Chapter 4.

Act 4.1

Under the olive tree, Lomu gazes at the cabin while Vera plays with Lomu’s signet ring.

Vera- You like the cabin?

Lomu- Its wretched and small, but it does provide a much needed seclusion.

Vera- well yes and very yes, do you know the story behind it?

Lomu- It has a story?

Vera- After the great war, your ancestors exiled and persecuted pushed their galley to this place, it is said back then water reached all the way up here.

Lomu- yes, I know, what does it have to do with this house?

Vera- Well the first king of this land had found nothing here, gods gave him fire like the one in this brazier while all king had was this boat, so he took that boat and fashioned it into this house and used other pieces of timber to mark his lands. Wherever he placed those beams fire erupted to safeguard his people. Originally, this brazier used to link all the other eternal flames, like the one in the cathedral. You’d light this one and all others would fire up. Now if you do it correctly cathedral pyre can be ignited during the festivals.

Lomu- So that’s how Dim does his annual magical pyre thing.

Vera- Yes I’m the magic.

Lomu- And this is it, the house?

Vera- Yes, it is a sacred place. Very few are taught about it.

Lomu- Amazing. I thought it rotted away centuries ago.

Vera- Well it did, the original parts at least, but we the caretakers replace the rotting parts as the time goes by.

Lomu- So it's not it?

Vera- it is and it isn’t. Many things are and aren’t what they seem to be.

Lomu- Like you?

Distorted voice- I said grab, not bludgeon, pummel and drag!

Distorted voice- Force of habit...My prince he is coming back.

Distorted voice- Lomu! Hey Lomu! Are you ok brother?

Lomu- Again with the sewers!

Lomu opens his eyes.

Reza- How’d you know?

Lomu- Because this aroma is not new nor something I relish reliving. Where are we?

Reza- In one of the catacombs the black-market merchants use.

Lomu- Under your home?

Reza- I had mine sealed, not bricked up.

Lomu- And your men?

Reza- I made a choice, had we left the hatch open those lunatics would flood in and massacre us all, this way they will take some time interrogating them before they can figure out where we are or where we are going. Are you ok to travel?

Lomu- Yes, where are we going?

Reza- to my ship and away.

Lomu- The dock will be heavily guarded.

Reza- Yes, by my men! and unlike the residence the dock is a fortress. Gods that’s why they announced themselves there, they knew they would never take me at port, but the residence is nothing but cage with some kindling to smoke us out. Come, we must make haste!

As they rush through the narrow tunnel, they hear men running up above, chaos raging all around as the inquisition forces started rushing the tunnels. The narrow tunnels crisscross where from time to time one group of smugglers stumble onto this royal procession. Meanwhile all around screams and sounds of battle echo, tunnel opens to a large collector where they are met by one of the stocky inquisitors with a group of soldiers who are busy taking out the denizens.

Inquisitor- Twins favor, I was right to come this way. Men take the princes, kill the vermin!

Hooded guards jump to the catwalks and engage the archers while the remaining group fight Reza and Lomu. One by one the crimson assailants fall until only the inquisitor remains, Lomu brings him to his knees with a flurry and Reza slashes his throat by crisscrossing his blades. They continue ahead, with more riff raff heading their way, desperately trying to escape the unexpected inquisition. As they turn into one of the tunnels, they are met by a volley of arrows that impedes their progress and cuts down all those running bandits, procession is forced to take another route where they are met by another group headed by two inquisitors this time. After much effort one is killed by getting hooked to a nearby bridge counterweight and the other drowned in the sewer water. Lomu and Reza resume their march with no further interruptions for another 15 minutes until finally they are greeted by light at the end of the tunnel.

However, at the end of the tunnel they are met by a gruesome scene.

Stevedores pushing cages of shackled women and children down from docked ship, Lomu trails back as Reza and his guards rush to board the ship without acknowledging the scene. Reza takes note of his friends slowing pace and turns to him and in half whisper yells.

