[Rivus]

Rivus could not think of a time when he wanted to be somewhere else more desperately than he did at this moment. December had arrived hours ago, and that in itself was a bad omen. Nothing good ever happened when December was around. Ever since Rivus had made his deal with the crooked jewel-trader he had been on edge. One mistake after another had pushed Rivus to think that December would kill him any day now. First there was that traitor Minis that Rivus had allowed into the Night's Bloom. Then his men had failed to protect December on his trip to Bephal last month. Then Author Hendragon had escaped. December simply did not tolerate failure, and Rivus had absolutely no idea why he was still alive. Perhaps today was the day December wanted to correct the matter.

December had wanted a room. A large room. Of course, there were few such places in the underground catacombs that the Night's Bloom currently occupied. He said as much to December, who promptly suggested that Rivus give up his spacious personal quarters. Rivus agreed reluctantly, and had his men clean the place out. He sent Hars to procure a table and some chairs. His second-in-command returned an hour later with a huge wooden table and several assorted chairs. The huge fighter hefted the rectangular table single-handedly, as if it were a sack of potatoes. Rivus marveled at his friend's strength, and decided not to ask where he had stolen the table from.

The room was set up to December's specifications, and then the guests began to arrive.

The first was a slim, sneaky-looking rogue dressed in a fur-lined coat. Rivus envied the man... he was the only one dressed appropriately for a meeting with December. He made a note to have Hars steal some coats.

Next was a short chubby man that introduced himself as Lovvorn. He was dressed in the most outlandishly-colored mage's robe that Rivus had ever seen. He looked like an over-fed court jester. Rivus would have remembered him even if it weren't for his clothes, as Lovvorn was the only one who had bothered to introduce himself.

Next was what Rivus had originally assumed was a zombie of some kind. Tall... VERY tall... and so thin that Rivus could clearly see the outlines of the man's bones through his leathery brown skin. The man was completely naked except for a large cloth wrapped around his waist. He smiled at Rivus, and the thief almost lost control of his bladder. The man's teeth had all been filed down into needle-sharp points. Rivus gulped and looked away.

Bringing up the rear was J'Hasp. Rivus turned his head as soon as he saw the creature approaching. He simply hated the sight of the pale creature; It made him nauseous. J'Hasp did not follow the others down the hallway to the meeting room. Instead, he stood directly in front of Rivus until he got the nervous thief's attention.

"W-What?" said Rivus out of the side of his mouth. He still would not look directly at the creature.

"Masster ssays you are to attend." hissed J'Hasp

"Yes, I know." replied Rivus

"Harssss Alsso."

"What?"

"Masster ssayss Harsss iss to attend alssso."

"Hars?"

J'Hasp nodded. His globular head bobbed up and down several times. Then he turned, climbed up the sheer rock wall of the hallway, and continued onward toward the meeting room. He was walking on the ceiling. His motions were as deft and sure as if he had been on solid ground; and his long prehensile tail swished through the air behind him. Rivus watched the creature disappear down the dark corridor.

"Hars?" he said aloud.

What would he want Hars for? Unless he thought Hars could do a better job running the Night's Bloom than I can...

Rivus went to fetch Hars and together they walked silently to the meeting.

---

The group sat around the large rectangular table, except for J'Hasp who was curled up in a corner. The room was dimly lit by a single lantern suspended from the ceiling just above the table. The effect was that almost everything outside of the table and chairs was cloaked in shadow. As normal for any room in which December was present, the temperature hovered just above freezing.

Rivus sneezed loudly as soon as he stepped in. All eyes turned to him, and followed him as he and Hars took their seats.

December sat at the head of the table, and as soon as Rivus and Hars were settled, he spoke:

"Thank you for joining us, gentlemen." he said, "allow me to introduce some of my other associates. Eric Hood..."

Eric nodded at Hars and Hars smiled back. Rivus wondered if the two men knew each other from somewhere.

"...Lovvorn..."

Rivus noted that the loudly dressed mage seemed to be glowing slightly. A faint red aura surrounded him. Rivus correctly assumed that it was probably some spell to resist the cold.

"...and N'Doki."

The tall zombie-like man nodded at Rivus and Hars.

"The two latecomers are Rivus and Hars. Rivus is the leader the Night's Bloom, the band of miscreants whose headquarters we currently occupy. Hars is his second in command."

There was a pause as everyone stared at each other for a few moments. Rivus noticed that from his position at the table he had a perfect view of both N'Doki and J'Hasp. His stomach turned.

"Now it is time to get down to business. Eric?"

"I've been canvassing the area, just like you said. Testing out the merchants... picking up information. There are some major players here. Most of the storekeepers are paying protection money to any number of people. There are only a few that haven't been hit or driven off."

"Those would be the trouble-makers. Who are they?"

"The Dragon's Inn, for one. Then there's the PanDemonica. Nobody even knows who owns-"

"We shall leave the PanDemonica alone. It's owner and I have a... mutual respect for each other. Who else?"

"The Inbreedee Inn, run by a guy named Sottie."

"Hmmm... worth looking into. Who else?"

"Just some assorted merchants-"

"Who is the major element here? Besides me."

"Most everybody pays a guy named Fletcher."

"Who does he work for?"

