The day was May 7, 2018: Shyler's horse entered the private stables of the Emperor on Chardonacic. The assassin of the council exited the stables on the opposite side to find an armed escort, which consisted of six thugs and a seer. The chancellor's assistant Parcavik was also at the bottom of the platform; in his hands was a Dylonian skin outfit.
"Am I to be a prisoner yet again," he almost sneered at the assistant.
"No today you will be a foreign diplomat from one of the outer regions, Cirius Minor if anyone asks," Parcavik responded with a smile. "It is a region with all types of life not just Dylonian's so no one will recognize you or your station. All should be safe," the seer said with some uncertainty in his voice.
Shyler took the suit hesitantly as he looked at the thugs around him.
"These are the Emperor's personal guard. They have been brought up to speed on most of the goings on within our realm. It is customary they escort any foreign dignitaries to the palace. The Emperor would not have it any other way," Parcavik said with a wink.
The assassin noted the use of the word most in that speech but decided to let it go. Instead, he entered a small room off to the right and took off his pack and weapons and put on the suit he was given.
As the suit was sealed up, it was as if by magic adhered itself to the contours of his body. He then bent down to gather his things and exited the chambers.
"I am sorry Mr. Benton but you are not permitted any bags and definitely not any weapons. We can hold those for you, or I can have them placed back with your horse," Parcavik said with only mild disdain for the visitor.
"I can place them back with Skimmer if that's quite all right," Shyler replied.
Parcavik nodded indicating that it was indeed OK.
Shyler walked back into the stables to put his bags with his prized steed. He reappeared on the ramp without his weapons and his bag.
Instead in his hands he had a single book.
The chancellor's assistant glanced at the book with some concern.
"It is my plans for our upcoming mutual endeavors" Shyler said in his lizard suit. "Here have a look for yourself," he said as he handed the book over to the seer.
Parcavik glanced through the book quickly he did not read it, but he also went slow enough to make sure it was a book and not a weapon wrapped in a book or even a book of spells.
One cannot be too careful and as he had found out of late, the Emperor and the chancellor were none too forgiving. Once he was satisfied it was what it was divulged to be he handed it back and motioned for his guest to follow.
The twenty-minute ride/walk to the palace was noneventful. It would seem foreign dignitaries did not warrant the glances that prisoners did, as he seemed to be getting far less looks than when he last left. Or perhaps they were just so common these days no one gave them a second glance. It was probably a combination of both, he half chuckled to himself as he had the thought.
He was not escorted to the Emperor Chambers as had originally expected but rather to a room on the same floor just past the Emperor's chambers on the far side of the hall. The guards were dismissed as they arrived at Emperor Ravacik's normal chamber room. Five of them went down the back hall and the last of the six entered the chamber room.
The chancellor's assistant continued to escort him down the hallway. He could tell that his guest was a little confused, so he stopped in front of their destination. "This is the Emperor's harem room, relax friend all of the women have been temporarily removed," the assistant said as he noted the sour look upon the assassins face, not a pleasant look for a lizard man he noted and smile.
Parcavik continued, "However, the Emperor noted from your last conversation with him, a distinct need for privacy in the upcoming conversation and this is the most secure room he has available," he said as he opened the door.
"My thanks," the assassin said as he entered the chambers.
"I will fetch the Emperor directly. Please feel free to make yourself at home as this may take a few hours as I am not sure of his current schedule," the assistant said as he exited the room.
* * * *
True to his word Parcavik entered the chamber some two hours later. "The emperor will be along shortly. In the meantime, is there anything I can get you to eat or drink," he said as he walked over and stood by the bar.
Shyler understood there were very distinct differences in the eating habits the human and Dylonian culture, but the drinks were mostly the same, especially the hard liquor.
He did not however, want to be impaired in any way for his upcoming meeting so he shook his head indicating that he was not interested in anything.
The assistant nodded his understanding. He made a drink and sat it on the stand at the chair in front of the assassin. He presumed the drink for the emperor and said nothing.
The assistant made a glass of ice water and retrieved a loaf of bread some cheese and nuts from a bag that he had just brought in. "We had all of this imported in from one of our regions that has a human outpost near it, Cirius is your name for it I believe. This happens to be one of the few realms we coincide with your species. I believe the Emperor would be offended if you did not partake of some of them and let him know how they are," Parcavik said in a serious tone.
The assassin nodded his understanding and tore off a piece of bread and cut a piece of cheese with the plastic knife that was on the plate.
"As I said the Emperor will be here shortly," the assistant said as he exited the chambers.
All of the items provided were quite delicious, especially the water, it was most likely some form of spring water the assassin thought to himself.
A few minutes had gone by when the door opened, and the Emperor entered the room. He walked over in front of the stranger and sat down on the chair across from him. He reached for his drink on the end table beside the chair and took a few sips.
