Nyle’s breath was short and laboured. For the last couple of minutes he had launched himself into a mad chase, laeving his companions behind. He was trying to put a stop to the young man that had the audacity and foolishness to rob something from a food cart that had passed near them. And it wasn’t as if they were incognito. On their shoulders they wore back the black hooded cape of the Ministry of Surveillance they had took off during their visit to that secured palace that housed that broken High Physician.
None of that evidently mattered to that young man. Whatever he simply didn’t care, or if he was simply hungry, Nyle didn’t know. He might have even let him go, were he not wearing that cape. But with all the people that were walking in those streets, he could just not turn a blind eye. He had to act.
So Nyle chased after that boy, who was now entering and exiting through every back alley, nook, and crannies he seemed to came across. It was maddening to him how that young man could nimbly squeeze his small body through those difficult places, forcing Nyle to exhaust himself as he was forced to take on the longer route, or jump over the many obstacles he encountered on his path. For a fracture of a moment, he even thought about trying to squeeze his body through the same path. But the rationality of mind made him quickly drop that nonsense. There was just no way he was going to fit in there.
“S-stop!” shouted Nyle, trying to avoid bumping into the clueless people that were minding their businesses. If he thought that little bastard was ever going to listen to him, then he was deadly wrong, for he was beautifully and blatantly ignored.
Dammit. He hated crowds. And he also was starting to hate that little young man…
To keep the chase going, he had to roughly shove more than one person to the side to keep up with him before; but now that people were turning around, or stopping altogether, he was forced to be even more aggressive, completely disregarding everyone that came across he path. As more and more people were roughly handled, Nyle saw that boy launch himself in an alley that seemed less busy and more prone to his sly manoeuvres. Even if that boy must have been no more than thirteen years old, Nyle could help but admire that determination and quick decision making that he was constantly displaying since the chase had started.
At the risk of sounding cynical, if his colleagues, with some rare exceptions, had even a smidgen of the will he was seeing in that boy with his own eyes, then perhaps the Ministry would not be filled with unsolved cases and useless people. And maybe, just maybe, people would have looked at them in a new, more admiring light, instead of the quiet coexistence that was, for the most cases, quite tense and unpleasant.
But leaving aside that wishful thinking, the chase wouldn’t have been something difficult under normal circumstances. Nyle, for some strange reason that even puzzled him, seemed to be more tired than usual; and yet he kept himself in perfect physical shape, despite the occasional profligate drinking.
Even though he didn’t have a chance to work out since that damn night, his body was perfectly toned and ready for action. So why the hell was having so many difficulties against an easy foe? The problem was the tiredness. While he did rest all night without ever waking up once, the recent events had evidently put a bigger strain on he than he had though; a little more procrastination was needed to restore body and spirit to top shape. Too bad, however, that no one seemed to care about his needs…
Nyle cursed inside his head. He didn’t have the strength to do so out loud.
That damned sneaky, cocky, arrogant little bastard had just slithered inside an abandoned building through a small opening in the wall. He didn’t even need a second to understand that there was no fucking way that his adult body would fit in there. The sheer proportions of that hole were just big enough to fit that two-legged ferret pass; let alone a body like Nyle’s, which, though toned and nimble, was just too big.
Thinking that the only solution now was to try and catch him on a possible exit, Nyle ran to the other side of the building, occasionally looking up and around. When he finally reached the front door, which was diverted and left hanging on a lone, single hinge that had seen better days, he stopped and waited in silence. He waited. And waited. But no one ever came out.
Even after looking directly inside the dusty and barely lit space, nothing seemed to be inside. There he finally let reality sink in. That little thief had managed to get away. But worst of all, he did so right under his nose. He didn’t know which of the two he found more maddening.
Nyle gritted his teeth in frustration. How had he let a mere petty thief slip through his fingers? And a damned brat to boot! His oh so funny colleagues back at the station would surely pester him for weeks if they ever caught wind of that. Let alone that asshole who was the captain. That asshole would berated for being weak.
On a good note, it seemed like no one had noticed anything. Or perhaps they just didn’t care at all. Anyway, maybe he was in the clear. He breathed a sigh of relief. At least nobody would-
A familiar voice shattered that bubble of illusion pretty quickly.
