24 Peace Offers (1/2)
”What is this nonsense?”
The grand voice of the Duke reverberated within the tiny room. Disgruntled, Herak looked down onto the written agreement which had been negotiated between the Free Alliance of the Southern Cities on one side and the Kingdom of Borna on the other.
”It is the official document to declare peace between our sides, sire,” Bombasticus explained while he tried his best to hide his smug grin. He would be eternally grateful to Corco for letting him handle this last step of the negotiations by himself. ”We all wish for peace, do we not?”
In response, the Duke of Balit jumped up from his chair and leaned over their shared table, to scream right into the alchemist's face.
”What nonsense! This war was fought between Borna and Etra! First, how come the other cities take any part in the negotiations at all, when they haven't killed so much as a single man? Second, I am not one of the combatants either, so how come the Balit Duchy pays the harshest compensations out of all the Bornish territories?”
Again, Ronnie did his best to remain calm and stoic. This little moment of privacy between the two of them was something he had looked forward to for a long time.
”This agreement is the result of the wishes expressed by the great nobles of Borna, in combination with representatives from the free cities. It is unfortunate, but since the Duke Herak was the main initiator of the conflict, and the one who insisted on its continuation even when the troops of Borna and Etra suffered heavy losses, locked in this pointless war, both parties have agreed that it would be up to the Duke to suffer most of the costs produced by the altercation. After all, the Balit Duchy has been getting rather rich in recent years. It should be simple for sire to stomach the cost of compensation.”
Gnashing his teeth, the duke sank back into his seat. Instead, he pressed the cup in his hands with more and more force. Although Bombasticus couldn't see the man's face, his vivid imagination presented him with the duke's twisted features beneath the mask. Suppressing a laugh, the alchemist pointed at the contract again.
”It is important that Duke Balit, as the enemy commander, ratifies the negotiated agreement. Otherwise, altercations between our sides will have to continue. No one wants any further conflict.” Another stab with an invisible knife hit right into Balit's exposed nerve. This was getting fun.
”Don't think I don't remember you! You're the quack who claimed to have a cure for my scarring! You're the one who almost killed me! You're only here to torment me once again, you bastard!”
Upon hearing his reputation smeared, the great Bombasticus frowned for the first time, and refuted the latest outburst.
”Trying to kill a Duke? This great alchemist has done no such things. Duke Herak began to develop a fever before I could provide any treatment at all. None of the later events can be blamed on my skills, and yet Duke Balit sent his men after me once his health had recovered. This great alchemist would have loved to stay behind, cure the fever and cure the scarring, however, with the Duke's delirious words, speaking of 'quacks' and 'executions', together with the Duke's vicious reputation, no man would have been noble enough to stay. After all, I am no physician. As an alchemist by trade, I have sworn no oath to put the life of my patients above my own.”
A series of stings hit the Duke, again and again. More knifes, aiming straight for the heart, the core of his anger. Herak reacted just as expected, just as planned. Fuming with rage, the man stood up once more, as the glazed cup in his hand began to crack. With great force, he threw the cup towards the alchemist's head. Fast, far faster than the uncultivated mortal could ever react, the object sailed towards him with deadly force. Before he understood what had happened, Ronnie felt a gust of wind rush past his left ear.
Like dew collecting on a field in the morning, his back was covered in sweat within moments, but his face was still unchanged. The great Bombasticus would never yield to fear. Furthermore, he knew that the Duke would never act upon his rage. The matter of today was far too important. Injuring the chief negotiator of the opposite side would only weaken Borna's position ever further. Even though the Duke had already suffered much and could risk an escalation, he still had to consider his brother, the king, so he would tread lightly. Still, if this tense stalemate went on for too long, even the great alchemist would lose his nerves, despite his better knowledge. Thus, Ronnie decided to reign in his inner Bombasticus and instead tried to be more accommodating. He had had his fun, so it was time to proceed with Corco's plan.
”Duke Herak, these are the events as they happened from my perspective, Arcavus be my witness. However, I assure you, sire, that none of the negotiations on Etra's side have been influenced by a petty sense of revenge. Instead, all we wish is to guarantee that Borna's aggression will no longer threaten the region in the future. If Duke wishes to blame anyone, he should blame the ones who were responsible for negotiations on Borna's side.”
He could see the duke think for a few seconds, before he sat back down. His hands opened and closed multiple times, grasping the invisible necks of the Bornish nobility, the ones who had voted against Herak at the last second and forced the negotiations into their own hands. Finally, the duke spoke up again.
”You're not aiming for me, are you? Neither you nor your little seer friend, is that correct?”
”Of course not,” Ronnie lied in response.
”Then what about this clause here: I have to hand possession of one of my salt mines over to the 'Fastgrade Merchant Company'!? I own the Fastgrade Merchant Company!”
”That is not how Master Corcopaca Fastgrade and the other members of the Company Board see it. According to our understanding, the company only moved location, relocating headquarters from Balit over to Etra. The so-called Fastgrade Merchants of Balit are not legitimate. However, this clause as well is unrelated to any past issues between the two sides. First of all, the Fastgrade Merchant Company has invested a considerable sum in the protection of Etra, and thus deserves an especially large portion of the benefits as well.”
”But there's no reason to include that into the contract wording! This is pure humiliation!” The angered duke banged his fist onto the table. Of course Herak was right. There really was no good reason to include the clause. According to the standard rules of conduct between combatants of Arcavia, both sides would have worked out the contract between themselves as consolidated blocks, while the details of the distribution of spoils would be decided between allied parties afterwards. Of course, this wasn't something Ronnie could openly admit. Luckily, Corco had anticipated this problem and prepared him an excuse for just this moment.