Inquisitor's Promise (Act Two, Chapter Thirty)

Aeneas has to keep his promises. His father's mission will be completed. And while he's at it, he will become Galatea's lord and Inquisitor. But love and politics are an explosive combination.

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Chapter Thirty: Lavinia’s Betrayal

The Lepanto’s next destination was Roma. There, Aeneas hoped to touch base with His Holiness Pope Peter Paul III. No doubt the Pope would want to talk with his Captain General in person, having read the accounts of the journey sent to him.

At the moment, the ship was still on the way. Galatea had taken the opportunity to get to know the ship’s crew. Currently, she was at the Lepanto’s Central Garden. Found here were various people relaxing including the family members of the crewmen.

As for Galatea herself, she was with Pep and Giulia.

“So, Galatea,” Pep began. “Wyvern riding runs in your family, right?”

“It runs in the noble knights of San Felipe,” Galatea responded.

“But from what I can tell, the women don’t usually do it,” Pep said.

“No, wyverns can be very dangerous to handle. If one doesn’t like you, then you’ll find yourself burnt to a crisp,” Galatea explained.

“And yet,” Pep said hesitantly. “You were given an egg to hatch.”

“That was from my papa,” Galatea said. “He took pity on me for my condition and gave it to me as a gift.”

“Your condition?” Pep asked in puzzlement.

Giulia sighed and shook her head. “Didn’t you remember back in Nepoli? She was bound to a wheelchair.”

Right,” Pep said sheepishly. “I remember not.”

“Unfortunately, Malinche’s Disease ran in the La Mancha family,” Galatea said sullenly.

“What does it do?” Pep asked.

“It paralyzes your body, usually in the lower half. For most of us, it’s something we get over when we became older. For me, I had to be put under surgery. But it can kill you too,” Galatea answered.

“I see.” Pep said thoughtfully. “Is that what happened to your father?”

“Pep!” Giulia chastised. “Obviously that’s not the case. And you’re not being subtle either.”

Galatea chuckled as she saw the interaction between the two. “I take no offense, Sir Pep. In truth, my father was killed in the line of duty.”

In response, Pep’s eyes widened. “In battle?”

“No,” Galatea responded, shaking her head. “Papa was on a mission to unite the Papal knight orders around the Holy League. You see, Sir Pep, San Felipe was not the only knightly fiefdoms in Christendom. His mission was to rally them under the banner of the Pope.”

“The beginning of the Knights faction,” Giulia stated.

“Yes,” Galatea said. “But papa died in Malta. An earthquake broke out, followed by fire. He helped the local knights evacuate people from a collapsing building, only for that building to collapse on him and his wyvern.”

“My condolences,” Pep said earnestly.

“Thank you, Sir Pep,” Galatea said, smiling. “But his work was not in vain, he brought the Papal knight orders to his side. But most importantly he brought the Inquisition and had convinced a very important man to join his cause.”

“Who?” Pep asked.

“Uncle Anchises, obviously.”

Galatea, Giulia, and Pep looked to the source of the voice: Lavinia. But Lavinia was not alone, she was surrounded by swarmlings. Right next to her was the ever-fearsome Anchises the Swarm Creature.

“Lavinia?” Pep asked in confusion.

“What are you doing with your swarm here?” Giulia added.

“I have something to take care of,” Lavinia answered, showing a creepy smile. “Permanently.”

Giulia wondered for a bit but quickly realized the deep one girl’s implication. “No,” she said in horror. “You can’t mean.”

Lavinia smirked as she pointed her finger at Galatea. “I do, I’m here for the pretend knight!”

Galatea was shocked to hear Lavinia’s declaration. To think that the person who had been closest to Aeneas had wanted to do her harm. “Why, Vinia?”

“Bah!” Lavinia spat. “Do I need to say it?”

Pep was about to go in defense of Galatea, but Giulia had beat him to it as she rushed herself in between the two groups.

