Jackal Among Snakes

Mial, High Priestess of the Ebon Cult, stepped away from her position beside the other four top people at the Ebon Cult and went to kneel beside her father’s palanquin. She pulled back the curtain on the side, out of view from their front-facing position, and then listened to orders relayed—orders that reached no one’s ears beside Mial, not even Orion’s or the Alchemist’s.

As they talked, Argrave looked around at the horde of purple-masked people around them. He spotted elven ears, dwarven physiques… even some of the more reclusive races persisted in their number—southron elves or the subterranean humans, for instance. The majority of them were combatants.

Elenore’s voice entered his mind, telling him, “Anneliese says that there are users of shamanic magic in the crowd. Mozzahr himself seems to have the most spirits, however.”

Argrave gave a curt reply, too on-edge to engage further. Finally, Mial looked at them, clearing her throat to indicate her intent to speak.

“The Castellan asks if you have ever wondered what occurs in the event Gerechtigkeit succeeds,” Mial said, her voice ringing out with a clear echo in this vast cavern.

Argrave narrowed his eyes. Mozzahr had spoken through another like this in the past, but that had been because he was injured. His injury was obvious in Heroes of Berendar, visible even in the silhouette behind the curtain. Argrave could see no such injury. Mozzahr had not fought Sataistador, and consequently sustained no injuries. In simple terms there was no good reason for him to speak via proxy. No reason except haughtiness.

Argrave looked at Durran and briefly questioned speaking through him just as Mozzahr did his daughter, but thought it might be tedious and abandoned the idea at once. Besides, rising to provocation would close off their options.

“Well, I imagine the cycle of judgment ends. And I came here to discuss that ending, if on a different possible manner than seeing it through to completion,” Argrave opened diplomatically.

“Gerechtigkeit is described as two things; as a man, and as a calamity. But there is truth in both,” Mial carried on as though Argrave had not even spoken. “He is an intelligent being, capable of reason. And just as Mozzahr commands the Emptiness, Gerechtigkeit commands his calamity. It is formless malignance, capable of adapting to whatever its owner needs to fill his purpose.”

“You speak from ignorance.” The Alchemist stepped forward, his footfalls heavy enough to shake the square. “There is no reason in Gerechtigkeit.”

“Then how, pray tell, did he know to corrupt Argrave’s father? How have his methods continued to adapt, and to grow, if he cannot reason?” Mial flattened out a crease on her robes as she kneeled there.

“The contention is that he cannot be reasoned with,” Anneliese smoothly interjected. “And that is indisputable.”

“Fair enough. Let us not get lost in semantics.” Mial raised her hands in surrender.

Argrave thought she was going to speak again, and so quickly interjected, “Speaking of my father and his corruption—that was the reason Georgina was trying to kidnap him, right?” He raised his finger and pointed. “Well, we started the job that you wanted. And finished it, too. And I think that’s because we’re on the same path. Namely, you’re not content to let this cycle go another cycle.”

her father once

Felipe died—Georgina was certain

the Alchemist cut in. “And it decays what it touches rapidly, doubly so by resistance by the host.” Hearing that last line, Orion’s helmet briefly

forward. “But you’ve been doing independent research. And it

again, Argrave sorely hoped they’d take the bait. He didn’t trust Mozzahr overmuch, but he did trust the man’s capabilities. If he had learned something, getting him to disclose that information could be invaluable later down the line. But his—and the Alchemist’s, to give credit where

was very difficult to find, and even more difficult to ensure accuracy. History is written by the victors, after all. But we are near one hundred percent certain

had been quite busy, it

continued, ignorant of Argrave’s surprise. “The first one is certain: upon his defeat in one cycle, his voice

pigs are fed,” Argrave interrupted, knowing the quote well. “I know it, and the general gist

so accurate as words heard around the world… but they speak of his claims about ‘time and other thieves.’ The third is only one word—a name, truly. Sandelabara, or by some

I know,” Argrave confirmed. “Unless you’ve found deeper meaning to these words, we have nothing more to add to that. But lore, all of that—that isn’t what I need. We have fundamental information—we have a complete analysis of Gerechtigkeit’s corrupting energy. If you have something of similar value, a

at her father, and Argrave saw him wave his hand in affirmation before the High Priestess

leader has some insight on where Gerechtigkeit comes from,”

information,

pushed calmly, keeping

did not err by telling so much. “This is why heading to the surface is a non-negotiable issue—something you seem to be aware of, considering your fortifications

but he elected to sidestep that issue

publicly enough for these people to know. As it

to let his surprise show. He was certain he had told perhaps three people this fact—Elenore, Anneliese, and the Alchemist. None would’ve leaked it. This information was their own—and even scarier yet, it was usable. That meant this little parley had larger stakes than Argrave had been preparing

let’s cooperate,” Argrave posited, holding his arms out. “We both can benefit from this. Our knowledge becomes

not to exchange information, but to illustrate a point. Mozzahr, the Castellan of the Empty and Leader of the Ebon Cult, is Gerechtigkeit’s better in every fashion. It is the will of the universe—and even more importantly, our Castellan’s will himself—that

pointed a finger, saying quickly, “That’s all

will. You and all of yours will be welcomed. They will not be harmed or face any imposition so long as they accept the Castellan of the Empty as their god, and endeavor to place him in Gerechtigkeit’s place. You will retain

at the teal mass of Emptiness spiraling above, but it stayed still even despite Mial’s coercion. Though things were tense, until that power came to action

permit the Ebon Cult to come to the surface, and allow them unabated influence over the surface. On top of that, when it came time to break away, it