Chapter 8: Agent 3 and the Blurred Devil
Personal System Calendar: Year 0009, Day 5, Month III: The Imperium
Imperial Calendar: Year 6854, 3rd month, 5th Day
---
A Loose Tongue from a Tight Lips
The abandoned warehouse settled into an uncomfortable silence as August stood over his bound captive, considering the challenge ahead. Agent Kim remained gagged and restrained, his eyes tracking August's movements with the wary calculation of a professional who understood exactly how precarious his situation had become.
August knew that extracting information from an Imperial agent would not be simple. These were not street thugs or corrupt officials who would crack under the threat of violence. Imperial Intelligence selected its operatives from the best candidates across the Empire's vast territories, then subjected them to training regimens that most people could not survive. Physical conditioning that pushed bodies to their absolute limits. Mental fortitude exercises that built resistance to interrogation techniques. And most importantly, magical safeguards that made betraying secrets nearly impossible even under extreme duress.
The magical protections were multilayered and sophisticated. Mental barriers that prevented thoughts from forming into words when discussing classified information. Binding oaths sworn on the agent's very essence that would cause physical pain or even death if deliberately violated. Compulsion spells that overrode voluntary control when someone tried to force information through torture or magical coercion.
A Grand Master level mage might be able to craft such protections for a handful of agents, investing weeks of careful spellwork into each individual. But the Empire had hundreds of active intelligence operatives, which meant they had developed standardized procedures for applying these safeguards at scale. The magic was still powerful, still effective, but it was also limited by the constraints of mass production.
Every spell had its breaking point. Every enchantment had limits defined by the power invested in its creation.
And August possessed something that those who created the safeguards had never anticipated: a Personal System that operated on principles that transcended the understanding of a conventional magical theory.
He reached out mentally to the System, framing his problem as clearly as possible. The agent before him possessed information that Maya Village desperately needed. But that information was locked behind magical protections specifically designed to prevent exactly the kind of interrogation August intended to conduct.
Was there a way to overcome these protections without resorting to torture that would likely kill the agent before yielding useful intelligence?
The response came almost immediately, and August recognized the personality behind it. The cool, analytical presence he had privately labeled the Scholar a.k.a (Manager Dorothy), the aspect of the Personal System that approached problems with clinical precision and seemed faintly disappointed by the messiness of practical implementation.
[PERSONAL SYSTEM: MASTER, SUCH PROTECTIONS CAN BE OVERCOME THROUGH APPLICATION OF SUPERIOR FORCE. THE MAGICAL BARRIERS ARE CONSTRAINED BY THE POWER INVESTED IN THEIR CREATION. A GRAND MASTER MAGE COULD CREATE NEARLY UNBREAKABLE PROTECTIONS, BUT THE PROCESS WOULD REQUIRE WEEKS OF DEDICATED WORK PER INDIVIDUAL. STANDARDIZED PROTECTIONS APPLIED ACROSS MULTIPLE AGENTS MUST NECESSARILY BE WEAKER TO ALLOW FOR PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION AT SCALE.]
August considered this, his tactical mind already seeing the implications. "So you're saying the protections are only as strong as the magic used to create them? And standard Imperial Intelligence protocols would use what Master-level enchantments at best?"
[PERSONAL SYSTEM: AFFIRMATIVE. ANALYSIS OF COMMON IMPERIAL INTELLIGENCE PROCEDURES SUGGESTS PROTECTIONS EQUIVALENT TO CATEGORY IV MASTER-LEVEL ENCHANTMENTS. SUFFICIENT TO RESIST ORDINARY INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES, BUT VULNERABLE TO OVERWHELMING FORCE FROM HIGHER CATEGORIES.]
"But I don't have mind extraction skills," August pointed out. "I'm primarily a physical-magic combatant. My magical capabilities are functional but nowhere near Master level in mental disciplines."
He felt something that might have been a sigh echoing through the mental connection, the Scholar's personality expressing something between exasperation and resignation.
[PERSONAL SYSTEM: YOUR CAPABILITIES ARE IRRELEVANT FOR THIS APPLICATION. THE SYSTEM ITSELF WILL HANDLE THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF PENETRATING THE MENTAL BARRIERS. YOU NEED ONLY ESTABLISH PHYSICAL CONTACT AND ASK YOUR QUESTIONS. THE SYSTEM WILL ENSURE TRUTHFUL RESPONSES.]
