"Inquisitor High Lord? Darksaber? Who's that?" Sylvester questions the elder. "I believe the Inquisitor High Lord of the church had given up his position."
Elder Norsmin sighed, his long elephant trunk swaying slightly, "We know that, respected Zohron. But he left his position because of the corruption in the Holy Land, for the death of the Lord's Bard, and the future of the faith. But the Bard lives and thrives—the Inquisitor High Lord of the old has also returned. The one here is someone else… someone sinister, with intentions unknown."
'So they know I'm back and place their loyalty in me?' Sylvester subtly found out more details. But it was time to bring them to the center stage.
"Recent word from Sol revealed that the Bard has killed the new Pope. Whose order is this new Inquisitor High Lord following?" Sylvester asked, while also subtly encouraging them to seek out Sylvester in Sol and join the struggle. It was a lengthy game plan for which he placed the foundation stone.
Elder Norsmin was shocked to find out that the new Pope was already dead. He glanced at his fellow elders and answered Sylvester with some uncertainty. "We do not know, respected Zohron. We tried to stay away from the battle, for Darksaber was strong enough to raze this city to the ground. We only know that he marched with his men toward the Northeast, the kingdom of giants."
'And in the middle sits the Divider Swamp.' Sylvester didn't like the sound of it already.
"Thank you for the information, elder. May I see the remaining Inquisitors? Perhaps we can use a few of our elixirs to heal them and get answers." Sylvester asked softly, staying true to his character as an elf.
The Rabbitkin elder stepped forward. "Of course, please follow me—I am Elder Yeegsis, by the way."
Sylvester nodded and followed the elderly man. Despite his age, Yeegsis was relatively fast on his feet. It was likely due to his species' traits, which was precisely why he worried about the Demon.
The elder led Sylvester through the stone-paved road to another large brick building. This one was surrounded by sigils of Solis everywhere. Then as they entered, he noticed the entire building was just a combination of multiple big halls with very high ceilings. There were big mattresses on the floor itself, on which all sorts of patients from various species rested. The healers were also from different species.
"This way." The elder led them toward the farthest edge of the sick bay and, at last, arrived in an area littered with smaller mattresses of equal size. On them rested nearly a hundred bodies, most covered from head to toe with bandages, while others were unconscious. Some had lost their limbs. Some had lost half of their faces. Despite all that, nobody made a sound.
"This is all that is left of the Inquisitors." Elder Yeegsis said. "The only two people who survived the ordeal were Inquisitor General Louis and Griffin. They regularly go to the port to check any message from the Holy Land or Lord's Bard. They should be returning shortly."
'Griffin and Louis?' Sylvester instantly felt his mind returning to the days of the School of Dawn. The two boys acted like Prince Romel's lackeys but then changed sides after seeing the reality.
Sylvester sighed and turned around, "Thank you for bringing me here, elder. If you don't mind, may I administer some healing elixirs to them?"
"As long as it can heal them, I see no problem with that."
Sylvester looked at Avanss and handed him a few bottles of peak-grade healing potions, as well as solarium crystals. "Avanss, please heal them while I go out for a bit."
Avanss didn't react negatively, understanding Sylvester's scheming little mind was up to something. "No worries, Zohron. You can go."
Elder Yeegsis wanted to follow Sylvester, but being ordered to keep an eye on the inquisitors meant that he couldn't leave. Unfortunately, he couldn't speak with his fellow elders remotely either. "Where are you going, respected Zohron?"
"To the Elder's building." Sylvester lied. "I have something to discuss regarding a threat. Please help Avanss if you can, elder."
With that, Sylvester silently walked out of the building and headed toward the port. He intended to find Griffin and Louis. It had been so many years since he had last met them, so he was sure that they wouldn't be able to recognize him that easily.
"Maxy, I found them." Miraj, Sylvester's eagle eye, quickly surveyed the area from the sky and came down to report. "They're to the left, wearing broken armor and red capes. They don't look very well."
Sylvester wasted no time and hurried through the crowds of Beastkin. He was constantly under everyone's gazes, as elves were rare around these parts. However, he tried his best to seem inconspicuous.
'There they are.'
Sylvester eventually found the two men standing near the docks, observing a ship as it departed. They had removed their helmets, revealing their faces. To Sylvester's dismay, both had a short beard. However, their faces bore numerous injuries. Louis had an eyepatch on his right eye, while Griffin's nose was missing—their eyes had a grave, battle-hardened look, typical of men who had witnessed all that life had to offer.
'These two boys… despite being nobility, they continued to serve as inquisitors. Why didn't they just leave after Lord Inquisitor left?' Sylvester wondered and silently walked behind them.
He sensed their emotions. The scent of hope, anxiety, fear, and worship was evident. It seemed that they hadn't given up on their duties yet, despite facing such a massive setback.
Bam!—Sylvester sneaked between them from behind and firmly grabbed both their shoulders, then pulled them lower by their necks since both were shorter than him. "Haha… Been a while, boys. Last time we met, you two were still lusting after Mother Jenny."
At first, Griffin and Louis thought it was an enemy trying to attack them. But when they tried to fight back and break free, they found that their bodies couldn't push against the grip on their shoulders.
And when the first words were spoken, their eyes twinkled like stars, and they turned their faces to look. Right there, they saw the same young and handsome face, the long blonde hair, golden eyes, and that old aura they remembered.
