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Nero Walker, Book 2 Ch.35 (67)
🕑 Added 2024-01-05 23:30:01 +0000 UTCJennings was sipping a whiskey as he watched the mage-council arguing through a scry-portal. The hovering window into the council chamber was 3’x5’ and offered a great view of them screaming at each other. Glancing over at another portal, he watched the drama unfold on the training grounds with Nero. Debating whether or not to get involved, his thoughts were interrupted by Arch Mage Mathers.
“Well, what do you think? Soul-permeation or Essence disassociation? Are you even listening, Jennings?” he asked in a loud and annoyed tone.
Turning his head back to the council, he saw them all waiting for his verdict. Why was he always the tie-breaker?
“I have no idea,” he said with some joy in his voice. “It could be anything. Keep in mind that his soul is huge, it’s not like we’ve seen this before. The closest thing we can compare it too is possession. We know that over time, the soul can influence the body. Particularly in regards to a body’s adaptability. Soul-permeation would only account for his channeling of the previous fighters skills from the grounds. It wouldn’t explain his stamina. And as for essence disassociation? I can’t see how his center would be rebuilding his body. When it comes down to it, he’s not even level 10,” he said while grinning like a loon.
Heads around the table were nodding. Mathers was standing near the scry-portal, looking like he had just sucked on a lemon.
Jennings continued, “Did anyone think about the stat imbalances?”
One mage at the table shot to his feet. “Yes! That’s what I was trying to say. Think about the work done by Mooring out in Candlebrook. Remember all those tests he did about speed optimization? If there was an imbalance between the ‘speed’ and ‘recovery’ attributes, subjects would have serious issues with their stamina. Why wouldn’t that apply to power? The boy’s just not strong enough to overcome his recovery attribute,” he said as though he was being vindicated.
The mage sitting next to him pointed a finger and scowled, saying, “That doesn’t answer the question! If that kind of imbalance was in play, then how did it happen? What caused the imbalance? That’s the issue at hand. Until we answer that question, everything else is just talk.” The mage finished his spiteful rant, and crossed his arms angrily.
Jennings piped in, “That’s why I think the studies on possession are applicable in this situation. Remember Reinhart’s findings concerning stat changes over time during his observation of the lich’s victims. Those subjects were all victims of forced possessions, while Nero simply found an empty body. It stands to reason that his soul would affect the body to a greater effect while not having an opposing identity to overcome.”
Mathers chimed in, “That’s a good point. It isn’t inconceivable that his soul is incredibly adaptable. That would affect his body’s ‘recovery’ and ‘adaptability’ attribute.”
Voices all started to try and talk over each other as they argued their views on the subject. Jennings watched an aide walk up to the table and speak, “Sirs, I apologize for interrupting. Arch-mage Cuthbert is needed for her meeting with the Tenebris Corporation.”
Arch-mage Cuthbert stood up, muttering to herself in anger, then turned to the table and shouted, “I want to watch the rest of this later, so don’t spoil it for me. I don’t want to hear what happens. You all hear me!” Following the aid out of the council room, her fellow mages looked on in pity.
As the arguing slowly resumed, one of the mages pointed at the giant scry on the wall and shouted, “Everyone shut-up. They found a conference room. 100 lordly valens says that Nero gets her exiled from Dorchester.”
The room erupted in another argument, as Jennings just smiled at their antics. Mentally putting them on mute, he turned to his other scrying window and watched in curiosity.
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Nero was standing at the head of the table, pouring himself a coffee. Nick was on his right, while Ms. Averett had taken the seat to his left. Looking at Captain Angelton and Sergeant Wesker, Nero could see their nervousness and shame. The girl Nero had learned was named Rose, was just sitting with her head down, awaiting the verdict.
“OK captain, you start. I want to hear what you have to say for yourself,” Nero said as he took his seat. His tiny frame looked comical in the giant chair at the head of the table. The serious look on his childish face only adding to the ridiculousness of the situation.
Taking a deep breath, Captain Angelton said, “I’ve been told that I have no comment until General Branson arrives.”
Nero’s eyebrows rose as he realized this must be more serious than he thought. Was there some law they violated which he didn’t know about? Could he use this somehow? Nero looked over at Nick, and saw only confusion on his face. Apparently, Nick wasn’t going to be any help.
Luckily, Ms. Averett chimed in. “Messing with the army’s training programs is considered treason. You could argue that what the general did was a gross violation of the military code of conduct. Had he just asked someone to report on you, that wouldn’t qualify. But he inserted someone into an elite training program alongside you.”
Rose’s eyes were wide with panic as she practically shouted, “I didn’t know any of that. He just asked me if I wanted to be trained to be an elite. What the hell did I get myself into this time?” She looked exhausted, and Nero felt the need to step in.
Looking across the table, he said, “Rose, may I call you Rose? Don’t worry, this isn’t on you. This is the military’s fuck-up, I’m not going to let them hang you with it. I believe everything you said. Just sit tight, and let me handle it.”
