Chương 31: Infiltration (2)

"I…" Alexandra started.

"Yes, the view is quite nice." He was smiling. His hair fell to his jaw on the sides but had retreated from his forehead, leaving him with a broad, open face. He looked back at the plaza below.

"Not many people find their way up here."

"I was looking for some air." Alexandra kept her hands on the railing.

"The crowd."

"Mm." She opened her mouth.

"I just needed a moment," she said.

"Away from it." He looked at her for a beat.

"Don't worry." He turned back to the plaza, leaning both forearms on the railing.

"I'm not supposed to be here either."

"I'm not…" She started again, before stopping herself.

"Whatever." She leaned on the railing next to him.

"What brought you here?"

"I'm hiding from the Wardens." Alexandra turned her head and stared at him.

"What?" He chuckled.

"Not the real ones. The ones ruling Esmera are not true members of the order. They wouldn't be stationed in this backwater otherwise." He paused.

"Don't let them know I said that."

"I'm not planning to."

"Good." He nodded.

"What about you? What brings you here? It's not everyday I see a demon worshiper walking about freely."

"I don't worship demons." He shook his head.

"White hair, scars, missing finger." She clutched her maimed hand under her glove.

"All the signs are there."

"The Hands can vouch for me."

"Bah. The orders are all the same. Why would I listen to them?" He extended a hand without looking at her.

"Louis." She shook it.

"Alexandra." He nodded. Below, a cart wheel caught on a loose stone and the driver swore at his horse. Louis watched with mild interest until it resolved itself.

"You're not from here," he said.

"How can you tell?" He smiled.

"I've never seen you before. Your appearance is hard to forget." Alexandra winced.

"Thank you, I guess."

"Passing through?"

"For now." She looked toward the sun. Mid afternoon. She had time.

"The white," he said.

"Did it hurt?" She rolled her eyes.

"I haven't dealt with a demon." She paused, and continued.

"I wouldn't say it hurt. More like I lost something."

"Lifeforce." He stared at her.

"I swear it's not what it looks like."

"But it's lifeforce. Isn't it?" She grimaced.

"Well, yeah, but…" He made a small sound. Not quite a laugh.

"Fine. Fine. I believe you. I always wanted a suspicious friend, anyway." Alexandra looked at him. He was already watching the plaza again, chin resting on one hand, the book tucked under his arm.

"What's that?" She pointed with her chin. Louis grabbed the book in his hand, and showed it to her." Verdant Beasts of the Balerian Plains. I borrowed it from the Wardens." She frowned.

"Do the Wardens have a public library? I wouldn't mind visiting it."

"They do!" Louis beamed.

"Well, they don't know that it's public. But those fuckers wouldn't notice a missing book. Not like they ever read them."

"And if they do?"

"They won't." He closed it again.

"A real Warden would have hunted the Yshant terrorizing the plains before it became a problem." He tucked the book back under his arm.

"You know why they don't, despite the reports streaming in from most of the villages?" Alexandra waited.

"The people here are not real Wardens. They failed to get the class. All they care about is their little cushioned seat ruling this city. That's why they won't ask for reinforcements either, by the way, lest their order bring scrutiny to their activities."

"Corruption?" She asked. She thought that, perhaps, this was the real reason why Bamir didn't want to call the Wardens for help. Maybe he knew it was useless. Louis nodded.

"Corruption."

"What about the Hands? Can't they help?" He shook his head.

"Not as bad, but they suffer from the same issues. Though in their case, they're not fighters in the first place." He sighed.

"Alexandra, the orders are not what they used to be. Since the heroes took power…" You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. She tensed at the mention of the heroes. Hakim… She wanted to ask about the six others, but she was afraid of showing how much she didn't know about this world. Thankfully, Louis kept going.

"Just think about it. We're in the Hunter's land, and he's not helping at all! The hunter. What a stupid title. I'd like to see him hunt that damn Yshant."

"He's probably busy with more powerful threats." Louis scoffed.

"Of course. His holiness Aaron Loew is always hunting high level monsters in the Verdant Reach, far from civilization." Alexandra froze at the mention of this name. This couldn't be a coincidence. She'd already been wondering about Hakim, but Aaron Loew… That was her old guildmate's name. She let out a silent whistle. Louis' scowl turned awkward.

"Ah. Erm. With all due respect, of course." This was enough to make her laugh.

"Insult him all you want, I don't care." She glanced at the book once more.

"So, what are you going to do with that?" Louis followed her gaze.

"That? I'm going to hunt the Yshant myself. What else?"

"No, you're not."

"Look, I know it's dangerous. But I have to try! Those fools don't realize what's going to happen if nothing's done to stop it." He tapped on the book cover.

"It's in there! Eventually, the Yshant will swallow the plains, then this city. Someone has to prevent this." Alexandra raised a hand.

"I don't care about that. The Yshant is mine to kill."

"You don't underst—" Louis blinked.

"What?"

"It's mine. Don't touch it." Alexandra was done smiling. Her gaze was cold. Louis took a step back.

"Collaborate." Alexandra looked at him. He held up the book.

