Demon Hunters

The Inquisitor VI

"...that should be a fair sum," Lucas said, handing the baker a pouch of coins.

"I can't possibly accept this!" the man said, nervously glancing at the inquisitor.

Lucas sighed.

"I must insist that you accept my payment. I understand that you are afraid, but I need you to understand that we are here to protect you. Not to intimidate you."

The baker looked far from convinced. However, he seemed to decide that risking angering Lucas was not worth it and took the coins before muttering a hurried thank you and then quickly walking off. Lucas grimaced. Yesterday's execution had been bad enough, but the events that followed had served to dissolve any trust that may have remained. As far as the locals were concerned, the inquisitors were just as big of a threat as a demon.

Where have I seen this before...

As much as he hated to admit it, the fact remained that this was not a rare incident. Even when working with his own squad, who are made up of men just as devoted as Lucas himself, they would eventually become feared among those they strove to protect. It was situations like this that made even Lucas, otherwise absolutely steadfast in his beliefs, question his methods. Still, he confided in the knowledge that, in the end, his work was for the benefit of everyone. Demon hunters might have been the ones that saved more lives, but inquisitors were the ones who protected the heart – and only a pure heart could grant one their place in heaven. Feeling calm again, Lucas climbed onto his horse and returned to the camp with the newly acquired bread in tow.

Panem et circences, huh... Well, unfortunately, I can only provide one of those things. One can only hope that it will suffice.

As he returned to the camp, the other inquisitors were only starting to wake up. Lucas could sense the others staring at him when he had his back turned – the tension was thick enough to be cut with a knife. As the men received fresh bread, their moods improved somewhat, though still nowhere near enough for Lucas to feel secure. As everyone was still eating, he began to give his orders.

"Alright men. Today, we will spread out and reconnoitre the nearby area. The sooner we find this demon hunter, the faster we can get back home."

His words were met with silence from the other inquisitors. The directions he had gotten from the locals while he had been on his trip to buy bread were vague at best and blatant guesses at worst. As Jorgen had said: no one knew where the shaman or the demon hunter dwelled. Therefore, the best course of action was to start systematically combing through the nearby woods. The fact that the shaman had allegedly always arrived on foot was a relief, but the forests around the village were still vast.

"We will split up into teams of two and head in each cardinal direction. Reconvene at the camp before nightfall. Meanwhile, Magnus and Mattson are responsible for keeping the camp safe. Is everything clear?"

Again, there was no response, though some of the men did nod. Satisfied with this, Lucas set out. Ideally, Lucas would have liked to work with Magnus, as he was the only one he truly trusted at this point. However, the one he was most concerned about was Mattson, and having Magnus keep an eye on the man was the only way of making sure that there would be no plotting for his head. Lucas checked his pistol – an ornate item decorated with carvings – and made sure that his companion saw it, too. There was no point in playing nice, so the only way forward was to use the standard intimidation strategies toward them, too.

I recall my mentors telling me that this is the approach one should never take – to try and keep men in line with fear alone. I'll either prove them wrong or become a living – or rather, a dead – reminder of their advice.