I reincarnated in game

33 Moment of Decision

“Does your offer include Judi and Kenneth?  As I said before, we are a team; I wouldn’t consider any invitation which does not encompass the three of us.  By the way, what is ‘Eos’?  You can’t expect that I would be able to make a decision to accept your invitation without even knowing what your organization is all about.” said Hugh.

“Well, as I said before, I have seen, first hand, a demonstration of your mechanical and magical abilities as well as your leadership skills … I have the authority to extend an invitation to any person, for whom I can personally vouch, who I know would be an asset to our organization,” said James.  “I cannot even elaborate, with any detail, specifics about our company because of the risk factors.  Our missions are very secretive and highly sensitive.  The three of you have stumbled on to our existence and have learned of our mission to punish injustice.  That is a significant risk; one which we do not normally tolerate.  No offense, but I haven’t seen a demonstration of any attributes for either Judi or Kenneth which would allow me to include them in my invitation.  I do not have the authority to extend an invitation to anybody else … that clearance would have to come from the higher-ups in our operation.  The fact that they are with you and you trust them may be something that can be considered.  As it stands right now, I cannot say anything further in front of them.”

“Well, it is extremely hard for me to make an informed decision based on what little I know about the whole operation … what if we all swear an oath of secrecy?” Hugh asked.

“You’re not the one I am concerned about; even though I don’t really know you and the fact that we met under unusual circumstances, I have confidence that you are a man of honor.  Swearing an oath of secrecy is not necessarily the answer because it may not hold up if a person were to be subjected to torture … we would need something stronger with more of a guarantee that the details of Eos would not be divulged to the wrong people,” replied James.

“I see your problem,” Hugh said.  Then after a moment, he came up with a proposal.  “What if Judi and Kenneth were to agree for me to cast a magic spell on them to modify their memories; I could make it so they will not be able to recall any events from the point where they started looking for me and interrupted your interrogation, up until the point when we get to Third Level.  That way they would remember coming on board the ship, but nothing with respect to you or your mission.  They will be able to see you physically, but only as a fellow passenger.  They will not be able to hear anything you say from the point I place them under the spell until we disembark; they will remember nothing of any of these conversations.”

Judi had been following the conversation between Hugh and James with interest.  She could see Hugh’s dilemma; she turned to address James.  “I know that you don’t know me and have not seen any of my abilities; however I can assure you that I am honorable and loyal to those who have gained my trust.  I know that Hugh needs more information to be able to make an informed decision with respect to your offer so, for myself, I would agree to Hugh’s suggestion.  I cannot speak for Kenneth.”

All eyes turned to Kenneth who had also been following the discussions.  “Because of recent events in my life, I don’t like the idea of having a spell cast on me,” he responded.  His mind momentarily went back to the cleansing exercises at the abyss; he also recalled his father’s last conversation with him.  “My dad respected Hugh, and just before he passed away, told me I could trust him one hundred percent.  I do trust Hugh, and I would agree to his suggestion as well if it will help him to decide what he needs to do.”

Hugh was honored by the respect and trust his friends placed in him.

James was impressed with their trust and loyalty to Hugh.

“OK.  I think that will be sufficient to warranty our security,” responded James.  “Please go ahead with the spell.”

Hugh obtained another of Kenneth’s crystals and, together with Judi, Kenneth and James, proceeded back down to the ship’s engine room in order to charge the crystal with energy.  With the crystal fully energized, Hugh drew an arc around James which went from the floor, over his head and back to the floor.  Hugh then walked over to Judi and whispered, “Thank you.  Please close your eyes.”  

Hugh absorbed the energy from the crystal into his body.  Judi looked into Hugh’s eyes for a moment, and then shut her own; with her eyes closed, her world became dark.  Her senses heightened as the hum of the engine grew; she felt Hugh’s fingers on her temples. 

Closing his eyes, Hugh focused on his core.  His body glowed as some of the energy was transferred into Judi’s body from his finger tips.  He projected his will through his hands; the subject would not remember anything that was spoken, seen, or heard with respect to James for the duration of the boat ride.  He then walked over and did the same to Kenneth.

When Hugh withdrew, Judi and Kenneth opened their eyes.  They did not pay any notice to James who still remained seated at the temporary workbench.  James decided to conduct his own test; he got up and circled around behind them; they didn’t even look at him.  He let out a loud yell; they didn’t even flinch.  The soldier stationed at the door entered with a concerned look on his face and his weapon drawn.  James motioned to him to let him know everything was OK.  He was impressed with Hugh’s abilities once again!

“Come with me to my office and we will have our discussion there,” instructed James.

Hugh acknowledged the request then turned to Judi and Kenneth.  “Why don’t the two of you go back to the passenger deck and wait for me; I am going to spend a little time down here but will rejoin you in a little while.” 

Judi and Kenneth rose; Judi gave a little wave and said, “OK … I can see you are fascinated with the engines and all their workings so we will leave you to it.  Don’t get so absorbed that you forget all about us,” she joked.  She and Kenneth both grinned at the little jab and set off for the comfort of the deck above; they were completely oblivious to James as they walked past him to the door.

Hugh accompanied James back to the small office.  Once they were seated, James began his story.

“I should give you some background before I get into details about our organization.”

“Adrastos is the God of Light.  The Curia is an organization that was created a thousand years ago.  It was run by Pope Otuo, and his two cardinals, all of whom were Crystals.  The Chambers of Commerce in the second-level land were empowered to collect the interests of the curia in the form of taxes or tribute from Levels Two, Three, and Four.  They established bishops in every country of Third Level except the Punished Land.  Priests of all races, selected locally, were assigned to each city in the four countries.  These clerics were trained to become die-hard believers by the curia; and to follow, without question, directions from their religious leaders.  They were tasked with the actual collection of the coin from the locals in monthly religious services.”

“Yea … I kind of ran into that myself,” Hugh injected, thinking back to when Father Paul had discovered the tribute which had included his fake coins.

Without acknowledging the interruption, James continued.  “Initially, the members of the curia were god-fearing and dedicated to justice and good will for all.  Gradually, over time, the curia became corrupt.  Taxes and tribute no longer benefited the masses; the self-righteous, self-serving members of the organization usurped the proceeds and used them to gain power and influence for themselves.  At some point, the curia stopped making priests accountable for their collection techniques; they even rewarded the clerics who were the most successful with their collections no matter how it was accomplished.  Some priests interpreted this as being given free rein to over-collect.  They would bully the citizens into ‘voluntarily’ increasing their tribute payments.  Some would even murder those too poor to pay; hoping it would act as an incentive to the rest to do whatever they had to do in order to come up with their taxes every month.”

“Our leader was fully aware of the corruption of the entire God of Light Curia; Eos was created as an organization to eradicate the injustices being carried on under the guise of religion.  Our soldiers are trained to track down and apprehend those responsible for the atrocities and bring them back for trial and punishment.  We could use a man with your unique talents and expertise in our operations.”

“Before you answer, if you agree to join with us, I will speak to our leader about extending the invitation to your friends as well.  What do you say?”