MTL - Warhammer Inquisitor-Chapter 574 friend
Chapter 574 Friends
Vito passed through the corridor. He walked through the hall of the giant rock with something in his hand, and came to the dark gate. The dark angel guards guarding here saw him coming.
They talked for a while, and then opened the door behind them, the door of the dungeon, under Vito's order.
After the trial, Luther was brought here, in a cell, waiting for the next day's execution.
There is a prison underground in Caliban, which used to be the prison of the Knights, detaining those who are outlaws, unruly people, murderers, and traitors.
And as it happens, Luthor falls into all of the above categories.
In the past, he has been imprisoned here, for ten thousand years.
This place is very special, time seems to never pass, you can't see the stars, you can't see the sun and the moon, only the cold loneliness deep in the ground, day after day, year after year.
For most of his life, Luther was here, he was here thinking, it was the only thing he could do, and he figured out a lot of things.
Luther sat on the prison bed, surrounded by dark walls, and a closed corridor separated by iron windows. The flickering fire made the place dark but humid, but Luther was already familiar with this environment.
He closed his eyes, but he didn't fall asleep. The sound of wings flapping sounded in his ears. Luther opened his eyes, and someone was coming.
He was locked here alone, waiting for the dawn. He heard the sound of the door opening. Someone came. His footsteps echoed in the corridor. With the footsteps, some kind of iron plate rattled on his boots from time to time. , and soon he appeared outside the bars.
Vito stood there, took off the gorgeous robe, but still wore the marshal's clothes, and looked at Luther here.
"Luthor."
"Marshal." Luther said with a smile.
"He didn't come."
"I know he won't come." Luthor still smiled, looking calm, "That kid, he's been like this since he was a kid. He hasn't changed much. That's great."
"Do you hate him?" Vito asked standing outside, and Luthor shook his head.
"How could it be? I found the child and brought him back. I taught him everything, but he was just doing what I taught him."
“He learned well, always has, and made me proud.”
Luther said calmly, Vito watched him and was silent for a moment, while Luther smiled, leaning against the cold wall behind the bed, recalling many things.
He remembered that day, the day he found Lane, the tree hole, the beast that had been killed, and the moment he pulled him out, and the way Lane was before, the dirty, growling look.
And the days in the castle, where he taught him, taught him to talk, to use swords, and everything, and it seemed like an eternity, but it seemed like a lifetime ago.
"In the beginning, I hated the Emperor. I thought he took Ryan away. I found the child." Luther said, "But now, I don't hate him anymore. I know that he hasn't changed Ryan."
Luther sat in the cell and remained silent for a long while. Vito watched him outside without saying a word. After a while, Luthor finally said, "What are you doing here? I thought it was tomorrow."
"I'm curious." Vito replied in a low voice.
"Curious about what?"
"Do you regret it?"
After Vito finished speaking, Luther fell silent. He sat in the shadow of the firelight, and he spoke after a long time.
"What do you regret? Find that child, teach him everything, regret, why did I bring him back?" Luther said calmly, "Still regret, become a knight, swear an oath, and pay the due price for it ?”
"You know what I mean."
Silence, another long period of silence, only the sound of flames beating, the two of them were the only ones in the whole underground, and they could hear each other's breathing.
White mist spewed out from the darkness, followed by Luther's voice.
"Do you regret it? Let me think about it. I want to talk to that young man at that time, talk to him, and tell him not to do stupid things. He almost killed the child he regarded as his own and destroyed his own home."
"But he's gone, the young man, the kid in the field, the young man on the horse is gone, I don't even know when he got the message, just an old thing left."
Luther sat in the prison, his voice was very soft, old but extremely calm, "He once swore to be the best knight, but he failed, but I think he is not a bad person."
"I will not repent of the betrayal itself, the Emperor is not a savior." After a moment Luthor said without hesitation, "I will not go to his heaven, nor ours, but I will not repent."
"Are you going to contradict me?" Luthor asked.
Vito was silent for a while, "No."
Luther turned his head, looked at Vito in the shadows, and stared at him for a long time, "I want to thank you, Marshal."
"why?"
"You set me free," he said, "and after that, after all this time, finally, free."
Suddenly for a moment, Vito felt that he could understand him. He looked into those old eyes, where the thoughts, memories and the traces of time itself flickered.
"Do you still love him, Ryan."
"forever."
"Even if he wants you to die."
Vito stood speechless for a while, then raised his head, "Do you have any last wishes?"
Luther laughed again, and he stood up, "It's nothing, but if I have to say a wish, I hope you will do it, for all of us."
"I'm honored to die at your hands, Marshal, Swordbearer." Luthor smiled, which was not the smile of a dying man. Vito watched him silent for a moment, and then took out a jug of wine from his arms.
It was a bottle of wine with the date and place of origin on it. Luther looked at it, "Caliban's red wine? Do you still keep it?"
"Many years ago, when Ruth and I ransacked Lane's wine cellar together, I didn't drink it. Today seems to be the time."
"Farewell wine?" Luther asked with a smile.
"No, we haven't met before, I don't know you well, so I think, maybe it's tonight." Vito said, opened the bottle and took a sip, then stretched out the iron cage and handed it to Luther .
The latter took it, "Know a dead person? Is it too late?"
"It's never too late."
In this way, the two sat by the barred window, drinking the bottle of wine alternately, and Vito would bring another bottle when they finished drinking, including the red wine of Caliban and the secret wine of Fenris. They talked about different wines good or bad.
Talking stories, telling each other's experiences, and finally they became friends.
When the night was over, Vito opened the iron cage with his own hands, took Luther out of the dungeon, and went to the end of ten thousand years.
Send this new and old friend on the final journey.
(end of this chapter)