Reza- What are you doing? We must hurry!

Lomu- What is this?

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Reza- we don’t have time, Fucking Move!

Lomu- You fucking asshole! Look at them. You Knew this was happening! You know these people were here!

Reza- You moron! there is no time THIS is not my fucking problem! The crazed zealots are! We Are stealing that ship! Now follow me.

Lomu watches as Reza and his men board the ship by clambering up the ropes, meanwhile he sees one of the dock workers slapping a shackled slave woman for resisting, woman promptly collapses to the ground.

Before anything else can be said or done an arrow whistles past Lomu’s head and hits the dock worker who was dragging an unconscious slave. Meanwhile Reza has reached the ships helm only to be hit by an arrow fired from the same direction. The arrow grazes Reza’s cheek, who collapses on the deck clutching his face. Reza’s guards bellow to set sail.

Lomu turns around to see the familiar visage of the female inquisitor. Standing above the tunnel entrance. She fires another arrow with such rage that her strength snaps the bow string, but misses her intended target who is writhing on the deck.

As this commotion on the dock has brought confusion to the diligent workers of this dock, departing ship reintroduces clarity to all. Lomu is surrounded by slavers whose ship was just unceremoniously stolen. They also quickly find the inquisitor and rush towards her who by now has already descended on the dock with a frenzied fury.

With each step she makes a slaver falls, but she is quickly surrounded and if not for her helmet they would have smashed her head in. Before the mob can deal any further damage, Lomu joins the fray and cuts down another slaver who had planned to attack the inquisitor from behind. In response inquisitor Sarah defends Lomu's back.

Once all the pugnacious stevedores had been pacified Sarah faces Lomu and removes her deformed helm. Revealing milk pale skin, bruised thin lips, grey blue eyes and sandy hair braided to the shape of the helm.

Sarah- My prince.

Lomu- Long have you haunted me inquisitor.

Sarah- Sarah.

Lomu- You had me at your mercy before you fired your first arrow.

Sarah- As I said I was ordered to bring you in.

Lomu- And massacre everyone around me while you do so?

Sarah- I do not question my orders.

Lomu- But you did! back at the residence, you yourself said all of this made no sense.

Sarah- I...

Lomu- And now, you clearly chose the slavers over me. help me, help me make sense of what is happening. End this madness here and now!

Sarah- how?

Lomu- By helping me get back to my brother. Do you know what happened to the cart that was taken from the Barburg?

Sarah- We were ordered to secure it, it was in the inquisition camp, but went missing by the time they brought the monk to our camp, that’s why Lord Ybagin ordered to attack.

Lomu- The monk?

Sarah- Lord Ybagin has captured father Cardus yes; he will be shipped off once you and your friends are detained.

Lomu- Where is your camp?

Sarah- I cannot aid you in attacking my own camp.

Lomu- Just tell your men I boarded that ship and to go after Reza. He will have boarded his royal frigate by then and your lord will not risk an open assault on Quaz forces. You will be sparing everyone from bloodshed.

Act 4.2

Sarah enters the inquisitors main base at Laz, a dilapidated citadel in the center of the city.

She marches to the main chamber where troops are rushing back and forth with only Lord high inquisitor and a small group of people standing near the fireplace.

Ybagin- I was not made aware you had any authority in this.

Woman- nonetheless, bishop has demanded we dispatch it immediately upon arrival.

They hear Sarah approach.

Sarah-My Lord!

Ybagin- Ah ...with your helmet off too. How new age, this night is full of surprises. But I am remiss inquisitor Sarah you are in the presence of burgomaster Onslo and high cleric Edna.

Oslo is a man few could not notice, twice as wide as any man she had ever seen and Edna was as imperious as any noble woman Sarah had ever seen, but it was expected of kings elder sister.

Sarah- My lord, holy mother.

The two return the cordial reverence.

Ybagin- What do you have to report?