August's eyebrows rose behind his mask. "You can do that?"
[PERSONAL SYSTEM: THE SYSTEM'S ANALYTICAL CAPABILITIES OPERATE AT LEVELS SIGNIFICANTLY EXCEEDING STANDARD MAGICAL CLASSIFICATIONS. BREAKING THROUGH CATEGORY IV MENTAL BARRIERS IS TRIVIAL. HOWEVER, THIS USAGE WILL CONSUME SYSTEM RESOURCES MANA POINTS (10,000 PER MINUTE OF ACTIVATION). RECOMMEND LIMITING TO ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS ONLY.]
That made sense. The Personal System had demonstrated repeatedly that it could perform functions that seemed impossible according to conventional magical theory. But those capabilities were not unlimited. Every major intervention drew on some resource pool that August did not fully understand, and he had learned to be cautious about overusing abilities that might have costs he could not immediately perceive.
But this situation demanded taking risks. Maya Village's future might depend on the information locked in Agent Kim's mind.
"All right," August agreed. "Let's do this."
He refocused on the physical world, realizing that he had been standing motionless for several minutes, simply staring at Agent Kim while having an internal dialogue with his Personal System. The agent's expression showed confusion mixed with growing concern, probably wondering what kind of psychological tactic this extended silence represented.
August approached the bound agent, his movements deliberate and controlled. He removed the gag carefully, then spoke in his modulated voice that made identification impossible.
"Now then. You're going to answer some questions for me. I want the honest truth and nothing but the truth. If you answer truthfully, I'll release you unharmed to return to your superiors. If I detect any falsehood, I'll start removing limbs. One per lie. Do you understand?"
The threat was calculated. August had no intention of torturing the agent regardless of his answers, but establishing the perception of consequences was important for psychological pressure. Fear focused the mind wonderfully, even when the person being threatened knew intellectually that Imperial protections should prevent them from answering.
Agent Kim's throat worked as he swallowed, his century of experience warring with very reasonable fear of the legendary vigilante who had once left a trail of bodies through Gremory's underworld. Finally, he nodded once, accepting the terms because he had no other choice.
August placed his hand on the agent's head, the physical contact allowing his Personal System to establish the connection it needed to work its impossible magic. Then he asked his first questions, keeping them broad but essential.
"First question: Why are you investigating Maya's Traveling Mercantile? Does the Empire have specific grievances against our operations?"
"Second question: You've been searching for our place of origin. What does the Empire intend to do when you locate it? Does the mighty Empire truly fear a small merchant group enough to dedicate this level of resources to investigating us?"
He paused, letting the questions settle, then gave the command that should have been meaningless given the agent's magical protections. "Speak."
---
Unexpected Honesty
Agent Kim felt his mouth open, felt words forming despite every protection that should have prevented them. The sensation was deeply disturbing, like being a passenger in his own body as someone else manipulated the controls. The mental barriers that had been carefully constructed by Imperial mages were still there, he could feel them, but something was simply reaching around them as if they did not exist.
His mind raced with confusion and growing horror. Who was this person? What kind of power did he possess that could bypass Grand Master level protections as if they were children's ward spells?
But the questions had been asked, and the compulsion to answer was overwhelming. Agent Kim heard his own voice speaking, delivering classified information that should have been locked behind oaths sworn on his very soul.
"One of our agents acquired samples of your trade goods and submitted them for analysis. Our alchemical specialists identified characteristics that matched materials sourced from the Great Forests, specifically from the Lonelywoods region. The quality and preservation techniques were distinctive enough to raise immediate questions about how a merchant group could be operating successfully in one of the most dangerous regions on the continent."
The words kept coming, unstoppable, as if a dam had burst and the flood could not be contained.
"We cross-referenced these findings with our archives of known operations in the Great Forests. The Empire maintains extensive records of every organization we've detected establishing bases in forest territories. Some we've destroyed when they represented direct threats to Imperial interests or our allies. Others we've observed but left alone when our analysis suggested they would fail naturally due to beast pressures or internal collapse."
