"Agh! You sick roman bastard! What... What do you want?" Gasped the drunken guard with a strained voice.
The thin durable string rubbed against the thin guard's neck constricting even more of his voice and air flow.
The string remained taut with two fists pulling it wrapped around them even tighter. The guard continued his futile struggle.
Strom dismissed his captured prey in front of him and glanced at the guard laying still on the floor next to them. This guard, that took cover earlier, was clearly more intelligent than the rest.
'Maybe I should have kept that one for questioning instead...'
However, due to his recent training, Strom had targeted the stronger opponents first. In order to eliminate the most threatening opponents and remain in the best possible control.
The smothering stench of alcohol floated up to Strom's face and made him wrinkle his nose in disgust. Although he was not exactly fixated on soberness, Strom valued the completion of his mission over such potentially destructive vices.
The results and aftermath of drinking during a job was currently right in his hands beneath him.
'Speaking of these idiots...'
Strom loosened the string slightly enough to allow the target to speak. Immediately after the burden on his neck was lessened the poor guard breathed heavily while coughing.
However, his fit of coughing stopped instantaneously as a fierce hand ripped his head back with his hair. The now half-drunken guard shivered with fear as he gazed into the young man's fiery eyes.
"Tell me what your little plan was for that thief and I, and maybe I'll consider sparing your worthless life." Threaten Strom with a strange smile.
"Why you little-"
The guard's complaints were ended as a sharp piercing shock raced through his body from his head.
"Don't speak about any other unwanted bullshit or I'll fry you like a bug." Whispered Strom in a heavy tone.
The loose string around the guard's neck twitched as he gulped. After a moment's silence and processing the guard finally spoke again.
"I... III... It wasn't exactly our plan..."
Another pulsing shock shook the guard's frame fully, dissipating the man's drunkenness.
"Sto- Stop! It's the truth! Whether we were going to do anything or not. Your guys' fate was already planned out by the officials!"
The guard braced himself for another shock. But opened his eyes with surprise after not receiving another round.
"Go on."
After realizing his captor seemed to be a rational person, the guard spilled the rest of the information in hope of retaining his life.
"Although that foreign bitch has authority over us, she doesn't have all the say in the court. That thief... Fucking rebel... Should've been killed several times over if it weren't for her interference. This time he was to be sentenced along with you as a traitor and spy collaborating together."
Nervously explained the guard half under his breath.
"Interesting... So why exactly is Amira involved with him then?"
"Who knows what she's thinking. Her and that foreign mercenary group she brought along with her pretty much handle all the military affairs now. Although the court eagerly accepted them and payed the due amount; they're already regretting that decision even though it's the only reason we've lasted this long."
"I can't imagine those power hungry officials would just simply allow that to happen under their noses." Snorted Strom.
"That's the thing... Even as they try to hide this from the masses, word is easily spread around here, and it's pretty obvious who is gaining control of the kingdom. Everyone is starving because of the heavy taxes imposed by the officials to pay the mercenaries, and Amira is using that as leverage against them."
"I see... So to the people it looks like the foreign mercenaries are heroes saving them from the war, while the rich officials starve them to death."
"Yep. And I wouldn't be surprised if those uprisings that little brat thief is starting are also connected to her little plan."
Strom let go of the guard's hair and stood in silence while plotting his next move.
'So the kingdom's authority and power is basically divided right now into three parties. The foreign mercenaries led by Amira, the Zephyr officials, and the rebels... But it looks like the party to actually be wary of are those mercenaries. Seeing how Amira and Aaron acted, I would assume they're either on the same side or will be soon. Which leaves the Zephyr officials with the short end of the straw here...'
Strom could appreciate the intricacy of such a plan made by Amira. Unfortunately, this plan opposed the Roman Empire's goal. However, Strom was beginning to formulate a way to incorporate such a hinderance into a benefit to decrease the Roman military's timeframe for the war.
