BXBX NOVEL Chapter 68: Cult
Nobody spoke, those who came just sat in their respective seat. Some were meditating, others were busy reading or doing something to pass the time.
There are at least twenty seats here. So far, only eighteen seats have been occupied. This means that they're waiting for two more members to arrive before they start this gathering.
Of course, it wasn't just the black-robed priests here. There were servants here as well as other...creatures that most people wouldn't want to see roaming around the streets.
Those who would witness this event might think that these people were fond of each other because none of them were even trying to talk to each other. And in a sense, that might be true. But that's mostly because they didn't want their respective identities to be at risk.
They might be members of the same cult, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they trust each other. And for people like them, that's to be expected.
A small commotion broke the silence of the venue, announcing the arrival of the last two members the group was waiting for. Without any further ado, the last two members sat on their seats, and one person who was sitting at the far end of the table lifted a wooden mallet and slammed it, creating a noise that signaled the start of this gathering.
"You're all gathered here for a rather alarming development recently." The guy who looked to be their superior/leader stated.
"Are we safe to assume that this has something to do with the recent raids we experienced at the hands of the Shadow Runners?" One of the members pointed out.
"Yes, indeed." The leader nodded in agreement. "For some reason, the Shadow Runners were able to locate most of the bases we have at the Black Thread City, capturing many of our members. As a result, we are facing a risk in our development there."
The so-called 'Shadow Runners' were the organization that Arishem was a part of. They're a bunch of talented assassins who were raised by the government and took an oath to protect humanity. They're also the ones launching an offensive against the Cult of the Demon Saint.
"Do we have any ideas how they managed to do that? As far as I remember, you told us that your operations were guaranteed to be covert." Another member questioned.
"That's right. But I also distinctly remember telling all of you that that's not a total guarantee because Humanity as a whole is a highly progressive race." The Leader replied, "As for how exactly they did it, our spies couldn't come up with the complete intel. All they knew is that someone developed a tool which helped the Shadow Runners bypass the Mental Barriers we placed on our members."
"That's...worrying." A member muttered loud enough for everyone to hear and agree.
The mental barriers were one of the key components behind the whole 'unseen' profile of the cult. Through those, their members could fool the interrogation of the government and continue developing in secret right under their noses.
Along with their methods of hiding their bases from their detection, they managed to lay down the foundations for their growing belief and continue operating in an extremely low-profile manner.
"The Shadow Runners are known to be relentless in their hunt. As of 30 minutes earlier, the current damage they had done to the Black Thread City branch already accumulated to at least 90%. The rest are either still relatively hidden or deemed unimportant, that's why they're left alone."
"I believe that it's more of the former since we're talking about the Shadow Runners. That said, the important thing is that our Black Thread City branch is in grave danger. In the grand scheme of things, even that small branch is necessary for our steady development as a whole. If that branch was destroyed, we'd be risking years of worth of delay to our plans." The leader stated.
"What's our plan then? High or Low profile?"
"That is what's next for our discussion. I will be needing your input for this." The leader admitted with a sigh.
"If we go for a low-profile approach, it will take some time. Even then, unfavorable developments might still occur. Going for a high-profile approach on the other hand is also risky since we'd be in the headlines as soon as we do something. Both choices will delay the completion of our main objectives. How long? Depends on what will happen, really." The guy who came in with the Leader added.
"...if I may." Another member raised a hand. The leader looked at her and nodded, gesturing her to say what was on her mind. "Why choose between the two? Can't we do both?"
"Explain." The leader commanded.
"Well, if we have the resources for it, I'd say let's go for a direct attack but not on a large scale." She stated. "We can disguise some of our Acolytes as Terrorists to launch an attack on the Black Thread City."
"If they do that, they will surely catch the attention of the Superhumans out there, and that's the idea. They will be the distraction. We will send the core group, tasked with helping the remaining branch members to relocate or hide even deeper within the city to slowly recover their forces."
"That plan sounds good and useable. Only, we have to take a few considerations." Another member interjected. "Do we even know what exactly the tool they used to bypass the Mental Barriers? Because if we don't, then the whole operation would fail. All they would need to do is to launch some surprise interrogation and the branch members would be exposed again."
"That's a valid point. And to answer that, our members already discovered what it is. Simply put, somebody developed a new Rune that disables a person's mental barriers. The spies said that it was extremely effective and they already got their hands on it." Their leader stated.
"Currently, they're trying to decode it and make something that will counter it. I also asked them to investigate who made it and, if they can, sabotage the production of those runes."
"How very thorough of you." Said by another member, and the Leader just snorted at that.
"Well if that's the case, then I guess we could offer our support. Some of my men are idle anyway and frankly, they're looking for action. However, I won't be sending them unless we receive the tool that would counter that rune first. I don't want the Shadow Runners after my tail if they somehow captured them." One member proposed.
"That raises another concern though." Another member commented, "If the Shadow Runners got their hands on that Rune, that must mean that they're already distributing it to other cities as well. How long since they've started hunting our branch members, anyway?"
"As far as I know, they started a week ago." The Leader replied.
"That's plenty of time to get a head start on the Rune production." The same member added, "Not that I'm skeptical about the skills of your spies but that much time is enough to make dozens of functional Runes to be distributed. Did you send your men to monitor that too?"
"No." The Leader sighed and massaged his temples. He tapped on the armrest of his chair a few times. "I'd tell them now, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's already too late for that."
"This means that we have to stay cautious for the rest of the month and observe the movement of the government closely." Another member stated, "Although we have laid out our foundations, we still don't possess enough strength for a direct confrontation."
"Sad but true." The Leader commented. "I ask you all to do the same. Be cautious for the rest of the month and closely observe the events happening around your respective territories. We don't want a direct heat on us right now."
"...so, about the operation? Should we iron out the details for that?" The female member who suggested it brought up the topic once more.
"Right, let's brainstorm everybody."
What followed was the cult members ironing out the details of their plan to save the Black Thread City branch.
They continued their discussion until they filled out all the holes they could currently think of about the operation. Since there were 20 of them brainstorming for ideas, they finished rather quickly and once they were satisfied with it, they signed it off and continued to discuss other things such as their development directions and their main goals.
Once their time was up, the leader ended the gathering. The head figures of the cult went back to acting as if they didn't know each other before returning to their respective territories, leaving the Leader there at the meeting venue.
Resting his back against the chair, he massaged his temples due to stress.
"I hope this operation fixes things or else, my neck will be at risk."