“Deveels are some of the meanest characters you'd ever not want to tangle with. They're some of the most feared and respected characters in the dimensions."

"Are they warriors? Mercenaries?"

Aahz shook his head.

"Worse!" he answered. "They're merchants.”

- Robert Asprin, Another Fine Myth

(XSS-MK1 POV)

The morning comes without any incident. The streets of Takar were relatively empty during the night, save for the few drunkards exiting bars and trying to go back home. And nobody in the inn disturbed us.

I nudge Hesca on her shoulder to wake her up. We have a long day ahead of us, and a lot to do. She rises up, groggy, taking a few minutes to adjust. She also insists on taking a bath. After a week of travel, and no real hygienic accommodations, I quickly understand that fighting her on that point would be pointless, so I decide to cave in.

Once that is done, we quickly make our way downstairs, and are back on the seats of our carriage, and in the busy streets of Takar.

"So where are we going first?"

I turn towards Hesca.

"Merchant district first. We will sell the horse, wagon, and merchandises. Then we find a guide and buy the necessities for crossing the desert."

She nods, and with a quick yank on the reins gets the carriage moving towards the east part of the city. It takes us a bit of time and a few stops to ask for directions, until we finally arrive at the right place. Which is a market emporium bubbling with activity.

I can see shops left and right, with their various displays of merchandises. From clothes to precious jewels, and antiquities; everything seems to be available, and for sale, given that you are willing to pay. The merchants, in pompous dresses, are haggling the numerous passerby with vehemence, hoping to catch the lucky fish that would make them a profit. And while their attitude is amicable and courteous, the sharp greedy look in their eyes betrays their true nature, and startling lack of morals.

Right now, if I could shiver, I would. It reminds me of an attraction back on Earth where humans would trap themselves in an underwater cage and then bait the waters with blood to attract sharks.

I lean towards Hesca.

"Don't haggle too much. The goal is to be quick here. We already have enough with what I looted from the bandits."

"Got it."

Hesca gets down from the seat and approaches a few stands, engaging in briefs, but animated discussions with the owners of each store front. After a while, and a lot of gesticulating, she comes back. She is accompanied by two gruff looking men, who are framing an ostentatiously-dressed, if slightly fat, man. We get our bags out of the back and they take the carriage, horse and all, with them. But not after handing Hesca a well-stuffed pouch of money. I stand next to her during the whole exchange, ready to intervene if necessary. It isn't, but the body language and vital signs of the merchant tells me everything about the fact that he is probably scamming us, and for a generous amount of money.

I make a sign to Hesca to keep moving, our business transaction concluded. I also haven't missed the concealed gaze of a few unsavory types, at the edge of the market. It seems like the sum Hesca is carrying is bringing un-wanted attention.

I grab the shoulder of Hesca and start whispering.

"We are being followed. Start moving toward the transport agency. We might find information about a possible guide there. Hand me the money: I will get rid of the rats. Don't forget: I am watching."

She nods solemnly before starting to walk away, but not before handing me the purse in a showy, yet discrete manner. We wouldn't want our secret admirers to lose sight of the prize now, would we?

After putting away the pouch inside my cloak, I start walking at a hurried pace toward a few dark alleys I have identified on our way over. I don't actually need to keep visual contact on Hesca. I have already identified her breathing and walking pattern. Something that allows me to track her by sound in this noisy maze, as long as she remains relatively close. I have done the same for my pursuers. For the moment they are keeping their distance, waiting for an opportunity.

And I fully plan to give them one.

I sense one of the alleys in front of me being deserted and enter the dark narrow path without stopping, breaking line of sight. I can hear the two closest followers starting to run to catch up to me. I do a 180 and grab the first one to enter by the throat. Surprised, he can't offer any resistance before I crush his windpipe. I drop him to the ground, letting him reach his own throat in pain, wheezing in relative silence. The second one comes up just after. He notices his associate on the ground and tries to adopt a defensive posture. Not fast enough though. I rush him. He joins his friend on the paved floor, unconscious, and with a bump forming on his temple.