“Nyle! Inquisitor!” said Avron, who had just appeared from around the corner. He too was short breathed, although to a lesser extent. “Did…you catch him?”
Shit. He had completely forgotten about Avron. Now what the hell was he supposed to do? Leaving aside the pointless question, how was he going to explain all that? Could he lie about it? No. Screw it. He would tell it like it was.
“…As I’m sure you…can see by yourself, I did not, unless…I’m hiding him under my…cape. So, if you’re done with…senseless questions, let’s go to…the station.”
“So he got away. Shouldn’t we…search for him? Maybe he’s still-”
Nyle exhaled slowly, as his heart was calming down to a steady rhythm. “No. That damned boy moved like someone who’s clearly used to this. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s part of a guild of thieves.”
“Guild?” asked Avron confused. “I thought…that the thieves guild…had been eradicated years ago. At least the famous one.”
“Nah. That was what the official version stated. In reality, what happened was slightly different.”
“Different?...How?”
“…It was true that arrests had been made. Nobody could have lied about something that big. But the proportion and greatness of it were pumped out of proportion. Probably to receive some further fundings from the public and private investors alike. You know how these things go. Right?”
“Yes. It’s just…” said Avron. “I’ve always thought of the Ministry of Surveillance as an incorruptible entity, dedicated to bringing order into this cruel world.”
Nyle shrugged. That was as a noble representation of their Ministry as he had ever heard. That was for sure. Unfortunately, however, even if he too had had those kind sentiments when he had joined all those years ago, reality was something that differed from that perfect image. “That’s just the way it is.”
“…Can’t things be changed for the better?”
“Unless you find a way to eradicate the power hungry, the subtle fuckers that make agreements in the silence of their high seats, and the slime that power itself attracts like flies on a jar of honey, then no.”
“That’s just-” said Avron, failing to find the correct words to express the discontent and disappointed he was clearly feeling. “I would have never thought that things were so dire.”
Nyle looked at him straight in the eyes. Now, he too hated and despised all the corruption, all the back stabbing and dealing that took place who knows where. Everyone were well aware of that. But even him, who was still an Inquisitor because of his way of doing things, that was evidently unliked and barely endured by those same fuckers, had not been so hurt the day he found out. How could Avron be so affected by something that Nyle thought was, alas, normal? But then again, Avron was a completely different person that he was. If he also took into consideration that his own belief had just shattered in an irreparable mosaic, things made a bit more sense. Just a tiny bit though…
“Tonight, go home and drink it out. Trust me, that’ll make wonders for your morale.” said Nyle, who was trying to reorder himself, as his clothes had become a mess during that brief chase.
“Nyle.” said Avron, his voice sounding a bit sharper than before. “I don’t think getting drunk will fix anything. Truthfully, it may even prove worse than doing nothing. On that note, maybe you-”
“Shut up.” interrupted Nyle. “If you don’t like that, than suit yourself. But don’t even think about preaching me about it, alright?”
“It’s not that. I just think-”
“Leave it. I’m not going to listen to you. And besides, we have better things to do than that.”
Nyle then turned around and, after a quick look around to clearly understand where the hell they were, a thing that required a couple of minutes, he began to walk. There was no way in hell he would stand there and listen to whatever bullshit Avron was going to say. And besides, it’s not like he had a problem with alcohol. It’s just that, on the most miserable days of his life, he just used that liquid to take his mind of problems. So what? Was he that damned for so little? Huh.
A smirk appeared on his face. Was that all it took to destabilize him? Hell no.
So, after slapping his face with both hands to recompose himself, Nyle regained some of that confidence that was so characteristic of him, walking now with a new stride on his steps.
But the moment his mind wondered to where they were headed, he did falter a little bit. The station wasn’t the friendliest of places. At least for him.
Better get it out it way, then.
//////
“Well, well, well.” said the old man that was sitting at the front desk. Nyle and Avron had just stepped inside the old building that was their station. Despite being newly renovated, it was already showing signs of wear and tear, like the wooden floor, which was starting to come unhinged. “Look who decided to show up. And here I thought that you wouldn’t grace us of your presence. Then again, I could understand why, if you didn’t. We have plenty of useless personnel after all, and you’re best example of that.”
