Riez couldn't stop herself from slamming the Yes button on the prompt, wanting nothing more than to enter the dungeon and see what this den really was.

  As soon as she mentally pushed the button, the massive fireplace seemed to fold in upon itself. A yelp of surprise came from the obese Governor, though Riez got the feeling that he was more surprised that she had found this hidden area, rather than being surprised that it was there.

  Behind the fireplace, a winding set of stairs was leading down to gods knew where... well, technically not even the gods knew.

  “Zo! Goverrnorr... you belief zat hiding ze zecrets from ze Inquihzetion iz vize, hmm?” She said, putting on her most over the top german accent, which must have worked as intended, as Celeste rubbed the bridge of her nose.

  The Governor yelped in pure and utter surprise. "Please! It is you who installed your headquarters here. You told me to keep it secret. What would you have me do?" He was looking around as if he were being tested, clearly unsure what to say.

  “Ve vill ask ze qvestions here! Now, vat crimes haf you kommitted? Do not lie to me... I tire of your leetle games!” Riez said, sending a mental command to Spif and Spaf to flank the man.

  The duo of hulking goblins in disguise grabbed each arm of the wobbling governor, hoisting him to his feet as if he were an industrial-sized sack of potatoes. They seemed to have little trouble doing this, their strength bordering on the mortal limit thanks to their infinite lifespan and constant "sparring".

  The governor struggled a bit against his holdings, though it was a moot point as he was brought over to the staircase to the dungeon. His eyes filled with panic, and the dread seemed to be etched into his features.

  "I swear, I know nothing about this. I have no idea what is going on." He said, sweat beading on his wide forehead, while he refused to look directly at Riez.

  The goddess of Deception could feel the lies in his words. They were inelegant and crude, and her features turned to a sneer. “LIES! You betrayed your peeple, did you not? Look at you! Vhile ze rest of ze city shtarved to death, you are korpulent und floppy! Yet you expekt us to belief zat you haf not gained food from some ozzer zource? You ate your men! Und ven you thought you vould be hungry again, you tried to eat ash... Only to find ze Inquizitors!”

  It was like the Governor had been hit across the face with a hammer as he gasped in pure disbelief. "What?! NO! I WOULD NEVER EAT MY MEN!"

  Riez sighed, the truth in the words clear to her. It was slightly disappointing that he wasn't the kind of monster who would resort to cannibalism. For a moment, she considered using her Deception Domain to force the man to believe that he had eaten his people, though she discarded the idea, knowing that the cost would be insanely high thanks to the suppression field.

  The wobbly man cleared his throat as he tried to clear his own name. "My predecessor wrote about the dungeon in her notebook, and I decided to explore it. I sent my men down there, and before I knew it, I was all alone, but the inquisition sent me tribute in the form of food. Every day, I will get a new meal that is practically a feast. However, I couldn't share it with the people as they threatened to behead me in the town square!" He was practically sobbing as he confessed to his crimes, tears rolling down his massive cheeks.

  Celeste gave a polite cough to draw attention to herself while looking around. "I think I am starting to get an idea of what is going on in this land. I suggest that we deal with this incompetent fool and delve into the dungeon."

  "DIPS!" The words from Jasmine were a surprise. She hadn't really spoken, but her hand started to make a couple of quick movements. "Magus, Pyrus, Presentis, Daemon." Her chanting was quick and efficient, and before long, a beam of hot flames burst from her fingers.

  Celeste watched intently, seeing the spell being cast, she started to realise that she might have put too much Worship into the upgrade that The Scribe had gotten. Not only was the magic flowing effortlessly through her system, something that shouldn't have happened in the suppression field, but the resulting lance of fire was actually multiple jets of flames, woven together as if it was thread, giving substance and heat to the centre, where the air itself became erratic and turned to plasma. It was minuscule, and had it not been for the fact that Celeste worked on a slightly higher level of perceived time, she might not have seen it.

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  Riez hadn't engaged her slowed time from the Alacrity Domain, so she simply saw how a beam of fire shot from Jasmine's fingers and made a clean hole through the face of the Governor.

