Absolution
It was the middle of the night, and the Knight's Sheath had settled. The bar was closed, and courtesans lay in their beds beside blacked-out and satisfied customers. All was at peace. But then, that peace was interrupted. There was no warning, only the flash and roar as a barrage of fireballs was unleashed. They splashed against the exterior of the building, lighting up the windows and spraying flames in all directions, shaking everyone awake.
Those who had been present at the original fire of Galvin's retaliation, those who had survived the flames, released screams of terror as horrific nightmares came rushing back. It was happening all over again. They would be destitute once more, that is, if the fire didn't devour them. However, while this would have been a tragedy months ago, the culprits in the street found their efforts wasted.
"It's not burning!" one of the robed men cursed, watching as the flames simply withered away, as if they were hitting a stone cliff.
Nothing burned, courtesy of the countless wards of protection Cyrilo and Sophia had laid out across the building. Magic circles and runic lines had been written across walls, floors, ceilings, window frames, support beams, and the roof and painted over. It was a fortune in high-grade ink, but the spells were rendered useless.
"Hit it with everything!" another ordered.
The attackers, numbering almost a dozen, raised their hands and unleashed their magic. Bolts of lightning, jets of flame, boulders, water bombs, air blasts, and holy rays bombarded the building like raining artillery, but despite the attackers' best efforts, the Knight's Sheath stood resolute. They could see it with each failed impact, a protective barrier of mana made visible in the darkness, shielding the building from all outside force. This defense kept Uther's armies from breaching the walls of Welindar for so many years.
"This isn't working, we need to go! Hurry and—" An arrow was planted in the man's chest, cutting him off. A second arrow then hit the man beside him in the gut.
"Up there!" a third pointed, directing his cohorts' eyes to a window where Alexis stood, wearing nothing but a nightgown and quiver of arrows, and holding a bow.
"Sorry, we're closed for the night!"
She rained arrows down on the attackers, nailing the men with rapid speed and pinpoint aim, and drawing agonized cries. None of the shots were fatal, not that they needed to be. Each arrow was enchanted with a lightning spell, electrocuting the targets while the paralyzing agent that coated the arrowheads entered their bloodstreams. Her victims were robbed of movement, no longer able to end their lives.
"Scatter!" one of the men barked.
The remaining attackers tried to flee, but Alexis wasn't going to let them go. She dropped a rope from the window, rappelled down, and then took off barefoot through the street. She chased after men, planting arrows in their backs and taking them down like big game. It was over quickly, and Alexis dragged her stunned prey back to the Knight's Sheath, where they were bound and gagged out front.
Windows in all the surrounding buildings were lighting up as citizens, awoken by the sounds of violence, stepped outside to see what was happening. As usual, the knights and soldiers were late to the scene, but this time, they wouldn't simply be hauling away corpses.
"Enchanted arrows with poisoned tips? That is nasty in the best way," said Frigga as the assailants were loaded into a prisoner wagon.
"Dead men tell no tales, so we had to work around it," said Cyrilo, speaking in her cat form with Sophia holding her.
"Are you sure you can get them to talk?" asked Alexis, now dressed.
"Gradius may be gone, but the inquisitors under him are ready and waiting, and Sir Berholm can be pretty intimidating in his own right. You've done well in capturing these guys."
"Will you let us know what they say?"
"Definitely. I'm quite curious myself."
Once the knights left and everything settled, Cyrilo, Sophia, and Alexis went back into the Knight's Sheath, but they didn't return to their beds. Instead, they went down into the basement.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Sophia asked as Alexis unlocked the door to a back room. "What happens if the kingdom finds out?"
"The whole reason I'm doing this is because of the kingdom. I trust knights like Frigga to do the right thing, but the church still holds too much influence for me to expect answers through official channels. This is the only way to get some honesty."
She opened the door, revealing a dingy room lit by some candles. In the center sat one of the attackers, still bloody from his healed arrow wound and tied to a chair with a gag in his mouth. A magic circle had been inscribed on the ground around him, preventing him from using any spells. Lucius and Daniel were there, keeping an eye on him.
"How's he doing?" Cyrilo asked.
"He's been struggling against the binds a bit, so I think that toxin might be wearing off," said Lucius.
"Good, let's see what he has to say."
Lucius pulled the gag out of the man's mouth, and he immediately began to swear. "Goddamn beast heathen! My soul will be welcomed into the gods' embrace, but you all will be cast into mud for your sins! Do your worst, you fucking—"
A punch from Lucius interrupted the rant and splattered blood onto the floor. Sophia winced and looked away.
"Sophia, go wait upstairs," Cyrilo said as she hopped from her arms. As Sophia fled the room, Cyrilo walked over to Daniel, and he picked her up so she could speak at the man's eye level. "I hope that punch managed to knock some sense into you. You aren't going to be rescued. No one is coming to save you. If you don't want your bloated corpse to be fished out of the harbor, you'd better start talking. Who sent you? Who is in charge?"
"You think death scares me? I came here ready to die for my beliefs, eager to drag you fucking heretics to the grave with me, so do me a favor: eat shit and choke on it." His words earned him another punch from Lucius.
"Die at your own hand, maybe," said Cyrilo. "At least then, it's nice and quick and in your control. But look at your current position. Do you really feel in control? We have all the time in the world to pull out your secrets."
"Everything you do just proves me right. You're nothing but a bunch of soulless beasts, here in your temple of sin."