“No! I won’t let you!” the Venetian Lieutenant declared. Her hands were extended as if to guard the two people behind her.

“Get out of the way, Giulia. I don’t want to hurt you!” Lavinia shouted angrily.

But Giulia shook her head defiantly, daring Lavinia to make the next move.

“Okay, fine!” Lavinia cried. A swarmling then launched its spines at Giulia. Galatea cried in horror as Giulia was about to be skewered.

But Pep was ready to protect his own beloved. The Archon generated his electrical shield and got in front of Giulia. Just in time to absorb the swarmling’s spines.

“You too, Pep?” Lavinia asked in frustration.

“I should ask that question to you!” Pep said in anger, his fists powered by electricity. “You were about to kill Giulia!”

“My target is Galatea, and I will kill every man, woman, and child who gets in my way!” Lavinia declared.

“Enough of this madness!”

“Lord Aeneas!” Galatea cried in relief.

Everyone looked to see Aeneas arriving to the Lepanto’s Central Garden. Clad in his full armor and testudo shield, the Inquisitor was struggling to catch his breath. It was obvious that he had ran quite the distance to get to this place.

“Lavinia, you can’t be serious about this,” Aeneas said.

“What choice do I have, Aeneas?” Lavinia snapped. “I’ve given everything for you. I’ve given you my heart, my love! And yet I can never win you over. All because of that girl!”

“Vinia, I have always been clear about where I stand. About us,” Aeneas said calmly.

“Shut up!” Lavinia snapped. “It could’ve been different! It could have! I know it could!”

Aeneas was absolutely caught flatfooted; he had no idea how to respond to Lavinia’s emotional meltdown. While the Inquisitor was no stranger to his cousin’s emotional displays, this was something he had never seen before.

Lavinia then turned to her treasured swarmling, the swarm creature Anchises. She caressed it tenderly. “Aeneas, do you know why I named this little guy, Anchises?”

“No, Vinia. You never told me.” Aeneas shook his head. At this point, he was unnerved by Lavinia and her creepy demeanor.

“That was the name I had planned for our first child, if he’s a boy. The child that you will never give me!” Lavinia cried angrily.

Aeneas looked down in shame, he had realized how badly he had messed up. “I’m sorry, Vinia. I have taken you for granted.”

It was at this point that Aeneas’ nav-comm beeped, it was Nikolai. The Inquisitor put it on speaker as he answered.

“Sir Aeneas,” the Tsar said. “We have put together our troops at the ready.”

“Just give us the signal, and we’ll take care of the Swarm,” Omaha chimed in. The Princess was with Nikolai.

In response, Lavinia looked at Aeneas in shock. “What’s the meaning of this?”

But before Aeneas could answer, Shaka and Kunoichi arrived.

“Sir,” Shaka said. “Everything’s set with the Chief Engineer, he’s ready to turn off the swarm section’s humidity settings. Just give him the go ahead.”

“I knew it!” Lavinia cried. “Everyone was ready to turn against me!”

“You tried to kill our friend Galatea,” Kunoichi countered. “You have done that yourself!”

Lavinia was taken aback by the felinid girl’s declaration. “But how did you know?”

“Vinia, you can’t expect to move your swarm in the Lepanto without the captain knowing about it. Then you brought a whole pack to where Galatea is. When Mario informed me of these movements, I just knew what was about to happen,” Aeneas explained.

“So, you did know! You knew how things were about to go,” Lavinia said accusingly.

“I deserve whatever happens here,” Aeneas said ruefully. “But not the crew of the Lepanto. If we fight here, people will die. The crewmen’s family are still here. Think of their children!”

Aeneas’ plea seemed to have struck with Lavinia. The deep one girl was briefly in thought. “Then let’s make a deal, Aeneas.”

“A deal?”

“We’ll have a duel.”

Aeneas raised his eyes. “I’m not the best duelist, but I know you can’t do much without your Swarm.”

Once more, Lavinia gave out a creepy smile. “I won’t be your opponent, Aeneas. Instead…!”

