Quill breathed a sigh of relief as Cinder and the demon raced up the path to the hut.

“Over here! The Porters are ready to go, but I don’t know how much time Master Phineas can buy for us. He told me to go to that old lookout point, the one where you and I watched the sun rise that one time Cinder.”

Cinder nodded and practically dragged the demon around the side of the house. Quill took one last look down the path. He took one step forward before hesitating and then turning to head back to the Porters. They looked just like the horses he was familiar with, but their entire body was made out of clay. They were currently kneeling to allow their riders an easier mount.

Quill had been around many different animals throughout his life, so the absolute silence from these horse shaped golems unnerved him. Even worse were the strange saddles that were carved into their backs. It just didn't look right to him.

He frowned before pulling himself into the saddle. There was a moment of extreme discomfort as the Porter reshaped itself to better fit him. It felt like hundreds of small bugs were squirming and shuffling beneath him but after it stopped it felt like he was being held in the saddle. He grabbed the reins and urged the golem forwards. The other two followed at a respectable pace. They weren’t far out from the mountains. At this speed they would reach the meeting place in just under two hours. Quill’s Bloodiron began to shift around his wrist, surging and rippling as it reacted to his thoughts.

The Inquisitor and his apprentice had been completely silent on their way back to his cabin. Phineas shifted his traveling pouch, grumbling about its weight. He was getting tired of leaning on the walking stick this much. It was starting to make his back cramp up. The Inquisitor spoke up as they rounded the final bend and his cabin came into view.

“How much extra did you give the villagers?”

“Hmm. About two months worth, plus detailed instructions on how to get more and the correct doses.”

“So you’re not leaving anything to your disciples?”

“Would you have let them live?”

“Possibly.” The Inquisitor began to stretch his arms.

“Oh, really? That’s a surprise. Your organization has always preferred a scorched earth policy on things like this.”

“New recruits are getting harder to find. The people are forgetting.”

“So you would rather train those who potentially hold a grudge against you?”

“Grudges and personalities are irrelevant. They are minute obstacles on the path to world peace.”

Phineas let out a small chuckle and straightened to his full height, arching his back to relieve some of its tension. He walked up to his front door and leaned his walking stick against it. It wouldn’t do to let it be damaged. The Inquisitor looked at the ground and frowned.

“Cestille. Go back and fetch your horse. It appears I’ve underestimated this old man.”

The apprentice, Cestille, hesitated for a moment.

“Master, I don’t-”

“Don’t worry. Your only job is to track down the ones who fled. You wouldn’t be able to help in this fight anyways.”

Cestille grimaced and turned to run back down the trail. Phineas loosened the knot anchoring his cloak to his neck, letting the long piece of cloth slide off his back and onto his porch.

“Finally. Some peace and quiet among adults. Your protegee. She can’t be much older than 19 summers I’d imagine.”

“I believe she’s around 18. I’m not too sure however. Her family was massacred by a rampaging demon when she was quite young. Such a tragedy, yet it forged one of the fiercest of the new generation. And yours, I believe the villagers placed them around the same age?”

“Oh yes. Both will be reaching 19 summers this year. I believe I’ve done a fair enough job of teaching them. But I guess there’s always something more to teach.”

The Inquisitor nodded and walked forwards to the edge of the small porch. He held out his right hand as traces of liquid metal began to flow across his body like hundreds of little rivers. They met in the palm of his hand and coalesced into a sizeable greatsword. With his left he activated a small ring on his middle finger.

“Then let us begin. With the power invested in me by Hienna the Goddess of Light I, Lors Temmence Bast, invoke the Right of Trial. The convicted stands guilty of summoning and consorting with Demons and the Unnatural. The initial evidence gathered was circumstantial, however there is an obvious Rift hidden in the center of the accused’s house. Does the accused have a statement prepared?”

Phineas stepped past Lors. He walked to the treeline, smelling the crisp spring air. The call of a robin cut through the silence and he smiled.

“The first rule of teaching in my experience, is to tailor the lesson to the student. There are some who learn better indoors, and some who learn better outside. Some need hands on experience and others simply need to hear a concept explained. Inquisitor Bast, what would you classify yourself as?”

The Inquisitor paused. “The accused has declined to give a statement. After reviewing the evidence, I have determined the accused to be guilty. According to Section 3A of the Monain Accords the crime of summoning and consorting with Demons is punishable by death. The sentence has been passed by a unanimous vote of present Inquisitors. The execution shall commence.”