Reborn as the First Boss, Chapter 41 (Patreon)

I'll admit, this one was a lot of fun to write.

Chapter 41 – Inquisitor

Inquisitor Forthwind the Hammer frowned as his retinue approached the outskirts of Windwater Towne, seat of Windwater Barony in the Kingdom of Dascora. That they had to travel as mere travelers, instead of in full procession galled him. They were the right and proper servants of the gods! All peoples should flock to their banner, and join them, instead of insisting on their sinful independence.

He had eleven hardy souls under his command. Each one an experienced fighter, but also well-versed in the art of uncovering heresy. And yet, it was too few to search through a city of thousands. That he could not call upon the local churches for additional support, even though they were supposedly loyal servants of the gods was simply unacceptable.

He knew, from inquisitorial reports, that small chapels to the eight true gods were present in the town. However, there were also shrines to the lesser gods of the elves! No doubt, if there had been enough of a dwarven population, or one of beastfolk, then they would have added shrines to their gods as well. Heretical, all of it!

And yet, there was nothing he could do about it, except gnash his teeth and remember his mission. They were not here to sort out the minor heresies of these ignorant souls who refused the righteousness of Eclanan rule. No, they were here to seek out and subdue a heretic of the highest order, so that they might bring them back to the Holy City, and make them pay for their crimes against the gods.

Unfortunately, it looked as though Windwater would be no less hostile to their holy mission than the Ravenharbor Barony had been. He had already noticed the flock of familiars flying above his retinue. They weren’t even attempting to hide, gallingly enough. Worse, he had to order his retinue not to shoot them down, since that would give the heretics an excuse to take them into custody, and prevent them from conducting their holy mission. He hated it, but he had no choice.

Now that they were in sight of the town, however, it became clear that the Baroness was not going to even allow them the fiction of being travelers to conduct their search in peace. A patrol of guards in full armor ‘just happened’ to be coming the same way as they neared the city, and followed behind them as they traveled. A clear and unmistakable threat, if ever there was one.

Oh, it wasn’t as though he was worried about the guards themselves. The majority of his retinue were all Level 30, after all, as was he, and the senior of those guards was only Level 25. If it came to a fight, his force would win, easily. Easily, but not bloodlessly, and then they would have to carve a bloody path all the way to the border of Dascora. Eventually, attrition would catch up to them, and they would fall. Worse, they would have to abandon their mission!

No, the guards themselves were not a threat. They were a provocation. The Baroness, or someone in her employ, was attempting to provoke a response, so that they had reason to chase the Inquisition from the land. But was this just the sign of a petty lordling trying to throw their weight around, or a portent of something deeper?

He looked to his apprentice, Robin Truespeaker. The young man was the lowest leveled person in their group, being only Level 20, but his talent as a Diviner, who could cast spells that told truth from lies, was invaluable all the same. Plus, as the only mage in the group, he relied on Robin’s insight into the arcane when dealing with sorcerous tricks and traps.

“What do your portents say, Robin?”

“We are being watched, this much you know, Master. But something strikes me as odd. I cannot put my finger on it, but I believe there is more to this barony than we have been told.”

Forthwind nodded slowly. Their information on the barony was sparse, as it was so far into Dascora, making it difficult for the Inquisition to find ready agents to report on things. Instead of trained Inquisitors, they had to rely on merchants, willing to sell information they came across for extra coin. Unfortunately, the Inquisition’s main source of intelligence in the barony, a merchant by the name of Girard, had stopped reporting, just two months ago. The only information the Inquisition had been able to discover is that bandits had been at work in the barony, until recently.

Was it just a coincidence that the Inquisition’s agent fell to bandits shortly before a grave heresy happened? Possibly. But he could not rule out that the two events were connected.

Girard had traveled between Port Raven and Windwater Towne, plying his trade as a merchant and passing along information he found. Perhaps his contacts in Windwater would know more, but he could not openly visit them, or they would be exposed. It was one disadvantage of working openly in a hostile land. Another ‘merchant’ would have to come and resume control of the network.

However, they had heard from sources in Port Raven that the young Baroness Pureheart had led the search for the bandits, and personally helped put them to the sword. That was not the only story coming out of the barony, however. A Hero had been born, and then slain, just before the great heresy. They said that there were signs of demonic influence in the case, specifically that of a succubus.

If there was a demon at work in the barony, then they would be the most likely source of the heresy. If not the direct perpetrator, then the one who passed on the knowledge of the heretical rite. After all, the only known person who knew what the rite entailed was Darksoul the Betrayer, and while a Demon King could not idly leave their lands, it was all too possible for them to send agents abroad, armed with the foul knowledge of the rite. They would have to do a search for ritual magic sites within the barony. Or, more likely, search for places that were shielded against Robin’s divinations, as the ritual site had been warded to keep the eyes of the gods from seeing too much about the rite, and its perpetrator.

