Steel, Fire, Honor and Ruin
Chapter 22
just another day, and night
/oooooo\
Location: Nuln, city-state of the Empire
Day 73
If there was one thing N-school eventually drilled into all its recruits as they each attempted to reach that coveted N7 designation, it was that patience is in fact an essential virtue. The school also hammered home the understanding that when you did see an opportunity you had to have the initiative to take it without overthinking.
A tricky balancing act, especially when applied to warfare, where every action had the potential for deadly consequences. But this doctrine allowed the Systems Alliance military to be the most flexible and fastest reacting force in the galaxy.
It was after midnight, the back streets of Nuln were quiet, and Maria Shepard was hiding out in the thick shadows sandwiched between a pair of buildings. She had left the Laughing Bear Inn well after dusk making damn well sure she wasn't seen or followed and had been waiting patiently for the past few hours.
Finally a chorus of steps on the stone street drifted through the dark, gaining volume as the men she had been waiting for approached her hiding spot.
Maria had spent the past two nights scouting the area. It was conveniently located directly between the Iron Tower also known as witch hunter central, and a popular pub frequented by the dark coat, big hat wearing, brooding hunters after they were done doing the nefarious things that kept the monsters from preying on the Empire's populace.
Nikolaus had told her only two kinds of people could ask for detailed information on the vampire lords. They were either high ranking soldiers in Nuln's army, or sigil holding members of the Order of the Silver Hammer. Since joining the local garrison was out, Maria would once more take up the badge of the witch hunters.
And by 'take up' she meant borrow without asking.
Hugging the wall, she peeked out from around the corner of the building. Unlike the main thoroughfares these side streets didn't have street lanterns lighting up the area but that was just part of what made this location ideal for what she had in mind. The moons weren't very bright and a few low hanging clouds kept the night dark.
Thanks to her time spent waiting Maria's eyes had adjusted to the low light. More than she could say for the slightly inebriated trio of witch hunters who had just left a bright pub and were now walking her way.
Despite that Maria still frowned.
"Damnit…" she grumbled under her breath. "… don't even know I'm here and they still find a way to screw with me…"
The problem was the number. One was perfect. Two was tricky. Three was the limit she had earlier decided to let pass on by.
The plan was to jump a witch hunter and steal their badge as they headed back to the Iron Tower after a night spent drinking. It was simple, and done right, would be as painless as possible for all involved. She'd wait for the hunter to pass, sneak up behind him, then give him a gentle tap on the back of the head and drag him into the dark so she could riffle through his pockets.
Two walking together meant she'd have to be fast and put a bit more force into things. Her omni-tool's overload charge would do the trick, but she had to make things look like a simple mugging. Maria doubted the thieves of Nuln carried a means to send dangerous levels of electricity surging through a person's body. And once Maria vanished back into the dark and the witch hunters woke back up, she couldn't have them reporting they had felt something eerily similar to a magic attack before losing consciousness.
Three witch hunters together, was just too dangerous. They were all armed, they would put up more of a fight, and the odds of someone getting seriously injured skyrocketed. Not to mention the fact no thief in their right mind would try to jump three witch hunters walking down the street.
Maria stepped back into the dark as the trio continued their casual stroll right past her. It was shocking they couldn't feel the overwhelming aura of annoyance radiating off her at that moment.
She needed that damn silver badge to get what she wanted and every day without it was another day wasted. She needed to get back on the road to Ulthuan. But she couldn't do that until she knew how deep she was in with the vampire's and their little power struggle.
Maria slid silently back out of the shadows and fell into step behind the witch hunters.
This was stupid. And reckless. And stupid. Did she say stupid already? Maria pulled the black knit wool cap further onto her head ensuring every last strand of blonde hair was out of sight, then re-wrapped the scarf, also black, tighter around her face to cover everything below her eyes.
No, she had this. It just had to be done… properly.
Luckily the group was more preoccupied talking amongst themselves then in checking their surroundings. Maria was able to get right up behind them. If she had the intent, she could have killed them all at this point. Off-duty or not, considering vampires stalked the nights, they should have been more aware of their surroundings. And witch hunters weren't the most liked group of people to begin with. That was something she planned to use.
Maria loudly cleared her throat.
"You sons of ass's!" she snarled masking her voice. As soon as the group turned Maria already had her fist flying for the closest man's jaw. She didn't hold back. When it connected he dropped like a sack of rocks.
Maria quickly dove for the next witch hunter and managed to tackle him to the street. As he attempted to wrestle for freedom, she wrapped her legs around his waist and rolled over, so he was now on top of her. Perfect position to prevent his buddy from shooting or stabbing her in the back. Unfortunately this also meant that the bigger human being who had the size and weight now had the advantage as he straddled her.
He started hammering his fists into every part of her that he could, yet she was able to block or soften most of his punches. Had he been sober the man might have gone for his gun or blade, but as things were, he was caught up in the adrenaline of the moment and just wildly swinging his fists.
Maria could have let him go on, but his pal launched a kick into her ribs. She let out a pained gasp as the tip of his boot connected a second time. When the hunter on top of her swung for her face, Maria grabbed his arm, pulled him down, then sent her elbow into his forehead. Twice. Three times. One more for good measure.
The fourth knocked him right out and he collapsed on top of her. She pushed him off just in time to catch the foot of the hunter still kicking her. He threw his arms out and flailed trying to regain his balance before she just yanked his foot out from under him and sent him to the street on his butt.
Maria was back up and intent on finishing the little scuffle, but the witch hunter on the ground had other ideas. The kick-happy dude snapped his boot out and the heel of it connected solidly against her left thigh. The same left thigh, that while healing nicely, was still very, very tender and didn't need someone kicking it.
She fell back as a cry of pain left her lips before she could slam them shut.
No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy. That was another thing they taught at N-school.
