A Beginning Conspiracy

“Where is it, where is it?” The panicked cry was sounded right before the two pinewood doors were thrust wide open. Sweeping through the entrance on swift legs came two robed figures, once clad in viridian and the other in scarlet. The green robed figure was a towering male, bearded face crinkled in worry and movements hurried. His companion wore her almond hair in a simple bun, her face stern. Her eyebrows were furrowed in thought. 

“Have you checked the Forbidden Section Director Grunwald?” Her query earned her a huff in response. 

“That was the first place I inspected, Inquisitor Espero.” Immediately the woman threw a hand to his shoulder and dragged him to her side. Leaning over, the crimson robed woman glared at him. 

“Be quiet, fool! I am working covertly, no one can know the Inquisition is seeking the Book.” The director shrugged her hand off and marched over a desk by the wall, the sunlight streaming through the glass window above it. Set in a wooden stand was an open leather bound book, the parchment pages yellowed and worn. A wave of his hand caused several pages to begin flipping themselves. As that was occurring, the Inquisitor scanned the room, making note of her surroundings. Placed on desks that ran along the walls were rolled piles of parchment and papyrus scrolls. Meanwhile, set in rows, shelves that reached up to the ceiling were filled to the brim with all manner of books, from the journals and grimoires of long dead Wizards and Sorcerers to the various tomes of legend and lore that had been painstakingly collected and written down. Sprinkled amongst that number was the occasional codex that had belonged to the rare accomplished Magus. One, in particular, had gained the attention of numerous parties who desired it. The disgusted scoff from her current companion distracted Inquisitor Espero from her observations. 

“Useless, stupid catalog,” Director Grunwald seethed. He turned and threw his hands up in the air. 

“The Book is missing,” he admitted in defeat. His shoulders slumped. Inquisitor Espero jerked back as if struck. 

“What do you mean the Book is gone?” She demanded. She took a deep breath, held it, then exhaled. She fixed the Director with a frustrated scowl. 

“You are in charge of the Library of Cryignistadt, the most accomplished library in the province, and you have the audacity to tell me that you have lost The Reckoning of Hell, a book that literally has the instructions for someone to both ascend to godhood and bring about the end of the world.” Her furious eyes met his defeated blues. With a growl she stomped to the nearest shelf and began eyeing the books therein. 

“Unbelievable,” she muttered to herself. First she learns one of the most dangerous books to have ever been written was transferred to some provincial hovel that dares to call itself a library, then the one responsible for the supposedly best library in the entire province let a threat to the security of the Empire go missing on his watch. Inquisitor Espero closed her eyes and started massaging her temples. What an utter disaster. Behind her, the Inquisitor heard the Director once more flip through the catalog, muttering an incantation of seeking. Suddenly, Director Grunwald gasped. Immediately, Espero’s eyes snapped open and she turned on her heel, hands coming up in a guard position. 

“What have you found?” Director Grunwald stared at her in dawning dismay, his ashen beard quivering. 

“We have been betrayed.” He made his way over to her, hand waved in a circular motion thrice to set up wards against eavesdropping, if her training was correct. He leaned over to her and brought out a torn page of the catalog. A glance at the page saw that it was blackened and scorched, as if someone had thrown a fireball at it point blank. 

“I forgot about it in my panic, but when the founders of this establishment built it, they created the catalog with the function of noting all books contained in this library, not just the ones on the shelves. Of course, there was a safety feature in that you have to know exactly what title you are looking for to get any results, but the fact that the Reckoning is a closely guarded secret means that it should have been protected by anonymity. The fact that someone sabotaged the catalog means only one thing.” Director Grumwald locked eyes with Inquisitor Espero. “Who amongst your colleagues did you tell about this mission?” 

“Secrecy is of the essence, so I spoke of this to no one beyond the Grand Inquisitor.” Director Grunwald winced. 

“So the traitor is one of mine. Damn it.” He frowned and made his way to the back of the room. “This way.” Inquisitor Espero followed. After a minute they came to a desk set next to the wall upon which sat a leather bound binder. On either side was a small wooden stool. As the Director took one stool and opened the binder, the Inquisitor took the other stool, making note of the signs that had been nailed to several shelves near them: Forbidden, Stay Away. A snarled curse came from the Director. Once more they exchanged looks of irritation with each other. 

“Whoever sabotaged the catalog made a repeat offense here,” Director Gruwald gestured to the leather binder. “We will have to manually collect everyone who works here and establish their alibis, unfortunately time is against us.” The Director trailed off at her raised hand. 

“If you give me a list of everyone who could possibly have access to the records here, I can use my connections with the local garrison to assist in our investigation.” No sooner did she finish when the two of them leapt to the ground and covered their heads just as a wave of pure concussive force slammed into the desk they had vacated, reducing the hand crafted mahogany into flying splinters. As wooden chips and stakes rained onto the ground, the Inquisitor and the Director sprung to their feet. With a flick of her arm, a carved stick flew into her hand. In that same motion, she snapped it clean in two, releasing a light reddish wave into the air around them. As that happened she slid into the martial arts stance of an Inquisitor, hands in a guard position and feet apart. The Director for his part had pulled out a silver dagger from a pouch at his side, and was now crouched low, eyes alert and body taunt. 