Agent Kim wanted to stop talking, wanted to resist, but his mouth continued forming words with mechanical precision.
"When we identified materials from Lonelywoods specifically, it triggered additional protocols. The great forests are currently experiencing a territorial war among high-category beast populations. Establishing a permanent settlement there would require either significant military capability or extraordinary luck. The fact that Maya's Traveling Mercantile has been operating consistently for years suggests neither luck nor temporary success. It suggests genuine capability."
He drew breath, his elvish heritage giving him stamina that allowed him to continue even as part of his mind screamed in protest.
"Imperial policy regarding the Great Forests is deliberately ambiguous. The ancient decree prohibits kingdoms from claiming the great forests as territories, but it doesn't explicitly forbid settlements. The language was left broad intentionally, allowing for interpretation based on circumstances. The practical reality is that the Empire considers any organization capable of thriving in the Great Forests to represent potential threat. Surviving those environments requires power, organization, and resources that could be turned against Imperial interests."
Agent Kim's voice took on a more formal tone as he continued, reciting policy that had been drilled into every intelligence operative during training.
"We do not immediately move to destroy every forest settlement we discover. Our directive is to investigate first, assess the nature and intentions of the organization, then determine appropriate response. Non-threatening groups are observed but generally left alone. Groups that show hostile intent or capability that could threaten the Empire are eliminated preventively. The decision matrix is complex, but it essentially comes down to whether the organization represents acceptable risk or unacceptable threat."
Finally, the compulsion seemed to ease slightly, and Agent Kim could add his own context to the raw information he had been forced to disclose.
"Maya's Traveling Mercantile caught our attention because the quality of your goods suggests sophisticated operations. The consistency suggests permanent infrastructure rather than temporary camps. The fact that you've maintained operations for years without detection suggests either exceptional security or influence that prevents our normal intelligence-gathering methods from working. All of these factors elevate you from 'curious anomaly' to 'potential threat requiring investigation.'"
He met August's eyes, trying to regain some measure of control over the situation even as he continued answering.
"Regarding your question about what we intend to do when we locate your settlement: That depends entirely on what we find. If Maya Village is simply a merchant community that happens to be located in dangerous territory, if your operations don't threaten Imperial interests, then likely we would establish monitoring protocols but take no direct action. You would be filed as a known entity, watched periodically, but essentially left alone."
Agent Kim paused, choosing his next words carefully even though he knew the compulsion would force honesty regardless.
"But if we determine that your organization possesses capabilities that could threaten the Empire, if we find evidence of hostile intentions or alliances with our enemies, then the response would be elimination. Complete and thorough. The Empire does not permit potential threats to mature into actual threats. We've learned through hard experience that preventive action, however harsh, is preferable to responding after an enemy has grown strong enough to cause real damage."
The agent's voice carried the weight of a century's experience as he concluded, "The Empire considers all potential threats, no matter how small they may currently appear, to be worthy of attention. History has taught us that today's insignificant merchant group can become tomorrow's insurgent army if given time and opportunity to develop without oversight."
Silence fell in the warehouse as Agent Kim's forced confession concluded. He had just revealed more classified information in five minutes than he should have been capable of disclosing in a lifetime. The magical protections that should have rendered him unable to betray Imperial secrets had simply been bypassed as if they did not exist.
The implications were terrifying. If this person could break through an Imperial Intelligence's standard safeguards so easily, what else was he capable of?
---
A Personal History
August absorbed the information carefully, his analytical mind processing the strategic implications while simultaneously feeling a cold anger building in his chest. The Empire's approach to potential threats was exactly what he had feared: comprehensive, ruthless, and operating on the principle of preventive elimination.
But one piece of Agent Kim's explanation demanded addressing directly. The comment about small threats potentially growing into larger ones struck at the heart of August's own history, at the wound that had never fully healed.
He leaned closer to the bound agent, his voice dropping to something quiet and dangerous.
"Your explanation is honest, and I appreciate that. But I have one more question, and I need you to understand why I'm asking it. Your answer will determine whether this conversation ends with you returning safely to your superiors or whether it ends very differently."
Agent Kim tensed, recognizing the shift in tone from interrogation to something more personal and potentially lethal.
August continued, his words carrying weight that went beyond the immediate situation.
