Mary was jostled awake with a loud bang. As she blinked her eyes open she saw Sofia looking down at her. She must’ve cradled me here for some time. The pain in her gut was mostly gone already. The good works of a prioress and a cardinal were miraculous.
“Where are we?”
“On the way to Cologne under the care of Cardinal Della Rovere.”
“Cardinal!” Mary shouted and sat up. She winced and lowered herself as she realized her wound hurt a lot more than she realized.
“You need to be still a while longer Mary.”
“How’d the Cardinal find us?”
“That woman left us in his path.”
“Fabienne?”
Sofia nodded grimly, “If that’s even her real name. You’d have to be a fool to reveal so much to us and let us live. And to time our ambush to leave us to distract the Cardinal? It must be a ruse to hide whatever is really going on.”
“Will it work?”
“Della Rovere is a loyal man who prioritizes the church above all things. He saved us but nothing more. We’re going to Cologne next. Della Rovere believes that’s where Ruprecht will strike next.
Mary laid her head back in Sofia’s lap and sighed, “Let’s hope so.”
Sofia smiled, “On the bright side we’re alive and we have the second most powerful man of the Catholic church with us to help. The odds of our confrontation have just evened.”
Mary wondered at that: Frau Lange, Ruprecht the Plague, Ribold, Alfso, and Chakken Vs Cardinal Della Rovere, Prioress Sofia, and myself. Hardly even but better than before.
***
Ribold concentrated carefully and raised his sleeves towards Chakken’s labyrinth of chains. A storm of crows flew out from Ribold’s sleeves with explosive force, a flood of black feathers and insatiable hunger. They grasped Chakken’s chains and carried them away.
A piece of straw fell from Chakken’s incredulous mouth, “Hey where’re they going?!”
Ribold struggled to control the murder, he couldn’t force his will to a single thrall but rather the most effective method felt as if he must cast his will like a net. About 70% of the murder turned in an attempt to obey him but the other 30% continued. Quickly Ribold’s murder of thralls were sqawking and fighting one another. Some attacked one another while others insisted on pulling the chains in different directions causing some to crash to the ground. Ribold’s flying automaton crows would require much more work to do something as complex as manipulate Chakkens endless chains.
Frau Lange stared at the pandemonium while shielding her eyes from the sun, “Great job Ribold, that’s more than most can summon now.”
Ribold’s shoulders slouched in shame, “Yeah but they’re useless if they don’t obey.”
“Even inobedient thralls can serve as a distraction.”
“True.”
“Come on, we need to find Ruprecht but first, Alfso has a special treat for us.”
“Fine,” Ribold said and returned to Frau Lange’s side. They walked the streets of Cologne together. Practicing with crows during the day held little threat as the civilians were already quarantining themselves.
“Frau Lange?” Ribold asked imploringly.
“What is it Ribold?”
“Did you know my mother?” Frau Lange stopped. Ribold turned and saw her face as her mind raced as to what to tell him. Ribold asked again, “Did you know my mother? Her name was Katharsis Merron...”
“Not really Ribold. She was my age but I never really worked with her.” Internally Frau Lange was torn, I can’t tell him we met at the academy, that we were dormmates. That she saved my life and helped me develop the necromancy necessary to bring back Isidor and Oskar. Or that she betrayed the order and disappeared apparently to have you.
“Frau Lange?”
She snapped back to attention. When one deals with Katharsis it’s hard to deal with much else. “Yes Ribold?”
“I know you’re lying, I know my mother was once an Unholy 7 member like you.”
Damn, how much does he know? “Well Kat is still a member of the Unholy 7 by default. I may have replaced her in our duties but Katharsis is far more powerful than I.”
“What was her specialty?”
“It’s difficult to explain. It’s less that she was a specialized scholar and more of an artisan. She could restore the dead with most if not all of their faculties, even people.”
“Could her thralls eat?”
“Yes and they could think too; even strategize independently if she so chose.”
“Why’d she leave the necromancers?”
“She tried to convince Master Vol to step down. At the time some of us considered her to be the obvious choice for his successor. However Vol is stubborn and he’ll leave that position when the skies fall and the world cracks. Frustrated she declared there was nothing left to learn at Todt Stadt and left.”