Maria sat on the street staring wide eyed at the witch hunter, also sitting on the street, directly in front of her. He blinked drunkenly before a furious expression took over and he struggled back up.
"Seven hells! Whore, you are in a world of hurt now –"
Maria's good leg swept his feet out from under him and as soon as his back hit the stone street her own boot connected with his head. He didn't have anything else to say after that. Maria now found herself sitting in the middle of the street surrounded by three unconscious witch hunters, one of whom had a fairly good idea she might be a woman.
"Fan-freaking-tastic…" she growled softly, then hobbled back to her feet and started dragging them one by one into the dark space between the buildings. All the while sending quick glances over her shoulder and down the street. No one in sight. At least that had gone right.
Once they were all hidden in the dark she started going through their pockets. She first stripped the witch hunters of their weapons. Then she took their money, happily depositing the coins into her own pouch. No gold, but plenty of silver. Only after that was done did she look for the silver grim reaper badges that marked them as witch hunters of the silver hammer.
The first man didn't have one. Maria frowned as she moved to the second man. He didn't have one either. Now worried the whole night would prove to be nothing more than a huge painful waste of time Maria hastily tore through the coat of the third and last man, only to let out an audible sigh of relief when he did in fact have the badge.
With a wince she stood up from where she hand been kneeling beside him. The silver badge still managed to creep her out with its intricately carved grim reaper and crow sitting on its shoulder. After a moment she stuffed it away in her pocket.
Now that she had what she truly wanted; it was time for Maria to put the finishing touches on her mugging adventure. Just a little something to make sorting this mess out a bit more difficult when the men woke up and reported back to their superiors.
Maria rolled each of the men over so she could relieve them of their oversized trench coats. She took one coat, laid it out on the ground, then tossed the few pistols, swords, knives and brass knuckles in a pile on the coat. She also took each of the men's wide brimmed hats and stacked them onto the weapons. With that done she took the ends of the coat she had laid out and tied it all together into a sack of sorts.
Maria smiled at the misshapen ball of leather. Much easier to carry now.
Last but not least she took a second coat, laid it out like the first, and then pulled the boots off the feet of the three unconscious men. Shoes were more valuable than people would first think, especially to those living off the street and who didn't have the money to buy themselves a new pair. Maria knew with winter on its way every homeless citizen of Nuln was most likely 'shopping' for a new pair before the snow fell. Once the boots were all together on the coat, she threw the last remaining trench coat into the group and tied it all together just as she did with the first.
At this point the three witch hunters were devoid of anything that marked them as witch hunters. She had taken their weapons, their coin, their coats and hats, and even their boots. When they woke up, all evidence available would point to this being a simple nighttime assault. Someone was so desperate that they took the chance to jump three witch hunters and steal nearly everything they had.
Maria hefted the two sacks into her arms and started back for the Laughing Bear Inn. As soon as she reached the river's edge, she planned to dump the evidence into the river and let the waters do the rest. All in all, the perfect plan.
Well, maybe not the perfect plan. One of the men had managed to figure out Maria was a woman. But that might work out in her favor. None of those men were going to enjoy explaining how they had gotten beaten up, robbed, and stripped by a single little girl of Nuln.
/ooooooo\
Day 74
It took another day of final preparations before Maria felt comfortable returning to the university; which was just a fancy way of saying she was sick of borrowing from Raine Valantina's closet. Not to mention she was once again undertaking more – not dangerous, at least not yet – but riskier undertakings.
Maria could already hear Antonio's furious sputtering if she came back with blood speckled across one of his wife's coats.
So, coin purse in hand, she made the trip back to a familiar tailor shop. During her first stay in Nuln, Antonio's 'business associate' Tiberio Mancini, provided Maria with her first local outfit. Clothes she promptly got soaked in the rain and caked in mud, while the outfits cape was used as a convenient distraction and ultimately left behind in a burning building.
"So let me get this straight…" Mancini began as he raised a hand to his face and played with the thin ends of his trimmed greying mustache. "You are requesting an outfit that will give you the airs and authority of a senior witch hunter, but without actually donning the trench coats and hats their order is known for?"
For some odd reason he looked skeptical. But that was dead on. The witch hunters in Nuln knew what she looked like wearing one of their thick trench coats and wide hats. So, Maria needed something close, but not exact.
Maria was absently making her way around the manikins arrayed in the front of his shop, her fingers lightly drifting over every outfit and the multitude of fabrics. The last time she had been here she had been fully decked out in her stolen witch hunter clothes, including her collector armor and the heavy leather gloves. Now that her hands were free she felt an overwhelming need to touch everything.
"Basically that's what I need, yes." Maria found herself back in front of the hot red dress she had been caught ogling before. Shyly she reached out and ran her hand down the fabric, biting her bottom lip when what had to be the softest silk in the galaxy slipped through her fingers like a cool breeze. She had both her hands sliding up and down the gown before she knew it. This was sublime. It sent chills down her back wondering how it must have felt when hugging a body. Maria had to suppress a giggle of excitement as she looked over at Mancini with a stupid grin covering her entire face and not caring in the slightest.
"Is this really silk?" she asked. There was no way it was ordinary silk. Even the Asari would be hard pressed to match this exquisite fabric.
Mancini looked equal parts amused and worried. "Silk from Cathay to be precise. I used up my entire shipment making that dress and two others. One of which sits inside the Countess's palace." As Maria continued to paw the fabric worry finally overtook amusement. "I don't think that's what you're looking for today miss Shepard. Perhaps, maybe we could stop touching it before wearing a hole through, hm?"
Maria shot him a pout but relented nonetheless. "Oh alright."
Looking much more at ease Mancini gave her a nod of gratitude and then waved her to follow him into the back of his shop. As soon as his back was turned Maria spun around to run her hand once more down the dress's entire length before obediently following the tailor.
"I am assuming you'll want the garments black?" he asked over his shoulder.