Captain Angelton looked offended and said, “Oh, you’ll handle it? I don’t think you’re in a-”
Nero interrupted him with a voice filled with venom. “Yes I’ll handle it. I knew that some nobles would be paying to get their spies in with the recruits, maybe even some assassins. But you’re the military. You’re supposed to serve the people. Now you got caught with your hand in the political cookie jar. And guess what? While we were walking, I’ve already passed along the particulars of this incident to my proxy. She’s more than capable of contacting a few news agencies and people with some social clout. What do you think will happen to your career when General Branson is brought in front of the Populators for the charge of interfering with a training program meant to spear-head the coming insanity?” Nero finished with a scowl on his face, while practically spitting his words at a cowed Captain Angelton.
Nick looked like he wanted to be anywhere other than where he was. Ms. Averett was smiling so widely that she looked like she had won the lottery. A stern faced Sergeant Wesker just nodded in agreement.
Nero gave the captain a nod, recognizing the captain’s surrender. “Now we’re going to sit here and wait for the general to arrive. In the meantime, I want you to authorize my access to the hub on site. While it doesn’t seem to have an issue connecting me to the city, I can’t look up anything. I want to review the pertinent laws.”
Captain Angelton looked at Nero with some trepidation. Their staring contest ended when his shoulders slumped and he looked down in defeat. Moments later, Nero felt the link in his pocket offer a connection to the military’s hub.
The group sat in silence as they waited for the general to arrive. Nero spent his time sipping coffee and going over the training regulations. He was also in contact with Vera, who was pointing him toward the sections he had to look up. She was running a tandem investigation with a friend of hers who had some experience with the military’s code of conduct.
Despite all their efforts, it turned out that the general hadn’t technically broken any rules. It was a gray area. Vera proposed that Nero just ask for the spy in question, Rose, to be exiled from Dorchester. That would allow House Walker to save face and to show they wouldn’t be pushed around. Nero didn’t like the idea that she would be treated like a scapegoat. Rose hadn’t actually done anything, and from what Nero could tell, she wasn’t planning on doing anything.
What Nero really needed was to get the general on his side, and for that he would need to re-frame the argument. When you don’t want to talk about one issue, you have to demand to talk about something else. He’d seen politicians do it for years. Nero needed to do some ‘speechifying’.
Around 20 minutes later, the general strode into the room with two aides trailing behind him. He had a look of stern disapproval on his face. Everyone other than Nero shot to their feet, while Nero just offered a gesture to the opposite head of the table and said, “Thank you for joining us. We have a lot to talk about.”
The general sniffed at the disrespect, but took his seat. His aides flanked him and stood at attention, adding to his intimidating appearance. Nero had seen better displays on TV, so he didn’t bat an eye.
The general got comfortable and said, “So I hear you have taken issue with your training? You want to quit?”
Nero just smirked and replied, “If that’s what you’ve heard, I can see why you started recruiting spies from outside the military. Your intelligence gathering needs some work.”
The general’s face contorted in repressed fury. “Alright boy, what’s this about?”
Nero raised an eyebrow and replied, “First, as this isn’t a training environment, it’s Lord Walker to you. Second, it has come to my attention that you hired a former assassin’s apprentice to join my training group with orders to spy on me. Whether or not those were the only orders given is a cause of concern for House Walker. Do you deny it?”
The general’s poker-face was carved from stone as he replied, “I don’t think you should take the word of an assassin over mine. If you have a problem with her being here, I’m more than happy to remove her from the program. Now if that’s all, I have more important things to deal with.” Acting as though the meeting was over, the general started to stand.
Nero smiled and said, “That won’t be necessary. She is now under my protection. You can’t just get rid of her.”
Rose’s face was pale, and she looked like she was facing her execution. Her head whipped to Nero as he spoke, her eyes wide in shock.
The general paused, half standing, and stared at Nero.
Nero leaned back in his chair, and picked up his coffee. “You know general, everyone has things that they hate. They might not admit it. They might just think that they avoid what bothers them. But deep down, they know they hate it. They can try and deny it, find reasons other than hate for their actions, but a lot of the time it boils down to hate,” Nero said as though he was just having a chat with friends. The room sat in silence while Nero took a sip of coffee.
Setting down his cup, Nero leaned forward and his face lost its smile. “One of the things I hate is when people in power abuse their position. Government officials doing dirty deeds and then wiping their hands clean, as if nothing had happened. For me, it’s not the fact that they are using their position for their own ends, it’s the people they negatively impact while doing so. I hate seeing individuals charged with the protection of the people ignore that duty for petty gains,” said Nero, his voice cold and hard.
Raising his hand, he gestured to Rose. “She was a hunter. When she found out that she was being asked to partake in an assassination, she protested. She was a hunter. You offered her a chance to be an elite monster hunter, at a time when Dorchester needs all the hunters it can get. She was a hunter. You told her that she had to spy in order to hunt. She was a hunter. Do you see where I’m going with this?” he asked.
The general’s face was pulled tight, his neck muscles trembling in anger. He said, “I didn’t make her an assassin, or a spy. I just offered her an opportunity. There are several spies for noble houses in this program, one more hardly matters. I know for a fact that all of them are under orders to only report on your training, nothing more. You’re in no danger from them.”
