Jackal Among Snakes

“Should we meet with this man?” Anneliese asked, staring out across the sea of grass. “Who is Dimocles, even? You seemed to have knowledge of this name.”

“One of the player characters,” Argrave said shortly.

“Ah,” Anneliese nodded. “Then maybe we…” she stopped, then rephrased, “As I recall, you once said all of the player characters are good… more or less.”

Argrave put his hands in his pockets. “This guy’s the more or less part of that.”

Anneliese nodded slowly, then stared at Argrave’s cheek as she asked, “Eliminating the other options we have already encountered, he would be a spellcaster first and a warrior second, correct?”

Though his mind was dancing as he scrambled to think of ways he might deal with this matter with Erlebnis, he turned his head and said, “Yeah, you’re on the money. I’ll tell you what he really is, though—he’s scary.” Argrave took a deep breath and crossed his arms. “If there’s anyone that fits the archetype of the game’s player, it’s Dimocles. He doesn’t enjoy eating, drinking, socializing… any of the normal human pleasures, basically.”

“Then what does he enjoy?” A frown spread across her face.

“Collecting,” Argrave looked down at her grimly.

“Collecting what?” Anneliese pressed for more.

“Spells. Weapons. Armor. Houses. Talented people. Unique people. Anything and everything that draws his attention, he tries and collect.” Argrave looked up at the endless blue sky. “Induen killed his parents, so you might think he’d have some good will towards me for settling that unchecked score… but damn it, I’m not quite sure if such a thing as goodwill exists from that man.”

As he stared up, Anneliese asked, “He collects… people?”

Argrave closed his eyes and sighed. “Yeah. It’s not…” he grasped at the words. “It’s not like he does anything weird with them. I don’t think he has the desire to do anything with them other than own them. It isn’t about having power over them, it’s just about them being his. That manifests in a bunch of different ways.”

Anneliese blinked for a few moments in confusion, then questioned quietly, “Does not the meaning of owning imply power over another?”

“Sure… sure, I guess,” Argrave agreed, his head still swimming. “But he doesn’t abuse that power. Like any collector, he likes to keep everything that he owns in very good condition, mentally and physically. Collection is about preservation, not domination. He’s rich, charismatic as a sociopath, smart, and talented… it isn’t hard to keep a little swarm of people he likes in his villa.” He looked back at Anneliese. “The cruelest thing he does is deciding that someone isn’t worth collecting any longer. He spends all this time making the other person totally dependent on him, to where their life revolves around his… then he finds someone better and the Fairy Godmother’s spell wears off, leaving them with nothing but a pair of glass slippers. They’re on the streets, destitute.”

reason Dimocles might’ve been talking to Artur was that he thought the man was someone

a Magister?”

expensive collectible, but if he wants it…” Argrave sighed. “And it makes sense for him

rubbed her forehead and asked, “So, should we meet with him? Should Artur go

of my ears. Did Erlebnis intend this? That

same

go unwatched. The information we get from him might not be the whole truth, even if he’s not lying—hell, perhaps Erlebnis knows about your uncanny empathy.” Argrave

think

long as the meeting place is far away from any shrine to Erlebnis, I don’t fear a trap overmuch. Maybe Onychinusa might show up… but even then, you’re her antithesis.” He looked at her

her gloved hands,

we have to understand what’s going on.” Argrave rubbed his hands together. “But the show has to go

observe with my bird,” Anneliese reminded him. “I need not

“If the meeting is tomorrow, we have more to discuss. I thought we might sleep tonight… but that’s

#####

the meeting was to be held was somewhat difficult to infiltrate with the Starsparrow without issue. It was the first of the altars that they’d entered inside to reach the Mother’s Steppes. The only way to reach

himself. It was a small thing, easily placed inside a piece of clothing on the Magister’s person. Argrave had almost been paranoid to the point he feared the bird would be killed or stolen,

so, the time

#####

blinked open his eyes, disoriented from the transference of the altar that resembled a water basin. His eyes adjusted to the dimness somewhat before he cast light into the air with a quick spell. Anneliese observed this all with her Starsparrow, which had already taken its perch in

Dimocles said, and Artur took an involuntary

dark blue-green that swirled mesmerizingly about each other. Heavy metal baubles dangled from his

a rippling pond. His skin was pale, yet with some scars and a certain roughness to it that made him seem hard. He had a

“Gotten… much more powerful, too. What rank are you by

S-rank spells,” Dimocles nodded. “I can only cast

shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. What is this? That white-haired elven

what he showed others was fake. But if the whole of him was fake, what was real? She couldn’t answer