Azroth patiently listened to his son's rant. How could he explain to the boy that such things were all too common?

But then, Azroth thought, he too was a boy once, and he had also once questioned the actions of men in his innocence.

When Ginger ended his telling of events at the gates, he looked into his father's eyes, and said "Papa, I want them killed"

Azroth sighed "Even if I order their deaths, others will replace them"

Ginger had already known that. He knew it, but...

"Papa, why do we have those gates? What's so important about clothes anyway?"

'Clothes?' What was the boy talking about? Azroth was stunned. He surely can't mean...

"Wait you think the gates are there to separate how people dress?"

"Why else are they there?" Ginger asked. He had thought deeply about it. He couldn't think of anything else. He had seen what those gates did.

And he wanted to tear them down.

'Clothes, huh? What an odd observation' Azroth thought.

Yes. Why were they there? His own father had told him about it once. What was it he said? That they were there for protection. Azroth had accepted that explanation back then, but never really stopped to think or ask.

'Protection from what?'

It didn't seem to protect from anything evil - if such a thing was possible. If such a thing was even necessary.

Azroth looked at Ginger. What would happen if this boy became the next High Seat? He was dreading it.

And he was looking forward to it.

"Fuck it, I have no clue. Anyway, you want 'em dead right? Shit, I'll just kill 'em then" Azroth said. Yes, what did these irrelevant details matter? His son was upset about it so he should just do the damn thing already. What else was there to think about?

When he thought about it like that, he felt such peace and his stress washed away.

Azroth turned to his desk and picked a small wooden block, upon which were carved bizarre shapes and odd curves. The pattern engraved upon the block formed a hollowed-out cone.

Azroth spoke into the cone

"Oi, Luark, Luark, you there? Bastard pick up. I know you can hear me"

"Ah, High Seat, Sir, what can I get you?" An old voice returned from the wooden cone, and the man it belonged to spoke with exaggerated subservience.

"The heads of the people who guard the city gates," Azroth said, unamused.

"You're... going headhunting? Will I finally - I mean, will I be fired, Sir?" Luark's voice came with a hopeful tint.

"Not their fucking resumeès Luark. I want their heads. On a plate. Or on the fucking streets. I don't care which" Azroth said, clenching the wooden cone with force.

"Ah. Their heads... I see. I mean - right away, Sir"

"Also, if you meet the Knights of Inquisition on your way there, tell them to hurry their asses over here, I don't have all fucking day"

"Yes Sir!" Luark's voice came with no exaggeration; only pure enthusiasm this time.

"That was a fucking joke you pot," Azroth said and clenched the wooden block with enough force until it finally gave way and splintered. Pieces of shattered wood scattered across the floor.

Ginger observed the entire conversation unfazed.

---

A retinue of knights in spiked armor, riding warhorses of similar design, made their way to High Seat Azroth's castle. In the lead was a horse suffering under the weight of an obese figure. The horse was walking much too slowly and stunted the pace of the other knights tremendously.

The horse was truly on the verge of collapse.

Every pedestrian gave these knights a wide girth. Most knew about the Knights of Inquisition, and those who didn't, instinctively felt that they wanted nothing to do with them.

"Sir Wick, will you be entering the castle alone?" One of the knights asked. He rode beside the obese figure, and on his shoulder rested the heft of a large halberd.

"Yes. Do you have a problem, Rat?" Wick looked at the knight with the halberd. He rode his suffering horse close enough to the other until the two were almost touching. He pushed his large face directly at the other knight's faceguard and emphasized in an unsettling high pitch "Hmmm...? Do you? Hmm...?"

"No... Sir Wick. No, I do not" The knight with the halberd, the one called 'Rat', slowly backed away and retreated his horse, remaining silent the rest of the way.

It took a long time before the knights could finally see the gates to the High Seat's castle. When they did, they were met with a large elderly man boasting dark red armor which reflected magnificently under the light of the twin stars.

In contrast to the armor of the Knights, who donned dull black, spiked at every joint, the red armor had rounded edges.

"Ah, Proceed, Sir Knights, to the High Seat's estate. I have matters to attend to" Luark spoke, almost dismissively. Not out of disdain or apathy, but simply because the man did not know how to speak.

Then Luark simply walked away.

"Hmmm...? Hmmm...? What was that, Rat?" Wick contorted his head as far back as he could until his neck started making odd sounds. Like this, he looked behind him at the knight with the halberd and spoke.

"That was Warrior Luark, Sir Wick. The Lance of this High Seat" 'Rat' said, with slight disgust as he looked at Wick's contorted form. Of course, his face was hidden by the faceguard, and so was his disgust.

Wick snapped his head back around to look at the front gate and continued riding his dying horse towards it.

At this point, the horse finally buckled under the man's weight.

"Hmm...? Can't you last a few more steps? Hmm...?" Wick leaned forward and spoke by the horse's ear.

There was no reaction. It simply sat in place.

"Rat! My horse! Why won't it carry me? Hmm...?" Wick spoke sharply

'Rat' looked at the horse, and then at Wick. "Maybe the horse died?"

"Rat, why do my horses die so fast?" Wick asked as he looked at the unresponsive creature.

"Maybe it thought you were too heavy to carry?" 'Rat' said carefully

"I was too heavy, hmm...? The horse should die if that's what it thought" Wick nodded

"Rat! Get yourself and the other Rats to carry me. I do not feel like walking today" Wick said

'Has this fat-ass ever felt like walking?' 'Rat' thought

"Of course, Sir Wick" 'Rat' said