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"Henrik was just following orders!" Victor shouted across the room at Sylvestor.
He retorted with, "Those orders became null as soon as Ardid faked his death. If he had wanted you to follow those orders, he would not have relinquished his position as Guildmaster in such a way."
Lorelis nodded her head quietly. Her black hair fell about her face as she did so, hiding her disappointed expression. She did not speak, but the other officers had already noted that she was offended by the entire ordeal, and most likely would not speak for the remainder of the trial.
Ardid, Arvur, and Henrik stood silently in the center of the hall. Arvur stood cautiously beside Ardid, while Henrik was shuffling his feet back and forth anxiously. The Council had been arguing, just as they always did, and it brought a bit of reassurance to him.
Victor saw Lorelis' nod and was ready to shout her way when Claude's hand halted him. "That's enough, Victor. I would have followed the order as well. And you would have, too."
The Defense Division officer scoffed and sat back in his Seat. "Whatever you say, Claude, but this is clearly far more than just an order from a higher-up."
Claude shifted his gaze from the enraged officer to the three men below. "Ardid, I believe you owe us an explanation more than anyone else. So, pray tell."
Ardid's eyes were locked with Claude's. The silence between the two spurred a friction in the air unlike any that had been felt in the Grand Council Hall before. With a sigh, Ardid broke that silence, but the friction was stagnant. "Claude Faute, Guildmaster of the Council of Virtuous Parley, Successor to Ardid, former Guildmaster of the Council of Virtuous Parley." He stated the title as if it were supposed to mean something to Claude, but Claude did not react. He only waited for Ardid to continue.
"When I passed that title to you, Claude, I expected you to bring the guild out of the chaos that it had fallen into, and here you are, dragging it right back into that chaos." He took a step forward, raising his voice as he spoke. "I risked everything to put you in that position, and yet, you shifted. You shifted right back into the place that I had pushed you away from."
Claude was growing frustrated, and he stood from the High Seat. Placing his hands on the railing in front of his podium, he stared down at Ardid. "Without specific orders to stay away from whatever place you're speaking of, you, of all people, should have known that I would not keep my distance. Either way, I've no idea what you're speaking about, so why don't you be a little more specific?"
Ardid lowered his face and turned towards Arvur and Henrik. "Do you remember that day? Henrik, I ordered you to keep silent about the faking of my death, and you stood strong. Arvur, you went in my place to my grave. You faced the fires that were meant for me, and you survived. Do you both know how grateful I am to you?"
The two stood cautiously in front of Ardid and smiled. "We are forever indebted to you, as well," Arvur said, "but you still owe me more." The two laughed at the jest, and Henrik joined in, "Claude enjoys poking and prodding all day long, every day, so you can only imagine how hard of a time I had keeping your secret!"
Ardid smiled and patted his shoulder, "You did well, Henrik, old friend. Now, though, it has all been for nothing, and I apologize for that."
Arvur and Henrik bowed their heads silently, accepting the apology. Ardid turned back to Claude and began to spin his tale. "Claude, when I found you, you were a slave. You were helpless and insignificant to everyone around you. However, the same cannot be said for me. When I found you, I had completed more than just the recovery mission that I had been assigned by your brother. I completed a mission of my own."
Ardid paced back and forth in front of the High Seat, not making eye contact with Claude, who was silently watching him pace. "I had been searching for an heir -- a successor, of sorts. And when I found you, I knew that you were the one. You were emotionless and completely immune to provocation. You were physically fit and obedient. Who else would contain all of the qualities to make a perfect Guildmaster?
"It had been my plan from the start to mold you into the Guildmaster of the century. You were to be the greatest that the Council had ever seen! You have not disappointed me, and I do not believe that you ever will." He turned to face Claude once more, staring into his eyes.
"As the current Guildmaster of the Council of Virtuous Parley, Claude, you should be able to decipher my intentions. You, of all people, should have been able to understand why I took such drastic measures to relinquish my position as Guildmaster."
