-Malcolm X

John struck harder, bringing his sword back and enjoying again the tantalizing "thwack" of it hitting home, buried in the dummy’s ribcage. John pulled his blade free as the wound closed behind it, leaving the untouched creation ready for another strike.

"Good! See how much cleaner that strike is? No wasted **** means there's a lot more penetrative power behind every strike; whether you're up against a physical armor or a magical one, more **** is never a bad thing. A cleaner wound can also mean it's a bit easier to pull out your weapon; nothing worse than having to pull out a dagger because your sword is wedged in the shattered pieces of someone's ribcage. Well, okay, maybe it's worse when you immediately get your dagger stuck in someone else's collarbone too."

"That is entirely too specific to be a random example," John pointed out as he pulled his sword back and stabbed into the chest of the humanoid dummy. Etriyya had taken to training him shortly after he'd returned, when he reduced his third straw dummy to shreds. He needed something to burn his anger off, and when Etriyya had found him in the courtyard, she'd insisted he make use of her personal training equipment. Apparently it was the magical equivalent of ballistics gel, combined with the ability to repair itself from most wounds.

"Good observation. Now focus on your strikes, that was a terrible stab. The point of entry was good, but your grip is weak - your blade's path deviated about two inches and you wasted a metric fuckton of **** on piercing through flesh you didn't need to. If you focus on your grip strength and drive your blade through in a straighter path, you'll do more damage and finish stronger foes than you with that flimsy strike you just unleashed."

"Right… I'll keep that in mind," John noted, focusing on holding the hilt of his blade with all his strength. He was more concerned with burning off his excess anger than the accuracy and effectiveness of his strikes, but he wasn't about to tell Etriyya that and risk his personal tutoring.

"Good that you do. It takes years to learn to wield a sword as a master - but against imbeciles like the Cabal, if you can just avoid poking your own eye out, you'll probably do fine," Etriyya laughed. "Besides, why are you so focused on skills? Seems like those abilities of yours should let you get ridiculously strong pretty fast - shouldn't you be off grinding in a Barrier?"

"Well, I still have to risk my life fighting those creatures. This is a lot safer," John pointed out, skewering the dummy again. "Plus, I get diminishing returns. If I go up against someone just as fast and strong as me, then the victor comes down to who handles themselves better. If there's one thing I've learned so far, it's that I'm completely incompetent."

"Ah, down to that, then," Etriyya chuckled. "What about that new tab you mentioned on the way back?"

"Ah, you heard that?"

"You were a bit in shock; you have a tendency to talk out loud when you're thinking," the brunette Knight said, winking at him.

"Yeah, been working on that," John said, taking a break from his strikes for just long enough to open up his menu. A new tab had appeared either during or after the fight at Tricia's, in the menu that displayed John's Faction status, including all his perks from the Order. The tab was labeled as Faction War, and it had a table displaying some kind of point system.

"Still no idea what that's all about, then?"

"No idea," John admitted. "I can see the points and what I get them for, but there's nothing in there about rewards and nothing I can do with the page. I guess I got a point, though, so yay progress?”

"Right, then no sense worrying about it. Back to work before I step in instead of that worthless slab of plastics!"

She adjusted John's position once again, fixing whatever mistakes she saw that she didn't deem worthy of actually mentioning just yet. She had focused mostly on John's balance and the way he held the sword, but occasionally when he managed to hold himself together, she would interject with a particular correction that rose above the normal standards. John had begun to lose himself in the corrections and strikes when Moira herself strode from the doors leading into the Order's deeper hallways, her face as graven as when she arrived on the scene of Tricia's ****. John didn't bother to stop his training until Moira actually set her hand upon his shoulder, pulling him around and glaring at him.

"John… if you will raise that blade in our name instead of your own, I have a request."

John fought back a biting retort, still uncertain where he stood. He'd come here to relieve his stress and frustration, but his rage had regrown itself almost as quickly as the magical dummy he was now practicing against. Moira ignored his obvious disdain, turning toward Etriyya as she continued to speak.

"Lady Arista has made a formal request to offer terms to us. We are sending a dozen Knights to meet with her, and we would very much like for you to lead them. John, if you are amenable to such conditions, you are more than welcome to accompany our Knights. It might be an educational experience for you in terms of what the Abyss encompasses."

"Who is Lady Arista, exactly? What terms does she expect the Order to meet? I was kind of… late to the war room meeting, and nobody really filled me in, but you seem to know what was going on."