Maria nodded. "Yes, please. Black, or any dark colors you happen to have available. The darker the better." So any future blood stains don't show, she wordlessly added. "A deep red or solid black would be preferable."
Mancini led her through the back of his store, past the tables and benches where a number of women were at work applying their trade. Maria recognized the one who had taken her measurements and offered the woman a wave, getting a smile in return. Moments later Mancini opened a side door and Maria found herself back in the very same dressing room from her time before. What a little trip down memory lane.
Maria looked around the small room as Mancini began gathering his supplies. Measuring tape, fabrics and the like. An idea sprang to her mind.
"Do you know what a turtleneck is?"
He straightened up from the dresser and turned with a frown. "A turtleneck? I'm not familiar with the term."
Maria had a very pleased smile on her face. "We're going to make something special toady Mancini."
/ooooooo\
Luckily Mancini still had Maria's measurements in his little book of clothes. After she had described what she wanted he got right to work, even pulling a pair of women off their current jobs to help. It was immensely amusing to Maria that she had essentially just invented a new garment for the Empire. After an hours' worth of work sewing and stitching, Mancini gave her the result.
"Can't tell you the number of sweaters I've made," Mancini stated as he handed over the finished product to her. "Such a simple addition… I suppose I just lack imagination." He watched Maria turn her back to him, unbutton her shirt, and toss it aside. He noted she wasn't wearing a bra or breast band. "And you lack the same modesty you had last time."
"Well," Maria gathered the turtleneck in her hands before pulling it over her head. Once her arms were through the sleeves, she ran her hand through her hair a few times to smooth it out again. "A lot has changed since our first meeting. Did you know I couldn't even speak Reikspiel back then? And look at me now."
She spun back around spreading her arms as she flashed him with her best smile.
Mancini picked out a red sweater so dark that it almost appeared black at first glance. She loved the color. And his stitching was a work of art. Maria couldn't even feel where he had attached the tall neck to the collar. The soft fabric rubbed comfortably against the underside of her chin. Coupled with the new turtleneck her tailor provided another set tight black pants. The boots were new though. They traveled halfway up her shin, were a mix of black leather and grey fabric, and instead of buckles, each laced up the outside from the top down to the ankle. A tall heel gave her another inch of height.
Yet despite the killer getup matched with her killer smile, Mancini didn't look convinced.
"What?" Maria asked.
He brought a hand to his chin so he could pull on his thin beard, then shrugged. "Its… different. I don't know. Might take some time before I grow accustomed to it." He cocked his head, then shrugged again. "I might play with the design some more. See what I can do with it."
Maria could only stare at him. "It's a turtleneck. There's nothing to play with. As far as sweaters go this is the upper limit. A perfect design. The most tactical of all garments. There isn't an N7 alive that doesn't have at least one tactleneck in their closet."
"I only understood about half of what you just said, but I take your meaning." Mancini tightened his lips in final thought but then offered a nod. "With the seasons about to change I can admit the timing is advantageous. If nothing else the design keeps a body warm, though the scarf is going to be a strong competitor."
"Scarves are overrated anyhow." Just something for cops to grab onto as you tried to run away. Though considering she had just risked wearing one to take out three witch hunters she wasn't one to talk. Maria spun back around to check herself over in the mirror. "You said you had a coat?"
Mancini nodded as he reached for the black coat on the nearby table. He shook it out, then held it up for her as Maria slid in her arms.
"I know the witch hunters enjoy their overly large and bulky jackets," he said taking a step back to look her up and down, "but I can't stand seeing such a monstrosity covering the female form."
"Aww, you think I'm pretty?" Maria smiled as she settled the coat on her shoulders.
She was still trying to play one of those brooding witch hunters, so her attire didn't stray overly far from the norm, though it was far more stylish. The trench coat was black leather, smooth and almost shiny, but it also hugged tighter against her body so there was no way she would have been able to wear her collector armor under it. The only pockets were on the inside, but she could deal with that. The coat hung down to her ankles but remained loose as it tied closed around her waist with a belt and shiny silver buckle. She popped the collar up and turned. In the mirror everything below her eyes was hidden. Nice. For now, she kept it neatly folded down.
"Mancini, you are a miracle worker."
He had a very pleased smile on his face. "I am, aren't I. Although, like all the greats, under appreciated in my own time. Did you know since last you've been in my shop, no one has even spared a glance at those lovely silk dresses I modeled off the new Estalian styles?"
Maria looked down to hide a laugh. "You said it yourself, five years before the Empire realizes what you have."
"Ah, but for the waiting. Such a shame to leave them on the manikins."
Maria took her silver dagger and tied it to the belt directly over the small of her back. For now, aside from her omni-tool, it was the only weapon she had on her. It would have been tough for her to keep an eye on her pistol and submachine gun while trying on new clothes, so they had been left back in her room at the Laughing Bear Inn.
"Well that won't do at all," Mancini said with a disapproving tone. Maria looked at him confused, but all he did was wave her along as he ventured further toward the back of his shop. Curious, Maria followed behind. "Witch hunters don't go willingly to death's door armed with a single dagger."
"Hey, I've already killed a vampire with just this dagger." She held back a grimace. "And in my hands its better than a sword. I'm not to good with those yet." Especially if her duels with Vlad were anything to go by.
Mancini walked right up to the backwall of his shop and gave her a smirk over his shoulder. "Maybe you just haven't found the one that suits your style."
He raised his hand and rapped on one of the wooden boards on the wall. Frowning, he rapped on another board, then took a single step to the left and rapped on another. That one had a distinctive hollow sound to it.
Mancini scowled, "I always forget which one it is." Then he peeled back the foot-long board to reveal a handle hidden behind. He stepped aside and gestured to Maria. "Mind doing the honors? My back isn't what it once was."
Maria had a wide smile as she took a firm grip on the handle.
"You and Antonio don't disappoint. I love secret doors."
