Chapter 43: - The Master
Lia stared at the man before her, a simple man dressed in simple attire. Yet there was not a single simple thing she could sense from this man, let alone the calm and comforting demeanor he was giving off.
It was unsettling to see someone try so desperately to hide away their true face.
Lia must have shown some signs of this feeling inside her, as Wallace shifted in his seat, his smile dropping.
"I assume you have questions?"
"Many."
Sighing, Wallace held his head in his hands, slightly rubbing the skin as if it would rub away his headache.
"I already have a pretty major migraine, but what the hell. Why not."
Leaning back he crossed his arms, giving Lia a stare that she easily recognized.
Superiority.
He was the master here.
"So…what do you want to ask?"
Lia was about to speak, a question already forming on the tip of her tongue, but Wallace interrupted her.
"Before we begin however, please note this one little rule I want to impose. A condition if you will."
He said, gesturing to Lia as if waiting for her to agree to his demands.
Seeing that she had no choice in the matter, Lia nodded her head, clearly still on guard against this new man she couldn't place. Either in the dark, or the light. Good or evil?
Ally…or enemy?
"Very well. I shall say this. We will each ask three questions each. Whether you choose to use all of them is your own decision. However, if at any time you are not happy with the question I impose, or vice versa, I will allow for only one skip."
Taking a pen from a small cup to his side, Wallace moved a sheet of paper in front of her, ready to take notes.
"A sort of lee way if you will. Well…go on and ask your questions."
Taking a moment to collect herself, Lia thought of the dozens of questions she had , not just involving Alan and this new man. But other things, like Neverdark, the Underground, and what all this has to do with each other.
There were just too many to ask, and too little opportunities she could take.
'Find the questions that stand out the most. Leave room for improvising, but above all, don't be exact.'
From inside her head, she could already hear Cain and his advice streamlining to her consciousness and her logical thinking.
'What do you mean by that?'
'Offering up a question that has an exact answer, would only leave you with little to work with. Sometimes, if you're careful and smart about it, you will be able to ask questions to people, vaguely enough, that it leaves room for more information to slip through.'
'Kind of an underhanded tactic.'
'This is life Lia. We use what we can, when we can, for what we can. Or in your case, whatever you choose to do, you must be smart, not overly optimistic.'
Taking his words to heart, Lia logged them away with the other bits of information and teaching that Cain had given her down the line.
So far, her library was growing.
'Right…'
"You were aware of Alan's goals at the time, and even sent miners with him. For what purpose and why?"
"Already starting off strong I see. Fine. I knew Alan was after you because the man made contact with me via letter. You saw my security down there, which means he had to have been pretty damn special if he could get a letter all the way up here."
"I didn't see any security."
"Exactly. That's the way I prefer it to be."
"So, as you were saying…"
"Right, apologies."
Dropping his pen, Wallace showed no more interest in taking notes, as this portion of the conversation didn't seem to interest him.
"I knew what Alan was doing because of his letter. He met me in Rook Neck Taver, third floor. There he proposed to me that you, miss, would be posing quite a dangerous little threat to my business here in Neverdark. So, for that matter, he offered a temporary alliance, in order to see you dead."
Taking off his spectacles, Wallace folded his hands across his chest, relaxing himself.
"Of course I believed him, not only for the information he wielded like a weapon, but seeing as this had nothing to do with me, he saw no reason for me to interfere with his expedition. In fact, he probably thought that I would be delighted that someone was dealing with a pest in my workplace for me. However , he was wrong about one thing. I was involved, in fact, the very same notice that I had posted in the Underground, was out of my own pocket. So I assigned miners to go with him, particularly ones that could fight, in the case that you might need their services in dealing with him."
"So you sabotaged him?"
"Does that count as a question?"
"Confirmation."
"Ah, well, in that case, yes. I sabotaged him. He would have been a much more dangerous threat to my future plans otherwise."
And with that, Wallace concluded his answer to the question, once again picking up the pen in front of him, preparing to take notes.
"Now, my turn."
Lia was more than sold on the idea of asking vague questions for a better understanding. The more vague the question, the more information the party might also give out in hopes of giving all possible answers.
"My friend here claims that my guards, though their mission was to assist you in taking Alan down, did not in fact complete their mission. For that matter, they completely ignored my words, something they do not do lightly…unless for one of three reasons."
"And those reasons."
Holding up one hand, Wallace began counting off on his left hand, one finger at a time.
"For my betterment. For their lives and or someone else's life. Or fear. And in this case, as their mission was to help someone and save their lives, for my own betterment might I add, I simply have to go on process of elimination. Fear. So here's my question, what did they fear so much that they refused to carry out my orders?"
'Vague Lia. This question can be answered one of two ways. You can lie, which I doubt will work, or you can give an indirect answer.'
'And what does that mean?'
'Unlike your question, he's asking straight out what your weapons look like. But this can be answered in a vague enough way that it won't be considered lying, but isn't giving away too much truth.'
'I think I get it now.'
Finding the exact answer she wanted to use, she followed Cain's advice and gave out a simple, but informative answer. Lessening the risk of lies, and potential dissatisfaction from a man as powerful as him.
"My summons."
Raising an eyebrow, Wallace waited to hear more. But unlike his answer Wallace realized he would be hearing nothing else, and held a rather disappointed look on his face.
"That's it?"
"Is that a question?"
Lia said, referring back to what Wallace had said, implying to him exactly the type of person she was.
Doing so made Wallace's lips curve into a smile.
"Confirmation."
