Orichalcum: Chapter 3- Reverend Michael

Hoshiko walked through the busy village, desperate to discover some sort of clue to the location of any of the Seven Saints. Nervously, she approached a local merchant, who was selling some sort of foreign fruit.

"Sir?" she asked, quietly.

"Huh?" he replied, awakening from a sleep.

"Can you tell me where any of the Seven Great Saints are?" she asked. The merchant was puzzled at her question.

"Seven Great Saints?" he asked, "The only Saint we have around here is Reverend Michael."

"Where is this Michael?" Hoshiko asked. The merchant raised an eyebrow, but answered her question.

"He lives in the giant temple in the middle of the city. But don’t expect a welcome; no one ever goes into Reverend Michael’s temple except for the Reverend himself." he replied. "Now, are you gonna buy anything?" he said, grabbing one of the fruits. Hoshiko bowed to him.

"No thank you, but thank you for the information." Hoshiko, said running off to find Sennen. The village’s crowds were thick and busy, and despite Sennen’s unique appearance, locating him was difficult. Hoshiko pushed through the crowds the best she could, forcing towards the town’s entrance where she and Sennen entered. Hoshiko’s silver eyes focused across the paths, anxiously searching for Sennen. Finally Hoshiko was able to find a break in the pandemonium and searched for Sennen in the quiet alleyways. Hoshiko kicked the dirt on the paths, disgruntled by Sennen’s absence. Rapidly dashing through the alleys, she noticed a thick tint in the adobe houses’ sides. The tint made the soft, tan color of the dwellings darker and deeper. She moved forward, following the house’s side that was covered in the darker tone. She moved her hand across the house, with the color become deeper and darker as she moved forward. At the edge of the alley, the house was a deep red. Hoshiko’s eyes shot open and her heart skipped. She nervously peered around the corner, seeing a corpse lying upon the ground. A small "eep" escaped her mouth. She examined the corpse despite her disgust; it’s body, specifically its stomach, had a tremendous wound with the blood flowing out and the organs damaged and pouring from the wound. Hoshiko looked up from the corpse and saw scattered corpses spread across the alleyway. Nearly broken into tears, Hoshiko saw a man walk into the alley. He looked to the massacre and stared at Hoshiko, who had blood on her hands from the houses. A gasp escaped the man’s mouth as he looked around the scene.

"A murderer!" he yelled, pointing at Hoshiko. "Call the Reverend!"

"But..." Hoshiko nervously said, "I didn’t do this..."

"Call Reverend Michael! There’s an impurity in our city!" the man yelled, running out into the city. "A murder!" Hoshiko ran out of the alley, frantically searching for Sennen. She hid behind a house, still in a panic.

"Sennen, where are you?" she said. She desperately searched for Sennen, but at the same time wanting to strangle him. He was a Demon God, but he still was her responsibility. She was exhausted and felt herself crippling to the dusty ground. Tears ran down her face, of fear and anger. She felt the shining tears leave her eyes, and as they fell, she saw the brilliant light shine from her body again. It emanated with such intensity that her tears could not leave her eyes. The treasured Orichalcum left her body and fell into her lap. Within its shimmering translucence, Hoshiko saw a stream of multi-colored lights. She felt her tears continue to glide down her face. "Please, tell me where Sennen is." she cried, "Tell him to stop this! Make it stop!" The Orichalcum’s light grew larger; it shined brighter. Hypnotized by the treasure, Hoshiko barely heard the loud, imperial horns coming from the town. She let her body recapture the Orichalcum and ran into the town, attempting to avoid any human eyes. She dashed around the edge of a house and peered around the worn corner. A crowd of robed figures stood in facing lines, each one blowing horns. Four more figures arrived carrying what appeared to be a man dressed in shimmering gold garments upon an ornate carriage. The man had a stunning face–Hoshiko could see his bright blue eyes from the great distance–and he wielded a long staff with a cross upon its top. He raised his arms and began to speak to the people.

"My people," he said, in a resonating tone, "you have reported an intruder in our village. We must make haste to find this dastardly fiend and make sure that such events never occur in this grandest of utopias!" The people cheered at his enthusiastic words. "Now, who can give me a lead so that I can destroy this demon who wishes to plague our village with their vile presence?" he asked. Hoshiko was already disturbed by his wordy speeches.

"Reverend Michael! It is a girl! The harlot killed one of our most treasured citizens!" one man said. Hoshiko expected him to move on to one of his speeches, but all she heard was silence. No grandiose announcements; all she heard was a light laugh from the Reverend. She then felt a painful strike to the back of her neck. Immediately she fell limp, and then unconscious.