It would take a while for Egil to make sense of what he just heard about demons and their history. Are they actually a younger race than humans? That's really interest.
Unfortunately, time was something they just ran out of.
Motoko communicated an image of a spider's web over the link, followed by a cursory outline of the library's entrance hall. He and Aziza hurried over to the area.
"Jesus Christ!" Egil exclaimed. The 'spider's web' image was meant to be interpreted very literally. The ropes from her weapon existed everywhere... wrapped around pillars and the occasional statue. Their sheer number suggested overkill.
The phase walker took on the appearance of a giant spider, whose long legs dangled on either side of the newly captured intruder. From the build, it looked male. Blonde. Upside down. Legs splayed outwards. Arms in unnatural angles behind him. There were also two ropes stacked over his eyes. Motoko, you kink demon.
"Egil?"
Egil's breath caught in his throat. He knew that voice. "Look for other trespassers!" He sent over the demon link. He also redirected all clockworks to observe the grounds.
Motoko and Aziza, you two stay here.
"...Lindir." There was no point in dancing around the topic; Lindir was smart enough to know he figured it out. However, if Anya could 180 and join Jack, then Lindir would be even more of a liability.
Lindir was a more classic case of the 'summoner personality.' He'll make choices while being completely obvious to the possibility that they might trigger undesirable ripples. Anya didn't even suffer from that.
"This bitch is crazy! Let me down!"
Motoko might not know English, but she gleaned enough, and gave a slight tug on the rope, leading to a loud popping noise from Lindir's bones. The elf screamed and convulsed wildly.
He'll survive the night, but Egil did... not... trust him.
"Why!?" He yelled.
Egil switched over to 'cold bastard' mode. He didn't trust this guy. "Where's your harem?"
"My what?"
"Your incubi."
"I have a wife you know."
You idiot. You never reveal the existence of family to a fugitive captor.
Additionally, I thought he only batted for one team. "I asked about the incubi. Where are they?"
"I told them to hold back. I wasn't sure what to expect here." The elf struggled.
Demons, keep looking! "How did you figure out I was alive?"
The elf now struggled more, realizing this meeting wasn't going to involve 'shooting the shit.'
"The..." He started through gritted teeth. "...news from the market. Everyone said it was propaganda, but I knew your body was never found. It wasnt hard to put two and two together. Im surprised not more people have."
"Who else knows about this library?"
"Everyone will know... sooner or later." He said through his struggles. Reading his tone, that wasn't a taunt, that was intended to be 'stating the obvious.'
"That's not what I asked." Egil made another plucking motion; while queuing a follow-up in his mind.
Motoko responded in kind. Another pop. Another shriek.
The elf gasped. "Ok! Ok! My incubi know. That's it!"
"Why did you say everyone will know?"
"Jack! He's burning each of the libraries to the ground. I assume you'd be using one. Since you didn't react to the burnings in the north, I decided to check out the south. Eventually, he's going to come for this one."
Suddenly, one of the clockworks relayed its vision to Egil. Three humanoids, naratu running towards them.
Gargoyle! Hashir! Get ready to waste them.
"Tell your incubi to stand down, before I have them set on fire."
"God damnit! They picked up on the pain."
The three humanoids stopped in their tracks.
"Don't hurt them!" The elf pleaded.
Egil softened... slightly. "Don't worry, they're fine as long as things stay nice and boring. Im not trusting anyone though." Shit. If Anya staged an assault on this place, we'd all be fucked.
"Why are you being like this?" The elf asked.
"Why did you decide to come here?"
"To warn you. People might love me, but they really *hate* you."
Egil pinched the ridge of his nose. Lindir by all accounts, was probably the least liked member of this guild's chapter. Egil was more like a ghost: not quite around long enough to form an opinion.
Sure, Jack wanted him dead for... what...? Daring to be a summoner? The guild pressed Egil into service; he didn't really apply and go through the rigorous vetting process... hence the few times he was also assassinated. Ok... getting off track.
"Where's Anya?" Fake question.
"I don't know! Working with Jack."
"WHY!?" Real question.
"I don't know!" Lame answer.
"Have you had contact with Anya?"
"No."