Nero slapped his hand on the table, and said, “Now we’re talking! So since she’s found out, you’re just going to ‘disappear’ her somewhere and wash your hands of it. How very ‘noble’ of you.”
The general put his hands on the table and stood up. He shouted in anger, “I wasn’t going to kill her! I was just going to send her to another unit. What kind of soldier do you think I am?”
Nero didn’t seem intimidated, and shouted right back, “I think you’re the kind of soldier who places a spy in a training program to watch how a new noble progresses. The kind of soldier who skirts the rules for ‘the greater good’. One who is so used to dealing with politicians that he has become one.”
Nero’s words were like hammers on the general’s psyche. Everyone in the room could feel it. While most people shrank into their seats, Ms. Averett was still smiling, enjoying the show.
The general straightened his tabard and returned to his seat. In a tight voice he said, “I’m sorry you feel that way. How do you wish to proceed?”
Nero took a moment to stare at the general. After judging his ‘stick’ a success, now it was time for the ‘carrot’.
“I suggest you return to your roots. This world is all about growth, right? You were a soldier. No one becomes a general without having once served with all their heart. With what Dorchester is facing, it’s time to put aside the games of nobility and face the coming storm as a soldier once again,” Nero said with some heat in his voice.
Confused faces looked at Nero as he stood up and placed his hands on the table like a leader addressing his troops.
“Send away the spies, and bring in people who are here for the same reason we are. We are training to eliminate the threats from outside Dorchester. That needs to be our focus. Offer Rose the position you promised her, and do right by your soldier. Train us to meet the challenge we’ve chosen to face,” Nero spoke clearly and concisely.
He could see the general firming in his seat. All of the military men were sitting a little straighter. Nero knew that anyone in uniform will respond to a good pre-game speech.
Standing up straight, Nero raised his chin and tried to look as distinguished as possible. “In short, be the general that you know you should be. I read the knights code. I know every officer in Dorchester has to face the trials of knighthood and speak the oath of service. Live up to your pledge and face all enemies both inside and outside these walls! Let no noble stand in the way of your duty to the people you’ve sworn to protect!” Nero was nearly shouting as he finished.
The general looked like he was straining to sit still. Even his aides were nearly vibrating in place. The military men were sitting at attention like they were listening to Churchill shout ‘Never Surrender’. Nero knew it was time to bring it home.
Snapping to attention and offering a salute, Nero read the knight’s pledge he had brought up on his link. His voice loud and clear, he said, “I will stand in front of the innocent, for my struggle is with the guilty. I will allow no evil to taint my soul, for my struggle is with the corrupt. I am never alone, for I am one of many.” As Nero spoke, all of the military men shot to their feet and saluted. Every one of them joining their voices to Nero’s as he continued, “We stand on the walls and face the wilds, for we know our purpose. We are the Knights of Oglivarch, and civilization is our charge. My Body. My Mind. My Soul. I know who I am. My center is Respect. My Center is Duty. My center is Me. I am a Knight of Oglivarch, and I shall not fail.” They were all nearly shouting by the end.
Rather than let an awkward silence descend, Nero looked at the proud soldiers standing at attention and said, “That is how I wish to move forward general.” Turning to his left, he continued, “Sergeant Wesker, I believe we still have some time for close-quarters combat. And I know that I have a great deal to learn.” After receiving a nod from a stern faced Wesker, Nero turned back to the general and said, “I’ll let you do what you think is right. For now, I believe my training group has an appointment with training ring 2. May we be excused, Sir?” Nero’s eyes were alight with fire, his expression as stern as a 14 year old’s could be.
The general was psyched. He looked like he was ready to face a wyvern in single combat. Staring across the table, he locked eyes with Nero and said, “Your excused Lord Walker. Train well, and bring destruction to our enemies.”
Giving the general a firm nod, followed by a small smirk, Nero turned on his heel and walked out of the room. As the rest of Nero’s training group stood up to follow him, they heard Nero from outside the door. “Come along Sarge, no one’s kicked my ass today and it’s almost lunch. I better be crying by dinner or I’ll make you talk to the general again.”
One of the aides burst into laughter, but quickly stifled it. “Sorry Sir,” he said, then followed it up with a cough.
Nick and Rose just left without making eye contact with anyone, while Ms. Averett was nearly skipping with joy. The remaining military men looked as if they were struggling to choose an emotion. Pride in their purpose was warring with their confusion as to what just happened. Standing there at the table, they all just looked at each other.
The general was the one to break the silence with a wide smile on his face. “Sergeant Wesker, you heard Lord Walker. I don’t think he’s bluffing, so you’d better get to it. Captain Angelton, you stay. We’ve got some changes to make. I’ll be damned if I let some useless nobles interfere with our troops.”
Sergeant Wesker and Captain Angelton snapped off a salute and shouted, “Yes, Sir!”
As the sergeant ran after his recruits, the general sat down and said, “That young man is something, isn’t he?”
Captain Angelton muttered, “I wish he would be a little less of whatever that something is.”
The same aid stifled another burst of laughter. “Sorry Sir. Won’t happen again,” he said as he tried, but failed, to look serious.
