36th of Summer, 513AV
Ignotus Everto was a happy man today. He had come back with a bill of clean health from the University's psychologist- very good considering his recent bout of overgiving. Other than his wrists, the only real negative was a thirty day leave of absence from work. He always did hate it- so far he had been fortunate with minor compulsions and pain, but it reminded him just how thin a razor's edge he was walking with his magic. Push just a little bit harder than he was now, and he could easily fall into madness and ruin.
It made him feel unstable. Vulnerable. Gods, he hated feeling vulnerable. It was why he developed his gift in the first place. First to survive. Then to advance. And now, finally... To dominate. The Denvali thought their plan was foolproof, but they made the same mistake as the black merchants of so many seasons ago- they had put themselves in a situation where they had to import. And just as before, the imports stuck out. And because they stuck out, they could be cut down.
As with before, Sunberthan mercenaries were the hired help of choice, and just as before, locating them was as easy as waiting in the right pub and buying the right people drinks. It was like this that he found the identity of the leader of a sizable band hired by Adarin. Ignotus planned to change things. Now, to sway a man motivated solely by profit, he needed to look wealthy. And to protect himself, he needed to be anonymous. Fortunately, the Winter Ball had provided him with the means to achieve both ends. A solid white mask concealed his features, while his sleek fur cloak, silk clothes, and silver-tipped cane certainly said something about his resources.
After a half bell, a creature resembling a shaved bear with an eyepatch swaggered into the bar and plonked himself down in the seat opposite Ignotus. "You. You're the guy my boys have been talking about?" he demanded of the Nuit.
The Nuit straightened in his chair then, languidly beckoning a barmaid with a finger. "The same. And I believe you're one of the men Adarin has paid off?"
Bear Berth frowned at that. "Who told you that?"
"Oh come, it wasn't hard to figure out." Ignotus chuckled, a pulse of Djed emanating from him. Doubt in Adarin. If this one man could discover his plot, then would the Wave Guard? Was there a trap waiting? Doubt in his safety. Doubt in his money's safety.
The mercenary leader snorted. "And who's Mr. Clever Clogs?"
"John Smith." the wizard deadpanned.
That elicited a smile. "Heh. Should've known." The barmaid arrived with drinks, then. "So, Smith. What do you want?"
A smile stretched across Ignotus' features then, and he leaned forward. "I want to make you a rich man, my friend." Another pulse. Another spark. Greed. More money. More money was good. Safer money, too. Not a risk like Adarin. "For two simple tasks."
While the warrior smirked at the proposal, Ignotus could see that he had his attention. "There are bands other than your own. They must be removed. For each head's retirement or untimely demise, I shall pay you the sum of three hundred mizas. That is one. The second is simpler... On the day of reckoning, take your money and go enjoy yourself. Or take some more heads for me. Whichever you prefer. I think you'll have earned a vacation by then, though. Don't you?"
A slight nudge. An ego inflated further than it no doubt already was. He could do it. Easily. The leader laughed then. "I like the way you think, Smith. I'll do it. Adarin's got you scared, huh?"
Ignotus shrugged then. "I just think he needs to be brought back to earth. He was always so arrogant in Denval. Before the end. Never listened to reason." A seed of intrigue, then. Another Denvali? Likely someone else in his high command. Let him think he had something clever figured out- it would simply assist Ignotus if he was caught. Planning for failure was always the prudent choice, after all.
When he left, Ignotus thanked the bartender, paid for the drinks, and made his exit. There was one thing left for him to do. In the dead of the night, a skeletal figure slipped into the Denvali quarter, two bottles of a thin red fluid in his pockets. Nadea had been most kind. The poison was a crude one- made from the waste of various animals, along with a touch of tainted blood.- but effective enough. After all, he just wanted to make the Denvali sick. This wasn't difficult. Half the contents of a bottle were poured into one of the larger wells in the district- and conveniently close to where many of the mercenaries were housed!- and then repeated thrice more in different parts of the quarter. And then the seeds of disease were sown. It wasn't even all that difficult!
A bell after he had entered, the figure flitted away. His dirty work done. Perhaps he would visit again a fortnight or two later. Just to keep things fresh. A few rumors wouldn't be out of place either- but no doubt those would generate themselves. Ignotus had to keep himself from laughing as he retired to his quarters. How easily the decks were stacked in his favor!
