Alchimia Rex (160)(Vol 7 END)

[160] [Interrobang]

“What’s the prognosis?”

Standing on the porch of the cabin perched at the edge of the woods, Rick drew in a deep breath of crisp air, the lingering chill of winter was starting to eb. There was a lingering scent of rain, but Rick knew there had been none over the past week at least. Either spring was right around the corner or a certain Elf Queen was being quite active, because the forest was waking up, everything looked and smelled greener.

His bodyguards remained within sight, their figures moving smoothly along the perimeter alongside Kiara's own subordinates, far enough to provide proper privacy even by maiden standards.

Rick glanced at Kiara, who stood gazing into the dense canopy, her eyes reflecting the soft glow of the rising sun. When she turned towards him, she gave a pointed look, visibly ignoring how tightly Lise held on to his arm with her tail. “Just do the exercises for the rest of your short mortal life, but don’t push anything bond related for the next few weeks,” she said. “What about yours?”

“What about me?”

“You didn’t show up here just for a day of pampering.” Kiara replied. “Calling me your second-in-command sort of gave it away.”

Rick paused, then nodded. “I… barely got back and have been swamped with managing things,” he said. “I believe we need to have a proper sit-down, with everyone, and review our options.”

“Our?” Her tone held a hardness to it, stepping closer. “You are Lord of Sinco, we are merely here to provide aid.”

“Yeah, sure, and I bet if I chose to do something stupid, you won’t go behind my back to prepare some alternative, right?” He scoffed. “Come on, Kiara, I know you’ve poked your finger into every pie in the city. I might not be the sharpest when it comes to politics, but I’m not blind.”

“Ah… so you caught on to that.” She coughed.

“I’m bonded to most of your ‘agents’, it’s hard to miss how they’re in just about every position of authority a maiden could legally occupy.” He replied, left unsaid, that the tribe itself was an ally to Kiara, albeit in more of a ‘convenience’ way. They did not care for her species, just that she was recognized as strong. “What I’m surprised about is that you don’t seem to have done anything to Rollo or the maidens under him. By now he’s kind of the only big player in Sinco you haven’t sunk your claws into.”

Kiara nodded. “Leaving Rollo untouched makes him the most obvious point of contact if anyone were to wish to undermine or sabotage either of us. It serves as an early alarm for outside meddling.”

“So it’s ‘us’ now, huh.” Crossing his arms, he gave her an amused look. “Let’s just move this little back and forth to the next step. We need information from our political captives, and we need a plan.”

“Plans need a goal.” She replied. “What’s yours?”

“Eva’s the priority, but I can’t think of anything involving Aubrian nobles that might be of use for that.”

“Don’t discard the card before seeing its value.” The Succubus nodded. “Do you care whether any of the juicy political prisoners live?”

Rick hesitated. “...why?”

“Because, though my methods of asking questions are effective, they also leave traces that anyone could find if they’re looking for them.” Her smile was all teeth and no warmth. “Wouldn’t want the kingdom to know my death was only temporary. If they’re anything like the Northern Empire… let’s just say that Sinco would no longer be on any map.”

There was a pang of guilt hidden within her words, a momentary shame and pain in the way she shifted to avoid meeting his gaze. Rick understood this was not the easiest subject to talk about, so he didn’t push it further.

But it did give him a few ideas.

“Then we’ll try the softer method, and only go for your specialty tools if things don’t pan out.”

---

There was a fortress at the heart of the richer district of Sinco, the building had once been Lord Thorley’s estate, and it’d been left mostly abandoned since the noble’s demise. It was a big ugly building though, with dozens if not hundreds of rooms, and a veritable labyrinth of corridors and passageways. The structure was made with the express intention of being the final bastion, a place where neither feral nor army could enter without bleeding for every inch.

Overall it was ugly as sin both inside and out, with jagged edges that made it look like a very mean thorn-bush.

Eva had made this place her home, so to speak. To be more precise, the Vampire had raided the various libraries and holed up in the master bedroom, turning it into a study as well as a den. Then, she’d recruited militia members to strip the fortress’ interior of anything that wasn’t nailed down, putting every scrap of metal, cloth, and wood that could be spared to aid in the construction of Rick’s factory. Anything that wasn’t useful but that was valuable would be sold to Rollo as part of their partnership.

