(XXIII) Search

Samael ran through the ruined streets as he continued his search. He hated his efforts in his past life in not asking more questions when he heard the rumors from his mistresses, fearing they would punish him for speaking out of line. 

"Tch!" He clicked his tongue, gritting his teeth as he approached the massive river system that cut through the city, skidding to a halt as he came close to the barrier next to the running water.

"They said he had found it near the confluence of the three rivers..." He muttered, furrowing his brow as he looked around at the ravaged city, seeing nothing unusual. 

He stroked his chin, recalling their exact wording from the meeting in his past life...

***

Camille, Ichiko, and Serenity sat at the head of a massive conference table with a dozen other members who made up the leadership of the Black Ash Federation. 

Samael, along with the remaining Porters, stood along the walls with their heads pointed toward the granite flooring. Each had a metallic collar, brandished with the guild's emblem, locked around their necks, each holding a large pitcher of fermented wine. 

In the center of the large table, floating above a device, was a 3-D portrait of a young man with long black hair. The astral projection was powered by a Beast Core and rotated the image of the man slowly. 

"Marcus Ishtemar." Serenity spoke loudly as she stood, pointing at the portrait, "He's our primary target at the moment." 

"What did this one do?" A hooded man asked, resting his elbow against the table as he opened his palm. 

"Does it matter?" The redhead scoffed, "We already confirmed with the Silvermantle Vanguards, and they greenlit the manhunt..."

"Aren't they stationed out of Terminus in Georgia?" A hooded woman asked, "What are they doing all the out here in Missouri?"

"Dusktown was formed on the ruins of Saint Luis, as you all know." Cami said, standing as Serenity sighed, taking her seat, prompting a round of nods from the remaining leaders. 

"According to the rumors, he stole something of great importance from the Illinois, Missouri, and Mississippi Rivers meet." She continued, tapping on the table twice as the astral projection changed, revealing a satellite view of Dusktown.

She tapped the table again as a red circle appeared around the confluence, "This is where we assume it was stolen from; however, we have no reason to believe that he has remained in Dusktown since the object was stolen." 

"What was taken?" Another hooded figure asked.

"You don't need to know." Ichiko spoke up, dismissing them with a hand wave, "You simply need to bring him to me and I will handle the rest." 

"Yes, ma'am!" The dozen guild leaders shouted in unison, standing as they pounded their fists against their chests and quickly left the room. The Porters soon followed, leaving Samael, the three women's ever-loyal lapdog, alone with his mistresses. 

"Do you think the rumors are true?" Cami asked, snapping her fingers as Sam moved quickly, pouring wine from the pitcher into their three glasses before returning to his position and staring at the ground. 

"I'm certain of it." Serenity smirked as she took a sip of the wine, smacking her lips and laughing, "I highly doubt everyone I interrogated came up with the same story. I don't think any of them even knew each other!" 

"Are you certain it was found before Dusktown was formed?" Ichiko asked, glaring at her, "Your methods aren't the most reliable..." 

"They all swore until the last breath; the accuracy is undeniable." Serenity countered, "I've gone to four other settlements; each account was the same: 

He fled Toronto and went southwest from Detroit to Saint Luis before he found it, changing directions and moving southeast to Georgia before joining the Silvermantle Vanguards." 

"According to their Guild Master, he stole a precious relic from one of their Dungeons and fled to the west." Camille added, shaking her head. 

"Everyone I've spoken with said he would brag to anyone as long as they supplied him with alcohol, and he would regale them with the fantastical stories of his travels." Serenity explained. 

"I've reached out to my contacts in Texas, Arizona, and California..." Cami stated, "If he shows up, we will be the first to know." 

"Good. See it through." Ichiko ordered, standing as she picked up the glass of wine and exited the conference room, stopping in the doorway, speaking, "Samael, be a good boy and fetch me one a concubinus from the hypogeum." 

"Yes, ma'am!" Sam bowed, leaving the pitcher of wine on the table beside him before he ran out of the room. 

***

Samael shuddered as he recalled the dungeons underneath the Colosseum and the numerous times the three women would send him there. 

He shook his head, dispelling the past emotions, and looked around, clicking his tongue in frustration, "Tch!" 

He ran along the promenade, searching everywhere before running across the bascule bridge to the other side of the river and searching along that side of the boardwalk. 

Samael looked around, finding nothing, as he noticed a bright beam of red light soaring out of the city. He turned and looked around, seeing an orange, blue, and green light meeting with the red as the four colors flew away rapidly. 

"The Zodiacs..?" He muttered, scratching the back of his head as he observed as they flew away before vanishing from his sight entirely, "They must have finished off the Dungeons in the city..." 

The young man sighed dejectedly, looking around as he contemplated giving up his search and returning to Gateway Park. As he shook his head, noticing the rising sun. 

The sun slowly crept over the horizon, casting a dim light over the destroyed city. The sky was painted in orange, pink, and purple hues as the sun rose higher and higher, illuminating the ruins of the massive city. 

The silence of the city was only broken by the sound of the wind blowing through the empty streets, causing Sam to draw his coat tightly around him as he reluctantly crossed back over the bridge. 

He stopped in the middle of the bridge, catching a glimpse of a light in the corner of his eyes as he walked. He turned, facing the rushing waters of the river, narrowing his vision as he stared into it. 

"No way..." He gasped, leaning over the edge of the bridge as he clearly saw the purple glow from the rotating portal deep within the river. 

"Shit..." He muttered, shaking his head, remembering the annoyance of Water Dungeons from his past life. He paced back and forth as he contemplated whether it was in there or not. 

'I mean... Marcus was really formidable and it required all three of them to beat him...' He thought before shaking his arms and rolling his head around as he rocked on his heels. 

"Ugh!" He exclaimed loudly, shouting as loud as he could before climbing over the fence on the bridge and standing next to the ledge, staring down at the raging river below. 

"Don't think about it... He said, psyching himself up as he shook his head and closed his eyes, shouting as he leaped off the bridge, "Just do it!"