(STORY)
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from: CHAPTER EIGHT ~ LADROA ELEGY
characters: Mariscal RIGOLO, KIAN
Tyrson's company makes a triumphant return to Ladroa after defeating Captain di Frezzi and saving the kingdom of Thessios. However, in their absence, the name of Jack Tyrson has become entangled in a string of violent crimes and intrigues. Jack and Kuan are arrested and brought before Grand Magistrado Judex.
Unwilling to let his comrades or the young Lady de Cinza become implicated in the clandestine activities he set in motion, Kian crashes the tribunal and claims responsibility for the crimes, while also defiantly challenging the court's authority. The mysterious Mariscal Rigolo appears as well, tugging at threads that Kian finds himself unprepared to answer for.
Judex adjourns and Kuan and Jack are detained. Kian is imprisoned separately in a tiny dungeon in great tower. Under cover of night, Cardena dela Vara visits his cell to counsel him, but Kian refuses her help. As Dela Vara departs, Kian learns that another visitor has also come calling...
I suppose that makes it my turn to pay you a visit, Master Grey?
What an utterly charming creature that woman was... and so very mysterious! Of course, I only heard her voice, but you can tell that she’s perfectly exquisite! You must tell me, is she your girlfriend...?
Oh... Oh, dear. I can tell from the look on your face that it's rather unrequited, isn’t it? Dreadfully sorry to hear that.
And yet, she still came all this way to pay you a visit? Such a remarkable talent she has! In and out again without a trace. Is she a witch? Some kind of faerie? A vampire, perchance? Or maybe a ghost?
Never you mind, there's no need to tell me. After all, it takes one to know one. Hahahahaha!
Well, you know, I just had to pay you a visit, especially after that remarkable performance you gave at the tribunal. It’s rare that one understands they should never lie to Judex, of all people... but rarer still to find someone who actually manages to use that to their advantage.
Sometimes it’s all those empty spaces between the truth that reveal the most, hmm? And such a theatrical entrance you made, dropping in unannounced like that! You can tell that I approve. I really must applaud.
And that whole little drama with the Lady De Cinza -- it was so... heartfelt. That poor little bird, ready to put everything at risk for her heroes. Such loyalty is so rare among the gentry... or among anyone I meet in my line of work, really.
And then there's you, throwing yourself on your sword for the Lady De Cinza... or whoever she really is. In truth, I was quite interested to finally see the girl. She’s proven to be remarkably elusive since returning to Ladroa -- exceedingly so, in fact. I must say, she seemed to be very sincere. Either that little girl is a manipulator beyond her years, or she truly does have no clue who truly pulls the strings here... perhaps she thinks its you? That would explain her desperation to exonerate you. Or perhaps it was all just a charade that the two of you play-acted for the benefit of the court?
Come, now... the Grey Stripes were nothing more than bit players in this drama -- just a worn-out noble name with a tainted reputation. Now they seem to be everywhere, regaining lost ground and playing games of influence. That's quite a turnaround.
And by all accounts, De Cinza’s daughter was a bookish young thing when she was spirited off to parts unknown by the illustrious Captain Blackstone. I'd say she's had quite a remarkable metamorphosis, wouldn't you? Though I suppose it’s been a year already, and trauma does lead children to grow up so quickly.
But now, she sits at the head of the organization... thanks to her wounded dignity and stirring word... and a rather thorough housecleaning, of course. Those who opposed her were all dealt with quite harshly. Dirty dealings, bloody murder, some rather exotic foreign assassins... and yourself, of course.
Money seems to be no object for Grey Stripes now... but where does it all come from? Certainly not their festering old brothel, or their pitiful drug trade, or those dusty fighting pits...
Ah! That reminds me of something! Y'know, when a money-lender happens to perish in Ladroa, I often find it’s prudent to take a closer look. Who benefits the most? Who owed him the largest sum? What was he involved with? But imagine my surprise to find that after the grisly death of Guiseppe Dorini, his ledger of accounts had disappeared, and his trusted bodyguard too! Well... he turned up, at least. On Jack Tyrson's crew, was it not?
Oh, and then, Boss Arriaga over in the Colegio was apparently betrayed by his own pet killer. Agila was always a dangerous man, certainly, but not one known for lofty ambitions. Seems likely that he was acting on another's orders. What was his price, I wonder?
And now, no less than the enigmatic Mariscal Gorgones has spoken out in your defense! Whatever does it costs to buy a Mariscal’s loyalty? But no, I cannot believe that of a colleague. More likely, that brash young fool has been duped, and cannot see where all the strings lead. Well, I’m sure Gorgones wishes he could have a little talk with you now… before the racks and the thumbscrews come out.
Either way, a true soldier knows when to sacrifice himself for the mission, doesn’t he? It’s quite obvious that the reins are not held by a ruffian like you. Instead, you're ready to protect your master’s interests by throwing yourself on the pyre and drawing attention away from the Grey Stripes. It seems to me that you wish to immolate any links between them and… who? That is the question.
It must be someone from outside Ladroa. Someone new. Perhaps that odd friend of yours who talks to birds? Or maybe that Phinska fellow who stands behind De Cinza with the hatchets? Or perhaps even... your mysterious ghost lady?
It doesn't matter. I will find them out. I always do. All of this is but a ripple moving through the city. It’s not the first and it will not be the last. It's not the first time I've seen a changing of the guard, hmm?
But let me tell you something that may surprise you. Whoever it is you serve... they are welcome to conduct their business here in Ladroa. In this place, we are all outlanders and misfits, after all. And who knows? Perhaps a bit of... vertical integration would make things run a bit smoother around here.
And yet... one must be wary of too much change, too soon. The pot boils over sometimes. Eggs get broken. So many broken eggs, really -- old Lord De Cinza, Boss Arriaga, the Stottenlund Guild, and now even an Imperial Legate!
Also, I'm sorry, but it must be said... killing the King’s cousin when you raided that chaos cult was really asking for trouble. But perhaps he was simply collateral damage...?
Don’t misunderstand me. I don’t hate the player or the game. Nobody in Ladroa will shed one single tear for any of them... least of all me. But there is still a principle at work here, and your little faction has been... hmm... very loud. Very loud and very messy.
The great Kingdom of Iagos outside the walls of our city is a state sustained by fear and oppression. The purges, the inquisitions, the zealotry of an inbred monarchy founded on vengeance on a foreign people... and yet here we are, in the city of our Saint La Ladra, in a veritable oasis of liberty and opportunity!
But every garden has its worms. Its vermin. Its decay. Gambling, debauchery, iniquity, blasphemy... what is life without a few indulgences? We Mariscales are not doctors or priests. We cannot keep the whole body holy and pure. Instead we are surgeons. It is our role to cut away malignant tissue when we find it... before it spreads.
Ladroa relies on a very particular balance. Mariscal Judex and I do not agree on many things, but we both understand the value of this equilibrium. The pot cannot boil over. Ladroa cannot be seen to… fail.
If an outsider like you comes in and threatens to disrupt this delicate balance... then I will fucking end you.
I hope I've made myself clear.
And so, until that time… be seeing you.
Hahahahahaaa.. !