Following along, Wallace answered just as Lia had done, implying to her that he wasn't one to play games, much less lose the few he did find entertaining.
Sighing, he nodded his head, knowing that he should have expected this from her, yet he had undersold her talents in negotiations.
"Fine then, if that's all, ask your next question."
"What business do you involve yourself in, to have a threat as dangerous as you describe, imposed on you by a mere nobody."
Holding up a finger , Wallace shook his head, refuting her words.
"Ah, ah, ah. But you're no normal person. I've sent mercenaries, armies into that den, yet they have not come back, much less their bodies. Yet you did so without a scratch. Well…"
He trailed off as he glanced over at the resting body of Lukali, his own pain being too great to stay conscious, and for that matter, he had slipped off into sleep.
"...some scars were dealt, it seems."
"Your answer?"
Lia said, her voice stern and caring traces of a protective charm inside them.
Hearing the sternness in her words, Wallace leaned back in his chair , raising up his hands in surrender .
"Alright, alright. Fine, though I would advise that patients are a great weapon within negotiations, but that's something for later. My point being, is that I would like to skip this question. I feel the imposing information that, if I were to yield it to you, would prove a bit too costly for me. Therefore-"
Before Wallace could finish, Lia interjected.
"Are you sure you want to do that? Perhaps you should hear my last question. You never know, it could be worse than you would assume…"
Thinking deeply on the matter, Wallace held his chin in his hand, stroking the sides of his jaw, deep in thought.
'I've already underestimated her before, yet here I am being played like a fool in my own house. Perhaps I should be careful.'
"Very well. Then it should be my turn."
"Yes."
"What happened to Alan? And if you wouldn't mind including the men he brought with him, as well as the situation with the spider's nest, if you don't mind."
"Why ask me this. Your men could tell you yourself."
"THey could, but they'll only see it in a third person view, whereas I would like to know the mind of the main coordinator behind this Hunt."
Smiling, Wallace interlocked his fingers, waiting for Lia to give him an answer.
'Good gods this man is cautious. Dangerous. And all of the above.'
'I warned you. Keep going as you are now, and the worst will have passed.'
'Alright.'
Heading Cain's words, Lia thought up a quick response, and one that wouldn't give too much to Wallace without her still holding onto some cards.
"The nest was destroyed, and the attacking party was dealt with."
"Dealt with?"
"Killed. Destroyed. However you want to put it."
"Hmm…well considering that Aaln and his forces must have arrived sometime later, and my mean story of fear matches up with that, I can assume that you were the one who dealt with the spider's nest and its queen. Which leaves your summons to deal with the oncoming assault team."
'Crap, did I let too much slip?'
'No, no. This is fine. You've given as much as you can give. This is just what he's put together by himself. This might actually go better for you if you keep with this.'
'How so?'
'Just watch.'
"If that's the case then I must congratulate you. I've hired some of the best mercenaries Neverdark has to offer, and believe me, the options are quite wide. Yet not one of them ever came back from something like that alive, much less destroying the nest."
"Oh but-"
"Which means you're a lot stronger than I once took you for. Yet your information within the guilds states that your rank is F. Though I'll just write that off as a newbie rank if that's the case."
Picking up a sheet of paper, Wallace passed it over to Lia, who took it with slight hints of hesitation.
On the paper, as stated by Wallace, was a list of her information - the very same information she gave up to the guild, along with her assigned rank.
____________
Name: Lia
Race: Human
Sex: Female
Rank: F
Summons: Class unknown
Guild Acquisition: Any
____________
"Forgive me curiosity, but how did you get something like this?"
Lia asked, her eyes passing swiftly over the filled sheet of paper.
"I have many connections within Kokono village. Some of which owe me quite a few favors, while others simply like me that much."
"I see."
Gesturing to her, Wallace looked to change the topic, clearly desperate for more information on the woman before him.
"Tell me, what is your last question?"
Thinking for a moment, Wallace was left with a moment of silence as she put together her words. But when she did finally speak, he was left frozen in shock.
"What is the connection between the spiders and White Spice? And how does that prove a threat to your future endeavors?"
Rian nearly jumped up from where he was kneeling, words of warning already forming on his lips, but Wallace held out a hand to stop him.
His gaze was serious, and emotionless, clearly turning over the question in his mind.
'How?'
Was all he could ask himself, as he looked once again over to the woman he once thought as clever, was now terrifying.
Gulping down his saliva, Wallace fought to answer with a calm expression as he had done beforehand.
"Forgive me, but how do you know that?"
"You first."
'Damn. She really is terrifying. If I don't answer this carefully, I could be letting valuable information slip out of my hands.'
As Wallace was calming himself down, thinking over the best possible outcome for himself, Cain was also lecturing Lia on the importance of the matter.
'You must be careful. If he deems you to be a threat once you've gotten this info, then it's all done for. He will kill you, and that is no threat.'
'What can be so hurtful to him that he would kill me over a simple connection?'
'White spice is his business, but it's more complicated than that.'
'I don't understand. You told me to ask these questions, so why is it so dangerous.'
'Just listen and you'll learn.'
As if on cue, Wallace cleared his throat, ready to answer.
"Forgive me, but I will skip this question. I'm glad that you warned me about this, and for that I am grateful. But now I must answer yours. Your question, if I'm not mistaken, was about what business I dealt with and why it was such a threat - or believed to be a threat to me by Alan. Well, here's my answer…"
'This is it.'
Said Cain, his voice betraying the seriousness of Wallace's next words.
'The connection.'
"Drugs. I involve myself in drugs. Specifically one such drug called White Spice."
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