Right of the Victor

When I finally got back to the tunnel leading into the home of the Torris, I was met with countless stares of judgement and disapproval. At the end of the room, I could see the tall forms of Vargos and Audent staring me down with questions that came through just their eyes. Only they would be allowed to hear what I had to say, so I beelined to them and asked for a more private place to explain myself. Vargos roughly shoved me into a side room, Audent following after. I supposed I couldn’t expect her to come to my aid if Vargos got more violent; she seemed to prefer the female bandits and I hadn’t done anything to be put in her favor yet.

“Talk. It better be good; you’ve wasted enough of our time by running off.”

I proceeded to explain why I’d felt the need to pursue the masked man, along with what had happened in the alleyway and why I’d been gone for so long. I’d expected it to go terribly when I explained, but it was met with surprising grace. Audent looked mildly sympathetic, while Vargos simply seemed to accept what I’d done with a firm nod.

“If you see the man again, you may as well tell your expedition leader.” Audent said, looking down at me with a slight smile. “It’s not worth getting yourself killed, even for revenge. But as long as you stay in line, we’ll help you out.”

People offering help or kindness to me wasn’t normal. Especially not these bandits…the Torris seemed more like a massive family than a gang the more time I spent with them. Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to simply accept the gesture.

“I don’t need your help. Just stay out of my way.” I shook my head. That may have been the least graceful way possible to deny the offer of assistance, but I had to do this alone and wasn’t in the habit of being nice to people. It was a thin line to walk; working for these people and being useful enough that they wanted me while simultaneously disrespecting them at every chance. Vargos looked like he was about to lash out, but he was stopped by a subtle shake of Audent’s head and one of her hands on his shoulder.

“You can go back to whatever you want to do, little man. Stay ready for another expedition.” She told me, letting me leave. As usual the nickname was obnoxious, but I wasn’t in the mood to fight her over it. I walked out of the room and headed for the hammock in the corner of the sleeping quarters that I’d claimed as my own.

Nothing changed over the next weeks. There were several expeditions to camp around roads and rob people, all to get enough equipment and money to keep the Torris alive. I began to respect even more the sheer size of the organization, as criminal it was. Vargos cruelty towards our targets never ended, but I learned to keep my mouth shut about it and do my job. Any time someone with a sword was present, it was up to me to defeat them. And I did, without fail. Regardless of who I had to fight, I’d disarm them efficiently each time, only growing in confidence the more times I won. Audent and even Vargos occasionally praised me in front of the crowds of other bandits, and my authority felt like it was growing. At least, I wasn’t treated like garbage anymore. Yet I wasn’t totally trusted.

Over the countless times I’d gone in and out of Umbriel in groups, there were a few occasions in which I thought I’d seen the murderer in the mask, but when I pointed him out nobody else seemed to notice. It wasn’t uncommon for me to be called insane, and I was starting to question if I might actually be. White and black shades filled my head every time I closed my eyes, the scene of my family’s death replaying on the dark backs of my eyelids and reminding me that I still had a job to do. There was at least one time where I’d had to force myself to ask Audent if I could skip an expedition, if only because of the war in my head. When eventually I was brought into consideration for a larger mission, I was almost told I wasn’t fit for service. Fortunately, I ended up still being present for the meeting where we’d discuss details.

The Torris headquarters had a secure soundproof room through maze of hallways that I’d only been inside a couple of times before, but this time it was for something greater. With me in the large round room were five others, each well-known among the bandits and very good at what they did. One of them, a thin grey-eyed man named Allazo, was supposedly able to disappear in any situation. He was a foreigner, and possibly something of a spy in his past life based on his mastery of stealth. Everyone else in this room was here for a similar reason. We were each the best in the Torris is our own ways. When Audent joined us at last, all eyes were respectfully on her so she could explain the objective.

“Any of you heard of the Larua?” she asked casually, scanning each of our faces for recognition. Nobody moved. The silence was an answer enough.

“Guess not. Well, now you have. We aren’t the only bandits in the world, as anyone could’ve guessed,” she continued on, “But we aren’t exactly the most popular.”

With a long elaboration, Audent went through explaining that the Larua was another group of bandits that kept themselves mostly unknown. Lately they’d taken a disliking to the Torris due to our large range of theft and area control, and we were all at risk.

“What could they possibly do to us?” Allazo asked through a thick accent, “We are bigger. We have more resources.”

“Yeah, we’ve got resources. A shame they aren’t the resources that matter.”

“Then what does matter?” the foreigner responded, raising a single eyebrow.

“Fireworks. Or at least what’s inside of them,” she crossed her arms. “A man named Markus Accipiter runs the firework business, and he’s got a large storage of gunpowder that the Larua found a bit ago.”

