Raven stared at the notification, dumbstruck.
'What the fuck does that even mean? Why would they put that in the game?'
Raven attempted to summon his stats, but nothing happened.
He tried to bring up the details of his perk, but nothing happened.
Raven glanced at Kara and Sol. Both looked just as confused as he did.
"Please, shut the door behind you. Then we can talk"
Sol obeyed, closing the door softly.
The room was simple, with a dirt floor and bare walls. There was a table and several chairs in the center, all made of worn wood. Despite the apparent simplicity, it felt deeply wrong. As Raven tried to process the details of the room, it seemed to slip from his memory. Just looking around taxed his mind.
Ace walked towards the table, and sat down. He gestured towards the chairs. "Please, take a seat."
Kara and Sol sat down, and Raven followed.
After a moment, Ace finally spoke.
"As you can probably tell, this is no normal room. One of its' many strange properties is perfect protection. Nothing can interfere with us in here, and nothing we say will ever be uncovered. Even the gods can't figure out what we do in this room."
Raven thought for a moment. "The way you phrased that... 'nothing we say will ever be uncovered'. That doesn't just mean nobody can listen in, does that also mean it can't be found out once we leave?"
Ace nodded. "Mostly. As long as you don't speak about it out of this room, the information will be protected. Your memories of this conversation will feel strange, and uncertain. Trying to think about it will be awkward, but manageable."
Kara grinned mischievously. "Wow, exciting! You must have something pretty fun to tell us, then. If you brought us all the way down here to talk, it can't be anything boring."
Ace shrugged. "Well, I got some comparatively boring stuff to discuss, before I reveal why I really brought you here. First, your training regiment will be rather simple; I am going to beat the ever-living fuck out of you. You will eat and sleep first, obviously, and then you can take turns fighting me."
Ace leaned back in his chair, idly scratching his cheek. "After your bodies and cores have matured a little bit, I will give you some spells and equipment. Then, I will send you on your first mission into the outside world."
"YES!" Kara shouted, followed by her strange laughter.
Sol sighed, rubbing his temples. "Since it is just our first mission, it won't be too stressful, surely?"
Ace smiled. "Oh, of course. It won't be anything crazy. I simply want you to assassinate the Emperor and his heir, kill his Royal Guard and the Prefect, spread chaos and destruction throughout the capital, and ensure the start of a civil war between the nobility and the guilds."
Sol froze, blinking. He stayed silent for a moment. Then, he chuckled.
"Oh, of COURSE. What a completely reasonable and sane mission for new recruits. Honestly, I should've guessed it myself."
Raven and Kara both patted Sol on the back.
"Hey, don't worry Onichan! It will be fun!"
"Stay strong Sol, you won't be alone."
Ace smiled, tapping his fingers on the wooden table. "Yes, it is a very reasonable and sane mission for new recruits, I couldn't have said it better myself! Well, it should be. It will be a little more complicated, now that players are involved..."
Raven ceased his comforting pats, and looked at Ace. "What do you mean?"
Ace sighed. "Players are being drawn towards the capital like moths to the flame. Hundreds of them! Most likely, the factions involved have now realized the power and importance of players, and have started giving out quests."
Kara shrugged. "Why the hell would that make it more complicated? We can just kill them, who the hell can stop a dual enhancer?"
Ace frowned, looking towards Kara sternly. "Don't get cocky, brat. Your enhancements are a huge boon, but you still haven't reached their full potential. Even then, the enhancements biggest strength is granting you large reserves of Aura. Other players will be weaker, sure, but that doesn't make you invincible. On top of that, you will only have a few simple spells and pieces of equipment to work with."
Kara blinked. "Not gonna lie, I didn't listen to a single thing you said..."
Sol groaned.
Raven leaned back in his chair. He twirled a strand of hair with his finger, staring at the ceiling.
'Anything we discuss in here will be protected...'
Raven looked at Ace. "Ace, so long as we only talk about it in here, any plans we make will be impossible to decipher? Is that how it works?"
"Sort of. The room does protect information being discovered. However, when you enact the plan, that counts as revealing information. However, not even a god will be able to read your mind, and your actions cannot be prophesized."
"So... people can use deductive reasoning to figure out what I am doing, but magical means won't work?"
Ace nodded. "Correct. Now, one clarification I need to make is the information has to be learned IN this room. So, if you have something you learned beforehand, discussing it here won't make it undiscoverable, but the fact you talked about it in here will be."
Ace leaned forward, grinning. "Anyways, now that we got past the boring stuff, let's talk about something much more interesting; my dream!"
'His dream is what he wants hidden, then? Something he wants not even the gods to figure out? Interesting... I think I know what his dream is, and I like it!'
Ace clenched his fists. "I am going to kill the gods!"
Kara nodded approvingly at his mighty dream, while Sol glanced at his sister.
Raven smiled. 'I was right!'
Ace took a deep breath. "Again, I must remind you to keep this information a close secret. Even if you betray me, letting this information leak could put yourself in danger. And no, Kara, not the fun kind of danger. The 'my adventure is over' kind of danger."
Sol gave Ace a thumbs up. "Don't worry, sir. I won't let her do anything stupid."
Ace reciprocated his thumbs up. "Thank you soldier!"
Kara flipped them both off.
Ace chuckled. "Anyways... there is one more thing I want to discuss. Raven, you have a dream as well, right?"
"Of course I do. I didn't think that you knew of it, though."
"I do. You want to exterminate all life, correct?"