"Why? You were both out there that night."
"Jack turned on me." No shit. "Saatvik took me aside and stated he was investigating Jack's destruction of the city. Wait... do you know who Saatvik is?"
"Im asking the questions." This, was an interrogation. If Egil answered any of Lindir's questions, he could wind up accidentally giving away what the team's been up to.
"Why did you and Anya take two opposing sides after I disappeared?"
He knew on some level Anya and Lindir had a rivalry. Anya acted with a certain degree of impunity. At the time, it benefitted Egil, so he didn't care. However, Egil also made an effort to remain on friendly terms with Lindir... despite a lot of other summoners not really caring about being dicks.
It was actually Lindir's efforts to undermine Anya's authority, that led to the Jack takeover, and the sudden change in the Overseer's behavior. Hmmm... Anya might be playing her own game.
...why is nobody on anyone else's side!? This in-fighting is killing us!
The elf answered: "Jack started enacting crazier policies. He's managed to make enemies of the church and the mages guild. I think the occupiers are also pissed at him, but I don't know for sure.
I began openly protesting the actions, and stated I refused to work with anyone who would wreck the city as badly as he did."
...again, one of the big reasons Egil couldn't trust Lindir: he made the protest without realizing that it was actually worse than anything Egil had done to end up Jack's and the Overseer's collective shit list. Lindir could just as easily turn on Egil, and then be 'surprised' when Egil put a hit on him... and his demons.
The really sad irony: most of Egil's problems were actually caused by the fallout of Lindir's earlier actions. He hadn't forgotten that. Once again: 'friendly terms,' but definitely not trustworthy.
...the elf continued. "Jack and the Overseer turned on me. Anya stated I don't understand the summoners." Yeah, that's pretty accurate. "By this point Saatvik began his own investigations into Jack's actions. I chose him, and he's protecting me from Jack."
Connect everything together and... Gasp! Lindir apparently, quite literally, pushed himself out of his own position, and is now depending on someone else, to protect him from himself. So many plot twists already!
Egil sighed, utterly unimpressed. Ok, plan the next questions carefully. He can't know that Motoko has been listening in. And... technically, the next question could be used to make him seem less informed.
"Who is Saatvik?"
"Oh he's one of the most intelligent summoners I have ever met! His family members too!"
Egil rolled his eyes, and made a jerking off motion with his hand. Aziza put her hand on her mouth stifling a laugh.
"...his son has been attending all of our meetings..." Of course he does, dumbass! The son reports everything to the dad, and since they're one of the strategic families, the son is a trustworthy source.
Next question: Why no mention of Leonie? Except, Egil couldn't ask that, because it will betray he knows more.
It needs to be ambiguous enough, that if Lindir knows anything, he will automatically jump to the correct topic. He winced... its an asshole maneuver, but he isnt exactly navigating in a 'vast ocean of knowledge' right now.
Ok, try it out: "How's the tranny?"
"Tranny? We don't have any trannies in the guild. What are you talking about? We..." The elf kept going, but Egil got the answer he wanted.
So, Anya is allied with Jack. In hindsight, that isn't too surprising. That will keep her under the Overseer's umbrella of protection.
Lindir doesn't see a problem, submitting to a 'keep it in the family' guy. Siding with him might be a case of 'out of the frying pan, and into the fire.' When there's family involved, its a *very* safe bet: if you're not family, you're expendable.
Leonie remains a mystery... or inconsequential... ...or smart... letting the idiot and the family man eat up each other's resources.
Egil walked out of the hall. The elf wasn't anywhere near done with his talking. Egil sent over the link, for the clockworks to strip Lindir naked, waterboard him with wine, and dump him in the red light district. Since he has a wife, that should be enough to lead people to doubt anything he says about Egil, since they're likely to believe he's trying to distract from his 'infidelity.'
As for his three protectors...
Egil dawned the demon mask. He walked through the halls, heading towards the door that opened in the bodyguards' direction.
The imp went ahead to provide closer eyes on the trio. It was really just the three. Not the most 'crack team' of defenders.
Egil weighed his options. He can't kill them. Unsummoning would be too much work, and almost certainly start a fight.
Time for a devil's bargain...