PSA: I just wanted to say thanks for all the feedback I've been getting so far.
Steel and Sorcerers – Chapter 22
It was mid-morning when a female figure with black hair and glasses casually approached the first checkpoint to enter the special region.
"ID please" requested the guard.
The woman presented a small card.
"Alright, can I get your full name and date of birth."
Once again, she complied, providing the correct details.
"Give me one second to check the schedule… Yep, Dr Amakusa, you're free to move on."
Yotiaru did a silent fist-pump in her mind as she smiled at the guard and walked through. A few days ago, she had received notice of an assignment sent to her by what was presumably the Chinese spy agency. They had set her up with a fake ID, and had apparently done all the supporting documentation to allow her to enter the special region. This was big news, and she had immediately accepted the assignment. Barely anyone knew anything about the special region besides the official statement from the Ginza address, and various images and videos of questionable authenticity. In addition, she would be investigating reports that the Japanese government was studying supernatural phenomena within the special region. In other words, magic. This was probably the part Yotiaru was most excited about. It was clear from the video she had captured of the troll-like monster that there was something strange going on in the special region, but to think that there might be actual magic…
For this assignment she had to assume the identity of another person, something which her cosplaying skills gave her plenty of practice for. She had dyed her hair, as well as put on glasses and extensive make-up for this operation in order to look just like the photo on the ID card.
Yotiaru finally came to the last checkpoint to enter the restricted area in Ginza. The structure that supposedly housed the portal to the special region was within sight. The guard at this checkpoint had her walk through a metal detector. Yotiaru did actually have a concealed camera on her person, picked up from the Chinese spies at a dead-drop location. They had also thought of the possibility of needing to pass through metal detectors, and had it coated in a special insulating material. She wouldn't be able to use the camera while it was encased in this material, but she could take it out once she had passed through the checkpoints.
After passing through another couple of checkpoints, Yotiaru finally managed to make it to the building housing the gate itself. She was filled with a sense of excitement. Beyond these gates lay that which was the stuff of rumour and speculation, and for the first time she would be able to see for herself what the reality really was behind all those myths.
As the doors opened and she was let inside, a large gate-way loomed before her. What lay beyond it seemed to be shrouded in darkness, so she could only see some distance through it. The actual gateway itself was covered in various tarps, so she couldn't see what it actually looked like. This seemed to be the case all the way along the length of tunnel she could see so far, with the walls of the structure being obscured by various man-made materials. Numerous wires and pipes ran along the walls into the darkness, and wire mesh barriers covered the entire width and height of the tunnel, so that the only way through was via large central gates for vehicles, or small side doorways for people. Along this passageway were more guard checkpoints, along with what looked like anti-aircraft emplacements set up like gun turrets.
After walking for a bit, she approached the wall of darkness at what looked like the end of the tunnel. As she gingerly passed through this dark veil, an even longer stretch of tunnel was revealed to her, with the same infrastructure as was present in the area before. The floor, walls and roof were all covered in various tarps or barriers, this time even more extensively than before, so that not even a single sliver of the original structure could be seen.
After walking for some time she eventually made it to an opaque white light, which was apparently the end of the tunnel. Passing through this she entered another structure like the one set up in Ginza. It seemed she was finally in the special region. It felt normal so far. After even more security checks she was finally let out into the open air, and what she saw was completely unexpected.
Rather than some barren alien landscape, the sky was blue, and the air breathable, although a little musty from all the dust and exhaust fumes. A large complex of newly constructed buildings sprawled out around her, the streets busy with people and vehicles going to and fro. In the distance she could make out the greenery of trees and plant life. If no one had told her otherwise, she might've thought she was still back on Earth.
Yotiaru found a secluded corner to activate her camera, taking off the insulating cover and setting it up so it would capture the surroundings as she walked around. She had a little while before she had to be at her assigned location, so she spent some time walking around the compound. She was surprised at just how concentrated everything was, but as she approached the outer boundaries, she could see that they were probably in the middle of a large forest. She could hear the loud thrum of construction equipment beyond the walls which protected this outer boundary, and the air was often filled with the deafening sound of helicopters, and occasionally jets, taking off from a small runway.
Eventually it was time for her to attend what she had came her for in the first place. In the email she received, it said she was going to be observing some demonstrations of supernatural phenomena, and she was to be part of the team of scientists who would provide their insights into what might be the cause of said unexplainable events.
As she approached the structure, which looked like a small warehouse, she encountered a pair of guards at the entrance as well as another metal detector. Hastily ducking back around a corner to cover her camera, she returned to the entrance, and after some ID checks she was let inside, passing through the detector with no issue.
The first room Yotiaru entered looked to be a sort of waiting room. Numerous other professional looking figures stood around in lab-coats, seemingly waiting to be let into the main area. Yotiaru grabbed a lab-coat from a hook on the wall and was in the middle of putting it on when she was approached by one of the other scientists.
"Hey Amakusa-kun, didn't expect to see you here after all this time."
Yotiaru was gripped with panic as she slowly turned to see who had called out to her.
It was another scientist, a woman with short black hair. She was looking at Yotiaru with an expectant grin on her face.
'Dammit, why does there have to be someone here that knows the person I'm disguised as.'
"Ah, um, yeah, didn't expect to see you here either. How are things?" Yotiaru blurted out.
"Oh, you know, just the usual. By the way, are you still together with Ichiro-san?"
"…No."
"Wow, that sucks, you guys seemed like a good match. After this is all done, do you want to get a drink together? I heard they have a proper bar set up here now."
"Sorry, I've got some other stuff on."
"Hey… Amakusa-kun, I didn't want to say this, but, you've been acting kinda… sus."
