Path of the Necromancer - FACTION WARS

Chapter 4.3 - Ian

Whatever way he looked at it, Ian kept coming up with the same answer. The Tiandihui were the first to understand they didn't need to fight to win. Long had cut away at the Sponsors profits by doing some 'sponsoring' of his own. The vampires bled the Kin while he sat smug and watched as Chancellor Palpetine cracked the whip, stripping their fresh from bone. The Sponsors didn't raise a finger over the prospect of splitting a family up. They only raised a token objection when their bottom line could have been affected.

Long's hungry glee befell the two Animists- "Hey," Ember barged into his darkening aura with a kick. "Pay attention." The flame of her crimson eyes an intense glower. "While you had your head in your ass, Archie over here," Blowing a kiss his way, "Makes a point that includes you."

"Don't sound so surprised, Sugar-tits," Grim said while puffing out his chest. "I'm always pulling great ideas out my ass, ya'll just never listen."

"Fine, oh great Fat-Ass, please bestow upon us your wisdom." Ember mocked.

"I said; it's one thing to want a war, it's another to maintain it."

"... So? That's probably why there's all these low level brawls all over the place. Everyone's exhausted, but still squabbling over petty shit."

"And that's where you come into it." Ember stated. A moment passed. Then another. When it became clear that he wasn't putting the pieces together fast enough. "Genius! That's why the Bureau let you in!"

Upon room inspection, it appeared Ian wasn't the only one failing to follow along. "Let him into what?" Eris asked.

Ember rolled her eyes insufferably. "How else are they going to prop up all these little Factions?"

The room blinked as one.

"Wait! Hold on here," Dani shot forward in her chair, hands upheld for silence. "You think the Inquisition are in on all this?"

"That's the easiest one." Ember said while stretching her arms and back out, fingers interlocked and palms to the ceiling. "Why do you think they let you in, or took you off their wanted list? The Night Watch needed a Mage, and badly. So, they bent their rules to suit the situation."

'There goes my plan of getting Sarah's force more funding.' He thought. Every single fucking time he came up with something, someone else came along and shattered it. Dani looked devastated by the revelation; yet while this latest turn seemed to crush her, it galvanised him.

Recalling the hard working cop brought with it images of Rachel, which he immediately pushed away. He didn't want to think about... what had happened between them.

Elements of what Sarah told him started to slip together. Those nameless Agents that came to her precinct... they weren't there just to cover up the magical bloopers the normies found out about, they were making sure the status-quo was maintained.

Then he frowned. Sarah seemed like the type who wanted to solve every riddle, even if it buried her. That was blatantly obvious. So then why didn't the Bureau take her on? Then Ember's words from the nights before came floating back at him. 'just make sure you're not making too many assumptions.'

"Aww, did you really think you'd get justice from them?" The patronising cheek pat sold her condescension nicely. "Grow up. They're in it for themselves."

"What was I supposed to do?" Dani shot back. "It's not like I could just, go join the Shifters on their island."

"Heh," Ian slipped a single huff. "I think you'd fit right in. They seem to be all about the militant and strongly independent attitude."