The Great Crestmaster

Aldrich's hands shook for a moment and almost all thought came to a standstill. When he recovered his eyes glimmered with anticipation.

Cazmer was a member of the True Saint's Folk, if someone knew anything concrete about them then it must be one of them. He just didn't expect that Cazmer would leave behind something like this.

'Did he anticipate his death?'

It was hard to tell but he did remember that Cazmer claimed that he had not told anyone his real name is years. It was not hard to figure out that he was a cautious person.

Unfortunately Aldrich still felt immense guilt over what happened to Cazmer that night. He sacrificed himself because of Aldrich's foolhardy decision. The ultimate result was unchanged.

Cazmer died in vain.

Aldrich opened the book only to realize that most pages in it were cut off violently, as if whoever did it was in a hurry and didn't care about appearances. Only three pages remained, the last three pages.

"I could only agree, I can't run a way from the inquisition for long. My days are numbered, that is when they came to me."

"They said they could protect me, that I would live a normal life and didn't have to be on the run anymore. I thought they were fools. In any case as long as I pretend to go along with them I can rest a bit maybe get a ship to some backwater shithole."

"I was wrong, these guys are the real deal, they have way too many Oathbreakers, I am not even on the list of the most insane of them all. But something is wrong, they all seem to calm for madmen."

"I haven't been using any Ether as much as possible to maintain a portion of my sanity. But these guys weren't shy about using their powers at all."

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"I thought the True Saint's Folk were purged by the inquisition at the end of the war. I haven't heard of anyone surviving the Exterminatus chapter. They are clearly just using the name."

Aldrich flipped to the next page and it was clear that a lot of time has passed since the first one was written.

"No, I was wrong again. I recognize some of them, rats that managed to escape the inquisition but there's an internal conflict in the order. There's a new faction, bigger, stronger and madder, they took over the True Saint's Folk."

"They call themselves, the Unshackled. I have difficultly in finding anything of substance about them. They sent me on seemingly pointless missions and I can't seem to get a read on what they're looking for or what their goal is."

"But I heard about the leader. I heard he's called the Unshackled Prince. I can see a light of fanaticism in the eyes of the Crestmasters when they talk about him, as if he was some kind of god."

Aldrich read the last few lines with difficultly because they were written hurriedly and the lines were unclear.

"I was summoned to an audience with the Unshackled Prince. I was assigned a mission to some backwater called Wakefield. I can see why people would worship him, now that I have seen him with my own eyes."

"How?… how could such a being exist in this world?! What do they want with me? They think I haven't noticed? They pay me a little too much attention, an extra glance here and nod there. Why do they have to send ten Crestmasters to an insignificant village?"

"I… I can't do this… I must do something before it's too late. I hate the empire, but this… this is not right."

Aldrich closed the book and eventually his breathing calmed down, he managed to learn somethings at least.

Ayemon told him long ago that the True Saint's Folk was destroyed, it was true. Instead it was some new force wearing the skin of a dead lion.

But not much practical information. He didn't even know what army collaborated with them to besiege Wakefield.

Even members of the order were restricted in what kind of information they could know. Finding just any random member won't be enough.

If he wanted to find out more he had to get his hands on one of the bastards that participated in the attack.

It was fine, not long ago he wouldn't have dared to think of actually doing that, but now, he was different. He had the power to at least do something, he clenched his fist and his knuckles cracked.

Looking at the positive things, he found out their leader's title, the Unshackled Prince. This person, he was the one that gave the order to attack Wakefield. He is the enemy.

Although he had his doubts about Seinalt Enthelmyre, the deputy governor he had no conceivable evidence against him.

He even lacked the motivation to rebel, not just that, he was probably walking on eggshells to not attract any suspicion.

After all, he is directly under the watch of the inquisition at all times, even Ayemon said that it was highly unlikely. What he meant was that it was actually impossible.

However, this Unshackled Prince, whoever he might be, was directly involved. He was a confirmed enemy. That was something that filled Aldrich was gratification.

Finally he actually knew something for a fact. It was not a guess nor a conjecture.

Whatever the reasons may be, Aldrich actually found himself not too interested in knowing that kind of thing. Not any more at least.

It's not that he didn't want to know but rather it was a step lower in his priorities, the first being killing them all without sparing anyone.

So what if he knew? Would it change anything? It was too late for any explications or arguments, he didn't care what they had to say.

He knew they must've had something to gain and probably something to lose if they didn't. But so what?

Actually Aldrich wouldn't mind knowing, considering that he wanted to sabotage whatever it was that they were doing.