Chapter 17: Funeral

One week after the brutal fight between Dravisha and Sebastian, the streets leading to Bramholt Cathedral teemed with people gathered for the Feldhauptmann’s funeral. The Cathedral was draped in sombre purple, the traditional colour of mourning. Muffled drums beat through the streets as Sebastian’s casket, borne by his lieutenants, passed by. At the forefront marched Kurt Eisener, his scarred face solemn, his piercing green eyes burning with fierce intensity. The casket, heavy and ornate, bore the Eisener Adler Company insignia emblazoned on its top: a Silver Eagle carrying a blue sword on a black shield. Heavily armoured Landsknecht followed the procession, raising the flags of the church and the company.

The procession met Bishop Karl von Königsfeld, ruler of the Bramholt diocese, at the Cathedral gate. Vested in black and purple liturgical robes, he was surrounded by his entourage of clergymen, priests, and acolytes bearing candles. He approached the casket and sprinkled holy water and incense on it before offering a brief prayer.

Afterwards, Sebastian’s casket was borne inside, preceded by acolytes holding candles. The air was thick with the scent of incense, and the mournful chanting of a choir accompanied by the deep tones of the cathedral's organ which echoed through the cathedral. Among the pews, Hugo, Lydia, Constanza, Voric, and Conrad stood with bowed heads, watching the procession carry the casket up to the altar and place it atop the catafalque.

Hugo took out his sketch of Anna Seris and studied the picture as he sat back down. He could not stop himself from looking at her every day. He had grown a strong fascination with the Witch who had slipped past them and attacked them so brazenly. A sketch of her hung in front of his bedroom, and sometimes he caught himself staring at it for hours. So much devastation because of one Witch and her demon. He shook his head and had to stop himself from smiling, reminding himself that this was a solemn affair.

Lydia elbowed him, reminding him he was supposed to be paying attention. He quickly looked up to see that the bishop was reciting the opening rites and prayers.

“O Lord God of Hosts, whose arm is mighty to save, and whose wrath is a consuming fire against the wicked. We have witnessed the vile hand of the adversary strike down Thy faithful servant, Sebastian. We pray Thee, O Lord, let justice be swift and merciless upon those who wield the powers of darkness. Strengthen our hearts, O God, and gird us with Thy divine armour, that we may stand unyielding against the machinations of demons, witches, and all who defy Thy holy law. Let no evil spirit prosper against us, and let Thy light scatter the shadows of their corruption!” The bishop said in a low, mournful yet fierce tone.

The congregation followed with, “Amen.”

“Did you find out anything useful from the chauffeur list?” Voric whispered nearly inaudibly to Hugo.

Hugo shook his head; unfortunately, he didn’t make much progress. Over the past couple of weeks, he had interrogated all the chauffeur's clients, certainly uncovering some corrupt individuals. So far, Klaus Richter, an Alderman, remained the most suspicious, though Hugo lacked concrete evidence. Yet, during their conversation, the man had seemed off. Hugo vowed to have him shadowed; perhaps that would yield something.

“Nothing concrete,” Hugo whispered back.

Voric shot him an intense look. “I don’t care what it takes, I want knowledge about that Witch yesterday.”

Hugo nodded. The Church wanted immediate results, but some things could not be rushed. He was sure the Witch would stir up trouble somewhere again. Powerful people had a tendency to flaunt their power.

The sermon continued, with the Bishop commending Sebastian’s unwavering faith and valour in standing up to the demonic threat.

The Bishop's voice, amplified by the cathedral's acoustics, boomed from the pulpit, filling the vast space with his proclamation: “Sebastian was a man forged in conviction, a blade sharpened by divine purpose. He answered the sacred call to protect the innocent, to cleanse the lands of heresy, and to stand as a shield against the vile machinations of the infernal.

As the esteemed leader of the Eiserner Adler Company, Sebastian earned a name that struck fear into the hearts of the unrighteous and brought solace to the faithful: the Scourge of Witches. He wielded justice with an unyielding hand, never faltering in his sacred duty to root out corruption, to expose the hidden evils that fester in the shadows, and to bring the Lord's judgment upon those who defy His holy word. He was a beacon of unwavering resolve in a world too often tempted by compromise.

His final stand, though shrouded in the mystery of the night, was undoubtedly one of valour and unyielding courage. He faced the very embodiment of the adversary, giving his life not for earthly gain, but for the purity of our souls, for the sanctity of our lands, and for the glory of God. He has joined the ranks of martyrs, those blessed souls who have shed their blood for the righteous cause.”

Hugo nearly scoffed. He had met the man once or twice. He was smarmy, a profiteer; he didn’t care about protecting the innocent; he had slaughtered them in Silberwald. Even for him, this level of flattery was too much. Still, as he looked around the room and saw the tears of those who were close to him, he had to once again remind himself that other humans were complicated. They seemed to genuinely care about him. At least he assumed so. He didn’t understand why; he had never felt that way about anyone, but he knew that grief for others was something others truly possessed. They couldn’t all be faking it; it made no sense. He wondered what it felt like. His hand went to his pocket and brushed over his mother’s music box. He had never grieved for his mother, but weirdly enough, her music box gave him comfort.

