Laermont
Member
Soaring above the small group of assorted laicar, velen and enlil, the vaulting space disappeared into murky blackness. Echoes fell all around them as they spoke, bouncing off the uneven walls and creating a strange cacophony. Their tones were aggressive and full of intensity as they spoke. The most authoritative voice belonged to a tall, broad laicar wearing ostentatiously decorated clothing. His robes were made of a silken material and the embroidered designs were limned in gold that glistened in the dull lamp light by which they were illuminated.
“The forces of disorder have struck at us. The demvir Laermont has attempted to thwart us in our holy mission, but he shall not prevail. He and his kind must be wiped from the face of Araevis as required by the Vis. We have been dealt a blow and there is no mistaking it, but it is a test sent by the Vis to ensure our hearts are true! We cannot fail, brothers and sisters! We must rise to the challenge set for us by the Blessed Ones.”
A leathery-scaled velen strode forward as the powerfully built laicar finished speaking. His scales were gnarled and mottled and a network of scars ran over his skin leaving it rucked and corrugated. He wore a plain leather jerkin and worn leather pants.
His face was twisted and his mouth damaged by a huge scar, leaving him to speak with a lisp. “I didn’t get my fuckin’ face all torn up to listen to shit like this. The Vis aren’t testing us like this puffed up fool says they are. They’re warning us that worse is gonna come if we don’t do it right this time.”
The laicar sighed, his green eyes like ice. “Once again, Permius attempts to bring his own grievances into a holy matter. I am the priest here and I have dedicated my life to the Vis and sanctified myself in the blood of the apostates that I may do the bidding of the Holy Ones. He is in no position to tell me what is and what is not the will of the Vis!”
Snarling, the velen jabbed a finger at his face. “Lucius here seems to forget that I also drew fuckin’ apostate blood and fought the evil bastards for 20 years and I got the face to show for it.”
Lucius made a placating gesture with his long-fingered hands. “I do not forget that at all. I am simply reminding you, my brother, that we must always have the bigger picture in mind. We are only servants of the Vis. We are instruments of their will, not those who would seek revenge for ourselves.”
Permius grumbled but backed down, fixed in Lucius’ cold gaze. After standing silently for a moment, the priest gave a short nod and spoke again. “I recognize the need to refine our approach if we are to succeed in this endeavour. We have been too unsubtle and attracted far too much police attention up to this point. In our haste, we have angered the Vis. I invite thoughts from all of you about how we might address this problem."
A serene, slender laicar woman glided forward on feet that barely made a sound. Her pale face was framed by a curtain of dark hair and she wore a blue and gold robe, as ornately embroidered as the robes worn by Lucius. Her voice was cool and measured as she spoke. “We have been overly arrogant in our dealings with our most effective ally - TorBru Corporation. We have distrusted them too much. In failing to fully utilize their resources and in lacking coordination with them, we missed out on an opportunity to strike a fatal blow.”
One of the group raised a voice in the background and shouted about the “unnatural alliances made by TorBru” and the woman made a dismissive gesture. “I do not read anywhere in our Scriptures about the Outside Ones. The Vis have not made any commandment against cooperation with them. In fact, we may say that they are tools for our deliverance from the cancer of the metal ones.”
There was a general murmur of voices before Lucius reasserted control. “Thank you Selina. You have made my point for me. Perhaps the corporation doesn’t share our goals, but we can be of use to one another. The will of the Vis is not always easy to understand, but we know that it acts on us at all times.”
Lucius went on in his stentorian tones. “We must make another approach to TorBru. I want to ensure that they are aware that we’ll do nothing to stand in their way or oppose the Outside Ones and their activities. I will pray about it and see if the Vis will guide me to an understanding of what role those creatures might play in what we must do.”
The discussion moved on the minutiae of what their plans were to be as they moved forward. The fervent light that shone from the plotter’s eyes and their fevered discussions continued. None of them noticed the figure hiding the shadows and listening to their conversation.
The former TorBru security chief Grattius sat like an immovable stone pillar in the chair directly across from the equally imposing demvir investigator who regarded him with his flat, frozen faceplate. A smirk flickered over Grattius' battered, scarred face. “I won’t tell you anything and you know I won’t unless you torture me, but I know you won’t torture me. We’re at an impasse and you know it.”