CRASH! 

The bookshelves behind them were smashed apart, vellum and paper flying alongside wood. Inquisitor Espero spun and brought her arms to the side, generating a burst of wind that blew the makeshift projectiles off course. As she did so, the Director drew a circle in the air with his dagger and jabbed with it, creating a barrier of solid air above them just in time to deflect another attack, this time a large chunk of ice flying at them from the ceiling and instead shattering against the stone walls of the Library. 

“Assassins!” The two of them looked up just in time to see a dark shape fly to the ground. Director Grunwald swore. 

“I hate Vampires.”

Inquisitor Espero looked behind to where another such figure was hanging onto a far shelf with a shit eating grin on a blood thirsty face. The Inquisitor did not bother fighting to keep the disgust from curling her face into a sneer. 

Vampires. Undead Revenants raised by the unholy combination of Blood Magic and Necromancy, with the price for their immortality being the crimson life of the young, the innocent, and the virtuous. By the decree of her Imperial Majesty Lucilla Sunwearer, after her husband was murdered by the Vampire Dread Lord Iudas the Damned, all such lore that pertained to the creation of Vampires were either destroyed or confiscated, and a purge of the Empire to commence. Alas, having gotten wind of their impending destruction, the Vampire Courts had risen up in revolt and fortified their island stronghold of Vampyra. The only reason the Empire had elected to ignore the Revenants besieged on their isle was due to the fact that most Arcanians had grumbled about the losses a potential assault against the island would bring, noting that so long as the Imperial Navy held the blockade, no one could escape Vampyra. Whether they would be so passive if they knew Vampire assassins had managed to slip the blockade was another question entirely, one which the Inquisitor knew was a short and blunt ‘No.’ Alas, in order for this information to spread throughout the Empire, first at least either the Director or the Inquisitor would need to survive. 

“Oh yippee, we are about to die,” Director Grunwald remarked in a voice dripping in sarcasm. The Vampire behind the two Imperials sniggered. The one in front of them gave them a toothy grin, sharp canines peeking out from beneath his lips. 

Inquisitor Espero shifted herself so that both Vampires were in sight. The Director had mirrored her. The young woman dove into the memories of her education. Originally, Vampires had been intended by Dark Lords for use as elite super soldiers, shock troops, bodyguards, and assassins, however the newly created Vampires had proven to be uncontrollable, and proving to be too much danger for too little reward, it resulted in most early Vampires being destroyed with extreme prejudice as was common for such experiments. That would have been the end of it if only they hadn’t been created with an ability that allowed them to transform other sapients into Vampires as well, seeing as how a couple had been able to escape by virtue of incompetence and dumb luck. The Vampire Courts were the inevitable conclusion of that mistake. Overall, they were extremely fast, strong, capable of resisting direct magical attacks that were not tailored for use against undead (or elemental and light magic in general) , were effectively immortal, and were infamous for their psychopathic and sadistic tendencies. It was a small mercy that most Vampires were unable to travel in sunlight without bursting into flames, along with the fact that most Vampires could not perform magic. Only Vampire Dread Lords could cast spells, and even then they were bound to the fields of Necromancy and Blood Magic. Espero observed her opponents. Both Vampires were dressed in a mix of black and gray, enough cloth to cover them from the light of the sun. Aside from that, both bore the tell tale corpse like pallor and the vermillion eyes of a Vampire, the only difference being the one hanging from the bookshelf had dirty blond curls and carried a mace decorated with inert sigils and the one who had came down from the ceiling wore his shoulder length hair back in a ponytail with a similarly enchanted ax stuck through his belt. Unbidden, she felt sweat slide down her neck. Ideally, herself and Director Grunwald would be able to stall these interlopers long enough for help to arrive, however if not, they would have to fight their way out. Due to the flammable materials around them, fire spells would be a poor choice of magic. Alternative methods would be needed. Locking eyes with the Director, the Inquisitor imagined a mental bridge forming between them. She mentally cheered when the Director finished where she left off.  

‘Do you know any light spells?’ Espero thought. The Director quirked an eyebrow. 

‘Technically yes, but it would probably be easier if I lifted the anti-teleportation wards and raised the anti-vampire wards.’ 

‘How long do you need?’ Espero questioned, sensing the assailants preparing to strike. 

‘As long as you can give me.’ The Inquisitor tensed her body and nodded. 