The swarm creature Anchises then stepped forward. Aeneas looked at the beast and couldn’t help but feel intimidated.

“Anchises!?” Aeneas cried.

Lavinia nodded. “Yes. If you win, then I will leave the Lepanto without a fight and return to Pacifica.”

“And If I lose?” Aeneas asked.

“You will agree to be my husband. But more importantly, Galatea will be executed by my hand,” Lavinia answered.

“Now, wait a minute,” Aeneas protested.

But Galatea stepped forward. “Lord Aeneas,” she interjected. “It’s okay.”

“But Galatea,” Aeneas said. The Inquisitor could not believe what he had just heard.

“It’s either me or the lives of the people in the Lepanto,” Galatea explained. “I will put my life on the line.”

Aeneas smiled and nodded at his beloved. Always ready to put others before herself, one of the things he admired about her.

The Inquisitor was almost convinced, but something still bothered him.

“Just one question, Vinia.” Aeneas said.

“Shoot.”

“Back in Simona R’leh, you told your papa that you don’t want me to marry you out of duress,” Aeneas reminded. “Was that just a ploy? A lie to manipulate me?”

“No, I didn’t lie about that,” Lavinia answered. “But I really regretted it. I will not make the same mistake, Aeneas.”

The Inquisitor couldn’t help but wince at the strength of Lavinia’s declaration. But he quickly recovered as he ascertained the gravity of the situation.

“Fine, Vinia. I accept your challenge.”

Before the battle had begun in the earnest, Lavinia agreed to withdraw her swarm back to the swarm section at the Lepanto’s stern.

Disaster averted.

But Aeneas he knew that he was not out of the woods just yet. The Inquisitor stared at the swarm creature in front of him, its four horns would definitely be a problem; not to mention its large size. He was not prepared for this.

By this time, the Lepanto’s Central Garden had been cleared of people. The people who watched the duel were standing atop the mezzanines. This included Galatea, who watched nervously.

Although Galatea knew Aeneas to be a skilled fighter, she feared for her beloved. For him to duel a beast like the swarm creature Anchises seemed to be a tall order. Meanwhile, her life was also at stake. And there was nothing she could do about it.

Powerlessness was not a new feeling for Galatea. She felt it when her father died in faraway Malta. She felt it all her life, being bounded to a wheelchair because of Malinche’s Disease. Even now, she couldn’t help but feel that she wasn’t pulling her own weight in Aeneas’ army.

As she watched Aeneas and the swarm creature Anchises square off, Galatea clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.

“Please, deliver him victory.”

Down below, Aeneas and the swarm creature remained still as they looked on at one another.

“Ready?” Lavinia asked.

“Begin,” Aeneas said.

The swarm creature charged at Aeneas. Out of instinct, the Inquisitor guarded himself behind his shield.

Bad mistake.

The power behind the swarm creature Anchises was such that Aeneas was thrown a few feet away.

Aeneas could hear Galatea screamed his name as he picked himself up. He barely avoided getting stampeded.

The Inquisitor frowned as he looked at his testudo shield. It was quite a bit away. He ran to retrieve it, but the swarm creature charged at him once more.

Aeneas barely avoided the creature’s horns.

The Inquisitor reached for his side and took out his pistol. He had kept his sidearm in case he had ever lost his shield in battle. Such a contingency hadn’t happened yet, until now.

Aeneas fired several shots at the swarm creature, but the creature shrugged it off. The creature’s hide was too thick.

The swarm creature Anchises charged at Aeneas once more. The Inquisitor dodged its attack to the right. Or so he had thought as it soon swung its tail, catching Aeneas’ chest. The Inquisitor was thrown to the ground.

Aeneas looked up just in time to see the swarm creature charged at him once more. Aeneas barely avoided the stampede by sliding under the creature.

Having achieved a degree of distance from his opponent, Aeneas briefly scanned his surroundings. He frowned as he saw his shield being even farther away.