She pulled hard on the handle and after a moment of resistant a four-foot by four-foot square section of wall slid back on hinges, revealing a secret room behind the wall.
"Nice work." Impressed, Maria looked over the door. She hadn't even noticed the seam in the wooden wall, and the door was off the floor by at least three inches so there wouldn't be any abrasions left behind from the constant motion of the door opening and closing.
The only problem she could see, they and the secret door were in full view of the workshop, including the six women currently at work. Maria nodded back at the women with a raised eyebrow, but Mancini waved her question away as he stepped into the secret room.
"My employees are well paid, miss Shepard. And just like the maids who work Antonio's inn, they aren't entirely innocent in all this… though we enjoy the fact most assume it's that way." He smirked. "Most of my women take their work home with them. You'd be amazed what someone can hide beneath an arm-full of linens."
Maria followed him in, closing the door behind herself. He had already turned up the single lit lantern in the room and was busy lighting several more. She looked around as the space brightened up.
The room wasn't much larger than the one hidden behind the stables back at the inn. But unlike that room, with its busy bookcases, shelves and cabinets, this one was spartan. Nothing but solid wooden chests loaded on more solid wooden chests. A few were stacked all the way to the ceiling. Others were sitting on the floor by themselves.
Maria went over to one of the nearest and tugged on the lid. It stayed closed. A quick application of biotic power and the wood snapped in her hand. She set what remained of it on the floor and pulled aside the loose straw inside packed inside, quickly coming across another, much smaller, wooden box. Maria unlocked the small latch and lifted the lid.
A deep discomfort settled over her as she looked over the row of neatly stacked glass vials with wax sealed corks.
"Mancini…" Maria carefully lifted one of the vials out of the box. A fine yellow powder was sealed inside. If not for the color, she would have guessed it was a glass tube full of flour. "What is this?"
Several crates down the tailor looked up from where he had been opening his own.
He looked back down at his crate, "Oh, I wouldn't open that if I were you."
Go figure. "I want to know what it is." But a part of her already knew the answer. She just had to hear him say it.
"A mineral found only in dry Araby," Mancini informed her, as he pulled out a long narrow box from the larger crate. "Not the easiest thing to get your hands on. Just one of those vials is worth twenty gold crowns."
Woah. Despite her unease Maria felt her palms itch as she looked back down into the crate. Araby was a desert nation of humans with a turbulent past located across the sea south of Estalia and Tilea. A journey to those sandy shores would take nearly as long as the one she planned to make to Ulthuan. There were a dozen vials in the small box. And she could just see another of the small boxes buried in the straw. Based on their size, there had to be even more in the crate.
Maria watched him carefully as he walked back to her.
"What is it?" she asked again slowly.
Mancini now stood in front of her as he gave her long measured look.
"It's a poison," he finally admitted. "Don't touch. Contact with skin is quite fatal."
Maria eyed the powder. "How much to kill a man?"
"Far less than what's in that single vial. Far, far less. Can't tell you how dangerous it is to mine."
Her eyes snapped back to the tailor. Mancini looked back at her with an entirely unapologetic expression.
"Antonio doesn't sell this stuff to Nuln's military," she stated knowingly.
Mancini shrugged. "You'd be surprised. But no, they are not the regular buyers. Though no one knows he has exactly this much of the mineral in his possession. We'd appreciate it if you'd keep this to yourself."
Maria looked over the rest of the room. If Antonio kept and sold something like this, what else was secreted away in these crates?
"I can assure you not everything you see here is so nefarious." He must have some sort of special mind reading powers. Either that or Maria really wasn't hiding her emotions as well as she should have been.
She looked back at him as he pointed to the stack on his left. "Those hold animal pelts hunted in Araby, Estalia and Tilea." He pointed to another stack. "One of those holds paintings stolen from Bretonnia. He plans to sell them in the coming week to a buyer in Kislev. And the boxes next to those hold medicine he obtained after funding a heist up in Ostland. Their Elector Count isn't as free with the stuff as the rest of the Empire's rulers, so we took it for ourselves."
He offered her a soft smile. "You knew who Antonio Valantina was the first night you stayed at his inn. I understand no one enjoys seeing how the sausage is made, but you did know."
Maria played with the vial in her hand as she pursed her lips. It was true. She had known. She bent down and carefully put the glass vial back inside its box, closing the lid and covering the crate back up.
"I didn't see anything," she said. "But what's hidden away in there?" she added finally taking note of the long box in his hands.
He cracked a grin. "This, my dear," he began as he pulled the cover off the box to reveal a sword sitting inside, "this is a spada da lato."
A what now? Did her translator just glitch out? "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. What is this sword called?"
"Ah, my apologies. That's the original old Tilean name. Nowadays these are more commonly known as side swords." He urged her to take it out, so Maria tentatively reached for the hilt and then lifted it out of the box.
The blade had to be just over two feet in length, maybe twenty-six, twenty-seven inches, and when compared to a normal sword the double-edged blade was narrower and triangular in shape as it gradually worked its way to a nasty looking point at the top. The hilt's guard wasn't just a simple cross, it was a single strand of metal bent into a twisting and ornate spiral that worked around the blade and then curved down to the base of the grip. Despite its fanciful design, it would certainly protect the bearer's hand.
"Does it have a sheath to go into?" Maria asked.
Mancini looked stumped for a second but then quickly reached back into the box and dug through the straw to pull out a simple black leather sheath with a tie at the top that would anchor it to a person's belt.
"Never understood why they ship them like this," he grumbled handing it over to her.
"Thank you," Maria admired the sword a moment longer then slid the side sword into the sheath, "thank you very much, but why did you make it seem like this sword would help me out with my… poor… sword skills."
Mancini was back to grinning. "Because a sword like this is perfect for a sorceress such as yourself. Thin like a rapier to stab through mail! Enough width and edge to still slash through a man's arm! Short enough to be nimble in tight quarters. Draw this sword, call on your magics, and your foes will simply wilt before you!"