I start to walk away toward the main street in relative calm. I am stopped when three figures interpose themselves between me and the exit. I take my time to examine them. They are wearing a brown ensemble, somewhat reminiscent of a desert Tuareg garb. Except they have cloaks, just like myself, covering most of their bodies and faces. However it doesn't stop my sight for discerning a distinct expression of surprise on their faces.

I identify the one in the middle as the leader, by his posture and the fact that he quickly recomposed himself after assessing the situation in front of him.

"Unless you want to start losing men, I suggest switching marks."

My cold and unemotional tone make his two goons jolt in surprise. However, he doesn't move, and doesn't answer right away.

"And what if I don't?"

"Then you and your little gang will not live to see tomorrow. That includes the two trackers you have hiding on the rooftops. Am I being understood?"

His eyes widen slightly at the mention of his scouts. He takes a step back, liberating the way, and bowing in a ridiculous fashion, on arm extended toward the street.

"I was looking for a friend but I clearly made a mistake. My apologies."

I walk by him slowly, getting back onto the busy avenue.

"I suggest you don't make such mistakes in the future. If you value your life that is."

He nods towards me, before walking towards his downed men and disappearing in the twilight of the obscure passageway.

I quickly concentrate on my sensors, identifying the distinct sound of Hesca's boots hitting the paved stone less than a hundred meters from here. I jolt forward, reaching her after a few minutes. She hadn't gotten far, given the speed at which I handled the encounter.

"The problem has been taken care of. We shouldn't have any more uninvited guests trying to enjoy our company."

She jumps in fright at the sudden noise, before bringing a hand to her chest.

"Dear Goddess! You scared me! Don't just randomly appear like that!"

Undisturbed, I hand her back the pouch of money.

"Here, it's better if you are the one holding on to this."

She shoots me a slightly angry glare before nabbing the purse out of my hands. I wonder if she is going to sulk again. But my worries are for naught, as she resumes walking toward our destination.

"We are not far from the travel office. I suppose you have some requirements on what I should ask for?"

Her tone is a bit sassy, but I ignore it.

"Yes. Prioritize speed and availability over comfort. The sooner and faster we leave the better. We also have to take someone discreet. I don't care if you have to pay a premium for it. Just try to leave enough money for us to buy decent gear. And provisions for you."

She nods in agreement, before swiveling her head in my direction, a look of incomprehension on her face. She starts whispering.

"Wait. Don't you need provisions too? Some infernal sludge? I haven't seen you take some since… well, since we met really…"

Infernal sludge? I think back to the first time I met another clockwork. Does she mean petrol? For the two cylinder engine? Why the hell are they calling it infernal sludge? I quickly realize that the Church's propaganda has probably a hand in this.

"No. I don't need any "infernal sludge". And we will need to talk about that later. But not here."

I make a gesture towards the people walking around. Hesca gives me a noncommittal shrug, apparently satisfied by my answer, however vague it may have been.

"As you wish… I was just making sure, that's all… One more thing that's weird with you, I guess."

I decide not to pick up on the small verbal spike she sent my way. She is very useful right now, minimizing the amount of social contact I have to do to obtain the things I need to progress on my journey. I "could" have done all of that without her. But that would have brought many complications and hoops to go through, all to achieve the same result in the end. I am a big supporter of the "the-simplest-and-easiest-method-is-the-best". And right now having Hesca with me is the simplest and easiest method of travelling. All of that notwithstanding the fact that it actually allows me to get into cities and glean information much more easily, and with a lot more safety than when I started, alone.

I check the files Machina gave me before my sudden entry into this world. Delta is the human capital of clockwork lands now. The demons and humans split the desert in two at the end of the Great War. Half each. I repress some anger rising up upon realizing that the lands were divided much like a birthday cake was. As the biggest concentration of people in the unending sands, the now-human capital seems like a good start to glean information about my race, and finally start the task Machina gave me.

