1.
Ever since the great patriarch had sworn a pact with the dark stars, ever since he had
2.
Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day
3.
The daughters had already had a couple cups, the patriarch was probably on his fourth and the sergeant had probably already lost count
4.
said the family patriarch in a curious mixture of Occitan
5.
across from the door and Delvin could hear the bitter grumblings of the elder man, the Snow-Shod patriarch
6.
Kennedy should be the furthest thing removed from royalty, inasmuch as the family Patriarch was a gun-running, booze-smuggling rapist
7.
Suddenly he stood transfixed, and muttered something, upon which a grey-haired patriarch was seized, in spite of his vigorous protestations, and rushed to the front
8.
He had seen the likes of the Patriarch and the Castigator conspiring against the people, orchestrating deaths and mass executions as if people’s lives were mere numbers on charts, maps and reports
9.
And he had seen the Patriarch vanish and reappear, wielding strange instruments of unknown origin that would have been deemed utterly blasphemous
10.
I have had little foreword of the Castigator’s decision, and though privy to most of his thoughts and discussions, I have to say that the Patriarch is better informed than I am
11.
The rumours made the Patriarch laugh sometimes
12.
Others were too eager to circulate such rumors as well as the names of those who commented on such impertinent views of the Holy Avatar, the Patriarch
13.
The Chief Inquisitor stood in reverent attention a few steps next to the Patriarch with his head bowed and his gaze averted from the Holy Avatar’s face
14.
The Patriarch then spoke, addressing the Inquisitor without turning his head or gaze with his examination of the prisoner’s belongings uninterrupted and now seemingly even more thorough:
15.
The Patriarch cast a gaze of subdued anger at the Inquisitor, his otherwise serene face the cause of a disturbing, fearful sensation
16.
The Patriarch took notice of the Inquisitor’s fear and felt pleased
17.
The Patriarch seemed calm and restrained but his last phrase was uttered with such venom and malice that his uncannily melodic voice suddenly took on a sickeningly sweet quality
18.
The Patriarch could see the man was visibly trembling
19.
Remis would have to be made acquiescent in this matter, compliant and pliable as the Patriarch believed he was
20.
‘There were always the rules,’ the Patriarch thought with a hint of exasperation in his brow
21.
The flogger set down his instrument of torture and bowed reverently as fast as it would seem prudent, and then stepped completely away from the chained form of Philo, standing still and averting his gaze from the direction of the Patriarch
22.
The Inquisitor managed a slightly expectant look towards the Patriarch, awaiting for the casual flick of the Rod that would sentence him to excruciating torture at the hands of the Patriarch himself, who had far more delicate and much more painfully agonizing unseen methods of torment at his disposal
23.
The Patriarch instead motioned with his left hand, the one unadorned, his Mourning hand, for the Inquisitor to rise, before he added:
24.
The Patriarch was studying the prisoner intently with a deeply frowned face, as if trying to uncover everything he needed to know merely by watching him hard enough
25.
The Inquisitor had no intention of uttering a single sentence that could very well be his last and with a series of deep bows and small steps made his way to the staircase as well, being very cautious not to turn his back to the Patriarch at any one point
26.
The moment he reached the base of the stairs as ready as he was to turn and hurriedly run them up, the Patriarch raised his left hand and with his gaze still fixed on Philo, he asked the Inquisitor:
27.
It was, the Patriarch thought, an art form
28.
The Patriarch told him then, with a laugh and a grin:
29.
The Patriarch replied in a candid way, as if exchanging opinions with a peer:
30.
That having being said, the Patriarch reached for Philo’s chains; a mere touch of his hand unlocked the first one and Philo’s body swayed immediately to his other chained side
31.
When the Patriarch unchained his remaining hand, Philo tried to act as fast as possible
32.
His right side, he believed, was nearer to the Patriarch; he mustered all the strength that he could and focused it on his elbow, suddenly jutting it towards the Patriarch’s groin
33.
Instead, he felt a rush of air as if a void was suddenly created where the Patriarch had been standing
34.
The Patriarch was not where he should have been and was instead at Philo’s left side now; it was as if he had instantly sidestepped him with inhuman speed, impossible reflexes, and divine foresight
35.