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Nyle looked up as he clenched his right fist so hard that skin almost raptured when it came in contact with his nails. How dared that brown-haired homunculus, who had gotten that position only by a fortunate series of coincidences, call him useless? How dared him?! If only he could throw a punch at him. Just one. He betted that would make him feel heavenly…
But that sly, hateful excuse of a human being knew that he was protected by the rules of cooperation that were written in the Codex. So he used that as a leverage to make everyone lives worse.
Oh, but one of those days someone would have had enough. Most probably Nyle. And on that day that…that…hateful bastard would be sent flying. Just thinking about that was making Nyle salivate.
That blissful illusion came crashing down as that excuse of a man spoke in his abnormal tone of voice that resembled a screech. It was like everything about him had been created for the sole purpose of irking everyone who was unfortunate enough to be around him. And by the looks that he was receiving, Nyle wasn’t the only one thinking that.
“So? Why are standing there motionless? Get a moving! Captain Greschill is waiting for you on his room.”
Nyle didn’t respond. If he did, he wouldn’t have answered for his actions.
Instead, he stormed off, ordering Avron to ignore the protests that will inevitably came from that man and follow him to his own room, which was located right at the end of the short corridor on the second floor, right next to the room used as storage.
Sidestepping the few people that crossed his path, Nyle quickly reached the front door of his office, a crude imitation of what was the pristine and richly decorated one of the captain. Of course, in the weeks where the station had been subject to a sort of restructure effort, who was the one that had received the best, if not the only, treatment? Captain Greschill. And the rest of the men and women who worked there? Well, the crude paintjob that had been applied to his front door, and that looked particularly shitty on sunny days like that one, was the perfect example of the type of things they had to constantly deal with.
Nyle threw open that hapless door, ignoring the all too familiar croaks that came from the its hinges as its only form of protest. What he saw made him immediately stop in his tracks.
“Hello, Nyle. Had a good morning? ‘Cause I sure as hell didn’t.” said Captain Villamor, who was sitting in Nyle’s beat up chair like he owned the place.
“…Hello, Marik.” answered Nyle in a tone of familiarity. No point using his surname or rank when they were in the privacy of his room. “So, care to tell me what the hell you’re doing here?” Sure, they got along pretty well, if he had to consider all the encounters they had during work related meetings. But Marik wasn’t captain in there; Greschill was. And the two couldn’t get along even if their lives depended on it.
“I just thought of visiting you. You know, to ask you why the hell did take the family’s testimony without me being present.” said the captain in a smile that didn’t fool anyone. He was angry. Perhaps even a bit too much.
Ah, fuck. He knew that was coming. He sure as hell hoped it didn’t, but he knew it.
Sighing at the whole situation, Nyle began talking. “Listen, I had to take that testimony. I just had to. I had no choice.”
“Y-you what?!” blurted out Villamor. “Are you kidding me? What kind of reason it that? You’re crazier than I’ve ever thought possible if you think I’m just going to accept that. Do you realize what the hell have yo-”
“Oh, c’mon. Drop the act. It’s not like it’s the end of the world.”
“Not the-Are you for real? That was my testimony to take!”
“I told you; I had no choice!”
“Why?!”
Feeling all the past frustrations starting to came out, boiling like hot water, Nyle finally lost it. “Because it’s my only chance to get that fucking promotion!!! Why the fuck-”
“Nyle.” said Avron interrupting him.
In all honesty, Nyle was so pissed off at the whole situation that he had even forgotten about him.
“It’s best if you lower your voice.” he said ignoring the angry gaze Nyle threw at him. “People are starting to ponder what’s going on here.”
Just like Avron had just said, the moment Nyle looked around to assess the situation, he saw a bunch of foreign and familiar faces alike staring in their direction. All of them, none excluded, looked at Nyle with a mix of confusion, curiosity, and perhaps even a little bit apprehension that Nyle couldn’t help but find ridiculous. Had they never heard a heated discussion before?
Nyle scowled. If they had time to stick their noses into other’s people business, than they surely were just a bunch of lazy people that would have made a favour to everybody if they just disappeared from his sight. Sadly, he also suspected that scenario would never came to pass.
“Alright.” said Avron, pushing him slightly with his hands. “No need to stare at them like that. Also, if I might add, remember that you have to meet Captain Grosch-Gresh-whatever he’s called.”