"A man named Damion Sinterbourne. Strictly local, no ties outside of Montfort. Never seen him, though I hear he keeps a high profile. Likes to show off, not hard to find at all."

"What else does this Damion Sinterbourne control? Drugs? Prostitution?"

"He's a major buyer of foosh, though I can't find any signs of a distribution network. He takes it in but nobody knows what he does with it."

"Perhaps he has a habit that can be exploited."

"Nobody does THAT much foosh, sir."

December nodded. "If Sinterbourne is a businessman, then he must be using it for something that profits him. Find out what that is. "

Hars cleared his throat loudly at the end of the table.

"Yes," said December.

"Sinterboure runs a type of... gambling operation. Like an arena, only the gladiators are amateurs. Men fight wild animals and sometimes each other. People pay to watch and then place bets."

"That's ridiculous," said Eric, "who would pay to see a man torn apart by animals?"

"Not many, but there are a lot of people who'd pay to see an animal torn apart by a man."

"What kind of animals?" asked December. "Old? Weak? Sick?"

"Healthy, strong and savage. Bears. Tigers. Giant serpents..."

"And the men?"

"Nobodies. Not a trained fighter in the bunch. Sometimes they fight with no weapons."

"And these men win?"

"The men win just often enough to make for a good show."

"So how is it that you know all of this," injected Eric.

"I've been there. You'd be surprised at the people you see... not who you'd expect. The price of admission is steep; I had to rob three people just to get enough money to get in."

"Hmmm..." said December, "I need to know EXACTLY who attends these fights. Perhaps there are men in attendance who would not want their bloodthirst revealed to the general public. I would also like to know EXACTLY how an untrained, unarmed man can defeat a wild beast. Look into this, Eric"

"Yes, sir, Mr. December."

"N'Doki. What have your... agents... uncovered? Who controls magic in Montfort?"

"Dere are many secrets here, December." N'Doki's voice made Rivus's ears hurt. "De spirits find many powers dat play against each odder. De Grey Mansion is one of de greatest of dese. De spirits could not penetrate deir defenses on de first try."

"The Grey Mansion is quite powerful, indeed. Hopefully they will stay out of my affairs until I have established enough of a power base to resist them. What else?"

"Many tings, December. Too many to name, but none are a t'reat to you."

"The Undercity?"

N'Doki sat motionless for a moment.

"Tell me of the Undercity, N'Doki."

"Dere is a great evil down dere December. De spirits I send... dey did not return. I sensed a darkness dat I haf never encountered in de mortal realms before. It is a very bad ting dat dwells in de city under Montfort."

"This bears further investigation."

"Perhaps de Undercity should be left alone, December."

"If there is power there, I will no more about it. Then I will control it... or destroy it."

"Do not underestimate de forces dat live dere, December. Day may be too much for even you."

"And you of all people should know the inherent danger in underestimating ME."

"Yes. I do."

"The Undercity shall be explored and exploited, but later. For now, find out as much as you can without sending more spirits and without going there yourself. Someone on the surface must know something about it. Find them."

"Yes, December."

"Lovvorn"

"huh? uh- yes?" Lovvorn's speech was somewhat slow and slurred It occurred to Rivus that the man was slightly drunk.

"Have you seen to the matter that I assigned to you?"

"Yes. Those two are toast."

"No, Lovvorn. The OTHER matter."

"Huh? OH! Oh, yes!" Lovvorn reached into and inside pocked of his robe and pulled out two small discs. Coins. They looked silver, but Rivus didn't recognize the markings. Lovvorn placed the coins on the table and slid them down to December. December picked them up and examined them.

"Excellent." he said. He then passed the coins down to Rivus and Hars. On closer inspection, Rivus found that the coins were inscribed with tiny runes on one side, the reverse face bore the diamond-shaped mark of December. The metal wasn't silver, and it didn't appear to be white gold either.

"Is this made of what I think it is?" whispered Rivus to Hars.

Hars shrugged.

"Those are for you." said December.

"What is it?" said Rivus, "You got your own currency now?"

"It is not money, you cretin. Everyone carries them." December nodded and Eric, Lovvorn, and N'Doki all produced similar coins. Rivus wondered where N'Doki kept his, since he was almost naked...

"What are they?" asked Hars.

"A lot of things." said Lovvorn. "But most importantly, it's a means to summon help. You push the big rune on the front and it summons the rest of us."

"How?" said Rivus.

"I'm a mage, you idiot; you wouldn't even begin to understand how. Just push the big rune, and a little while later reinforcements arrive. That's all you need to know. It does other things, too, but..." Lovvorn shot a worried glance at December. December shook his head slightly, and Lovvorn sat back in his seat and remained silent.

"Welcome to my organization, gentlemen. The coins are a symbol of your allegiance to me. Keep them with you at all times. I expect you to give me your best, and to never question my commands. Do not fail me. Do not disappoint me. Live by my words, and you will be richly rewarded. Betray me..." December left his sentence unfinished. Rivus and Hars knew how it ended anyway. They both nodded in agreement and placed the coins in their pockets.

December addressed the entire table: "Some of you have your assignments. The others will wait for my commands. They will come soon enough; things will begin to move quickly. This meeting is adjourned."

[To Be Continued]