The Cat, The Dog, and The Bird: Ch 1.5

Chapter 1.5


“You may be seated. Our first order of business— has there been in any changes in our guest?”
“No, grand magus.” 4532 said, saluting him by angling his arm at a 90 degree angle and swiping down. “There has been no changes for several hundred years.”
“Does not hurt to check. You may be seated, 4532. Magus 24601, please stand and give your report on ‘Operation Frog’.”
I did so, feeling all eyes draw to me. I looked at my notes, wondering why they were jittering around and hard to read— only to realize that my hands were shaking. I tried to steady myself and failed.
“Grand magus. There’s a small problem. Not only did she manage to stop The Beast, she exited its realm with another person. A small male with black and gold hair, to be specific. We are unsure of his name, but this is where the problems begin. The Beast’s host is alive, although we are unsure of their current location. And...”
I paused for dramatic effect, fixing my robes.
“It appears the blackened priest has them in their care. He helped them leave the forest.”
The room was quiet beforehand, but all matter stopped as if it had reached 0 kelvin.
“That is... a small problem.”
The grand magus didn’t curse. That was a bad sign.
“The meeting is adjourned. God and magic be with you.”
He tapped the small gavel and people hurried out, leaving me alone with him. While he hadn’t said anything directly about me staying behind, there was supposed to be quite a bit more on our agenda and we were only halfway through. The reason for the meeting ending early was obvious.
He sat next to me, taking off his ceremonial hat.
“This is... most unfortunate. The girl living is not quite monumental, but The Beast cannot be allowed to live. It has rampaged far too long, and my predecessors refused to end it for reasons beyond me. This will require a certain amount of tact in order to both appease the other members, and solve this problem.”
Somewhat abruptly, he looked at the stained glass window in front of us, one of a man— our savior— destroying a monster with his own rib torn from his breast.
“We must follow in his example. 24601, if we are to destroy monsters, we must become them. Call The Reaper. Sending any of our own agents out is a waste of both resources and life. UFOOM will take heretics of black magic and possession into our own hands.”
“Grand magus, what exactly do I instruct him to do?”
“Kill all heretics, but focus on the elimination of The Beast.”
“...I see. Is there anything else you require of me?”
It was somewhat disrespectful, but this was a time sensitive situation and he knew it. My report had been late since I had to ensure no one knew of my whereabouts.
“I ask of you to make the ultimate sacrifice. When The Reaper asks for payment, fulfill it. Rest assured that I have no plans to end you, unless you act as a heretic does. Is that understood?”
“Yes. Glory to God.”
“Glory to God.”
I left him waiting in the chapel, as he yet again looked at the window as if it would somehow change. I had known the possibility the moment I had given the report, that he would require me to call upon The Reaper to employ the tasks. This was both a blessing and a curse, but I knew that they would see it only as the latter, destroying me as soon as I had pointlessly ended the life of The Beast’s host.
No, I had done my research. I knew I fulfilled the requirements of being a perfect host for The Reaper, and I would do my best to help the girl that had lost her dog, her mother, and her father. I would not allow the church to end her simply because she was a heretic, nor would I allow the life of the host to end either. The black priest would be a problem, but I suspected that we had the same goals. I needed to end the cycle, not sustain it.
My slippers made almost no noise as I entered the crucible. The guards let me through without problem, acknowledging me. The bastard had planned this from before the meeting, he didn’t even try to hide it.
I stepped up to the glass, watching the mass of mana ebb and flow inside the bowl. It was chained to a table made specifically to hold the essence of spirits, and yet this one was so wild that it was able to actually shake the table, when most spirits would not even be sentient under this much magical pressure.
Bypassing the magical barrier, I entered the sealed glass room and approached the bowl. It noticed my presence, as it stopped straining against the chains. That was almost worse in a way, that meant it had intelligence, and that was dangerous.
“The Reaper.”
There was no reply, although I didn’t expect one and would’ve been worried if there had been a reply.
“I ask of you a personal favor.” I said, moving my back to the guards so they couldn’t read my lips.
“You are built for destruction and the end of those that are deemed necessary by <Death> itself. But I request not destruction, but the protection of two beings. As for payment— you can see I am a perfect host. That alone should entice you. Yet you feel that is not enough, and in payment, after it is assured that those two beings are safe, I give you the destruction of this place that has tormented and imprisoned you for so long. What do you say?”
It rattled the chains once, and I began my craft.