We exit the limo, and while the windows gave me a glimpse of the dining hall, they didn’t do it justice. It was in immaculate shape, with prominent, sophisticated windows and curtains lining the walls, surrounded by an almost equally well-shaped fence. The front entrance gate was manned by six men in black suits, along with two men in white suits, one of which was holding a clipboard.

We approach the gate as a group. “I take it you were invited to tonight’s ball? What name should I look for?”

It was at that moment that the Baron almost seemed like a different person. Elegant, polite, and calm, he steps forward. “You may know me as the Oil Baron. These are my plus-ones.”

He studies the clipboard. “Yeah, I see you’re here, Mr. Baron. Let them in!”

I hear the gate unlock before it opens. We step through, walking down a paved stone path and into the ballroom proper.

The outside of the building couldn’t come close to the grandeur of the inside. There were designs all over the walls, chandeliers overhead, and several tables with cloth draped over them. Several serving tables line parts of the walls. The ballroom already had dozens of patrons wandering around, invariably in sophisticated outfits of some sort, with some even wearing gilded pocketwatches similar to what Nick was toying with back in his office.

Jack sighed, looking around. “I really wish I could just stick around and eat shrimp or something and just relax, but we’ve got someone to be looking for. Let’s check each half of this room and meet on the other side.”

“Agreed.”

I wander, filing through row by row, carefully studying each person I could see, but I didn’t see anyone that looked like the description of Malkov we had. I overheard bits and pieces of conversations, and most of them didn’t sound very wholesome.

“He spilled coffee on me, so I slapped...”

“...I think someone’s cheating on me...”

“...Whipped him 15 times for that fuckup...”

“When I tell her we’ll have our fun...”

As I continued to overhear, I felt my blood chill by small degrees. Eventually, I meet with Jack again at the other side of the room.

“Didn’t find him?”

“No dice.”

“Damn.” Jack looked around, scanning the walls of the room. “I think there’s additional wings on either side of the room. You take the one on the right?”

“Sure. I’ll text you if I find him.”

With that said, we parted ways as I walked into the right ‘wing’, which was just another, somewhat smaller ballroom. Most notably, it had a lower ceiling and a few pillars scattered across. The pillars made my work somewhat more difficult, but it’s not too long before I find a man with black, slicked-back hair with a pair of designer shades on his face at one of the tables, thankfully by himself. I turn away and pull my phone out, sending a text to Jack before putting it back in my pocket. Jack soon walks over to me.

“Yeah, this looks like our guy to me.”

“Let’s go for it, then.” I take point as I sit in one of the empty chairs, with Jack sitting down next to me.

He raises an eyebrow, maintaining a calm appearance. “Now, who might you be?”

“Your name’s Malkov, right?” Jack brings his hands together on the table.

“Yes… wait, who told you that, and how do you know me?” Malkov shifts in his seat, almost imperceptibly.

“We did some digging and sniffing. Anyway, we know you’ve been playing middleman for someone, and I need to know who.”

“Not that such a description isn’t incredibly broad for the purposes of me answering, but why would I betray my clients’ confidentiality?”

“We’ll get you to talk one way or another.” Jack frowns, crossing his arms and leaning into the table.

Malkov seems to regain his composure, smirking. “I’ve ordered the deaths of plenty of important men, even senators, with absolute impunity. I’ve done bribes, arranged for planted evidence, and countless other dirty deeds, and so far I still remain untouched.” His face shifts into a devilish grin. “What makes you think you can sweat me like this?”

Dirty deeds, such as getting someone hooked against their will on Teneb. At first I feel a sense of rage, but it quickly recedes to my emotions freezing over yet again.

I look around me, making sure nobody was close by before I spoke. “You sent a false parley request and then recruited Barakan Company mercs to slaughter whoever was there.” I set my fist on the table. “Because you fucked with us I ended up going on a crusade where I lost two underlings and watched a third turn on me and try to kill me. I almost killed a 15 year old orphan because of what you did, and you better believe I’m willing to trade away much more of my humanity in order to get my way.” I lean towards him, staring right into his shades, willing my eyes to bore into his very soul as a venomous feeling creeps into my veins. “I know I can’t kill you right now, and I know you think you can just run away once this is over, but I am just hellbent enough to chase you to the ends of the Earth.” I catch Malkov tugging at his collar, but I won’t let up now. My hands grip the tablecloth. “I’m only really interested in the man at the top of the chain, but I’m more than willing to vent my frustrations on you if that’s all I get. Maybe I’ll even flay you alive for fun.”

Malkov’s hands shake as he straightens his tie. “Okay, okay, I’ll tell you who it is.” He looks around, as if checking for eavesdroppers. “It’s Varlagos.”

“Who’s Varlagos?”

“Oh, him? He’s the head honcho of the Graylily. They’re one of the biggest players around when it comes to dealing Teneb. Not that he wouldn’t be a major suspect for what happened to you, but the Graylily isn’t normally that aggressive. Would explain a lot, though.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

I look back to Malkov. “Last chance, are you sure you’re not lying to us?”

“I’m absolutely certain.”

