Placing his index finger in front of his lips and raising his other hand with the palm facing the vampires, Tom asked the two for silence.
Both Ouden and Salim looked at him in confusion, but as requested, they did not utter a single word, instead exchanging gestures that conveyed their uncertainty.
After glancing outside once more for a second and pulling his head back, Tom formed a "V" with his fingers and pointed toward his own eyes. Then he tilted his head slightly to the right and pointed his fingers in that same direction.
Understanding the meaning of the gesture, Ouden and Salim discreetly looked outside, and the tavern-owning vampire was the first to realize what was happening.
The other, however, twisted his lips in even greater confusion.
"But what are you three doing?" More confused than anyone present was Lady Tânia, watching the three men suddenly communicate through some kind of sign language out of nowhere.
Taking a deep breath and stepping closer to her, Tom called Salim over as well so he could explain the situation. Naturally, Ouden joined them too.
"There's an organization, a group, maybe you know more about them than I do, called the Deorder, and for some reason they're after me. I just saw two people dressed in white formal clothes with blindfolds over their eyes, exactly like the last time they came after me."
Tom was practically whispering the words to avoid being overheard by anyone unwanted.
As they were about to leave the small shop, Tom had been the first to notice the two Deorder members walking among the tents and small stores not far from where they were.
"Those are Gianni and Jaiden. And yes, they're from the Deorder... Wait. You're an Ascendant?"
In less than two seconds, Salim threw out that question.
Shhh!!
With subtle but furious urgency, Tom immediately repeated the silence gesture in front of his mouth. Unlike him, who had been whispering, the vampire had spoken in a loud and clear voice.
"I told you he was a bad influence..."
Tânia wore an amused expression as she whispered those words.
"Want to use the back door?"
She was quick to understand the intentions of the young man who seemed far more anxious than the other three.
And Tom immediately nodded.
Picking up the sack containing the items he had purchased, he instantly felt a wave of regret.
The jar probably broke when it hit the ground. But I couldn't let those two walk out and run straight into the Deorder pair. I'd have had to start running.
"Don't mind the mess." Leading the way, Tânia guided the three of them through various items displayed for sale, many of them still unpackaged or simply gathering dust from sitting around for so long.
Internally, Tom mocked himself, hoping he hadn't wasted his money buying an altar that might fail simply because it wasn't high quality enough or something along those lines.
Are the gods really that petty?
His impression of Veyrael crossed his mind.
Exiting through a narrow passage, Tom, Ouden, and Salim soon found themselves on the opposite side from where they had entered, with neither Gianni nor Jaiden anywhere in sight.
Tom didn't forget to thank Tânia for being kind enough to help them.
"Stop hanging around that shameless vampire."
She replied while closing the passage behind them.
Laughing at the vampire, Tom quickly turned his attention back to him.
"Alright, so do we leave through the same entrance we used to get in?"
"Yeah." Salim frowned as he nodded.
The three of them began walking toward the staircase leading to the upper ring of the cavern.
"But tell me, Tom, are Gianni and Jaiden after you because they want to recruit you, or because you did something against the Deorder?"
"I think it's for recruitment. I don't think I've done anything against them or this Deorder. Unless beating Banjur somehow offended the organization."
He looked thoughtfully at Ouden, who merely shrugged at the theory.
"You said their names are Gianni and Jaiden. What else do you know about them?"
Tom asked with genuine curiosity.
"Not much. They're part of the Deorder and come to the Cave of Lhéus pretty often. Usually they recruit members, punish offenders, or something like that. Honestly, they're kind of a pain."
They were already on the staircase and nearly at the top when—
"Wait a moment, Tom."
A firm female voice reached the ears of all three.
Damn.
In less than half a second, Tom turned around and spotted the duo once more, dressed in light-colored formal clothing and wearing dark blindfolds over their eyes as they approached the foot of the stairs. He had to decide his next move.
If he stayed, who knew what might happen if they completely transported him away with them? Last time Malivor had appeared and interrupted the spatial displacement, but this time he definitely wouldn't be there to help again.
There was also the matter of the items he had purchased for performing the divine channeling ritual. Tom was absolutely certain the conversation would eventually turn in that direction. He suspected that, in the "best" case scenario, their interest wasn't necessarily in him but in his Superior — or more specifically, in Veyrael.
Tom had no way of knowing whether they could affect Veyrael somehow, but he preferred not to tempt fate, and so he made his decision.
Gripping his purchases tightly, he immediately broke into a run.
Jaiden instantly drew a bronze dagger from his white vest and chased after him. His sister followed suit and started running as well.
The two completely ignored the vampires, since neither of them moved a muscle to flee nor to stop the Deorder recruiters.
Turning a corner, Tom quickly positioned himself behind a tent displaying various weapons.
What if I grabbed one of these and fought them? I'd beat them in a fight, right?
He extended his hand toward the weapons.
"Hey! Hey! Those aren't finished yet!"
The owner of the stall scolded him.
Tom pulled his hand back before touching an axe made entirely of iron.
"I buy and sell weapon materials here. Is there anything in that sack you'd like to sell?" Noticing the young man standing there, the man in his forties couldn't help asking.
"Uh, no, no. I was just thinking about buying a weapon."
Tom tried to ease the atmosphere.
He didn't know how long it would take Gianni and Jaiden to find him, but he was attempting to lose them by pretending to be just another ordinary customer shopping in the black market.
"In that case, you should check out Blue Stinger on the third ring. They sell enchanted weapons if that's what you're after. It's our main store here in the cavern."
Just as Tom was about to reply, he heard hurried footsteps approaching the corner where he stood. Before they could spot him, he moved away from the stall displaying the weapons.
Holding the sack tightly against his chest, the Ascendant mercenary closed the middle and index fingers of his right hand twice, causing everything around him to blur into streaks.
An instant later, he found himself standing at the main entrance of the Cathedral of the Blind.
The place was open, and a mass was currently underway. Fortunately, nobody happened to be entering at that exact moment. Otherwise, his sudden appearance might have left someone very confused.
Taking two steps into the street to head back toward Moonlight Headquarters, Tom cursed when he saw a man and a woman across the road wearing white formal clothes, white top hats, and black blindfolds over their eyes.
Did you know I was going to come here?!"