A sense of a cold smile emanated from Laemont. “What do you think would happen if I let you out of here? All I have to do is keep you here in this shielded cell. It’s the only place you won’t be found by TorBru or the Outside Ones. You have nothing left to offer the corporation at this point. Why bother with loyalty? It will not get you anywhere.”
Grattius shook his head. “I have arrangements Quaestor. I assure you that I cannot be reached by anything that you threaten me with. None of the things that you think I need to worry about will touch me.”
The impassive demvir shook his heavy head. “You sound as if you are trying to convince yourself of that fact. I think you are terrified of being let loose and suffering the consequences. You will be far safer talking and working out a deal with me than them.”
Grattius laughed. “You’ll never make a deal with the likes of me, Laermont. You are far too honest and fucking ethical to ever offer me any kind of bargain.”
His metallic companion shrugged. “You do not understand the depth of my desire to bring the people behind all of this to justice. I am prepared to go to places I might never have contemplated otherwise.”
The scarred, knotted man facing him raised an eyebrow. “How far is that and what are the places you’re talking about? Would you give up your career?”
Laermont leaned forward, his voice low and urgent. “I would gladly destroy my career and even my life if it meant stopping those religious fanatics first of all, followed by the Outside Ones and TorBru. They are all threats to everything I value!”
Gratis gave him a wicked smile. “Let’s say we did make a deal. How could either of us trust the other not to break it?”
His demvir interrogator fixed him with his glowing eye plates. “You know the risk I am taking if I make a deal and I still believe that you are more scared of them than you are of me. I suspect that both of us will have our own lookout, so to speak.”
The man’s dark eyes were as hard as obsidian as they met Laermont’s glowing gaze. “Well let’s hear what the terms of this deal might be then…”
The hulking metallic figure ticked points off on his gigantic fingers. “One - you will provide me with intelligence about TorBru’s connections to the Solaviskar. Two- you will explain the role of the Outside Ones in all of this. Three - you will provide me with details about the internal security of TorBru’s headquarters.”
Grattius laughed again. “You’ve got literal brass balls, Laermont. What could you possibly give me that would compensate me for the danger I’ll be in if I tell you all of this shit?”
Laermont waited a beat before replying. “I can make you vanish. I have assets and resources at my disposal that will allow you to start a new life away from TorBru.”
He lowered his voice and went on. “These are not resources that are on the Quaestorium’s books. There would be no official connections for TorBru to trace.”
Grattius grinned again. “I also have those connections, Quaestor.”
The demvir raised a massive finger to make a point. “You cannot trust them now. They know you have been arrested and there’s a price on your head. My connections aren’t looking for easy money, they already have all the funds they need.”
Uncertainty seemed to touch the man’s gnarled face but he jutted his chin out. “I still don’t trust you.”
Laermont sighed. “At this point, what can it hurt? Besides you mentioned my ethics. Those ethics, even when I stretch them, still don’t allow me to leave you to die at the hands of TorBru. You aren’t going to get a better deal.”
Snarling, Grattius slammed his heavy hand on the table, and glared at the quaestor. “Alright, Vis damn you! Alright! I’ll give you what you want if you get me the fuck out of Terminus and set me up somewhere else.”
In another part of the building, Laermont’s younger deputy Calvinia was standing in front of a large wooden board onto which an elaborate interweaving of threads ran like a mad spider’s web. She stood back, eyes fitting over it as she examined the connections that were being made. Her face was intense with concentration and she tapped her finger against her lips.
Silvius, one of the other young quaestors, came to stand next to her as he ran his dark eyes over the board. “It’s a real mess isn’t it? Trying to wade through all of the ways in which TorBru’s tentacles reach out is damn tough. I’ve been working at it for a year and I still don’t really understand all of the links.”
He nodded his agreement. “They did a Vis-damned good job of making it obscure as hell. They tie things into so many knots that its hard to know where one ends and another begins. TorBru’s had years of uncontrolled power. No one’s ever looked into their behaviour and that’s how we ended up here.”
Calvinia sighed. “I think there’s gotta be a key in here somewhere. I figure once we unlock that, we’ll be able to unravel it all. I’m just not seeing it.”
Silvius patted her on the shoulder and gave her an encouraging smile. “I know you’ll keep at it. Right now, I say we take a break and grab a bite to eat. I don’t think you’ve eaten all day.”