"Eight to nine years ago, at the end of the Empire's war against the Fresco League of Kingdoms, soldiers bearing Imperial banners raided a small village deep in the Lonelywoods Great Forest. They burned it to the ground and killed everyone they could find. Men, women, children, elderly. No one was spared. The village was isolated, peaceful, and had never involved itself in any conflict or political maneuvering. It was simply a community trying to live quietly away from the chaos of the outside world."
He paused, letting that information settle before delivering the crucial detail.
"I am the only survivor of that night. I was only a boy then, and I survived only because I happened to be granted another chance at life by a power I do not understand. A will of the heavens if you say."
Agent Kim's expression shifted from confusion to something approaching horror as the implications registered. The person interrogating him was not just protecting some abstract merchant operation. This was personal vendetta, grief and rage that had been channeled into protective action but had never been resolved.
August's voice remained controlled, but there was an edge to it now that suggested it barely contained the violence.
"So here's my question, Agent. Was that raid conducted by actual Imperial forces, or were those banners being misused by soldiers who had gone rogue before the war ended? Because if the Empire deliberately targeted my village, if your organization decided that a community of farmers and hunters represented enough of a threat to warrant extermination, then we have a very different conversation ahead of us."
He leaned back slightly, giving the agent space to breathe, to think, to formulate an answer that would determine how this encounter concluded.
"I've rebuilt that village. The people you're investigating, the settlement you're trying to locate, it's the same place. I took the ashes and the memories and I built something new on the ground that was soaked with innocent blood. And I will defend it with everything I possess, against any threat, from any source."
August's hand remained on Agent Kim's head, maintaining the connection that allowed his Personal System to ensure honest answers.
"So tell me: Should I consider the Empire responsible for destroying my home? And if this investigation you're conducting concludes that Maya Village represents a threat, should I expect history to repeat itself? Should I prepare for another night of fire and blood, except this time I won't be a helpless child watching from the shadows?"
The question hung in the air between them, heavy with implications that extended far beyond the immediate tactical situation.
Agent Kim understood that his next words would determine not just his own fate but potentially the fate of the entire investigation. If he answered wrong, if he gave this clearly dangerous individual reason to believe that the Empire intended to repeat past atrocities, then the person in front of him would likely become exactly the kind of threat that Imperial policy was designed to eliminate.
But the compulsion that forced honesty gave him no option to dissemble or deflect. He could only answer truthfully and hope that the truth was sufficient to prevent this situation from escalating beyond recovery.
---
The Agent's Response
Agent Kim took a careful breath, organizing his thoughts before responding to the most dangerous question he had faced in a century of intelligence work. The compulsion would force honesty, so his only option was to frame that honesty in ways that might defuse the situation rather than inflame it.
"I cannot speak with certainty about events that occurred almost a decade ago," he began carefully. "I was not assigned to operations in this region at that time, and raid records from the end of the Fresco conflict are incomplete due to the chaos that marked the war's conclusion. However, I can provide context that may help you understand what likely happened."
He met August's eyes directly, recognizing that any attempt to evade or soften the truth would be both futile and potentially fatal.
"The final years of the Fresco war were brutal. Both sides committed atrocities as desperation replaced strategy. Soldiers on all sides, especially our allies own soldiers. As the Imperial Troops are trained with discipline to not commit more than the act of killing another as that is their profession. Became increasingly vicious, and command and control structures broke down as the war ground toward its conclusion. When the Fresco League finally collapsed, there were tens of thousands of demobilized soldiers with no clear purpose, no way home, and often no home to return to."
Agent Kim's voice carried the weight of someone who had witnessed the aftermath personally.
"Many of those soldiers turned to banditry. Some formed mercenary companies that sold their services to the highest bidder. Others simply became raiders, taking what they needed to survive and justifying it with the brutality that war had taught them. And yes, many of them continued wearing their military insignia because those symbols carried power and fear that made their criminal activities easier."
He paused, then delivered the crucial distinction.
"Imperial Intelligence did not conduct operations in Lonelywoods Forest during and after the Fresco war. We were tracking Fresco remnants from a different area of the great forest who might have established bases in the forest territories, trying to prevent insurgent movements from taking root where they could rebuild strength outside our reach. But those operations followed specific protocols. We conducted surveillance, gathered intelligence, and when we did move to eliminate targets, we documented everything thoroughly for review by command authority."
