As was the plan, Grigori enchanted several quills with the spell he talked about, and before he told the city guards what he was up to he had each of them sign the document stating that they never practiced the Nihilite faith, and as they signed he checked their hands for the black ink. Every one of them was innocent when signing the document. Once he was sure of this, Grigori announced his plan. “You are to round up every citizen in the capital and bring them to the cathedral to sign copies of this document. They MUST sign with the quills I have provided, no substitutes will be acceptable. If they are lying when they sign their names to the document black ink will appear on their hands. If you see black ink on any citizens' hands they are warlocks or witches and must be killed immediately. Do you understand? If you see black ink on someone's hand from the ink well you must strike that citizen down before he has a chance to summon demons or flee. Once everyone has signed we will cross-reference the signatures on the documents with the most recent census to see who did not sign. Anyone who did not sign is to be treated as a suspect and brought in for questioning. If they resist they are to be treated as hostile and killed. If you hesitate for even a moment to do your duty you may have the blood of countless innocents on your hands. Do you understand?”

“Yes, inquisitor!” rang the voices of the city guard.

“Does anyone not understand?” Grigori asked.

“No, inquisitor!”

“Good. Get to it!”

The guards set out to round up every citizen in the capital city. The guards met little resistance, though many protested and complained. Soon the citizens gathered at the Grand Cathedral for the signing. Grigori had made fifty copies of the document, each written by hand, and enchanted fifty quills with the spell he mentioned. By then his right forearm and wrist ached something fierce. The document simply said, “By signing this paper I solemnly swear that I do not and have never practiced the Nihilite religion. I also swear that I have not conjured demons or otherwise knowingly done anything at all to aid the kingdom of Nihilus or its people against the kingdom of Arx.” Upon actually reading what they were signing the citizens began to grumble, unhappy that their integrity was being questioned. Some even expressed concern that this was the first step in losing their rights to practice other faiths.

“It starts with little things like this, and before you know it everyone has to be an Agalmite or they die.”

A particularly defiant young man read it and set down the quill before signing. “I won't stand for this! You dare question my integrity? First you bring in an inquisitor, and before you know it the King's as bad as the Inquisition!” In moments the guards seized him and arrested him. They clapped manacles over his wrists and tied a scarf tightly around his mouth to keep him from speaking any further as they dragged him off to the dungeon. More citizens complained about the tyranny of all this after that, but they were far less hesitant to sign the document.

All the while, Hadar, Milo, Sarahi, and Grigori watched the proceedings carefully. The three paladins had their diamond weapons with them and were clad in their full armor. Grigori walked among the guards, watching the citizens closely as they signed the documents to see if he could spot black ink on any of their hands. Hadar sighed deeply as he listened to the grumblings, to the people who accused him of being some sort of tyrant. How could they not understand that this was a plan he'd set in motion to save their lives and end the plague? Even as they were all gathered there for this there were still patients coming into the infirmary constantly (whose signatures Grigori intended to get later, just in case a warlock was clever and daring enough to infect himself to escape suspicion).

Of course, while this plan was the best one offered so far for catching the witch or warlock responsible for this mess, it wasn't without some pretty severe flaws. One particularly clumsy middle-aged man who went to sign the document knocked over the ink well in the process and spilled black ink all over his hands and his clothes. Since the guards had never seen the spell used before, they didn't know that the ink was only supposed to appear on the palm of a liar's hand, not all over his clothes or on the back of his hand, and since Grigori had stressed the importance of showing no hesitation when it came to dealing with potential warlocks the guards nearby sprang into action and beheaded the unfortunate man. The people screamed and started to run for the doors, only to find they were being blocked in by the city guard from escape.

From within the crowd rang out a female voice, “It's a purge! They're going to kill us all!” which whipped the commoners into a desperate frenzy. Those still outside, awaiting their turns to file in and sign the documents pushed their ways past the guards and fled, but those already inside knew they may very well have to fight their ways out. All of them had been ordered to leave anything that could even be considered a weapon at home, but not all of them had obeyed. Many produced small knives, leather pouches filled with rocks, or one-handed hammers and attacked the guards at the doors with them. The guards raised their shields to defend themselves and tried to push the desperate citizens back. They struggled to keep themselves safe without hurting the commoners. The guards were not dressed in full plate armor, like one often wore when going into battle, but rather in chain mail. Chain mail had the advantage of being much lighter than plate armor, and much easier to wear every day, but its disadvantage was that it offered less protection, and small blades could slip between the chain links and cut the guards pretty badly. Several of the guards did receive wounds through their armor in the ensuing chaos. Some even returned the favor to the commoners who stabbed them, though the turnabout was far more lethal. Seeing more peasants die merely for trying to escape certainly didn't calm matters, and the peasants began fighting more fiercely to push past the guards.

