When they stepped into the adventurers guild it was far more deserted than was usual. A receptionist rushed up to them immediately, a welcoming if shallow smile plastered on her face. Her eyes, though, held a look of worry and weariness.
"Are you here to find a party, grab a quest or register?"
Gardenia was once more the one to respond, "We are all registered adventurers. We were told to come here after one of our companions was hauled off at sword-point by a bunch of paladins."
The woman sighed, "I am very sorry for that. There's supposed to be a paladin keeping watch over the teleportation array but there have been miscommunications as to when each temple is supposed to be on duty. I will need each of you to place your hand on a status check orb so I can make sure who your adventurer credentials say you are matches with what your status says of you. After that I'll give you a mark that you can keep in your inventory to prevent that from happening again."
Another of the receptionists spoke up when the group neared the counter where they all were, his stormy grey eyes judgmental as he looked Ash over critically, "Considering what's been going on of late, it's not really the time for such…gaudy cosmetic spells," he grumbled.
Ash's pink eyes moved to him for a second and she responded a little sharply, "It's not cosmetic and I don't know what's been going on here."
All of the receptionists looked confused at that, with the first to speak to them saying quietly, "Have none of you been to any of the temples today?"
Most people got their news for the day from the temple that they worshiped at and it was common practice to worship first thing in the morning. Those of the temple of Sidus as well as the temple of Umbra, though, worshiped as night fell and got their news for the day then.
Fel's grumble answered simply enough as she placed her hand on the status check orb first all while looking it over critically, "All six of us worship Sidus. This isn't a normal check orb like the one they have at the gates."
The orb was a lot more powerful than the one used at the gates of the city, one of them explained, able to see through most magics that could conceal someone's status. They were assured that things such as people keeping their true race hidden would be honored so long as it clearly wasn't done out of malice. Ash watched quietly as everyone else touched the orb and got their mark before cautiously approaching. Being told something would be kept hidden didn't necessarily mean that it would actually stay so.
As soon as the person holding the orb read her status, she nearly dropped it in surprise. A half moment later, she spoke a few words that summoned a contract made of Virtus' power and swore secrecy on what she'd seen. The others swore the same, considering they had also read the results on the orb and Ash was left relieved.
With the new mark safely in her inventory, she turned and headed for the door, "Seems like we should stop by the temple of Sidus," she said, feeling a slight call coming from the temple anyway. Virtus had indicated that Sidus was furious at the treatment she'd received and she wanted to make sure he could see her safe soon.
While she trusted that the people in the guild would know what was going on, she'd noted that the man's hostility towards her hadn't actually lessened until he read what she was. She had no desire to deal with someone that judgemental.
At the temple, they asked after the latest news first, though Ash glanced anxiously about. The temple had lit up at her entrance, though, which was a sign that Sidus wasn't already there just waiting for her to show up. People had taken note of their entry and she'd felt the slight brush of magic coming from several of the higher ranked people in the temple appraising her. It was disconcerting and entirely different from what she'd faced in Redwood Stars.
The paladin that drew them aside seemed weary, as if she'd been running about nonstop for quite some time, "Considering who you are," she'd already greeted everyone, "You know about the forced dungeon morphs going on. Compounding that, though, are reports of a mysterious vampiric person with strange hair and jewelry that seems to be just lurking about and frightening people. They haven't hurt anyone, no reports of injury or anything, but everyone's on edge and has assumed them responsible for the morphs with no evidence. With the festival coming up, the temples decided to take no chances. Everyone registers with the guild, people are supposed to be watching the teleportation arrays and gates at all hours, any suspicious people are taken in by one of the groups of paladins and taken to the temple of Virtus for questioning under contract magic."
Ash scowled ever so slightly and asked a question that was obvious to her, though she doubted it would be so obvious to all of them, "What if the person you're looking for is able to change their appearance?"
The paladin shook her head, "Such magic is easily seen through in most cases. Creatures with powerful enough magic to transform in any meaningful way are also generally aligned with one of the gods and, therefore, not a threat to public safety," she scowled suddenly, "Stars light, I hope we aren't chasing after a member of one of the rarer bound races in some sort of monster hunt."
Once their conversation was done, Ash made her way alone into the area that contained the pond. Everyone else seemed to determine that seeing Sidus after he'd been angered was not something they wanted.
Stepping out in the serene of the pond, she almost expected him to appear to greet her. Instead, Umbra waited patiently on the island, which explained the lack of a reaction within the temple. Sidus hadn't been there.
The goddess moved to check her over before nodding slightly, "Daughter of my husband," she said gently, "You gave us quite the scare earlier."
"I did not intend to block the spell the cast on me," she said, looking down at her hands with a frown, "It just…happened."
"That is a good thing," the goddess responded, "Because at its least harmful, that spell could have disrupted your magic enough to force you back into your true form. At its most harmful to you, though, and with your mana circulation damaged as it is right now, it could have furthered that damage and undone all of the progress you have made. My husband has woven some special protections around you and is currently channeling his anger at the attack on you towards finding something a little more physical to provide you safety against such an attack in the future," she smiled and turned her attention away slightly, "Be well. Enjoy your day. I hope that if he comes to you later and finds you happy and safe, he will calm himself somewhat."