“…Greschill.”
“What?” he asked confused.
“It’s captain Greschill. That’s his name.”
“Ohhh. Right. Anyway, off you go.”
Nyle refused to translate into words what he thought. Instead, he just walked inside and sat down on one of the guests chairs. His own was impudently occupied at the moment.
On past occasions, some people that had visited him for the most disparate reasons that ranged from work related to private ones, had kindly told him that seats felt like, to put it mildly, sitting on stones. He had always regarded those opinion as exaggerated nonsense, of course. But now that he found himself in their place, he had to admit that they were far more uncomfortable than he thought. No. He had to be honest. The were some of the most uncomfortable he had ever tried.
“Now, what the hell did you mean by that?” asked captain Villamor.
He closed his eyes and exhaled sharply. A tornado of memories, made of remnants of all the cases he had investigated through the years, swirled inside his head, bringing with it a mix of emotion that was both pleasant and saddening. He was proud of all the good things that he was able to accomplish, mainly because he had done so without anyone’s approval. But he couldn’t help but feel a pang of bitterness and perhaps even anger with the price he had to pay for those. If only the world wasn’t so fucking unjust…
Bringing himself down from those sorry thoughts, Nyle looked the captain straight in the eyes. “…Exactly what I’ve just said.”
“…Are you going to elaborate on that or am I supposed to decipher the hidden meaning behind it?”
“You know how I work, right?” asked Nyle annoyed.
“Ohhh, I sure as hell know. Not like I had any choice, for that matter. Still, I don’t think that’s enough of a reason to destroy your career.” said Villamor. “I mean, sure, most of times your fucking demeanour is so maddening that I want to punch you in the face, but not to the extent that-”
“Tell that to the Magisters. Or all the bastards that have gone to any lengths to stop me from further advancement. Or even to that asshole of Greschill.” said Nyle smiling nervously from ear to ear. Just thinking about all those spinless, useless, waste of space moth-. He stopped. The more he thought about them, the more he was getting angry.
“Ahhhh…. you’ve made some enemies up there, didn’t you?”
“…As if you weren’t already aware. Don’t kid me, Marik. You deserve the rank you’re wearing, unlike those fakes.”
Marik burst out laughing, as if he found all that very entertaining. A thing that, strangely enough, didn’t bother Nyle. Maybe it was because he couldn’t feel offended by him, given all the past history they shared together. Or maybe it was because, to Nyle’s knowledge, Marik wasn’t the type of person who would find his situation funny. “…Sorry.” said Villamor as the laughing died down. “I just couldn’t help myself. Cannot fault me for that, can you?”
“Whatever. But I have nor the time nor the will to argue with you.”
“Good. Good.” said Villamor smiling. “Because, you know, now that I finally understand why you’ve acted the way you did on some past occasions, we can work out something that could be profitable for both of us. A sort of partnership, if you will.”
“…Profitable how?” asked Nyle. Even if he did hide it well, his interest was certainly picked. What was that man thinking? Only one way to find out.
The experienced captain leaned forward, lowering the tone of his voice so only Nyle and Avron could hear him.
Strange, thought Nyle. While the station as a whole was certainly far from being what it needed to be, the walls at least provided some insulation to sound. Even the elven people, who were renowned for their exemplary earing, wouldn’t be able to pick up what was said in the privacy of that room. And it was not like Marik wasn’t aware of this. So why bother?
Nyle shrugged. Either he wanted an ulterior reassurance that they would be the only people who would hear what he had to say, or he was just that cautions of a person. In any case, Nyle didn’t care. He had already too much on his mind to add that to his gigantic pool of thoughts that swirled endlessly inside that hardhead of his.
“Leaving aside the difference in ranks, and what that obviously entails…” said Villamor. “I enjoy a good reputation with the higher ups. Not just with the ones of the Ministry, but with the Civil Order as a whole. To be fair, I also have some connections with the Ministry of War, and some in others, but they’re certainly not at the same importance.”
Seeing that Villamor had stopped talking, looking at him with profusely eyes, Nyle thought that he was waiting for an answer. “…And?”
