Chapter 38: Chapter Fifteen: The Testament of the Lovely Sister Marionette

There was a sense of tension building among us as we made our way back to the station that would take us from the outer circle. We took a slightly different route, avoiding Achak’s village so as to not upset their superstition in regard to the parcel we now carried. This meant more sleeping within the wastes. On the seventh night of our journey back the Grand Inquisitor sat beside the coffin, her contingent of inquisitors forming a perimeter around them while keeping their distance. Curiosity began to gnaw at my nerves urging me to approach. I had not been any closer than a few yards from the weapon at all times, partly due to its anti-eros stone and malachite chains, and partly due to the Inquisitor's insistence on nursing the damn thing under her personal watch. 

“I feel a great sadness, my love,” Rafa said as I lingered outside the inquisitor's reach.

“A sorrow? From Seta?” 

“No, I do not think so, or maybe?” familiars were said to be intune with the emotions of others, empathetic in an almost supernatural way, it was part of the bond between familiar and witch after all. Rafa told me that it was their ability to feel the emotions of others that helped them find candidates for their contract, a way of finding prospective witches. It is not surprising that Rafa would sense Seta’s emotions, she is a woman and as such has the capacity for witchcraft, but it was not Seta who’s emotions she felt. “I feel as though a woman weeps, but I cannot see her.”

These words made the dam within me break and a tidal wave of curiosity compel me to approach. I walked past the inquisitor's line of defense and joined Seta where she sat in front of the wagon that contained the weapon.

“Sister Marionette, have you come to see the weapon?” the grand Inquisitor asked, never shifting her gaze from the wagon. 

“Inquisitor Seta, you know what the weapon is, do you not?” my knees shook as I stood there in her presence.

“A bold question for a nun to ask the Grand Inquisitor,” she said her voice dry, “you wish for me to share knowledge with you the church has withheld?”

 “I simply wish to know why a Nun, a knight, and a bounty hunter would be needed to escort a coffin through the wastes,”

“And you shall see in the coming days,” she stood up, turning to me and stared at me from behind her mask.

“Your answers are cryptic, and my patience is thin,” my voice was shaky, but I had to know. Nothing was making sense about this. First an Inquisitor brings a weapon from beyond the wastes, then an unorthodox party is sent from the church to retrieve it. Malice pursues it, that’s what the Elder said, so then was it a weapon of pure malice? Only the High Priestess herself can destroy it, and only from within the halls of the Inner Sanctum. I was tired of the secrets, the lies, I needed answers. “Tell me, Seta, what is it really? Why must I be left in the dark? I understand the bounty hunter as he is an outside operative, but I am a nun of the highest order am I not?”

“And what privilege has that afforded you?” Her question left me stupefied, and so she followed it up, “what have you gained as a nun? How has the church aided you?”

“It has kept me alive,” I said, “given me shelter, a purpose and a family.”

“A family? Your sisters, women who dedicate their lives to the service of the church. Your purpose is to die in battle a martyr or die by the inquisitors hand a heretic.”

“And how many nuns have you slain as heretics?” I challenged her.

“My sins in the name of the Goddess are many as are yours, but pale in comparison to those of the church,” she sighed. “You wish to know what is inside the coffin?”

“Yes, I do,” I was exasperated, she took our talk in a pointless circle.

“The doom of Haven as you know it, the salvation of Haven as it should be,” she left me there with those words.

 

 The next morning, we continued our journey, my mind buzzing with my recent talk with Seta.

“Certainly, the risk of pirates was greatly exaggerated,” Ban laughed, “Were the pirate Deadman Jack truly after the weapon, would it not have been opportune to take it now? I see no threat.”

I shared his sentiments though I remained silent, still my presence felt unnecessary. Only another day or so and we would be at the station, boarding the train, with the object stored safely in the baggage car. Our riding companion seemed less optimistic. Achak bounced his leg anxiously, looking out the window of our wagon. “Hehehehe,” he laughed creepily, “almost there, almost there.”

