It was certainly something new for the Inquisitor: to find a monster he could reason with, even if said reasoning needed an interpreter. After another fit of meowing, the lynx managed to convince Shade that Arthur could set it free. That, of course, came with conditions. The lynx would stop flicking at the edge of Arthur's senses and allow herself to be marked so Arthur could immediately recognise her on his radar. Also, the lynx would not run if Arthur were to approach her in the future for any reason. Arthur even promised never to hurt her if she refrained from attacking him and his companions. To his surprise, the lynx agreed without any issue. She stood firm while Arthur put his hand on her head to mark her, and looked quite pleased as the two left her alone afterwards. Once they were far away, Arthur covered them in a privacy barrier and, with concern, asked the Fenrir,

  "Are you sure we can trust her? I know that she was far more honest than most people I have to deal with, but she is a monster. A wild beast at best..."

  "I think that she will uphold her part of the deal. She is looking for vengeance, and even watching you kill those who hunted her kin could give her solace." The Fenrir responded, jumping into the Paladin's shadow. "She has far more to gain by keeping that deal than we do. After all, she won't have to be worried about powerful monsters hunting her down. Nothing that powerful will come close to us, and now that we know about her, I'm more than certain that she will keep a lot closer to us than before."

  "Hmmm..." Arthur gave a glance towards the large, white cat that was still sitting calmly on the sand. "We shall see..."

  "We will." Shade agreed, giving the vocal equivalent of a shrug. "We also gain something from her."

  "Really?" Arthur looked at his feet and the boiling shadow beneath him.

  "She has to eat something." The Fenrir laughed. "So she will keep away any pests that I would normally have to deal with."

  "Fair..."

  In silence, he returned to the camp where everyone was waiting for him with a slightly concerned expression. Well, mostly everyone. Catherine was stoic, but smiled brightly as she saw him.

  "I knew you would be fine, Sir." The Nekomi said cheerfully. "How did it go?"

  "The problem is solved." He said without details, but that was all they needed. He only hoped that it was the truth and the lynx didn't bother them anymore.

  They spent the rest of the day on their various training regimens and, as usual, all three of his companions fell asleep as quickly as their heads hit the pillows. He sat near the fire and thought about the future. He had to make a decision on what they should do next. The local Temple was annoying, but even if that newly arrived Cardinal took the blame for everything Arthur had done so far, the problem wasn't going to vanish. On the contrary, it might grow even bigger once the conflict between the factions escalated into an open war with Howthorns in the middle of it. He decided that he couldn't wait for the shipments indefinitely. As much as he wanted to spend some time camping near the platform, he knew that he had to deal with the mess he had created himself. If he used Shade, he could reach the platform in two days, which helped him to make a decision.

  "We’ll return to Howthorns tomorrow..." He sighed.

  ???

  The arrival of the next shipment the following morning only reinforced his decision. Lord Southcross’ message directly told him that the next shipment would be sent the following week, so there was no point in camping in the desert. This time, he obtained MREs, medical supplies, more weapons, and a few recordings he decided to play in secret to check if there was anything crucial. Unfortunately, they weren't exactly groundbreaking for his return, even though they contained a few very important news. But most of them were like official permission from the Emperor to use anything at his disposal to stay alive. Up to and including the taking over of whatever country he was in. While he took it as a joke at first, the more he thought about it, the less he believed that the Emperor was anything but serious. Lord Theon Avalon wasn't a man who would give someone advice to do anything he wasn't going to do himself. After all, it was exactly what the Emperor had done when he appeared in Aderon.

  He took over the country. And then some...

  With that in mind, Arthur decided to leave thinking about it for later and enjoyed the rest of their journey to the city. He mostly enjoyed talking with Cate, so the time flew faster than he might have otherwise wished. On their arrival, they were immediately led by the soldiers to the Baron's mansion. Arthur ordered his companions to rest and managed to get Val'narii a room next to Ben and Silfa before he was nearly dragged to Sion's office. The Baron, his wife, Cardinal Felix Xanah, Captain Amos, and two more soldiers he didn't recognise were staring at a map of the city and the nearby area with grim expressions.

  The two soldiers accompanying the Cardinal were older, with grey hair and an aura of power surrounding them. Their pristine and immaculate armours, with their golden finishes and intricate white details, looked like they had never seen combat, but Arthur could feel their high levels. Those two were about level ninety. They cast a bored stare towards the doors, and him by extension, when he entered the room, and Arthur felt their appraisal fail to gauge him. Immediately, they straightened up and grabbed for their swords. A single glance from the Cardinal however, was enough to put them at ease. Felix and Sion smiled at him with visible relief as they rose to welcome him.

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  "I hope you are back for more than just a few moments, Arthur." Sion approached him and grabbed his hand in a firm and friendly handshake. "Because I believe that I will be needing your help."

  "I will probably have to disappear for a few days in the near future, but I would like to catch a breath and finish a few things I have rather carelessly ignored for far too long." Arthur forced a small smile and looked at the Cardinal. "One of those things is the way I should proceed with the Saftian Temple."

