Chapter 3: Aspiration
"Do you have a name pooch?" The raven asks curiously. Amaterasu not being able to speak complex languages was not able to give an exact answer to his question, nevertheless she knew what he was asking. She decides to give a small bark in response.
"I'll take that as yes then? You seem to be quite smart for a dog I must say, in addition to your abilities. I am Roland by the way."
Amaterasu will remember that name for quite a while.
Roland sighed a bit. "What has this world come to? Everything was fine until a year and a half ago, when suddenly there was that wave of black and reddish like smog that covered the land. After that, people say that some kind of monsters or demons appeared in the countryside. I haven't seen them myself since I was living here when it all happened, however I'm still a bit skeptical about that claim. What's even more twisted is that our Emperor changed drastically during that event. Instead of sending the armed forces to deal with them, he instead just locks us all up in cities and lets these creatures roam around the world. Also, he isn't even doing anything to improve the dire conditions here either, people are dying left and right from famine, plague, or at the hands of the Imperial Guard. Which by the way, I hope you understand why I had to treat them as I have. I am not going to stand around and let them hurt innocent people just because they have the power to do so."
Amaterasu tilts her head slightly downwards in despair from taking in everything from what Roland had explained.
"The Emperor himself used to be a good leader and a charming man. I have a hunch that he may be under the influence of those fiends, or maybe he even conspired with them somehow in the first place. I don't know, but what I know is that we must get rid of him before we all die out. Unfortunately, he is comfy all the way in Sei'an City. I can't reach him even with my abilities through the cursed lands. I hope the resistance groups are fighting back against his tyranny, but I have doubts that they will prevail."
Amaterasu took mental notes on what he was saying as they may have critical use throughout her mission. Roland then snapped out of his cryfest state and gained his focus back on priorities.
"Come on pooch, I will take you to our hideout. Just follow me to my car, but we must move quickly to avoid getting spotted."
Roland stands back up and teleports away from building to building with Amaterasu trailing behind him guided by his scent. She soon spots Roland on another street standing next to a vehicle waiting for her. She jumps down and approaches him while Roland opens the passenger door for her.
"Get in, just don't touch anything okay?"
Amaterasu cautiously steps inside and sits down on the seat. The vehicle itself is state of the art. It is a compact, two-seat, sleek, cyber-styled sports coupe with a rather luxury black and tan interior with touch screen interfaces and an all-chrome exterior. Its powerplant is an inline, 4-cylinder, hydrogen turbocharged combustion engine with a generator feeding to powerful electric motors, giving it both an outstanding acceleration and speed. Little did Amaterasu know, the car never technically belonged to Roland in the first place. In reality, he and a group of resistance fighters borrowed it from an abandoned dealership as a means for fast transportation.
"Hang on to your tails pooch, this is gonna be a fast ride!"
Roland hits the gas and the car takes off like a missile, almost slamming Amaterasu to the back of her seat forcing her to dig her claws into the padding to provide some resistance from the sudden spike in gravitational force. With the roads nearly barren, the car could be utilized to its full potential. Roland was driving fast and evasive to avoid detection by aircraft, CCTV cameras, or any patrols that they may encounter. He also took different routes such as narrow alleyways that the car could barely fit. While enduring the roller coaster like ride, Amaterasu observes the scenery passing by her. As they were heading away from the heart of the city, the conditions of the region were getting worse by each block they passed through. More buildings were either abandoned or completely in ruins and the amount of rubbish lying around increased, making the once clean and prosperous district a lifeless slum. Roland started to slow the car down and eventually pulled over to a side of a street nearby an old distillery. The distillery is in fact a hideout of the resistance group and where Roland resided for the time being.
Roland exits the vehicle and opens the passenger door for Amaterasu. He looked around to make sure that they weren't being followed, and then signaled Amaterasu to follow him. He led her to a dark and dirty alleyway toward the well hidden auxiliary entrance to the distillery. They arrive at the entrance closed by a rusty steel door which includes a buzzer and intercom panel next to the door on the wall. Roland pushes the one button that's included on the panel which emitted a distinct electronic buzzing sound.
"What's the password?" A voice came through the intercom.
"Aspiration." Roland replies.
"Come in, Roland."
The voice replied back and the door made a clicking noise which signified that it became unlocked. Roland opens the heavy and squeaky immediately revealing two armed men guarding the interior entrance.
"Welcome back Roland! I see that you brought in a new friend?" One of the men greeted him.
"Indeed I have, she'll be staying with me for a while."
"Ain't that adorable! Listen, the Chief told us that he needs to see you immediately when you arrive. It's quite urgent apparently."
"Urgent? This should be interesting. Let's go then pooch."
Roland started to head towards the Chief's office with Amaterasu following behind him. The distillery was a large complex and filled with life. It acted as an alternative refuge for those living in poor conditions and who opposed the current leadership of the Emperor. The distillery was completely overhauled with most of the boilers and the equipment needed to produce the beverages were removed and the space was filled with various workshops, medical facilities, and communication centers. Most people resided in the other buildings next to the distillery which were connected to each other. It was an entire society hidden in plain sight.
Roland and Amaterasu came into the Chief's office at last. The office itself used to be the manager's office when the distillery was still operational. The Chief himself is an older gentleman, an experienced veteran, and is the leader of this current resistance cell in Kamiki. Roland was second in command and does most of the dirty work as directed by the Chief. Even though the Chief had a slightly higher authority, Roland was the most respected out of all thanks to his abilities and the contributions that he made.
"Roland! I am glad you made it here in one piece!" He warmly welcomed him and shook his hand.
"You don't need to worry about me sir. So what's up?" Roland asks as he sits down in front of the Chief along with Amaterasu.
"Let me ask you something. Before all of this craziness occurred, have you ever happened to visit the Konohana Shrine?"
"You mean the one with the large guardian sapling near downtown? Yeah I have."
"That's good, did you also happen to meet the priest and tree keeper old man Shigeru?" The Chief asks curiously.
"Yes I have actually. But what does he have to do with anything?"
"Well...today we got a secure message from him requesting for you to see him as soon as possible. He claims that he has the answer to resolve the current crises."
"Ok, first of all, how is he still alive? Second, he wishes for me to go all the way downtown despite the fact that it's heavily guarded. And third, how can you even believe the shit he's saying?" Roland implored.
"Indeed. But I know that you are capable of doing this. And believe it or not, I have known the man for quite a long time. He has helped me go through troubles in my life before with his guidance. I have faith in the man, and at this point in time, if there is anything that can help us get over this catastrophe then we must take it. I should also point out that he claims an Amaterasu has come to save us all. I bet you've heard of that legend as well, right?"
"Amaterasu…" That name rang a bell in Roland's head as he glanced towards her. "Could it really be her?" He thinks to himself.
"Think about it Roland. There are some supernatural forces involved in this crisis, there must be! If that is indeed the case then perhaps the legend is true all along and she is real! This could be our chance to save ourselves!"
Roland thought about this for a moment and came to the realization that there was no other alternative or any other logical explanation to these current events.
"I never really knew that you believed in magic or sorcery sir." Roland poked at the Chief.
"I certainly know that you wield it, you are a descendent of the Corvidae Clan. We all know that they practiced witchcraft…. I am begging you Roland, there is so much we can do at this point. If we wait now, then it will be too late for us all."
Amaterasu placed her paw on Roland's lap, giving a sign that she is in agreement with the Chief. Roland sighs as a result.
"Ok...so how do we get to Shigeru?"
