Touch of Fate

Chapter 294: The Sin Within

A palpable aura of fear filled the room as the clergy members backed away from Grace's display of power, before perhaps realizing that doing so might make them look guilty. As such, there were a few moments of awkward shuffling about before the chamber fell silent, a loose semi-circle formed around the former Pontifex.

Mike, for his part, took the opportunity to study the barrier on the door. It looked fairly sturdy, but he doubted it could hold him if he really wanted to get out. Besides, there was nothing preventing him from simply going through the wall, should he find himself needing to escape. It would be flashy, of course, but that wasn't much of a concern when he was intending on leaving in the very near future.

[Considering the average power level of the people gathered here, I'm guessing this is enough to keep them locked down. Based on that, it's probably safe to say that my cover is still intact. So, I guess there is no harm in observing things for a while longer.]

He sent a mental message to Selene to have her start bringing the captured inquisitors to a location near the cathedral. That way, he could still do the handoff in a reasonably timely manner, once this particular situation was resolved. Of course, she didn't like that idea.

After dismissing her complaints about having to transport five fully grown men, one of which was still full of resistance, through the city streets, he managed to talk her into it. She finally relented once he pointed out that she would have control over the other four, and could simply have them carry the fifth. It would simply become a matter of keeping him quiet as they did so. Based on her angry muttering as she severed the connection, it looked like she intended to shove the angry High Inquisitor into a barrel, or something to that effect.

[Well, I'm sure she'll figure it out.]

It was then that Grace finally broke her silence. She'd been observing the members of the group with a critical eye, as if she could determine which of them was guilty by sight alone. Of course, it could also simply be a means of intimidating the assembled church functionaries.

"Now that I've ensured there will be no interruptions, and no escapes, let's talk about betrayal. One of you, or perhaps several of you, have violated our laws and brought Anathema back into our order. I cannot allow clemency for such a heinous sin, but I swear that if you speak up now and reveal yourselves, your deaths will be as painless as we can make it for traitors."

Not surprisingly, that guarantee didn't encourage anyone to step forward. After a few moments of the group glancing around at each other awkwardly, Grace spoke again. "Very well, we shall do this the hard way."

Pointing her cane at one of the priests nearby, an elderly cat beastman, she intoned a solemn chant. "I beseech thee, oh holy one, grant me the blessings of your wisdom and allow me to see through any falsehood. [Aura of Truth]"

A glowing golden aura appeared around the priest, but otherwise, he appeared to be unharmed. Nevertheless, the spell inspired a sudden rash of commentary from the crowd.

"Here it is, her interrogation spell. Does she really think this will work? Inquisitors have means of defeating these kinds of things." One of the priests near Mike whispered to his neighbor.

"I'm sure she has her reasons."

"She's probably taking advantage of the situation to eliminate those who've opposed her in the past. Seems like something she'd do."

"If that's the case, do you think it's wise to badmouth her right now?"

That shut him up quickly, and the ensuing quiet allowed Mike to hear the question Grace directed at the now glowing priest. "Eniphas, do you have any dealings with the Anathema?"

The cat beastman drew himself up to his full height and announced, "I do not."

The golden aura flickered, but otherwise didn't change.

"Very good. Then, do know of anyone who might be a member of such a group? Anyone you might suspect?"

He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately shook his head. "No, I cannot think of anyone."

The aura flickered again.

"Alright, thank you Eniphas." She replied with a bow before turning to the rest of the group. "If you keep your answers short and truthful, this enterprise will pass quickly. Now, for the next."

The scene repeated itself multiple times, with the old Hierophant asking slightly altered variations of the same questions to every member of the group. Almost universally, this resulted in a slight fluctuation in the aura, and Mike was beginning to suspect that this was a faulty method. However, that changed when the elven woman from before was being questioned.

"Liande, are you a member of the Anathema?"

"No." Came the terse reply, accompanied by a minor flicker of the golden glow.

Grace gave the woman an evaluating look. "Then, tell me. Who among the people in this room is the least trustworthy?"

The elven woman started, looking surprised by the unexpected question. She glanced around for a few seconds, and Mike could see growing unease on her face.

"Answer quickly, Liande. It's a simple question. Who is the least trustworthy among those you see around you." The old woman prompted, a slight smile on her face.

"...I...if I must say, I find Gareth to be the least trustworthy." She replied while pointing to an old dwarven man. As the man in question was looking around in shock, gasps arose from the rest of the crowd. However, it was not because of the accusation itself.

The golden aura surrounding the elven woman was now fluctuating between gold and red. It flicked between the two colors a few more times before finally settling back into its usual color.