"You were to divulge some of your plans then," the emperor said in a tone in which he tried to come across as non-caring.
Unfortunately, the assassin of the council knew all too well how desperately the emperor wanted to be involved in this stage of his operation. He also knew that the emperor was not going to be happy with what he was about to say.
"Yes, your majesty," he said with as little venom as he could muster given his dislike for the person and the species that sat in front of him.
"As I said I will need several scorched human bodies. They will need to be burned beyond any type of recognition," the assassin said trying not to sound rehearsed.
"Yes, wait you only asked me for one human body, and we are in the process of securing the body and preparing it so that it suites your needs. My only question in all of this is why do you need the corpses," the emperor asked trying to only feign interest in the situation, he failed miserably.
"Here are the parts where you are going to have to be a bigger purpose in my plan so, please listen close," the assassin said as he looked deep into the eyes of Emperor Ravacik.
The emperor nodded as if in somewhat of a daze as he leaned forward to hear the long-awaited plan.
"We are going to need to make it very obvious to the Minlavian Council that I am not the one that perpetrated the theft of the Ancient Text. To be totally honest if I were leading the investigation into the theft of the plans, once they find out and make no mistake about it, they will find out as there are too many busy bodies around the council and they are all on high alert," the assassin said trying not to sound overly concerned.
"As I said if I were to lead the investigation, I would gather all of my top assassins together and put them through a series of compulsion tests. It is has been said that there are none any better at finding a traitor then Council Leader Czelak. It has even been rumored that so good is she that some folks have confessed to crimes they did not even commit, although admittedly that is rumor and some speculation on my part," the assassin said with a smile.
"So, you are going to resign as an assassin, wont that make you even a bigger target as a traitor," the emperor asked with definite concern in his voice.
Benton chuckled. "You are not seeing the bigger picture emperor. I cannot be a suspect as I will be dead," Shyler said with a most revealing Cheshire grin.
The emperor thought he was beginning to grasp a firmer picture of this plan. "I think I am beginning to understand what you are doing here, so how is it other than the bodies that I can be of service to you," he asked of Assassin Benton.
The assassin was not convinced that the emperor fully understood so he continued his explanation. "Well, the first thing is that it will need to be a convincing death and I would prefer the death of a hero. So, what we are going to need to do is have a few of your ships enter near this area" he said as he pulled out a large piece of parchment paper and stretched it out across the table.
I will be patrolling that area with my crew," he said with the last word being in imaginary quotation marks. "I will then board one of your vessels we will toss the burned and stabbed bodies in my ship and tow it to the island here where we will burn it so that it is barely seaworthy," he said as he tapped a small island some one hundred miles north of where the Magical Administrations facility was located.
"Understood so far," the assassin questioned.
The emperor nodded that he did so the assassin continued.
"To make this more convincing you will need to get Dylonian remains, as many as you would normally have upon those ships and regrettably it cannot be ones that have passed from old age as the person making the discovery will need to believe these were soldiers if you understand my meaning," the assassin said to the Emperor Ravacik.
"Several of your ships will need to be scorched from lightning etc. Leave that part too me but one we will partially sink not far from the island. This fight must be succinctly believable.
Again, the emperor nodded his understanding of the situation.
"So, from all appearances I will be dead to the Minlavian Council and free to move about unsuspected. I will then head to the Magical Administrations Facility where the Ancient Texts are stored. With help from a friend or two I will proceed to steal the Ancient Texts and deliver its words of wisdom to you and your people. Now other than the ships and bodies I am sure you are wondering how else you can be of service to your empire so I will tell you" the assassin said not really sure of how the conversation would proceed from here.
"As you can well imagine my contacts to help get me into the facility and the Gnolls that are going to help with the interpretation of the text and the implementation of the spells are not doing so of their own accord and volition. They expect to be paid for their endeavors. The sum of this payment will be approximately ten thousand gold pieces and this payment will need to be met by you before I can promise any delivery of the text. You have my word upon my life that the text will be authentic, and you will not be deceived in any way in this entire process," the assassin said as he already anticipated the reaction of the Emperor.
The emperor to his credit kept things well under control as he now walked around the room with his drink. He was deep in thought with himself, and the assassin was very unsure of what the emperor was doing.
The emperor returned to his seat moments later. "This is doable I believe, and I can see its necessity as you cannot be detained for questioning as you will be helping coordinate with the Gnolls in the preparation of the device. I will heavily rely on you for information as to how things are proceeding, and you can't very well be doing this if you are being interrogated or worse by the council. However, your request for funds may take me a month or two but I should be ready about the same time the rest of the plan comes into place," the emperor said apparently saddened at the loss of so much gold.
The Dylonian's did not use gold coins as money in their Empire, but many parts of the planet did. It was always nice to have large amounts of gold on hand should the need arise. Luckily in his moments of solitude he thought of this and then a thought occurred to him. There could be no greater situation then planetary domination, so it was in this case the coins very much fulfilling its intended requirements.