“So you did know her.”
Frau Lange chafed, she’d already said too much, “A bit before she left, before she had you. I suppose we were somewhat familiar with each other.”
“You’ve been really nice to me. I’m glad my Mom had you as her friend.”
Inside Frau Lange’s heart was bursting. Kat I don’t know how you of all people did it but he’s such a sweet boy. I just hope whatever you’ve planned for him, for us won’t ever take that away from him.
Ribold returned to their rented lodging and could already smell an act of heaven itself, and he let go of Frau Lange’s hand and raced through the door. Inside Alfso wore a simple white apron and had arranged plates for everyone. Chakken stood aside grumbling and his chains were suspended throughout the kitchen. Also hanged supplies and dirty dishes from the chains and Chakken furiously scrubbed them. Alfso scooped the last lamb steak off of the griddle and plated it over baby greens.
Alfso turned and smiled, “Oh! Your back just in time! I still remembered that time you told me about your mother’s cooking so I thought I’d try it too.”
Ribold was practically drooling, “It smells amazing.”
“Now it’s not gonna be the same. I kept the turmeric, garlic, and pepper but replaced thyme and basil with cumin and rosemary. Take a plate and let me know what you think!” Alfso said, extending a plate in one hand.
“Goodness Alfso you’re going to put the ladies out of work!” Frau Lange remarked and Ribold took the plate offered back to the table. Alfso passed a plate to Frau Lange next before turning to Chakken, “Chakken get down from there and let’s eat!”
“I’ve got cleaning to do! Someone has to work here!”
“Nonsense! I took the time to make a nice meal so we could all eat together. That includes you too!”
Chakken was hanging upside down on chains outstretched across the kitchen and furiously scrubbing when he backflipped over his chains and landed dramatically on the kitchen tile. “Fine ,if it’ll get you to shut up.”
“I’ll shut up when you’re no longer eating by yourself at the farthest corner of the campfire. We’re friends so you need to act like it and not run off on your own so much.”
Chakken snatched the plate like a monkey stealing fruit and went back to the table and sat at the farthest corner from Ribold. Alfso wiped his hands on a cloth and sat down with his food.
“So… How’s the lamb everyone?” Alfso said while never taking his eyes off of Ribold.
“It’s exquisit Alfso,” Frau Lange replied.
“Not too bad wimpy,” Chakken replied.
Ribold chewed for awhile happily, “This is really good!”
“Is it as good as your mother’s?”
“Maybe! It’s different but I want to eat this everyday!”
“Well now that we’re Unholy 7 our stipend lets us eat all the pilz and lamb we want!”
“Careful now boys,” Frau Lange admonished, “Take it from me, you can eat all you want but you can’t resurrect a skinnier body for yourselves.”
Chakken asked as he picked at his food suspiciously, eyes darting around the room, “Why aren’t there fat necromancers?”
Frau Lange answered, “Well there are but they’re rare and usually don’t amount to much. Necromancy is difficult work and requires a lot of energy and even your own life force. If you’re really out of shape it’ll only strain you further. It’s why so many of us look gaunt.”
***
A knight with a strange shaped shield passed by their window. So, that’s the little shit the boss wants me to marry? Not too bad, he has potential. It’s going to take some time before formal introductions but he seems easy enough to control. If his mother could control him so easily then he’ll be my slave once I rock his world. Fabienne walked away whistling into the crowd grinning ear to ear.
***
“We’re here!” Della Rovere called back as he drove his carriage into Cologne. Mary sighed and rubbed her eyes wildly. Sofia opened the shade allowing sunlight to flood the carriage and Mary cried out annoyed and defeated.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“You must not be soft Mary.” Sofia chided.
“I seem to remember us both ending up at the bottom of a ravine,” Mary said defensively.
“That’s why we must both be harder, though between us you’re the most soft. There are monsters out there regardless of their rank.”
“She wasn’t one of the Unholy 7?”
“Doubtful, though she probably could be if she wanted. Necromancers exist in secrecy even from each other at times so it’s always possible a stray one could be more dangerous than the ones they acknowledge.”