‘Do it then.’ With that, she broke the connection and swung about, creating a miniature whirlwind that she sent at the vampire before them. In that same movement, she raised her leg, solidified the air before it, and kicked, sending it right at the vampire who had dropped from the shelf and just landed. The attack slammed him against another bookshelf, several times dropping down on him in a great pile. With him distracted, Espero slid to the side, neatly avoiding the ax blow aimed at her, and with an overhead swing of her leg knocked it from the Vampire holding it. Immediately she came under attack, several punches flying at her. Blood pumping, the Inquisitor embraced her training, her ingrained instincts allowing her to anticipate and deflect the strikes coming at her. Still, the speed and strength being generated would eventually overwhelm her. In addition, her ears picked up the other Vampire getting ready to pounce on her. Deftly avoiding a punch to her face, she delivered a flying kick between the long haired Vampire’s legs, buying her precious seconds with which to skip away from the curly haired Vampire leaping at her, fangs out. The two Undead crashed together in a mess of tangled limbs, ending in a pile on the floor. Sliding into another stance, she moved her arms about, feeling electricity bubbling along her clothes and building in her fingertips. Just when she couldn’t hold it any more, her opponents managed to untangle themselves and fly at her with homicidal rage. Taking a risk, she bent over backwards, the Vampires missing her by an inch. As they passed, the Inquisitor reached up and tagged them both with her hands. The effects were instantaneous. Making a rough landing on the floor, their bodies twitched and spasmed with electricity, their bodies temporarily disabled. Espero breathed in and out, willing away the ache in her muscles. 

“Are you quite done yet?” She called to Director Grunwald. 

“Not yet,” he replied. Before she could order him to hurry up, a sound like breaking glass echoed in their ears. A robed arm took hold of one shoulder and suddenly in a burst of wind they were in a marble hallway just in time to see a dozen of armed and armored figures sprint up to them. Their metal masks and cuirasses bore scorch marks, and their brown cloaks were singed. Naginatas were clasped in gauntleted fists. 

“Director, are you hurt?” One of them asked. The Director shook his head after a glance at her. 

“No, however we were attacked by a pair of Vampiric assassins. My companion managed to subdue them briefly, but they must be dealt with swiftly before they can escape. They are in the Library as of now.” Each of them nodding, they took off for the library, naginata blades glowing a bright sapphire hue. Another burst of wind later and they were standing on a balcony overlooking a small garden of bright colored flowers. The danger having passed, the weary Inquisitor spied a stone bench and made her over to it, sighing as she sat down. She felt a wince on her face as she gave her tired body a rest. Director Grunwald took a seat next to her, face creased in thought. For a moment, all was silent save the sounds of two Revenants fighting for their unlives. 

“This was no coincidence, Inquisitor.” The Director’s voice was heavy. Espero raised her head and looked at him. 

“No, it was not.” The tired woman took the information they had and formulated her hypothesis. She side eyed the Director, who returned the look. 

“There is a traitor among my staff,” the Director recalled. 

“They were able to sabotage both the catalog, the employee schedule, the list of all those currently employed, and managed to lower the anti-Vampire defenses on this building without any of us being aware of it,” the Inquisitor added. 

“Finally, we were attacked by a pair of Vampire assassins wielding enchanted weapons right after we had formulated the plan for our continued investigation.” The Director stroked his beard. “We have quite the conspiracy on our hands.” 

“Indeed we do,” Espero agreed. “And if my suspicions are true, then the Empire is in grave peril.” Director Grunwald furrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. 

“The real question is: why? Why risk provoking the Imperial military? Why go through all this trouble for a book that they can not actually use?” Inquisitor Espero felt her eyes narrowing. 

“Vampires not needing the Reckoning….. Of course, they can not use it!” While the actual instructions had been sealed away, the requirements and prerequisites anyone trying to utilize the book would need was information readily available to the Inquisition. Due to the nature of the ascension ritual described in the book, one of the major prerequisites was that the ritualist performing the rite had to be a living mortal. By default, Demons, Angels, Fae, and the Undead were unable to use the ascension ritual, and since you first had to complete the ascension ritual before you could use any of the apocalyptic rituals, the only use such beings would have for that book was as a bargaining piece. Without warning, a feeling of unease grew in Espero’s heart. Her eyes flew open. 

“Director, have you by any chance met this individual?” The Inquisitor questioned, reaching into her robes to pull out a roll of parchment. Unrolling it, she showed the revealed picture to 

The Director, whose eyes widened at the sight. 

“As a matter of fact, yes. Do you think he could have possibly suborned some of my staff?” Director Grunwald inquired, concern for his workers in his voice. Inquisitor Espero nodded. 

“Without a doubt. This man, Gellert Kemmler, is a known Necromancer, wanted in several countries for misuse of his powers and for acts of terrorism, mass murder, torture, sedition, treason, and tax evasion.” The blood drained from Director Grunwald’s face with each word. 

“He is one of the worst people to get his hands on that book.” Espero nodded.

“If anyone has the power, skill, talent, and insanity to pull off anything from that book, it’s him.” Silence fell on them.