“When we find lodgings for the night, I want you to do a scrying ritual, Robin. Pay extra attention to any places where your spell cannot reach. If what we seek is here, then it will be shielded in some way.”

“As you say, Master. But what of the guards? I doubt they’ll just let us search any places I may find, especially if they are too close to anywhere, or anyone, important.”

Forthwind nodded. “Good, you are thinking more and more like an Inquisitor. When this job is done, you might even be ready for the trials. But as you know, we have those in the retinue that are skilled in stealth, as well as combat. Inquisitors may work in the open, as the cleansing flame to root out heresy, but sometimes we need knives in the dark, to open the way, or confirm our suspicions. You would do well to ensure that some of your own retinue, when you get one, includes such people, provided you can be sure of their loyalty.”

“I understand, Master, and I thank you for your confidence in me. I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t, my apprentice. But be wary. If a succubus is truly behind this, then they will have snares out. Remember your training on purity of thought and flesh. A succubus will try and tempt you, appearing in the form you find most appealing. Only those who follow Videa, and are full masters of their sensuality, may resist a succubus in that manner. For all others, only a pure heart and strong will can overcome their lures.”

“Which is why most of those in the retinue, including you and I, have taken the vows of purity and abstinence, to avoid letting distractions cloud their minds,” Robin nodded.

“Exactly. Our purity and faith will shield us from the succubus’s wiles. At any rate, we will first make contact with the local churches. There are chapels to all eight of the True Gods in Windwater Towne. They will know the lay of the land best.”

“Will they help us, Master? The churches in Port Raven were less than forthcoming, as I recall.”

Forthwind shook his head. “Not openly. As galling as it is, they have sworn pacts with the rulers of this land, keeping them from having anything like our own Inquisition to root out heresy. Still, I believe that the servants of Zevlo and Eztar, at least, will give us what information they can, even if they must be subtle about it. Theirs are the gods which noted the heresy, after all.”

He paused, considering their first moves, once they entered the city. “We will start by acquiring lodgings for an extended stay. An inn will do for a short time, but it would be better to find someplace where we could speak openly, and move more freely. An empty farmhouse, for instance. Such a place would also allow any who wished to whisper in our ears to do so, without being seen.”

“And what of the Baroness?”

“We will speak with her, if we can, but after the churches, and after we’ve gotten a lay of the land. According to the previous reports, the Baroness had done little but manage her lands in a way that pleased much of the populace, working to undo the damage the former baron had done with his deviant behavior. Then, all of a sudden, she is part of the group that subdues the bandits, and then supposedly leads her forces from the front in routing the goblins and slaying the Goblin Hero? Very suspicious. Very suspicious, indeed.”

“You think that she is the one behind the heresy, Master?”

He chuckled at the shock in the young diviner’s voice. “These lands are not like the Holy City, Robin. Piety is not a prerequisite to hold office, here. Which means that those in power are more likely to be corrupted by it. I suspect that we will find that, if the Baroness is not directly involved, then she will, at the least, have some connection to the ones behind the heresy. Someone that she is actively shielding, or who is just hiding within her shadow. Even in this land of heathens, a heresy as vile as what has happened would not be condoned.”

“Meaning that the perpetrator would need someone to hide their actions from the churches, and the crown, yes?”

“We cannot jump to conclusions, but that is the most likely scenario. There is also the possibility of a demon-worshiping cult, using a warded worship space that they created in secret. The least likely is a lone cultist who labored in secret to create a shielded altar in some cave, but we cannot rule something like that out just yet. We must pursue all avenues of attack, instead of allowing our estimations to blind us.”

Forthwind made a sign to his retinue to silence their conversations as they approached the gate of the town. The gate guards turned a baleful eye upon them, and said, “Ah, new adventurers.” Forthwind scowled, knowing they looked nothing like adventurers, especially with them all wearing the livery of the Inquisition. It was an insult, telling them plainly that the guards intended to treat them as common adventurers (novices, at that!), rather than giving them the respect they were due.

“Well, we know how to deal with your lot, if you start causing trouble,” the guard continued. “Personally, I hope you do start causing trouble. I have family that used to live in Galaetish, and I learned all sorts of things to do to adventurers, or religious fanatics, who stepped out of line. In fact, you’ll find that a lot of the guard have ideas on what to do in that case. And old Roland at the Adventurers Guild was originally from Smsera, or so I hear. I’m sure he would have ways to Enlighten you on keeping out of trouble.”

Forthwind kept from flinching at the blatant message. The Blessed Enlightenment of the heretical kingdoms had not been as quick or easy as it should have been. The heretics resisted, and had fought to deny the Theocracy. Unless this guard was massively overstepping his bounds, then there was an established contingent of people, here, who would be hostile to their goals, just because of what they represented. And if the town guards were like this, then there might even be those amongst the churches who felt the same way.

Their holy mission had just gained a whole new level of difficulty.