Gargoyle Supremacy

Chapter 26 - My First Church Service Can't Be This Eventful

December 15, 2019

It was Sunday. As promised, Han brought Carn to a local community church early in the morning for the Sunday service. After parking the car, they walked toward the massive building ahead.

It wasn't just any church. It was a cathedral. 

Over a hundred people had already gathered, entering the building one after another. A dozen food stalls and game stalls for children surrounded the front of the cathedral's fountain plaza as if there was a festival. 

Since it was their first time there, Han and Carn looked out of place as they approached the entrance. Without talking to anyone, they entered the building and took seats at the back. 

Carn glanced at his father, who followed him into the building.

"Dad, I'll be fine on my own. Why are you here, too?" 

"To make friends." 

"Make friends?" 

"Yeah, job-related. I need networking connections in case any future investigations call for it. Just ignore me," Han shrugged.

Carn looked at his father with newfound respect. "I see you're really working hard." 

"Getting a six-figure government job is tough, but keeping it is even tougher. My field is extremely competitive. If I slack off or get rusty, someone else will replace me. You'll understand once you start working." 

"Why not work for a private company? The Internet said private explorer companies pay more. Some guys from LinkOn bragged about seven or eight figures per month." 

"Pfft. Those companies? They're a bunch of dropout wannabes pretending to be big shots. Half of them wouldn't last a day if they faced the Stone Judge. I'd rather be called a 'government dog' than work for those crooks."

Han paused to lecture Carn, "Listen. Those goddamn companies have a high turnover rate and a 70% casualty rate per expedition. What does that mean? For every 10 explorers who enter a rift, only three come back! You don't want to join those ragtag groups of idiots! Those guys on the Internet are a bunch of scammers. Never believe in them."

A family sitting in the front row looked back at Han with disapproval when they heard him swear. 

Realizing this, Han raised his hands in apology. The family smiled and nodded in response.

"I've never seen you around. Are you new here?" asked the man seated with two children in the front row. He had a neatly trimmed beard and wore a suit. 

Han smiled and extended his hand. "Yes, this is my first time here. I'm Han. Nice to meet you." 

"Thomas. Welcome to the community."

They shook hands and exchanged a few words in low voices while waiting for the service to begin. However, they somehow got along and began chatting throughout the service.

…

An hour later, the service concluded. Han blended in perfectly, as if he had attended church services all his life, while Carn remained out of place throughout the activities. 

Carn's attention, however, was focused elsewhere. He observed a few clergy members on the stage.

Two elderly preachers and pastors carried a presence of holy power within them. A church secretary stood out as well, though in a unique way as her holiness shone above the rest. An ethereal golden halo hovered above her head, invisible to everyone else. 

This halo marked her as having achieved all the qualifications to become a saint or saintess, and Carn was surprised to see one in this world.

While the church was full of good people, evil also lurked within. There was another figure in the front row who didn't belong in this holy ground.

A dark crimson haze seeped from the body of a middle-aged man, cloaking the stage and obstructing Carn's view during the service. Faces of young women surrounded him, and their ghostly faces wailed in silence.

A skinwalker in a church? 

Carn cast a mind's eye spell, altering his perception to thermal vision and life-signature scanning to examine the suspect. The result surprised Carn. 

The reading revealed a normal body temperature and skeletal structure, identical to that of an ordinary human.

'He's a human for sure. But why are the faces there? Shit. Did he eat them?!'

The suspect was a human, not a skinwalker. However, the faces were the proof of his deeds after the murders. 

He was a cannibal! A serial murderer cannibal!

This trip to the church yielded an unexpected result. Carn licked his lips, contemplating how he would collect the precious Aether undetected. 

'What's it gonna be? Should I go for the high-risk high-return approach? Not using my power at all? Or should I go for the most efficient method? Just twist that guy's neck with the good old simple telekinesis, and be done with it? But that will cost me two silver marks at this distance. It's also too conspicuous. Children and old people are everywhere. My father is also here. The ECD will mobilize, and someone will link the crime to me because I have a record of breaking people's necks… Nah, the efficient method is not efficient at all. I can't kill in public.'

Carn clicked his tongue, frustrated by the constraints of modern laws and customs. He chose not to act for the time being. 

Instead of sitting idly and waiting for his father to wrap up his conversation, he followed Han's lead. 

Attempting to blend in, Carn walked up to the church secretary, who seemed on the verge of awakening as a saintess in this world.

The secretary, Anna, was a light-haired woman in her 50s and had a petite build. Her glasses added to her gentle appearance, making her look like the kind grandmother that everyone loved.

Carn introduced himself to Anna, "Hello, ma'am. I'm Carn, and I'm kinda new to this. I came here with my father, but I'm still clueless about everything. Can I ask you for help?"

Anna brightly smiled. She was delighted, "Oh, my. I'm Anna. How nice of you to stop by. You're most welcome here. What can I do for you?"

"Yes, I would like to learn more about… God… and what you did here earlier."

"You've come to the right place, child. Well, actually, I'm really sorry. If this was another time, I would guide you around myself, but I have an urgent errand after this. Come with me. I'll introduce you to someone."

Anna politely gestured for Carn to follow her. She walked toward the man in the front seat, who had been emitting a crimson haze with young women's faces. 

"Father Barney, this young man here is interested in learning about the Lord. Would you mind giving him some guidance, as you always do?" 

Barney, one of many priests who was serving the local church, was a good-looking middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard and a charismatic crew-cut hairstyle. He greeted Carn with a warm smile.

"Welcome, young man. Is this your first time at a church?"

Carn returned the gesture and extended his hand for a handshake, "Yes, I'm Carn. Nice to meet you."

They shook hands. "Call me Barney, and feel free to speak casually. We're always glad to see new faces here."

Anna then excused herself, "I'm so sorry, dear. I need to run and help set up in the desert section. We're short on staff, and many of our regular volunteers haven't been able to come to services lately."

Barney nodded, "I'll take care of him here. Go ahead and tend to the others."

Anna gave a small bow and rushed outside, where another gathering was being prepared for regular visitors.

Being left alone, Barney returned his attention to Carn. 

"Well, how about we start with a little history of the faith? That way, you'll understand what we're praying for and why we do what we do."

Carn returned the gesture, pretending to be friendly, "Yes, please. I'm dying to know more."

Barney chuckled, then led Carn toward a side door that opened into a hallway connecting to the building next to the cathedral. 

Carn followed the man and turned to his father at the back, who also looked back at him. They exchanged gestures with hand sign language. 

Han had secretly taught Carn American Sign Language (ASL) when he was young, so they could communicate without alerting Wong. ASL also proved useful when they interacted with deaf individuals. Coincidentally, Carn often used it as a gargoyle statue, finding it a handy way to communicate when he couldn't utter a word.

Han gestured to Carn, "I'll be chatting with the others outside. Wait for me at the parking lot when you're done."

Carn showed the okay sign and gestured, "It might take an hour."

"No problem."

"Okay!"

With that, the father and son minded their own businesses. Han continued chatting with strangers and exchanged contact numbers while Carn followed Barney to another building.