Moira sighed, shaking her head. "That's why I think it would be good for you to go along, to experience it firsthand. The simple version is that Lady Arista runs a troop of mercenaries, and she wants to know just how much we're willing to pay for their assistance in this battle, both in raw monetary value and in future favors. This meeting is just to establish who she is better off supporting, either the Order or the Cabal. Given that we aren't sure how much data the Cabal has on you from the drones they retrieved from Tricia's home, we need to ensure that we have as much **** on our side as possible. They could attempt to kidnap or kill you to ensure their victory in this battle… or worse."

"The more I learn, the more the repetition of 'too innocent for the Abyss' starts to really make sense," John griped, shaking his head at the practicality of the mission. "Alright, I'll go, if for no other reason than to see what Abyssal negotiations really look like. Besides, it'll be a good way to clear my head."

"Etriyya, organize your men, you are due to leave in… forty-three minutes," Moira finished, checking her watch before turning away and striding back to where she had come from. She didn't even glance back, ever the stoic and busy Warden leading her soldiers.

"Forty-three minutes… just enough time for a tumble in the hay, ey?"

"I- wh-what?" Etriyya guffawed at John's stupor, slapping the training dummy on the back heartily.

"Bit awkward from the other side, 'innit? I've caught you torturing that pet vampire of yours a time or two; figured what's good for the goose is good for the gander, you know?"

"Reference seems a bit dated, but… yeah, I suppose," John mumbled. Etriyya blinked a few times, then pointed back at the humanoid target.

"Alright, forty-three minutes, make the most of it!"

The ride to the meeting point was ten minutes of silence, save for Etriyya quickly explaining exactly what the purpose of their meeting was. Lady Arista apparently ran a sort of mercenary guild, organizing unaffiliated mages interested in growing their own personal wealth rather than signing on with any single organization. She was one of the few mercenary providers operating on such an open basis, the only one doing so locally.

What surprised John most was the meeting point itself. A massive house in downtown Springfield, outstandingly ordinary in its appearance and without any obvious importance save for the address they had been given. Glancing around, he saw no vehicles or witnesses that screamed “Cabal” to him, so he had to assume that they were operating under as much subtlety as they were or they were not there at all.

“Something about this bodes poorly,” Etriyya cautioned when they stepped out of the back of the armored van. “Stay aware. Lady Arista is known for playing both sides of any given conflict to maximize her personal gains from warfare.”

“What exactly does that mean for our mission?”

“It means the Cabal may well be here… and neither side will know it until they are sitting across from one another. Lady Arista enjoys playing offers and deals against each other, in the hopes of getting the best possible offer for her services. She has an entire armada of trained killers working under her, and she understands the value of that in a world as chaotic as ours. She will do her best to siphon every single coin from our pockets before we have even left the foyer."

"She sounds… lovely."

"Gorgeous, actually," Etriyya said quietly but didn't follow through. John was a bit interested by the literal interpretation of his words, but Etriyya and the cluster of Knights were moving toward the front door then, and John could not take the time to ask any questions. He felt a bit awkward, walking down the street with a group of fully-armored and equipped Knights, especially since Etriyya had insisted he don his cloak and other gear, but she assured him they would not be noticed.

"Ever seen a group of cosplayers?" Etriyya had asked him as he worked his inventory system. "LARPers? How about just really geeky idiots in costumes? Chances are you've seen at least one mage in your life, you just didn't realize it. Seems like even those with innate abilities fall under the 'mundane' category until they unlock them, so your memories would've been pretty messed with too. That little incident at the Gorbachev's place earlier? I give you 100:1 odds it ends up on the telly tonight as a SWAT raid gone wrong or some kinda domestic terrorism."

"Telly?" John had asked, raising an eyebrow. Etriyya then blushed and looked away, saying nothing. for the remainder of their trip.

They travelled through the yard in relative silence, Etriyya's eyes scanning the entire front of the house. No window, overhang, or doorway went unchecked. It wasn't until they were at the front door that she stopped her alert observation long enough to rapidly tap on the doorway.

It was no "Lady" that answered the door. A roughly six-foot eight-inch man wearing a tight-fitting spandex shirt and a set of pants that left hanging entirely too much bulge to be pleasant from the front opened it instead, glancing over those gathered on the stairs before he stepped back and gestured inside.

"Lady Arista is waiting for you."

"Thanks, you great wall of meat. What's your price?"

