Chapter 25: Search and Annihilation (2)
Thump.
Isaac felt a weird pulsing in his eyes. He saw something flicker in front of him and almost rubbed his eyes without thinking. But he stopped himself, not wanting to make a scene. It was like tiny tentacles were brushing past his vision.
He managed to play it cool. To anyone else, it might’ve seemed like his eyes were just watering. But Isaac knew exactly what was going on.
Tapping into the power of the Nameless Chaos meant bringing some wild force into the world. Tentacles sprouted from under his eyelids, charging up his eyes with power.
A familiar status window popped up.
[Isolde Brant (A+) / Weakened]
[Profession: Inquisitor (B)]
[Abilities: Doctrine of the Moth, Advanced Interrogation, Cauldron Beast]
[“How do I convince the Abbot? We gotta move fast now that things are kicking off…”]
This was all about Isolde Brant.
The Eyes of Chaos let him peek into someone’s state and thoughts. The status window spilled all that info, including Isolde’s musings at the bottom.
“Can I only read surface-level thoughts? I could totally guess that even without any special powers…” Isaac squinted at Isolde, trying to focus despite the squirming tentacles near his eyes. He quickly looked away to avoid giving away any secrets in front of the nosy inquisitor.
Luckily, the Abbot’s office was pretty dark, so no one got a clear look at him. Just before he turned away, Isaac caught a glimpse of a more meaningful thought from Isolde.
[“Should I lie? But I haven’t got any proof or reason yet…”]
“Evidence or reason?” Isaac blurted out. Isolde whipped her head around to face him.
Isaac was stunned. Isolde couldn’t justify her suspicions about the Immortal Order’s activities at the monastery because she didn’t have any solid evidence or reasons.
“No proof? Isn’t it obvious that the dead plague god was after this place?”
Inquisitors have to play by the rules, as their work involves high stakes. Operating without good reasons is a breach of ethics.
“Do you need our aid because you can’t prove the Paladins should intervene?”
Evhar sighed, finally catching on.
“An inquisitor can call on the Paladins but only if there’s solid proof. Asking for help from a monastery indicates a lack of evidence.”
Isolde glared angrily at Isaac, frustration clear despite her gratitude for his intervention.
Isaac understood her struggle.
Indeed, her suspicions about the Immortal Order were spot on.
“I witnessed the Immortal Order’s goons in the monastery cellar myself.”
The undead priest loyal to Zihilrat, an agent of the Immortal Order.
But Isaac couldn’t reveal that without exposing where he stumbled upon him – now swallowed up by the throbbing heart of the Nameless Chaos. In other words, he couldn’t provide the evidence Isolde needed.
“I have intel and traces of the Immortal Order’s operations.”
Isolde pleaded desperately.
“Why they’re messing around in the heart of the White Empire, I’m not sure, but it’s evident…”
“I believe you.”
“Even if you doubt me, it’s crystal clear… What?”
“I trust you. The attack on the monastery was definitely the Immortal Order’s doing, trying to revive an ancient deity.”
Evhar and Gebel turned to Isaac, Evhar amazed.
“Why do you think so, Isaac?”
“Because they can.”
“What do you mean?”
“Those eternal troublemakers seem bent on troubling the Codex of Light. And we’re the same. Even if frontier soldiers don’t always plan well, they still create chaos for the Black Empire, right?”
Isaac glanced at Gebel.
As a former Paladin, Gebel knew. Troops in conflict zones often provoke the Black Empire without direct orders. Gebel stayed silent, hinting his agreement.
“To resurrect an ancient deity?”
“If you truly meant what you said, you wouldn’t actually believe an ancient god could return. Feeble as they are, they’d probably just disturb a monastery. And if they did return one, it wouldn’t last long.”
Evhar shook his head in disbelief. The idea that resurrecting an ancient god and the clash of faiths were just minor players’ antics was hard to buy, and Isaac wasn’t entirely convinced either.
So after reading Isolde’s inner thoughts, Isaac was like, “Why bother pushing her for info she doesn’t even have, right?”
“What really matters is that they’re definitely up to no good, and we totally fell for it.”
Isaac smoothly directed the chat towards future plans. The key thing was the Immortal Order’s role, not the proof or logic stuff.
Isolde, meeting Isaac’s eyes, looked pretty surprised.
“Well then, we gotta strike back.”
They figured they’d learn more about them once they found more of their crew.
Once the meeting wrapped up, Isaac, Gebel, and Isolde quickly packed up and left the monastery. They had to walk ’cause there was only one donkey there. But thankfully, Eberhar hooked them up with plenty of food.
Isaac was kinda shocked that the abbot and Gebel were helping him despite his weak arguments.
It might’ve been ’cause they liked Isaac, but Evhar was skeptical of the inquisitor’s real intentions. Still, he was won over by Isaac’s reasoning. Must’ve been that Nephilim charm at work.