“If I find out you’ve been lying, I’ll be back to get you.” I stand, walking to one of the walls of the room and waiting for Jack to catch up.

“That was absolutely bone-chilling to watch. I can see how you managed to get such a detailed description from Barakan Company.”

“I’m not sure if I consider that a compliment, to be honest.” A pause, as we’re both left thinking about what to do next. “How likely is it that Malkov’s gonna tell his boss we’re onto him?”

“He wouldn’t be able to do it without snitching on himself as well, so I don’t think that’ll actually happen.”

“Good. Anyway, do you know what this Varlagos guy looks like?”

“I’ve seen him before, so yeah. If he sees me with you, though, he’ll know what’s up, and even just going alone to him without a really good reason might tip him off. If you ask me, we should just take our winnings and run.”

“Hmmm… What if I used the Baron as my alibi? It wouldn’t be lying to claim that I was his bodyguard.”

“To be honest, you just don’t see many bodyguards at the ballroom, but considering that the Baron is a new face, I think it could work. That is, if the Baron’s even willing to help you.”

“I think it’s worth an ask. It’s not like I saved his life or anything...” I walk off, searching the room. The Baron wasn’t in that room, so I go back to the main room and find him there. He’s sitting with three other people, two male and one female, all dressed elegantly and in different colors to each other.

“So you say you’ve got legit businesses that are doing laundering for a quick buck? That doesn’t sound like a terrible gig-”

“Hey, Baron, I need your help with something.”

“What is it?” The Baron crosses his arms, looking at me. “This better be good.”

“We should get some distance first.”

“Fine...” He looks back to the others. “My apologies, it would appear something urgent’s come up.” They nod at him as he stands up, walking to one of the walls with me.

I lean in, speaking quietly. “I need to get close to someone, and I need you to be my alibi.”

“I’m not gonna help you murder someone!”

“Not what I said, jackass. I literally just need to be able to sit at the same table as them and have a credible reason for being there. That’s all.”

“Why, though?”

“To get more information.”

“So, you want me to be an accomplice to eavesdropping?”

“More or less.”

The Baron sighed, rolling his eyes. “And here I thought I’d be able to just relax and enjoy myself after almost getting killed by a fucking crossbow bolt.” The Baron huffs as he adjusts his hat and straightens his jacket. Jack comes to us from the door to the left wing.

“Did you find him yet?”

“He’s in the left wing, I’m sure of it. Let me go and check which table exactly that was.” Jack walked to the left wing, leaving us in the central area for the moment.

“So… what do you think of the people in this party? In this city?”

“It’s full of interesting people. Halych’s such a beautiful place, but the corruption here is kind of wild. There’s so much business here, above and underground, plenty of money flowing around, and I think I like it!”

“Oh, I can guess.” I rolled my eyes as Jack walks back to us.

“Found him. He’s with one other guy right now-look for a purple tie.”

“Got it.” I look back to the Baron. “Don’t use my actual name. If anyone asks, I’m your temporary bodyguard.”

“Seems simple enough-wait, that’s kind of true.”

“Why settle for a bald-faced lie when you can hide it behind the truth?”

The Baron pauses to think before responding. “That actually makes a lot of sense. Maybe that whole King Prius trick wasn’t just a fluke.”

“King Pyrrhus, you mean.” I rolled my eyes, but I actually found that line kind of clever.

The Baron lets out an exasperated sigh. “I got rich by learning the business game of today, not running through ancient text for incredibly situational wisdom.”

We walk through to the left wing, and my eyes sweep the tables until I find a man in a light gray suit and a purple tie, apparently in conversation with a man wearing an orange suit and tie. I make to head over, but the Baron stops me.

“Wait here.” The Baron goes to one of the serving tables along the walls of the room, loading a plate with a rather sophisticated-looking variant of macaroni and cheese, before grabbing a spoon and walking back to me. At first I wondered why, but I realized that it would probably make him seem more believable as someone relaxing instead of eavesdropping.

“Good catch.” We walk over to the table, now in close enough range to hear what they’re talking about.

“Why are you so obsessed with this Teneb stuff? And if you are, why focus on just staying within Halych, if it’s so great why haven’t you spread your wings already?” I hear the man in orange inquire as we take seats across the table from them. They don’t seem to have noticed us yet.

“I’d call it less an obsession and more a, how do I put this, strong sense of confidence. You see, most people only see Teneb as a narcotic, and it’s certainly unique as an illicit substance, but I believe Teneb has real potential. I believe that Teneb will be the future, but the world isn’t ready for it just yet.” From what I’ve seen of it, if Teneb is our future, I think I’d rather be dead.

The man in the orange suit laughs. “What, are you gonna try to study it and find a use for medicinal purposes? Maybe distill it into some sort of super-drug?” He goes straight-faced. “Because if you did, that’d actually have a ton of potential for making bank, but only if you can pull it off, which I don’t see any of us in this ballroom doing.”

The purple-tied man smirks with great confidence. “I believe that Teneb, once harnessed correctly, will be the future of human evolution. It may just seem like a horrible vice, but I think I can find a way to turn it into a virtue.”

