Chapter 17: The Inquisitor (3)
The mere mention of ‘Inquisitor’ sent a shiver down Isaac’s spine, making him tense up. It was definitely not a good vibe.
‘Inquisitors? What’s their deal coming here for?’
“Why the sudden visit from the Inquisitors?” Gebel asked, his face getting serious. The tension was thick in the air.
Inquisitors were like the order’s internal watchdogs. It was no surprise they weren’t exactly welcomed since they were all about sniffing out troublemakers within the order, not outside it.
Evhar glanced at Isaac, hesitant to spill the beans, hinting it was sensitive stuff. Isaac caught on and casually stepped back, but as soon as he turned the corner, he slyly shot out a tentacle from his left hand.
[Rat in the Wall / Tune in through the tentacle.]
Isaac had this trick up his sleeve to catch wind of all the whispers and secrets floating around the monastery. With the kind of secrets he was hiding, it was a must.
“The message doesn’t say why they’re showing up. Just that it’s urgent.”
Evhar showed Gebel the note brought by the carrion crow. The scribbled message was short and to the point:
“Urgent. Something fishy’s going on. Lock down the monastery and keep watch.”
The message was brief, leaving things pretty vague. Gebel kept muttering to himself, trying to wrap his head around it. The bottom line was there was some kind of threat in the monastery, and the Inquisitors were on their way to deal with it.
But what exactly was this ‘threat’?
Evhar eyed Gebel, worry written all over his face.
“What’s the plan, Gebel?”
“If they thought the monastery itself was up to no good, they wouldn’t send a crow. Seems like the danger is already inside or heading our way. Monks should be safe, I guess.”
Isaac’s spine tingled at that.
‘…Is this about me?’
Hey, so far, Isaac hadn’t really broken any rules from the Codex of Light or done anything that could blow his cover with the Nameless Chaos. But simply having those tentacles was like a big red flag to the order, you know?
If, by some crazy chance, they catch wind of Isaac being around, they’d probably send those judgmental Inquisitors to snoop around.
Gebel seemed kinda uneasy but managed to stay cool while giving advice to Evhar.
“I guess avoiding them now might just make things worse. Let’s stick to the plan and welcome those Inquisitors,” he said.
***
‘What now?’
The news of the Inquisitors coming had the whole monastery on edge. The kids dropped what they were doing and all scurried back to their rooms, and the gates were locked up tight, waiting for the Inquisitors’ arrival.
Isaac was lost in thought.
He had thought through this scenario countless times, getting ready for it. If suspicion fell on him or it came down to fleeing, he had stashed away a kit in that cave where he nearly became boar-chow – disguises, supplies for surviving on the lam.
If the order somehow sniffed him out and sent the Inquisitors, he’d have to bolt pronto.
‘I could split now. I can handle food with my tentacles, and thanks to my Flesh Storage skill, I could survive without sleep or grub for days…’
He had absorbed all he could from the monastery.
His body was fully grown, his sword skills honed by Gebel. Miracles were still shaky, but the tentacles kinda made up for it.
If he left now, maybe he could find a snug spot in a knight order out on the frontier.
But the uncertainty of whether he was the Inquisitors’ target was a real headache. What if they weren’t after him, and he booked it? What if they thought, ‘Hold up, is this kid up to something fishy? We need to chat more.’?
‘Man, I really can’t stand inspectors.’
Just their looming presence messes with the head, turning their visit into a pressure cooker.
Isaac finally decided to wait it out until the Inquisitors showed up before making a move.
‘If they point fingers at me and start hunting, then it’s my cue to run.’
He knew the monastery layout and mountain geography like the back of his hand. Slipping away unnoticed was a piece of cake, especially with those handy tentacles.
What came next, though, was the real puzzle.
Feeling uneasy about his shot at Paladin training going belly-up, Isaac stepped outside.
And then he spotted someone coming from the shadowy corridor.
It was Gebel.
Gebel looked regular as ever, but there was something off about him.
“Isaac? What’s up?”
“The vibe in the place is off. Couldn’t just sit around,” Isaac replied.
“Yeah, I’ve noticed. The monks are all huddling in the chapel praying. They’re faithful for sure, but… those Inquisitors aren’t exactly known for playing fair,” Gebel said.
Gebel didn’t seem too thrilled about the Inquisitors. Suddenly, Isaac recalled the whispers about Gebel being a deserter. No one openly questioned it, but maybe he also got tagged for heresy or something.
‘Ah, so that’s why the Head asked Gebel for advice?’
So, the Head was juggling two secrets about Isaac and Gebel, which understandably had him on edge. Still, Isaac appreciated the protection he was getting.
Outside the monastery, the wolves were howling like crazy. Lately, their howls seemed to be getting closer and closer.
“Ugh, those darn beasts are at it again.”
“Maybe they’re hungry?”
“Could be. The mountain ranger mentioned a lack of animals in the area lately…”
Isaac cringed internally.
He’d been hunting near the monastery to feed his tentacles. His tentacles had pretty much cleared out the dangerous local animals, stunting their growth, but it had been vital for him.
‘It shouldn’t have messed up the ecosystem that much, though.’
“Might need to hunt soon and check out the village. Can’t have the path between here and there getting risky.”
“True.”