"Too high for you," the man said with what seemed like a genuine smile, stepping aside as the group of Knights and John travelled into the interior of the house. While from the outside it had appeared as more or less an ordinary house, though excessively large with perhaps seven or eight bedrooms, the inside was more along the lines of the Brighton Manor. Fancy crimson carpeting, decorated in lavish patterns, stretched along a main hallway that extended almost thirty yards ahead. There were statues that could have either been gilded or solid gold; either way they would have fit in well with the extravagant décor, which was colorful and expensive to the point of being outright gaudy. Even the trim was gold-colored wood, while maroons and crimsons were highlighted and outlined in royal purples, leading the way to a grand staircase that branched off to two separate wings of the house, which in turn each had their own stairs leading even higher up, to a floor John couldn't see. There were also stairs leading down, but they were almost hidden in the shadows of the upper levels, unlit and uninviting.

"Take the stairs," the man said loudly, "and don't stray. Lady Arista is awaiting you on the roof."

"The roof?" Etriyya asked but received no response. Eyeing her men closely, Etriyya led the way to the staircase. All of them travelled in silence, but John couldn't help letting his eyes wander. Most of the doors were closed, but those that were open revealed interesting sights. A large kitchen, larger than even a full family would need, sitting pristine and untouched save for a lone man idly sifting through cabinets and rearranging dinnerware. John saw at least three full-sized ovens and two stovetops in addition, plus an entire wall of refrigerators and deep freezers.

There were two entertainment rooms, one more of a home theater than a recreation room, while the other stretched nearly thirty feet on each side and had nothing short of a miniature arcade inside. John let his eyes linger on that one perhaps a little too long, because by the time he looked away he was practically tripping over the first step up.

The journey up was far less interesting. Every door they passed was closed, although many had noises coming from behind him that he could not hear well enough to interpret. Given the massive size of the house and its apparent use by a kind of mercenary lord, he could only assume that there were strict rules about what rooms could be left open, especially when expecting visitors. Despite the closed doors and relative openness of the home, John couldn't help the feeling that they were being watched, though he never caught sight of a security camera…

They ascended two more staircases before coming to a large door which appeared thicker and a bit more worn than the rest. Rather than a fourth floor, this one opened to reveal a fully finished rooftop garden. Pavement amplified the footsteps of the fully armored Knights as they strode between towering plants and extravagant displays to find their way to a rooftop pool that stretched almost half the length of the top level and nearly its entire width. On the right-hand side, laying on a luxuriously padded pool chair and surrounded by a half-dozen armed and variously armored men, was Lady Arista.

Arista was stunningly beautiful, and scantily clad at that. She wore high heels that looked more suited for an evening dress, yet she was clad only in a two-piece bikini that revealed enough of her body that the rest could be easily imagined. Her pink hair fell in spiraling curls that seemed far too perfect to be natural despite their wild and untamed look. Her eyes were a piercing grey-blue color, and although they glimmered with unknowable intrigues, her smile was an outwardly genuine one as she gazed on the approaching figures.

She gestured toward them as Etriyya took the lead and stood before her, only a scant few feet away, beckoning all of the Order knights forward. With a cautious look they went until all of them stood before her, just outside her ring of protective guards.

"Ah, I was beginning to wonder if the Order might run late for the first time since I began dealing with them. I do appreciate a punctual buyer… however, I wonder if you aren't too late after all. I have received a very tempting offer for my services, and as you know, I refuse to assign mercenaries to two separate sides of the same conflict."

"Whatever the Cabal has offered you, the Order is prepared to match it for you to stay uninvolved, and if reasonable, we will double it for you to fight on our side," Etriyya replied immediately, obviously prepared for exactly that kind of introduction.

"Ah, but what I was offered cannot be doubled. I doubt you are even willing to match it. I was offered information - and a bounty to go along with it. A treasure of a kind, one I am told your Order possesses."

"They have lied to you," Etriyya said calmly, pressing her right fist into the open palm of her left gauntlet. "The Cabal have struck one of our facilities, but they retrieved nothing of value - certainly nothing worthy of your services, Lady Arista."

"Flattery will get you into my bed, not my pocketbook," Lady Arista replied, casting her gaze aside and sighing for a moment. "The treasure they promised me was not in their possession, but they insist that you have it. Its nature is of a certain… incredulity, you see. Even they are not entirely convinced of its existence. But if their claims have any validity, then I would go to war with the Order myself for this prize."

Etriyya visibly tensed up. Her right hand strayed toward the hilt of her blade, and upon its sheath John saw a single blue rune begin to glisten. Every one of the men surrounding Lady Arista adjusted their stance, closed in around her and put that much more of an obstacle between the two women shooting each other daggers with their eyes.

"I was under the impression this meeting was to discuss a price for services rendered," Etriyya growled through gritted teeth, "not to make threats and bluster at each other."

