The day after Numisley read out aloud the forged document to the wharf of Regusha, Raudaeiz and a hooded woman of Numisley’s age had come to the inn where the Gildin Brothers were staying. Cultrost helped Numisley climb the stairs with the two strangers in tow.
The door that led inside the brothers’ room closed shut. The shutters were never opened, and only the barest amount of light passed through its wooden gaps.
“Remind me, Cultrost, to tell Raudaeiz’s [Sorcerer] to ward the room against eavesdroppers,” Numisley whispered to Cultrost.
“Baire’s a [Trickster],” Raudaeiz spoke. “We’re in [Hushed Conversation].”
“Useful Feat,” Numisley remarked. “Now, who did you bring with you?”
“She is an [Assassin] I picked up. I believe that you will find here useful to our goals. She had helped me establish the final step to carving our place in the city’s underworld.”
Numisley imagined that she had killed a [Gang Leader] on Raudaeiz’s orders. Numisley and Cultrost’s father had told them of the potent role of [Assassins] in a world where the power of individuals informs even kingdoms. The easiest way to conquer a city is to assassinate its [Mayor], and a surefire way to strike fear in a kingdom is to poison their [King]. To cripple their military is to decapitate their [Generals] and murder their [Champions]. To cripple an economy, one must assassinate [Traders], [Smiths], and [Farmers].
“And what is this ‘final step’?” Numisley asked.
“We have taken the hideout of an important gang leader and have earned enough money and members to start our smuggling operation. The chaos yesterday had helped, too.”
“Excellent,” Numisley spoke. He guessed they took advantage of the chaos to do whatever Raudaeiz needed to accomplish. It has been weeks since they sent the smuggled metal to Raudaeiz’s contact. He directed his [Eye for Potential] to the aforementioned [Assassin], who covered her face.
She was surprised that the young man was Raudaeiz’s employer. The red-skinned man beside him had Raudaeiz’s horns and felt he was stronger than most people his age.
“Introduce yourself, please.”
His words shook her. The word “please” in her homeland tongue or Torregornian was never spoken to her until now. She found herself staring at his violet eyes, projecting his analytical gaze.
“Rhmarha.” She spat out her name as if the words themselves stirred from her throat. Her hood fell, revealing her feline ears and dirty blonde hair. She was all too familiar with Feats that compel her to follow orders, or [Swindlers] with a presence that dulls the mind, but this is not the case. It is his presence alone that puts her at ease.
“A Demihuman.” Cultrost mouthed. Somehow, it comforts him that there are non-Humans in this place.
“I look forward to working with you,” Numisley spoke. “Raudaeiz, if Baire knows an enchantment to ward the room against potential eavesdroppers, tell him to come here.”
“Aye,” Raudaeiz said before leaving the room.
Raudaeiz and Rhmarha were walking inconspicuously among the crowd, trying not to draw attention to the patrolling armed men in the streets. Both of them sensed that there were eyes on them when they exited the “Clammy Abode,” the inn where the Gildin Brothers were staying. Both knew looking around and trying to locate them would mark them both. The question in both of their minds is why there are eyes on that inn.
“Guess Numisley’s paranoia is justified,” Raudaeiz remarked.
“Is he a Sheikh?” Rhmarha suddenly asked.
“What’s a Sheikh?”
“Someone important. The ones that rule several cities.”
“Oh, nobility. Numisley’s a noble. At least unofficially. He’s still working on it.”
Rhmarha was all too familiar with disgruntled nobles in this kingdom who met with her fellow [Assassins] who were willing to pay them to kill their family members to attain a title. She had no choice but to accomplish the job to the letter while their leader received the coin. However, she has now a choice. If Raudaeiz fulfills his promise, she will have enough money to buy herself a place aboard a ship back to her home if the ships return to Ovespuerte. Yet she was still unsure. The journey across the sea was perilous, with towering waves and storms that would herald the rise of the monsters of the depths. Even if she went home to the Kingdom of Rhundi, there was a risk that she would be enslaved again by the same [Slavers] who captured her.
“How did you come to work for him?”
Raudaeiz raised his eyebrows for a second before clearing his throat.
“I had a gang back home. But I elected to join him since he could use my talents. He promised to help me in my vengeance as soon as we have enough resources.”
Rhmarha sensed that there was a lot left unsaid. But she didn’t pry further.
-
“Did you hire someone to kill Tosi?” Johoon jabbed a finger on Aryyad’s chest, startling the [Merchant]. They were going to talk about their plans for the city in preparation for the arrival of the Torregornian nobles’ forces until Johoon accused him of murdering one of the Diamond Shore’s assets in Ovespuerte’s criminal world. The Miracle Aryyad received from the trade deity he worshiped had disappeared by now, yet even without that, he was sure he could reason with the enraged [Captain].
