Casey found him in the newly - by most standards - made boardroom. It was just two rooms in the building knocked down, giving just enough space to fit a small table and a bunch of chairs within. The pair of windows set on either side and double doors made it a little incongruous, though they'd saved time by just leaving them within.
"You let them go?" Casey said. "For only a dozen stones?"
"And information. And two favors," Arthur said. "Which means they won't likely be attacking us anytime soon."
"Also makes you look weak, which increases the chance of others coming for you," Casey argued.
"Killing half the attackers wasn't enough?" he said, then shook his head. "Anyway, any of the smaller players aren't my concern. At least, not here. Outside though...." He gestured upwards, indicating the towers. "The 04 aren't exactly small there."
"They don't mess with Climbers though, not outside."
Which was, generally, good practise. There were more than enough non-Climbers to bother, and this way, they avoided bringing down trouble they couldn't manage. Even with their own Climbers, they just didn't have the numbers or the infrastructure to keep their total numbers high.
That was another concern for Arthur, when he finally exited. Sooner or later, he and the others who came with him would have to enter a more Advanced Tower. In their absence, whatever they built might come down. Which was, of course, why Casey and Rick and everyone else warned him and told him to make alliances. Those alliances, that web of interconnected debt, it would keep his Clan and whatever he built functioning while he was gone.
Theoretically at least.
"They don't normally." He opened both his hands, palms up. "We're still small. And if we need help... " Again, that crooked smile. "Anyway, the point wasn't them."
"The girl."
"Yeah. A real hard case, that one." Arthur sighed. Luckily, even if some of the other Clan members were a little more bloodthirsty than others, no one had tried torturing her. On the other hand, having multiple people guarding her, waking her up, keeping her tied down while bright lights were played and she was constantly, constantly interrogated was diverting significant resources. Especially since he only trusted a few people to do it, and do it right.
Or as close to right as a bunch of amateurs could get.
"Still not talking?" she said, curiously.
"Nope." He shrugged. "So, maybe now, we'll see if someone tries to break her out. Or kill her. Or something."
"Not worried they'll kidnap one of your people to trade?"
Arthur hesitated, not sure he wanted to explain that he was, but not hugely. All the people he truly cared about were staying close on-hand. Everyone else was moving in groups of two or three. And if they were kidnapped and taken, at least it'd give him a lead. Not having one was driving him nuts.
"Maybe you'll do fine after all," Lam, her silent shadow said.
Uncertain how to take that, Arthur switched topics. "You all hear anything new? Ms. Wen have anything?"
"No. She did say she was glad to get the letter from you." Eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he gave nothing away. "We just have rumors. Some of the triads are denouncing the attack. A few are even loudly looking for the culprit or started pressuring the 04. They've lost a few places too, pushed back further."
"So, lose-lose for the 04. And no one else is willing to stick their necks out and come after us," Arthur sighed. Nothing more to be done about it then, not unless their unseen assailant made a mistake. He said as much and Casey changed the topic this time.
"How's your cultivation?"
"Decent." He waggled his hand from side-to-side. "Nowhere near second ascension, but I'm been working on techniques, you know." She grimaced at his admission, and he knew she felt he should have pushed higher first. Different philosophies at play, of course. "You?"
"I'm getting close to where I want to be, but I need more stones. In a week, I'll be farming them myself." She left the unspoken invitation hanging there.
"A week, right?" Once confirmed, he nodded. "I'll get cultivating then."
***
They broke before she did. It wasn't that they let her go, though Arthur was seriously considering doing so. They just stopped with the enhanced interrogation techniques, allowing her to sleep and rest, rather than keeping her awake and the cell filled with noise and questioning cultivators.
Arthur spoke as though it was a matter of making sure his personnel, the interviewers had time to cultivate and continue to progress themselves. That was how he pitched it to everyone who asked, or pushed it. Few enough out there who did, but at least that was what got around.
