Streetwise

Daniel studied them cautiously before taking a seat.

Still smiling, he pulled over a high-backed chair covered in deer hide to the head of the long oval oak table around which the others sat. The room had been carved into the heart of the fortress's promontory, semi-oval in shape, with a vaulted ceiling supported by polished limestone arches and softly lit by torchlight.

“Master de Lio!” a voice boomed like thunder. “There’s no need to apologize. We were the ones who arrived too early.”

The man who greeted him patted his own belly with satisfaction.

He looked to be around forty, with dark brown skin and bald at the crown of his head, hair thinning on the sides and nape.

“A gracious courtesy on your part” Daniel extended a hand. “And how shall I call you, good sir?”

Two hands covered in articulated gauntlets — made of segmented bronze plates — clasped Daniel’s. The structure, secured by rivets and springs, allowed full mobility of the fingers.

“Zanma Gupta, from Khurutas in the South” the bald man introduced himself, shaking Daniel’s hand enthusiastically. He had the relaxed posture of someone who laughs while works. “Master alchemist and poisoner.”

Despite his gut, Gupta had strong arms covered in a thick mat of coarse hair. He wore a long silk coat down to his knees, straight-cut with a high collar, buttoned up to the neck over loose-fitting pants. Everything in blue.

On his feet, he wore leather sandals. And to complete the outfit, a leather apron worn by constant use.

“A pleasure! Your services will be essential to our little endeavor.”

The sound of jingling bells stole Daniel’s attention when, from the other side of the table, an eccentric figure bowed in greeting.

He was tall and slightly awkward, with arms and legs too long for his own bone structure. Black hair fell over sunken icy blue eyes, and his skin was the pale tone of ivory.

“It’s an honor, Master de Lio” the gloomy tone in his voice betrayed more experience than his appearance suggested. His crooked smile dripped with cynicism. “My name is Thanatos, and I am an artist. Poet, fool, and storyteller. At your service.”

“The honor is all mine” Daniel replied with a respectful nod.

Thanatos seemed to be in his late twenties and wore a deliberately flamboyant outfit fitting his profession: a tight-fitting doublet sewn in red and white diamond patterns and puffed pants.

His shoes curled upward at the toes and jingled softly as he shifted his weight. On his head, he wore a thick fabric cap with two pointed branches hanging in opposite directions, each with a bell at the tip.

At last, Daniel’s gaze settled on the final figure in the room. Sallustia shifted uncomfortably in her chair, seated opposite him at the other end of the table.

“I’m here under the prince’s orders, to serve as your bodyguard.”

“I believe we all came by the prince’s orders, my little dewdrop” Thanatos hissed, his deep voice suddenly low and dangerous, belying the smile on his face. “Which does not exempt you from introducing yourself.”

Gupta adjusted the thick-lensed amber goggles atop his head, strapped on with leather bands and metal buckles.

“If we’re going to do this, my dear, we need to start off on the right foot. Master de Lio is in charge, and I trust his leadership, but we need a minimum of openness between us.”

“Sallustia” she said her name with reluctance. “Slave paladin in service to the Convergence.”

“Excellent!” Daniel clapped his hands, drawing attention back to himself. “Now that we’ve exchanged pleasantries and introduced ourselves, shall we get down to business?”

“By all means” Gupta agreed, scratching his chin. “Who is our target?”

“In general terms?” Grace adjusted himself in his seat. “We need to stop the Sword Party. They’ve been gaining ground for the elections.”

“Perhaps you’re not yet familiar with how we work, Master de Lio” Thanatos chose his words carefully. “The ‘Sword Party’ is… vague.”

“We need a name” Zanma concluded abruptly. “At least to start with, or planning will be complicated.”

“And the job could end up more expensive…” Thanatos added, his cynical smile spreading across his face like fire on dry leaves.

Daniel didn’t doubt their loyalty… to the gold the prince was paying them. After all, the Convergence paid well for services rendered.

Even if they were agents of his cause, all he could expect was pragmatism in execution. No enthusiasm, no blind devotion.

Mercenaries kill for a price, but risk their lives for none.

“A name?” Grace asked. “Perfect! Because that’s exactly what I have for you. Spiuso Onibus Prebito. Ring a bell?”

“The senator?” Gupta raised an eyebrow.

“More than that,” Thanatos explained, nodding slowly as the realization dawned on him. “He’s the campaign chief for the Swords.”

“A difficult target, Master de Lio” Zanma pondered, drumming his fingers on his belly. “Prebito has many watchful eyes and ears. In a city as infamous for corruption as Castra Devana, I’d wager over half the industrialists, bureaucrats, priests, and nobles are in his pocket.”

“Perhaps we can initially focus our efforts in the Middle and Outer Rings. We’re in Tinuso, after all. From here, it shouldn’t be hard to manage the small fry.”

Interlacing his fingers, Thanatos leaned forward over the table. His mouth tightened into a nearly flat line of disapproval.

“Not impossible, from what I’ve heard. His control is less strict outside the Senatorial Ring, but it’s been tightening as the elections approach.”

“In what way exactly?” Daniel asked the jester.

“Through his drug cartel” Gupta answered instead. “Last week I met with some suppliers at the Maiden and the Staff and chatted with a charming alchemist from Versagënn. He told me Senator Prebito has been pressuring the crime guilds with an army of agitators and loan sharks. Most opium dens and brothels in the Outer Ring are also his property.”

Grace leaned back in his chair and let his hands rest in his lap as he assessed their options.

“He’s played all the right cards, but public figures are always vulnerable. There are plenty of parties and events where he’s easily within enemy sight. What’s his security like?”

Sallustia straightened and cleared her throat before speaking.

“Senator Prebito has a detachment of the Unconquered Sun Guard as his escort. They guard his mansion, patrol the streets in his name, and protect the valuables of House Onius. They’re always with him.”

“Praetorians?” Daniel asked his bodyguard.

“He’s from one of the Great Houses. He’s entitled to imperial guard protection.”

Grace shrugged.

“As expected. No one said it would be easy.”

The mood at the table shifted between grim and skeptical expressions.

“But…?” Gupta ventured.

“Our goal isn’t necessarily to kill him… though that would be the simplest way to ensure our objective.”

“What are you suggesting?” Thanatos frowned.

“Sabotage. A chain breaks at its weakest link. It’s simple — if we can’t strike him directly, we aim for his resources and subordinates. Hit the foundation to weaken the entire structure. Meanwhile, we work on organizing our own allies.”

“I suppose you have a plan,” said Gupta, rising to his feet. “But first, you’ll want some field observation.”

“You think it’s safe to just walk around out there?” There was a sharp note of impatience in Sallustia’s voice. “With the enemy on alert?!”

He smiled at the slave paladin.

“Aren’t you my bodyguard? Protect me!”

Her face flushed, but before she could reply, Thanatos stood as well — with the grace of an acrobat.

“Then we’re agreed! I know an excellent place I can take you, Master de Lio.”