“Calm your nerves,” I said, turning my gaze from the bounty hunter to the third passenger.

“Do you feel anything?” I asked Rafa.

Ban perked up, caught off guard and pretended to answer.

“Nothing different from before my love,” Rafa responded, “whatever we are protecting, it holds a power I can’t quite explain.”

“Just utterly fascinating,” I sighed.

“What’s fascinating about that, you know something about treatin bug bites?” Achak asked, having only heard Ban’s fake side of the conversation.

“Yes,” I lied, “cactus dew should help.”

“Heh, guess I’ll haveta try that next time,” Achak continued staring out the window. 

The church had its secrets, this much I knew was true, how deep those secrets went, were beyond me. Everything Ban told me, everything I witnessed in the wastes, and everything the church had ever taught me. What was I to believe? The Inquisitor's words buzzed in my head like corpsefliers circling a dying cattle. 

“Pretty morbid if you think about it,” Ban said, “hiding a weapon in a coffin that is.”

“You really believe it’s a weapon?” The bounty hunter asked, “church I know wouldn’t go throwin away a weapon just ‘cause it’s dangerous.”

“What are you implying, friend?” Ban adjusted his posture, leaning back.

“Best not go runnin my mouth with you church type’s, but I’ve seen what the church is capable of, ‘in the name of the Goddess’,” he hacked, “law and order at any cost.”

“Not all in the church are as bad as you say, though given your people’s history I can understand the ill regards.” Ban sighed. 

“Way I see it, there’s no good people in the church, if you were good, you’d leave, or become so hardened that there’s no good left,” he turned his head once more, no longer interested in conversing. 

Several more minutes passed in awkward silence, before a dark feeling of dread filled me. The wagon stopped, before being quickly turned sideways as the donkeys brayed and began kicking about, no doubt trying to free themselves from the reins. 

“Hells goin on?” Achak grunted, jumping out of the wagon. Ban and I glanced at one another, before following the bounty hunter. The donkeys bucked and pulled, wrenching themselves free before running off, “damn beasts get your asses back here!” 

“I’d appreciate that pun, were it not for the circumstances,” Ban quipped.

Ignoring the fleeing beasts of burden, I stared straight ahead. Another caravan not too distant from our own found itself surrounded by a swirling vortex in the sky, whilst beset by a ghastly sight. The Malefic. I stood my ground, though my body shook with a slight tremble, as I watched the horrid creatures brutalize the travelers. 

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Guns fired off, people screamed, and the beasts continued their onslaught. Not hesitating a moment more, I sprung forth, gun drawn.

“Take cover you dolts,” A woman barked, “that’s what we have the witches for!”

Two witches stood, one wielding a sword made of violet flames, the other holding a strange looking bomb. The flame wielder slashed her magic blade at a malefic’s back, drawing its attention away from his prey. Meanwhile the other tossed a bomb that exploded into a purple haze, eating away at a malefics putrid body.

As I drew closer, more Malefic swarmed upon the two witches, try as they might, they could not hold the monsters off. 

“Rafa, strike true!” I pulled the trigger, and a bolt of lightning enveloped my bullet, guiding its path to a Malefic’s heart. 

“Goddess damn! Another witch!” the fiery sword bearer exclaimed.

“Not a witch, a nun!” the other corrected.

I fired another shot, Rafa’s enchantment killing a second beast, “Do not concern yourself with me, fight for your lives!” 

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” the bomb witch said, preparing another one of her magical explosives. Together we three weeded out the horrid beasts, one by one the Malefic were slain, till only a single one was left standing.

“Its form?” I stood in shock. It was not a lumbering tower of muscle and flesh, but instead a slender graceful shape, it moved with a psychotic elegance, almost intelligent but still clearly a monster. She was a mass of darkness, her arms like tendrils, her legs like mist. She leered at us with her empty black void of eyes, and sickening grimace. 