Before Yotiaru could respond, an official entered the room. "Everyone, please come this way now, the tests will be beginning shortly."
"Ah, we'll talk later then Amakusa-kun."
"Yeah… sure."
Yotiaru then took a moment to duck off to the side to re-activate her camera, before following the rest of the group through into a large open area. A few individuals dressed in robes sat on a bench across the room, while Yotiaru and the other scientists were each given a clipboard and directed to an area behind a large protective barrier.
"First-up, we will have a demonstration of the [Create Water] spell."
Yotiaru held her breath as one of the robed figures got to their feet and walked to spot marked out on the floor. They then held out one of their hands, and proclaimed [Create Water], causing a light to appear around their hands, and water to trickle down into a jug on the floor.
Yotiaru and several of the other scientists gasped at this. 'Was it all a trick, or did they just create water out of nothing?'
"Thank-you. Next, the [Magic Arrow] spell."
The previous mage took a seat, and the next one stood up. Once again, they said the name of the spell, and a light appeared around their hands. This time though, what looked like a shard of light shot out of the caster's hand and embedded itself in a wooden target, before disappearing and leaving a hole.
It was at this point that Yotiaru suddenly remembered that she was on a tight schedule. There were supposed to be only a few more demonstrations left before the group would meet to discuss their findings, something that Yotiaru had to avoid since she didn't have any scientific credentials.
Before the next demonstration started, she quietly asked one of the organisers if she could use the bathroom. They looked at her quite confusedly, as if wondering why she wouldn't just wait until the demonstrations were over, but granted her permission.
And with that, Yotiaru was on her way back to Ginza, with all the footage she had captured safely saved on the camera. She had done it. She felt a thrill as she passed through all the various checkpoints to get back to Ginza. Once she got back, she would be able to pass on the information she had gathered. She was filled with excitement wondering what they would make of it all, and how this might shake up the current global situation.
However, just as she was about to pass through the last checkpoint, the guard held up his hand for her to stop. It seemed he was talking on his radio to someone.
"Sorry, but you're going to have to wait here for a moment."
Yotiaru's heart sank. She'd been found out hadn't she. Perhaps leaving early was too obvious.
A few minutes passed in silence, Yotiaru just standing beside the checkpoint, before the guard got back on his radio again.
"What? But you just told me-. Never mind."
He then turned to Yotiaru with a confused expression. "Looks like you're free to go on."
Habiki Ito, the new Director of Operations within the Special Region sat on a high-quality wooden chair inside a newly constructed meeting room. This structure, located on the outskirts of the JSDF's defensive perimeter around the gate, was hastily built so that there would be a place to meet with outsiders without having to reveal to them the activities going on within the main compound. Ito, although quite busy with the preparations for the assault to reclaim Feo Raizo, had made time in his schedule to meet with these men. This was because it was highly likely that these individuals hailed from the organisation known as Eight Fingers. An underground syndicate which seemed to hold great influence within the Re-Estize Kingdom. It was also for this reason that he would be flanked by two armed guards for the duration of this meeting.
He heard a voice at the door. "Director-dono, the representatives have arrived."
"Please let them in."
Two men entered. One was rather overweight, and dressed in opulent clothes, while the other was taller and muscular, dressed in more common clothes. Both had an air of sleaziness that hung over them.
"Please have a seat gentlemen" said Ito.
"Why thank-you", replied the more overweight one, both of them taking a seat at the table and introducing themselves.
"Now, what was it that you wanted to discuss?"
"Yes… We just noticed that a new organisation seemed to have recently appeared, and had begun reaching out across many different facets society, and even in many different countries. In doing so, beginning to accumulate a great deal of influence. Naturally, we wanted to know how this organisation came about, and how they managed to acquire the great wealth which they have demonstrated to possess. However, upon inquiry, we were left with many questions still unanswered. So, Ito-dono, we wanted to hear from you exactly what kind of an operation you were running here, so deep inside the Great Forest of Tob."
Just as Ito was about to answer, the distant roar of a jet-engine could be heard passing by overhead. As he waited for it to pass by, he could see the smiles on those men's' faces begin to deepen.
Maintaining his composure, Ito delivered his response. "Gentlemen, we are but a trading organisation, importing goods from abroad."
The Eight Fingers representatives frowned at this.
"How disappointing" one of them said, taking a moment to glance at the two soldiers flanking Ito. The soldiers had been dressed in the common clothes of the special region, but had concealed pistols.
"Say, I'd like to have a look around inside your headquarters if you don't mind. A show of good faith if you will. Our organisation has a great deal of influence, and offers certain… benefits, to those on our good side."
"I'm sorry, but I can't allow that."
"Is that so… Well, that will be all then. However, if you are ever looking to… 'diversify', your business, then I would suggest getting into contact with us. Otherwise, you may start to encounter some 'difficulties' in your operations."
After the two men left, Ito internally let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully the representatives had been less persistent than expected, so he should be fine to continue on unhindered for now at least. With the ongoing business in the Dwarf kingdom he really didn't have time to spare worrying about Eight Fingers potentially sabotaging their efforts.
As he hated to think it though, that criminal syndicate wasn't without its merits. There were rumours that they had access to powerful magic items, and their influence in the Re-Estize kingdom could prove fruitful in future operations there.
However, he couldn't allow himself to ally with them, and not just on a matter of principle. Such organisations tended to operate outside the rules of society, and thus weren't regulated, meaning they could be unreliable. In addition, as much as he feared it, and as much as the other higher-ups tried to deny it, he felt it was inevitable that the truth about the special region would eventually leak out into the outside world. And when that happened, Ito wanted to make sure that the government, and himself, wouldn't be looked upon as harshly.