Utultar floated around their area of the divine plane, casually reviewing the scrolls delivered to them for review. The collective divine consciousness of heads had decorated their assigned space with a replica ziggurat, based on designs taken from the ancient Babylonian cities. Utultar was perfectly content to wander the holy realm without a defined home, but the will of those above them demanded a place where they could be easily located. Most of the space inside the large building was filled with books, taken or copied, from various compendiums, such as the great library of Alexandria and the Chinese Imperial Archives. Along with subsequent scientific and literary works from the subsequent civilizations, human or otherwise.

The archangel would often cycle through their individual heads, reading some magically preserved tome in their private lounge. A few souls, both ascended-mortal and wandering-divine, would peruse the library seeking some form of enlightenment. Such things could never be obtained simply from reading, yet many still tried to memorize or replicate without any sense of comprehension. The few who did were often granted an audience with one or more of their heads to challenge their wit.

One of the heads had just returned, having spent the equivalent of several mortal hours reading the musings of Socrates. Such mental stimulation was needed when reviewing the thousands of reports from their assigned underlings. Most were multiple iterations of trite affairs written by upstart or obsessive servants, far too concerned about spreading the influence of the domain. Each putting their desired outcome ahead of a more measured option. Many of their recommendations involved making temporary pacts with beings of ill-repute, all in the name of furthering their message. Utultar was not above breaking bread with other magical affinities, but the archangel at least knew how to discern ones who held a compatible worldview. Letting a wolf in to the paddock to deal with a fox, will still leave you with a wolf among the sheep once the fox has been dealt with.

As they collectively reviewed the mountain of reports that tended to build up whenever they were summoned to deal with affairs in the mortal realm, even more came in via majestic avian couriers. Most took the form of a golden pigeon, carrying messages from across the land. Although others were from different magical realms and did not match the bright aesthetics of the divine. One particular bird, a red-crowned crane from China, had been patiently waiting on them. It had arrived just as the heads rotated their duties, standing before them with a note in its beak.

Telepathically, Utultar took the note and rewarded the bird. Summoning a fat, golden carp as a reward for its service. Reading the note caused most of the heads to pause and draw focus away from their respective reports. "Attention to the Almighty Utultar, a powerful being has been seen frequenting inns in the Jiangxi region within the Ming Territory. The being shares mannerisms and abilities associated with the known entity: Aswat Khatib. Target noticed our presence and invited the agent for a meal, confirming his identity and their new name: Moujik-term. Target disappeared after finishing contact. Awaiting further instructions. – Wang Han*"

This latest message ran in stark contrast to note they had read with-in the previous few mortal days. The note detailed progress on a colleague's pet project, a divine city underneath the desert which provided a shelter for followers of the divine who held an affinity with a differing mystical energy. One of the advisers had been sending the reports on behalf of Diam, regularly citing the quality of Awsat's judiciary work. No one of the previous correspondences had indicated anything was wrong, meaning that there might be a compromised messenger.

Two heads quickly cross-referenced the reports, trusting Wang's identification and confirmation. They didn't have many reports older than a few years, as many were destroyed once they had been received. Recalling the other reports, none were written personally from Diam. There were troublesome issues with some wind spirits which demanded the arch angel's personal attention, delegating the task of providing updates to an adviser in his court. Utultar had simply attributed the alternative author to that event, failing to realize that it had been one hundred years or more since then. An unacceptable oversight, but one necessitated by various events occurring across the greater European sphere.

What Utultar needed was a pair of eyes within the underground city, built to provide an actual sanctuary by having wards to obfuscate any malicious omnipresent observers. None of their agents were in the area, and none had an excuse to enter the settlement without creating suspicion. If something had gone wrong inside, they could not guarantee their safety. Utultar thought about seeking out Moujik, but doubted that they could find him so easily. The djinn was surprisingly good at acting covertly, in spite of his usual demeanor and interests.

Utultar's network of connections was not ideal, as each one held no allegiance to the divine realm. Someone like Murgu, a Balaur** operating north of Constantinople who would often visit to spar with angels, had followers that only devoted themselves to power. If something went wrong, the devout lust for violence would only serve to complicate the situation and further mask the truth. That is if they actually were able to give the information the arch angel required and not be distracted by displays of strength.

Utultar's mind flickered briefly to a Vampire they had encountered twice now. She was too cautious and self-aware to groom into one of their loyal informants, even ignoring the open hostility their colleagues showed to her. Having limited direct exposure to the divine, a valid reason to enter the city and the intelligence not to be overly noticeable, Victoria was an ideal candidate for the mission. Comparing her to the others in the general region, any other choice would be far riskier. They did have alternatives, local farmers, and official dignitaries. However, their competence was lacking or would act in a way that compromised their safety.

