The Stratigos of Dark Magic

After Adriadne's meeting with the princess, the Remens were shown to their rooms. Demetrius stayed out of his. In fact, he waited just outside of the palace. Eventually, Ganzaya walked over to him. The Ulv had an exasperated look on his face.

"No luck?" Demetrius asked.

"None," Ganzaya answered. "But you can't search a whole city in a day. I will keep looking tomorrow."

"The King will probably keep us here for a few days, so you'll have some time," the Stratigos said.

Demetrius then turned to the palace. He started walking towards it, but then Ganzaya's voice came to his ear.

"I apologize for asking for your direct help, despotēs, but there is something I need to ask you to do," he stated.

The Stratigos turned to him.

"What is it now?" he asked with an exaggerated sigh.

Ganzaya looked like he was going to throw up.

"Just thinking about it fills me with fury, but I...have to accept that there's a chance that my wife was..." the Ulv took a deep breath. "Sold into prostitution."

Demetrius nodded.

"I can't imagine how horrible this must be for Ganzaya," he thought before speaking. "How can I help?"

"Could you send someone to investigate...the whorehouses of this city? It...would be inappropriate for me to go to one while I'm looking for my wife, even if it is to find her," Ganzaya said.

"Very well. The whorehouses will be investigated," Demetrius promised.

The Ulv breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, despotēs," he nodded.

Demetrius then turned and started walking inside.

"Follow me. I told the King of Armana that you'd be joining us. You'll be sleeping in the guest room," the Stratigos said.

The next day, Demetrius woke up early in the morning. He was bathed by the King of Armana's servants before getting dressed and preparing to leave. As he walked through the halls, Adriadne noticed him.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To a whorehouse," Demetrius answered.

"You're a legal adult under Remen law, but Armana hasn't joined us yet. I doubt you would be allowed in," Adriadne pointed out.

Her brother stopped in his tracks. His expression turned grim, and he nodded.

"Thank you, Adriadne. I need another plan," he said.

A status screen appeared in front of Demetrius.

Gemini Bond: 1.

"What? Was thanking Adriadne really enough to increase our bond?" Demetrius thought, shock pulsing through him.

"I-I have another meeting with the princess today," Adriadne turned and left. "Good luck finding a woman."

The Stratigos grimaced.

"Thank you. I will need it," he spoke before thinking. "I'm glad that I'm getting closer to Adriadne, but my magic's getting weaker. I need to do something. But first, I need to get someone to investigate the whorehouses."

Demetrius ended up standing in front of Tourmarchēs Khalid. The garrison officer had a perplexed look on his face.

"Did you just order me to go to a whorehouse?" he asked.

"I ordered you to search for a specific prostitute," Demetrius answered. "It is difficult to do that without going to whorehouses."

A wide grin crossed Tourmarchēs Khalid's face. At the same time, a status screen appeared in front of Demetrius.

Named Entities that Dislike You: 52.

"Dammit. Tourmarchēs Khalid doesn't dislike me anymore," Demetrius thought.

"Well, I will gladly look for this prostitute," Tourmarchēs Khalid smiled. "But we could use more numbers for the search. Perhaps my men could join me?"

"I am going to regret this, but he has a good point. More numbers would help the search. No, I can't agree to this. I doubt Ganzaya's wife is here, and Khalid's men are probably going to spend much of this time in the arms of whores...but I don't know how much time we have to search. I must take the risk," Demetrius thought.

He fought down a sigh and spoke.

"Very well. Take your men with you. Remember that you are looking for an Ulv woman. If you find her, do not lay with her. Tell me as soon as you can," the Stratigos instructed.

A few hours later, a status screen appeared in front of Demetrius. He was currently in a large theatre, watching a play being performed for the King of Armana. The Stratigos was thankful that he got Tourmarchēs Khalid to investigate the whore houses because it meant he wouldn't have to rush to the king's call. His gratitude faded when he saw what was on the screen.

Named Entities that Like You: 29.

"By the gods, no," Demetrius thought, struggling to avoid putting his head in his hands. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have let them all go. My magic will be much weaker now. I doubt I could even pierce thick clothes with it at this point."

He looked around.

"There's a lot I could do to make someone hate me, but if I do it here, it'll make things worse. I just need to bide my time. I'll be out of Armana in a few days. When I am, I can think of something. Maybe I can make those samurai mercenaries hate me without jeopardizing the mission there? It's probably too late to make Tourmarchēs Khalid's men hate me with the time I have left," Demetrius pondered.

The King of Armana turned to Demetrius with a puzzled expression.

"Is something wrong, Stratigos Demetrius?" he asked.

"Everything is fine, Your Majesty. Just enjoy the play," Demetrius answered.

The Stratigos leaned back in his seat with a grimace. He took a deep breath and tried to keep his mind off things.

Demetrius spent the next few days engaging in minor bits of diplomacy and trying to find something to do. Despite searching the whore houses incredibly thoroughly, no Ulv women were found. There was a woman of the steppe, but she was from a completely different tribe and was not a slave. Ganzaya did not make any progress either. And the times when Demetrius aided in his searching proved fruitless too.