The young quaestor looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. “Vis…you’re right! I got so absorbed in it all.”
Milling crowds of hungry officers sat at long tables in the mess of the Quaestorium. After taking their trays of food, Slvius and Calvinia found an empty space and sat together and enjoyed the hearty stew that was on offer for lunch. It was fragrant and had deep flavour that banished their lack of energy as it filled their stomachs.
At a natural pause in their eating, SIlvius turned to his companion and wrinkled his forehead. “I don’t think I know much about you, outside of what we’ve done as colleagues. Tell me a bit about how you ended up as a quaestor?”
Calvinia smiled ruefully at him. “I kinda fell into the job. I didn’t really have much direction growing up. I came to Terminus to try my luck and fell in with a less than charming crowd. It was Laermont, in fact, who gave me a second chance after I got into a scrape. He kept checking up on me and eventually inspired me to start working towards becoming a quaestor. It is really thanks to him that I’m where I am today. What about you, Silvius?”
The energetic young man flashed a quick grin at her. “My story’s a lot less inspiring. My dad was a quaestor and it was all I ever wanted to do with my life. I guess that might seem lame but I sure love the work.”
Calvinia nodded slowly, thoughtfully before responding. “It seems to me that, despite our different approaches, we are both pretty dedicated to the job. I think we are managing to work together quite well.”
Slivius smiled. “Yeah! We sure are.”
Both young quaestors turned to see Laermont scan the room, find them and make his way to them in a few long strides. He caught both of his young proteges in his eye plate’s sweep. “I believe that we may have a deal with Grattius, but I need you two to chase a few leads for me first. He’s not a man I will take at his word, so I want you to see what he’s been up to lately. Talk to Diamantus and see if she has any suggestions for other contacts.”
Calvinia flashed an eager grin at him. “Any time I get to talk to Diamantus is a good time. I could do with a little more of her spirit. It’s hard to get anything past that one.”
Silvius glanced at Learmont with a quizzical expression. “As in THE Diamantus? The one who…”
Laermont nodded his massive head. “You have not yet had the pleasure of her acquaintance, have you? It is an experience not soon to be forgotten.”
After the pair received further instructions from the metallic man, they wolfed down the rest of their lunch and went to get their gear organized. Laermont watched them moving together, his eye plates scanning over the pair. With a slight inclination of his head, he turned and strode off in the opposite direction.
In the wide open space of the TorBru meeting room, five figures sat around at the stone table that dominated the entire space. At the head sat the chairman of TorBru with his vast bulk spreading around him. To his right the new security chief sat, a razor-thin man with dead pale skin and shocking scarlet hair who viewed the two other people sat across from him with an unreadable expression.
The two people in question were the Solaviskar priest Lucius and his second-in-command Selina. Both wore neutral expressions on their faces, but their eyes were taking in the scene around them.
As was his custom, Mercuti jumped right into talking without any preamble. “I am a busy man and you are now taking up my time. Put your request or proposal or whatever you have to me and let us get on with it.”
After a brief exchange of glances, as if confirming a pre-determined plan, Lucius spoke up. “Thank you for sparing a little of your time Chairman. I won’t waste any more of it. The Solaviskar have, at times, been a little wary of full cooperation with TorBru Corporation. In doing so, we have also squandered an opportunity for mutual assistance to one another.”
The Chairman impatiently motioned for Lucius to continue and he plunged on. “I believe that we can offer one another invaluable connections. The Solaviskar have a wealth of information on the various governmental and police organizations, information we believe you do not possess. In exchange, we ask for your help in disrupting the continued meddling of Quaestor Laermont and his detectives with both of our organizations and their operations.”
Mercuti fixed Lucius and Selina with a frozen stare. “What makes you so sure that we do not have this information of which you speak?”
It was Selina’s turn to reply which she did so with smoothness. “It is clear that you’ve been unaware of several aspects of the Quaestorium and their investigations to which we had access. It proved detrimental to the previous attempt you made to interfere in their business.”
The Chairman was not a man accustomed to such a direct challenge and he stared at Selina’s pale, expressionless face for a long moment. Eventually he cleared his throat and spoke. “You are certainly a most presumptuous and even arrogant young woman. However, sadly, I cannot say that I disagree with you. We have not distinguished ourselves in our information gathering endeavours when it comes to the Quaestorium.”