Della Rovere stopped the carriage.
“Here we are my children!” They were at a relatively modest church that at least wasn’t a seedy tavern filled with debauchery and vice. It’d suffice for them. “The reservation is secure. Go inside and rest. By tomorrow your wounds should be healed.”
Sofia bowed and Mary abruptly remembered to do the same, “Thank you father,” they said less than unicent before gathering the luggage and going inside. Della Rovere passed the carriage to an altar boy and changed out of his clothes at the rectory. He donned his civilian clothes and vanished into the night to conduct his investigation.
***
Mary awoke and found that her wounds no longer ached though her hand was still scarred and phantom pain haunted her regardless of her superior’s faith. After morning prayers and chores she ducked out quickly to explore Cologne. She used the last of her limited savings to buy cinnamon at the market to put on her bland rectory food. Realizing that she was running late she sprinted back and rounded a corner and felt an explosion of pain.
Mary blinked and realized she was spawled unsightly on the cobblestone road. Her head ached fiercely and she stood up to see the young man do the same. She realized in her haste she had run full bore into him knocking his bag of onions out of his hand and now theonions rolled about the dirty street.
“I’m so sorry! Are you ok?” Mary called out.
“I think so,” the youth replied.
As she locked eyes with him her blood ran cold.
***
Ribold’s heart stopped. This nun had found him. He may already be under attack. The look of fear in her eyes mirrored his own. She knows who I am.
***
I’m sorry Della Rovere but I have no choice. I have to eliminate him here.
Mary drew her misericorde and ignited it as Ribold leapt back and drew his own dagger.
“I guess you know who I am then,” Ribold said as his voice trembled.
“That makes two of us.”
Ribold pleaded calmly, “I don’t want to do this. I’m on an important mission and I’d rather not have to fight you. So please, let’s stop here before this gets any worse.”
“I can’t let you escape Ribold. But I would be willing to take you alive. Cardinal Della Rovere wants to see you.”
Ribold snapped when he heard the name, “He tried to kill my mother!” Ribold shouted his anger overriding his fear.
“The White Witch? Of course he did! She’s a monster!” Mary countered realizing after she said it that she just botched their only chance to defuse the situation.
“Why? Who are you to call her a monster!”
“The Holy Roman Empire declared so. Katharsis Merron was behind several massacres and high profile assassinations. She threatened to drown the Vatican in blood! She’s dangerous!”
“So am I.” Ribold said menacingly.
Mary launched herself at Ribold and tried to stab him in his heart but ran headfirst into a wooden barrier. She blinked and the wood exploded, Ribold’s old master Draihan grabbed her by her face and slammed her into the street. As he did so Mary stabbed his arm with her misericorde blazing at maximum power. Draihan looked on emotionlessly at the flaming stump where his arm just was and Mary smiled, tossing his smoldering hand away. She swung low and severed his leg.
As Draihan crumbled ablaze Ribold was furious with himself. If only he was better like his mother Draihan could’ve fought at the zenith of his strength. In his prime he’d have single handedly killed her with that attack. Ribold swung at her and she easily dodged, her flames struck his robe but didn’t catch fire. Ribold continued to give ground and raised his hands at her, “Massenmörder,” he said as crows exploded from his tattered sleeves in a stream of black feathers and rot. Mary had heard of others using this in her books. She instinctively raised her misericorde and continued to blaze it, draining her power and stamina but destroying any crow that came too close to her face. She felt a sharp pain in her back.
As the crows circled and pecked at her Ribold stabbed her in the back with all his might. Behind him Draihan began to reformulate himself but the process was slow. To Ribold’s surprise Mary didn’t fall and go slack and he hardly saw blood. Her flaming misericorde didn’t abate at all. Instead she let out an entertained laugh, “You’re faster than I thought, but I’ve fought worse than you!”
Mary’s robes slackened; she tossed them high overhead. Kneeling below them was an unarmored Mary that rushed Ribold with blazing speed. Draihan pushed Ribold aside and she stabbed him in the heart with all of her power. As his torso erupted in flames Mary swung and Draihan was completely obliterated by her flames. However as her dagger’s flames eased she could no longer cause that much damage. She’d have to kill him the old fashioned way.