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The funeral sermon concluded with a series of prayers led by priests. The congregation joined in the responses, and soon the time came for the departure and burial. The Bishop incensed the casket and sprinkled it with holy water one final time, a sacred rite to purify and bless Sebastian’s soul before offering a prayer to entrust it to God. Then the procession bore the casket out to its burial site.

Hugo and company followed along. The Cathedral's bells tolled as they descended to the large crypts beneath the Cathedral, where he would be laid to rest alongside other heroes of the Church. As the casket was sealed into the tomb, a young girl broke down sobbing. What appeared to be the young mother of the girl bent down to calm down her child. The bishop, seeing the commotion, went to the girl and stroked her head fatherly.

Hugo could hear him whisper, “Your father is in a better place with God. He’ll be smiling down on you from heaven.”

The little girl's body shook and trembled as she tried to calm down, rubbing her puffy eyes as she nodded. The mother looked up with a faint smile at the bishop, grateful for his kind words of consolation.

“We’ll bring your husband's murderers to justice, Lady Clarissa von Adlersburg.”

“Thank you,” She mouthed.

He then turned to Voric and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Accompany me,” He said and turned to the others. “All of you, too. We have much to discuss.”

He led Voric out of the crypt, his robes ghosting along the concrete floor. Sconces flickered, illuminating the damp tunnels as they continued to walk in silence, away from the gathered crowd. “Hunting the witch has become the number one priority of the Church in Hochwalden. A Demon as powerful as the one that attacked the Eisener Adler Company hasn’t been seen in… in centuries, Voric. The Church cannot be allowed to show weakness. Retribution must be swift and severe.”

Voric nodded. “Yes, Your Excellency. We are doing everything in our power to find out more about the witch.”

“That’s not good enough. I have received a letter from Heinrich von Falkenstein himself. His Eminence has made available every tool in our arsenal to track and defeat this Witch.”

He led them through the cathedral to a secluded chamber, guarded by two Landsknecht with crossed halberds blocking the gate. As soon as the bishop nodded at them, they uncrossed the halberds and stood aside. He took out a key ring and fumbled for the appropriate key, trying out various keys before finding the right one. With a twist of the correct key, he unlocked the gate and let them inside. An arsenal of scrolls, sceptres, weapons, bombs, potions, and vials of holy water awaited them.

Hugo looked around at the various powerful tools that were now seemingly available to them.

“His Eminence has made it clear, we are to spare no expenses for this mission. It is a direct order from him personally that the Witch and Demon. Must. Be. Brought. To. Justice. Failure will not be tolerated.”

All of them straightened, and some of them went so far as to gulp.

The Bishop went around the central table holding weapons, scrolls, and vials and picked up a twig with yard spun around it holding a stone. The stone seemed to levitate, with what appeared to be magic.

“This is a special lodestone. It is naturally drawn towards demonic essence,” The bishop explained while holding it up. “As you can see, it is pulling towards a certain direction. That is where the stone senses the strongest demonic presence. With this device, you should be able to track the Demoness. But I have one more piece of information to share. One of our nuns has received a divine vision. She lost her eyesight to see the Demoness walk a path to the southeast. It appears they are headed towards the Iskander rivers, perhaps hoping to escape through the Howling Gulf.”

He handed the twig with the lodestone to Voric. “I picked you personally because so far, you have never let me down. Don’t disappoint me.”

Voric took the lodestone and replied, “I won’t disappoint.”

“See to it,” the bishop said and placed on the table three containers. He opened them, showing off glowing enchanted bullets. “These bullets are more specialized than the regular anti-magic bullets you have been using so far. In the first container are soul brand shots; one shot of these will make it easier to track targets. Their souls will be marked, and a sigil will appear on their skin. You can use your rosaries to track them.”

His hands hovered over the next container. “These are banishment shots. These are especially effective against demons. Use them conservatively as they are expensive. They banish demons back to hell. They are effective against lesser demons, but multiple shots of these will be more than enough to send a greater demon back to hell.”

His hands finally hovered over the last container. “These are purification shots. They purify corruption and darkness. For Demons and Witches, these are like poison. Merely contact with these will make a corrupted creature scream in agony. One shot is enough to purify a demon. This purification will continue to spread until the corruption is gone. It will not be immediately lethal to a corrupted individual, but over time, it is very effective. Use these very sparingly, they are even more expensive than the banishment shots, and they will not affect normal mortals.”

He then gestured to various armours, trinkets, talismans, and scrolls. “These are all for you. The finest anti-magic armour available. Scrolls that can boost your divine power, make you ten times stronger, increase your speed and even cure you from any afflictions. The talismans will help you deflect magic, make you see sharper, and improve your bodies to the pinnacle.”

The Inquisitors looked around, awestruck. Hugo had never seen so much power, let alone been granted access to it. He couldn’t help but wear a giddy smile.