Aquatic Nightmare

Chapter 52: Settling the Boundary



Good news guys! I'm unemployed now! This (probably) means I can write some more for a few weeks till I get a new job.

Esstrey has an office! Granted, it's an office as far away from regular human contact as possible, but for someone in Esstrey's position that's hardly a downside. The layout of the castle of Malencia is...odd. The hill it's on really is hollow, connected to the sewer system. Below the castle is a massive black market, supposedly the biggest hive of smuggling operations in the entire Faerune Kingdom. Access between the castle and the market is highly restricted and secretive, with the 'main' entrance to the market being the sewers themselves. Kharn handles the black market, and it's security, with Rowan handling the more surface level security. Deep within the most secure sector of the black market is a spiral staircase (why did it have to be stairs) that goes further down, past a small hallway is a door that leads to the sector used by the cults.

That quaint little hallway now contains Esstrey's office, first door on the left.

Past an incredibly thick metal door on the other side of the hallway, lies the horrors of the duchy. Mad wizards, insane cultists and unhinged men of the sciences. All safely locked away not by force, but by resources. They have everything people of their stature could want in there, force could not contain them anyway. How a man like Rowan who loves the law and what is right so much can tolerate the existence of this den of evil is a question for the ages. That all changes today, outside their access to their precious resources now lies the sleeping sea serpent they fear. A massive fishbowl not unlike the one she had while imprisoned so long ago, now underground again, just like that dusty old place. This time, however, she is the warden.

Her official position is liaison of the paranormal division, apparently all the loonies had been classified as a whole ass division, with a fitting reputation concerning the military to boot. That being one of getting the job done at a cost no one directly involved wanted to pay, good thing the duchess rarely involves herself in military affairs other than siccing the paranormal division on her problems, else the entire division would be out of work. The direct actions of the paranormal division are highly classified, but their indirect actions can be seen by someone in the know in the after-action reports. An item stolen from the duchess somehow ends up back in her room, with the apparent thief a slobbering rambling husk of a man ranting about eyes who eventually resorted to randomly biting people. An infested mine taken over by giant worms, and shortly thereafter all the worms are brutally killed while a neighboring county is facing a wandering demon. An undead horde controlled by a necromancer taken out by a force of elite cavalry... who apparently just weren't getting stopped by the undead.

There have been investigations of course, but Malencia always had a lot of resources and dedication to not let assets it has just get taken away, sacrificing pawns sets a bad precedent after all, in other words these people are the perfect employers for Esstrey's own experiments.

Even if she also accidentally ended up as a mediator for issues due to a mutual respect through fear, and her general experience with all the subjects that are involved by the paranormal division.

"Again, the noises they make late at night are highly disturbing! My fellows are trying to sleep, not hear a bunch of buffoons go at it with sex demons! Esstrey, this is a clear attempt at poaching, and I demand you stop their late-night orgies!" The necromancer pleads his case with Esstrey, while pointing as aggressively as an old bag of bones could point at the colourfully dressed man.

"With all due respect colleague, our activities are legal by section 7b of the contract, which clearly protects the freedom of non-harmful acts within one's own walls, ᶦᶠ ˢᵒᵐᵉ ᵒᶠ ʸᵒᵘ ᵒˡᵈ ᵇᵃᵍˢ ᶜᵒⁿᵛᵉʳᵗ ᵗᵒ ʳᵉᵃˡ ᵐᵃᵍᶦᶜ ᴵ ᶜᵒᵘˡᵈ ʰᵃʳᵈˡʸ ᵇᵉ ᵇˡᵃᵐᵉᵈ." The Infernal acolyte talks confidently, but still backs away a bit when the necromancer gives him a seething look when he says the last bit.

"The necromancer's concerns are valid, but I won't shut down the orgies over it. You can be as loud only as the walls are thick, you will either need to have quieter orgies or thicker walls, if you don't like it I'll start asking the necromancer higher-ups to start letting the undead have very loud orgies back." The necromancer snickers a bit at Esstrey's verdict, while the Infernal pukes a little in his mouth, but manages to keep it inside. Esstrey for one is simply rubbing her forehead at all the unresolved conflicts between the loons.

"Lady Esstrey! He has stolen my star chalk! I can't commune with my patron like this!" An infernal woman immediately follows after the earlier group, who is followed by a Beyonder who is the accused of this crime.

"Have not!" He firmly rebukes.

"Have too!" The adults have clearly talked a lot about this.

"And you are certain you two cannot resolve it amongst yourselves without me?" The Beyonder gives a lazy shrug, while the Infernal is doing her best impression of an angry Karen waiting for management to come to her defense.

"Alright, how about his, you both split the costs evenly for new star chalk, and you share it for whatever you need it with. I'll send a message to... Greg to hold on to the star chalk, he will also make sure none of you abuse the sharing part." Luckily, Esstrey has Greg. A completely forgotten janitor who somehow keeps the paranormal division clean. No one apparently even knew he existed, he just got paid through the papers.

"T-that's a horrible resolution!" The moment the Infernal finishes that sentence, she already sees Esstrey looking at her with a look of 'congratulations! It's yours.'

"Esstrey! Esstrey!" The one called in question looks on in fury as she's interrupted a third time within an hour with inane issues caused by generations of neglect, but it quickly melts as she notices the petitioner is small and scaled.

"Kuda bring paper! Fancy lady says paper is part of hoard! Kuda steal paper anyway for hoard!" Kuda is still wearing some uniform belonging to the duchy, but this time the insignia indicating allegiance to the paranormal division is included.

"let's see here... an invitation to... a meeting with the PMC? What the hell are private military- nevermind it's actually the Perrenian Matriarchal Coalition?" Esstrey taps the letter on the table a few times... she did see something in the library on this, but didn't deem them too relevant due to a lack of exploits in centuries, how the hell do they even know she exists?

From the small bit she read, it seemed like a regular invitation, and Esstrey got an invitation to join one of their meetings?

Sure, sounds like fun, they might have snacks. Or maybe some good soup.

Greg is best waifu, calling it now.

If you have questions for a character, post it in the comments. They will try to answer the question to the best of their capability in the pre-author note next chapter.

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