Selina nodded as if she had expected no other answer. “Will you accept the bargain?”
Reluctantly Mercuti gave a nod. “I will.”
“The forces of disorder have struck at us. The demvir Laermont has attempted to thwart us in our holy mission, but he shall not prevail. He and his kind must be wiped from the face of Araevis as required by the Vis. We have been dealt a blow and there is no mistaking it, but it is a test sent by the Vis to ensure our hearts are true! We cannot fail, brothers and sisters! We must rise to the challenge set for us by the Blessed Ones.”
A leathery-scaled velen strode forward as the powerfully built laicar finished speaking. His scales were gnarled and mottled and a network of scars ran over his skin leaving it rucked and corrugated. He wore a plain leather jerkin and worn leather pants.
His face was twisted and his mouth damaged by a huge scar, leaving him to speak with a lisp. “I didn’t get my fuckin’ face all torn up to listen to shit like this. The Vis aren’t testing us like this puffed up fool says they are. They’re warning us that worse is gonna come if we don’t do it right this time.”
The laicar sighed, his green eyes like ice. “Once again, Permius attempts to bring his own grievances into a holy matter. I am the priest here and I have dedicated my life to the Vis and sanctified myself in the blood of the apostates that I may do the bidding of the Holy Ones. He is in no position to tell me what is and what is not the will of the Vis!”
Snarling, the velen jabbed a finger at his face. “Lucius here seems to forget that I also drew fuckin’ apostate blood and fought the evil bastards for 20 years and I got the face to show for it.”
Lucius made a placating gesture with his long-fingered hands. “I do not forget that at all. I am simply reminding you, my brother, that we must always have the bigger picture in mind. We are only servants of the Vis. We are instruments of their will, not those who would seek revenge for ourselves.”
Permius grumbled but backed down, fixed in Lucius’ cold gaze. After standing silently for a moment, the priest gave a short nod and spoke again. “I recognize the need to refine our approach if we are to succeed in this endeavour. We have been too unsubtle and attracted far too much police attention up to this point. In our haste, we have angered the Vis. I invite thoughts from all of you about how we might address this problem."
A serene, slender laicar woman glided forward on feet that barely made a sound. Her pale face was framed by a curtain of dark hair and she wore a blue and gold robe, as ornately embroidered as the robes worn by Lucius. Her voice was cool and measured as she spoke. “We have been overly arrogant in our dealings with our most effective ally - TorBru Corporation. We have distrusted them too much. In failing to fully utilize their resources and in lacking coordination with them, we missed out on an opportunity to strike a fatal blow.”
One of the group raised a voice in the background and shouted about the “unnatural alliances made by TorBru” and the woman made a dismissive gesture. “I do not read anywhere in our Scriptures about the Outside Ones. The Vis have not made any commandment against cooperation with them. In fact, we may say that they are tools for our deliverance from the cancer of the metal ones.”
There was a general murmur of voices before Lucius reasserted control. “Thank you Selina. You have made my point for me. Perhaps the corporation doesn’t share our goals, but we can be of use to one another. The will of the Vis is not always easy to understand, but we know that it acts on us at all times.”
Lucius went on in his stentorian tones. “We must make another approach to TorBru. I want to ensure that they are aware that we’ll do nothing to stand in their way or oppose the Outside Ones and their activities. I will pray about it and see if the Vis will guide me to an understanding of what role those creatures might play in what we must do.”
The discussion moved on the minutiae of what their plans were to be as they moved forward. The fervent light that shone from the plotter’s eyes and their fevered discussions continued. None of them noticed the figure hiding the shadows and listening to their conversation.
The former TorBru security chief Grattius sat like an immovable stone pillar in the chair directly across from the equally imposing demvir investigator who regarded him with his flat, frozen faceplate. A smirk flickered over Grattius' battered, scarred face. “I won’t tell you anything and you know I won’t unless you torture me, but I know you won’t torture me. We’re at an impasse and you know it.”
A sense of a cold smile emanated from Laemont. “What do you think would happen if I let you out of here? All I have to do is keep you here in this shielded cell. It’s the only place you won’t be found by TorBru or the Outside Ones. You have nothing left to offer the corporation at this point. Why bother with loyalty? It will not get you anywhere.”