"We will be going to Delta. I will accompany you while you talk this time."

Considering how the merchant managed to fleece us, I don't want the event to repeat itself, especially now that our sources of future income are limited. And I am guessing that the crossing of the desert will cost a lot more than the basic caravan I took in human lands.

On these thoughts, we arrive in front of the travel office.

The building blends perfectly with the rest of the city's architecture. The only thing that really allows one to guess its function would be the big sign plastered above the entry with the following words : "Takar's Transport Services Guild". That and the crowd, much denser, going in and out of the place.

I stick a bit closer to Hesca as we try to navigate through the numerous people, in order to reach a service desk. The inside of the building is remarkably similar to the inn we are staying at, if cleaner. The ground floor is composed of two sections. The first one, as a waiting area, composed of many tables with drinks being served. The second one is an assortments of welcoming counters, with ordered lines of people waiting for their turn. A second floor can be seen, as a mezzanine, with offices and desks, where quite the busying can be seen.

In all, it gives a professional feeling. I follow Hesca as she places herself in one of the many lines that lead to the tellers. After a relatively low amount of time, it is our turn. We are welcomed by a young man, in business-like clothing. Well, as business-like as a well-woven standard brown dress can look.

"Welcome to the Travel Guild. What can I do for you?"

Hesca takes the lead and answers.

"Hi. We are looking for passage to Delta. Speedy, discreet, and available as soon as possible. Money is not an issue."

The young clerk flashes a smile. He is probably imagining the commission he is about to get if he manages to get us a guide.

"Very well. I suppose it will be for two?", He says, while pointing at me. Hesca nods. "Perfect. Let me check the book to see if we have someone."

In the same manner as the first travel agent I met in the little human town of Dedris, he gets a huge and worn-looking leather-bound book from under the desk, and starts flipping through its ink-filled paper pages. After a while, he stops and looks up at us.

"Speed and discretion you said, right? We have a transporter available for tomorrow. However the anonymity clause of the contract will cost a premium. Is that okay?"

I intervene.

"How much of a "premium" would that be?"

The man is surprised. I think he expected Hesca to handle negotiations, and not the cloaked person next to her.

"Well… There is a two gold ducats tax for border-crossing without providing identity. That's just how it is."

I observe him closely. He is lying. I approach the counter.

"Tell you what. We will pay one gold, and in exchange for that generous gesture, we won't start making a scandal on how you just tried to scam us."

I turn to Hesca. She looks a bit taken aback by my sudden intrusion in the discussion.

"Feeling in a betting mood? How much would you be willing to gamble that if I ask another person here how much it cost, it will be under the price he gave us?"

The clerk starts sweating heavily, a forced smile on his face.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. We are all civilized people here."

I take a harsh tone.

"I met some thieves, right before coming here, who were more sneaky than you. One gold, plus the price of the journey, and that's final."

He takes on a defeated expression, and raises his hands in a surrendering gesture.

"Very well… One gold plus price of transport. You will have to meet the guide before though. I will call for her while I draft the necessary paperwork. You can wait at the tables here. Refreshments will be served, on the house."

Shoulders slumping, he turns back and starts walking up to the offices of the second floor, grumbling under his breath about the fact that nowadays everyone is a-... Wow. That's a pretty strongly chosen insult right here.

In the meantime Hesca and me have found a seat at one of the empty tables.

"How did you know he was lying?"

Hesca is looking at me questioningly, a strange refreshing concotion in her hands.

"Vital signs: Heartbeat, sweat, eye movements, facial expressions or twitches. All clues that can be interpreted to guess what the person thinks, or the validity of his statements."

Her eyes widen slightly.

"Did you use that on me?"

"Of course. And if you had lied back then I would killed you on the spot. But you didn't. As you know, I put value on honesty. And you have not shown any signs of the opposite. If it can reassure you, I use it on everyone."

She nods slowly, and takes a sip out of her beverage. She doesn't look offended or anything, just pensive. Good.

