ALL NOVEL 49
A horned bear rampaged through the basement. The basement under the annex. The Annex of the Graf’s Repose. The basement under the official basement and cellar of the annex. The basement used by Tzeentch’s cultists. Taal arrived here in the manner he would call a “masterful infiltration”. Not one guard of the Graf’s Repose knows he’s here. But mostly because he slapped anyone unconscious, be they guards and not-guards that saw him. He almost decided to kill his way through at first but Rhya reminds him that as the oldest human god, he must show a bit of restraint and show a good example for the other gods. Truthfully he didn’t care that much about showing a good example but finally conceding as a little restraint is not that hard.
Another cultist savaged and three others cast pink flame spells. One hit the horned bear shoulder but the two others were easily evaded. The horned bear charged, mauling one of the cultists as the two others jumped away. One landed safely away while the other was caught by the giant snake that is the horned bear’s tail. The leader of the cultist has snorted some warpstone and powered the giant summoning circle, attempting to summon a daemon. A stomp from a beary paw shatters the circle to smithereens. The magic rebounds from the shattered magic circle to the cultist leader as she immediately explodes into thousands gory bits. The last cultist ran his fastest to the stairs. Reaching it only to be pulled back and mauled swiftly.
Returning to human form, Taal searched the place while covering his nose. The place fucking reeks of chaos. There are plenty of herbs, bones, other materials, bottled reagents and unlabeled potions in the many shelves. The artifacts that induce instant mutations are also found. He broke them with his bare hand. Taal then throws all of them to the middle of the basement. Took a torch and threw it into the mix. They all burn nicely.
Climbing up the stairs, Taal exits the cellar and the basement of the annex. Only to hear an alert signal has been sounded. Looks like he’s been found out. With a confident walk he exits the annex through the front door. He looks at the guards that followed the trails of unconscious bodies to where he is now. Taal notices that none of them have magical weapons. In a line the guard charges at him. The guard’s sword slashed harmlessly on his body. Then Taal slaps him unconscious in one slap. Standing still Taal began slapping. Slap! Slap! Slap! Backslap! Double slap! Another slap! Then Slap some more! Eventually he is surrounded by the bodies of unconscious and slapped guards.
“I appreciate you didn’t kill any of my men, shaman. Now why are you here?” Boris Todbringer himself now arrived with his personal bodyguards and unsheathing his Runefang. Taal begins to think, then an idea comes to mind.
“An Inquisitor sent me here. Or a Witch Hunter. Kostner is his name.” Taal then answered.
“On what grounds?”
“On this ground.”
“No! For what reason!?”
“There’s a Tzeentch Cultist hideout under your basement and under your cellar. Don’t worry, I have taken care of everything.” Taal said confidently.
Then the annex building explodes behind him. Two bad things have occurred. One, the cultist’s potions and reagents are very flammable and the fire spread to the wine cellar just above it making a huge explosion. Second, Taal just burned all evidence and now that the entire annex explodes, he has effectively erased all evidence.
—
“You don’t seem corrupted.” A voice speaks from behind and Denfather Leibnitz immediately unsheathes his sword and battleaxe then turns in one swift trained motion.
“Who are ye lass?” Leibnitz asks without dropping his guard as he assesses the young woman.
“I work with Inquisitor Kotner. Or is he a witch hunter? Nevermind, I am here regarding that.” Rhya points at the hidden compartment where Leibnitz stores the Tzeentch’s artifact.
“I did not sense that you are corrupted, I am curious as to why you have that.” Rhya then continues.
“Well, if ye want to know.” Leibnitz sheathed his sword, took out an alcohol bottle and two glasses. He poured one of the glasses before throwing its content to Rhya.
To this action, Rhya just closes her eyes and let the alcohol splatter to her face. She had sensed faint divine power from the alcohol and knew from whom it was.
Leibnitz waits for a while, raises his eyebrow then finally sheathes all his weapons.
“Well, either it works as intended or it’s not working at all.” Leibnitz then pours the alcohol to the two glasses and hands one to Rhya.
“Got em as a gift from a high priestess of Verena in Nuln. Suppose they can show the truth to lies, disguised form, or corruption.” Leibnitz explains and sits down on the chair.
“I think she means that is when you get drunk from it.” Rhya accepts the offering and drinks along with Leibnitz. He chuckled at the joke. He won’t even ask how she got into his room now.
“You don’t plan to use it then?” Rhya asks casually.
“I don’t appreciate this one joke.”
“Apologies, but I sense that you are dissatisfied.”
“Accepted. And yes I did. I was supposed to be the current Al-Ulric but Valgeir was promoted instead. But I have to admit, Valgeir is good at politics. Even when he is dumb as shit on everything else.” Leibnitz poured more alcohol into his glass but then drank directly from the bottle.
“Sorry, never get visited quite often.” Leibnitz said when he realized what he just did.
“Accepted. So with Valgeir handling the Empire’s politics, you take care of the domestic problems?”
“Something like that.” Leibnitz just shrugs. It did become this way even without him and Valgeir seeing face to face.
“How much ye know?” Leibnitz then starts as understanding has been met.
“There are two more, Kostner handles the one within the knight quarters and my husband handles the one within the Graf’s Repose.”
“An attack on Ulricans.” Leibnitz's tone is level but still some growls of anger pierces through. He is no fool that he can’t piece through what is happening and how the Sigmarites are unscathed.
“Got that one from a recently rising Ulric priest.” Leibnitz looks towards the hidden compartment.
“Where is he now?”
“Thrown from the walls. We have our own way of solving things.” Leibnitz finally put down his glass and picked up the artifact.
“So I’ve heard.” Rhya said before snatching the Tzeentchian dagger and snaps it in half with her bare hands to Leibnitz surprise. “We have our own too.”
However as soon as she finished saying that, a massive explosion sounded from the northwest. The direction to Graf's Repose.
“That be yer husband?” Leibnitz asks as he starts laughing. Rhya did not answer but she just had that disappointed look.
“Well, our short time is quite pleasant. But I guess ye will be busy. If you need anything, tell me. I will see if I can help.” Leibnitz rises from his seat and offers to walk Rhya outside.
—
“Why am I the only one in prison?” Taal asks behind bars
“Let’s see, assaulting the Graf’s Repose, assaulting the guards, oh and don’t forget the destruction of an entire building.” Kostner explains calmly while Rhya just looks at Taal with disappointment.
“Yeah? How about you? Did you do your part against that knight?” Taal tries to defend himself
“As a matter of fact I did. He is arrested and in personal custody of the Inquisitor.” Kostner flatly replies. “Why must you destroy an entire building?” Kostner then asks.
“There’s plenty more of the chaos artifact. More than one dagger. Plenty of potions too. And all of it is tainted with chaos. So I burn all of them.” Taal answers as a matter of factly. Destroying chaos artifacts is always the best method. Rhya wholeheartedly agrees about this but she can’t find herself to agree with the outcome.
“I suppose the thought of securing some evidence and the wine cellar just above the basement you mentioned did not come to mind?” Kostner tries to find a silver lining to alleviate the problem.
“No.”
Then an inaudible but deafening sound reached Middenheim. Rhya and Taal immediately look southwest to the source even when they are inside the prison. Someone just uses divine power and they don’t know who.