From Death, A New Beginning

James heard gentle music and singing coming from the Saintess Kjera Orphanage.

It put him on edge, he motioned for Chris and Alex to get behind him.

“So, what’s the plan?” Chris asked.

“There is no plan. We are entering through the front door and if he’s there we are detaining him for questioning.”

“And if he doesn’t want to be detained?” Alex asked as he unsheathed his sword.

“...we will cross that bridge if we get there.” James replied as he put his hand on the door.

He opened the door into the orphanage.

The music stopped. It was being played by Yolanda with Father Gideon sitting close by her with a quarterstaff in hand.

“Welcome to the Saintess Kjera Orphanage.” Father Gideon said with a smile. “How can I help you gentlemen today?”

He turned over to Yolanda, “you can join the others. I’ll take care of this.”

“Yes, Father.” Yolanda said and left with a nod.

James and his two men looked around. There was only Gideon now. They outnumbered Gideon but his face had no fear.

“So how did you find out?” Gideon asked with genuine curiosity.

“You made one fatal mistake, Gideon. You registered all the children on the same day with the same healer. I’m shocked you aren’t trying to even defend yourself.” James replied

Gideon sighed, “wasn’t really even a mistake. No one would have noticed anything wrong. Even then you have to have access to the Hospitallers records.”

“Where are the children, Gideon?”

Gideon stood up and cocked his head slightly, “don’t worry about them. They are safe.”

James sighed, “I think we both know what happens next. In the name of his majesty King Augustus and his excellency Lord Protector Manstein head of the Grand Military Council, you are under arrest Father Gideon. For suspicion of conspiracy against the crown and the murder of Duke Rudolf and Military Commissioner Joshua.”

“Oh, I’m under arrest, am I?” Gideon replied and smiled.

“You are.” James said as he pulled out his sword.

“Very well.” Gideon said and grabbed the quarterstaff from beside him.

“Alright enough talk!” Alex said as he charged forward.

“You always have to charge headfirst.” James said as he sidestepped Alex.

Alex thrust out his sword. Gideon deftly dodged the blade and landed two quick blows in succession.

“Ah, what the fuck!” Alex cried out as he pulled back his sword. With a quick prayer to Hrafnagud Alex angrily swung his blade at the priest, the blade crackling with lightning. The priest blocked the blow with his staff and in a quick move slammed his quarterstaff into the ground, the lightning energy channeled into the ground.

“That’s new.” Alex said as he readied his stance again. The priest then grabbed his staff in both hands and swung at Alex. Alex parried but then dropped his sword as his arms started to vibrate violently. Gideon then stuck Alex in the chest sending him to the ground.

“What’s with this madness? Father Gideon, what’s going on?” Chris came up to Gideon. Sword in hand and completely baffled.

The priest responded by a swift blow in Chris’s gut. As Chris was starting to fold over, the priest swept Chris’s legs sending him tumbling to the ground.

“You are alright, Chris?” Alex asked as he got back on his feet and grabbed his sword.

“Oof. Yeah, I’m good. I just didn’t realize Gideon had hands.” Chris said as he got back up.

“Tell me about it. Give him some fire, Chris!” Alex ordered.

Chris grasped his talisman and did an incantation. A bright raging white fireball flew towards Father Gideon.

“Ah. Interesting. Looks like you been studying, Chris.” Gideon said as he pointed his quarterstaff. It glowed faintly and a glyph appeared.

The fireball was snuffed out mid-air without reaching Gideon before disappearing entirely.

James watched as the priest nimbly ran out of the orphanage and into the streets.

Alex turned over to James, “Well, what are you waiting for after him!”

“You want the worst fighter out of all of us, to fight that man?” James asked incredulously.

“At least you can slow him down so I can beat the shit out of him.”

Alex took off running, smacking James hard in the back on the way pass him, “we need to move old man!”

James grumbled but went running off into the streets with Chris and Alex.

They gave chase after the old priest who was surprisingly nimble on his feet.

“I thought you said he had a bad back!” Alex complained at Chris.

“He does! But apparently not when it’s time to run.” Chris replied

“He’s got stamina at least. I’ll give him that.”

The priest had ran out into a busy part of the city.

They lost him.

“Where did he go?” Alex said angrily.

“Well, he had to go somewhere. We’ll find him.” James replied as he scanned the area for any clues.

Nothing, Gideon blended into the crowd and got away.

James sighed, “let’s go back to Commander Paul. We are still missing something here.”

Still grumbling to himself Alex followed shortly by Chris.

***

“Ah, Commissioner James exactly who I wanted to see! Oh, what the fuck happened to you guys?” Commander Paul called out when he saw the trio come to his office.

“Oh, well you know how it goes. Just trying to get an old priest in his right mind.” Alex said as he tried to dust off his cloak.

“Uh, I mean that’s something, I guess. Beating up the old frail priest of the town.”

“Old and frail my ass!” Alex shot back

James shook his head at Alex, “we don’t have time for this. Commander Paul, we have reasons to believe that Father Gideon is part of the cult of Fear and Hunger. We are hoping you would have some insight.”

“Actually, I do have something! There was likely a spy among the guards who told the cult about you and Alex investigating Joshua’s site of death. I had my suspicions on one my guardsmen, Gregory Niemann. He was there that day, and he always had a chip on his shoulder about southerners. So, I started to follow him.”

“Stalking him.” Alex injected.

“Following him! There’s a difference. He was meeting with other guardsmen but there was something I noticed, they all were meeting at one place at night, in a back room of a local tavern. It was suspicious. One night I followed him, and he went the graveyard behind the Church of Saintess Kjera. I waited for a long time, and he never came back out from the graveyard.”

