It took all of Exill’s effort to refrain from attacking the Inquisitor, and Deroch in turn silently admired the restraint, evident from the young man’s clenched fist.
“I knew you would come. When you have been in my line of work as long as I have… you get a sense of people and how they would react.” The Inquisitor said matter-of-factly, trying to incite the canonized individual further.
“Why did you have to kill Tsarra?” Exill demanded between bared teeth, scarcely holding on.
The Inquisitor had been building up to this moment, aware that nothing less would bring the Aberration through the Inner Sanctum doors, where its apostasy would be laid bare. He pushed away the Oracle who had risen to interject, who was similarly furious by Deroch’s actions.
“That’s the thing. I didn’t want to kill her…” the Inquisitor whispered.
“This might be difficult to believe, but I consider myself a fair man, a great believer of redemption...” He frowned slightly before continuing on, “I coached her on all the ways that a secrecy contract can be bypassed, because I wanted her to take the stand against you.” Deroch pointed an accusing finger to emphasize this point, while slowly circling his quarry.
“A finger would suffice to send a message, no? She could have been protected by the Church as a witness, am I not correct?” The cadence of his righteous sermon grew even louder.
“Only, you had to go and force her to sign a contract swearing secrecy!
She could have been saved Witchdoctor!
You were the one who damned her by turning her into a blaspheming accomplice. In the end, as expected… she didn’t spill a single drop of your precious secrets, but at what cost? What I did was a mercy compared to what will happen to you.”
The Inquisitor drew no pleasure upon witnessing the exact moment that guilt further tore Exill apart. This was not something anyone could orchestrate. In many ways, Deroch knew and appreciated him better than anyone else.
“What about Luna, what did you do to her?” Exill swallowed nervously, barely holding himself back.
The Inquisitor didn’t answer him for several long seconds, but against his better judgement, admitted the truth.
“She is fine. In exchange for the Church’s protection, she agreed to testify against your Heresy.” He stated quietly.
“What will happen to the Oracle?” Exill asked, suddenly subdued.
“That is beyond your concern.”
There was a strained pause as both parties recognised the time for questions was over. Deroch was tense, ready to withdraw the concealed blades hidden within his robes, ‘I just need him to attack first’ he thought. As a dual classed Inquisitor and Assassin with thirty years of experience, he was more than confident of taking the Heretic down alone. Despite this, he gave a cautious signal to the Paladins assembled throughout the Inner Sanctum.
However, Exill did not attack. Instead, a grim line of satisfaction adorned the Heretic’s lips as a small tremor made itself felt.
[The World has noticed your transgression. Rejection: 50/100]
Deroch detected the malformed stench of corruption from his opponent. It was a cancerous odour that rejected order, and everything that was good with the World.
He frowned as the tremor grew in volume until a deep rumble reverberated under their feet. In that brief moment of distraction, Exill leapt aside, holding a slender skinning knife against the Oracle’s throat.
“That won’t save you now boy, she will be tried alongside you for Heresy. There is nowhere you can run!”
“Fuck your Heresy!” Exill spat, and leapt back as the ground beneath them bulged, exploding violently outwards. A towering Rock Dragon emerged with its serpentine head, screeching at all those assembled.
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Its serrated black metallic tail shot up from underground and Deroch narrowly managed to avoid impaling himself. The Inquisitor was overwhelmed, dumbstruck by the sudden emergence of one of the Labyrinth’s strongest monsters, in the most holy of places no less.
Paladins rushed forward from all sides, encircling the combatants with tower shields raised at the ready. It was true that they were the elite of the elite, although they had been caught off guard, their arms held steady.
“Protect the Oracle!” The Paladin nearest to Exill shouted, and the Inquisitor’s frustrated commands went unheard amidst the unfolding chaos. Exill kept his blade steady on the Oracle’s neck as the elite soldiers moved past him, forming a guard against the devastating monster.
