“You want me to catch her myself?”
“No, Director. But given your widely known patronage of the Fortress and its fighting arena, you would, of course, recognise her aura. Should she make an appearance at an event you attend, of course, a civic-minded gentleman like yourself would reveal her identity. After that, the hunt begins and you have a seamless pretext for taking an interest in subsequent legal proceedings.”
Lucian frowned as he thought it over. Ventress was visibly relieved as his aura retracted.
“Where is she hitting next?”
“Even I don’t know that,” Ventress said. “Keeping each element isolated allows us to control the information. As you said, there are many eyes on this.”
Lamprey looked dissatisfied but gave a reluctant nod.
“My patience is not infinite, Ventress.”
“But it will be rewarded, Director.”
Lamprey departed, leaving Ventress alone in the garden. Fury filled her face and she spat at a bush which withered and blackened, letting off an acrid smoke.
“Darnell!” she called out, and her leonid bodyguard came quickly.
“Belinda and Sophie,” Ventress said venomously. “Where are they?”
“After the last time you called them in, they holed up somewhere,” Darnell told her. “If you made it known their protection was withdrawn, they’d be flushed out quickly enough.”
“No,” Ventress said, regaining her usual composure. “Make inquiries, but keep it discreet. So long as they get caught, everything works out.”
“What if they tell the authorities that you were behind it all?”
“Lamprey will keep a lid on that,” Ventress said. “So long as he gets what he wants, he’ll want to make use of us again. His backing will make us untouchable in Old City.”
71
A Bit of Poo
Jason didn’t normally wear his battle robe around the city, but he was on the job. He had been assigned his first contract within the city itself and was meeting a contact at what was apparently a famous tavern in Old City. It was located in a district named Cavendish, after a family whose interests once dominated the area. The family had long-since relocated to the Island, but the name remained.
There was a bulk trade centre for goods coming in from the delta, one of several locations from which the bulk of Old City's food was distributed. To accommodate the lodging needs of traders and teamsters, many inns and taverns were to be found nearby. After dark, it was a centre for Old City nightlife.
The raucous activity of the night had no impact on the bustling day trade, Jason noted, making his way through crowded streets in search of his destination. The buildings around him were the usual desert stone, although most had some manner of wall treatment that had been painted in bright colours.
The same could be seen anywhere in Old City, but in Cavendish, it was prominent. This was especially true of the central thoroughfare, whose uncoordinated clash of colours earned it the moniker Rainbow Road. Jason turned off that main street in what he believed was the right direction.
He stopped at a public pump, where people were lined up to draw water. Unlike on the Island, only the wealthiest residents of Old City had magic-driven indoor plumbing. Most residents used communal facilities, like bathhouses, group toilets and public water pumps.
Underneath Old City, water from the delta ran through an elaborate network of tunnels. Ultimately, it all emerged from drains into the artificial strait between Old City and the Island. All through Old City that water was drawn up, used, then the wastewater was siphoned off to processing hubs spaced across the city. There, waste material was extracted before returning the purified water to the tunnels under the city. Waste material was collected in bags and sold as fertilizer.
To Jason, the tunnels sounded like sewers, whatever he had heard about magical cleaning processes. Given that his current contract involved heading into those tunnels, it was suddenly a more pressing concern.
The public water pump Jason approached, like others around the city, drew up water that was magically cleaned to safe standards. There were a few people in line for the pump to fill up jars, bottles, or even whole barrels that would need to be moved by cart.
Jason was about to ask the people for directions when his aura senses picked something up. He projected his aura harmlessly over the gathered people, who all turned to look at him. He took out his Adventure Society badge and held it up.
“I’m an adventurer,” Jason announced, “about to do some adventurer things, so please clear the area.”
Most people knew the mortality rate of going near adventurers at work. They picked up their buckets and jugs and hand cart and made themselves scarce. Soon it was just Jason and the five iron-rank auras he had sensed.
“You may as well come out,” Jason said.
“I think he noticed us, boys,” an arrogant voice said, its owner emerging from an alley with four others. They were young, with the light and practical armour of adventurers. They were all carrying wooden clubs and had recording crystals over their heads.
“I don’t know, Dink,” one of them said, voice full of reluctance. “You felt that aura. Maybe he isn’t as weak as you said.”
“Of course he is,” Dink said, the first one who had spoken.
“Is there something I can help you gentlemen with?” Jason asked.
“Yeah,” Dink said. “You can shut up and take a beating. I’ll allow some whimpering.”
“Did I do something to offend you?” Jason asked. “Is it the handsomeness? You might be ugly now, but just keep working on those essences and you’ll eventually get less awful-looking. It’ll never be great with what you have as a starting point, let’s be honest, but it’s magic, not miracles. Actually, have you tried the goddess of beauty? They probably wouldn’t let you in the church looking like that, would they?”
“Are you seriously mouthing off right now?” Dink asked. “How smart will that mouth be with no teeth in it?”
“I’m not sure you know how being smart works,” Jason said. “Or teeth.”
“Dink,” the doubter spoke up again. “If he was as weak as you said, I think he’d be more scared.”
“You should listen to your friend, Dink,” Jason said.
“I know all about you, Asano,” Dink said. “That Geller lady set up a fight so you could beat all her fancy trainees, teach them a lesson or some crap. But the whole thing was rigged, and really you’re weak. But since you beat those Gellers, people don’t know that yet. Someone is gonna make a reputation kicking the crap out of you, and it’s gonna be us.”
Jason let out a weary sigh.
“Alright, gentlemen,” he said. “Do you want to do this with powers, or without? I suggest without because at least you get to limp away after you wake up. I don't think the Adventure Society will like it if I kill you all. To be honest, though Dink, the more you talk, the more it seems worth the trouble.”
“You think you can bluff your way out?” Dink asked. “I don’t need powers to beat you.”
“Just that stick, then,” Jason said.
“I’m going to shove this thing down your throat,” Dink said, waving his club. He charged at Jason, then found himself on the ground, unsure of how he got there. Jason was standing above him, holding his club.
“You get that one, Dink,” Jason said. “Come at me again and you pay in screams.”
Dink scrambled to his feet, lunging at Jason immediately. Jason rapped him on the head with his own club, arresting his momentum. Jason tossed aside the club and grabbed Dink's arm, yanking him off balance. The first scream came as Jason tried to bend Dink's elbow the wrong way, the second when he did the same with the knee. The screams stopped as knuckles crushed Dink's throat, then he lost consciousness shortly after seeing a knee coming at his face.
Jason let Dink fall to the ground, looking over at the others all clustered together.