Ribold used the crows to grasp his cloak and pull him airborne.
“I won’t let you get away!” she shouted as she ran three times faster than before and kicked her way off a wall into the air to swing on him.
He barely managed to dodge when she grasped her nun robes she threw airborne earlier and tossed them at him. With a loud metallic thud her habit crashed into him and sent Ribold crashing to the ground. Underneath the nun’s habit Ribold realized it was lined with chainmail and thick leather padding. Mary landed next to him covered in an all black unitard with her misericorde grasped in one hand. She held it in front of her and allowed herself to lean forward, allowing gravity to pull her atop Ribold dagger first. Ribold saw her coming through a tiny hole that he’d made earlier when he backstabbed her and reacted as fast as he could raising both hands under the weighted habit and Mary felt a metallic clang. It took all of Ribold’s strength to hold her back.
“Impossible! How could you still be blocking?! Just give up or die!” Mary shouted desperately in his face hoping his strength would give out.
“I still have some tricks.” Ribold replied, forcing a smile as his arms shook.
“As do I!” Mary said as she ignited the misericorde for the last time. Her habit vaporized around the blade to reveal Ribold was using an old rusted chain to prevent the blade from plunging into his chest. But at the blade’s current heat the chain was already melting.
Mary shouted as a crowd formed around them, “Surrender to the church Ribold! We can offer you redemption through salvation!”
“I’d rather die!” Ribold shouted as droplets of metal landed on his robe and immediately burned through to his chest. Ribold shrieked as the searing hot metal burned his chest.
As Ribold kicked and screamed Mary continued, “Your soul would burn for all of eternity just like this! Give yourself to the church and be saved!”
Ribold’s strength was failing, distracted by the burning but he knew that the red hot dagger would hurt a lot more. He noticed someone in his perifery and looked back at Mary defiantly, “Your church can’t save me but he can!”
“Oh who’s that?” She said and shook her body violently plunging the misericorde deeper moments away from ending his threat forever. In that moment her ankle flared in terrific pain and she lost her concentration. Ribold redirected the misericorde up past his shoulder and watched as it sank into the cobblestone as if it were a thick bubbling pudding. Ribold thrashed and struggled out from under a writhing Mary who shook her ankle fiercely sending a little undead fox flying.
“He’s nothing special but I suppose you can call him knocklebaizer (anklebiter).”
The little undead fox crashed hard into the wall and fell into a pile of refuse with an angry demonic squeal. Mary stood up to attack Ribold again and nearly fell. The fox’s rotten teeth were embedded in her foot and she could feel the foreign objects shift inside. Ribold turned and walked away as she shifted her weight to her good foot. She launched herself at him with explosive speed and was struck with tremendous force from her side. She cried out and Ribold turned.
Chakken pushed his way through the crowd and numerous chains were bound together and lumped like a fist crashing down after sending Mary flying. She crashed and tucked into a roll feeling her ankle further tear itself apart with the rotten fox teeth burrowing in deeper. Mary ended up face down and tried to recover but realized her foot was ruined and wouldn’t support her weight. Before she could get up another different force pushed her back down, something hard and bony and it breathed on her back sending a shiver of fear down her spine. What sounded like a horse walked around her and struck it’s hoof on her misericorde. The head however appeared to her as an absolute demon.
The Velopony hissed at her, and she could see its disgusting purplish lips vibrating. It’s partially restored mouth was filled with glistening rotten rows of sharp teeth prepared to shred her flesh like wet paper. It reeked of blood and death.
***
Sofia Bolotova looked on from the crowd infuriated that Mary had run off, infuriated that Mary started a fight that she failed to win, infuriated that the opportunity of a lifetime had presented itself and she was stuck on the wrong side of the street to get a clear shot. Alfso’s demonic steed was set to devour Mary and Ribold was exhausted and weakened. If she could just get her pestle behind Alfso she could take out the biggest threat and then figure a way to deal with Chakken and an exhausted Ribold. To get closer Sofia did something she hadn’t done for her adult life, she removed her habit. Sofia slipped closer to the front of the crowd as an ordinary woman with beautiful long black curls. She readied her weapon and was just waiting for the moment to slay Alfso. If she failed he could summon the Bahamut and turn Cologne into a mass grave of gravel and ashes. As she got closer she listened in.