And the woman who had started the whole thing with her cry that this was a purge, Gwyn, smiled to herself. She was the witch who'd started the Gidim plague, a spy sent by General Lorna to weaken Aius and, by extension, all of Arx. It was she who had killed Chancellor Japheth, and indeed he was in that alley to see a harlot, as Grigori guessed, a harlot he'd visited many times before, Gwyn. When everyone was being gathered into the cathedral to sign documents proving their allegiance she knew there had to be some sort of trick, she just wasn't sure what it was. It didn't matter, really, for the opportunity far out-weighed the risk. The overwhelming majority of the citizens of the capital were tightly packed in an enclosed space, barely enough room to move and barely enough room to breathe. Sure, the Grand Cathedral in Aius had been built big enough to accommodate so many people if necessary, since most of the citizens were devout Agalmites and attended religious services there, but with the city guard also present it was packed fuller than could possibly be considered safe. Couple that with the fact that the king himself was present, along with his queen, and the opportunity was far too perfect for Gwyn to pass up. When she'd walked into the Cathedral she didn't know what her plan was, but she knew an opportunity would present itself, and when the guards struck down an innocent man for her crimes she knew her time had come. Now she just had to think of how best to work with this joyous disaster.

“Stop! Please!” Hadar shouted over all the noise. “This isn't a purge, I swear it! This is a plan to catch the warlock causing the plague! Have you all gone mad! Listen to me!” Hadar was at a loss. It was as if his words made no difference to them.

Sarahi saw that Hadar was at the end of what he could do about this, especially in his exhausted state, and so she stepped up to the pulpit. The Grand Cathedral had been built in such a way that anyone who spoke from the pulpit could be easily heard throughout the sanctuary. The walls and ceilings echoed and reverberated the speaker's voice like an enormous megaphone. “BE STILL, DAMN YOU!” Sarahi shouted, in the harshest tone she could. Within moments all of the citizens had stopped fighting the guards, and turned to look at their queen. Now they were more terrified of her than the guards, but with the kind of fear that's far more paralyzing than panic-inducing. “Ungrateful sods! Are you all so blind to the plague that's been sweeping through this city? Haven't each one of you at least witnessed someone get sick? How many of you had to bury loved ones because of the damned plague? How many of you did his Majesty heal in this cathedral just yesterday? How many of you did I heal myself? Are you honestly so stupid as to believe we'd spend as much time as we did trying to heal you all if we were planning to kill all of you? Why can't you all see what we're trying to do? Someone among you is the enemy; one of the citizens of this fair city is responsible for the deaths of many of our people. You complained when guards searched your homes, but how much more would you have complained if we lost this city to the Nihilites? This is our only chance to catch the one responsible for this disaster! If you are innocent you have nothing to fear! Now, if you have any love for each other or for the kingdom of Arx, cooperate! We're doing our part, it's time you did yours!”

Few of them had ever felt so ashamed in their lives as they did in that moment, and they began returning to the tables to sign the documents. They put away the make-shift weapons they'd brought with them. Gwyn was furious. She had such an easy way to massacre the people of the city and in an instant it was lost. The people of the crowd were gently, and unknowingly, pushing her along, pushing her towards the nearest table where the document sat, with the enchanted quill beside it. Granted she didn't know that the quill was enchanted, but when the guards struck down the unfortunate man before she knew that there was something about it that would give her away, something that they had mistakenly thought he had done. As she got closer and closer, her prospects for escape dwindled. Armed guards stood right by the table and watched each person who signed the document carefully. Had she only known what they were looking for she could find a way around it. Did something happen on the paper if a witch touched it? Did the feather of the quill change color? She had no idea what the guards were looking for. When she found herself third in line she decided that she had to act. At this point it was obvious to her that no matter what she did she was dead, so she might as well take as many idolaters with her as she could when she went.