'Looks like I'll be chasing after that thief after all now...'
Out of the two routes Strom had perceived to be viable, only one had such a fast success time. Although the success rate for this plan was substantially lower than the other.
On one hand, he had completed his reconnaissance mission and could go back to report. This would eventually lead to another drawn out struggle with the Roman military. Which almost guaranteed a win since they would know the weak points of the Kingdom due to Strom's retrieved information.
But the other route would give them a fairly easy victory without much time being wasted. The only problem was the lower success rate and the amount of burden it would place on Strom.
Especially considering most of this plan would rely on his strength and performance alone.
Considering the two options carefully, Strom decided to conjoin them in the end.
"Just cause I take this harder route doesn't mean I can't still achieve great results... I'll just send the reports by letter and complete as much as I can here before the full army arrives." Strom thought aloud.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Asked the restrained guard in confusion.
'Right... I almost forgot I had this idiot here still...'
The guard's eyes opened wide and shivered slightly as a sword from his fallen comrade suddenly swung towards his neck.
The pitiful guard quickly shut his eyes and braced himself for what seemed to be the inevitable.
However, he felt no pain. Moving his hand to the side of his neck, the guard opened his eyes again in surprise.
"Th- There's no blood..." He mumbled in shock while looking at his hand.
"Of course there isn't any you idiot. But there will be if you don't do as I say." Calmly iterated Strom as he pointed the tip of the sword back towards the guard's throat.
The blade of the sword fidgeted as the nervous guard gulped again.
"Is there any pen or paper around here I can use?" Asked Strom in a hurry.
"Ye-Yeah, of course..." Replied the guard in a daze after the continuous trauma slowly being developed.
"Well get it already." Said Strom after seeing the guard still remaining on his knees.
The guard hurriedly scurried off towards another table near the other side of the room with parchments stacked up and jumbled together.
Sweat poured off the guard's face as he dug through the parchments to find a fresh sheet and a thin piece of charcoal.
"Is this really all you guys have?" Questioned Strom with a small sigh.
"W-Well... As I said, besides the military, the government and different associations here are almost out of money..." Stuttered the guard as Strom sat down on the edge of the flipped table in the middle of the room.
Using the special reconnaissance code Axus had shown him, he quickly scribbled his intentions and the key parts of the gathered info. After finishing, he fused his electricity into the parchment as Axus had shown him. The roughly etched words began to shine with a low bluish glow before vanishing under a seal.
'There. That way, even if it makes it into the wrong hands, we won't be fucked.' Strom appreciated the convenience and ingenuity of the special communication strategies Axus had shown him.
After carefully folding the parchment into a small slip, he beckoned the quivering guard over.
"Wha-"
"Shut up and listen carefully. I need you to take this slip over to the south gate of the kingdom and hand it to a guard stationed there named Ritz. When giving him the paper make sure you say these words exactly: Lightning the child of thunder will descend."
While iterating these orders, Strom carefully hid a small piece of glass under the slip of paper. As the guard reached out his hand to receive the slip, Strom swiftly embedded the glass into the man's hand with the paper.
"Ah fu-"
"If you don't do as I say the object I just embedded deep into your flesh will send a shock that will stop your heart from ever beating again!" Warned Strom with a strong and foreboding tone.
The guard instantly silenced his complaints and nodded his head multiple times to show his sincerity for the task.
And with that, Strom sent the guard off first from the barracks after receiving some directions to the Zephyr palace.
Little did the guard know that what Strom had pricked him with was only a small glass shard. Which couldn't possibly do anything that Strom had bluffed. But after receiving such trauma before and after watching all his fellow guards embrace death with cold arms, the guard did not have the capacity to doubt the insidious lie.
"Fuck... Today just isn't my day..." Grumbled the guard as he rushed through the night towards the south of the kingdom.
Meanwhile, Strom slipped through the shadows of the dilapidated buildings surrounding him in the opposite direction.
"Aaron..."