‘How does this damn skill work?’ Exill assigned [Dimensionist] as an active job and tried envisioning the Clinic he had left moments earlier while channelling mana outwards through his palm. But it was like he was trapped in a void where his skills wouldn’t activate.
At that moment, the enraged Rock Dragon slammed its heavy metallic tail against the Eld Tree, splintering its trunk in two places. It was as if a smothering fog had been lifted and Exill could sense his skills again.
The shrieking sound of chainsaws tearing into the fabric of reality startled everyone when Exill successfully activated [Warp]. The jagged tear in front of him unsteadily grew larger until it was wide enough to throw the Oracle, then himself through it.
“No!”
Inquisitor Deroch shouted in dismay at the collapsing gate. He tried to leap through it but was blocked by the Rock Dragon who was infuriated by the howl of reality ripping itself apart.
It slammed its serpentine tail against the gate, trying to smash it into pieces but only succeeded in amputating the tip of its tail as the dissipating gate sliced through it without any resistance.
Once the gate had consumed itself, Exill could hear the Elder Beast enter a berserk rampage, audible even from the city outskirts. Summoning his Card, he assessed that 70% of his mana remained.
Job Dimensionist Level 3 Description Unique - Tier II Active Skill [Warp] Tear into the flesh of the World and travel to places you have been before.
Range increases with level.
‘How far can I go now?’ Exill wondered, noting their short hop had raised two whole levels in the recently unlocked Dimensionist.
He hurriedly slung belongings over one shoulder and grabbed the blind Oracle’s hand to lead her into the treatment room. Activating [Warp] he closed his eyes and focused on a clearing he had passed near the barge town of Holmsburn. However, no matter how much mana he poured into the skill, the gate refused to open.
With only 60% mana remaining, he activated [Warp] again, closing his eyes while desperately focusing on the place where he had defeated the Infested Edifice in Virigo. This time, he could feel the skill activate, and swiftly poured in mana to widen the gate.
Pushing the Oracle through first, he grabbed the metal tray covering the treatment table and pulled it with him nearly 40 miles (65km) in an instant. Only then did he stop channelling mana to find he had just over 10% remaining.
“Where are we?” Alya asked, her voice trembling slightly. The young woman of unworldly beauty lay stranded on the tall grass. Her long platinum hair was in disarray, and the blindfold had slipped, revealing two gaping crevasses where her eyes had been gouged out.
“We are in Virigo.” Exill replied between heavy breaths. He was of two minds on bringing the Oracle here, but there were some answers only she could provide.
‘Why did she risk lying to get him canonised, and why is she a loose thread of fate?’
On the other hand, he didn’t trust her in the slightest. It was not clear how the Oracle’s skill worked, but he suspected a great deal of the events that had unfolded today had been foreseen. ‘Did she know Tsarra was going to die? Did she know I would invoke a tribulation in the Inner Sanctum?’ Thinking further on the matter, he realised how insipid and dangerous the Oracle was, especially if all this had been a manipulative act.
“I’m going to go. The town is north of us so follow the direction of the warming sun.” He said, dragging the large metallic tray holding Tsarra’s corpse deeper into the woods.
“Wait! Are you going to leave me here?” there was a note of panic in Alya’s voice.
Exill was tired, emotionally drained, and numb from loss. He didn't want to deal with her and her manipulations. It was more important that Tsarra was respectfully put to rest.
“I don’t trust you.” He grunted, pulling the tray further into the underbrush.
The Oracle unsteadily rose to her feet and wavered, unsure of the future that lay ahead. “What can I do to earn your trust?” She asked, not fully aware of the tidal wave of change it would wreak upon the World.
Exill paused, wondering if such a thing was even possible after all that had transpired. A grim smile tugged at the corner of his lips while studying the panic-stricken woman with his bloodshot eyes. In the absence of trust, there was only subjugation.
“You can become my slave.”
And with those obscene words, he receded deeper into the forest.