“What? Never!” Aryyad shoved him away, causing Johoon to draw his dagger. “I’m not as bold and brash as you! Besides, what good would that do? As of now, I’m richer than you. [Moment of Reason].”
A moment of clarity washed over Johoon, and he realized Aryyad’s point.
“That means we have a damned interloper.” Johoon hissed.
“Now, now. We have more important matters to talk about. We must deal with the temple’s [High Priests] and the rest of the city’s [Guildmasters] and community leaders. Suspicion is in the air, and soon, it will blow our way.”
“Would be easier for us if we could kill them.”
One of Aryyad’s [Mercenaries] rushed into the throne room, interrupting their conversation.
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“Sir!” The [Mercenary] panted. “There are scrying spells in the sky.”
As if on cue, one of Johoon’s men also barged into the castle, with good reason.
“The sentinels saw movement in the forest! [Scouts], sir.”
Another of Aryyad’s men had rushed in soon after, delivering dire news.
“Three galleys emerged from the black border, sir!”
Johoon and Aryyad looked at each other and knew that whatever they needed to do, they needed to do it today.
“I’ll do something about the Temple. Tell Tuirre and his Household Guard to arrest the people on this list. Be prepared for a standoff soon.”
Aryyad quickly scribbled a list of the [Guildmasters] and community leaders who could threaten their power and handed it to Johoon. Both foreigners wore cloaks to disguise themselves against the arcane eyes floating in the sky hovering over Ovespuerte as they exited the castle. Yet, they both knew that every city possessed substantial protection from scrying spells.
Aryyad went to the warehouse where he and Numisley regularly meet, and he saw the two brothers waiting on a bench under the shade of the warehouse, with a sheet of parchment on Cultrost’s hands.
“Have you got something that would incriminate the temple?” Aryyad immediately asked. “Because my men spotted a military force descending to the city soon.”
“Much of the information for the names in your list was outdated, but the temple itself holds a deep secret. My source says that underneath the temple is a chamber with a ritual circle made with the blood of their acolytes. My source theorized that they were using it to summon a devil. Here is a map of the temple.”
Numisley wasn’t sure if their father's statement about the Temple of Ovespuerte was true. Among all of the secrets written in the black book, this entry is one of the most fantastical to date. He and Cultrost didn’t believe it, even if their father supposedly tied a tiny folded map within its pages, an impossibility they have yet to solve. Yet Numisley’s [Verified Sources] says otherwise. They were so busy avoiding bankruptcy that they hadn’t got time to study why the black and brown books seem to have nigh-infinite pages ever since they found out while traveling through the Obscure Ocean.
Aryyad didn’t have the time to verify their claim and source, but he grabbed the map from them. Numisley’s Feat guarantees the map is authentic, making the map glow.
“I see you have [Verified Sources]. I’ll ask one of the [Priests] we paid to guide my [Mercenaries] into that place and force the temple’s [High Priests] to an ultimatum.”
The Rhundian [Merchant] tossed him two coins.
“Five more. I did say names, but I only found a map. That will cost seven coins.”
“Are you ripping me off?”
“It's a fair price. You never asked me for anything besides names and secrets when you were a customer. Maps are seven coins.”
“Huh.”
Aryyad tossed them the rest of their payment, which Cultrost caught. He has no time for bartering.
“Pray that you’re right; if you don’t, the Invisible Hand shall smite you with bankruptcy.”
“Who?” Numisley asked.
“What?” Cultrost asked.
Aryyad walked away before he could hear their question. Soon, he was with a large contingent of [Mercenaries], accompanied by a [Priest] on Aryyad’s payroll. With the members of the Household Guard now fully complicit in their treachery, they marched to the most holy place in the city.
Aryyad’s [Mercenaries] wasted no time murdering the [Temple Guards] who tried to stop them as Aryyad walked up to the [Rector] and the [High Priests] of the temple in the middle of the meeting. The sight of the [Priest] who betrayed them had especially enraged the [High Priests]. Still, he ignored them as he led Aryyad’s [Mercenaries], knowing he made the right choice to survive.
“What is the meaning of this?” The [Rector], a pudgy man wearing jewel-crusted episcopal robes, demanded answers.
“I came here to deliver an ultimatum. Serve me, and you shall live. Disobey me, and I’ll spread the word about your basement, where your temple committed your human sacrifices.”
The [Rector] tried to use his Miracle of Banishment, but he found his faith wavering. He wondered how he knew about that dark and damp basement where he would sacrifice orphans whom the temple took as temporary acolytes before they would be killed for the ritual.