“Are you sure you didn’t fall asleep?” Alex asked

“Who you think am I sir knight!? I earned becoming a city commander. I did not fall asleep.”

James jolted in realization.

The reason why the cult has been so hard to track.

James opened his bag and checked with Joshua’s map.

The straight lines, throughout the city.

The trapdoor at the abandoned storehouse, what if it was sealed?

“They are underground routes. They are likely leading to a central location where the cult meets and where Gideon is.” James said.

“You sure?” Alex asked

“It makes sense. The cult members would want to avoid being seen.”

Paul frowned, “but there isn’t anything under the church through. There is a large basement underneath, but it’s just used for storage. I been there recently to drop off some crates.”

“Well, we wouldn’t know about my theory until we try. We are going.” James said as he stood up.

“We will need you gather a few of your men that you can trust to come join us when you can, Commander Paul”

“Anything to be rid of this cult. I wouldn’t be long behind you.”

***

The Church of Saintess Kjera.

It was a small and modest looking church with the symbol of the Goddess Herta on the front. It was church with a long history of serving the people of the town established in the early years of Svarostadt.

Its interior was made from stone, with a simple stone floor with rows of wooden pews.

A humble church for a humble people.

Commissioner James and his two men entered in the front entrance.

They were expecting a fight instead they found one bored looking girl.

“Hanna, what the fuck are you doing here?” Alex ran up to her ignoring the potential danger it may put him in. James tried to stop him but to avail.

“Oh, Alex thank the gods!” Hanna bounded up to meet Alex. “Dad was acting really weird today. Acting like it was his last day. Now I can’t even find him, what’s going on? Have you found him?”

“Oh yeah we found him alright.”

Hanna got a better look at Alex, “jeez, you got fucked up.” She then blushed, “did you tell him we kissed or something?”

“What? No. By Hrafnagud if it was that simple.” Alex then paused before continuing, “We have reasons to believe that your father is working with the cult.”

“No.” She replied flatly

“What do you mean no?”

“Listen hero knight. I’m his daughter. I see him for years serve community. He devoted his life to the Order of the Goddess Herta. I don’t believe it. There has to be something to more to this.”

Alex looked back at James, “well uh. Can we take her with us?”

James sighed, “yes. But if we get into a fight. You will stay back. Understood?”

“Deal.”

James and Alex looked around the church and checked in the church basement. No sign of the underground passageway.

“We are missing something.” James said.

“Of course, we are. The old man is a clever one. I have a bad feeling about this.” Alex replied.

James felt his mind going overboard, the possibilities and probabilities.

When Commander Paul was investigating earlier, he lost track of Gregory where...

“Let’s check the graveyard.” James said after a moment of thought.

The group left out into the back to the graveyard.

“Ugh, I feel like we are being watched.” Chris said with a shiver.

“Just your imagination.” James said.

“Yeah sure, keep believing that. We are chasing after a cult that literally worships an unnamed god of Fear and Hunger.” Alex said annoyed as he was checking some gravestones.

“Not a cult.” Hanna remarked.

James stopped at one grave.

It was a simple stone slab.

“What’s up, old man?” Alex asked as he came up behind James.

“This is it.” James said pointing to a gravestone.

“I don’t get it. How can you be so sure?”

“Just look give it a better look.” James said as he dug around and felt around the grave.

“Alright. It say’s on the gravestone. Here lies Captain Jakob Witkowski. A true hero of the north. His sacrifice will always be remembered.”

“We heard that name before. And who else would be better to defend even after death?” He found a handle hidden in the grass. James pulled it and the whole ground opened up.

“Well, I guess you are earning your keep as a commissioner.” Alex said with a whistle.

James, Alex, Chris and Hanna went downstairs.

It was getting dark, Chris cast a spell and an orb of bright light floated around Chris, lighting the way.

They got to the bottom and there was an iron door blocking their way.

An iron padlock, keeping the door closed.

“Allow me.” Alex said as he had his sword out, crackling with lightning.

“What are you stupid? Here.” Hanna went to the door and knelt by the padlock.

She pulled out a kit from her jacket. She put a piece of metal into the padlock.

“What are you doing?” Alex asked.

“Using a tension wrench.” Hanna replied without looking up from her work. “If I put the tension wrench here and turn it back and forth then I can unlock it. One is set. Two is set and three...”

The lock fell off.

Hanna let out a small cheer, “Tada! Easy peasy.”

“My way would have been cooler.” Alex grumbled.

“And way dumber.”

Hanna ignored Alex’s protests and opened the door.

A dirt passageway with torches lighting the way.

James heard footsteps behind him.

He pulled out his sword, “who goes there?”

“It’s just me and my men. Commander Paul.”

A group of four guardsmen emerged from the shadows, Commander Paul at their lead.

Paul looked at the door, the padlock on the ground and Hanna.

He sighed.

“You still being a thief? Don’t you ever learn, Hanna? Always getting in trouble.”

Hanna grinned sheepishly, “hey, this time I am helping.”

James shook his head, “just follow us. Be silent. They may already know we are coming. Leave one man behind to guard this entrance and protect Hanna.”

“Hey, you aren’t taking me with you? My father is down here somewhere.”

Alex shook his head, “No arguing with boss man. Besides your father being down here is even more reason to not come along. We will get into actual combat again, potentially with that mercenary Felix. Just stay here and I’ll bring back Gideon after I get a couple punches in. He and you will be able to talk as much as you need to.”

“...I guess I could do that.” Hanna sighed, “Please remember what I told you. Be careful.”

One guard and Hanna was left behind as the group went further down the passage.