>>5234172“Well, apparently this ‘Kamunu’ character has been seen associating with a pair of merchants, as well… A storehouse proprietor and some adventurer who runs a dungeon-delving ‘excavation’ company, both of whom have had dealings with the Tower.”
“…Miriam was tipped off to our talking, at the Gala,” Yosef then realized with a start. “She was there!”
“Or an agent of hers,” the Archmage confirmed, “I will consult with the Tower Guardians, see who she was seen to interact with besides the merchants. In the meantime, I will have the Inquisition keep tabs on the known associates of this ‘Infiltrator’.”
“Don’t move on them yet,” Lord Yosef had warned. “The Subterranean Reptilians are crafty, and she’s clearly watching by unseen means. You’ll risk tipping her off.”
“Agreed,” the Archmage had said. “If she returns, if she sees you… Well, she clearly has specific interest in you. Keep her busy, and send Miss Warmfeet to me. I’ll capture her, exorcise her, store her somewhere safe known only to the agents we’ve already verified to be free of demonic taint…”
“And then you make your move,” Yosef finishes, grinning darkly. “On the whorehouse, on the merchants, on the Press, on all of them! Detain and question them all, find out every little detail they know! Cut off her network, track down everyone she or her scaly, slimy friends have dealt with, and cut out this Reptilian infection like an infected cyst! Display it before King Archos and COMMAND his attention!”
“Send her with the glasses, too,” The Archmage had suggested. “Don’t tell her what they are, just stuff it in a pocket of her cloak, in a package.
“…Just in case,” Lord Yosef had sighed, face paling. “Yes, I… I suppose that is best.”
The Archmage rested a hand on his friend’s own white-knuckled one, looking kindly into his eyes.
“I will come as soon as I can,” he’d said. “I promise, Isaac.”
“No,” Yosef had said, shaking his head. “I have lived long enough—too long, in too much pain. If I survive this encounter, it means I am surely compromised… A pawn for this ‘Rosgard, this… THING. If you see me after I sent Miss Warmfeet, detain me, too. Assume the worst.”