It doesn't take long and soon, the clerk comes back with what I can only identify as a female demon. She has a decent figure. The dark purple skin contrast a bit on the rest of her features like her obsidian eyes and hair. They encompass a detailed face, with sharp but smooth lines, accompanied with a small and pointy nose. But the most noticeable thing present is the long horn jutting out of her forehead in a straight and slightly curved fashion. It is rugged and shares the texture of a goat horn, somewhat.

As for what she is wearing, it is reminiscent of the outfit the thieves were sporting when I met them earlier. A tuareg-like outfit, fit for travelling in the desert and supporting its heat. Well to be honest hers looks a lot more used than the ones of the thieves. But cleaner nonetheless.

She drops into a chair in front of us, and quickly grabs a beer from the passing tray of a waitress. She takes a bit gulp out of it before talking. The young man just drops the papers in front of us, before going back to his desk.

"Awww. Good shit. So, I heard you want to go to Delta, and pronto. Name's Via. Via Redclaw."

I can tell Hesca is shocked at the attitude of our guide-to-be. I decide to take the lead here.

"Yes. How fast can you get us here? And how much is that going to cost us?"

She takes a thoughtful expression.

"Well, normally I would wait for a full group of people before departing. But I can always stock up on merchandises instead and pass by the oases to drop them off. So I would say, around a week, maybe two, to get to Delta. As for the price, one gold per person."

Hesca suddenly chokes on her drink, spraying the table with her cocktail. I save the documents from the unexpected rain in the nick of time. After a few coughs, she finally speaks.

"A gold ducat per person! That's robbery!"

Via takes on a hardened expression. I can tell she is used to justifying her prices.

"Take it or leave it. The only thing I can assure you, is that nothing will be able to disrupt us, be it monster or raiders, and that I am the fastest around these parts."

Hesca is not convinced. However I am. Via is not lying.

"Very well."

I grab the purse on Hesca's hip and set it on the table. I open it up and drop two gold ducats on the table, along with ten large silver denominations. I make a sign for the clerk to hand me a quill. He gives it up willingly, once he saw the money on the table. I quickly read through the document, finding nothing but a basic travelling contract.

I motion Hesca to sign it. She does, albeit a bit unwillingly. Once that is done, I hand the documents and the money to the young man.

"There you go. Three gold ducats for the travel, and the anonymity clause. Pleasure doing business with you."

He greedily takes it all. I turn my attention back on Via, who is sipping her beer with an amused look on her face.

"He said you could be ready as soon as tomorrow. Is that correct?"

She nods.

"Yep. At the first light of day. I will wait for you outside the south gate, around ten minutes out, near The Old Tooth landmark. Big rocks down the road. Can't miss 'em."

She gets up, finishes her beer in one go, and does a loud burp.

"Well, I have stuff to buy and my Nilas to prepare. See you tomorrow."

She leaves without waiting for an answer. I turn toward Hesca. She is frowning, clearly not satisfied with how the exchange went.

"Come on. Let's go. We still have supplies to buy, and noon is coming."

We leave the travel office. After five minutes of walking, I sense them. We are being followed again. But nothing like before. Those are professionals. They are nearly silent, and blend with the crowd with near perfection. They are keeping their distances. I doubt this is the same group, and don't think anybody else than me would have been able to detect the tail. I start gathering information on the few elements I can perceive from my silent stalkers.

Their movements, their habits. My processes start to work overtime. Who are they? Not thieves, that's for sure.

I decide against alerting Hesca this time.

Let's see how this plays out.

(Spy Master POV)

"UNNACEPTABLE !"

*CRASH*

I have served the Emperor for a long time. I pride myself in being probably the only person outside of his family that knows him best, and considers him a close friend. However I can say that the number of times I have seen him this angry can only be counted on one hand. And considering I have been his Spy Master and closest confidant since even before his reign, that is saying something.

"THE BASTARD !"

*CRASH*

"I WILL TEAR HIM TO PIECES AND HAVE THE GRYPHONS FEED ON THEM!"

