The Great War: Chapter 53
To court a criminal
It’s hard to keep track of the passage of time in this dim, windowless room. The rose aroma starts to give him a headache with its overwhelming strength. He tests the cushions with his fingers - each one is soft and squishy - but remains standing. He can’t let his guard down for even a single moment.
But, true to Argent’s word, the boy eventually swings the door open once again, and towering over him is a burly Cryomancer scarred with numerous burns. In a similar fashion to Argent’s scar, half of the wizard’s face has been charred with fire, disfigured and discolored for all eternity. It could be he got the idea to brand Argent from Cassie and what she did to him.
Despite the muscle, Mitch strikes Devin more as the pickpocket type. That’s probably because he used to be one in his youth. He looks physically intimidating, but his eyes betray his true nature. There’s unease in his gaze as he stares at Devin, trying to size up his opponent. No doubt he already knows that the Spiritist is from the castle, but not how much of a threat he poses.
Mitch casts Argent a dark scowl as he steps into the room, and the boy timidly closes the door behind him. No doubt whatever punishment the boy is going through right now, it’ll be extended or worsened after all this is said and done.
“Why are you here?” Mitch gruffly asks. One of his hands strays to the hilt of his sword, sheathed by his right hip.
“I’m not here to fight you,” Devin replies, though he makes no effort to sound reassuring. “Cassie is the being I want to speak to.”
“Do you know how many royals have said those words to me?” His grip tightens on his hilt, though he doesn’t appear ready to draw it just yet. A glimmer of confidence sparks in his eyes. “No rookie ever gets that far.”
“I am the aid to King Samuel of Korodon,” Devin states, “and I am here on his behalf.”
Mitch lets out an amused huff and shakes his head. He doesn’t appear to believe Devin, though he does relax his hold on his sword.
“King’s aid or not, Cassie doesn’t deal with royals,” Mitch replies, throwing a thumb over his shoulder to the room’s door. “Neither do I, so get out while I’m still in a good mood.”
Devin stands firm, folding his arms in defiance. Mitch, in response, gives him a sneer and draws his sword. The song of the blade’s reveal ricochets around the small room, and in the dim light its sharp edge still manages to glint gloriously.
Mitch appears to want to say something further - another threat, perhaps - but Devin quickly shuts him down. He steps forward, grabbing Mitch’s wrist and twisting it, his thumb pressing down as hard as he can. The sword slips from the criminal’s hand in an instant as Devin brings his left leg up and slams his heel down on the back of Mitch’s knee. Still gripping his arm, Devin swiftly forces the criminal to the ground, holding him prisoner with his twisted arm stuck upwards and in the royal’s vice-like grip.
“I am not here to argue with you,” Devin growls. “I am only here for Cassie. You either get me in touch with her or be locked up for the rest of your life.”
“Oh, Mitch,” suddenly comes a disappointed hum, causing Devin to look up from Mitch. The room’s door is open once more, though this time there is only one being present. Cassie leans against the door frame, disappointment written all over her face. Her pursed red lips stand out against her pale skin, with her ruby eyes full of ruthlessness. Devin can’t bring himself to look anywhere else but her face; her dress is so revealing it makes him feel physically sick to even glance down at it. Well, his job just got a lot easier to complete.
Cassie pays the royal guard no mind at all, as if he isn’t even there, as she comments, “If you’re going to be like this, I’m going to have to replace you.”
Mitch only replies with a stiff grunt.
“You, there,” the criminal finally turns her gaze to Devin, a devilish smile creeping cross her lips. “You’re strong. Why not take his place and come work for me?”
Devin is quiet. He doesn’t want to speak in case he somehow manages to sour the mood before he can even have his chance to speak to her properly. Yet, at the same time, perhaps his silence will do just that. With criminals, sometimes it’s hard to tell what course of action is best.
After a tense moment of stillness, Cassie rolls her eyes and waves a dismissive hand towards the pinned Mitch. “You can let him go.”
Devin does with one last shove. The right hand staggers to his feet, lingering just long enough to cast Devin a glower before exiting the room, leaving the two wizards alone within. He’s most likely guarding the doorway. That’s not going to be good if things take a turn for the worst.
Cassie lounges on top of the cushions completely at ease. Noting Devin still up on his feet, she gestures for him to join her. “You must have been waiting for quite a while. Come sit!”
“Thank you,” Devin replies. He doesn’t move from his position.
There’s not much information about Cassie he was able to learn in advance, so he has little to no idea what to expect from her. He knows she’s a criminal, and quite a brutal one at that. Her methods may seem unorthodox, but she’s quite the businesswoman when all is said and done. Her contracts will always be in her favor, one way or another. And… that’s about all there is on her.
“I imagine you’re here to conduct business with me,” Cassie hums through the silence. “Well, here I am. I don’t have all cycle to wait for you to speak.”
