CHAPTER XLII
in which the corpse man comes ...
Seen in a Dream
Glad decides to use the vial that Glory gave him. He ingests it and is able to view the city as though in astral projection, flying to and fro and seeing a concentration of lights which he notes and writes down in a map later. The Foxes figure that the lights denote the location of various Nulls, putting it together because of the concentration of lights at the restaurant where half the group fought the Heretic's Nulls. He notes that there are Nulls also located at the Temple of the First which are likely bodyguards, and there's a Null each at two different orphanages, one of which is located near the Temple of the First. The Foxes doe some more investigation and come across a nurse they interrogate for information. From her testimony, they brainstorm ways in which the Heretic can create a Null outside of reaping the mother since no reaping has been detected. Glad posits that the Heretic induces a similar effect through alternative means. If Nulls are created through an averse reaction to quasith being manipulated in the womb, perhaps he uses revocation or dampening on the fetus by poisoning the mother. The Sage's Tome and Tilly's knowledge confirms that this is theoretically possible, but no one can find evidence of the poisoning happening. Red manages to connect with a woman in the employ of the Heretic close to giving birth. She works in a brothel and he uses the guise of a man with a post-pregnancy fetish to get closer to her.
A Curiously Guarded Orphanage
The gang go to the orphanage near the First and track down the Null baby. They question the caretaker there and don't learn much about the child's circumstances, but are able to learn a lot about how Nulls are treated while posing as academics making a sociology study. Noticing the heavy guard, the gang's questioning puts them into contact with Captain Crunch of the First's guard. From him they learn that the orphanage is guarded because of past kidnappings and that there is a surprising amount of resistance to him and his men guarding it. He puts them in touch with a priest named Sebastian who further corroborates the story of infighting amongst the First. High Priest Methias has apparently relaxed his touch on crime stance since Kovius' fall and turned a blind eye to the Heretic's growing influence and the brazen kidnappings happening across town. He sought to remove the orphanage guard detail by claiming it was a waste of resources, of which the First has plenty, and through the sudden appearance of more pressing missions for the guard detail. He agrees to talk more about the going ons at the Foxes inn.
Plagued by Enemies
As soon as Sebastian arrives at the inn, the Foxes are attacked by one of the Heretic's plague puppets. They revoke it, toss the teleporting cloak, and disable their tail. Then they flee into the woods where they learn what they can from Sebastian and try to come up with a new plan of action. The consensus is to stake out the prostitutes pregnancy and watch for any activity by the Heretic.