Ignotus Everto was a happy man today. He had come back with a bill of clean health from the University's psychologist- very good considering his recent bout of overgiving. Other than his wrists, the only real negative was a thirty day leave of absence from work. He always did hate it- so far he had been fortunate with minor compulsions and pain, but it reminded him just how thin a razor's edge he was walking with his magic. Push just a little bit harder than he was now, and he could easily fall into madness and ruin.
It made him feel unstable. Vulnerable. Gods, he hated feeling vulnerable. It was why he developed his gift in the first place. First to survive. Then to advance. And now, finally... To dominate. The Denvali thought their plan was foolproof, but they made the same mistake as the black merchants of so many seasons ago- they had put themselves in a situation where they had to import. And just as before, the imports stuck out. And because they stuck out, they could be cut down.
As with before, Sunberthan mercenaries were the hired help of choice, and just as before, locating them was as easy as waiting in the right pub and buying the right people drinks. It was like this that he found the identity of the leader of a sizable band hired by Adarin. Ignotus planned to change things. Now, to sway a man motivated solely by profit, he needed to look wealthy. And to protect himself, he needed to be anonymous. Fortunately, the Winter Ball had provided him with the means to achieve both ends. A solid white mask concealed his features, while his sleek fur cloak, silk clothes, and silver-tipped cane certainly said something about his resources.
After a half bell, a creature resembling a shaved bear with an eyepatch swaggered into the bar and plonked himself down in the seat opposite Ignotus. "You. You're the guy my boys have been talking about?" he demanded of the Nuit.
The Nuit straightened in his chair then, languidly beckoning a barmaid with a finger. "The same. And I believe you're one of the men Adarin has paid off?"
Bear Berth frowned at that. "Who told you that?"
"Oh come, it wasn't hard to figure out." Ignotus chuckled, a pulse of Djed emanating from him. Doubt in Adarin. If this one man could discover his plot, then would the Wave Guard? Was there a trap waiting? Doubt in his safety. Doubt in his money's safety.
The mercenary leader snorted. "And who's Mr. Clever Clogs?"
"John Smith." the wizard deadpanned.
That elicited a smile. "Heh. Should've known." The barmaid arrived with drinks, then. "So, Smith. What do you want?"
A smile stretched across Ignotus' features then, and he leaned forward. "I want to make you a rich man, my friend." Another pulse. Another spark. Greed. More money. More money was good. Safer money, too. Not a risk like Adarin. "For two simple tasks."
While the warrior smirked at the proposal, Ignotus could see that he had his attention. "There are bands other than your own. They must be removed. For each head's retirement or untimely demise, I shall pay you the sum of three hundred mizas. That is one. The second is simpler... On the day of reckoning, take your money and go enjoy yourself. Or take some more heads for me. Whichever you prefer. I think you'll have earned a vacation by then, though. Don't you?"
A slight nudge. An ego inflated further than it no doubt already was. He could do it. Easily. The leader laughed then. "I like the way you think, Smith. I'll do it. Adarin's got you scared, huh?"
Ignotus shrugged then. "I just think he needs to be brought back to earth. He was always so arrogant in Denval. Before the end. Never listened to reason." A seed of intrigue, then. Another Denvali? Likely someone else in his high command. Let him think he had something clever figured out- it would simply assist Ignotus if he was caught. Planning for failure was always the prudent choice, after all.
When he left, Ignotus thanked the bartender, paid for the drinks, and made his exit. There was one thing left for him to do. In the dead of the night, a skeletal figure slipped into the Denvali quarter, two bottles of a thin red fluid in his pockets. Nadea had been most kind. The poison was a crude one- made from the waste of various animals, along with a touch of tainted blood.- but effective enough. After all, he just wanted to make the Denvali sick. This wasn't difficult. Half the contents of a bottle were poured into one of the larger wells in the district- and conveniently close to where many of the mercenaries were housed!- and then repeated thrice more in different parts of the quarter. And then the seeds of disease were sown. It wasn't even all that difficult!
A bell after he had entered, the figure flitted away. His dirty work done. Perhaps he would visit again a fortnight or two later. Just to keep things fresh. A few rumors wouldn't be out of place either- but no doubt those would generate themselves. Ignotus had to keep himself from laughing as he retired to his quarters. How easily the decks were stacked in his favor!