That certainly sounded good to her. "So, this is basically a do everything sword, for every situation?"
Mancini opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out as he considered things. He ended up wincing. "Not… precisely. Up against a greatsword and you'll see this blade and your torso hacked in two. And anyone wielding a true rapier with any skill will out fence you, resulting in your heart pierced in a blink of your eyes.
"As I said, coupled with your magics, this sword is the perfect fit for you. A weapon for a witch hunter who isn't truly a witch hunter but wants everyone to believe she is one."
Maria finished tying it to her belt. It sat nicely on her hip. And considering she was down to a single thermal clip until she retrieved her armor, it felt good having a suitable back-up weapon. In Wurtbad she had no problems parting with a sword. Now look at her.
"Thank you for all your help Mancini."
The tailor walked back to return the narrow box to its original crate. "Think nothing of it miss Shepard. This is what I do." As he returned to her side, he gave her a sidelong look. "Now, about payment…"
"Just put everything on Antonio's tab," Maria said with an innocent grin. "He promised to take care of me while I'm here in Nuln." And if her crime lord was willing to sell vials of poison for twenty gold coins each, he could afford to pay for Maria's new outfit and sword.
/ooooooo\
"I wasn't aware the Order of the Silver Hammer cared about knowledge that wasn't already sequestered away inside their own vaults."
That would be the annoyed and scratchy voice of Herbert Swan, professor of the University of Nuln, gatekeeper to the secrets inside its library's vaults. He was thin, grey haired, long nosed, and walked with a limp he acquired on a research trip through the Grey Mountains during his younger years. Apparently, a griffon had mistaken him for its next meal. He was smart but lacked imagination. Maria's fake outfit and stolen badge had convinced him she was who she claimed to be, a senior witch hunter commander. He never questioned her identity once.
He wasn't above making his feelings known, however.
Maria stood at ease in the man's stuffy office. He could gripe and complain all he wanted but she had seniority here. Nikolaus Ebner stood alongside her, further adding legitimacy to who she claimed to be. Why he was going along with her little charade she didn't know. Maybe it was enough that he trusted Maria, or maybe he was tagging along to ensure she didn't take anything from the vault.
"If you must know," Maria replied, "I already searched the Iron Tower's archives. What I want wasn't there, so I figured I'd try the university."
Professor Swan frowned as he rose from his chair and circled around his desk. "And what are you looking for exactly?"
"Any and all information you have on the vampire bloodlines. Specifically, the von Carsteins."
"You didn't answer my question, miss Shepard," Swan said, his frown only deepening.
He noticed, did he? Maria offered a half-shrug. "That's classified information. Sorry."
He walked up to stand in front of her. Swan looked a few years older than Nikolaus, and she could tell he was clearly beginning to dislike her.
"No, I don't think you are."
Maria just shrugged again. "I can tell you its part of Operation Fire, Cobra, Claw… but that's it."
Beside her Nikolaus coughed into his hand. Maria held back a cringe of embarrassment. Of course he still found that funny.
Swan raised his nose up at her. "What a ridiculous name." He reached under his robes and pulled out a chain with a tiny gold key at the end, then he waved her to step back from the center of the office. Maria did as he bid, and watched as Swan kneeled, inserted the key into a worn crack in the stone floor, and turned it.
There was a loud thunk as the professor rose and stepped back. Maria watched in amazement as the stones making up the floor slide into one another. She couldn't help but crack a grin as the stones moved on their own, collapsing into next, until a five-foot-wide hole was left, and a spiral staircase was revealed descending into the ground.
Swan cracked his back with a grunt. "Well… I suppose there's no sense wasting more of your time. I'll show you through the vault." He took up the lantern on his desk and started down the spiral staircase.
/ooooooo\
To Maria's great surprise the vault turned out to be nothing like she expected. And that wasn't a good thing. The vault was less an expansion of the library above, and more a dusty closet hidden under the floorboards.
The spiral staircase they descended led down to an oval shaped room no bigger than the briefing room back on the Normandy SR2. It was also entirely empty and its only defining feature were the eight metal doors spaced evenly around the outer wall. Torches between each of the doors were already alight as Maria reached the bottom of the staircase.
"Who lit the torches?" she asked.
"No one," Swan responded as he dug into his robes again. "They remain permanently aflame thanks to the magics of the Bright Order wizards." He produced a ring of keys from his pocket and started for the door on his left. "They also serve as the vault's secondary defense should anyone happen to breach the doorway in my office. If they have ill-intent in their hearts or corruption in their souls, then the flames lash out and burn the trespasser to ash."
Maria followed closely behind the man, with Nikolaus just behind her, as Swan unlocked the metal door. She kept her eyes locked on the nearest torch. They attack trespassers, huh? That was knowledge she could have used before sneaking in here under false pretenses! Though it wasn't to cause the Empire harm, she just needed to read up the vampires. Perfectly harmless, right?
"Now I believe everything we had on the vampires was locked behind here," Swan muttered as he pushed open the heavy metal door and stepped inside.
Maria hesitated, then took a step toward the doorway. The torch she had been watching suddenly flashed sending sparks down to the floor. Maria grit her teeth and continued forward. A frickin' flame wasn't stopping her now.
As she walked through the doorway the heat against her cheek was near burning, but she survived as the torch passed behind her without incident. Maria couldn't help but let out a breath of relief.
"Something the matter?" Nikolaus asked from behind her.
Maria shook her head and continued down the narrow hall lined with dust covered books and scrolls. There was barely enough space for two people to walk side by side.
"We might need to ask the Bright Order to take another look at those torches," Nikolaus added. "I've never seen them act that way before. Obviously the magic used to sustain them must be acting up."
Maria stopped. Hold up now… She turned around to face him. "Were you waiting to see what would happen?"