“I must be a real charmer.”
“Thanks, Mr. Isaac.”
While walking ahead, Isolde caught up to Isaac and struck up a convo.
“So, we actually started suspecting the Immortal Order’s movement here about six months back. But uncovering solid proof has been tough. The discovery that they crept into this monastery is recent, not to mention this bombshell testimony…”
“No sweat. It’s our monastery’s problem, so we gotta pitch in.”
It wasn’t just about Isolde. Isaac was keen to leave the monastery while gaining some brownie points. Since Isolde seemed to like him, she could be a valuable contact if things turned out well.
“Befriending an inspector is always handy, no matter the time.”
Isolde seemed thankful and flashed a smile. Isaac pondered that for an inquisitor, she seemed pretty pure and untouched, or maybe she was a cold-blooded psycho who wouldn’t flinch at even wiping out a whole town.
If she was a top-notch inquisitor, the latter seemed more likely.
“If things go smoothly, I’ll recommend you to the order, Mr. Isaac. You’re training to be a paladin, right? I know a paladin who…”
“Inquisitor.”
Gebel cut in from the back in a serious tone.
“Excuse me, do we even know where we’re headed? If it’s far, maybe we should snag horses from the village. We seem to be moving away from it.”
Isolde was guiding them to a spot near the monastery where she had spotted signs of the Immortal Order’s mess. Realizing she hadn’t explained their destination, she quickly piped up,
“Oh, we’re going to a valley near the monastery. Locals call it Ariet Valley.”
Isaac and Gebel were familiar with the place since they’d been around longer than Isolde. It was a tough area, perfect for hiding stuff.
Isolde briefed Gebel on what she found and the proof she’d gathered there. Gebel seemed unbothered, but he seemed glad that Isolde was focusing on Isaac.
“Lucky break.”
Out of the blue, Isaac felt his right eye tingle, the ‘Eye of Chaos’ kicking in.
The creepy feeling of tentacles moving in his eye had vanished, but when he checked before leaving, his eye was bloodshot for a while and had a faint purple hue. A deeper look even changed the eye color.
“This power is no joke to mess around with.”
It was a cool ability, but using it carelessly still carried risks. A quick peek into surface-level thoughts might go unnoticed, but digging into someone’s mind deeply would leave obvious traces.
Imagine if someone caught sight of those squirming tentacles in his eyes!
“I’d have to deal with them for sure.”
He was lucky to catch onto these side effects early on.
***
“Hey, look where we are.”
Isolde entered the valley with a tense expression. The rugged terrain, scattered with sharp rocks and traces of a dry creek, painted a picture of a harsh winter season.
Isaac had only glimpsed this place while passing by, so stepping foot into it was a new experience. Normally, the jagged ground would be tough to navigate, but the dry creekbed made it flat.
“You found signs of the Immortal Order around here?”
“Exactly. People claiming to see them, traces of undead, and then we stumbled upon eerie clues pointing to the plague-infested monastery…”
As Isolde spoke, she kicked a big stone at the valley entrance.
Isaac pondered the significance of the stone, but Isolde seemed dead serious.
“What’s this?”
Gebel was the first to ask, causing Isolde’s eyes to widen in surprise.
“What, can’t you see? It’s clearly a remnant of idol worship. Looks like the head of a broken statue.”
Taking another look at the stone, Isaac could see it too. Despite the erosion, the unnaturally smooth cuts resembling eyes, a nose, and a mouth were noticeable. It almost looked like a rat upon closer inspection.
“There are more of these clues further into the valley, as if they fell off the mountains above.”
“Hmm…”
Isaac thought that if it was just one or two, it could be a misunderstanding on Isolde’s part, but the number hinted at something more.
It was worth investigating further.
For now, it seemed more like an archaeological mystery than evidence of heresy. But with plague-filled creatures on the loose and the monastery under attack, it was clear that aggression was at play.
“I’m certain that digging into this valley will reveal the culprits. I’ve heard rumors of an old entrance to a pagan temple from within the valley.”
Isolde seemed confident in her deduction. Gebel remained skeptical but eager to wrap up the investigation, maybe to shake off Isolde quickly. On the other hand, Isaac was troubled after hearing her explanation.
“If this path leads to the sanctuary, what then?”
The sanctuary where Zihilrat was hiding lay deep beneath the monastery, possibly linked to the valley. Isolde’s unexpected competence could lead to its discovery. Realizing this, Isaac decided to act on his plan sooner than later.
“I was planning to plant evidence once they were tired, but looks like I can’t wait anymore.”
Hidden in Isaac’s bag were pieces of evidence that would appease Isolde.
But he couldn’t just scatter them randomly. If the evidence turned up in places Isolde had already searched, it would raise suspicions. So, Isaac needed to create a believable situation to deceive her first.
“Let’s move.”
Isaac’s will traveled somewhere.
And soon, something deep within the valley started to wriggle slowly.