Grattius shook his head. “I have arrangements Quaestor. I assure you that I cannot be reached by anything that you threaten me with. None of the things that you think I need to worry about will touch me.”
The impassive demvir shook his heavy head. “You sound as if you are trying to convince yourself of that fact. I think you are terrified of being let loose and suffering the consequences. You will be far safer talking and working out a deal with me than them.”
Grattius laughed. “You’ll never make a deal with the likes of me, Laermont. You are far too honest and fucking ethical to ever offer me any kind of bargain.”
His metallic companion shrugged. “You do not understand the depth of my desire to bring the people behind all of this to justice. I am prepared to go to places I might never have contemplated otherwise.”
The scarred, knotted man facing him raised an eyebrow. “How far is that and what are the places you’re talking about? Would you give up your career?”
Laermont leaned forward, his voice low and urgent. “I would gladly destroy my career and even my life if it meant stopping those religious fanatics first of all, followed by the Outside Ones and TorBru. They are all threats to everything I value!”
Gratis gave him a wicked smile. “Let’s say we did make a deal. How could either of us trust the other not to break it?”
His demvir interrogator fixed him with his glowing eye plates. “You know the risk I am taking if I make a deal and I still believe that you are more scared of them than you are of me. I suspect that both of us will have our own lookout, so to speak.”
The man’s dark eyes were as hard as obsidian as they met Laermont’s glowing gaze. “Well let’s hear what the terms of this deal might be then…”
The hulking metallic figure ticked points off on his gigantic fingers. “One - you will provide me with intelligence about TorBru’s connections to the Solaviskar. Two- you will explain the role of the Outside Ones in all of this. Three - you will provide me with details about the internal security of TorBru’s headquarters.”
Grattius laughed again. “You’ve got literal brass balls, Laermont. What could you possibly give me that would compensate me for the danger I’ll be in if I tell you all of this shit?”
Laermont waited a beat before replying. “I can make you vanish. I have assets and resources at my disposal that will allow you to start a new life away from TorBru.”
He lowered his voice and went on. “These are not resources that are on the Quaestorium’s books. There would be no official connections for TorBru to trace.”
Grattius grinned again. “I also have those connections, Quaestor.”
The demvir raised a massive finger to make a point. “You cannot trust them now. They know you have been arrested and there’s a price on your head. My connections aren’t looking for easy money, they already have all the funds they need.”
Uncertainty seemed to touch the man’s gnarled face but he jutted his chin out. “I still don’t trust you.”
Laermont sighed. “At this point, what can it hurt? Besides you mentioned my ethics. Those ethics, even when I stretch them, still don’t allow me to leave you to die at the hands of TorBru. You aren’t going to get a better deal.”
Snarling, Grattius slammed his heavy hand on the table, and glared at the quaestor. “Alright, Vis damn you! Alright! I’ll give you what you want if you get me the fuck out of Terminus and set me up somewhere else.”
In another part of the building, Laermont’s younger deputy Calvinia was standing in front of a large wooden board onto which an elaborate interweaving of threads ran like a mad spider’s web. She stood back, eyes fitting over it as she examined the connections that were being made. Her face was intense with concentration and she tapped her finger against her lips.
Silvius, one of the other young quaestors, came to stand next to her as he ran his dark eyes over the board. “It’s a real mess isn’t it? Trying to wade through all of the ways in which TorBru’s tentacles reach out is damn tough. I’ve been working at it for a year and I still don’t really understand all of the links.”
He nodded his agreement. “They did a Vis-damned good job of making it obscure as hell. They tie things into so many knots that its hard to know where one ends and another begins. TorBru’s had years of uncontrolled power. No one’s ever looked into their behaviour and that’s how we ended up here.”
Calvinia sighed. “I think there’s gotta be a key in here somewhere. I figure once we unlock that, we’ll be able to unravel it all. I’m just not seeing it.”
Silvius patted her on the shoulder and gave her an encouraging smile. “I know you’ll keep at it. Right now, I say we take a break and grab a bite to eat. I don’t think you’ve eaten all day.”
The young quaestor looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. “Vis…you’re right! I got so absorbed in it all.”
