The Great Crestmaster

"Do you know which chapter they're from?" Knowing that could make it easier to know what the inquisitors are here for.

The inquisition of the Acladonian Empire was made up of six chapters, each performed a specific purpose. Each chapter was headed by a High inquisitor and all six chapters fall under the Archlector.

The Archlector is one of the most powerful people in the Empire, perhaps in the world. The post included a permanent seat on the High council, a seat with the emperor himself and the other high lords and great officials, like the grand marshal and the prime minister.

"I don't know but, I heard some of them were wearing golden robes and others with grey ones." The elf said with uncertainty.

Aldrich handed her a copper coin and left the inn with the rest of the party. This was an interesting piece of news, he only knew the golden robbed men were from the Watchful Eye chapter.

The Watchful Eye was charged with seeking intelligence and reporting on corruption or subterfuge from foreign spies. As for the grey clothes? He had no idea.

Ayemon told him to do his best not to encounter the inquisition as a whole, but it wasn't like he needed to be told that.

Besides when the inquisition shows up in such an open fashion it means that something ominous was happening.

Anyway he had nothing to do with them, he just had to complete this quest today and be on his way.

He rushed a little bit so that they can go to the abandoned lighthouse since it was far removed from anything around. A few minutes later they were almost out of the streets.

But it was at times like these when life chose to fuck with you.

"Everyone make way!! The inquisitors are passing through! Make way!"

'Fuck me. What did I do to anger you, Altunan? Damn, I forgot to pray after I woke up…'

The people around hurriedly scrambled to their houses, they were surrounded by mostly sparse houses here at the southernmost end of the town.

Aldrich and the party attempted to join the crowd but the doors were quickly locked and the windows shutters shut, leaving them alone in the open.

"Let's break in," Nathan unexpectedly suggested to Aldrich's shock.

"Have you gone mad?" Aldrich scolded.

"Let's make a run for it, then," Nathan once again said.

"No, how would that make us look? If we run that would definitely draw suspicions on us. The carriage is already here, the coachman saw us."

Yes, unfortunately the carriage was not too far away it already turned to this street and they were seen.

"What now?" Emma asked.

"We wait for them to leave, just move over to the sidewalk and act natural." Aldrich ordered, while wiping his sweaty forehead.

The party quickly did as he said, there was enough time since the carriage was actually moving very slowly. Guards followed behind the beautifully decorated carriage in three rows.

The first was made up of knights in full plate armor, they had long cloaks and walked in the order and discipline expected of knights.

The second was made up of tow grey robbed women, their faces were covered with a piece of paper, it was inscribed with… glyphs. For some reason one couldn't see their features even though the paper only cover the middle of the face.

The third was a single man— Aldrich thought he was an orc, he stood at two and a half meters and had a bronze featureless mask on his face.

On his back he carried a strange contraption of metal and glass that towered even above his own hight by a head. Metallic pipes extended from the contraptions into the huge man himself. The contraption would release vapor every once in a while.

It was unknown how because of the obstruction of his clothes, which were a golden robe and green vest underneath.

Aldrich and the others did their best to wait despite the agonizing slow march of the inquisitors. As the carriage passed by he could hear some voices leaking out due to his exceptional perception.

"Do the people here think of us as plague bearers? Are you perhaps feeding them negative news regarding the inquisition?"

A sharp and curt voice asked in seeming annoyance.

"N-no, absolutely not. We would never do that. These are just peasants… they are ignorant please overlook their disrespect, inquisitor Bernard."

Another voice, younger and hesitant answered.

"Bernard, quit teasing the young lord. Commoners are likely to cling to negative views." An older and gentle voice admonished the first one to talk.

"Grandfather, when can we get back to the Eastern continent? It's so boring here! When can we going to skin some people?!"

A much younger voice asked in frustration. And some laughter ensued in the carriage some was genuine and some was complimentary.

"Rascal! Stop that!" The old man scolded.

At last, the carriage passed by and Aldrich sighed in relief.

"Stop the carriage for a moment." A curt voice ordered and the carriage stopped shortly after. He recognized this voice as belonging to inquisitor Bernard. The door of the carriage opened.

Aldrich felt his blood running cold.

A man with a thin angular face and a goatee walked out of the carriage, he wore the golden robes and had an extremely thin curved sword on his waist.

He walked towards them and the guards behind the carriage all turned towards them at the same time.

"Kids, you didn't run away like the rest, why?" He pointed at them and asked.

"We, ah, we're not from around here so we didn't have a place to run to."

Frank answered before Aldrich could say anything and Aldrich cursed him a hundred times in his mind.

He was going to articulate his words and say that they didn't run because they heard of the good deeds of the inquisition and wanted to catch a glimpse at such splendid individuals.

"Not from around here?" Inquisitor Bernard asked with interest, "then where are you from? Why are you here?"