“We heard there was some commotion but I’d never have picked you as the type to fight with a girl Ribold,” Chakken said.
“You could say we ran into each other.” Ribold replied gingerly, wiping at his chest. A few fragments fell to the ground leaving small but deeply burned pits in his chest.
“Hey Alfso! Hurry up and finish the bitch so we can run!” Chakken commanded.
“No! Alfso leave her be!”
Alfso trembled a bit and walked up to the other side of Mary, “She seems pretty dangerous Ribold, maybe we should just kill her and move on.”
Ribold walked over to Mary as she involuntarily flinched each time the velopony exhaled its stench upon her face, “Your offer of salvation, was it sincere?”
Of course not you goddamned fool! As if I could afford to take someone as dangerous as you in alive by myself.
“Of course!” Mary said, now angry at how high pitched her response came out but fear of being eaten alive had that effect on people. “The Church always welcomes its flock back. Cardinal Della Rovere explicitly ordered you to not be harmed.”
Ribold wiped his chest again and flinched, “So why’d you harm me?”
“Because… Because I was scared! I know how dangerous the Unholy 7 are!”
Chakken snorted, “You ever heard of that? A nun afraid of death?”
Someone in the crowd shouted, “Kill her! Fuck that bitch! Finish her off!”
Others countered, “Have mercy! She’s a child of god!”
Ribold listened as a cacophony erupted but it seemed spilling her blood appealed more to the crowd than sparing her. He turned to her, “I don’t know if your offer is true or not… But if it is it makes you people better than them,” he said as he turned back to the crowd still shouting.
“Mercy! Kill her! Spare the child’s life! Fuck her raw!”
“I’ll extend you the same courtesy then,” Ribold said, “Alfso let her go.”
“She tried to kill you. Are you sure Ribold?”
“Maybe I really am a monster but if that’s true the church and the people it serves are greater monsters. I don’t have anything against her really, but Della Rovere will pay. Tell me what’s your name?”
“Sister Mary Ward.”
“Well Mary, do you know where my mother is?”
“I don’t.”
“Would you tell me if you did?”
“Probably not.”
“That’s ok. I’ll just have to get stronger and force Della Rovere to tell me. Chakken, Alfso, lets go.”
As Sofia got into position and prepared to throw her pestle she saw them spare Mary. As they walked away leaving a battered Mary in the street Sofia lowered her weapon. When she turned she saw children sitting atop the crowd’s shoulders. They looked at her with eyes of the void and giggled.
Frau Lange!
Frau Lange’s two children climbed down from their respective adults and vanished into the bustle of the city. With the immediate threat receding Sofia pushed her way through to recover Mary as some of the crowd dispersed and a few others threw stones and insults.
***
Della Rovere exuded an air of patience but his eyes bored into her as if she were a murderer on trial, “Mary my dear, please tell me again, every detail.”
“I went to the market to pick up cinnamon-”
“Against orders?” Prioress Bolotova said infuriated.
Della Rovere caught himself too late as he raised his voice, “That’s!” he cut himself off before he exploded. He calmed himself and continued, “That’s unimportant right now sister, naughty nuns aren’t why the Cardinal of the Interior is all the way out here. Ribold is. I trust I will never have to remind you of that again Prioress Bolotova.”
Sofia bowed and said softly, “Of course not father.”
“Now get to the part where you met him.”
***
The two young women left the private chapel and Della Rovere held his breath until the door shut behind them. He waited another five seconds and gasped before shouting and slapping the railing of the pews, “Fucking Hell!” He began to hyperventilate, his arms tingled and if it were not for his considerable healing ability he’d have long died from heart attack or stroke. After this he knew sleep wouldn’t come easily if at all. He changed out of his crimsons and adopted his civilian appearance he’d been using to investigate for signs of plague. He ventured out just like a naughty nun and headed straight to the nearest tavern. He was half a mind to drink until he blacked out.