Gebel seemed antsy, despite his calm demeanor, hinting at thoughts of fleeing from the Inquisitors.
‘What went down in the Avalanche Paladin Order that made him go into hiding like this?’
“Isaac, about our chat today…”
Gebel seemed to be on the same wavelength as Isaac, almost reading his mind, which surprised Isaac before he nodded in response.
“You probably figured it out… I had a hidden agenda in teaching you sword skills. I was sure one day you’d have to take out someone for me. Someone I can’t touch right now…”
Gebel’s eyes blazed as he stared off into space before continuing.
“That person was the downfall of the Avalanche Paladin Order. Everyone else bit it in battle, and I was the only one who escaped alive.”
“…”
“So, I need you to finish my vendetta. Sorry about this.”
Gebel had been training Isaac for his own revenge, which was news to Isaac. Yet, he was cool about it. He had sought out Gebel for swordsmanship first, and their goals just happened to align.
“Killing in exchange for sword lessons? Yeah, I’ll do it. You mentioned I’d cross paths with them eventually, so no need for me to go looking.”
Gebel was surprised by Isaac’s response, then chuckled and shook his head.
“Can’t believe you passed the Monastery Head’s ‘Test of Faith’. You don’t exactly scream devout follower.”
“Ha, look who’s talking.”
They shared a knowing laugh.
After their chuckles quieted down, Isaac and Gebel gazed out the window in silence. The Inquisitors were due before evening, but it was already late into the night. It was unusual, especially with the early winter sunset.
Maybe they’d show up in the morning. Isaac hoped they’d delay their arrival as much as possible.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
That sound caught their attention. Loud banging at the monastery’s main gate.
‘They here already? Sooner than expected.’
Gebel’s expression hardened as he made his way to the gate. But since they had locked it according to the Inquisitors’ orders, it took a bit to open.
The banging continued relentlessly.
“Anyone there?! Open up, please!”
“Hans? Is that you, Hans? What’s happening?”
“Gebel!”
The dude banging on the door turned out to be Hans, all grown up now and working as a blacksmith in the village. When the noise caught the attention of the other monks, they hurried to help Gebel unlock and swing open the door. And there’s Hans, gasping for air, looking all beat up.
“Hans!”
He was a mess, blood and wounds everywhere. Luckily, it seemed more like he took a tumble or scraped himself than anything life-threatening.
“What happened? Did someone jump you?”
“Got ambushed… by some wolves…”
Gebel’s expression went serious. He was already worried about those odd wolf behaviors, and now that a human got attacked, it was alarming. But things started to make sense when Hans blurted out,
“The Inquisitors! They’re in trouble!”
—
Isaac and Gebel were rushing up the mountain path, the only hope for the endangered Inquisitors going head-to-head with wolves.
‘The Inquisitors sought help.’
Isaac replayed Hans’ words in his mind. Working in the blacksmith’s shop, Hans was roped in by the Inquisitors to lead them to the monastery. Though Hans had his doubts about the Inquisitors, being a devout guy raised in the monastery, he couldn’t just say no and went along.
And then, out of nowhere, wolves surrounded and attacked them on the way. It was a first, leaving Hans in shock. But somehow, the Inquisitors managed to create an escape route for him, pushing him to seek aid from the monastery.
Hans had dashed for nearly half a day through the mountains to reach the monastery.
‘He saved Hans and stood his ground…’
Isaac felt a pang of guilt for his prejudgments about the Inquisitors. Yet, it didn’t erase the fact that they might be a legitimate threat.
‘But what if they got mauled by wolves?’
Whether the Inquisitors were after Isaac or another danger, if they got taken out by the wolves, it’d solve a lot of problems.
“Huff… huff…”
Isaac’s breath grew ragged. His cursed blood didn’t do him any favors in the lung department. Despite learning the fancy sword skill ‘Omen’ from Gebel, he hadn’t really had the chance to practice it. But now, he might have to risk using it on the fly.
However, going all out while already winded could end up with him hurting bad.
Which is why Isaac knew he had to hone his own skills. Despite buffing up with muscles, to bust advanced sword moves like Gebel, he’d have to be as nimble running through the mountains at night.
Seeing Isaac fall behind, Gebel shot him a look and picked up the pace. Isaac gazed up at the sky, fretting he might be too late to lend a hand.
Caw!
A crow was swooping low overhead. Isaac recognized it as the same bird that stopped by the monastery. Likely trying to lead them to its owner.
Certain Gebel wouldn’t peek back, Isaac whipped out a tentacle. The crow, cruising low, met a swift end on the slimy appendage.
For a moment, Isaac hesitated. Offing the bird meant potentially losing track of the Inquisitors.
Yet, he steeled himself and unleashed his power.
[Parasite from Beyond / Slips a tiny parasite under the skin of the target touched by the tentacle. The poor target then gets stuck with non-stop aches.]
A wormy tentacle sneakily slid into the crow’s body, taking control of its nerves in a flash.
This was one of the funky powers Isaac got from the Nameless Chaos. Although it was meant to cause pain, Isaac knew it had other uses too.
Isaac then decided to try out the ‘Rat in the Wall’ trick.
[Rat in the Wall / Share senses through the tentacle.]
In a snap, Isaac could see through the crow’s eyes way up in the sky. With this new perspective, he could spot the Inquisitors right away.