Evidently surprised and dumbstruck, he managed to ask the Patriarch:
36.
The Patriarch let out an almost hysterical laughter, his shoulders bobbing freely up and down in an unseemly lack of decorum
37.
The Patriarch grinned appreciatively, and then almost immediately his face wore an expression of mild disappointment
38.
To which the Patriarch replied with a brilliant smile adorning his face:
39.
The Patriarch grasped Philo’s head once more
40.
When the Patriarch emerged from the door of the torture chamber, the guards posted there were almost ashen in color but still managed to stand to attention briskly enough
41.
The Patriarch said to the first one he laid his eyes on:
42.
They had seen it happen before, they all knew the dangers and the ignominious ways the Patriarch and the Castigator chose to dispose of their enemies
43.
Lord Ursempyre Remis was being escorted by a pair of procrastinators at the behest of the Patriarch himself, he had been told
44.
He thought that perhaps the Patriarch knew something, but he had to learn that for himself
45.
Would the Patriarch be so rash? Would he suddenly arrest him without good reason? Certainly he had the power to do so, but was it to his best interest? How could he ever succeed in finding out what drove the Patriarch? Nothing useful was to be found in Ursempyre’s bag of thoughts
46.
But the Patriarch was a blank, as if he were totally heedless of the circumstances, the dynamics of power play, and indeed the workings of the world around him
47.
It was as if the Patriarch were a chilling, unnatural force that could bore right into your soul and leave you empty; a walking husk with your mind and soul gone forever, his own for the taking at nothing but a whim of his
48.
He would be thoroughly interrogated by the Patriarch himself
49.
The Noble Representative would be tortured, questioned, and killed by the Patriarch himself
50.
An ill omen, but who would challenge the will of the Law and the Patriarch, Reverent and Beloved of the Gods, the Holy Avatar? Not a lowly guard, that much was certain
51.
One of the men that had led him into the caves spoke with a restrained voice, somewhat confused about whether he should refer to Ursempyre as a Lord or as just another lost soul at the non-existing mercy of the Patriarch
52.
He was then mildly but forcibly pushed, as if he had to be reminded that they were there to ensure his concordance and cooperation, or club him unconscious and fetch him themselves in front of the Patriarch, if the need arose
53.
The cave seemed to be hollowed out artificially, swaths of incandescent light pouring out from the large orifice he was instructed the Patriarch was awaiting his presence
54.
The Patriarch was standing with his back turned to Ursempyre right amid the four columns, his bald scalp glistening under the blueish-white light of the columns, gossamer shadows of himself cast in the shape of a cross across the rough and uneven, rocky floor
55.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sly, surreptitious voice of the Patriarch, which broke the silence of the chamber sounding as if it resonated with the columns and the rock walls, both adding to its effect:
56.
The Patriarch sounded amused when he replied:
57.
He wanted the Patriarch to know that he wasn’t terrified of him
58.
The Patriarch realized Ursempyre had frozen in place, his mind stung by the sudden impossible appearance of the furniture, and beckoned him once more to seat himself:
59.
Ursempyre was still looking at the Patriarch dumbfounded, not as much because of the Patriarch’s ability to instantly and at will seemingly conjure whatever items he pleased, but more so because of what he was saying, or trying to imply
60.
The Patriarch was not in any way, a simple man
61.
“This ability of yours, it does not scare me, Patriarch
62.
“You are a constant reminder of my failings and nothing more!”, said the Patriarch as he burst into a fit of rage, sending the jug of wine crashing against a glass pillar
63.
Ursempyre was even more mystified at what the Patriarch was saying
64.
It was the Patriarch himself that was doing it; his words seemed to twist reality and violate normalcy
65.
It was as if he was trying to make some point, but was having real difficulty in doing so, like there was a great barrier between them, as if the Patriarch were unable to make himself understood in human terms
66.
He felt relieved his mask was finally cast off, feeling primed and ready for everything that the Patriarch would throw at him
67.
He managed to ask the Patriarch, his voice rippling with waves of incredulity and disbelief:
68.
The Patriarch had risen from his seat with hands behind his back, and was very slowly pacing around the columns, his form every once in a while disappearing behind a blaze of blue and white light, each time a sliver of his figure and face appearing grotesque and malformed behind the glass column, as if it had the ability to reveal what lay behind the facade of the Patriarch
69.