"I promise, there is no bluster. My men have every ability to enforce any threat I make. But you are correct - that's not why you're here. The Cabal aren't generally stupid enough to lie to me in a way that would anger me. Promising me a treasure that doesn't exist, which I can only confirm after the war has ended? That would certainly anger me. More than enough to eradicate them, if only to show what happens to deadbeat customers. They claimed that they have proof but insisted on a secure transfer. They said it was too valuable to risk giving it away for free. Claimed that the Order has a mage capable of breaking the known laws of magic…"

John's blood ran cold. He tried to maintain a level gaze, to keep from giving anything away, but Lady Arista's eyes shot straight to him before he even moved.

"…and oddly enough, you seem to have brought a fresh recruit. I can't help but wonder if the two are not somehow related? I am not the kind of mage so foolish as to believe in mere coincidences, no matter how ludicrous the initial claim may be. If you were in possession of such a powerful mage, all I would need is their sworn service to me. In exchange I would gladly mobilize my entire forces for, or against, the Order."

"We can make no such trade, the Cabal are simply attempting to win allies where they have none. This lad is a squire, come to see firsthand the lives of those who sell their swords to the highest bidder with no regard for morals or compassion," Etriyya dryly replied.

"Well, as you can see, it's quite luxurious. Only the finest for those who pledge themselves under me, a life of security and protection knowing few are foolish enough to attack a gathering of some of the strongest sell-swords in the state, top-notch equipment, and a house that could even rival little Miss Sunshine's manor, if I had the zoning permits. If this Order business doesn't work out for you, perhaps you'll consider signing on with me…"

Lady Arista gave John a wink, stretching her body out across the chair, exposing more of her tight skin. Muscles no doubt honed from years of work in the field rippled under the tanned and damp skin across her body, the bikini straining to hold its perfect shape against the contortions of her supple flesh.

"You'll find the perks can be outstanding for those truly worthy. I could use a man of your… talents."

"Fuck, how much did they tell her? How much do they know?" John asked himself, narrowing his eyes.

"Ah well. I won't risk lives for fairy tales… either the Cabal comes to me with solid proof or you offer me something worth my while. I'll give them one week to produce this so-called 'proof', but after that… for the usual fee I can dispatch a few of our down-and-outs who are hard-up for work; anything more than that we're going to have to start discussing what soldiers I'll be getting from you."

"Then we will make contact in exactly one week," Etriyya said. "If you are not willing to hasten this arrangement, then we have no further business here."

"You don't, of course," Arista agreed, nodding absently as she lowered her head back down to rest it on the soft cushions of her pool chair, "but the boy may. Remember, that offer still stands. Always recruiting, you know. Unique or otherwise."

John said nothing, uncertain of a proper response. When met with silence, Lady Arista raised her head only long enough to catch his eye. Whatever she saw in there must have amused her, but she simply dismissed them with a wave of her hand. The cluster of men around her pulled into a tighter grouping, and then they were being ushered back the way they had come.

"I feel like this could have been more productive," John said, finally breaking the silence as the front doors closed behind them.

"Dealing with mercenaries is a lot like dealing with bureaucrats, only instead of paperwork, you're trying to get through layers of caution. Arista has lived too long, seen too many battles, and has far too much to lose to not have built up a healthy fear and a good sense of what way the wind is blowing. She'll likely be spying on both sides for the next week that she claims she's waiting for 'evidence', trying to determine how she can get the greatest reward for herself secured with the least danger to her or her men."

They paused the conversation for a moment to clamber into the van, with Etriyya and John taking the front two seats this time while the remainder of the Knights filed into the back. After securing himself in the seat, John thought back to Arista and that week delay she'd insisted on. The van pulled out of the driveway, and John found his thoughts turning back to the personal threat toward himself.

"Wonderful. What about the information? If the Cabal take the drones to her, do you think she'll-"

"Quiet, John," Etriyya said, placing a hand over his chest to hold him steady. She glanced toward John, but her eyes froze on the rearview mirror, and although John couldn't see anything, her face suddenly turned stony.

"What is it?"

"It's the Cabal, shit," Etriyya swore, placing both hands back firmly on the steering wheel. "They must have been waiting near Arista's home, hoping to catch us after negotiations."

"Knight Etriyya, we will prepare ourselves for battle," one of the Knights from the back chimed in.

"You do that, but first… hang on tight, John," Etriyya called out, slamming her palm onto the gear shift as she stomped one weighted foot onto the gas, "I should warn you - I taught Moira how to drive."

John's loud series of curses were lost in the squeal of tires.