Agent Kim's expression showed something that might have been genuine regret.
"If soldiers bearing Imperial banners raided your village and killed civilians, especially children, that would have violated every protocol we operate under. The Empire does eliminate threats, and we are not squeamish about necessary violence. But targeting peaceful civilians, particularly in a way that creates future enemies rather than preventing them, runs counter to basic strategic doctrine. It's inefficient, morally questionable by even Imperial standards, and politically costly when discovered."
He chose his next words with extreme care, knowing they would determine whether this interrogation ended with dialogue or violence.
"My assessment, based on what you've described, is that your village was attacked by soldiers who were wearing Imperial colors but operating outside Imperial authority. They must be allied troops who had become rogue bandits while still doing their military profession and had retained their military equipment and used it to present themselves as official forces. It's happened hundreds of times across the territories affected by the Fresco war. False flag operations, banditry disguised as military action, soldiers who went rogue but continued using symbols that gave their crimes a veneer of legitimacy."
Agent Kim met August's eyes with as much sincerity as he could project.
"I cannot give you certainty. I cannot tell you definitively that the Empire was not involved in the destruction of your village. What I can tell you is that if it was an official operation, it would have been documented, and I would have access to those records. The fact that I know nothing about such a raid suggests it was not sanctioned by Imperial authority."
He took another breath, then addressed the second part of August's question.
"Regarding whether you should expect history to repeat itself: That depends entirely on what our investigation concludes about your current operations. If Maya Village is what it appears to be, a successful merchant community that has managed to thrive in dangerous territory through skill and careful management, then there is no reason for conflict. We would rather establish trade and monitoring, file reports, but ultimately leave you alone."
The agent's voice hardened slightly as he continued with the less comfortable truth.
"But if we determine that your organization possesses capabilities that could threaten the Empire, if we find evidence that you're building something that could become a genuine threat to stability in this region, then yes, you should expect a response. Not because of what happened a decade ago, but because that's how the Empire manages all potential threats."
He held August's gaze, knowing that the next words were crucial.
"However, there is a third option that you may not have considered. If your village is as capable as our investigation suggests, if you have genuine military strength and organizational sophistication, then you might represent an opportunity rather than a threat. The Empire is pragmatic. We prefer allies to enemies when the choice is available. If Maya Village could be convinced to operate within Imperial oversight, to accept a degree of official recognition and reciprocal obligation, then the relationship could be mutually beneficial."
Agent Kim let that offer hang in the air, knowing he had just stepped beyond his authority as a field operative by suggesting negotiations that should come from much higher command levels. But the situation demanded creative thinking, and a century of experience had taught him when rules could be bent in service of larger objectives.
"I cannot make that decision," he concluded. "I am not empowered to negotiate on the Empire's behalf. But if you genuinely want to find a peaceful resolution to this situation, if you want to protect your village without fighting a war that could destroy everything you've built, then there are potential paths forward. You would need to speak with my superiors. You would need to be willing to discuss terms. But it is possible that this ends with recognition rather than elimination."
The agent finished speaking and waited, hoping that the combination of honesty about past events as he had witnessed it at least and pragmatic suggestions about future possibilities would be sufficient to prevent this encounter from ending in bloodshed.
August stood silently, processing everything he had heard, weighing the agent's words against his own knowledge and suspicions. The truth, as always, was probably complicated, a mixture of Imperial policy, rogue actions, and the chaos that attended any major war's conclusion.
But one thing was certain: The path forward required more than just interrogating field agents. If there was to be any chance of resolving this situation without violence, he needed to speak with whoever held actual authority to make decisions about Maya Village's fate.
And that meant taking a risk that could either save everything or destroy it completely.
---
An Offer Extended
August removed his hand from Agent Kim's head, the connection to his Personal System breaking as he stepped back from the bound agent. His mind worked through the tactical implications of what he had learned, weighing options and assessing risks with the cold calculation that had kept him alive through countless dangerous situations.
The agent's explanation made sense. More sense, in some ways, than the alternative. An official Imperial operation against a harmless village would have been documented, traceable, subject to review by authorities who cared about efficiency and strategic value. The attack that destroyed the original Maya Village had been savage and personal, the work of people who were either following orders they did not understand or acting without orders at all.
