The Inquisition [Concluded]

[seireikhaan]

Ituralde’s return to his quarters began as an uneventful affair. Everyone gave their curt goodbyes and went their separate ways. For ituralde, this meant a climb to the third floor, up the spiral staircase in the central plaza. Upon reaching the top step, however, the quiet was disturbed by a shrill battlecry. He startled and looked up, discovering that two individuals were perched atop the arches to the arched windows, one up to his right, the other, his left. Each tugged on tight-woven cloth they had hung from the vaulted ceiling, and leaped down, swinging like madmen while continuing their battle-screeches.

Unfortunately for the assailants, it seemed they had miscalculated their trajectories, and the two collided in the air at high speed a few feet to Ituralde’s right, their momentum taking them down the stairs. “Er… Well, yes, good luck with that…” Ituralde let them to their fate and continued back to his quarters, unharmed and quite amused.





“So… a cordial invitation, huh?” Visorslash thumbed over the scroll that invited him to a dance in the west wing of the palace. It hardly seemed appropriate, considering current events, but still, it seemed rude to decline it. So, here he was, at the doors of the grand ballroom, in his best robe. He pushed the grand, double doors open, and was greeted by splendor.

“Welcome, welcome!” A figure wearing a detailed, ivory mask stood in the center of the ballroom, accompanied by two others, also adorned in masks of their own. “My dear Visorslash, we heard from a little birdie that your life was in peril tonight. So we thought, what better way to pass the time and ensure all of our safety, than with a ball?”

A flame was lit in each corner, revealing even more masked party-goers, four in the left, two in the right.

“Come, come, let us not worry the night away!” The figure in the center proclaimed. “Tonight, in such numbers, none would dare harm us, so long as we remain aware of ourselves. So, come, dear Visorslash, you are the VIP of our affair tonight.” They held a hand out to him. “Would you care for a dance?”

Visorslash couldn’t help the smile that came to his face. Even in times of peril, the nobility still were wonderfully absurd. He stepped forward onto the forum, hand held out to accept the offer.

“Ah, ah, ah! Now, now, that is quite rude!” Everyone’s attention swung to two more individuals atop the stairs, which led to the balcony. “So improper! The host gets the last dance with the guest of honor, not the first.” The figure on the left was clad in silvery robes. A sparkling, silvered mask hid their face, but not the shock of white hair that flowed down past their shoulders. The one on the right was clad in dark robes, and wore a dull mask that looked like it was made of pearl.

“Although, come to think of it, we don’t really feel like sharing our dear Visorslash tonight, do we?” The silver-masked man asked his companion. “No, as a matter of fact, I think he’s all ours… Forever.” The man in the pearl mask answered. “So, be a dear, and hand him over.”

The guests looked on in shock as they realized what the two were demanding. With a clap, the host commanded to his guests, “It seems we’ve drawn unwanted stragglers. Everyone, it is time to do our duty!” The other seven ballroom guests surged from their corners of the ballroom, forming a semi-circle around Visorslash. In spite of their formal attire, it seemed each one remembered to bring an armament of some sort, be it a straight sword, dagger, or scimitar.

With a sigh, the silver-masked man pulled a long, curved blade from his robe. “It seems we can’t settle this with reason, I see. Now, you’re just not playing fair. Nine against two? What do you think, time we stopped holding back, I suppose?” He asked his companion.

“It seems they’ve not given us much choice, has it? You take the high ground, I’ll deal with the rest.”

The silver-masked man grinned as a white aura began to pour from him, writhing like a beast. He leaped from the top of the stairs, gliding through the air as the pearl-masked man began his own advance. Three of the dancers raised their blades to the white-haired man as he allowed himself to descend upon Visorslash. Their attacks missed, but forced him to weave through the air backwards, away from their strikes. The second assailant began his march forward, covered in a dark blue aura that seemed to grow and recede in a rhythm. He extended a leg and slid down the stairs in a single, smooth motion before beginning a long, arc around to the group’s flank. He revealed a long, straight sword as he shot himself forward towards a gap between two people for Visorslash.

“Halt him! Swing back around!” The host commanded. Multiple defenders swung to their right and closed the gap just in time, causing the assailant to halt on a dime, performing a backflip away from their raised weapons.

“Wait, what did I even do?” Visorslash demanded of the assailants as the white-haired man hovered near a wall in mid-air and the pearl-masked man bobbed on the spot.
“Sometimes, it is not about what one has done, but what one has failed to do,” the white-haired man proclaimed. “All of you gathered here are guilty of it. The Emperor and his family have attempted to usurp the gods. It is time that is punished. Him, and all who support him, have committed treason against the divine order. So, tonight, you will perish!” He finished with a flourish as he descended upon those gathered.

“Force him back! More, to this side!” The host ordered. As more of the masked guests made their move, so did the second assailant in the pearl mask. He darted in, lunging forward as two defenders attempted to skewer him. This time, however, both blades made contact and powered through the man. However, his form shimmered briefly, and for a moment, the man transformed into a pure liquid, passing straight past the guards and re-materializing right afterwards. He grasped Visorslash by the scruff of his robe and performed an impressive leap out of the pile of defenders. At the height of his jump, he twirled himself in mid-air, throwing the helpless Visorslash to his silver-masked companion, who glided through the air as he circled higher and higher.

“The time of the God Emperor is over,” he whispered to Visorslash as he clutched to him high above the marble floor. With that, he ran his sword through Visorslash’s gut before hurtling him to the floor below, causing Visorslash to land with a sickening crack.

“It was a lovely party, my dear host,” the man in the pearl masked proclaimed as he made his way to the exit. “Perhaps next time we’ll stay for the rest of the party!”






Another dead. A massive brawl in the ballroom. Security failing. Chaos. These were the things weighing on Emperor Kavehir as he called upon the inquisition once more. It was, perhaps, dawning on him that this was no more just a battle for justice, or vengeance, or glory. No, this was a battle for survival, now. It was comforting, in a way. He knew that the divine blood would prevail in the end. It had to, for the world to make any sense. Still, it was time to recognize these facts. The fifth day of the inquisition was under way.





Alive:

Askthepizzaguy
Autolycus
Edse
El Barto
GeneralHankerchief
Golden1Knight
Ituralde
Johnhughtom
Landlubber
Montmorency
Myddraal
Nightbringer
Sooh
Zack


Lynched:

Abstain (D1)
Andres (D2)
ACIN (D3)
Dcmort(D4)

Killed:

Csargo (D1)
Bsmith (N2)
Ironside (N3)
Kagemusha(N4)
Visorslash (N5)

Attacked:

Ironside (N1)
Golden1Knight (N2)
Montmorency(N3)
Ituralde(N4)