“The hell you waiting for? kill it!” One of the witches exclaimed, raising her sword. She ran to the creature and thrusted, only to find her blow deflected by its tentacled arm. Her sword’s flame blazed brighter as she called out her familiar’s name, and swung at the Malefic’s head. With her strike, a mighty wave of violet fire enveloped the space around her, disrupting my view of the fight. As the flames dispersed the witch could be seen suspended in the air, her sword fallen, extinguished on the ground. 

The female Malefic had pinned several more tendrils into the witch’s body, throughout her shoulders, arms and legs, as it held her aloft. She slowly snaked her left tentacle-like arm up around the woman’s neck, strangeling the witch as her face turned blue. I stood there in shock till the other witch egged me on, “do something!”

I fired a bullet of lightning through the monster’s head. It dropped the witch, and quickly faced me, a chunk of its face blown away by my attack. Not giving it a chance to take another step I fired my enchanted bullet through its heart, and with that the beast was no more. 

“Joy!” the bomb witch cried, running to her companions side. 

The witch called Joy coughed, blood dripping from her mouth, “I’m fine,” she forced a smile, “don’t worry about me, you gotta make sure the others are alright.” 

Her friend hugged her injured body lightly, laying her head on her chest, “I thought I lost you Joy, you have to be more careful than that!” 

“Yeah, I know,” Joy laughed before her face turned sour, “and what the hell took you so long to help? Hey nun Im talkin to you!”

I stood there, still in shock, before responding, “I was taken back by its form.” It was all I could think to say, as it was an honest answer. 

“What, you’ve never seen a Twisted before?” the bleeding witch asked with a grunt.

“No, I have not,” I stated plainly, “I did not expect it to be so powerful either.”

“Women naturally got better eros affinity right? They say that witches make more powerful Malefics,” the other witch explained. 

At this moment my companions had arrived to help, having waited for the malefic to be dealt with..

“Dear Goddess, these poor people,” Ban exclaimed. He quickly rushed to the aid of one of the injured travelers, attempting to dress their wounds with what suitable fabric he could find. 

“Aint that a fuckin nasty sight,” Achak grimmaced, “oi! That’s Joy the Violet Blade, and Blast Witch Adel! The Gemini Bandits in the flesh.” 

Upon being identified the two witches braced themselves, readying their weapons. As Seta and her inquisitors approached, the injured witch attempted to stand and fight.

“Get this woman medical attention,” Seta ordered an inquisitor.

“Yes Ma’am,” he lowered his rifle and stepped towards Joy.

“In your report, make note, there were no Witches among the attacked Caravan,” she told a second inquisitor, “if there were any, they escaped in the chaos, Sister Marionette dispatched the Malefic alone, and the survivors were treated to the best of our abilities.” 

“Yes Grand Inquisitor,” he responded. 

Joy lowered her sword, “What gives, no way an inquisitor’s just going to let us live.”

“There is no reason to spill more blood today,” she answered, “You, witch Adel, do you require medical attention?”

“Huh, no I’m okay,” she said hesitantly.  

The inquisitor began to clean and dress Joy’s wounds, while Adel stood watch over her companion. 

“This is most unheard of, High Inquisitor,” Judeka growled, “What good are you if you do not do your job and execute those damn witches! They are wanted criminals are they not?” 

“Are you questioning my authority?” She said coldly. Though her face was hidden behind her beaked mask, the intensity of her gaze was enough to force Judeka to back down.

“Hmph, do whatever you please, but know the church will hear of this! I’ll see you demoted for your insolence” he hobbled back to his own wagon, the grand inquisitor paying him no mind.

“Sister Marionette, are you hurt?” she turned her gaze to me.

“No, I am unharmed,” I stared back at her.

“Will you assist me then, we must find the escaped donkeys or our return time will be greatly delayed,” she turned to the bounty hunter, “you too Achak. Your tracking skills ought to be good for something.”

“Fine, beats draggin the damn waggons back I suppose,” Achak sighed. The three of us together trekked into the waste in search of the animals, leaving the site of the attack behind us for a time.

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