  The Cardinal visibly flinched, but forced a smile despite his Paladins giving the Inquisitor incredulous looks.

  "In that case, you need to learn a thing or two..." Sion invited him to the table with a gesture and took his own seat again. "Things are getting very interesting, to say the least. When Cardinal Felix Xanah left the capital, the opposing faction used it as an excuse to take over the Temple. However, in the most unexpected turn of events, King Razak Ter Saftia opposed their declaration. As the news spread, it turned out that only one-third of the local Temples supported Archbishop Sumnar, when he proclaimed himself the Oracle."

  "I was sure that King Razak would support Techmir, who is in cahoots with Sumnar." The Cardinal shook his head. "But, with the King opposing the change of power in the Temple, it basically stopped whatever Techmir and Sumnar were planning. It's a surprising but a very welcome development."

  Arthur tilted his head and looked at the two men in silence. He couldn't fathom why they were so optimistic, but contrary to them, Elene Howthorns looked like she had eaten something particularly bitter.

  "What do you think about it, Lady Howthorns?" Arthur asked in a deceptively calm voice and could immediately feel the disapproving gaze of Amos and both Paladins while Sion and Felix were confused.

  "In my opinion, we have nothing to celebrate." She said quietly, but her words only reinforced Arthur's opinion about her. "King Razak wants to take control of the Temple on his own. He doesn't need Techmir or Sumnar because they are, in essence, just another form of noble. No, the king is weak, but if he manages to combine the functions of the King and the highest priest, his power will be close to absolute, no matter what the nobles try to do. If he won’t deal with them politically, he can just brand them as heretics and watch the people tear them apart."

  A deafening silence fell upon the room when Elene said aloud what Arthur had suspected. The Paladins paled, while Amos looked at the woman with shock. Sion and Felix remained calm, but Arthur saw in their eyes how they considered her words and ran several simulations in their heads. Their conclusions must have been grim since they nodded slightly at her.

  "What you point out, Elene, is unfortunately very likely..." Sion admitted with a solemn voice.

  "The more I think about it the more certain I am that your wife is correct, Sion..." Felix covered his face with a shaking hand. "This is bad... Some Templars are already working for the King."

  "What else is bothering you?" Arthur crossed his arms, his expression placid as he smiled at Elene with approval.

  "The last few days haven’t been calm. In fact, the city and various key structures were attacked or attempted to be sabotaged by various groups. I sent an inquiry to the Duke but I'm afraid that we must prepare for the worst." Sion sighed heavily. "I was too optimistic, counting on the King and the Temple's faction of change to be too occupied with each other. I-"

  A sudden explosion shook the city and everyone looked towards the walls. The eastern gate was covered with a dense smoke, and Arthur's eyes narrowed as he rose from behind the table.

  "We are under attack!" The Inquisitor shouted, running towards the doors, but he was stopped by Butler, who barged in with a grim expression.

  "Some people attacked the manor, my Lord! The soldiers and Paladins are trying to stop them, but the attackers have managed to get inside, Sir! Captain Guilan sent Paladins to protect your sons, my Lord."

  Arthur clenched his jaw, using all his discipline not to push the older man aside. The dutiful man had done all he could to inform his lord about the attack, and had only interrupted Arthur by accident. On reflex, the Inquisitor thought about Catherine. She was alone in the apartment, and if she were attacked, she would be powerless to defend herself. His only consolation was that Shade was with her, guarding her from the shadows. He needed to get to her fast nonetheless. Arthur quickly moved near the Butler, who gracefully slipped aside and followed the faintly familiar corridor until he heard the sounds of a battle. He drew his sword, cursing at the horrible timing of the attack. The Baron's soldiers were locked in a duel with a few assailants. The enemies seemed skilful, but the soldiers managed to hold the line while the Paladins were dealing with most of the attackers.

  Arthur dashed forward and deftly cut one of the strongest enemies in his sight completely in half. There was no time for fancy duels or taking prisoners. Not before he made sure that the woman he loved was safe. The attackers hesitated upon seeing his merciless progress, and the defenders roared their battlecries as they followed in his wake. Arthur was worried because he couldn't sense the presence of his familiar. It was unlikely that anyone could take out the Fenrir without him putting up a fight that would instantly get everyone's attention. It was also impossible to sneak past him. That's why Arthur was walking towards the apartment with a grim expression on his face and his magic coiling and warping the air around him. With a furious glance, he cast Holy Javelin at the four enemies that charged at him with mad cries. His heart beat heavily as he saw the destroyed doors and five dead guards who most probably tried to protect Catherine. Their sitting room was a mess. The table was flipped, the chairs were broken, and the glass water pitcher lay on the floor in pieces.

  "Now they’ve fucking done it." He said with wrath in his voice as he turned around. He looked at the Baron's soldiers who had followed him and who now flinched under his gaze. "They just declared war..."

  Thank you all for reading.

  I wish you all a great day and as always I wait for your comments.

  A big thanks to and who edited the chapter!