“I am Devin, aid to the new king of Korodon. I am here on his behalf-”
Cassie interrupts him with a sharp laugh, a high-pitched screech followed by a flurry of giggles. “The king’s aid! Ahahaha! What a wizard!” Devin waits for her to calm down, which she eventually does. Her smile is much wider this time around, intrigue glowing in her eyes.
“The last time a king came crawling to the Underworld for help was King Cero,” Cassie speaks again. “He spent tens of thousands of iron on faux cures and made many beings extremely rich…”
“I am not here to barter,” Devin informs her.
“Oh, I know,” Cassie replies. “You’re here to invite me to the new king’s little ‘Generals’ project.”
He does his best not to show it, but her comment takes Devin aback. He wasn’t expecting her to have already deduced the reason behind his presence. Then again, he has no other reason to be here except for recruiting her to be a General.
“Yes, I am,” he confirms.
“He must be sick in the head,” Cassie giggles, seemingly delighted at the news. “He probably gets it from his mother-”
“You have no right to speak of the king’s mother here,” Devin sharply interrupts.
Cassie spreads her arms wide, gesturing to their surroundings. “You’re in my room, royal. I can do as I please. Now, tell me, what benefits will I be getting out of this?”
Devin hesitates a moment. He doesn’t want to give her everything right away, but he doesn’t want to disinterest her by being as vague as possible. Clearly, she’s in this for the position and power, so he has to make being a General worth her while. Give her too much and she might use the information as leverage against them. Give her too little and she might refuse to join outright.
“For one,” he speaks at last, “you will be given a special power no other wizard has. It will also be your responsibility to preside over the other Pyromancers of the island in both combat and training. In addition, I am sure you’ll find the guards to be more… forgiving towards your businesses and associates, so long as a portion of the work you are doing is in service of the war effort against the Guardians. Your benefits may extend beyond this, too.”
Cassie leans forward, resting her elbows on the small central table and resting her chin on her hands. Her smile has turned dark, skepticism befalling her face. “How enticing. Just one small question: Why me? I doubt that the Great Spirit would want the king to work with a being like me…”
“That is precisely the reason,” Devin replies. “The Great Spirit requested the ‘demon dealer’ specifically.”
Once more, Cassie laughs, throwing herself backwards onto the cushions. The fact that she can go from calm and collected to a howling maniac in the blink of an eye makes Devin worry. Is she normally this unstable? Will Samuel even be able to handle her?
Cassie wipes away a tear rolling down her cheek, sitting up once more with a mischievous smile.
“I’ll come with you,” she nods at last, “on one condition.”
“What?” Devin can only inquire.
“I assume the Spirit has listed other beings destined to become Generals as well,” Cassie explains. “I want to be the one to choose the next General to be recruited.”
Devin scowls. “That is not possible.”
“And why not?” Cassie pouts, pulling a very fake pleading face.
“There are no names, just descriptions,” Devin informs her. “Some more obvious than others. The king has to carefully consider each being to make sure they fit the Spirit’s list.”
“And?” Cassie sighs. “I say ‘choose’, but in that case it’ll just a proposition, no? What does the list say?”
“You will know after-”
Cassie leans forward again, her expression dark, malice burning in her crimson eyes. “You’re scared to tell me because you think I’ll try and appoint one of my own subordinates, that they will most likely fulfill one of the Spirit’s requests. I know how this will work. You give me luxury and a small army, and in return you have my connections and businesses. But I’m not satisfied with simply being another member of your court. You benefit more from me than I do from you. All I am asking is to choose the next General per the request of the Great Spirit, a decision that you royals can still rightfully overturn on a whim. If you can’t afford me such a small favor then I’m afraid your ‘demon dealer’ has not yet been found.”
“That term is better discussed with the king.”
“But he’s not the one negotiating with me. You are.”
Devin can’t help but feel somewhat defeated. She is correct on all fronts; he doesn’t want to be the one to afford her such a luxury of appointing the next General, specifically because of what the Spirit said. A devoted healer could be any healer devoted to anything or any being. And Cassie, with all her connections and business dealings, most certainly knows healers that are completely devoted to her, if that’s the sort of devotion the Spirit means. Criminals are never to be trusted, even if the Divine forces him to trust one. But if he can keep the number of criminal Generals at one, he’ll feel much more secure overall.
But she’s also right in the fact that she can’t completely force her decision of the next General onto Samuel or the others. In reality, this supposed power play is not as strong as it sounds. Still, she’s asking for this privilege for a good reason. She’d not make such a request if she didn’t already have a plan in mind for how to use it to leverage herself into a position of greater power. But what? He can’t think of anything right now.
If he agrees, he’ll have to keep a close eye on her to make sure she doesn’t rise above where she should be. He doesn’t want a criminal suddenly usurping the king because of this seemingly innocuous deal. But if he doesn’t, he may cause much more harm in the long term than good.
Through gritted teeth, he says, “You have yourself a deal.”
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