A loud CLANK served as an alarm for the napping Bellator Extorris, former member of the guard. He stood up and walked off “The Chain” at a slothful pace. He covered his mouth as he yawned.
He was walking down the Royal Road towards the Castle with a cocksure grin, the kind of attitude that showed impossible confidence in himself.
Bellator wasn’t Highborn, but he didn’t ever plan to lower his head to anybody else. He lived under his own rules and couldn’t give two shits about what anybody thought about him, or at least almost anybody.
The Former Guardsman entered the main hall of the castle and was intercepted by one of the many Ensis guarding it, demanding identification.
Bellator didn’t stop walking, simply shoving the badge he got from his employer in the guard’s face. The Ensis stepped right back upon seeing who Bellator was working for.
The smirk on his face only grew wider when he saw the Ensis cower in fear. He disliked that he couldn’t generate that effect on his own, but still, he always savored the pleasure of looking down on some arrogant Highborn bastards playing soldier.
It didn’t take long for him to reach his destination. He knew the way very well as for the last year, even while being a guardsman, he had been coming to talk to his employer inside the castle.
He didn’t even knock the door, he knew he was expected, but in reality he felt a hint of bliss when he was able to ignore any protocols of respect towards Highborns. In that regard he was almost opposite to Callis, who was a staunch traditionalist.
-Bellator Extorris, coming in.- He introduced himself as he always did when entering the office of Aemilianus, Voice of the Ancients and Chalearii in charge of Arcane Affairs.
Unlike other offices in the Royal Castle, built more with a pragmatic design in mind, this chamber was overly opulent.
Curved walls, showing it was built in one of the Seven Towers of the castle, covered in rich drapes of purple, pink and light red surrounded Bellator as he entered. The whole tower had been opened, removing all floors and turning it into a massive office.
The base of the chamber was covered with rugs and surrounded by rich fabric, but that only served as the meeting room, with a spiral staircase of a crystalline material that emulated the look of Cibus hidden behind the collapsed dome formed by the fabrics, connected to a large Cibus powered chandelier.
Higher levels, cloaked in shadow, hid thousands of shelves filled to the brim with different pieces of Cibus and other Arcane implements all lined up and only accessible through a spiraling set of walkways made from the same material as the stairs.
In the middle of the meeting room stood Aemilianus, the Voice of the Ancients, looking down on a map of the City with a pensive expression, stroking the point of his delicately coiffed goatee.
-Still wondering who fucked you over?- Bellator cordially asked, amused by the suffering of his employer, who had been wracking his brains about how his shipment ended in the hands of the Magnus Chalearii, his fiercest political rival.
-I know who did, I do not know how.- Aemilianus replied with a measured tone, not giving away the burning rage inside of him, keeping a cool and collected demeanor on the outside.
-We both know that arrogant bastard of Canes got it, but you don’t know who got it for him and that’s the actual who.- Bellator explained.
-You keep looking up, to see who is shitting from above, and you keep missing the shit that is already on the floor, so you step on it.- The Former Guardsman used a colorful analogy to explain what his employer was doing wrong.
-So you want me to check which of the dozens of Gerulum employed by Canes did it?- Aemilianus asked with a slightly frustrated voice, his brow furrowing as anger began to tense up the muscles of his face.
-No, just check the ones that could have met your guy in Rigel. Not all of that bastard’s slaves are around Rigel all the time, most of them are out getting Cibus from every mine in the Kingdom and beyond.- Bellator reasoned, as even if he was a corrupt Guardsman, he was quite a good one when he applied himself.
-That’s actually useful, Extorris.- Aemilianus made a pause and then turned, his eyes showing the anger he was trying to hide with frightening clarity.
-Remember that you being useful is all that keeps you alive. Your constant lack of respect would mean death for anybody else.- The Voice of the Ancients added with a sinister tone.
-Oh, I know that, so I’ll endeavor myself to be useful so I can be disrespectful as much as I want.- Bellator smirked with confidence, as he knew that as much as Aemilianus wanted to intimidate him, he had enough dirt to sink the Voice of the Ancients with him.
-Can you find out which Gerulum was it?- Aemilianus asked turning back to his map, tracing lines with his fingers as if he was searching for some kind of pattern.
-Of course I can. It will cost you, but I’ll add it to your tab.- Bellator replied with an even larger smirk, almost a frozen rictus of permanent arrogance.
-Do it and make sure he understands who he meddled with.- The Voice of the Ancient instructed with cold severity, completely detached from his public persona.
-Consider it done.- The former guardsman nodded and decided to add something, just to piss off his employer even more, just because he could.
-Overheard something interesting on my way here and if you don’t mind I would love to get some clarification.- Bellator was almost too thrilled to ask the question.
-What do you need to know?- Aemilianus inquired with a tired voice, still focusing most of his attention on the maps over his desk.
-I might be wrong, but did that cocky Carnifex Ensis of yours get his ass handed to him by Callis? Because that would be hilarious.- Bellator chuckled as he asked, knowing the answer, only doing it to see the Arcane Chalearii’s reaction.
There was an uneasy silence as soon as the echoes of the corrupt guardsman’s words vanished from the air after bouncing against the round walls of the tower.
Then chaos ensued.
Aemilianus extended his arm, grabbing his staff while turning around and pointing it towards Bellator.
Vis gathered around his staff, composed entirely of sculpted cibus, filling the crystalline surface with radiant white light.
Without chanting.
Bellator replied in kind and while the Arcane Chalearii moved, he reacted, pulling two of his Scripti Weapons out from his long coat as he delivered an axe kick on the nearby desk, forcing it to fall towards him, creating a makeshift barricade.
They were pointing at each other with their weapons, glaring with such intensity that made their weapons look as like lesser threat, even before the maps thrown to the air by Bellator’s kick reached the floor.
The tension was palpable, light radiating from their weapons of choice as their eyes remained locked in a struggle more mental than arcane.
Moments passed, crawling at an ever slowing pace, almost as if time was frozen still for them and the only real movement in the room was the shining rays of light radiating from Aemilianus’ staff and Bellator’s Scriptitelums.
Finally the stalemate was broken by both at the same time, almost as coordinated as their initial stand-off, with them lowering their weapon and diffusing the power in them safely.
The staff returned into its usual pinkish crystalline color while Bellator’s weapons powered down as the Cibus fluid retracted back to the canisters attached in the back.
-Find the Gerulum and don’t come back until you do it.- Aemilianus turned around, dismissing Bellator with a tired gesture of his hand.
The Corrupt Guardsman nodded and turned towards the door, walking a short trek and opening it.
But before he left he decided to twist the knife, just to show who won this exchange for real.
-And that Novus kid… a Lowborn Arcanist winning against Highborns?- Bellator looked over his shoulder with a dangerous gleam on his only visible eye and a malevolent grin.
-Consider your next words carefully.- Aemilianus warned him, his knuckles going as white as his staff just was, while grabbing it with all the grip strength he could muster.
-Nothing, nothing… just wanted to say that…- The Corrupt Guardsman took a dramatic pause just to increase the tension again, seemingly feeding off the danger.
-Doesn’t it strike too close to home for you? You should consider hiring the kid, considering… well…- He left that implicit comment and let out a grotesque chuckle, lacking any actual happiness, more like a mechanical sound of mockery.
Aemilianus released his staff without turning around, his face twisted with anger, sadness and a healthy dose of madness, knowing that Bellator had won this round of verbal sparring.
The door closed and the Voice of the Ancient was left on his own, his head hanging low between sunken shoulders and his hands trembling with wrath, not just against Bellator, but against the world itself.
-Soon.- He said in a whisper to reassure himself.
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