“Abaddon!” Gwyn called out and tossed out multiple Blackstar Talismans. In an instant, the same locust demons with scorpion tails and faces like men that appeared in Countess Ezra's castle filled the air in large numbers and attacked everyone in the cathedral. Immediately the priests who had been standing on the sidelines began to chant, and the locusts turned to stone and fell to the ground one by one. Gwyn threw a Blackstar Talisman at the priests on the wall and shouted again, “Lamassu!” All of the citizens who stood near the wall were crushed under the weight of an enormous demon that appeared on top of them and directly in front of the priests. The demon had the body and horns of a bull, the wings of an eagle, and the face of a beautiful woman. The demon's mouth opened and she began to breathe fire at the priests, who all ducked and covered their heads, in an attempt to escape the fire. Some were lucky enough. Others caught fire and rolled on the brick floor in an attempt to put out the flames.

Seeing what Gwyn was doing both guards and commoners alike drew their weapons and came after her. Gwyn drew two long, thin daggers from her boots and lashed out at those who came close to her. She was like a wild animal as she thrashed around and flailed, with no skill, only desperate ferocity. She managed to grab hold of one of the peasants and held him up in front of her with a dagger to his throat. “Back! All of you!” she shouted as she slashed out at the others nearby with her free arm. “I'll kill him! I swear I will!” This turned out to be more foolish than she could have realized. The man she grabbed was newly wed to a woman who was once a skilled thief in the city, one of the kinds of thugs who grew up in violent gangs. She'd long since given up that life in favor of a much more peaceful, not to mention legal, life and in order to marry a good man. She stood several feet behind Gwyn, and silently picked up a knife that one of her fellow citizens had dropped and threw it as hard as she could at the back of Gwyn's head, killing her before she could possibly realize what was happening. When Gwyn fell dead on the ground and let go of her hostage the man ran to his wife and threw his arms around her.

There was still the Lamassu to deal with, however. Gwyn had been clever enough to use talismans rather than simply summoning the daemons because she knew she was unlikely to survive long. If she died after summoning daemons with a simple spell then they'd return to the Void, but with Blackstar Talismans they could remain for much longer. The massive demon charged through the crowd, knocked people out of her way, and trampled them under her hooves. The priests immediately saw to the wounded. Hadar, Milo, and Sarahi all charged at the Lamassu with their diamond weapons at the ready. Peasants fled the Grand Cathedral, and this time the guards not only let them pass, but also stopped to help some of the more injured commoners escape the disaster going on within those walls.

Milo was the first of the three to reach the Lamassu, and he struck out at its legs with his diamond claymore, cutting its skin and slowing its charge. Hadar soon followed and struck the Lamassu from its right flank. He raised his shield just in time to block as it brought down a hoof at him. The force of the blow knocked him onto the ground, but thanks to his quick reflexes he'd managed to stay alive. Finally Sarahi arrived. Her diamond- tipped long spear pierced the Lamassu's chest, but missed its heart. Grigori attempted to help as well, but just as he struck the demon's leg it raised up and kicked him hard. He was sent flying back and crashing into the wall. Grigori, a man who had regularly subjected himself to pain as a means of discipline, cried out as he felt the bones in both of his calves break and his shoulder dislocate. Milo swung his sword again, this time severing one of the Lamassu's legs and bringing it down to the ground on its left side. With her spear still stuck in the demon's chest for the moment, Sarahi drew her war-hammer and struck the Lamassu in the face. There was a loud crack as the hammer connected, and blood poured forth from where her hammer hit. The demon howled in pain. Hadar jumped up onto the demon's side and stabbed it repeatedly between the ribs with his sword. Sarahi continued to hammerthe demon's head until its cries of pain were silenced and finally it crumbled into ash and dust.

In all his life Grigori had never seen something so amazing. From time to time he'd seen demons slain, but never demons anywhere near this size, and never with such glorious efficiency as these three paladins showed. Upon seeing such a sight Nihilites would have described the three paladins as being savage, like a small pack of wolves tearing apart a moose. Grigori, however, saw it as a beautiful act of valor. He could see the righteous determination in their eyes, the grace in their every movements, and the complete fearlessness that even he, who outwardly barely even seemed to have emotions himself, had to admire and envy. He was more than grateful when Hadar rushed over to him and immediately began to reset the bones in his legs and heal them. The muscles would still be tender for a long time after that, so Grigori would have to take it easy for a few days, allowing them to recover the rest of the way, but for now he could walk a little.

The priests managed to save and heal nearly all of the wounded in the Grand Cathedral, and within an hour all the rest of the patients brought into the infirmary were healed. The plague had been defeated. The body of the witch responsible was buried under a heavy pile of rocks, just to make absolutely sure that even if she wasn't dead, or if she'd found some way to cheat death, that she wouldn't be climbing out of the ground to cause havoc again.