Triumvirate troubles (Marcus POV)

Seating himself at the table, Marcus pulls back his hood and removes his mask. Smiling to himself, he places it on the table. Having revealed himself as a member of the triumvirate came with some perks. Those masks became uncomfortable after a time.

His masked companion at the table sighs in exasperation, and Marcus chuckles, folding his tattooed hands over his mask. He can feel the irritation coming from his fellow triumvirate member, both towards him and towards their absent third member, whom they were awaiting.

Though they presented a united front, there was no love lost among the trio. In fact, if one of them could, they would backstab the others immediately. They only worked together under the promise of achieving their goal. They all wanted godhood, though for different reasons. Marcus wanted power. The other two, he couldn’t fathom. The fact that they weren’t human made it hard for him to guess.

Not that it mattered much. Once he had the power, he would take theirs anyway.

Lost in his thoughts, Marcus didn’t notice his compatriot becoming restive until he spoke. “Where is she? I tire of waiting!”

Marcus sighs. “For one as old as yourself, you sure are impatient.”

The masked man stares at Marcus, and the tattooed mage could see pinpricks of red light within the mask. “You know as well as I what’s happening to the north. The sooner the demon lord is dealt with, the sooner we can handle this upstart ‘emperor’.”

Marcus rolls his eyes. “The north is a non issue. We can’t penetrate the barrier, and nothing has come out since it went up. The demon lord is ripe for a fall, and when he does, the young mage will too. You worry too much, old one.”

The masked man growls in the depths of the mask. “My name is Gaius! Do not patronize me, boy!”

Marcus fixes him with a glare. “Call me boy again, and I’ll send you to the grave you should’ve been in long ago, Gaius the Undying!”

Before the argument can escalate further, the door opens, and the third member walks in. Marcus watches as she approaches, cowled and masked as always. Of the three of them, she is by far the most inscrutable. All Marcus knows is that she’s a changeling. Her name, her true form, even her motivations are a mystery that even he couldn’t discern.

She seats herself at the table, and looks between Marcus and Gaius. “I see that you’re spending time wisely while I was away.”

Marcus sneers at the masked changeling. “Meanwhile you’ve been on a vacation, getting cozy with this family. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were considering joining them!”

She shrugs. “If we weren’t so close to our goal, I would. You know I think you’re both scum.”

Gaius scoffs. “Like you’re any better! You’ve done horrible things, just like any of us.”

Her mask turns towards him. “Unlike you, I didn’t revel in it. I do what I have to. You do what you want to.”

Her voice drops to an almost inaudible level. “Some of us still dream of a redemption one day…”

Marcus leans forward. “Enough. What have you learned?”

She shakes her head. “Not much of use to you, I’m afraid. You won’t find anyone willing to betray him, that’s for sure. They’re all devoted to him, heart and soul. And they all grow more powerful simply by being near him, but you knew that already.”

Gaius shakes his head. “Useless. You wasted so much time getting close.”

She shrugs. “It was difficult to avoid notice by the seer. It’s only a matter of time before they notice my disappearance, but they have no way to communicate it to him.”

Marcus nods. “It was a shot in the dark anyway. So it really was a vacation for you, then.”

He can hear the smile in her voice as she responds. “In a way. It was certainly an enjoyable break from here.”

Gaius shakes his head. “So we go ahead as planned?”

Marcus grins, nodding. “Of course. When the battle happens, we take advantage.”

The woman sighs. “I still think you’re underestimating this mage, but fine.”

Marcus stands, putting on his mask and hood.