“We will not serve a foreign [Merchant] over our king and kingdom. We were right about you–”
Before they could use a Miracle, a crossbow bolt pierced a [Priest]’s head. Many of the [Priests] backed away, yet they stood their ground behind the [Rector].
“Sir, we have found the basement.” One of the [Mercenaries] who went into the temple had found the forbidden ritual grounds.
The [Rector]’s eyes widened as he wondered how they knew about that forbidden place.
“So, do you have my cooperation?”
“Yes.”
Many of the [High Priests] who were coerced for saying “yes” had found themselves struggling to breathe, as if something invisible had strangled them. They were executed by the oaths that they swore to their faith itself. Those who still stubbornly refuse to adhere to the threats of the [Merchant] were simply killed by crossbow bolts before they could invoke a powerful Miracle. Aryyad signaled his [Mercenaries] to halt their crossbows before they could kill the [Rector], the only one left alive.
“You didn’t take an Oath,” Aryyad remarked.
“I see you are also a man of faith.” The [Rector] noticed that he was familiar with the concept of a binding Oath. “I and the temple will cooperate to your demands as long as it remains within the realm of reason.”
“The armies of the nobility will come soon. Tell them that [Pirates] had attacked this temple, or you will be accused of treason.”
“Of course. Treason is the greatest sin, after all.” The temple’s [Rector] smiled bitterly. Aryyad headed to the warehouse to prepare to deal with the forces riding on the three galleys rapidly closing in towards Ovespuerte’s docks. While he walked, he gave orders to the [Mercenaries] to maintain the lies that engulfed the port.
-
Horsemen, led by their [Lady] on horseback, emerged from the forest northwest of Ovespuerte. The Household Guard stood calm as they galloped to the city’s northern gate.
“What is your allegiance?” The voice of Adriasta Kasta Kaminor resounded to Ovespuerte’s sentinels.
“Sworn to Torregorn!” The highest-ranking officer sharply replied.
“Open the gates!”
After a while, her demand was followed. The portcullises were lifted, letting the horsemen through. Adriasta marched up to the one in charge, marked by a green plume on his helm.
“Who’s ruling the city?”
“This city is under the provisional command of Guard Captain Tuirre Cartala until Lord Racieros Torresso Commerro or Lady Strraina Parste Commerro arrives, your Ladyship.”
“What happened to your Contiearl?”
“He and Lord Verrespadion attained martyrdom in the defense of Ovespuerte.”
The truth spell of her ring glowed an uncertain, dim green. She isn’t satisfied with his answer and doubts that he will reveal the whole truth, whether he knows it or not.
“We ride to the castle!”
Adriasta and her horsemen rode through the streets, startling the patrolling [Mercenaries] and the people who walked on the northern roads.
At the same time, three galleys arrived on the docks, still littered by splinters and driftwood. They bore the orange, white, and yellow colors of the Gaviolos House. Standing on the prow is the former Duc and patriarch of the noble house, the ignoble Dustitoz Gaviolos.
Numisley and Cultrost have the misfortune of seeing him in person. The one who murdered their father and the enemy of the Naveirei House. He stepped out of the gangplank with the borrowed [Soldiers] of the nearest Gaviolos’ cities. They formed a semicircle spear and shield formation around their liege, who strutted about to say that this port was now his. Beside him is a man in a humble yet decorated doublet, a [Herald] of sorts in Dustitoz’s retinue. Yet, in Cultrost’s eyes, this man seems like he wore the wrong face and body. Cultrost felt like he should recognize him.
His eyes spotted Numisley and Cultrost among Aryyad’s workers. So he marched towards them with a mocking gait and haughty stare. Like a loaded crossbow, Numisley held back his sharp tongue when he got close.
“Did you enjoy your rainy travels to that hamlet?” Dustitoz asked Numisley with a cryptic question. It took a few moments until he realized what he meant by that.
“You–”
“On my authority as Duc–Marquis Dustitoz Gaviolos, in the name of the Divine Decree and its Nine Laws, you are arrested for unlawfully assuming the name of a noble house, the attempted theft of government funds, and the sacking and murder of the village of Dousso. Henceforth, you are deemed a sinner and criminal under the eyes of the gods, the peerage, and His Majesty, and the rights provided by law are forfeit until further notice.”
The [Soldiers] restrained Numisley, much to Dustitoz’s satisfaction. Cultrost drew his mace, prompting the [Soldiers] to point their spears at him.
Meanwhile, Palden and Racieros emerged from the forests north of Ovespuerte, and their eyes were set upon its gates. Palden made the horse run as fast as it could, yet he could sense that his horse would collapse from fatigue soon.