Claude's expression was critical and analytic. He did not seem to react to the bold accusation; however, on the inside, he was a mental wreck. His mind was examining all of the different possibilities that could have urged Ardid to fake his own death. None of the possibilities that he thought of came to the surface as plausible to him.
Ardid did not wait for Claude to give an answer, continuing with his explanation instead. "Even now, I cannot tell you the specifics that you are searching for. However, I will explain to you the situation that you are now a part of."
Claude turned away and stepped back to his podium. Facing Ardid again, he waved for him to continue. Perspiration was brimming on his white brows. This was the explanation that he had so anxiously waited for.
Ardid began to pace again as he spoke, "Before Arvur faked my death, the guild was on the verge of collapse. Last night's excursion had not been the first time that I had been face to face with an assassin of such high caliber. At one point, the assassination attempts became too dangerous for me to even be around the other guild members.
"I distance myself several times, and I even put distance between the two of us," he said, gesturing at Claude. "I cannot tell you exactly why I was targeted -- whether it was then or now. You will understand with time. However, at the rate that things had been going, I would have caused far too much destruction to the guild if I had stayed."
Claude struggled to compose himself. He raised his voice and began to question Ardid. "If that's the case, then why did you not ask the Intelligence and Defense Division for assistance in locating the organization behind the attacks? Didn't you have any sense of morality? How would you have known that the attacks would stop once you were gone? Were you so self-centered that you could only imagine yourself being attacked? I could have been next!"
Ardid sighed and waited for Claude to finish before speaking again, "The men that I had appointed to the investigation into the assassination attempts were all killed. When I replaced those men, they were killed as well. After the third batch of investigators were killed, I had lost all hope of receiving assistance with the matter."
Victor nodded his head solemnly, remembering that there was an attack on the guild hall that had resulted in the death of several of his men. They had been posted with the Intelligence Division troops by order of Ardid himself.
Ardid continued with his briefing. "Again, I cannot provide you with the explanation that you are so desperately searching for, but I can tell you that the attacks at Port 4-C and Port 2-B were related. You have brought yourself into a ring of assassinations, boy. You are, most likely, a target, now that you have intervened."
Claude's eyes narrowed as he heard the words leave Ardid's mouth. "What are you not telling me, Old Man?"
Ardid smiled wryly, watching as Claude grew flustered. "You will learn in due time. However, you will not be able to protect yourself or the guild without your fourth officer." He raised his left hand to Henrik as he made the statement, then continued to speak, "Of course, it will be difficult to proceed any further without mine and Arvur's knowledge of the situation, as well."
Claude gripped the podium, clearly frustrated. "Henrik, return to your Seat. Ardid and Arvur, I trust that you will share your knowledge of the Port 4-C and 2-B attacks. If you do not, the Council here will decide your fate, as per the Dozen Dicta."
Ardid nodded silently, accepting the terms. "I will not disappoint you, young master. After all, I wouldn't want my beloved successor being the target of a crazed organization, would I?"
Claude ignored the comment, and turned from one side of the room to the other. He sighed loudly, letting out all of his frustration in one large breath. "Members of the Grand Council of Virtuous Parley, all in favor of putting their knowledge to use, say so, or hold your tongue."
The proposition was passed by a three-to-two vote, making Ardid and Arvur official Council of Virtuous Parley information brokers. A room was made for the two men and was put under guard all night and day. The two were not to leave the room without authorization, and they were forbidden from leaving the guild hall.
Claude kept his distance from the two men, attempting to air out his frustration with the entire situation before he made contact with them once more. Claude did not know Arvur. The man was a secret known only to Ardid, which was why Arvur was able to fake Ardid's death so well. The two were twins, but Arvur's scars and experiences must have aged him much faster than his brother.