If it had been rogue allied soldiers, demobilized and desperate, then his hatred had been directed at the wrong target for almost nine years. The Empire might be many things, ruthless and calculating and willing to commit atrocities in service of stability, but they were at least logical about their violence.
Small comfort to the dead, but potentially important information for the living.
"I'm going to make you an offer," August said finally, his modulated voice carrying careful consideration. "One that might save both of us from outcomes neither of us wants."
Agent Kim remained silent, waiting to hear what the legendary Blurred Devil would propose.
"I'm going to release you, unharmed and with all your equipment intact. You're going to return to your superior, the lead agent who is operating under cover as a merchant in this city. And you're going to deliver a message for me."
August began cutting the agent's bindings, working with efficient movements that suggested he had done this before.
"Tell your superior that I want to meet. Face to face, in neutral territory where we can speak honestly about what Maya Village represents and what the Empire wants. The Fernando estate, tomorrow at midday. Lady Fernando will ensure the meeting space is secure and private. You'll bring your superior and whatever other agents you feel are necessary for your safety. I'll bring representatives from Maya Village who can speak with authority."
He finished removing the restraints, then removed the suppression collar, returning Agent Kim's access to his magical abilities.
"If your superior agrees to this meeting, if we can have an honest conversation about finding a resolution that doesn't involve violence, then perhaps we can avoid the war that neither side can afford. If he refuses, if he decides to escalate instead of negotiate, then at least we'll both know where we stand before things get worse."
August stepped back, giving the agent space to stand and recover feeling in his limbs.
"I'm taking a considerable risk by releasing you and revealing my willingness to talk. You could report this to your superiors and recommend immediate military intervention. You could position forces around the Fernando estate and attempt to capture or kill me when I arrive for the meeting. You could do any number of things that would be tactically sound from an Imperial perspective."
He met Agent Kim's eyes through his mask.
"But I don't think you will. Because you've spent a century as an intelligence operative, and you understand that the best victories are the ones that don't require battles. You know that if Maya Village represents what your investigation suggests, then attempting to eliminate us by force would be expensive in ways that go beyond simple body counts. And you know that having a functional relationship with a successful settlement in Lonelywoods Forest could be more valuable than destroying it."
August gestured toward the warehouse exit.
"So take my message to your superior. Tell him that the Blurred Devil of Gremory, who your people probably have extensive files on from five years ago, wants to negotiate. Tell him that I speak for Maya Village, and that I'm authorized to discuss terms that might satisfy Imperial concerns without requiring them to destroy a community that has never actually threatened their interests."
He paused, then added one final detail.
"And tell him that if he decides to reject this offer and pursue elimination instead, he should know that I survived the destruction of my village once before. I was a helpless child then. I'm considerably less helpless now. The Empire might succeed in destroying Maya Village, but the cost will be higher than your superiors anticipate. Much higher."
The threat was implicit but clear. August would not go quietly into extinction. If forced to fight, he would make it hurt badly enough that future Imperial administrators would question whether the operation had been worth the price.
Agent Kim absorbed all of this, his mind already working through the political and strategic implications. Then he stood carefully, testing his limbs and confirming that nothing was permanently damaged. He found food and water near his former position, apparently left by August before the interrogation began.
"I will deliver your message," the agent said quietly, his voice carrying the weight of a century's worth of diplomatic experience. "I cannot promise how my superior will respond. But I will ensure he understands both the offer and the implications if he rejects it."
He moved toward the exit, then paused at the doorway.
"For what it's worth, I hope this works. I have seen too many conflicts that could have been avoided through dialogue. I would prefer this not become another one."
Then he was gone, slipping out into the predawn darkness, leaving August alone in the abandoned warehouse with his thoughts and the hope that calculated risk would prove wiser than continued conflict.
August waited several minutes to ensure the agent had truly departed, then began his own journey back to the Fernando estate. His companions needed to know what had transpired, and decisions needed to be made about how to approach the meeting he had just proposed.
The night was ending, and with the dawn would come either the beginning of dialogue or the escalation toward war.
Everything hung in the balance, and August could only hope that he had made the right choice.