“And if that is not enough, there are places where an Inquisitor will never be allowed to go. I’m sure you’re aware that there is documentation that is strictly guarded and only consultable from a certain rank onward. If that is not enough to convince you, think about the ball that will take place at the Moon Palace in the next two weeks. I know you cannot attend that. And I also know that setting will make a lot of important people talk under a pretext or another. That is a situation you cann-why are you smiling?”
This time it was Nyle who laughed. The irony of that whole situation was so strong that he couldn’t have helped himself. After all, of all the things that he could have mentioned to convince him to form a pact, he just had to say that, did he?
When his laughter begun to die down, a sudden thought, more prominent then the others, made him realize the seriousness of the situation. Dammit. While he still found that irony very entertaining, the explanation Marik would surely have liked, was not. How the hell was he supposed to explain his sudden demeanour without giving away any hints of the pact he had secretly made with Athiel? Maybe he could try to lie about. Saying that he-
Nyle stopped. He immediately realized the impossibility of such course of action. Marik wasn’t stupid. Not at all. The myriads of well-earned achievements he had collected over the course of his career was tangible evidence of that. There was just no way he could fool him into believing some crap made up on the spur of the moment, no matter how well-crafted it might have been. He could try it, but he knew how foolish it would be to even attempt it; the only thing he would have accomplished by lying would have been to piss him off. And that would only create further problems.
“I’ll attend the ball too.” blurted out Nyle.
The silence that followed that sudden confession spoke more than a thousand words. Disbelief, confusion, shock. All those emotions appeared on Marik’s face as he stared at Nyle with eyes wide open. Even Avron, who wasn’t fond of that whole “pact” ordeal, looked shocked at that sudden admission.
“Y-you…w-what?!”
“I will also be at the ball.” repeated Nyle as if it was perfectly normal.
“That’s impossible. I know all three Inquisitors that will attend it, and I’m damned sure that your name was not amongst them. So stop lying and the tell-” he stopped for a brief moment. “…You’re serious. You’re damned serious.”
“…Yes.”
Nye saw him running his hands over his face, muttering something under it. Maybe a good thing, given the look that he was giving him now.
“Just tell me one thing. And pleeeease, try to be completely honest with me. How? How the hell did you…?”
“…Well, I have received help from a certain person that is quite resourceful. No. Let me rephrase that. She’s one of the most resourceful I know. Long story short, we have reached a deal, and the payment for it is something that I’ll have to obtain at the ball. And no, it’s nothing serious.”
“Care to tell me who that person is?”
“I certainly could. But I’m not going to.”
“And that is because…”
“Because I respect her very, very much.”
“…Goddess, you sure are something to deal with. Well, no matter. I couldn’t change the way you think even if I wanted to. But the offer still stands. So, want to partner up? Or are you going to keep on acting like the loner you’ve always been?”
Nyle smirked. “…Yeah. I suppose it’s a good thing in the long ru-.”
“Excellent!” he said clapping his hands. “Now that’s out of the way, we can truly speak freely, yes?”
“Yes?” asked Nyle confused.
“Because, you see, I have no doubt that you’ve already began chasing after clues, even after what Magister Gideon had said. But I guess your hard headedness is one of your qualities. Anyway, I digress. So, what did you find out in your lonely pursuit? Anything important?”
Ah. So that’s what he wanted to know. Now everything made sense. Not that it made things any easier. Not for Nyle, at least. Should he just tell him about High Physician Vodril and the newest addition to his personal list of contacts, Elros? Should he so casually give up the only advantage he managed to find so far, especially after all the effort he had put in? Probably not. However, Nyle knew that he could trust the man in front of him. He wasn’t an asshole that would have left him with nothing but empty promises of help if he didn’t really meant that he would do the same. But, to trust another man with his hard work, was something that Nyle found extremely difficult to do. Even when that said man was one of the people he respected in that damned Ministry.
With evident difficulty, Nyle exhaled. He had to relax. He could trust him.
Ready to talk, Nyle opened his mouth.
Too bad, however, that a loud knock on the wooder door, which was quickly repeated time and time again by whoever was outside, who clearly didn’t like waiting, interrupted any possibility of that happening now.
They exhaled sharply. Leaving Avron out of the picture, they had recognized who that person was. Only one man in that station knocked with such dumb force. And they were sure nothing good was going to come out of it.