Sighing quietly, Claude continued to walk down the hallway. He was not certain where he was headed, so he just continued to walk, passing dorms, offices, and he eventually wound up in the Council Library. This was the storeroom of sorts for the Archiving Division.
When he stepped inside, he saw one of the librarians stocking the shelves and another librarian at the desk. The one at the desk stood at attention when he saw Claude pass through the two white, wooden doors. "Claude, sir, w-welcome to the Council Library! How may I help you?"
The worker's flustered attitude frustrated Claude, but he waved the librarian away, ignoring his question. He stepped further into the library and took in the sights. The room was incredibly long and octagonal. As he stepped into the center of the room, he could see that he was surrounded by shelves, and, looking up, he could see the glass window three floors above. Sunlight was pouring down into the room, illuminating the shelves and the books on them.
He could also see the different staircases that led to the other two floors above, where shelves were lining the walls. The library was an immense base of knowledge, and the Archiving Division was responsible for it all. Claude had realized that when he was younger. He relived his memories of walking up the steps, which seemed immensely smaller now that he was older.
When he reached the third floor, he stepped onto the bridge that spanned the center of the room. He looked up at the large glass window above him and watched as the clouds passed the guild hall by. He was so absorbed by the spectacle before him that he jumped when Sylvestor's hand fell onto his shoulder.
"I wasn't scared, I was just... surprised," he explained before Sylvestor could say anything about Claude's odd jump.
"Well, it's equally difficult to surprise you, so I won't complain," Sylvestor said, closing the book in his left hand. He straightened his glasses with his right hand and then clasped the two together behind his back. "You seem stressed, Claude. Is it the Ardid and Arvur matter?"
Claude leaned his back on the railing and looked up at the clouds again. "I suppose you could say that," he said. He was frustrated that his stress was so clear to the people around him.
"Well, I cannot say that reinstating Henrik was the best idea. However, your plan has evolved since the start. Just a few days ago, you were spouting about how you'll make money off of a shipment that hadn't even arrived yet, and now you're talking about assassinations and murder. It seems you've come a long way in just a few days." Sylvestor leaned against the opposite railing, sitting the book in his hand on it carefully. Once his hands were free, he straightened his crimson silk robe and tightened his belt gently.
Claude lowered his head to face him and watched as he straightened his robe. His short, black hair curled around his scalp and his glasses were beginning to slip off of his nose again, revealing his blue eyes. "Despite how much progress I have made, I feel as if I keep returning to the start. Especially now that I realize I know nothing as to what's going on in this guild."
Sylvestor nodded silently, straightening his glasses once more. He crossed his arms and looked up to the clouds. Seeing one that resembled an anchor, he began to attempt to lecture Claude. "While, yes, the guild has been keeping secrets from you, it is also true that you need the guild. And, without a doubt, it needs you as well. I believe that you and the guild keep each other in place, anchored to the ground, so that neither you nor the guild float away to an unsavory place."
He placed his hands behind him again, and sighed gently. "I do realize that Ardid meant a lot to you, and when he died, you must have been crushed. However, it's time to recover from that and accept the situation that you are in now. You are the Guildmaster now, and he is the former Guildmaster."
Claude looked at the ground and shifted his feet. "Indeed..." his voice trailed off after that one word. He had to react quickly when Sylvestor tossed the book on the railing to him. He caught the book in his hands and felt the momentum carry it to his chest. "You throw hard for a librarian," Claude taunted.
"Books are a lot of work, you know. Anyway, I found that after the trial, this morning. Give it a look, and you might like what you find." With that, Sylvestor stepped away, wandering down the steps to the floors below.
Claude looked down at the book in his hands and took in its features. The binding was leather and the book was thin, like a journal that someone had kept. It was extremely old, Claude could tell. The paper within its cover was yellowed and not well-kept. Turning it over in his hand, he read the title.
Ardid of the Council of Virtuous Parley,
by Lelantos III
 Ty-Harukii · Thu Jul 13, 2017 @ 12:33am · 0 Comments |
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