The Patriarch then continued, a wide grin showing his immaculate teeth:
70.
The Patriarch motioned with a slight nod of his head that he should be seated but Ursempyre declined in kind with an almost imperceptible shake of his head, his gaze intently fixed at the Patriarch at all times
71.
“Very well, if you insist,” said the Patriarch and the chair blinked away in the same logic defying manner that it had manifested in the first place
72.
The Patriarch went on:
73.
Would he actually consider such a proposal? Did it have any merit? Would the Patriarch keep true to his word? What chance would he stand against the Patriarch once he felt like he had served his purpose? If he was so powerful, why did he need him? Why shouldn’t he crush the rebellion altogether? Why did he need him? What were the limitations of his strange powers, and where did those powers stem from? Demons?
74.
Ursempyre’s reverie was broken, and upon hearing the Patriarch he responded with a burst, his words spat from his mouth rather than spoken:
75.
Ursempyre involuntarily flinched at the uncanny remark and was terrified at the thought the Patriarch was actually reading his mind
76.
The Patriarch was grinning malevolently when he said:
77.
These weird abilities of the Patriarch
78.
Still, why was he being offered this now? Should he not refuse? What made the Patriarch so certain of his superiority? What was the true extent of his power? Why had he not crushed them at their inception while they were still a handful; weak, their organization still a dream, a footnote of history and legend brought back from oblivion, nothing but a speck against the power the Council held over all? He had to find out before he plunged in a path that may well damn him and all those who believed in him
79.
But he indulged the Patriarch, who seemed to be trying to veer him off course nevertheless:
80.
The Patriarch took a step back, and extended his arms
81.
It seemed to emanate from the Patriarch as far as Ursempyre could tell
82.
A smell that reminded him of metal against metal, the smell of a blacksmith’s shop but all he could see was that the Patriarch was now a bit taller than before
83.
Faint bluish crackles of light like tiny lightnings and sparks of light coursed through the Patriarch, his bald scalp having taken on an eerie sheen as if it had suddenly transformed into a shiny metal mirror
84.
The Patriarch grinned and uttered in High Helican:
85.
With that, the Patriarch tensed and a bright shiny aura began to emanate from within him
86.
And all the while Remis could see the grin of the Patriarch, even though his face was no longer there
87.
The robes around the Patriarch were absorbed into his flesh, which was now a rippling pool of molten metal, incandescent with a fiery aura around it
88.
This was something else entirely; the Patriarch was the wielder of terrible force
89.
He did not know whether the Patriarch himself was still vulnerable, but he now believed this was his true form, and the old man a mere charade he found more practical
90.
The Patriarch returned to his human form in mere moments, the transition this time a lot quicker and much less dramatic
91.
The Patriarch insisted, the hand still extended for a handshake, and said:
92.
His equally hard glare at the Patriarch with eyes like fiery pinpricks of unyielding light, indicated that he was expending huge amounts of patience and self-restrain in order for him not to lunge at the Patriarch right then and there
93.
With obvious reluctance and slow, deliberate motions that brought to mind a man in pain, he managed to shake hands with the Patriarch
94.
He paused in thought and asked the Patriarch who was about to call out to the guards:
95.
The Patriarch paused in his step, turned to look at Ursempyre and smiled brightly before replying:
96.
He was summoned by the Patriarch himself
97.
He had told him that the Patriarch was in league with a cluster of rebellious religious fanatics that wished for total domination of the Patriarch over the ruling council making the first move against peace and prosperity
98.
A messenger had shortly arrived bearing a message from the Patriarch, citing that the Castigator had been deemed unworthy in the eyes of God and that the Noble Representative, Lord Ursempyre Remis was the new Castigator of the Outer Territories
99.
The Castigator had informed him then that sadly enough the Arch-minister had been found dead, assassinated by the rebel scum, the henchmen of the unholy demon that posed as their Patriarch
100.
It was only until he had seen the orders, written and signed from the Patriarch, to have his army stand down and ignore the Castigator before him as a traitor and conspirator set to overthrow the Rule of the Council; to disarm the men and dissolve the Army peacefully, under the watchful eye of the procrastinators
