Act 4.3
Minutes later torches are lit, everyone sees that the monk, Lomu and Sarah are missing, city guards draw their blades.
City guard- None of you move.
Moments later Sarah comes back into the room with a bruise on her face.
Edna- Good men of the city guard! Do not be deceived, this was all part of Shacklers schemes. His men have openly assaulted us and used the corpulent bureaucrat's authority to gain access while bulk of our forces are away.
Sarah (whispers to herself) That's a lie.
City Guard- But the crown prince...
Edna- What prince?! do you know crown prince?
City Guard- well...No.
Edna- Do you know what he looks like?
City Guard- ….No.
Edna- Did the crown prince not land on these shores a few days ago and was escorted back to the capital? Or would I, his aunt not have recognized my nephew of twenty-four years?
City Guard- Well ….
Edna- This was a ploy, and your meddling has aided in their escape. Your stupidity has benefitted our enemies. Our actions, no matter how aberrant may seem, are true.
City Guard- you have our apologies Cleric.
Edna- Now go all of you! Go redeem yourselves, put these villain Quaz soldiers back in cells and capture those fugitives.
As everyone leaves Sarah turns only to be met with Edna’s hand on her shoulder.
Edna- Walk with me sister, I wish to burden you with something.
Sarah- What would that be?
Edna- Sins.
Meanwhile Lomu and monk run out of the building where they are met by the “rats”.
Rat- Down here quickly!
They are rushed into the sewers where a ferry is waiting for them.
little girl- the clothes are there, I also packed some fruits for you and a bread.
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Lomu hugs the little minx and bids them farewell, after which he and Cardus change into dry clothing as the ferry travels under the city.
Cardus- I thought that girl would bludgeon me with that mace. To think an inquisitor that thinks for herself, I would not have believed it had I not seen it.
Lomu- she helped us escape, now we must help our realm.
Late at night Sarah and her small retinue returned to the Quaz legation mansion, the fire had not been doused and everything above the mortar remains smoldering like a big bonfire. She enters the adjoining soup kitchens; she had heard of this place many times hordes of refugees went through here when they arrived in Laz. Reza’s charity was well known and celebrated far and wide. People running from war and devastation would arrive to Laz on ships or dinghies, some would even wash ashore and not long after would be met with loaves of salted breads and jars of sweetened milk or water. She was but a child when her family had arrived, she must have passed through these halls she was sure of that, but those were hard to remember for it was then that her entire family had been taken. Following the kitchens out towards the rear courtyard she finds herself at the fountain, as instructed touching the underside of the fountain she felt a lever which she immediately pulled. Water drained and as Cleric Edna told her the hidden hatch opened. They walked down and followed a pathway of scratches and pulled fingernails, walls smeared with blood and bile stretched for some time, Sarah was certain she knew these halls and this gut-wrenching odor, she even knew which way to take when they reached the fork in the road, the way from which a strong gust of wind came. They followed the tunnel until they realized that it was a shortcut to hell. A large open cavern that could probably fit the mansion above easily. Dozens of people in cages, children in chains. Old man pushing carts and young slaves building crates for shipping. Pits dug for the corpses and the emaciated. All under the watchful eye of the Quaz hooded guards and same slavers she and Lomu fought on the docks. Some people she recognized as refugees of war, others as families of deserters or soldiers who fled the fields of battle. Families that have numerous times appealed to the Church for help. All those people that at one point or another fell on dark times; all those people that looked for Quaz Princes generosity.
Filled with hate and disgust Sarah draws her bow and begins her rampage. Arrow after arrow finds its mark, the enslaved shrink to the ground from fear while their masters start rushing towards Sarah. Once the slavers reach here vantage, she draws her mace and blade and begins pounding them into the ground, each blocked swing of the sword is reinforced with her mace and the other way around. Slavers, guards, thugs and soldiers all fall under her hand. This carnage fills her heart with more and more rage until she kills the overseer hooded guards and runs out of slavers to pound. Her men try to restrain her to no avail, she commands them to free those people while she rushes outside, heaving and crying from the horrors she just witnessed and enraged that she aided the man that was complicit in it, Quaz prince could not have done it without someone looking the other way, like his best friend prince Lomu.
Lomu and Cardus emerge at the docks where a few ships can be seen sailing away and others are being boarded by inquisition forces. Clothed in the inquisition outfits they board the nearest ship being prepared to set sail.
Cardus- This is insane.
Lomu- This is the best way; they will meet up with Reza to demand they hand me over and we will just disrobe and demand sanctuary.
Cardus- You haven’t seen what that lunatic can do, broach his pride and he might massacre us all.
Lomu- Dim would have given him his orders, he knows he cannot openly declare against Quaz, we would lose our only ally and the war.
Cardus- The lord high inquisitor will take it into consideration, but he will not be dictated by politics.
As they are ready to depart Sarah gallops on to the docks on her horse. She dismounts and practically leaps onto the sailing ship. Steam coming off her as she is still drenched in blood, she joins her fellow inquisitors. Hooded, Lomu and Cardus share an uneasy glance as they are unsure about the purpose of her arrival.
Cardus- Ill clouds are gathering.