"There's a whole section on tracking patterns. Yshants don't move randomly. They follow root systems." He paused.

"I've been studying the plains maps. I think I know the general area."

"Can you fight?"

"Sort of." He tilted his hand.

"Not an Yshant."

"Neither can I." She said it flatly.

"Not yet." Louis tapped the railing twice.

"Then we train."

"You and me?"

"Unless you have better options." She didn't answer immediately. Below, the plaza droned. Would she get her rewards if she received help? She frowned, then relaxed. It was probably fine. The failure condition was if the beast died without her intervention, which wouldn't be the case.

"What do you suggest?" she asked.

"Not here. Let's move to somewhere more private." She exhaled through her nose.

"Fine. But let me check something first." She summoned her journal. Louis was startled.

"What is that?"

"My class art," she answered. He didn't ask more questions, so she flipped it open. On the first page, the notification she'd been waiting for was scribbled below her quest log. A Face Among Many: Infiltrate a crowded place you're not welcome in without being noticed (1/1). It did count, despite Louis realizing she wasn't allowed up there. Probably because he wasn't supposed to be on that balcony either. She turned the page, and noted that A Face Among Many was only a common skill.

With a name like that, she'd expected better. But that was fine, it meant the skill had more room to grow and evolve.

"Good news, I reckon?" Louis asked. She nodded.

"I'm done here. You?" He nodded back.

"Let's go." They used the open window to slide down to the back alley. Then they blended into the crowd. Louis took her up the main road. Not long before the gates, he turned, taking a side road. The streets narrowed incrementally, each turn shedding a little more foot traffic, until they were walking single file down a passage between two warehouses with barely enough width for them. He moved through it without hesitating, stepping over a broken crate, ducking under a rope strung between the walls.

The city wall rose at the end of the passage. Up close it was rougher than it looked from afar. Old white stone, patched in places with newer masonry that hadn't weathered to match yet. Louis crouched at the base where the wall met the warehouse foundation and pulled aside a section of wooden boarding that looked, from any distance, like it belonged there. Behind it was a door.

"Mind your head," he said, and went in. She ducked and followed him. The space beyond was larger than the entrance suggested. The wall's foundation was thick, and whoever had hollowed this out — Louis, she assumed, or someone before him — had taken their time with it. The ceiling ran low but level, shored up with timber beams. The floor was packed earth covered in places with salvaged planking. An oil lamp hung from a hook on the near wall. Louis struck a flint lighter to light it. She straightened up.

A bedroll in the corner, rolled tight. A table against the far wall buried under papers, maps, and three or four books stacked on the side. A second table had a set of lockpicks laid out on a cloth in order of size, a merchant's seal still in its wax block, two rings on a ceramic dish, a stack of letters with an insignia representing an eye that she'd seen on some buildings. Shelves on the right wall held more: a brass compass, a rolled document tied with a ribbon, a set of keys on a hook.

Louis set his book on the table with the maps and cleared a stool for her by moving a jacket and a belt with a knife still attached to it.

"I'd offer you something to drink," he said, "but I'm out."

"Did someone steal it? You should report that to the authorities." He opened his mouth, and closed it.

"I just remembered I bought a bottle earlier." He grabbed two cups, pulled a bottle from under a plank, and poured the brown, viscous liquid before handing it to her. Then he dropped into the chair at the map table and spread his hands over it like he was orienting himself. The maps were hand-annotated, the plains north of Esmera covered in small marks and marginal notes in cramped handwriting. She smelled her glass, and recoiled. Too sweet. Too strong.

"The local Wardens are not happy with me," he said, without preamble.

"For various reasons." He pulled open a drawer and dropped a folder on the table.

"I try to get ahead of the issue." Alexandra looked at the folder.

"That's their file on you?"

"A copy." He almost smiled.

"The original is still in their office. It would've been suspicious if it went missing." She looked at the seal on the broken letter.

"How long have you been here?" she asked.

"In Esmera? Four years." He leaned back.

"I came through on my way somewhere else and then didn't leave." He looked at the maps.

"The plains were quieter then. The Yshant had yet to be born." He put his finger on a point east of the city and dragged it slowly outward in a rough circle.

"I like this place quite a lot. It would be a shame if I had to leave again."

"I'm guessing there's something to be said about not having a full-fledged holy order breathing on your neck." He looked at the ceiling.

"Pot and kettle, Alexandra." The lamp guttered in a draft from somewhere in the wall. It steadied.

"I'm not a criminal."

"Me neither." She looked at him. Then it came back to her. Shit. She'd forgotten about her return trip. She could run in the night, but… She looked at the bedroll, the stacked books, the maps annotated over what must have been months.

"You've been alone here four years," she said.

"I have acquaintances."

"That's not what I said." Louis picked up a stylus and turned it between his fingers. He didn't answer. The lamp settled into its steady burn. Alexandra leaned against the wall.

"Any chance you have a spare bedroll?" He smiled.

"No, but you can crash on the floor. I don't mind." Alexandra's face contorted. Then she downed her glass, and gagged. Louis spread out another map.