Milling crowds of hungry officers sat at long tables in the mess of the Quaestorium. After taking their trays of food, Slvius and Calvinia found an empty space and sat together and enjoyed the hearty stew that was on offer for lunch. It was fragrant and had deep flavour that banished their lack of energy as it filled their stomachs.
At a natural pause in their eating, SIlvius turned to his companion and wrinkled his forehead. “I don’t think I know much about you, outside of what we’ve done as colleagues. Tell me a bit about how you ended up as a quaestor?”
Calvinia smiled ruefully at him. “I kinda fell into the job. I didn’t really have much direction growing up. I came to Terminus to try my luck and fell in with a less than charming crowd. It was Laermont, in fact, who gave me a second chance after I got into a scrape. He kept checking up on me and eventually inspired me to start working towards becoming a quaestor. It is really thanks to him that I’m where I am today. What about you, Silvius?”
The energetic young man flashed a quick grin at her. “My story’s a lot less inspiring. My dad was a quaestor and it was all I ever wanted to do with my life. I guess that might seem lame but I sure love the work.”
Calvinia nodded slowly, thoughtfully before responding. “It seems to me that, despite our different approaches, we are both pretty dedicated to the job. I think we are managing to work together quite well.”
Slivius smiled. “Yeah! We sure are.”
Both young quaestors turned to see Laermont scan the room, find them and make his way to them in a few long strides. He caught both of his young proteges in his eye plate’s sweep. “I believe that we may have a deal with Grattius, but I need you two to chase a few leads for me first. He’s not a man I will take at his word, so I want you to see what he’s been up to lately. Talk to Diamantus and see if she has any suggestions for other contacts.”
Calvinia flashed an eager grin at him. “Any time I get to talk to Diamantus is a good time. I could do with a little more of her spirit. It’s hard to get anything past that one.”
Silvius glanced at Learmont with a quizzical expression. “As in THE Diamantus? The one who…”
Laermont nodded his massive head. “You have not yet had the pleasure of her acquaintance, have you? It is an experience not soon to be forgotten.”
After the pair received further instructions from the metallic man, they wolfed down the rest of their lunch and went to get their gear organized. Laermont watched them moving together, his eye plates scanning over the pair. With a slight inclination of his head, he turned and strode off in the opposite direction.
In the wide open space of the TorBru meeting room, five figures sat around at the stone table that dominated the entire space. At the head sat the chairman of TorBru with his vast bulk spreading around him. To his right the new security chief sat, a razor-thin man with dead pale skin and shocking scarlet hair who viewed the two other people sat across from him with an unreadable expression.
The two people in question were the Solaviskar priest Lucius and his second-in-command Selina. Both wore neutral expressions on their faces, but their eyes were taking in the scene around them.
As was his custom, Mercuti jumped right into talking without any preamble. “I am a busy man and you are now taking up my time. Put your request or proposal or whatever you have to me and let us get on with it.”
After a brief exchange of glances, as if confirming a pre-determined plan, Lucius spoke up. “Thank you for sparing a little of your time Chairman. I won’t waste any more of it. The Solaviskar have, at times, been a little wary of full cooperation with TorBru Corporation. In doing so, we have also squandered an opportunity for mutual assistance to one another.”
The Chairman impatiently motioned for Lucius to continue and he plunged on. “I believe that we can offer one another invaluable connections. The Solaviskar have a wealth of information on the various governmental and police organizations, information we believe you do not possess. In exchange, we ask for your help in disrupting the continued meddling of Quaestor Laermont and his detectives with both of our organizations and their operations.”
Mercuti fixed Lucius and Selina with a frozen stare. “What makes you so sure that we do not have this information of which you speak?”
It was Selina’s turn to reply which she did so with smoothness. “It is clear that you’ve been unaware of several aspects of the Quaestorium and their investigations to which we had access. It proved detrimental to the previous attempt you made to interfere in their business.”
The Chairman was not a man accustomed to such a direct challenge and he stared at Selina’s pale, expressionless face for a long moment. Eventually he cleared his throat and spoke. “You are certainly a most presumptuous and even arrogant young woman. However, sadly, I cannot say that I disagree with you. We have not distinguished ourselves in our information gathering endeavours when it comes to the Quaestorium.”
Selina nodded as if she had expected no other answer. “Will you accept the bargain?”
Reluctantly Mercuti gave a nod. “I will.”