Nikolaus looked at her over his glasses. "What? Of course not. You are a sigil holding member of the Order of the Silver Hammer. You are beyond reproach." He had a sly smirk, and once again Maria was reminded of the fact that Nikolaus was smarter than he looked. And he had just tested her sincerity without even lifting a finger of his own.
Hadn't she saved his life once? So what if she was lying about who she was and where she was from? Where was the trust?
Further down the narrow hall Swan loudly cleared his throat.
"Witch hunter, I believe these are the documents you're looking for."
/ooooooo\
Maria spent the remaining afternoon hours reading through the documents provided. She learned a lot. But nothing conclusive. Everything the university had locked away about the vampires was secondhand knowledge. And gathering reliable intelligence during the wars wasn't easy since every battle was a massacre, leaving behind only scatterings of survivors to tell the tales.
Vlad von Carstein appeared without warning in Sylvania the same storming day the region's reigning count took his last breaths on his deathbed. Vlad made a hell of a first impression, taking the count's daughter, Isabella's, hand in marriage, and throwing the count's brother from the window of the castle tower.
After ripping the man's heart out of his chest and offering it as a gift to his new bride. Apparently, Isabella hadn't liked her uncle, and accepted the gift with a smile on her face. Kind of told what kind of woman she was even before becoming Vlad's vampire bride.
That was the sum total of knowledge the Empire had on the inner politics of Sylvania once Vlad took control. After that day, people stopped being openly welcomed to the region. And it wasn't until over a hundred years later anyone began to ask how Vlad and his wife still ruled when even the youngest child in the province had grown old and frail, but remembered the day Vlad took power.
But Maria could hardly blame the Sylvanian populace for turning a blind eye. As it turned out, Vlad von Carstein had been a capable, albeit erratic and eccentric, ruler. Raiders vanished in the night. Orcs and goblins ceased coming down from the mountains to sack villages. The only ones who had anything to fear were the neighboring Counts and nobility. Vlad accepted nothing but total subservience. Those who bowed, stayed in power. Those who refused, were never seen again.
That is, until Vlad revealed what he truly was. The day he openly declared himself as a Count of the Empire and made his bid for the title of Emperor, the lands of Sylvania became cursed with undeath. Today, the only reason people still stayed in the cities and towns within the region, was because it was easier to accept the odd person vanishing in the night, than it was a whole city or town to beastmen and orcs.
Mannfred von Carstein was a whole other problem. Now that he knew who she was, Maria was screwed. Her only saving grace was the vast differences between Mannfred and his blood sire. Vlad was a conqueror, a battlefield commander who led from the front. He was interested in ruling the Empire as the first Eternal Emperor.
Mannfred only wanted to crush it under his heel.
It was generally agreed within the Empire that between the two of them, Mannfred was the more dangerous. He was cunning, a necromancer of supreme ability and power, and during his war he pushed the Empire to its limit. It was only during this time that the warring provinces finally put aside their differences and threw the combined might of the entire country behind the singular goal of defeating the blood drinkers once and for all.
Maria searched and searched, but the archives didn't know where Vlad originally found Mannfred. One day he simply arrived in Sylvania, and immediately took his place as one of Vlad's most capable, if not reckless, generals.
Maria closed the book in her hands. It shook slightly in her grip.
This had been nothing more but a huge waste of time. She hadn't learned anything that she didn't already know or couldn't have guessed just on her brief interactions with the vampire lord.
She was in way over her head. Mannfred had been capable of turning entire regiments of men to ash with a single swipe of his hand. Hundreds of men gone in an instant. Vlad had bested every lord and general the Empire had sent against him. Luck and valor in the final fight had only beat him.
"Damnit," she growled under her breath as she practically threw the ancient book back onto the shelf in front of her.
There was a sharp intake of breath beside her. "Please be careful, witch hunter!" Professor Swan scolded angrily. He quickly took the abused book in his hands and looked it over. "Have you found what you're looking for? I can finally breathe easy that more of these texts won't suffer abuse?"
His attitude was really starting to get to her.
"Is this it?" she asked, letting her frustration be heard. "This is all you have stored away?" Her fists clenched. "I needed facts, not stories! Most of what I've read I already figured out on my own!"
Swan's nose wrinkled. "Excuse me, my lady, but you requested to view the archives. I have no control over what you'll find once you're inside." He reverently placed the aged book back on the shelf and faced her while turning up his nose. "What did you expect to begin with? The vampires are some of the most dangerous foes the Empire has ever faced. Knowledge of them and their magics ranks among the most closely guarded secrets we have. Books of that forbidden lore are kept safely locked away either in the capital, or the Colleges of Magic."
He huffed. "I wonder how a woman of your limited intelligence even managed your rank within the witch hunter order. Even novices understand the danger within the texts you seek."
Maria rounded on the professor, grabbing up his robes and pulling him close.
"You think I don't know how dangerous they are?" Maria snarled into his face. "I was this close to Vlad von Carstein as he drove a sword through my arm! Two vampires from the Lahmian sisterhood tried to kill me in Wurtbad under the direct orders of Mannfred von Carstein! All I wanted was a little insight and instead I have to deal with this second-rate intelligence that is so bad it would make a Salarian physically ill reading it!"
Swan narrowed his eyes. "Careful witch hunter… keep spouting insane ramblings like that and you risk losing your position within the order."
Maria ground her teeth together. This old geezer was seriously asking for it.
There was a cough behind her. "Is there something the matter, miss Shepard?" Nikolaus asked innocently.
Maria immediately released Swan's robes. She hung her head and closed her eyes, trying to settle herself down. Her stomach rumbled, filling the quiet of the room. She straightened back up.
"Now you both know what happens when a biotic doesn't get three square meals plus snacks over the course of a standard day."
She tightened the belt of her coat and offered them a wave as she turned to leave.
"You should write that fact down somewhere," she said over her shoulder as she left the vault. "Trust me, it'll save lives."