  "HEY! You can't just go around killing people!" Riez was brimming with outrage to the point where she wasn't even putting on her German accent.

  Jasmine raised an eyebrow. "Please do tell me what you would want to do instead av killeng him. Make him into a vegetable? Mend control? Simply let him go so someone else could kill him hor maybe have him betray us to de inquisithors?"

  Riez bristled a little. "Something other than kill him!"

  "Dat is typical gods. You believe dat just because you are not de wans who strikes somewan down, you are not de wans who are killeng him. De whorld you created had dealt him a loseng hand. De fact dat 'e had ended up in this position mean dat 'e was already dead. De fact dat you believe dat this man was whorth a second chance, w'en nwan av you intervened dureng de Demahn War, it is putrid and foul." Jasmine was clearly ranting a bit as the body of the massive governor slumped to the ground, thanks to Spif and Spaf letting go of him.

  Riez bit her lip. She didn't agree with Jasmine's assessment, and yet, she seemed somehow different from the woman who had helped fight the army of zombies. The fact that she was able to cast such a powerful offensive magic, when Jasper had explained that The Scribe was a defensive role, didn't feel right.

  There was no point arguing it any further, though, as Jasmine was the first to walk down the stairs into the Den of the Inquisitors.

  Riez decided hang back a little, letting Spif and Spaf create a potential protective layer between the two gods and The Scribe.

  The goddess of trickery leaned over to her colleague and whispered softly. "Not sure about you, but Jasmine seems a bit more... intense. Not sure how else I can put it, but just killing someone out of blue like that... I think that demon war gave her a sort of callousness that isn't healthy."

  Celeste nodded slowly, opening her mouth, then closing it again, before finally speaking. "I think it might be time for her to pass on the torch. Not sure Jasper did it intentionally, but the fact that the title can be passed on might actually really help with the build up of emotional trauma."

  As they talked they made their way down the stairs, Riez could see that Celeste's attention was drawn from their conversation and to the stonework that made up the wall. Apparently the fact that the bricks were curved in a specific way was something that was deeply interesting. Riez couldn't really see the appeal, at least not until Celeste pointed out how every brick had been carved with a multitude of runes.

  When they reached the base of the stairs they almost bumped into Spif and Spaf, as the pair had stopped at the foot of the stairs. Jasmine, likewise had stopped only a couple of steps inside the room.

  What they had arrived at was clearly some waiting area of some kind. A small rectangular room about five by five meters across, with a couple of hefty leather chairs set to one side, and a desk with a matching chair to the other. At the end of the room there was solid looking wooden door, though that wasn't why the trio in the front had stopped.

  It was the fact that someone was sitting behind the desk, clearly looking at them, with a stash of paper in one hand, and a pen in the other.

  Riez wasn't an expert on the heraldry that marked the inquisition, but the woman behind the desk was wearing the same type of uniform that she was currently wearing, while a small pin resembling a nail was placed above her heart.

  "And who might you be?" The woman asked in a very stern tone of voice, though not a hint of fear was in her voice.

  "Well, we are here to in-" Celeste started, though Jasmine cut her off.

  "Sod it, we have wasted enough time 'ere" Jasmine's hand glowed and she spoke words of power once more "Magus, Mentalis, Tran, Presentis, Magus, Kin".

  Around the room, runes etched into the wall flared to life, and the smile on the clerks face grew smug. "I am afraid that the inquisition does not allow for unauthori-" She was cut off as a blank look crossed her face.

  Jasmine sighed rolling her shoulders. "Man, I can't tell you how much better magic is w'en you aren't beeng countered by random scribbles. At this point, I am probably de best inquisithor slayer in de whorld, since dey rely on runes and all dat to block and suppress magic." She said looking at the woman. "Please open de dohr and eschort us to yooehr boss, makeng sure dat whatever happens, you do not betray dat you are mend-controlled."

  The woman simply nodded and stood from her position behind the desk, and Riez gave Celeste a knowing look. Celeste just nodded, clearly on the same page with just how Jasmine had handled the situation.

  The inquisitor clerk moved over to the door, did a complicated knocking rhythm before leading the procession deeper into the dungeon.