However, negotiations went well. Demetrius kept his mouth shut enough that he did not cause an international incident. Adriadne kept meeting with the princess and told her a number of things she needed to know, even going through part of the book the princess was given with her.

Then, the time came for the Remens and Ganzaya to depart from Armana. The party was outside the palace, all on horseback and stocked with fresh supplies.

"It is a shame that you could not stay longer," the king said.

"I wish I could," Adriadne gave him a smile. "Your daughter is a wonderful woman. She will be an incredible Basilissa someday."

A chuckle escaped his mouth.

"It is good to know that my daughter has a bright future ahead of her. I only hope that I live to see it," he nodded.

"I hope the same, Your Majesty," Adriadne replied.

And with that, the Remens and Ganzaya departed. They moved through the streets of Armana's capital, making their way out of the city. Demetrius kept scanning the area as they moved.

"No one attacked us so far. Maybe those people who tried to kill us in the desert really were strange bandits? Or perhaps they attacked in the desert because we would have limited protection there?" he pondered.

Tourmarchēs Khalid turned to Demetrius. There was a look of understanding on his face.

"You are worried that we'll be attacked when we leave this place," he said.

"Only a fool wouldn't be," Demetrius replied.

"That a concern of mine too," Tourmarchēs Khalid stated. "I intend to take us on a route that should keep us hidden from any pursuers."

"Good. See to it that we're not attacked again," the Stratigos spoke before thinking. "Because I have no idea if my magic will be enough to protect us this time."

The rest of the ride through the city was spent in silence. It was only when they were in the sweltering desert heat, a distance away from the city, that Demetrius spoke again.

"Ganzaya, to me," he ordered.

Riding over to Demetrius, the Ulv moved as close as he could. There was a concerned expression on his face.

"Is there a problem, despotēs?" he asked.

"No. I want to know if you've heard anything about samurai on the steppe, considering how we're dealing with them next," Demetrius answered.

Ganzaya shook his head.

"I'm afraid I haven't. But I have heard of the Sung Empire," he said.

"As have I. They trade with us through the Spice Road. Or, rather, they trade with people who trade with people who trade with people who trade with us through the spice road," Demetrius replied.

The Ulv couldn't help but chuckle.

"That is a good way to put it. The Spice Road is not one road either. It is more like a series of trade routes and smaller roads. But Spice Road is a better name than Spice Series of Trade Routes," Ganzaya said. "We steppe tribes make alliances to control areas of the Spice Road. We make it safer for traders, provided they pay us."

Demetrius did not care in the slightest.

"Tell me about the Sung Empire. I do not know much about them. You never heard about samurai before, so I'm guessing they don't have samurai?" he asked.

"The Sung Empire has a standing army. I don't think they rely on mercenaries, and you said the samurai were mercenaries, right?" Ganzaya questioned.

Demetrius nodded.

"Yes. They are a warrior class of mercenaries," the Stratigos thought it sounded a bit strange to say.

He then grimaced.

"Still, the Sung Empire is probably close to them. It might have influenced the samurai in some way. What can you tell me about them?" Demetrius asked.

"The Sung Empire is terrified of steppe nomads like me, and I cannot blame them," Ganzaya smiled with pride. "Most of the time we fought wars against them, the Sung Empire got the worst of it. They even built a long wall to keep us out."

"Did it work?" Demetrius questioned.

"Well, it might keep smaller forces out of the Sung Empire. But every time there's a big invasion, we just ride around it," the Ulv stated.

Then, he shrugged.

"Or at least the tribes that live near the Sung Empire do. I've never even been close to the Sung Empire myself. It is very far away," Ganzaya admitted. "Though, my son-in-law lives much closer to it. He might have been there."

"Just how afraid of you is the Sung Empire?" the Stratigos asked.

"If they found out that I am the greatest warrior of the Ulvs, they might run at the mere sight of me!"

Demetrius pondered that for a moment before speaking.

"If you've never heard of the samurai, then they might have never fought steppe nomads before. I doubt they'd have the same fear of you someone from the Sung Empire would."

"They're mercenaries. You could buy their loyalty. I doubt anyone could outbid the Remen Empire," Ganzaya suggested.

"I am not going to make a deal with these samurai. I will deliver Basil's demands to the samurai and Adriadne will try to get them to accept. If they do not accept, I will command our forces to eradicate them. Beyond what Basil is offering the samurai, I will not give them anything," Demetrius said.

The Ulv held up his hands in a placating gesture.

"Alright, alright, despotēs. I agree that the samurai probably will not be as afraid of me as they should be. But I can say a few things about the Sung Empire that could help."

"Go on," Demetrius nodded.

"The Sung Empire is very focused on family honor. They worship their ancestors, even those who do not become gods after death. Younger members of the family show absolute references to the older. I've even heard that children mourn their parents for years. I am not sure if the samurai are like this too, but I think you can expect family to be very important to samurai."

"Then, the Sung Empire has something like the noble houses of the West?"

"I do not know," Ganzaya stated. "But they might."

Demetrius nodded, contemplating that information. He'd have Ganzaya tell it to his sister later. In the meantime, the Stratigos had a lot to think about.