/ooooooo\
Well into the evening Maria was finally surrounded by the relatively comfortable setting that was the Laughing Bear Inn's dining room. A flavorful casserole with an abundance of meat and vegetables had been served, but despite her earlier hunger, Maria found herself playing with her meal more than eating it.
Raine Valantina walked over to her table with a pitcher in hand. "Since your plate isn't empty, and this isn't your third helping, I'm guessing tonight hasn't been your night." She picked up the half-empty cup sitting on the table and her eyes widened in surprise. "How'd you convince my husband to give up on his great orange juice embargo?"
Maria gently took the wooden cup from the innkeeper's hand. No one was taking it away from her until she was finished.
"I cornered him when he was working the lounge. We talked. In the end, it was decided that I get my orange juice, but only a single glass a day."
Raine laughed lightly. "Then cheer up Maria. You got new clothes, you're drinking orange juice, and your leg is working fine and still attached to your body. What's there to sulk about when you've got all that going for you?"
"I'm not sulking," Maria retorted, but caught her pout a little late based on Raine's laugh.
A commotion outside the dining room caught their attention, and the attention of everyone else throughout the inn when a man started shouting.
"Antonio! Antonio, get out here! Antonio!"
By the time the man shouting reached the door to the dining room, three of the crime boss's men, including Paul, had already closed in on him.
The man seemed to recognize Paul. "Where's Antonio, Paul? I need to talk to him!"
"Lower your voice man," Paul stressed looking around and noticing everyone was staring at their little group. He said some more things low enough that Maria couldn't hear him, but all it did was get the man shouting again.
"I'm not leaving until I see Antonio!" Now that Maria was really listening the mystery man sounded desperate. "You get me Antonio right now or I'll start telling the city watch – oof!"
That was all he got out before one of Paul's men brought his knee up into the mystery man's gut, which sent him doubling over. The two gentlemen with Paul used the opportunity provided to grab the mystery man by the shoulders and steer him back out of the inn. Paul followed right behind.
Alrighty then. Maria and the rest of the dining room were quiet as many of the heads turned to Raine.
"Clearly someone had a little too much to drink," she said with a bright smile and laugh. Most of the room laughed too, but Maria noticed the number of eyerolls before the patrons got back to their meals. Obviously no one was entirely fooled but no was willing to argue since they still needed a room for the night.
Or maybe half of them were criminals themselves and preparing alibis for when things got messy. She wouldn't discount that theory since most of Nuln knew what Antonio did. For the right price, maybe one or two might help him hide the body.
Ugh. That went dark fast. She really was in a crummy mood if that's where her mind was going tonight.
Maria sat back when Raine took a seat on the chair next to her and scooted forward.
"Could you head out to the stables and check on the horses," she said softly. Maria looked at her as Raine gave her a smile. She leaned forward some more. "I think they might need a calm hand. If you please."
Maria took about half a second to think it over. What was she going to say, no? The woman was offering her free room and board. As long as they kept filling her stomach Maria would hold the inn against a Rachni nest if she had too.
Resigned to her night not being anywhere near over, Maria shoveled a few more forkfuls of casserole into her mouth, wiped her lips with the napkin, and then rose from her seat.
"Thank you," Raine said, still all smile.
Cheeks stuffed with food; Maria nodded back. She took two steps, stopped, and jumped back to grab her half-full cup of orange juice off the table.
/ooooooo\
By the time Maria had circled the inn and reached the stables, she ended up running into Antonio just as he and Paul walked up themselves.
"What are you doing here?" Antonio asked hurriedly. He looked on edge.
Maria was still chewing but managed, "Raine asked me."
He opened his mouth, but closed it again, surrendering without argument. He just turned and quickly walked into the stables.
Huh. Maria ended up sharing a look with Paul that told her everything she needed to know. Somebody was whipped. Being shot probably didn't strengthen his position at home either.
She and Paul followed him to the back of the stables where he opened the secret door to the secret room. The place looked relatively the same since the last time she had been there, except for the glaring open space in the middle where the table she had nearly bled out on used to be.
Sitting on the worn and faded couch was the mystery man who had stormed the inn. Antonio's men flanked him on each side. The man attempted to rise as soon as he laid eyes on Antonio but hands on his shoulders quickly shoved him back down again.
Maria looked him over as she sipped from her orange juice. He didn't look like someone who lived with the lower or middle class. Clean clothes, nicely cut. Shoes dirty though recently shined. But he was missing a jacket. This late at night, he'd normally be wearing one. And if he spent the same money on the coat as he did his clothes, he wouldn't have left it behind.
"Antonio! Antonio, you got to help me! He – he still has my wife and daughter! I tried to pay – but he isn't giving them up!"
Well… shit.
"Sigmar's balls," Antonio groaned. He felt the same apparently.
The man looked like he was about to crack. "Antonio, you have to help me get them back! I can't – I can't let anything h-happen to them! This as much your fault as it is mine! I'll – I'll go to the guard! I'll tell them everything! I'll –"
"Othmar, shut up!" Antonio snapped. He brought a hand up to his forehead. "When did it happen?"
"Yesterday. Uh, they c-came right as we sat down for supper. I just paid the ransom an hour ago, but he wouldn't let them go! He now wants you to pay as well! Antonio, you have to help me!"
"How'd they get inside your home?"
Othmar dropped his head into his hands. "He bribed my doorman. The men shoved my wife and daughter into my own carriage and then disappeared around the block." He looked up and there were tears in his eyes. "I can't lose them Antonio. Please, I'll do anything you want. Everything I have is yours."
"Don't start with me Thade," Antonio nearly growled. Then he turned to Paul. "Find Ralph. This was planned. Somebody had to have heard someone talking. And Ralph will know that someone."
"I'll get him." Paul quickly left the room.
Antonio pointed to the two other men standing guard. "Get the guys together. I want all our own holdings watched. And six pairs of eyes know where Raine is at all times or I'm taking six pairs of balls, starting with you two. You get me?"