"Hah!" Griffin suddenly scoffed. "Still can't grow a beard—Argh… Fuuu…"
Sylvester squeezed both their necks tighter. "I never knew you two don't enjoy breathing."
"S-Sorry… Sorry…" Louis shouted with a groan and quickly got free. "You've grown too strong… once again."
"He's a monster," Griffin added, coughing and rubbing his neck.
Sylvester nodded and handed them a small piece of paper. "Can't talk here. Come to this warehouse, I'll be waiting. Act like you don't know me."
Sylvester turned around and left after apologizing to them. He soon disappeared into the crowd of Beastkin passing by.
Left behind, Griffin looked at the paper in his hand. "Louis… Did we just see a ghost? Why don't I remember him moving his mouth while speaking to us?"
Louis frowned. "I never saw you move your mouth either."
"What the…"
…
Sylvester had asked Miraj to look for an empty warehouse nearby where they could talk peacefully away from prying eyes. The furry boy did his job well, informed Sylvester about it, and then flew back into the warehouse to lock it so no one new could enter.
It was a shelter made of wood and a thatched roof. But it was certainly spacious, and likely used to store grains or something similar. It was mostly empty except for some hay here and there. It was the perfect bed for a little nap.
"Hmm… hm la la la." Miraj hummed to himself while fluffing his bed. After all, he knew the talks were going to last a long while. "Maybe I should write a song too… I'm Maxy's dad… I should be better than him."
Clack!
Soon enough, Sylvester entered the warehouse and ignored Miraj sitting in a corner, entertaining himself. He waited for Louis and Griffin to arrive as well, and within a few minutes, they entered.
Wasting no time, Sylvester began placing elder runes around to ensure nobody outside could hear them talking. It took almost half an hour to do, but it was necessary.
Afterward, he created a few chairs using Earth's elemental magic. "So… How are you two doing?"
Louis and Griffin continued to stare at Sylvester's face in complete awe. They didn't speak, and their jaws remained agape until drool started to fall.
"You died?" Griffin asked.
"Almost."
"You defeated Masan?" Louis questioned.
"That, then united Eastern Sol, and just killed the false Pope Niel before coming here."
"..."
The two Inquisitors abruptly stood up and knelt with a thud, letting their knees make a small dent in the ground. Afterward, they saluted Sylvester with crossed arms.
"Grand Wizard?" Griffin said in a questioning tone.
Sylvester nodded. "Grand Wizard and Platinum Knight."
Bam!
The two lads slammed their foreheads to the ground, facing Sylvester. Then, in a united voice, prayed to Sylvester. "May the Holy Light enlighten us all—Your Holiness, may your blessings enter every wall."
"..."
Sylvester shook his head. "That was a disappointing attempt at rhyming. But I accept your prayers, Louis and Griffin. Raise your heads and speak to me clearly—what happened here? What happened to you two?"
"Betrayal." Griffin barked. "Cardinal Darksaber was the new Inquisitor High Lord, but we never knew he obeyed the false Pope. Before we knew it, he had established himself well in our ranks. For the past five years, we tried to sway the Inquisitors back to the rightful camp—but we failed, resulting in what transpired a week ago."
'These two lived a rough life for sure.' Sylvester felt, understanding that while he was battling for his life and future, others were also trying to conquer their demons.
"Any idea who this Darksaber is? And what is his plan?"
Louis nodded vigorously. "We don't know who he is; perhaps he's Cardinal Bison, who oversaw covert operations in Beastaria. But we do know the reason he left."
"It was because we learned about his secret plan to weaken Beastaria." Griffin started, giving more explanation. "He wants to lure the unknown Demon in Divider Swamp out so that it would attack the dragons. At the same time, orchestrate the deaths of a few captive elves held inside the Greenpeaks belonging to the dragons. Knowing how proud the elves are, they'll have to declare war on dragons due to internal pressure.
"Once that happens, the plan is to call on all of Sol's military and naval forces to subdue the Beastaria continent—striking when the powerhouses of Beastaria are the weakest."
Sylvester sighed. "But Pope Niel is dead, so why follow such a plan."
"We have no idea, Your Holiness," Louis said. "We've never heard him talk or seen him sleep. Darksaber is a beast in his own way, his frightening presence no less than our Lord Inquisitor."
Sylvester sighed and rubbed his chin in wonder. "How much do you know about this Demon?"
"Only that it's a Demon who can command the Bloodlings," Griffin answered.
Sylvester shook his head and got up. "That and much more. If this Darksaber isn't stopped, he will doom our entire world. That Demon can absorb one's magic and grow stronger—you know what that means."
"Fuck!" Griffin naturally cursed. "If he is able to lure it to the dragons, then…"
"Chaos." Sylvester finished his words. "I'll see what I can do. For now, I'm an elf called Zohron, so treat me as if you don't know me."
"What's the plan? We can help."
In reality, Sylvester had no idea how he would deal with that Demon. But he had a plan for the Demon's lackeys, at least.
"Of course, I'll need your help building something. It's about time I give an upgrade to my Light Beam cannons with some secret ancient magic…"
Griffin and Louis knew that smirking, scheming smile on Sylvester's face.
"W-Will it work?" Griffin asked.
Sylvester's eyes gleamed with bright light since he was also excited to use elder runes in his creations.
"Oh, it will… burn."
Thank you for reading. GT votes are much appreciated.