*CRASH*

Right now the normally calm and composed Emperor has taken to redecorate the interior of his office. A design decision brought on by the news I delivered a few minutes ago. As soon as I mentioned the supposed culprit of the attempt on his son, the emperor started getting angry. I didn't have time to finish my report before the costly and refined furniture started flying across the room.

*CRASH*

The finely crafted gold and silver plated clock, offered by the demon ambassador, embeds itself in the wall near me. I never really liked it but still : I do hope we will be able to salvage it before another meeting with the demon delegation. They have been getting restless lately and we cannot afford to go into a meeting with these bloodthirsty savages showing any weakness.

The Emperor is starting to lack things to throw and I take that as my cue to intervene.

"Maliko stop this behavior. Can you at least let me finish before taking any decision you may regret, please ?"

His angry eyes set themselves on me and I can see him taking deep breathes, trying to come back to a reasonable level of calm.

"There better be good news!"

I smirk while I observe him. The Emperor, Maliko The First. If anybody was looking at him right now they would be hard-pressed to recognize their beloved ruler. He looks more like an angry ruffled bear right now, than anything else. He is wearing his classic garb that he wears for receiving the nobles in the throne room, along with his embroiled coat. The predominant white of his attire is contrasting sharply with his red face, colored by anger.

"There is. The obvious attempt at kidnapping, or killing, did not succeed. The interrogation of the few that we managed to catch has yielded no surprising information, except one."

I pause for a bit while I formulate my next sentence. The Emperor signal for me to continue.

"Well go on. Don't let me stop you."

"The men tortured were told, along with their unit, that the way would be cleared for them. No guards on their way, no servants to spot them. The Palace blueprints and detailed patrol paths were given. This supports the theory of someone high placed trying to make a move on the royal family. Given the brazenness of the attempt, the only person would could possibly field such an operation would be your brother, as I said before. He has been eying the throne for some time. The problem is that, as usual, we cannot trace anything back to him. He is careful, and made sure to leave no trace of his involvement."

The Emperor slowly walks back to his desk and sits, looking pensively through the window behind him.

"I know… I just expected him to be more direct about it. Not to attack my son like a coward. I am thankful for the information you provided, that helped me get him to safety in time."

I give a slight nod, recognizing the gratefulness he is showing in his tone. I decide to continue.

"Sir Devaillant has contacted me. He has reached the city of Tirranis safe and sound with his soldiers and the Prince."

The Emperor nods pensively.

"Well my captain must already be on the way to the desert with my son by now. That should alleviate the musing of my brother towards him. We will have to concentrate on the noble court proceedings, if we are to stop his machinations for the foreseeable future. He has already gained some supporters in the small noble border factions. Do you have something else to report?"

"Yes… and a most disturbing one. A clockwork has been spotted in our lands. A Stray. It was travelling incognito when the caravan it was in was attacked. It helped defend it, then turned against the guards. It has escaped for the moment."

The Emperor is now still, watching outside with eyes that stop on nothing, denoting of the inner turmoil underneath.

"A clockwork you say? One unaccounted for? It is possible that it is working for someone, even without markings?"

"Unlikely. I personally reviewed the report myself. Mind mages have been called to extract the memories of the survivors. The Church has also been notified of all the details, so that it can intervene. We may have another clockwork rebellion on our hands if we do not act soon."

"Hmmm… You did well. Keep following the matter closely. I want to be notified immediately of any new developments. Was there anything else?"

I start walking towards the door, and stop before exiting, turning to do a small bow.

"Nothing much sir. Some trouble in the elven lands apparently due to some spell failure. I already sent men to investigate. I also received reports of bandits lessening their raids in the southern region, but nothing related to the previous matters."

The emperor turns back to his desk and start pulling papers in front of him.

"Good. That will be all. And Patrick ?"

"Yes?"

I turn around just as I was about to exit. The Emperor rises his eyes from the document he has started to read and points with one hand at the surrounding mayem.

"Please send some maids to clean this mess."

"Right away Sir."