Deacon Andres is riding a convoy to Keep of the Hammer. Its new name after the Murdokians seized it, taking inspiration from the Murdok banner : Two thunderous hammers facing each other. Castle Mercy was its name before Godfrey's conquest. As he finally reaches the gates of the mighty fortress, two guards on their horses wearing red and black armor, and carrying shields with the Murdokian banner in the center, come forward to welcome them.
"Deacon Andres, the constable is expecting you in his chambers"
He steps down from his carriage, and heads inside leaving his convoy behind. The two guards accompany him. The halls and walls of this newly conquered Keep are now haunting and eerie. Portraits of the tyrant Godfrey are decorating each wall, and at every door entrance, two great hammers are hanging as if they were guillotines ready to decapitate whoever walks through. The deacon is mustering all his strength to keep composure, but with the gargantuan guards behind him, it was a hard task. He finally reaches the constable chambers. The guards knock on the floor twice to announce his arrival then leave from where they came.
"Ah please deacon Andres, you may enter"
"At once my lord", replied the deacon nervously.
He enters the vast chamber and sits on a chair the constable had chosen for him in front of his massive desk. The latter sits on his own. Golden and ridiculously huge.
"I hope you at least have brought interesting news to my Keep, deacon", He poured himself some wine, "I had to sit and listen to the gibberish babbling you Ellonians love to spout for the whole morning. Unfortunately my patience wore thin, and it caused me to execute the priest of Last Light. A mistake I'm not looking forward to repeating." He leans in, cup of wine in his hand and looks closely into the deacon's dark brown eyes.
"Go on, I'm all ears"
The deacon gulps, "My lord, last night, two purgers set foot upon our quiet village when the storm was at its strongest"
The constable's eyes widened with excitement. Purgers, a name he hadn't heard in a long time and did not expect to hear about it anytime soon. He, like everyone else, knew the dangers that haunted men like them.
"Go on"
"They are believed to have vanquished the beast that decimated your garrison my lord"
The constable suddenly smacks the table, spilling all the wine and making all his documents and papers fall to the ground.
"You dare suspect my men's competence, deacon? Are you perhaps disrespecting me in my chambers?"
The deacon flinched, frightened he barely finds the words to answer and defend himself, "No my lord, I…I. The beast was powerful, that's all I meant. Even armed soldiers and knights could not take it down"
"But the two purgers did, is that so?"
"My lord, the battlefield, the center of our village is a testament to my credibility. Pieces of Murdokian armor are scattered all over it."
The constable leans back to his chair, laying off the suspecting gaze. He thinks for a moment, "What of the beast, what was its nature".
Constable Marlon knew nothing of his garrison's dealings. He had no idea they had been hunted by an incubus, nor that they'd hired two purgers to defeat it. Was it incompetence? Or simply blind trust in his men and their supposed military prowess?
"A vile incubus my lord", answered the deacon. " It preyed on men's weakness for lust and caused a carnage in our village. It cost us our beloved priest and your captain and his garrison of course".
"An incubus caused all of this commodity?"
"It is what they say my lord"
"What of the carcass"
"It is still there my lord, laying on the battlefield near the Drowning Well. I was debating with the villagers whether to bury or burn it."
"No, bring it here, I want to take a good look at what humiliated my men."
"At once my lord"
The constable comes back to his silence again. The sound of the dripping wine filling the room. The deacon's nervousness is only growing stronger. He is oblivious to what this monster is thinking about.
"Deacon Andres", said the constable with a low voice.
"Yes my lord"
"That storm, what does the faith have to say about it"
"My lord, It is hard to give a clear and concise conclusion without Father Arno's judgement. But if it were to me and to my men's expertise, I would deem it a simple weather misfortune."
"You're dismissed", Said the constable with his eyes fixated on the huge window to his right.
"Yes my lord", The deacon stood up and bowed. As he was about to leave the constable stopped him.
"Apprehend those purgers, We have much to discuss".
The deacon nods then leaves, defeated and humiliated. Constable Marlon kept staring at the window in silence, admiring the high view from his castle chamber. The sun finally shining on the green land with clouds finally dispersing. "A weather misfortune", muttered the constable mockingly. " Seems even our arch mages are incapable of foretelling the weather deacon".
Back at Little Lady, the two men were fully equipped, armored and armed, swords drawn and ready to move. Dorian leaves a small note to Margery and puts it on the bed then points to a backdoor at the end of the chambers.
"Let's take this backdoor over there".
As the two men exited the premise, a group of armed guards of the faith came to stop them.
"By orders of the high Constable of Bloomheaven, you purgers have been sentenced for apprehension," said one of the guards.
"Shove your orders up your arse", move out of the fucking way", roared Rex with anger as he moved his hand to the Cannibal's scabbard.
The guards point their spears toward the two men. Eight guards against two injured purgers.
"We do not want any bloodshed, move out of the way and let us be", added Dorian.
The guards move closer, closing in on the two men. The inn facing their backs, and a flock of armed guards facing their swords. The only way out was through blood. Without a warning and with frightening speed, Rex unsheathes his monstrous sword and cleaves through the four guards at the front as if they were butter. Blood and innards are flying through the sky, decorating the inn walls and the ground they stood on. The remaining guards on the rear froze with fear at the horrendous sight they witnessed. They are dealing with a monster. Rex points the Cannibal at them, full of blood and pieces of flesh.
"Come at me filthy dogs"
With a nimble dash, Dorian closes the distance and decapitates the four men with a single slash. Their heads rolling and their blood flooding the ground.
"They were mine", said Rex disappointed, as he swung the Cannibal, cleaning it from the remaining blood and flesh. He then unsheathes it.
"Could not let you do all the work, come on, we should head out"
"I'm right behind ya you greedy fuck", said Rex with a smile on his face.
The two men disappeared into the wilderness leaving behind them a last gift for the people of Little Lady. A gruesome spectacle of sheer physical dominance. Butchering men of the faith with cold blood, could they really afford the consequence of their last doing?