Vivian leaned back in her chair across from the other Faction Heads and interlaced her fingers. The chairs around here were full, but Baress was nowhere to be found. Maria sat in the other woman’s seat, the expression on her shadowy form inscrutable.
They’d all arrived in the room several minutes ago. Despite that, nobody had said a word. Rake seemed largely unbothered about the whole thing. He’d taken his chair and was, as usual, watching the tournament unfold in silence. The Imperator of Man looked considerably less thrilled with the entire situation.
“Where is Baress?” he finally asked, breaking the silence.
“In her room,” Vivian replied simply. “You can’t expect to just go and break the Rules without some kind of punishment. She has been informed that her presence is no longer permitted in this room for the remainder of the tournament.”
“You banned her from recruiting anyone?” the Imperator asked, his eyes narrowing. “That hardly seems fair. She didn’t even manage to accomplish anything. You made that much quite clear when you broadcast her failure to the entirety of Aqua Terra.”
“I didn’t realize that rules were only enforced against those who managed to break them successfully,” Vivian said. Her lips curled. “Are you asking to intercede on her behalf? I’m sure we could come to an agreement.”
“Absolutely not.” The Imperator let out a snort of laughter. His amusement was forced. It fell away in an instant as his gaze moved to land on Maria. “But I must say, adding a new Rank 8 to our table…”
“She’s not new,” Vivian said simply. “I’ve just decided to have my enforcer take a slightly more forward-facing position. She’s lurked in the shadows long enough. And after last night, I think everybody knows of her already. There’s no need to play coy and try to pretend she doesn’t exist. Not when it comes to the other Faction Heads. Baress certainly knows. Rake does too. Would you have preferred that I keep you in the dark?”
The Imperator hesitated for a second. His reptilian eyes bore into Vivian as he tried to figure out what it was that she was playing at. She smiled in response. The Imperator wasn’t going to find any answers in her features. He wasn’t going to find them anywhere.
“Now,” Vivian said. “Was there anything else you wanted to bring up before we got started for the day?”
“What were the punishments levied on Baress?” The Imperator asked. “Were those the full extent of them?”
“No,” Vivian replied through a smile. “Did you have any other questions?”
The table was silent for a few seconds. Then the Imperator grunted. He wasn’t happy, but he didn’t need to be. Baress had known exactly what she’d been doing when she’d broken the Rules. They existed for a reason. All things considered, she’d gotten off pretty light… though Vivian far from envied what the other woman was going to have to manage over the next few days.
Baress had definitely already recruited some people to her faction. But some of those deals likely hadn’t been finalized yet. And after the events of last night, Vivian got the very strong feeling that a good number of people would no longer be all that willing to throw their lot in with Obsidian Gate. Not after Baress had been made to look like a complete fool in front of everyone.
“What are you going to do about Spider?” the Imperator asked.
Vivian did a remarkable job of keeping her eye from twitching.
“I’m not quite sure what you mean,” she said. “Why would I need to do anything?”
“He just kidnapped a dozen people, interrupted multiple fights, and then insulted all of us,” the Imperator said. “And you’re going to let that slide? Just like that? You’ve been made a fool of.”
“Spider took nobody but his own people,” Vivian replied. “And he was never subject to the Rules. I find it difficult to hold someone accountable to a promise they did not make. We have our own set of contracts between each other. And as loathe as I am to admit it… Spider’s disrespect did not breach any of them.”
“Is that so?” Rake asked, finally speaking up. He turned to look closely at Vivian. “So you will do nothing?”
“I will break him over my knee when we enter Solstice,” Vivian replied with a shrug. “And I will enjoy every moment of it greatly. But I play by rules, Rake.”
“Not always,” Rake said. “There was a time when you did not.”
Vivian’s eyes narrowed. “And I think we all remember exactly what happened. I am not who I once was, Rake. I trust you can see that. Now, can we continue with the actual topics at hand? Baress was working together with the Apostles — and they’re in league with Truthseekers.”
“That may be so, but chasing either of them is a fool’s gambit,” the Imperator said with an uninterested shrug. “That’s probably what they want you to do. Especially the Truthseekers. Going after them is a waste of effort and time. You’ll end up crushing a few crazed fools and never get anywhere close to the person you actually want to kill.”
“I am aware of how the Truthseekers operate,” Vivian said. “However, I would like to pose a request. All of the Apostles should be treated as the Truthseeker’s allies from this point onward and until otherwise proven. Do not provide them support or shelter within your lands.”
