves, they normally led elite units of church knights. Their healing magic and spells were quite useful however. They could buff their forces and heal severe wounds enabling their forces to continue to fight when others might long have lost. Against the undead, devils and demons, their spells were also quite useful and could completely change the tide of a battle. Either way, if a Bishop was here at the hotel it was for an important reason.

None of the knights knew who Aleks was so they didn't pay much attention to him as he walked past them and entered the hotel. They couldn't help ogling Lenia and Nelay though as well as frowning when they saw Grobak. Even though these knights served a particular church, they weren't especially holy themselves. Of course, neither were the clergy either. Ogling and harassing women as well as looking down on others was definitely not beneath them. They only didn't take things further because they were currently on duty and this was a hotel for wealthy and influential people.

After the group made their way back to the hotel, Aleks knocked on the door lightly and was soon met with Brock's frustrated expression as he opened the door. He cleary was not in a good mood and it definitely had something to do with the plump robed man Aleks got a glimpse of when Brock opened the door. Aleks only needed one glance to see that the man was clearly a viper in disguise. His expression seemed pleasant enough and he had a calm smile which would make one think he was a kindly old priest, but Aleks knew better. Beneath that visage was definitely a cruel and twisted man.

"Ah! You have finally arrived! It isn't polite to keep an old Bishop waiting."

The Bishop stood from the seat he had been sitting on within the room and slowly walked over to Aleks greeting him. His arms were crossed and hidden within the sleeves of his white, elegant, and luxurious gold-trimmed robe. He was quite rotund and had a large bald spot in the middle of his head. His hair was in the style of a bowl cut despite the bald spot.

His appearance was far from appealing, but Aleks could see that he was a peak advanced class being and should be quite influential. If he could advance to master class he would become an Archbishop and take a much more leading role within the power structure of his church. This was most likely why he was pestering Brock and the reason he decided to join this expedition. Clergymen who served a god would need to gain merits in service to their faith, along with developing their divine power in order to advance. This expedition was a chance not only for these clergymen to grow their churches, but also to develop their own power.

"I apologize for the wait, I had a few errands to run in the city and lost track of the time." Aleks replied politely.

"No matter, it is good that you are finally here. So, you must be the young master I have heard so much about from my good friend Brock!"

The Bishop chuckled, appearing filled with mirth but Aleks could see a discerning look in his eyes. He was most likely attempting to peer into Alek's strength. His efforts would be futile though as Aleks was far above him.
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"I hope he hasn't said too much about me." Aleks said with a gentle smile, hiding his inner annoyance and feelings of disgust from being so close to the man.

"Only good things!" He continued to laugh.

"Please, let us sit and talk. I would hear why you have been wishing to see me." Aleks gestured towards the cushioned chairs while motioning to Nelay to bring tea.

"Hoho, good. It is a pleasure to meet such a young polite man such as yourself."

The Bishop sat down once more. He took notice of Grobak and snorted with disdain and ignored him. However, he was shocked when he saw Lenia and Nelay. He was surprised by their beauty, but even more by Lenia's strength. He didn't have the ability to sense Nelay's aura because of her ability to hide her strength and just assumed she was a mere mortal, but his eyes lingered on both of them nonetheless.

Indeed, his eyes lingered a little too long for Aleks's tastes.

Chapter end