Grim silence swallowed the room. Every one of us knew what that meant. If the Larua were any good at what they did-which we could assume they were-they’d rob the gunpowder storage and wouldn’t hesitate to use it against us. Explosive power was one nobody wanted to mess with, and even a complex the size of this one would easily be wrecked by a good quantity of explosives.

“So what do we have to do?” I spoke up. Audent undoubtedly had a plan, otherwise she wouldn’t have called us here.

“Two obvious options, little man. We find the gunpowder and blow them up first, or we try to talk them out of it. I don’t think we want to waste time on that second one, personally.”

The room felt tense suddenly. What we were talking about was no small thing; an explosion of the sort we were discussing would kill hundreds, maybe thousands, and not all of them would be the Larua depending on where they were based. My aversion to killing was as strong as ever, and I was feeling sick about this already. Fortunately it wouldn’t be up to me to do the work of death. All I’d have to do was fight and disarm a few people as usual, maybe knocking them out at most.

“Finding it isn’t going to be quite as simple as I’d like,” Audent turned her gaze to me suddenly, “Only one of us can go into the noble district and get to Accipiter.”

“So you want to send me to interrogate him?”

“Well, I’m not seeing much of another option.”

Everyone was looking at me now. Did I have a choice? All of these people and more would likely die if I didn’t do this, so I nodded.

“Right. When and where the hell should I start?”

“As soon as possible would be nice, wouldn’t it? Allazo can help you. The rest of you’ll come into play later.”

That made sense. While I could walk freely among the nobles alone, it would also be easy to cover for one person with me. Especially because Allazo was a foreigner; he could act as if I were giving him a tour. The biggest issue was how important Markus Accipiter was; his time wasn’t cheap. It would take a lot for me to get to him alone, although I supposed Allazo was going to be useful in situations like these as well. A man trained to break into anywhere without being noticed had to be pretty useful. After a few warnings of what not to do, we were all released from the meeting room and the mission was to begin.

Allazo and I immediately prepared for a long journey, then exited the city. I was lucky enough to not see any trace of the mask I was always looking for, and we were well out into the lonely countryside in only a few hours. With nobody around and only familiar scenery everywhere, all I really had to occupy my eyes and mind with was Allazo. He was a strange man, to say the least. His thin figure was nearly always cloaked in grey fabric, while sharp facial features stood out under thin eyebrows and short black hair. I wondered if he had any weapons. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was like Audent and kept several knives on his person at all times. We didn’t discuss anything of importance over the journey back to Folium, but I did learn that he preferred to stay quiet about the details of his past. I could understand that. My own past was better left unspoken of as well, so I respected his privacy. After hours of quick-paced walking, we were able to view the edge of Folium’s slums in the distance.

Folium was separated into two parts. The center was the capital of Forlica, and it was guarded by a large and heavy wall. What stood outside that wall was an image of poverty and uncleanness. The smell was terrible, the houses were shoddily made, and the people were dirty. Allazo looked disgusted, and while I had never hated the peasants, I didn’t have time for them right then. By the time we reached the gates to the noble districts, our shoes were a bit dirtier and it was a relief that we were out of there. Now into the tidier streets, my companion and I continued to walk towards the well-known location of the Accipiter manor after stopping by my old home to grab something. A few patrolling guards and servants running messages glanced at us, but all of them recognized me and paid us no heed other than a raised eyebrow. While everyone knew who I was, they didn’t approve because of my actions in the Center of Politics weeks before. Or was it months? I didn’t remember, and honestly didn’t care. We only had one goal here, and all else could be put aside.

Arriving at the property of Markus Accipiter had far more of an impact than what I’d imagined. My own family had a relatively big piece of land with a huge house, but this was on another level entirely. The Accipiters were the second richest people in the country, and it was obvious. A mansion of dark wood and bright stone stood before me and Allazo, stretching out tens of feet in each direction, including up. The property was locked off by a tall iron fence going the whole way around, with two guards stationed at the entry gate. When they saw us, they stepped forward to block our way.

“Do you have an appointment?” one of them asked formally, just doing his job.

“No, I don’t. I’m here to issue a challenge by sword to Markus Accipiter.”

I knew exactly what I was doing with that comment. It would be near impossible to turn down the challenge without being shamed, and if I won, I would have him in my debt for sparing his life. Allazo had been the one to come up with the plan on the way, and had further ideas as to what he’d do if we got Mr. Accipiter alone. I just had to win first. The guards were surprised and put a bit on edge, but one went inside the gates and to a servant at the door to inform them of what had happened.

It was around ten minutes before Markus showed himself, carrying his family’s representative mask in hand. It was shaped to resemble the face of a hawk, and would only be worn if he ended up fighting me. I had my own mask with me; I’d picked it up from my property when we got to Folium.