Rake and the Imperator of Man were silent for a moment. Starting a fight with the Apostles wasn’t something that anyone wanted to do. Though they were few, they were more than competent for their number. That went doubly so if the Truthseekers were backing them.
But Vivian wasn’t asking anyone to be altruistic. If the Truthseekers set up in anyone’s empire, then all of them would suffer. And if there was one thing that every single Faction Head was good at doing… it was acting in their own interests.
“Agreed,” Rake said.
“I’ll do the same,” the Imperator said. He paused for a moment. “But only if we all agree that we provide forces to deal with the Truthseekers should they invade.”
“Will you provide forces if the Truthseekers attack the Coral Empire?” Vivian asked.
The Imperator hesitated. Then he cleared his throat. “Never mind. We can deal with the situation later.”
Vivian snorted. She’d expected about as much.
“What of Baress?” Rake asked. “She has been positioned in a spot where lending her aid to the Truthseekers will become even more optimal.”
“That’s a good concern,” the Imperator said. “If we levy too much against her—”
“She has not been unduly burdened,” Vivian said. “I let her off light, all things considered. I believe Baress will strongly reconsider working together with the Truthseekers and Apostles again in the future. I am not certain that she was aware she was aiding Orlen. She thought Maria and the Apostles were her allies. Nobody else.”
“That is better than the alternative,” Rake said. He shrugged slightly. “No matter. I do not care. So long as the Truthseeker plague does not spread into my kingdom because of the actions taken against Baress yesterday, I do not have further interest in the situation.”
The Imperator leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I suppose the same feelings are present on my end. If I’m honest, I’m far more interested in this new Rank 8 stepping out from nowhere. If Spider isn’t part of the Rules, I’d like to get a better idea of just who he managed to snag during the tournament. It’s impressive that a Rank 8 managed to hide themselves so efficiently. Do you have a list of the people he took from the tournament?”
Vivian’s lips thinned slightly. The Imperator’s question was an investigation disguised as casual conversation. He definitely wanted to know who had gone missing, but that was something he’d be able to figure out through his own information networks. The Imperator was more interested in seeing if Vivian would tell him.
He wants to see if I’ll protect Spider, is it?
How unfortunate for you, Imperator, that I don’t feel any need to protect that little scheming bastard in the slightest. He simply doesn’t need my protection. Not, at least, from you. The biggest danger that man has is himself.
“Of course I have a list,” Vivian said. “I keep track of everyone within the arena.”
“Perfect,” the Imperator said with a grin. “I want to see who he nabbed. I doubt he managed to recruit anyone too interesting. Show me.”
“Why should I?” Vivian asked. She arched an eyebrow.
The Imperator’s eyes narrowed. “Why shouldn’t you?”
“Because you haven’t even asked politely,” Vivian replied. “And I do not obey your whims. Do not forget whose city we reside in.”
The Imperator paused. His jaw clenched for a second. Then he sighed. “Fine. Please show me, Vivian.”
Vivian smiled. “Of course.”
She flicked her hand. Pearlescent energy coiled out from her fingertips to take the shape of a dozen or so different people in the air above them.
“Thanks.” The Imperator grinned. He looked up into the air. Then, slowly, the smile fell away from his lips.
Rake’s features followed a similar but considerably more constrained path.
“Are you kidding me?” The Imperator exclaimed, leaping to his feet. “I was looking at… what, half of these? And that’s the food demon! She was mine! I was going to recruit her! Are you telling me Spider took them all!?”
“I’m afraid so,” Vivian said.
The Imperator’s eye twitched. His hands clenched into fists. “Bullshit. What does he have that I don’t?”
“Do you want a list?” Vivian asked. She didn’t even try to hide the grin on her lips. “It might take a while.”
“This is ridiculous,” the Imperator muttered. He stared for a second longer. Then he waved his hand. “Get rid of this. Please.”
Vivian shrugged. She banished the energy once again.
“How… impressive,” Rake said. And, coming from him, that was the equivalent of a dozen curses and at least one piece of fine china hurtled across the room.
“Quite,” Vivian agreed.
“Can you track them?” the Imperator asked. “Do you know where they went?”
“No,” Vivian said. “And I would not suggest chasing Spider. He has proven… apt at catching people who come against him without taking the proper precaution.”
The Imperator sighed. Then he sank back into his chair. “As expected. No matter. Let’s just get this on with. At least he only took a few. Bastard.”
Vivian nodded silently, but her thoughts were elsewhere.
I’ll cover his tracks for now. They bought that much. But after Spider’s group make it to the Citadel, he and I are going to be having another chat.