Jackal Among Snakes

Chapter 654: Alliance of Incompatibility

Argrave stood proudly beside Anneliese as they walked toward the white-haired woman, taking their sweet time. There was a tacit understanding between berserker and non-berserker that they were to meet, amply far from Traugott, to negotiate on the fate of their burgeoning alliance. That ‘alliance’ bit wasn’t tacit—indeed, this might be misconstrued as ‘hostage negotiation.’ Argrave had talked his way out of worse.

Only Argrave and Anneliese went, as the others weren’t so readily capable of resisting the Shadowlander lieutenant. Following behind them, bound in chains of blood, was the rider. He would serve as a witness to the lieutenant, in case she needed someone of her own kind to offer some perspective into the battle Anneliese had with Traugott. Argrave had earned his own perspective on what Anneliese had done. It made him view his role a little more fondly.

“So… you’re telling me you erased him?” Argrave asked her as they walked. “Wiped the whiteboard clean? Sanitized his data? Degaussed his dome? I’m beyond impressed, Anne.”

“I got lucky,” she said simply.

“Oh yeah, sure,” he agreed sarcastically. “Really lucky, spending all that time reviewing the dark things that he’d done. Tons of good fortune in that act. Not deliberate at all. You accidentally studied what he’d done to figure out how to fight against him.”

“I was speaking of the battle,” she interrupted—at once, Argrave could tell she was in no mood for jokes about the subject and made his expression sterner. “My body felt like it moved on its own in that final clash. He might’ve crushed my skull… but he didn’t. I might’ve been forced to kill him outright, yet I subdued him. That was luck.”

“That’s talent,” Argrave disagreed. “Though I suppose you could argue talent is luck. Either way, I think you’re awesome.”

Anneliese nodded, then moved past the issue, questioning, “What do you want to tell that woman?”

“I want to call her mean things until she cries.” Argrave looked ahead. “But I can’t get what I want. I doubt there are words mean enough to break that heart of stone she has. But I imagine you’re asking what I want to achieve here, now that we have the key to it all.”

Argrave looked around the devastated landscape. He wasn’t fond of this place. Gray, grim, and gruesome—those gr words described it quite well. The people here were inhospitable. He couldn’t exactly blame them for being ornery; they had an affliction that caused them immense distress. Said distress caused them to recklessly consume everything around in a bid to sate the insatiable. It was like a world of violent addicts. It would certainly be easy enough to turn tail and run away. As he’d mentioned, they had the skeleton key at hand.

Argrave looked behind himself, eyeing the one they dragged along. “Our former escort mentioned that only the Hopeful and his lieutenants know how new life comes to the Shadowlands. Considering her revolt, I think there’s more to this situation that’s left unknown. I don’t think the Hopeful is entirely the benevolent dictator this man declares him as. And I think we can get some answers, at the very least.”

He looked upon the white-haired Shadowlander. When she wasn’t trying to kill him, she looked somewhat small. “Still… best be prepared for flight at any moment. This one’s a bit of a firebrand.”

#####

“Tell me what you want, give me the useless one, then fuck off,” the woman declared, waving her hand at them mere moments after they gave introductions.

studied her, still feeling some instinctive need to dodge while confronting her so closely. Rather like the Hopeful, much

negotiate more amicably,” Argrave

attempts to end you. But now that I’ll never again speak to many

Anneliese said, putting a hand to her heart. “Through him, we have the means of escape from this place.

“Of yet?” she repeated.

confirmed. “But we need answers from

Answers, while the Hopeful may march toward

scared of what he built falling apart to try anything. He hasn’t attacked you yet—he

pirate site? This novel is from Royal

off to the distant abyss in quiet ponderance.

to help persuade her, but now he had become a

face,” Argrave directed. “It’ll help us know if you

shadow-wreathed hands up and seemed to draw something down. Her abyssal flesh revealed itself, and soon enough all her features were clear.

started basically. “What

or die, and be free of this cursed place. Free from the constant infighting, and the will pressing on the back of your neck to make you do that which you hate. I want all that shit to go away. It’s

Shadowlander’s openness, Anneliese asked intently, “What exactly

you see. But it serves a purpose for someone. Perhaps it’s punishment. Whatever it is, the Hopeful knows. I

if she noticed any lies, yet there were no indications from

Shadowlanders? How does new life come

The answers to your questions made me harbor this resentment. It hints that we’re a part of the greater cycle outside of this place, outside of this realm. It hints that the Hopeful is not someone suffering the same affliction, but rather

with active minds. Anneliese clearly thought the woman wasn’t lying, and provided the Shadowlander

among the best. It’s why I call this place a gutter. With those questions,

killed. Perhaps you’ll understand when I say that I fear the same thing might happen to us if we let you have the key to the Shadowlands. We can work something out, but we need to know your intentions for the mortal realm. Our concern lies, bluntly put, in the living and breathing, not

crossed her arms. “The Hopeful is the one that sends out the weakest among