Sarah- We believe our prey eluded us and boarded a smugglers ship and is trying to reach the Quaz expeditionary force.

Edna- And how sure are we that those responsible for the arson and theft are on that ship?

Sarah- I can vouch myself on former my Lord.

Onslo- Then there is no time to lose, my lord you have my permission to commandeer as many ships as you need to intercept them.

High inquisitor gave an over-exaggerated sign of gratitude, while Edna and Sarah looked at each-other as Onslo had just given a man authority to do something he already had.

Meanwhile just outside the Inquisitions camp Lomu had gathered the “rats” and no sooner had they reached the partially collapsed garrison wall that they witnessed a commotion erupt in the camp followed by nearly all the inquisitors galloping out followed by most of the foot soldiers.

Lomu- Go, go, go you know what to do.

The kids rush to the entrance and start pelting the guards with rocks from hidden vantages.

As most of the sentry's rush to aid in capturing pranksters, Lomu and a couple of liberated slaves from the dock, snuck into the compound.

Lomu begins searching for the old monk, going from room to room as quietly as possible. As he follows dark corridors from one hall to another, he avoids small groups of busy men. Finally, he reaches the dungeon where dozens of slavers, thieves and murderers are being held, even an emaciated bronze face is kept within. Some terrified into submission, some tortured, others driven insane and given free range to the dungeon halls. As he goes deeper Lomu sees a couple of Quaz mansion guards being chained to the walls. Lomu is confronted by a torturer and his aides. They manage to slaughter the freed slaves but are taken down by Lomu in the end, by having the torturer ensnared in his own hooks and hoisted over an open brazier.

One of the aids says that the monk is held in the high inquisitors' chambers which is connected to the torture chamber by a private spiral stair. Lomu marches back taking the Quaz captives with him.

They emerge from a wall in lord high inquisitor's chamber, where the hapless old monk sits, staring outside through a small, barred window.

Cardus- good grief! You startled me.

Lomu- Are you alright?

Cardus- how on earth did you...

Cardus- Did he torture you?

Cardus- what..no.. He is preoccupied by you and your friends' pilfering antics.

Lomu- We must hasten back; men, please assist the monk.

Suddenly a commotion is heard from the concealed stairway.

Lomu- Bar the entrance, It seems we will need to find another way out.

Lomu goes to the window and whistles, which is answered by hidden “rats” emerging and running toward the building. Lomu and his group exit the chamber into a corridor, where they are met with startled guards who are easily dispatched, following that they venture into a large room where the Burgomaster Onslo and cleric Edna are standing next to Sarah, a group of guards posted to secure the room as well as the handful city guards who are there escorting the burgomaster Onslo. Lomu and Cardus stare at Edna who looks at them in disbelief.

Lomu- Auntie?

Cardus- You!

Edna- Seize them!

As the inquisition forces led by reluctant Sarah and Lomu’s party begin to clash it becomes evident that Lomu has no hope of escaping. As Sarah and Lomu cross blades Lomu allows Sarah to restrain him, others seeing it surrender and are also taken alive.

Sarah- Sorry for the commotion Burgomaster. (To her men) I will escort them down to the dungeons, you search other rooms for more interlopers.

Onslo- Hold on a minute. Father Cardus is that you? What the hell are you doing with Shacklers men?

Cardus- Kind of you to remember my face, old friend. Although, I would hardly call your crown prince someone's man.

Onslo- Cro..Prince? what are you talking about (stares intently) By the gods! Your royal highness!

Onslo to his men- Men assist Prince Lomu at once!

City guard rush to Lomu’s side and “pry” him away from Sarah.

Lomu- That was getting uncomfortable. You have my grati..tude....

Is all he can say before everyone is witness to Cleric Edna slitting Onslo’s throat.

Sarah- Holy mothe...

Before anyone can react inside the room, the water tower on top of the compound burst flooding the entire building and dousing all the lights.