Chapter 24: Search and Annihilation (1)
Soon after Isaac cleaned up the sanctuary, the plague started to fade away.
Isolde, who had been in pretty bad shape in the monastery, was now sleeping peacefully in the isolation ward. Her wounds were healing well, and she was showing fewer signs of illness.
“Just one day and look at the progress!” Evhar exclaimed, amazed. “It must be all those monk prayers reaching the heavens.”
The monks noticed the plague disappearing from the monastery too as the sick ones gathered in the chapel for prayers. They quickly informed the Abbot, and Abbot Evhar went to check on Isolde, where the plague had first struck.
Isaac, feeling the benefits of his actions, gave all the credit to the Codex of Light without hesitation. It seemed like a divine miracle for such a speedy recovery. But he didn’t want to boast about the power and credit he held.
“No, you deserve all the credit, Isaac,” Evhar said, acknowledging Isaac’s efforts.
Isaac felt a bit awkward with all the praise. He had only helped because he couldn’t bear to see his friends suffer, yet here he was being praised like a hero.
As the slightly awkward moment lingered, they heard a welcome sound – Isolde was regaining consciousness after days of delirium.
“Hey, you awake?” Isaac asked as Isolde’s eyes focused on him, tears welling up.
Thinking she was in pain, Isaac was taken aback by her unexpected words.
“You came for me,” Isolde said tearfully.
“Yeah, Gebel and I brought you back here,” Isaac replied.
“Gebel? I’ve never heard that name, but there must be some unsung heroes among us. It’s pretty amazing to have an archangel fetch me,” Isolde said with tear-filled eyes, turning to Evhar.
“Archangel Gebel, my heart is all in. Taking the big nap following your lead is a total blessing, and hitting up that eternal kingdom full of light is way beyond my small self…”
After a sec of silence, Isaac was like, “Hold up, let me set the record straight.”
***
A bit later, with a face as red as her eyes, Isolde plopped down on the bed and said, “Wait, you’re not actually an angel?”
“Nah, not even close.”
Isaac couldn’t see her face ’cause she had it buried in her hands and knees, making her ears flush and sparking worries about her blood pressure skyrocketing.
“Sorry, it’s just that… your face threw me off. Like, big time.”
“I get it. Crazy situation, you must’ve been freaked out.”
Isaac quickly cut her off, not wanting her to go down that road. When Isolde first saw him, she passed out muttering ‘an angel?’ Being a Nephilim, Isaac was used to the confusion.
But since revealing his true identity could lead to problems, Isaac had to steer clear of that whole angel talk. Thankfully, Isolde bought his explanation.
“Got it. I was so out of it, thinking I was dead, and suddenly, you swoop in…”
It was easier for her to believe she mistook him for an angel ’cause she was saved from Death, not ’cause of his looks.
Isolde nodded rapidly, then showed her face, less red than before.
“Oh, by the way, was the blacksmith’s apprentice with me OK?”
“Yup, Hans let us know you were in trouble.”
“Phew, that’s a relief…”
Finally remembering why she was at the monastery, Isolde scrambled to find her stuff. Isaac handed her a bundle.
“Had to burn your clothes to stop the plague, but your books, docs, and tools were fine. Sorry ’bout the clothes.”
Most of Isolde’s gear, fit for an inquisitor, was protected from other beliefs or curses. Also, the Sword of Judgement Isaac had used on the sly. But not all her clothes could be saved, unfortunately.
Yet, Isolde didn’t seem bothered about being naked in a dude-heavy monastery. Relieved to have all her stuff, she sighed.
“No losses, thanks for keeping ‘em safe.”
Then she looked at Isaac, like she was asking something.
“You read these letters and docs?”
Isaac and Evhar glanced at each other uneasily.
Reading an inquisitor’s private notes was a major no-no. Plus, with the monastery already on edge ’bout a couple sus peeps, reading those docs would stir the pot even more.
But Isaac kept his cool.
“Yeah, I read ‘em. Didn’t really get ‘em, though.”
“Isaac!” Evhar interjected, shocked. But Isolde shook her head.
“It’s cool. Given the circumstances, it was bound to happen. Actually, if you had read ’em, we might’ve sorted this mess out faster. And that’s why I came – ’cause of this plague.”
“The plague?” Evhar was surprised. They knew this wasn’t your average illness but some sorta curse or plot. Still, they hadn’t expected an inquisitor to show up for that.
“Yep, looks like the Immortal Order is making their way into this monastery,” she said under her breath, her eyes fierce.
***
Isolde switched into a fresh set of clothes from her bag, made to withstand the plague, and headed back to the Abbot’s office. She was now sporting a comfy uniform with a deep red hood.
This time, Gebel was there too. He seemed uneasy facing Isolde, who was now fully conscious, but had to show up since she insisted on a meeting.