“So you wanna tell me all the thugs hopped up on that shit are gonna be the next step in human evolution? Acting like absolute apes, can’t even control themselves?”

The man sighs. “I will admit, the results don’t look promising yet, but I believe that there will be a bigger payoff eventually. I have faith.”

“Speaking of payoffs,” The man in the orange suit crosses his arms. “Focusing on Teneb so much seems like the next step in the evolution of crippling your profits.”

“No wise man makes an investment expecting immediate payoff...” He turns his head to face us. “Oh, and who might you be?”

The Baron pauses in the middle of eating his food, for but a second resembling a deer in headlights, before he puts his utensils down. “I’m one of Verelich’s friends, though I admit I haven’t been in the underworld for long. You may know me as the Oil Baron.”

“Never heard of you.” The man in orange leans into the table. “But judging from your outfit, you look like you’ve invested in some pretty goofy shit. What do you make of this whole Teneb thing Varlagos has an itch for?”

“Well, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say there’s something Varlagos isn’t telling us about his reasons that makes it an unconventional, if not actually unreasonable investment. Care to divulge this?” The Baron set a hand on his chin, clearly interested in the conversation at hand.

Varlagos chuckles. “Well, aren’t you quite witty? I’m not putting all my cards on the table, but I’ve got higher aspirations. The others only have a cursory interest in dealing Teneb-all their eyes know to look for is dollar signs-but when I see it, I see much more.” How much more? Near-eldritch tentacled monstrosities? Suddenly sprouting blood claws to replace the hand you just lost? Or something even more monstrous? These were the words that crossed my mind, but I refused to actually say them.

The man in orange clears his throat. “And who’s your companion over there? Your wife, or something?” I can’t stop myself from raising an eyebrow in turn, mostly because I was certain I had almost nothing in common with the man next to me.

“Who, her? No, no, I don’t think I could handle someone like her. She’s my bodyguard, and her name is...” He looks to me, caught up in thought. “What was it… March.” The pause as he tried to figure out a cover name for me makes me tenser than it should.

I find myself more or less forced to play along. “Yeah, that’s it.”

The Baron swivels his sights back onto the others. “At least, that’s what I call her, because I keep pronouncing her real name wrong.” At least he made a decent alibi for struggling to find my cover name.

“Actually, everyone does that with my normal name. I’ve given up on it myself.” I cross my arms, leaning into my chair.

“If you’d hire a woman as your bodyguard, I’m not surprised you’d take Teneb seriously from a business standpoint when all the other drugs in the market actually have a wider appeal.” The man in orange smirks as his voice morphs into a sneer. “Only a fool would have a woman do a man’s job.”

Varlagos is next to speak. “Normally I’d agree with him-not to mention that it’s downright shameful-but I suspect that there’s something more to her. Much more, just hidden barely beneath the surface.” Varlagos had a wry smile, his eyes subtly sizing me up. I stare back at him plainfaced. Some part of me said I should just look away and act as forgettable as possible, but I refuse its call. “Yeah, I dare say there’s something more in her eyes, more powerful than most men could ever hope to be-some might say it’s what separates the decent from the truly great.” He then turns back to the man in orange. “Anyway, I’ll be at my lab in the portside area tomorrow-perhaps I could persuade you to come over and have a look firsthand, see if I can change your mind somehow?”

“Well, I’m not so sure that I could quite make it tomorrow in particular,” The man in orange crossed his arms. “But I am certainly intrigued as to what exactly you see in this stuff that justifies your rather impressively large investments in it.”

“I am more than happy to arrange some transport for you if that helps at all.”

The man in orange smiles. “Like I said… I’ll seriously consider it.”

“Hey, if you’re offering, you wanna let me have a look as well?”

Varlagos frowned. “Since I don’t really know you at all… no, not yet, I don’t think. But if you end up making a name for yourself, definitely find me again. I’m sure we can get together to do some great work.” The Baron lets out an exasperated sigh.

I’ve already heard what I need to. No reason for me to stay and have to forcefully hold myself back from strangling Varlagos. “Hey, I’m gonna go now.”

“No problem.” The Baron simply nods his head to me as I get out of my chair, making for the main ballroom.

I soon meet up with Jack again, as he’s leaning against one of the interior walls. “Hey, did you get anything?”

I look around, not seeing any eavesdroppers in range. “It’s kind of vague, but he said something about heading to his lab at the portside area tomorrow.”

“Lab at the portside… I think he might be referring to The Compound.”

I raise an eyebrow. This sounded important. “What’s that?”

“It’s nothing less than the biggest Teneb-producing lab in Halych. I’m pretty sure nobody outside of the criminal underground is aware of its existence.”

“From the name, it almost sounds like an urban legend. Do you even know its location?”

“Not its exact location, but I’m sure I can scare up the right intel before tomorrow night rolls around.”

I grab his jacket’s lapel and pull him an inch closer. “You better make that deadline. This might be my only chance to end this shitshow of a campaign I’m in.”

Jack simply nodded, apparently understanding as I let his jacket go. I then make my leave, heading for the dormitory so I could meditate alone.