Jonathon Worthington: Strangelight Investigator

Case #18: The Mystery of the Purloined Past (Chapter 13)

"Begging your pardon, captain, but you're out of your bloody mind," Jannis blurted out. I had to give the bosun credit; it took real courage to say such a thing to me with Orsch and Aria standing so close to him.

Courage, yes. Wisdom? Sadly, not so much.

"Careful, fatman," Kerne rumbled, coiling a length of rope to clear the deck. "Even if the slave and tart don't toss you overboard for backtalking the captain, I will. I might be aiming to kill him soon, but the Deadeye is still my skull-brother. Best not be forgetting that."

"Sorry, sirrah, no disrespect intended," Jannis hastened to say, trying to hold off his own execution. "I just meant, that old colossal ain't going nowhere. You don't know what kind of shape it's in! The thing is more rust than iron these days; the sea ain't done it any good turns."

"I have seen it. There's no doubt in my mind about what he's doing," I sighed, bringing back the memory from earlier. I'd assumed the glow of arcane energies coursing through its framework was the remnant of the massive sorcerous effort that powered the iron giants during the rebellion six centuries ago. I'd been a fool. The energies I'd seen had been far too strong, too potent, to be anything other than a fresh working of magical energies.

"Captain, not to put too fine a point on it, but ... who cares? I mean, it ain't none of our business, really," Bertran opined, his wrinkled features folded into what was supposed to be an apologetic smile. "I mean, even if you're right, why should we care what the little madman does with the corpses we bring him?"

Before I could answer Aria stepped forward, a dangerous snarl on her lips as she locked eyes with the Advocate of Thamar. "Just how stupid are you, old man?"

"Pardon, miss?"

"Tell me something: if Five Fingers is attacked by a hundred-foot tall amalgam of flesh and metal, bearing the earmarks of necromechanikal tinkering, how do you think that will affect the operations of Cryxian agents in the area? Five Fingers is the single reliable port of call that the Nightmare Empire has for landing subversive agents such as Captain Elliot here on the mainland. The operations within the continent have not yet come far enough to risk such a brazen and open attack."

"Indeed," Orsch nodded in agreement. "If the goblin is allowed to continue with his plans the authorities will be alerted past the point of bribe or trickery to our presence and infiltration. A crackdown would follow, and, in the worst case scenario, the Iron Kingdoms might become alerted to the true threat the Cryxian legions pose to Immoren. As long as they continue to underestimate the strength of the Dragonfather's forces we are relatively safe to operate and expand our influence. Give the living monarchies proof of our power, and they will set aside their differences to unite against us."

"Again, though, how is that our responsibility?"

"Advocate Bertran," I said, exasperated. "I know Thamarites are supposed to uphold the ideals of pure self-interest; oh, don't look at me like that, we all know what you are. As I was saying, while I know that the Dark Twin encourages you to think of your own hide before anyone else's, what do you think will happen to you, and this ship's crew, when it is discovered they played a key role in destroying the precarious balance of secrecy that allows Cryxian forces to operate here?"

Bertran and the others blanched at the prospect. Orsch nodded in agreement.

"Precisely, sir. Although I am sure, what with the legendary humanitarian mercy the Nightmare Empire is known for, that the crew's inadvertent transgression would not doom every single one of them to a painful end beneath the blades of the necrotechs, nor would their souls serve as so much kindling for the furnaces of the helljacks. Surely such kind and understanding lords of pain as the servants of the Dragonfather would let you off with a warning to be more careful in the future, rather than any form of terminal punishment."