After the battle against the Darktons, Dia had commandeered the lower levels of the building, imprisoning their captives there and stationing a garrison of militia. The prisoners had been put separate from one another, any contact or communication being entirely forbidden. They weren’t allowed to know if the others were alive, or what was going on.

As far as anyone other than the Viscount, they’d been captured and left to rot.

The Viscount knew better, of course, but Rick didn’t really have any intentions of interacting with the man. At least not today. Today their target was Lord Claude Norwar. Claude was in that sweet-spot of having just enough importance that the Aubrian court would listen to him, while also not having enough power he could coerce a situation.

“Let’s see what we’ve got.”

At Rick’s command, the guard opened the door to the small windowless room. The first thing to hit him was the stench of body odor and shit. The man that had been once Claude Norwar looked even worse for wear than he’d remembered him.

Whereas before the man had been scarred and lost a hand due to being too close to a live grenade… now he looked like he’d also not slept for a whole week. His eyes were distant, almost hollow, bags under his eyes, a face that had lost color.

“You seem quite lively.” Rick commented as he gestured at one of the guards to bring the man out. “Any healer give you a check-up?”

Claude shivered, eyes immediately turning downward, his chalky face turning paler.

“Ah, Dia tended to you.”

It seemed things would be both easier and harder.

He glanced at the guards. “Give him a warm meal, and bring him to my studio.” He paused, nose wrinkling. “Oh, and make sure he bathes and puts on some fresh clothes. He reeks.”

---

Lord Claude entered the well-lit room looking a bit less worse for wear. The bags under his eyes were still there, but his hair was no longer greasy, his clothes no longer reeked, and his complexion had gained some of the color it had lost. Still, there was a haunted look in his eyes, full of fear and apprehension as he stepped inside, flanked by two Orcs.

“Sit.” Rick avoided any preambles, gesturing for the man to take the chair opposite to him.

Behind him stood Kiara, her features shrouded underneath a heavy cloak. Even then, she’d pushed her form to look as approximate to Dia’s as she could push without actually hurting herself. The goal wasn’t for her to use her powers, but her experience.

The “real” Dia was the next room over, one call away from entering if the need arose.

“I’ll be brief, Lord Claude, my intention is to release you, drop you off at Aubria, and begin negotiations for the release of the other nobles.” He leaned forward, showing the truth-detection medallion. “That is, if you can be trusted to be earnest in conveying my intentions to the Aubrian court, and the king.”

Claude swallowed. “I am an honorable member of the Norwar household, my word is well respected in the Aubrian court.”

Rick ignored the slight warning tingling from the medallion. “This last winter there’d been a very powerful blizzard, one brought about thanks to a feral Frostcaller. We noticed someone brought them down. It was one giant streak of fire falling from the sky, followed by an explosion.” He leaned forward, meeting the man’s gaze. “Do you know who’s responsible for that?”

The question caught the man flat-footed, he stammered for a moment. “I… do not know with certainty who it might have been.” He answered after some consideration.

“But you suspect someone.”

The noble didn’t answer, yet as the silence stretched onward, what little confidence he had began to falter. “I did not know the exact details of how it happened, or by whom’s hand, but…” His gaze shifted towards the hooded figure behind Rick, the rustling of cloth made him shiver and lower his gaze again. “The description you’ve provided would fit that of a member of the Royal Guard… a Draiga by the name of Ember.”

Kiara snorted, but quickly hid it behind a cough. “A Draiga?” She asked. “I thought the Northern Empire forbid dragons of such… temper… anywhere beyond their borders.”

“I know not why she’s allowed here, nor do I dare presume.”

“Well that’s a lie.” Rick chuckled as the medallion tingled. “Presume away, Lord Claude.”

“I…” He dried his brow with the back of his hand. “It is rumored the Bavtha’s retain ancestral contacts in the Northern Empire. The royal department of science is deeply tied to the Bavtha’s. This is a purely hypothetical conjecture, of course.”

“Of course.” He held back the sigh.

The Bavtha’s were Eva’s “original” family, and one he’d not heard much of, and what little Eva had mentioned, it hadn’t been good. He briefly wondered whether their connection to collar production might be why the Draiga had shown up to cut the blizzard short… but under that consideration, many more questions started to arise.