“Hey, heard you saved my skin. Thanks a bunch,” Isolde said.
“It wasn’t me; all credit goes to that rookie over there who can’t even grow a beard yet,” Gebel said with a dismissive wave of his hand, lounging against the wall, clearly not keen on taking any praise. Isolde respected his desire for less chatter. But her intention for calling Gebel wasn’t just to express gratitude.
“How many folks here can handle a sword?” she asked.
“A sword?” Evhar hesitated at the unexpected query.
“I can’t give you an exact number, but I’ve got some military experience from my time with the Dawn Army. Plus, we’ve got a few monks who’ve been on some serious journeys. But even if we all ganged up on Isaac and Gebel here, we wouldn’t stand a chance,” he admitted.
Isolde glanced at Isaac, trying to read his reaction. Isaac hoped Evhar hadn’t spilled too much, but the cat was out of the bag. The truth was, Gebel didn’t even need to step in; Isaac alone felt confident enough to handle the monks.
“Why a sword and not a miracle?” Evhar questioned.
The monastery was known for miracles, not swords. But Isolde was pushing for swords.
“This plague is a setup by the Immortal Order,” she stated.
“The Immortal Order… Are they really in on this?” Evhar questioned the possibility.
Although the Immortal Order’s base, the Black Empire, was quite a distance away, it didn’t rule out their involvement.
“Just a while back, a renegade named Calzen caused havoc in a village just half a day’s ride from here. It was a brutal incident with no survivors,” Evhar explained, avoiding Isaac’s gaze.
“The possibility of Calzen being linked to this is slim, but their influence reaching us is possible. It’s about creating chaos with a small group,” Isolde clarified.
Isaac felt he understood Isolde’s logic.
The Immortal Order was planning a biological terrorism act in the monastery’s underground.
“They’re planning to revive an ancient deity here in the underground of this monastery!” Isolde announced seriously.
Isaac almost choked, but managed to keep his composure.
Despite her serious tone, the reaction wasn’t what she expected. Evhar seemed skeptical, while Gebel rubbed his temples as if nursing a headache.
“And?” asked the Abbot.
“Excuse me?” Isolde responded.
“Inquisitor, wild stories might scare the locals, but I’m the Abbot around here. Ancient gods can’t just resurrect, and most tales are overblown,” the Abbot countered.
“Even if ancient horrors and curses come back with the old gods…” Isolde started.
“Even if they do return, gods without believers have no power over the world. They’re just relics. Like the nameless chaos that almost destroyed everything—a thing of the past,” Evhar muttered, stroking his beard.
“I totally get what you’re saying. Way back when, there was this whole crazy deal with a plague of faith in this area. Like, centuries ago, we totally smashed up their temple and used the bricks to build this monastery. If what you’re saying is legit, this plague is like, connected to that old plague god.”
“Exactly. The Immortal Order is all about reviving these super ancient faiths all over the empire.”
Back in the day, the Nameless Chaos had like, nine major faiths, but it wasn’t always like that. Ages ago, there were like, hundreds of faiths. People would worship anything cool like beasts, monsters, or weird stuff as gods. But as the Age of Light rolled in, all these old faiths disappeared or merged, leaving just nine. And even those were slowly fading away.
Isaac was like, the only one left repping the ‘Nameless Chaos’ faith.
“So, what does the Immortal Order even get out of this?”
“Well, if there’s drama in the Codex of Light, the Immortal Order’s crew could grow in numbers…”
“The Immortal Order isn’t even sweating about losing followers. They just keep on multiplying, even if they’re on chill mode.”
Isolde looked kinda upset and stayed quiet.
“And hey, the nine gods wouldn’t be down with bringing back ancient gods. Even the Immortal Emperor helped wipe out those old faiths that were all about burning kids and causing massacres. If we agree with the heretics on anything, it’s that ancient faiths should stay buried.”
The big diff between the ancient faiths and the nine was this:
The old school faiths were all savage, while the nine faiths were all about being smart and civilized. Half of the nine faiths came from humans, proving that point. Isaac figured no one would wanna go back to those dark days.
“Wait, why is ‘Nameless Chaos’, one of the nine faiths, so sketchy now? Was it different before everything went south?”
Isaac thought about it but knew it wasn’t something you’d just chat about.
Isolde nervously bit her lip. Isaac could tell she was ready for this debate. These doctrinal battles could go on forever.
“She’s definitely hiding something.”
Isaac slowly backed away. Luckily, Isolde and Evhar were deep in their back-and-forth and didn’t notice him slipping away.
Evhar spoke up.
“Inquisitor, if you need our help, just say the word. Why is the Immortal Order hanging around here? Is there some secret you can’t share with us, your fellow believers?”
At that moment, Isaac triggered his cool new skill, ‘Eyes of Chaos’.