Grace walked forward, her every step heavy with ominous finality. "There is a fundamental flaw in the protection charms used by the Anathema. While they are fully capable of concealing the falsehood of answers to direct questions, they rely on the wearer to be fully committed to hiding the truth. In the case of an inquiry of a more nebulous nature, the items will be unable to fully make sense of the wearer's conflicting emotions, resulting in this kind of display."

She stopped in front of Liande. "Tell me dear, and do not lie this time. Why did you betray us?"

A pained look crossed over the elf's face, briefly making her see much younger, however it quickly passed and was replaced by a grimace of irritation. "Ugh, you always could get me feeling like a disobedient schoolgirl."

A deafening silence fell on the group, as everyone stepped back, making a loose circle around the pair. It seemed that the clergy here was content to let them work out the issue on their own.

[I never knew clerical staff meetings were so dramatic. Almost makes me want popcorn...hmm...I wonder if I could conjure some...] Mike thought while taking up a good vantage point to watch the show. He was still debating about intervening, should things dissolve into violence, but hadn't quite decided if he wanted to get involved in this mess.

"You were always a talented pupil," Grace replied, face a stony mask, "but you never did manage to learn respect. That is a large part of the reason I never recommended you for the position of Hierophant."

Liande practically growled, "HA! That's just an excuse! You always had your precious human student in mind when you were looking for a successor. No matter what I did, or how obedient I was, you never planned on giving me what was rightfully mine!"

She turned towards the current Pontifex with a furious glare, "I deserve to be where you are now! I was always the hardest working, the most talented! The only reason I'm not sitting behind that desk right now, is because my ears are pointed while yours are round."

Alaine frowned, as if trying to figure out what to say, "Liande, I never thought-"

"Don't deny it! I was there when you were first accepted as an acolyte. I know your aptitude score was less than mine. I know that your proctors thought you'd never go farther than a mid-level priestess. If it wasn't for the fact that you were a distant relative of the reigning Pontifex, you'd still be pushing papers in the Rectory!"

"That's enough, Liande." Grace broke in. "There is more to holding our office than talent and skill. It takes a certain kind of person, one who is able to withstand the pressures of the position without bending or compromising. They must remain incorruptible, even in the face of the most difficult of situations. Alaine had that quality, but it was clear from your long history of rule breaking, that you did not. There was a vein of weakness within you that might have spelled the end of our order, if I had chosen you as my successor." The old woman seemed to age a bit as she spoke. "I had hoped that you'd find peace with your path in life, but it seems I was mistaken."

Liande fell silent for a few moments, the weight of her old teacher's words evidently causing her a great deal of pain. Finally, she laughed. "Ha...I should have known that you'd fail to recognize your own flaws this late in the game. You never were one to admit your mistakes. Fine! So be it! I've long ago thrown away that life!"

She pulled something from her robes and smashed it against the ground in one smooth motion. Whatever it was exploded into a plume of dark-grey smoke that quickly washed over the room before vanishing. Mike created a temporary mana shield to protect himself from the substance, and as a result, was able to watch as it touched the glowing barriers on the door and window, causing them to flicker and fade.

The members of the clergy were hacking and coughing, as expected, but were also beginning to panic. That seemed a bit strange to him, since the substance didn't appear to be poisonous or anything. Thankfully, the active participants of the drama offered an explanation.

"Powdered Silence?! Are you mad?! You willingly sever our connection with the Goddess?! Your own connection with the Goddess? You have fallen far, Liande!" Grace roared in anger, but there was growing unease in her face.

"Not feeling so arrogant now that you've been stripped of your greatest asset, are you, teacher?" The elf asked with a sneer. "It seems we were right to take our precautions."

The door to the office exploded inwards, and a large group of armored figures rushed in, dragging the Pontifex's receptionist with them.

Liande gave the assembled clergy members a triumphant smile. "Looks like I'll be the one who laughs last this time. Without your magic, you are nothing more than a collection of old men and women. Weak. Helpless. Unable to prevent me from taking my rightful place. Know that your deaths will be the spark that ushers in a new age for our order." She turned to the warriors at her back, and commanded simply, "Kill them."

As they rushed forward with weapons raised, Mike sighed. He really didn't think it was wise to get involved in all this nonsense, but it looked like there was a radical and dangerous faction staging a coup d'etat right in front of him. Unless he wanted the hostile group to seize control of one of the most powerful churches in the country, he would need to do something.

[Damn my luck. Always creating headaches for me. Alright, how do I want to play this?]

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