They both nodded, so Antonio waved them out of the room as well.
Wow. Maria was pleasantly surprised. That was well done. Antonio kept his cool and reacted to the threat swiftly. She watched him as he slowly began to pace the room.
Antonio spared her a glance but just kept pacing. Maria was content to give him some time, but no more than another minute. Two people had been kidnapped. Technically speaking, as of this moment, Spectre authority gave her free leave to do whatever she needed to do in order to get the victims back safely.
…wasn't like she was doing anything right now to keep herself busy. Might as well bust some heads in while she was wasting time. Besides, crimes like this, violence between gangs, she had dealt with these things long before joining the Alliance.
She drank the last of her orange juice and then stared longingly into her empty cup. This sucked. No more until tomorrow. Now should she have it with breakfast, lunch, or supper?
"Maria, this is Thade Othmar," Antonio suddenly said. Maria looked up from her cup. "He's the chairman of the city council. The Countess Emmanuelle rules the province and city-state, the mayor holds a ceremonial position, but its Othmar and his fellow council members who run the day to day business of the city."
She nodded. It made sense. No matter how primitive or advanced a society was, bureaucracy existed in some form. "And you know who kidnapped his family?"
Antonio rubbed his forehead with a hand. "Its Huyderman and his gang. You may remember he runs one of the crime families within Nuln. The largest to be precise. After we took out Sansovino, he and I split up the dead man's territory and holdings evenly between the two of us."
Maria nodded again. "Okay, but why would he suddenly force you to pay another ransom for this man's family?"
Antonio didn't reply right away. Instead he looked like he was trying to swallow something incredibly sour.
Maria just rolled her eyes. "Seriously? I already know what you do. And you know about the laws I've broken. If that doesn't instill some trust –"
"We tried to kill each other a few weeks ago."
Antonio put his hands on his hips and met her eyes. "It was the day after you first left Nuln to be exact. You walked in on a meeting between me and my men? Well, Huyderman and I were busy plundering Sansovino's assets, and while we were at it, I hired some assassins and tried to kill him.
"As it turns out, Huyderman had the exact same idea. Around the same time my men tried to kill him, he had a team ambush me on the back streets. I lost two guys but survived. Huyderman lost three, but also made it out without a scratch. I guess I hired the better crew…"
"What happened afterward?" Maria asked.
"What happened?" Antonio laughed. "We shrugged it off and got back to work. The next day we both knew what we had done but decided to let it go. The price of business in our line of work. We both saw an opportunity and tried to make an extra profit. Except for the small loss of life, no harm was done."
Maria nearly sighed. Good to know things aren't complicated then, she thought sarcastically. "So is this Huyderman's way of getting back at you?"
Antonio shook his head. "No. This is something different. I managed to piss him off something fierce." He chuckled, "And I managed to do it without even meaning too. Just my bloody luck…"
Maria crossed her arms over her chest. "Well? Get on with it." He was certainly taking his time getting to the point of all this.
His brow furrowed. "Fine, fine. The day I came back to find you drinking in the lounge with Paul. You remember I had just returned from a business meeting. That meeting was with Thade here and the city council. I managed to convince them to buy lamp oil from me for the next five years."
What? Maria's eyebrow rose. "Are you serious? That's what this is all about? Who gets to sell smelly oil to the city? After everything you guys smuggle and sell on the black market, this Huyderman guy is willing to kidnap Othmar's family over something like that?"
"Think about it for minute then and you might figure it out," Antonio cut back annoyed. "How many streetlamps do you pass just walking from here to the university? How many lamps are on every main street in Nuln? How many are on the back streets? How many are alight in the city garrison, the foundries, the Countess's palace? And if that isn't enough, then how many lamps do you think the army uses as they march across the province, or go out on patrol? All that business is now mine.
"Men lobby the council for years to get this deal. By the end of the five-year contract, I'll rank among the richest in Nuln. This is going to change everything. Imagine what I could do with all that coin. We're talking mountains of gold here."
And now it all made sense.
Maria's shoulders sagged. "You bribed Thade Othmar to get the contract, stealing it out from under Huyderman."
Antonio's head dropped. "I didn't know it at the time. If I had… maybe I would have gone about things differently. Last thing I need is a war with Huyderman and his gang."
Thade Othmar stood from the couch. "That's why you have to help me! This is as much your fault as it is mine! If – if word gets out I accepted a bride then my position in Nuln is ruined! I need to get my wife and daughter back, and Huyderman will only release them if you match the ransom I paid! He wants the money tonight! Or he's going to k-kill t-them! You have to pay!"
Antonio turned and looked back at her. Maria could tell they were already thinking the same thing. Or, rather, she hoped they were.
"If Huyderman is forcing you to pay the ransom tonight, he's going to try and kill you again," Maria informed the crime boss.
"I guessed that," Antonio replied.
"But you have to pay," she stressed.
Luckily Antonio nodded. "It's the only way to get Thade's family back without involving the city watch, so, yes, I'll pay for their release. But I'm not losing that contract." Not exactly the reason she hoped for, but Maria would take what she could get.
"And you're going to want me to handle this."
Antonio's eyebrows rose. "Am I?"
"W-wait a second!" Thade looked back and forth between the two of them. "Antonio, who is this woman? Is she a member of your gang? Huyderman was very insistent that you pay him. I can't risk my family's lives on some nobody!"
"Some nobody…" Antonio let out a tired chuckle. "If only I were so lucky. No. Thade, this is Maria Shepard, and if I remember correctly, she calls herself a Spectre."
Thade blinked. "Spectre, what the… as in d-dead?"
"As in kick-ass," Maria said smiling wide. "I've got a lot of frustration built up from the past few weeks. It will feel good to fight someone who isn't an undead immortal for a change. We'll get your wife and daughter back, I promise."