It was a quiet area, a cramped little corner in a vast sea of streets and buildings sprawling far beyond what was visible even from the rooftops. From out on the larger street to the quiet corner, the dense crowds of people coming to and fro seemed to fade, and personal space seemed to return. Lucullus was greeted by a woman shrouded in a dark cloak and hood. She stood by an old barrel, spinning a twig between her fingers.
“What do you want?” She tossed the twig on the ground, and looked past him. Once she was sure no one followed him, she grabbed him by the arm and led him into a small building. Once inside, she closed the door and flipped her hood down.
“How is it that I’m supposed to get into the Forum?”
She pulled an emblem from her pocket, and gave it to him. “This is your proof. If anyone questions you: tell them Julia Duri let you in, and show them the emblem. They’ll believe you when they see it.”
“But where is the Forum at?”
She flipped her hood back up. “Follow me.” She opened the door a little ways, and peered out. Having checked the alley, she exited the building and motioned him to keep following.
They weaved through many alleys and obscure streets. Lucullus almost felt dizzy at how many turns they made. He wouldn’t be able to find this place again even if he was shown the route a hundred times. And the way Julia navigated the streets, shoving anyone in her path, was a surprise for a noblewoman of such a prestigious family. Though, perhaps it wasn’t too surprising given the circumstances.
At the door of a decrepit building — one like any other — Julia gave the door two forceful knocks with a few seconds between each one. A slot on the door opened, and a set of paranoid eyes peered through. She spoke with the paranoid one on the other side for a minute, whispering things Lucullus couldn’t quite understand, before the door was opened. He and Julia walked through, and were led through a dark and dank tunnel. Their only light was the torch the paranoid man was holding. Once they came into an opening where several sewer channels intersected, he passed the torch to Julia, and unlocked a hidden door.
“This way,” she said as she expertly navigated the tunnels.
Lucullus wrinkled his nose at the foul smells of sewers. “I’m starting to see why nobody has found this place. I don’t know if I’ll be able to find my way out of here.”
“No need to worry about that. You just focus on doing your job.”
“Could you give me the name of who I should be wary of?”
She stopped, and turned around. The warm glow of the torch lit up very little of her shrouded face. “Valerian. He’s a short man, but a burly one at that. He’s got a distinctive bald spot, which he tries to cover with the few strands of hair left near the top of his head. Just remember: he’s crafty. He won’t be so easily fooled, nor oblivious to your existence like your average criminal. There’s a barkeeper not far from the center of the Forum. He can help you; just tell him Julia sent you.”
Once they arrived at the entrance to the Forum, Julia opened the door and motioned for him to go inside. When he entered through, she said goodbye, and closed the door. He was now officially in the Furum Forum, and most importantly, in it alone. His first thought was of wishing for Tiberius to be with him. Tiberius’s knowledge had carried them nearly the whole way, and he knew it all too well. Lucullus took a deep breath, and sighed as he forced himself to step forward on his own into the unknown.
The room which he found himself in was nothing short of an underground city center. The bustle of activity was incredible for a society so picky about its membership, and one so secretive, too. He made his way through the large open space, avoiding eye contact, and eliminating any opportunity he could for someone to start a conversation with him. All this caused a number of curious and even suspicious looks to come his way, not that he cared; he hardly paid them much attention. His mind stayed focused on only one thing.
The description of the man Julia gave him was nothing short of vague. All that was truly useful was the name: Valerian. A short, burly bald man was plentiful like weeds in a neglected garden. Unless the Forum only accepts tall, thick-haired men, who could hide behind a lamppost, his chances of finding Valerian on looks alone were zero. He would have to make inquiries with others in the Forum, and that meant risking Valerian spotting him before he can get a chance at taking him out. He would need to find the bar, but he dared not ask for directions. Anything might give away his cover, and potentially get him killed. He dared not to take such chances with Valerian, provided he was every bit as crafty as Julia made him out to be.
After some wandering, he found the bar, and moved toward the barkeeper. Having pushed his way through some drunk patrons, he took a seat by the bar, and motioned for the keeper to come over.
The man vigorously scrubbed a mug before putting it on a shelf with other identical mugs. “Don’t believe I’ve seen ye ‘round here before. Must be new blood, am I right?”
Lucullus nodded.
“It’s always exciting to see new members in our ranks. Means there’s still hope we can keep Parvum in our grasp. Many of our veterans are getting — how should I say — silenced by the guards and soldiers. So, new recruits to our ranks are most welcome; that is, as long as they prove they can handle themselves. We certainly don’t want fools going out and risking our necks for their own foolishness.” He chuckled. “Well, that’s enough of me rambling. Age can do that to ya if you’re not careful. I take it ye want a drink. What shall I wash your sorrows away with?”
Lucullus leaned in, and whispered in a low voice, “I’m here at Julia’s request.” He flashed his emblem, and glanced to his left and right, checking for any snooping drunkards.
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He nodded. “I see. In that case, I’ll have to go in the back room. There might be a bottle or two of that left.” He leaned in, and lowered his voice to match Lucullus. “Meet me at the back door of the wine cellar. Go out the left door of this room, and take the first right. I’ll unlock it for you.”
The two men nodded at each other, and briefly parted ways. Lucullus acted as casual as he was capable of, and made his way along the route suggested by the barkeeper. He kept a careful watch over his surroundings, ensuring no one saw him, and quickly entered the cellar.
The barkeeper locked the door behind Lucullus, and sighed. “I was beginning to worry she’d never send anyone. What has she told you about the situation?”
“She suspects a certain man is compromising the integrity of the Forum’s power structure by sowing divisions with its members,” he dropped to a whisper, “Valerian.”