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Modibo and his family rose from their rugs at the conclusion of the Dhuhr, slowly starting to leave the cool shade granted by the mosque. Most everyone in the pilgrimage had recovered from the roc incident and they were spending their last day in town praying and making some last-minute purchases. The additional week's rest had allowed their family to recollect themselves after the terrifying ordeal. His wife had been incredibly shaken, but with nightly reassurance she had mostly returned to her former self, with only lingering nightmares to show for it.

As they left the mosque, Modibo's family was approached by an Imam they had not seen before. "Peace be upon you, pilgrims." "And upon you peace." Modibo responded, casually assessing the man as they talked. He looked like an ordinary Imam from the local region, with the expected attire and grooming as was required for such a position. The Imam wore long white robes that covered his body, yet his true muscular physique was slightly noticeable due to how he carried himself. "I am Imam Abdelaal, I was wondering if you could spare a moment to help this loyal follower of Allah."

"I have heard that you are close with the Christian Couple who is travelling alongside the pilgrimage." Queried the Imam, likely having heard mention of her presence. "I was simply hoping to meet with them to learn how they would practice the faith in their homeland." It was a simple request and was reasonable given the rumors that would've spread around town. But something seemed off about his story. They had been in the large town for close to a fortnight and yet this was the first time he had seen him after many visits to the mosque. Imam Abdelaal did not interact with any of the other imams in the same the way one would expect, yet they all held some silent respect for him. It was disconcerting.

Despite this, he had no reason to decline, and it further supported his cultivated image of a devout convert. As they walked, they had a pleasant conversation regarding the tribal religions in their own region. The Imam seemed to have almost first-hand knowledge of the subject, although he was careful enough to never introduce new information which could not be gleamed from passing conversations. He at least seemed affable towards them and carried no weapons, so it was unlikely that he would cause much harm.

-

Victoria heard the knock on the door, quickly donning the local headwear of the region while Leo called out for them to enter. She knew that it was not Kahina as she was resting in the room with them, shaded from the midday heat. The faint presence of divine power she felt when the being entered the room was enough for her to understand the situation. The Imam that Modibo had guided to them was not human and was likely a holy messenger of some form. "Modibo, you can leave us." She said, translated by Kahina before any introductions were provided. "The Imam has some divine business to discuss, something which is beyond your means." With a simple bow, the unwitting convener excused himself while realizing that he had been used by a supernatural being to make contact with his partial patron.

"Hello again, Victoria." Greeted one of Utultar's many heads, dropping the faux body to reveal a floating head. "You are in good fortunes, are you not?" "I am surprised that you have sought me out given our previous encounters." She answered, knowing that the head could speak English and that they held some desire for her proven skills. "That is understandable, albeit regrettable, young one." Utultar responded, false tones of sadness entering into his words. "I need information from a place I do not have access to, and you may be able to safely acquire such information. You carry yourself in a generally neutral manner and are unaffiliated with any formal organization or body. Such things are rare in this world and are valuable in certain situations."

"What is it that you need? If you are coming to me, then you would likely have to be in a tight spot." Victoria observed, noting their current bargaining position. "There is a settlement one of our Malaikah managed, which has recently fallen under suspicion. Recent reports from inside conflict from the external reality." Answered Utultar, opting to accept her observations as true. "The town is called: Desert's Shade. Usually controlled by the United Court of the Tainted, but one of its members has been sighted in a different location than where they were reported to be."

Victoria surmised that the archangel was referring to: Moujik. Something that she decided to keep to herself, as it was one of the few things she could maintain control over. "So, what information do you need to know?" She asked, trying to figure out what was required and if it was worth the risk. "No espionage, no socializing and no item acquisition." Stated Utultar, setting out clear expectations "We only require a report as to how the settlement is being run and if Diam is still in charge of the project. You have a strong cover story: as you have recently stumbled upon two Shadhavar horns and are looking for a supernatural craftsman to enhance them from their current form. You have found a buyer, a sorcerer over east named Bu Ji***, who has accepted the order on the condition that it has been crafted by a highly experienced artisan. It is believable, is it not?"

The cover story was simple enough that she didn't need to obfuscate her own past to make it plausible and gave her an excuse to leave after the completion of the work. "My associates should be able to provide that information, assuming that you are willing to meet my terms." Victoria stated, already drawing up some conditions. "One, a magical purchase order from Bu Ji for one artisan crafted Shadhavar horn, to be fulfilled by me to an appropriate proxy. Two, fair payment for services rendered upon delivery of information with compensation for lost goods inside the city. Three, an instructional scroll, of reputable repute, guiding the wielder on how to use divine power. My familiar wishes to perfect her self-taught skills, so please pick based on that information."

"All of that can be arranged" Stated Utultar, already preparing to leave for the heavens. "My agent will discretely deliver the purchase order to you with a map showing the settlement's location, the rest will be fulfilled on your return." While she had suspicions as to the state of Desert's Shade, it might be worth a trip if it meant converting the horns into something fiscally liquid. Her primary concern was what had happened within the underground city to warrant such attention. In future dealings, she would have need to draw the line somewhere so that she would not become regular contact.

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