The emperor almost smiled at the irony of it all. "You will of course be held to your end of the bargain should the journal not be delivered into my hands. You will receive payment for your partners in crime today and the Gnolls payment will be received when I have laid my eyes upon the Ancient Text. Seeing how the Gnolls cannot begin their work until you have the book, I really do not see this as a problem, do you," the Emperor said but the question was more rhetorical than anything.
The assassin concurred.
The two continued the meeting for a few more hours discussing the more intricate details of the operation. When the meeting reached its end nearly three hours later both parties left the room smiling as they were both satisfied with the outcome.
* * * *
May 8, 2018: Shyler had just exited the realm of the lizard men when he pulled a communication crystal from a compartment from his horses saddle.
"Good Day Assassin Benton, how can I be of service to you today," the device said a tiny image appeared within the confines of the gem.
"I need to call Councilman Choe," the assassin replied to the device.
There was a few light blips followed by a whirling noise and then about thirty seconds later the gem replied to his request. "I am sorry Assassin Benton, but I cannot contact the councilman as he has a do not disturb spell implanted on his gem device," the com unit responded.
"This is urgent can you override it," Shyler asked with some urgency.
"Yes, sir I can override the do not disturb on his gem as I did check, and you were the only one on his disturb list. So, I could patch you through if you requested," the machine said to Assassin Benton.
"Make it happen," he said to the device.
"I am sorry sir, but I do not recognize that command. Do you want me to disturb the councilman, or should I withdraw the call," the voice said on the other side of the gem? "Make the call," he responded none too happy that he was having an argument with a communication device.
Predisposed spell transmitters had so very limited commands that could be put into them, it was quite insulting really to spend ones time talking to one, but the assassin shrugged it off to dealing with wizards and politicians. He often debated on which were the most difficult. A smile etched across his face at the thought.
Seconds later the device beeped, and the screen went grey and fuzzy. Seconds after that, the picture on the other end partially came into view, it was in a bed chamber and there were several large masses moving around, under the sheets on the bed.
"Excuse me sir, Assassin Benton reporting his findings sir he said it is quite urgent," the spell transmitter said to the Councilman. This voice was a male voice as opposed to the female synthesized voice that Assassin Benton elected to use.
"I'll allow it" the councilman said, in a none to pleasant voice.
"Pardon me sir but I do not understand your request…
"Just put the damn call through you ignorant piece of ….," the councilman's voice railed as he realized what he was doing.
The assassin could tell even through the fuzzy picture presented to him on his gem that this was not going to be a pleasant conversation. Perhaps he should rethink his choice to disturb the councilman. Nah he thought as he shook his head it was too late as the councilman already knew he was calling and if he were to end the call now it would most likely be very unpleasant for him the next time they spoke.
At this point he desperately needed the councilman to be very unsuspecting of what he was doing.
"Yes, what is it Benton, I assume you have news, or you would not have interrupted me," the Councilman said trying not to sound to upset at the interruption.
"I am sorry to interrupt your de-briefing session," he said with a snicker as he watched a tall naked female Gnoll exit the bed and enter in the bathroom. She was apparently none too happy at being interrupted.
"Did you call for a purpose or just to make jokes mister Benton. I will not apologize for having a life outside the Council. I wish the same could be said for others, perhaps others on this call even could learn from my example," the councilman said as he somewhat sneered at his caller.
The remark hit home to the assassin as he was all too well aware that the agency ruled his life and there was little time for anything else. That would soon end he thought to himself as he smiled.
He then realized what he was doing and had to act quickly. "Touché I believe this round belongs to you sir," the assassin said hoping that he was convincing with his deception.
The councilman nodded. "Well what news did you discover," Councilman Choe said believing that he had gotten the better of Assassin Benton, something that happened very rarely if ever he thought to himself.
"I am afraid that your thoughts on the increased activity are correct Councilman. The Dylonian's are definitely preparing for war against someone, and my best guess is against Minlavian Council and all of its members. To make matters worse I have heard rumblings that some members of the Wadai faction within the Gnolls are siding with the Dylonian's and offering their assistance," he said to a now very concerned councilman.
The councilman looked toward the bathroom and then back toward the gem. "Are you certain," he asked.
"I am certain that I heard the rumblings, but I am not certain of anything else but if I were you, I would watch the pillow talk," Shyler said in a hushed tone almost laughing as he said it.
"Enough of that but your point is well taken. What are your next plans then," Councilman Choe asked of his most prized assassin?
"I am headed to Cirius now to see what the Gnolls are about. I will spend about a month there snooping around as best I can. I will then report back to you my findings," Shyler replied.
"Excellent work Agent Benton. Keep me upraised of your findings, Councilman Choe out," he said as he bent near the gem to cover it.
