"You’re late, Constance, my sister."
Malin followed behind Constance and heard his words. He looked up to see an elder woman stepping out from the dark streets, her hair white, her face wrinkled, but her erect posture and sturdy breastplate suggested her strength was inconsistent with her appearance.
"Constance, my brother... your new little follower?" The sister said with a smile as she walked up to her brother: "The touring Bishop Singer from the Church of the God of Wealth came to me, telling me about the situation at the Church of the God of Wealth, so I hurried over with people."
"Then he’s lucky, for if he had stepped in there, he would have been as good as dead." Constance turned his head and waved to Malin: "Malin, come, let me introduce you. This is Constance, my sister, the daughter of the parents who adopted me."
"There’s no need to add that last sentence every time you introduce someone, my brother." Constance smiled as she spoke.
"It’s a habit. When I was young, every time I referred to you as my sister, people were curious about the differences in our hair color. Now we are both old, and I can’t kick the habit." Constance extended his hand and embraced his sister: "Today, we face our dire straits together."
"Indeed, my brother, we face the dire straits together." After embracing her brother, the elder woman looked down at Malin: "You’re called Malin, a child of the Church of the Harvest Goddess, then you must be the bearer of the Holy Artifact. Sorry, my dear, you’ve had to see such an unsightly side of the city."
"Madam, please don’t say that, the city remains beautiful, as long as we exterminate the uninvited guests." Malin said, lifting his head with a smile.
"Yes, indeed, that should be done. By the way, what are you studying with that little Chaos head?" the elder woman inquired as she gazed at the young creature’s head in Malin’s embrace.
Malin sighed: "I am assessing its state of Chaos, discovering that Chaos indeed seems like an indiscriminate eater." After finishing, he carefully set down the head by the roadside.
"Chaos never complains about their food, Malin." The elder woman snapped her fingers, and holy flames wrapped around the head in an instant: "Much like us, never troubled by the methods we must use to kill them."
Malin nodded and looked at the elder figures before him: "What do we do next?"
"We go to the city’s eastern district." said Constance, the lady from the Church of Justice, with a smile: "Nagoth’s followers lured Bishop Cohen from the Church of the God of Wealth, not just because his time had come. The apprentices and members inside the church were sacrificed by this bishop; he sought immortality but never considered that becoming a deity might grant eternal life. Becoming a pile of endlessly self-regenerating Nagoth rotted flesh is also a way to immortality..." She paused, looking at her brother: "My brother, has Cohen gained immortality in such a manner?"
"Yes, my sister, I can’t imagine that Cohen, who once pursued you, has now stooped so low for immortality." Constance sighed: "You head to the eastern district, and we shall take the southern part first, dealing with the corruption and Chaos followers there, and then hurry to meet up with you."
"Has the old Hoffman already gone down the underground passage with Kanawa from the Church of the War God?"
"Yes, they have joined forces. The only thing that puzzles me is why the Mimicking Birds and those filthy things have banded together."
The conversation between the siblings coming to this point, they both turned to look at Malin: "What do you think?"
As the two siblings asked in unison, Malin tugged at the corner of his mouth: "I think the Mimicking Birds want to summon something. The fatso’s followers, they certainly shouldn’t come over to join forces. So, my guess is, the fatso’s followers want to usurp the nest, using the Mimicking Birds’ Array to summon something from their own sect."
Nowadays, with the high cost of manpower, one must save where they can. Taking over the Mimicking Birds’ followers’ array to summon their own sect’s units seems like a clever and logical strategy, and it must have been something the fatso’s followers dreamt of day and night.
The siblings nodded, and Constance concluded: "Indeed, a unique and well-founded view. I suppose this is why the Mimicking Birds’ Array is in the eastern district, and why Nagoth’s followers are also causing trouble there, after all, a straight line is the most direct route."
"Then there’s no further need for discussion. Let’s move out, my brother." The elder woman extended her hand and wiped a bead of blood from her brother’s face: "Till after the battle."
"Till after the battle, my sister." The elder figure smiled and watched his sister leave with her people. He turned to glance at Malin: "My sister was the great beauty of Pamir City in her youth."
"She still is, your Excellency." Malin replied with a smile.
Even with her changed features, the elder lady’s charm was incomparable to the ordinary.
"Kay’s squad has lost more than half." Leaning against the wall and holding a revolver, the City Guard shouted to his commander: "Just now their messenger came and said that our northern side can hardly hold back the onslaught of Chaos!"
"The civilians are evacuating too slowly." The captain looked behind at the civilians who were dragging along their belongings: "Alpha Team! Tell the civilians! Leave your possessions! Take only people and money!"