“Why not help in the attack?” Kiara asked. “A Draiga would have been a massive boon. So much so I doubt we could’ve won.”

“I did not know there was a Draiga involved at all, my Lord.” Claude spoke to Rick as if he’d been the one to ask the question. “I couldn’t possibly be certain-”

“Enough.” Rick cut him off, sighing. By the looks of it, there were more questions involved, ones that likely only the Viscount could answer. Maybe not even he could. Not that it mattered right now, the higher-ranking noble was not one he’d be able to sacrifice, at least not without shooting himself on the foot. “Let’s not branch further. Lord Claude, I’d like for us to speak of my intentions.”

“Wait.” The Succubus raised her hand slightly, shuffling. “You missed a question.” She shifted, moving to stand next to Rick. “Why was it necessary to end the blizzard sooner? Why not wait? What could’ve possibly made the Aurbian court want to rush?”

Kiara was right. Why rush? Rick hadn’t asked that because, to him, the answer had seemed obvious. The sooner the nobles struck, the less prepared Sinco would be to defend itself. But from the Aubrian perspective, there would not be any amount of preparations he could’ve done that might have incurred a win.

“Answer the question.” He pushed Lord Claude, leaning forward.

“I…” Lord Claude swallowed. “The Viscount ordered us to hurry to avoid potential Vampire reinforcements. That was the given reason for the assault: to expunge the accursed from the land before they could set root.”

“But you sent a knight to Sinco, you saw the condition it was in, you knew there was no Vampire infestation.” Rick frowned.

“He’s avoiding the question.” Kiara agreed.

Claude wrung his fingers, lips drawing thin. “I’d like a guarantee.” He declared. “Of my safety… and that of my household. And…”

“I’ll do something better, Lord Claude.” Rick’s twisted into a smile, one with all teeth, the sort of smile Monica would make when looking down at an insolent little boar that was about to become a meal. “I’ll make your household my point of contact with Aubria. You will aid in selling products, such as the purple dyed cloth.” He reached out offering a hand to shake. “But this offer is off the table if I ever find out you’ve been keeping something hidden from me.”

What went unsaid was that Rollo would be put in charge of handling the Norwar household’s part of the deal. As much as Rick disliked the fat merchant, he knew the man’s loyalty was more deeply tied with Sinco than Claude’s. That, and pitting them against one another should make it easier to keep Rollo’s own ambitions in check.

There was a flash of life in the man’s eyes, a barely contained smile of his own. The nobleman hesitated, then took the hand to shake on it.

“This information I tell you is, entirely, built upon knowledge my household discovered on their own.” He swallowed. “The king sent a royal messenger to officially certify that you have been granted a title of nobility.”

Rick blinked, leaning back into his chair. “The Viscount rushed, fully aware this messenger was on its way, so that he could claim ignorance. He could’ve potentially extracted critical information, then just let me go once the messenger arrived.” His smile took a far more earnest and vindictive edge to it. “Tell me, Lord Claude, would you testify of the Viscount’s plot if the need ever arose?”

Apparently now surer of his chances of survival, and potential partnership, Lord Claude gained a sliver of confidence. “Of course, my Lord.”

It seemed Rick now had some proper leverage against the Aubrian court.

Now he just needed to put it to use. But in case that didn’t work… he just might need to put more teeth behind the threat.

Hopefully, he’d be able to get his hands on that radio tower that Thorley never got a chance to acquire.

The sooner he could plug his information network to the rest of the kingdom, the sooner he could figure out who inside the kingdom had been colluding with the Vampires and the Dark Elves.

And maybe, just maybe, he could use them to get to Eva.

---

AN: And with this, book 2 comes to a close.

My plans moving forward are to start prepping for book 3, which will take at least a few weeks.

Worth noting that I have been considering potential stories involving some different otherworlder (or maybe even a maiden?) as the protagonist. Nothing against Rick and his crew, just think that this following phase of their life will be kind of stagnant while everyone else's gets a bit rowdy.

Nothing specific as of right now, but who knows, maybe something to look forward to in the future (or, I guess, we could just time-skip). Would you guys have any preferences or thoughts?

Having said that, with the new series about to come out (and the deadline fast approaching), my hands are increasingly full, so Book 3 is unlikely to be coming out for at least a month.

And after December/January... well, it'll come down to what happens with the [patreon/income situation].