“Need some help?” Lavinia said mockingly.

Aeneas tried to ignore Lavinia’s taunting as he paid attention to his opponent. Much as he wanted to find a way to defeat the swarm creature, he just couldn’t. Not by himself. No way for him to win this duel.

Duel.

Once more, he dodged the swarm creature’s charge. This time, he paid mind to its tail and avoided its swing.

Having made some distance away from his opponent, Aeneas tried to return to his train of thought.

This wasn’t a duel. This was a two-on-one fight. Lavinia and her swarm creature against Aeneas. Lavinia cheated. Or rather, she had no intention of losing. She heavily stacked the deck to humiliate him, just like Nineveh back in Simona R’leh.

Once more, the swarm creature charged at Aeneas. The Inquisitor barely dodged its horns though the tail managed to hit. But just a glancing blow.

“I can see you’re tiring, Aeneas,” Lavinia called out.

Aeneas would like nothing more than to shut her up. But that was not an option.

Or was it?

The Inquisitor knew that without their commanders, swarmlings were nothing more than dumb beasts. But he couldn’t simply go after Lavinia. It was technically against the rules. And even if it wasn’t, she’d probably dodge his attacks long enough for her swarm creature to get him for good.

Aeneas barely avoided another charge from Anchises the Swarm Creature, but the horn managed to glance through his shoulder pad. Paying attention to its tail, Aeneas was able to duck in time to avoid its swing.

As Aeneas was making some distance between himself and his opponent, he paid attention to his surroundings. He realized that Lavinia was behind him. Aeneas hatched up a plan; a stretch, but it might work.

Once more he saw the swarm creature charging at him. This time, Aeneas stayed still. He braced for the hit.

And Aeneas was launched far.

The Inquisitor made sure to avoid the creature’s horns, but the blow still hurt. Aeneas could feel the pain all over his joints as he slowly picked himself up.

“Aeneas!” Lavinia cried angrily. “What is wrong with you? Why didn’t you dodge?”

At this point, Aeneas was only a few feet away from Lavinia. But the Inquisitor didn’t bother turning to face her.

“I thought you’d be happy,” Aeneas said sarcastically. It wasn’t his style to taunt, but he had to do it.

“Argh, I’ll show you happy!” Lavinia cried.

Aeneas steeled himself as he looked at his true opponent. The swarm creature was charging top speed at the Inquisitor.

Timing himself just right, Aeneas slid under the beast to avoid the charge.

Lavinia realized her mistake too late. The deep one girl commanded her swarm creature to stop its charge, but it had picked up too much momentum. It crashed onto Lavinia, launching her some distance away.

Briefly, Aeneas was worried for Lavinia. He saw her motionless form. Not good, but he knew that it could have been much worse. She could’ve gotten herself impaled on one of those horns.

With its mistress out of commission, the swarm creature stood still. Not doing anything.

Aeneas knew that this was his opportunity. He ran towards where his testudo shield had been dropped.

He then activated his shield turret. The duel was ongoing, after all. He then began firing his turret at the swarm creature. Enraged, his opponent charged at Aeneas. But Aeneas was prepared. He deactivated his testudo turret and dodged to the right in time.

The dumb beast did not even bother using its tail and instead keep running towards the wall.

Venetian shipbuilding prowess showed itself as the swarm creature Anchises’ charge did not even leave a dent on the wall.

The creature looked dazed, but Aeneas knew his job was not finished. Once more, he activated his turret and began firing. The swarm creature charged at Aeneas once more. And once more, Aeneas dodged in time with his testudo shield.

The swarm creature hit the wall once more.

Aeneas knew that victory was at hand. The beast looked exhausted and was bleeding all over.

Once more, Aeneas activated his shield turret. He was ready to finish off the beast.

“Stop!”

Aeneas faced Lavinia. The Pacifican girl was bloodied, but otherwise fine.

“Please don’t kill my Anchises,” she pleaded. “You win.”

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