The barkeeper nodded slowly. “This Valerian is the one we suspect. He seems to have his hands in everything. Some have reported that he’s spread sentiments of mutiny among some of our younger members, ones who he can easily manipulate.”
“Why hasn’t anyone done something about it?”
“The problem is we can’t get enough evidence to pin anything on him. And if we just dispatch him in the night with no public proof, his followers will, no doubt, take up arms and cause us more trouble than we need right now. The current state of the Forum is delicate. If we keep things as they are now, then we can get by. But if we make one mistake, it’s the end.”
“I can get you the proof you need of his compromised allegiance.”
He blinked in confusion. “Really?”
Lucullus nodded. “If he truly is a spy of Sabina, he will bear the mark.”
“I’m not sure if he is specifically a spy for Sabina or not. I just know that he is certainly furthering her goals in some capacity.”
“I have reason to believe he is a spy. And if I find the mark, he will surely die.”
He gave Lucullus a scrutinizing look, and shook his head. “While I like the confidence, I can’t see such hasty action ending well.”
“I don’t like this any bit more than you do. But I believe, and with good reason, that this man’s allegiances can be determined by some obvious signs.”
He folded his arms. “Obvious?”
“Not that he goes around waving a big flag or anything, but that the things he hides will be obvious to spot for those who can find them.”
“Before I let you loose to do whatever it is you plan to do, I must first ask what it is you expect to find.”
He paused for a moment, and considered carefully how to choose his words. “I know of some dealings Sabina has had with certain members of noble courts in the north province. They are her eyes and ears. And there is one who has had contact with the Forum, who I have followed at a great distance. He began his journey east, presumably to here or to some associate of the Forum, before I was able to strike at him. If he has a letter or mark on him, or even such a thing in a room he is staying at, I can check for it. If I find it, then I know it’s him, and he will be dealt with.”
The barkeeper looked as if his mind were not in the room as he processed what Lucullus said. “Who are you, exactly?”
Lucullus’s face remained calm, without the slightest hint that he was out of his element. “I am simply a mercenary working with the Duri Family. I came through Julia because she was willing to root out the problem; she could see the true danger that Sabina’s spy posed.”
After some time, the barkeeper seemed satisfied enough with the answers he was able to get, and allowed Lucullus to begin his investigation. Before departing, he informed Lucullus of the common places which Valerian frequented, as well as where he stayed.
Lucullus swept through every place the barkeeper mentioned. From the places where they gathered to gamble away their haul of stolen treasures on games of dice, to the sparring rings, of which were also subject to the placement of bets, he investigated thoroughly. He was careful not to be noticed, except as a passing stranger who was simply curious about the result of the games. Sometimes, he felt compelled to study the sparring, but always returned his focus to the mission. It appeared that Valerian’s associates were the most lowly type of anyone in the Forum. But such things were of no surprise to Lucullus, who assumed that anyone sustaining heavy losses in gambling is likely to follow Valerian in his apparent quest to usurp the Forum.
Though these places gave many insights into who Valerian was associating with, it didn’t answer who Valerian was. Much to his own dismay, Lucullus never bothered to ask the barkeeper for more specific details about Valerian’s appearance, details which would prove far more useful in spotting him in a crowd. Despite these lamentations, he pressed on in his search, and finally arrived at the last place he wanted to check: Valerian’s chamber. If he couldn’t find what he needed, and kill Valerian quickly, his mission could be compromised. If he found just one letter, he would have all he needed to justify the kill.
He sneaked through the halls, impressed by how much was under the city that no one ever knew about, and approached Valerian’s door with much anxiety and paranoia. The scene was all too familiar to him, of course it was locked, he barely controlled his urge to just kick the door in. As he had done in Castle Luctus, he knelt down by the lock on the door, and scrambled together some makeshift tools to start picking.
He hardly spent more than a few seconds looking at what he was doing before darting his gaze around, looking down either end of the hallway to make sure he was still safe. Even if it was normal for thieves to steal from one another, it certainly wouldn’t be so easy to keep from spooking Valerian if he was caught. Lucullus’s lack of experience made picking any lock particularly challenging, but this lock seemed to be more complicated than the one in Castle Luctus. He thought it all rather strange, after all, a noble house should surely have more intricate locks than some petty criminals in the city’s underbelly. Perhaps it was simply his lack of skill that clouded his assessment of the lock’s intricacy.
After an hour had passed, he began to worry more and more with each failed attempt. He eventually gave up on the lock, fearing that the footsteps he was hearing in the distance was Valerian, and kicked the door in. Luckily, the door being made of wood, it was quite easy to bash open with one good kick. The steel door in Castle Luctus would’ve fared much better against his kicks.
With no time to waste, he dashed into the room, and began searching all over for any shred of evidence he could find. It was like a tornado swept through the whole room. Those footsteps were getting closer. He skimmed over many letters, hoping to find what he needed. There were paintings on the walls, at least, before he ripped them all off. Perhaps he’s hiding the letters in the paintings. Each footstep grew louder, and the slow but steady pace of them was unnerving; it was perhaps the most terrifying sound he’d ever heard. Upon taking the last painting, he revealed a hole in the wall, or rather, a chipped brick, which let light stream into a niche behind it. In a furious dig, he pried the brick out, and discovered two letters in it, as well as a curious emblem. He barely even looked at the emblem, instead focusing on skimming the letters. They were exactly what he needed, but the approaching footsteps had just stopped. This lack of sound was perhaps more worrying than when he heard the footsteps. The door was creaking; there was no time to waste. He spotted a closet in the corner of the room, and hurried inside, closing the doors quickly, but as quietly as he could manage.
The door creaked open, and the footsteps continued, but they were now in the room.