The last thing the councilman saw was Assassin Benton nodding and then the gem went black.
* * * *
It was May 11, 2018: There was a knock on the Council Leaders door. It was late in the hour, but she was expecting someone, so the knock came as a revelation. It was time to put the next phase of the operation together. She hated using her old friend in this manner but at this point in the game she could not trust anyone. She also reasoned that this was for his own good, but she knew that not to be the case even before she thought it.
"Ahh good evening Syrus, so kind of you to come on such short notice," she said with a smile.
"Not a problem, it sounded urgent when you contacted me earlier yesterday, so I gathered my belongings and returned from my current undertakings," Syrus responded.
"And how are things on Scorched Earth, are they calming down at all," the Council Leader Asked knowing full well what the old mage was about. She was of course referring to the attacks perpetrated by the Eerikye.
The old mage shook his head. "There have not been any further attacks on any major towns or villages, but the Chieftain is still gathering his forces," was the response. You could still see the pain of the situation in his eyes.
"I see," the council leader said with concern in her voice.
"Well, I am afraid you are not going to like the task that I am to assign to you my friend, it is one that is necessary for the survival of the Minlavian Council and its governing sanctions. Unfortunately, it will take you away from where your heart truly wants to be and that is on Scorched Earth. I apologize for that Syrus, and I want you to know that were it not absolutely necessary we would not be having this conversation," Council Leader Czelak said in all seriousness.
"Of course, Lady Czelak, long ago I gave up what I wanted to satisfy the needs of the Minlavian Council and the greater good of the races that lie within. It was the right thing to do then, and it continues to be the right thing to do now. How can I be of service to you and the council," Syrus said with a half bow?
"I have heard word of a possible traitor among our assassins. Please let me finish," Lady Czelak said as she held up her hand to Syrus hoping to forego any comments.
Syrus settled back down to listen.
"To answer your question, no I have not made councilman Choe aware of this situation. These men are his charge and if he cannot control them then so be it. I know you think me harsh," she said, reading the look that Syrus had given her.
"Not harsh my lady, I was merely curious as to why you chose to keep the councilman out of the loop. Does this have anything to do with your recent transgressions with him," Syrus said, referring to the past occurrence where Councilman Choe had charged the council leader in rage only to have his mind controlled by the council leader. At this point she gave him a 'suggestive thought' that he might like to try beating his head against the table until he passed out.
When the councilman came too, he was taught a healthy respect of humility, but the bigger lesson may have been learned by the council leader in that of guilt. Since the council leader was not a violent person, this event weighed more heavily on her more than she initially thought it might and Syrus wondered if she had forgiven herself her actions.
"I had hoped you thought better of me than that my friend," the council leader said obviously pained by the comment.
Syrus of course felt horrible knowing full well the council leader would not let personal feelings get in the way of doing what was right for the Minlavian council. That is why she was put in the position in the first place.
"My apologies my lady, I do know better. Please forget I even brought the matter up," the old mage said with all sincerity.
The council leader nodded her understanding of the comment. "It is ok my friend I understand your concern but let me put your mind at ease. We cannot tell the councilman as it is my fear the stubborn bullhead of a being would go to his assassins in arrogance and accuse one of them of being a traitor and threaten them, hoping to get an admittance, which both you and I know any assassin worth a grain of salt is not going to succumb to such a miniscule amount of torture. I mean we train them not to for crying out loud," the council leader said as she tried to keep herself from getting all worked up.
Syrus nodded that he agreed on all accounts.
"So, it is my thoughts that by alerting him of the possible situation we will most likely alert the traitor and we definitely do not want that. We don't want this assassin to know in the slightest that we are watching,' Council Leader Czelak said with grim determination.
"What is it you think is going to happen council leader," Syrus asked.
"You know as well as I that the time of the prophecy is upon us," she said.
Syrus nodded his agreement.
"This means something big is on the horizon, we need to watch and prepare ourselves for the situation. We have several facilities that need to be watched. Some of those include the science center near Scorched Earth, the prison south of the realm of Cirius Minor, the Magical Administrations facility and the few gateways that lead to Desmonia itself. Now I will handle Desmonia and the prison due to its proximity to here, but I am going to need to rely on you to handle the rest. You will need to meet with the authorities of each location and without sounding too paranoid please relay to them the importance of reporting to you anything that is out of the ordinary," the council leader said and then paused for a response.
Syrus nodded his understanding, "do you have any idea where the threat will come from," he asked.
"No unfortunately I do not," the council leader responded. She was lying of course as she knew full well the attack was coming from the Dylonian's, but she did not want to cloud Syrus' judgment with details.
"You have your orders please do not disappoint me," she said as she stood indicating their meeting was at end.
Syrus nodded as he left the room. He had his orders he would see them through.