“Lengin Anguis. The famously unlucky one. Good to meet you,” Markus smiled and offered a hand to shake, “As much as I’d love to see the supposedly incredible swordsmanship of your family, I can’t say I’m much of a fighter myself.”

“You know just as well as I do that you can’t turn down a duel, idiot.” I replied tersely and quietly, to avoid letting the guards hear my insult towards Markus.

“I do know, yes. As for idiocy, that’s not quite my occupation. Don’t you agree that it would be a better use of both of our times if we skipped the formalities and simply had a talk?” he responded in an equally low tone with a forced smile that told me he was smarter than anyone I’d spoken to before. Something in his eyes, his pose, and his words gave off an atmosphere of intelligence I’d never felt before. Yet he was inviting us into his house…what did that mean?

“If it’s that easy, sure. Let’s go inside.” I rolled my eyes slightly. This was going somewhat better than I expected. Allazo could take over once we got in…he’d been totally silent up until now, and gave me a warning glance as we entered the gates of the Accipiter property. Markus had apparently put him just as much on edge as I.

The inside of the building was just as majestic, if not more so, than the exterior. I’d get lost in here without Markus guiding me. Wooden panels for floors, complex designs on each door, and firm walls that looked as if they’d stand through a war were everywhere. Even the windows had ornate carvings around them, and everything felt much like a piece of art. Our journey ended in a seating room with several comfortable chairs in a circle, three of which were then taken by Allazo, myself, and Mr. Accipiter. A few guards stayed stationed at each of the doorways, which was an issue.

“I thought we were going to have a private meeting, Mr. Accipiter.” I made clear my disapproval of him having guards there, stupidly unaware how dumb that was. Allazo sharply glared in my direction before taking over.

“Mr. Anguis is mistaken. We are perfectly okay with the presence of your security.” His accent stayed strong as ever as he pleasantly played to Markus’ interests.

“That’s good. Very good. They’re here for the safety of all of us, you know.” He paused there for a few seconds, “Now, what’s your business here? A foreigner and a scorned noble are an unlikely pair to meet with.”

“It is your business that we are interested in, actually. The business of explosives.” Allazo leaned forward in his seat, piercing eyes set on Markus. I felt like I was watching a strange and silent battle as they stared at each other. Was this what smart rich people did?

“My business is quite a private matter, as I’m sure you know.” Markus said with a raised eyebrow, “What do you have to say about it?”

“A large sum of money could be offered as an investment of sorts. Yet I am not one to discuss numbers with so many present.”

Now I could see what Allazo was doing. And if I could see it, so could Markus. The rich man looked back and forth between the two of us, raising an eyebrow.

“I’ll speak with you alone, then.” He got to his feet while Allazo did the same, then they walked to another room together. The click of a lock sounded out once the door was shut, leaving me separated and alone with three guards.

Time passed. No sound came from the other room, and no activity happened in the one I was in. It was boring, but I knew it was for a cause. I’d already been mostly useless on this trip, and I didn’t want to be counterproductive by causing a problem. This was one of the few things I’d take seriously. After possibly an hour, Markus came rushing back out, looking around quickly while somehow keeping his composure.

“Where did that man go? He left the room somehow.” Markus’ eyes met each of the guards’, then mine. “You should know.”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t tell you,” I smiled innocently, “And we both know there are more consequences for you than me if you try anything against another noble outside of a duel.”

“Yes, yes. You can leave…” His gaze stayed on me, “Until next time.”

“There won’t be a next time, imbecile.” I smirked as I turned and followed one of the guards who was waiting to lead me to the door. As I walked away, I heard only a slightly sinister laugh come from the lead Accipiter.

Thrown outside the house, I was alone once more. Allazo seemed to have vanished entirely, leaving no trace for either Markus or myself to follow. While I was a bit annoyed, I’d expected something along those lines to happen. After we were inside, I wasn’t needed anymore. All that I had to do now was head back out of the city and to my real home with the Torris.

Part of the way down the path away from Folium, Allazo rejoined me. How he’d known what I would do is beyond me, but I was secretly glad he’d come back. I preferred to keep an annoyed exterior, though.

“What the hell did you do back there? You could’ve gotten us both in serious trouble.”

“I knew you would find your way. It was for the mission.” He chuckled, “I have the location we need. It will be heavily guarded when we raid it, but that is what you are for, is it not?”

It was pretty clear that I wasn’t going to be winning any arguments or having any impact on Allazo, so I fell quiet. He was right; what he’d done was the best thing possible, even if it revealed that we would infiltrate the gunpowder storages at some point. Things were about to progress much quicker.