The truth was simpler - they were good people. There was a point where you either decided to go true villain, go really bad and just step in and really torture people, or you stopped. Because it went from 'enhanced interrogation' to straight out torture, when the person you're talking to was slurring and bleary and hallucinating and nothing coming out was useful.
Unless Arthur really thought that an imaginary, stuffed bunny called Mr. Pinkie had asked for his death.
At a certain point, you just had to give up and realise that the longer, slower interrogation methods were all you had. And even then, Arthur wasn't certain how long they could do that. It wasn't as though the building itself was that secure. If they didn't have someone watched over her constantly, she could likely have punched her way through the walls and escaped. After all the Tower Guard wasn't going to stop people from leaving - just entering.
And she was, by definition, a guest.
Four days later, and accepting that yes, he really wouldn't become an outright villain and even the idea of too long interrogation made him squeamish, Arthur went in to speak with her one last time. One way or the other, they had to work this out. If that meant she was set-free, so be it.
"Why did you try to kill me?" Arthur asked the assassin.
They hadn't even managed to get her name. Or gotten multiple names. Which, Arthur assumed, was her trying to cover for the real name she had given at some point. He just wasn't sure when she had come up with that plan. She certainly reacted enough to all of them.
"What did you expect to get out of it?"
"You know you could have - probably should have - died, right?"
"Who hired you?"
"Did you know that I wear my underwear on the outside, sometimes?"
That got a reaction. A long, slow blink. Mel unfortunately had even more of a reaction, which amused Arthur, but otherwise, not much else.
"You know, you should learn the Yin body technique yourself. You're cold blooded enough to really benefit from it." He paused, then added. "Unless the addition caused a chain reaction that froze over the Tower. Too much for mortal man, when the lady with ice veins finally can, with the Yin and the Yang."
Still no reaction.
In the end, Arthur sighed. Stood up. "You give me no choice."
Now, just the slightest tightening of muscles. A miniscule reaction as she readied herself to fight. He stepped away, slipping the kris from his belt as he readied his techniques. He watched her watch him, even as Mel did the same on the other side. Then, he reached out, and opened the door.
"Go."
Surprise now, as she hesitated. Outright suspicion dancing in her eyes. He didn't blame her.
"I won't kill you in cold blood. And since the only person you tried to kill was me, I get final say." He shrugged. "Maybe you'll come after me, maybe you won't. At least next time, I'll be watching. And I won't need to try to interrogate you."
Silence. They walked with her, all the way to the entrance where she left. She hesitated at the door, watching the traffic outside, and then in a break, took off running. Arthur turned to the Tower Guard, informed them the young lady was no longer a guest and closed the door.
Only to find Jan and Mel staring at him.
"What?"
"That was foolish," Mel said.
"Going to try to kill you, ah."
"You're right." Arthur said. "But I'm not walking down that road. And she won't find it that easy, next time. Or even living on this floor." At Jan's puzzled look, he continued. "I got her description and a sketch to all our friends. They'll all be looking out for her, and have promised not to work with her. And let me know if she works with anyone else." He shrugged. "It's a small enough town. She's either going to have to leave, or if she sticks around long enough, we'll know who she works for."
"Oh...."
"And Uswah is tracking her?" Mel said.
"Nope. She's sleeping the night off."
"But..."
"Nah, I figure she's good enough to pick out Uswah if we tried to set her watching. Or smart enough to hide tll daylight came and then lose our resident rogue." Arthur shrugged. "More importantly, you can't prove a negative."
"What....? Oh...." Jan grinned evilly. "You're making her think that someone might be watching but she can't see. So she won't report in."
"Or waste a ton of time trying." He shrugged. "Either way, it's the best we can do."
A finger pointed upwards. "Now, don't bother me. I got more cultivating to do, before we leave."
Ignoring Mel's attempt at starting that conversation, Arthur made his way to his room, feeling a lot lighter. It seemed being a good person and a Clan leader was going to require some reassessment. And a few risks taken.