Chapter 42: Strange allies (1/2)
Silence descended upon the battlefield as the combatants caught their breath. The Inquisitors were spent and covered in sweat. The temple guard had fared a little better. Viv picked up a tiny vial of high quality mending potion and gave it to Marruk who gulped it down gratefully. The Kark woman then busied herself shoving her large fingers up her itchy ears.
“Whoo. That went pretty well,” Orkan said, wiping blood from his blades.
The comment was extremely poorly received.
Denerim looked up from the kneeling position he had taken and pointed his chin at the corpse of the half-devoured woman. As the crisis had passed, her child ran back to shake her lifeless body with heart-wrenching sobs of pure grief.
“What? You know I’m right,” the Hallurian insisted.
“Some tact, please.”
“Fine, fine. Anyway, good stuff.”
“Not good stuff,” Lorn interrupted. The Temple Guard captain stood with all his height as the rest of his company formed up around him, all steely mail and white cloth. He fixed them with a furious scowl. It now occured to Viv that the inquisitors had ‘borrowed’ his troop’s uniform and probably without asking.
Varska half-stumbled through her door, the wound in her shoulder bound with a reddening cloth.
“Is she dead?” she asked.
“Yes,” Denerim assured.
“Explanations. Now!” Lorn demanded.
A group was gathering around them. Viv also noticed Corel running in with a contingent of guards in tow.
“I’m going to check on Varska,” Viv told Marruk who nodded while inspecting a bloody finger. She approached the pale-faced mage. Varska had a vacant look.
“Are you… alright?”
Varska’s response was immediate. She lifted a delicate finger, then bent forward and emptied the full content of her stomach. Mostly tea.
“Please excuse me while I regurgitate every meal I took in the last two years.”
Viv did the only thing she could and held the woman’s hair back as she dry-heaved.
“I’m definitely sure that she didn’t feed you anything off though.”
A murderous glance.
“And, pray tell, do you think that the acolyte of Gomogog used a different set of knives to part my dishes.”
“Pretty fucking sure, yeah,” Viv replied immediately. The acolyte was depraved, not stupid. Why take the risk of using a cursed tool to cook for someone who might have mana perception in the third tier?
Varska frowned, but she did not object and was already looking less, well, nauseous.
“Huh. Anyway, now my reputation is thoroughly ruined. People will see me and realize I shared my quarters with a monster for years. Years! I am such a fool.”
“Good thing that you were actively involved in its demise then. How long did she live here anyway?”
“That’s the cause of my anguish! She served my predecessor, a retired warmage, until his death. I never thought to check how long she had been here before or I would have perhaps suspected something.”
“The warmage, he…”
“Choked on a fishbone. Tars double-checked.”
“Wow, that’s…”
“A shitty death for a retired fighter. Yes. Thank you. Any other valuable feedback you would like to share?”
Viv knew when someone had reached bitch mood and it was better to leave them alone. She raised her hands in surrender and stepped back.
“Wait! Wait,” Varska said. She took a deep breath and winced.
“Your wound…”
“She managed to suck some of my mana but otherwise it’s fine, don’t worry. I just… I am taking it out on you. You came to... “
Varska assessed her.
“You thought I was the creature.”
“No, but I was afraid you might be. Terrified, even.”
Viv did not know how her honesty was received. Varska appeared lost in thought and she heard fragments of conversation behind. Lorn had focused his ire on Denerim, but the inquisitor had taken out a badge and now it was the temple guard captain’s turn to answer some pointed questions under Orkan’s smug look. On the other side, Corel was conducting an increasingly frustrating interview with Marruk.
“Did you know that there was an acolyte?”
A long pause.
“Not until yesterday at night.”
“When did you meet the inquisitors?”
A long pause.
“Yesterday at night.”
“Were they the one who informed you of that fact?”
A long pause.
“Yes.”
“Are you going to make me wait even for the most basic questions?”
A long pause.
“Yes.”
“Maranor’s sword, the two of you will be the death of me.”
Viv could only see the Kark’s broad, armored shoulder from there but she knew the stout woman was grinning.
“I’m sorry,” Varska said from behind. The mage stood up and brushed her blood-stained dress with one hand. She had a strange, chastised look that didn’t befit her.
“I messed up again, didn’t I?”
“I’m just saying that figuring out your roommate is a cannibalistic monster gives you space for some allowance. No worries.”
“No, don’t you see? I… I did not find out! It’s all… again…”
“Wow wow wow, she was not a hermit and lived in front of a temple of Neriad, right? Lots of people had lots of opportunities to find out and didn’t. Maybe the acolyte was just good at being what she was. Your predecessor did not succeed either.”
“Yes,” Orkan said as he approached the pair, “this was the fastest hunt we’ve ever done. You ladies impress me. We could not have succeeded without you.”
He grinned, the expression slightly threatening with the glowing tattoos disappearing in his raven-black hair. Varska sniffed. Orkan persisted.
“Normally, it takes weeks and then the acolyte always manages to eat a few people on the way. That’s what Denerim said, at least. This is only my second time hunting one with him.”
Varska was not very receptive. She stood up and disappeared back into her tower, sparing one last glance to Viv.
“Come see me tomorrow.”
Then she slammed the door closed.
Orkan sighed heavily.
“Don’t take it too personally. She’s had some difficult moments recently,” Viv tried. It felt like being the only mature adult in a trio.
“You know, back in Halluria, women would queue to spend the night with me. I could not enter a new fortress without finding someone in my bed. But here everyone looks at me with disgust.”
He looked dejected. Viv wondered what she had done in a past life to deserve the details on the love life of a servant of the church.
“Don’t inquisitors swear vows of chastity or something?” Viv asked.
Orkan was shocked. Nay, scandalized.
“Absolutely not!”
“Well you could always visit the Spotted Feather before you leave. I’m sure that they would accomodate you.”
“Me? Paying for sex?”
“Well duh.”
The warborn’s eyes turned contemplative.
“I’m sure I can convince Denerim to splurge for a night. Maybe some action will distract him from that Simishe woman he bones every time we go back to base. And we did save a lot of money by finding the acolyte so fast. Stroke of luck, that was, hmmm.”
Lucky indeed.
Corel interrogated Viv in turn not long after that. His questions were similar to what he asked Marruk and Viv gave the same answer, but without the delay. She could not be arsed. Denerim flew to the rescue as they were two minutes in.
“Black Witch Bob acted as my deputy during this hunt. Surely you have better things to do than to pester the heroine of the hour?”