Elias Markus, the Commander's right-hand man and the Lieutenant of Fort Bastion, accompanied by some of his party, had been given instructions by the commander to gather information. Now, they found themselves standing in front of a worn-out door of an abandoned building near the docks. The door was etched with a symbol - a circle with eyes at the center and a cross as the eyes' pupil. It was the symbol of the Thieves Guild. Elias had chosen this location as it seemed to be the most logical place to find valuable information, despite also being the most dangerous place in the capital. But he had known that beforehand.
Elias proceeded to knock on the door three times, pause, then knock two times again, followed by four more knocks. Moments later, a slit in the eye symbol opened, and someone's eye stared back at him. Then a voice came from behind the door, asking, "What's the most important treasure?" It was some kind of code for entry. "The dead man's tongue," Elias replied. The door then opened, revealing a hooded man. "Welcome, brother," the hooded man exclaimed. Elias' comrades were puzzled by the situation. Then Elias proceeded to say to them, "From here on out, I'll be going in alone. Tell the commander I'll meet him at the docks tonight." His comrades nodded and watched as Elias went inside the building.
Meanwhile, the Commander made his way to the castle. Apparently, earlier a messenger had come looking for him. He had been summoned to the castle by the King. Unable to reject this summons, he thought it would also be a good opportunity to gain information on Aria's predicament. As the commander stood in front of the castle door, a guard asked him, "Who goes there?" with menacing eyes, his hand firmly gripping his halberd. "I am Commander Rufus Adelard of Fort Bastion. I have been summoned by the King's order," the commander proclaimed. "Welcome, Commander. You're the hero who captured the vile traitor Apothecary. Please come inside," the guard proclaimed with a hint of admiration. Ironically, the commander was not amused by how he was known, but he let it be for now. He then proceeded to go inside the castle.
In the castle, he was greeted by one of the castle's chamberlains. "Good day, Commander!" he said with utmost respect. "The King has summoned you in regards to capturing the traitor Apothecary. Unfortunately, the king is... indisposed as of this moment, so you will be brought to His Majesty's Royal Advisor," he informed. The commander, slightly annoyed and suspicious of the change of plans, had no choice but to agree. "Very well, lead the way," the commander politely replied. "Very good, sir. We shall head to His Majesty's private study," the chamberlain said and proceeded to lead the commander. When they arrived there, the chamberlain greeted him and asked him to go inside, then he left.
The commander, unsure of what might happen, readied himself and gathered his thoughts as he went inside. At a distance near the window, he was greeted by an old dwarf with a long white braided beard reaching up to his knees and long white hair indicating his old physique. He wore big round glasses and a royal robe adorned with gold and silver linings. His staff stood at the side, almost acting like some sort of sentinel. He slowly walked in front of the commander. As he got closer, the commander slowly recognized this man. He had seen him before, particularly with the Hero's party, the party Aria the apothecary was part of. This man was the Wizard of that party! The commander was surprised, but he tried his best not to let it show and stood his ground. "Welcome, Commander Rufus Adelard. You have come a long way just to bring the traitor to justice. I have to say, you have my deepest gratitude and admiration," the advisor said to him. "I am aware that this is not our first meeting. It was in a different circumstance, but it was nonetheless a pleasure. Allow me to introduce myself once more... I am Archmage Zephyr Elcrass, Royal Advisor to His Majesty, Archmage Wizard of Sorcelight Institute, and the wizard of the Hero's Party." His enumeration of his titles had an air of arrogance and dignity, contrasting with his soft, quiet voice.
The commander recalled Sorcelight Institute, located in the magic kingdom of Luminar. This was the foremost school that had the monopoly on magic in the entire world of Solandis. Being an archmage there demanded respect and admiration.
"It is an honor, Archmage," the commander bowed with respect.
"I expect there was some resistance in bringing her here?" the advisor inquired. "I have known Aria Nightbloom for some time when we traveled together to defeat the Demon Lord. She can be a bit stubborn at times, a quality she shares with the Hero. It was quite a dilemma at times to handle those two... Draco the Barbarian was the same way too, now that I recall," he added.
"No, she came willingly without any resistance," the commander defended Aria.
"I see, is this why she was not chained and tied when you delivered her here?" the advisor questioned further. The commander thought this man was sharper than he thought, and quite dangerous at that.
"I believe Aria is innocent, so I was compelled to release her from her bindings. As you can see, she came here without escaping," the commander retorted.
"I see," the advisor thought as he stroked his long beard. "You don't know her like I do, commander. You just might be dancing in her palm right now," the advisor warned. "It was the same for us when the Hero and she ambushed us. We were lucky to be able to escape them," he added.
He then proceeded to share his side of the story, how after the Demon Lord was defeated, the Hero took his unholy crown and betrayed them. The advisor claimed that the Hero tempted Aria for his personal gains. According to the advisor, Aria, who is very gullible, was eager to please the Hero. Only with a very rare Transportation scroll that he happened to have saved them from the Hero's clutches.
"Now, I'm afraid the Hero with the Unholy crown will take over the Demon Lord's castle and wage war against Solandis once again," the advisor said with worried eyes. "Since Aria came willingly, there must be something at play... some sort of evil plot," he added.
The commander listened, but his mind was putting the pieces together, trying to solve this mystery.
"But for now, I shall give you your reward, commander. I grieve for your loss... I know you lost a lot of good men coming here, and I heard you have also been attacked by the Hand of Thalassa. I hope this reward will give you some solace," the advisor said, handing the commander three full pouches of gold.
The commander looked at the reward with utter disdain. Was this supposed to be the worth of his men? They were not even held in high regard. This almost felt like a bribe, the commander thought. He then gave his answer to the advisor.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot accept this. I have been doing what any military man would do in that situation. My men knew the stakes, and I believe they would say the same," the commander sternly but proudly proclaimed.
"Indeed, you are a wise and honorable man, Commander," the advisor expressed with admiration.
Silence fell between them for a moment, and then the commander asked, "May you permit me just one question, Archmage Zephyr?" The advisor looked at the commander with curious eyes.
"How did you know we were attacked by the Hand of Thalassa?" The commander's gaze fixed on the advisor's eyes.
The advisor fell silent, his gaze turning cold. Then he proceeded to answer, "I am the King's advisor. I know a lot of things, and I also have my sources." The advisor calmly responded.
Unsatisfied with his answer, the commander now had even more questions. But it would be suspicious if he pried even more. There is also the question of how he became the advisor quickly. So he has no choice but to find answers in a different way. With this, the commander bid the advisor farewell and left the Royal Study.
In the Royal Study, a few moments after the commander left, the Advisor Archmage Zephyr was busy with some paperwork when suddenly a woman veiled in the shadows appeared behind him. "I told you, we should have finished them all off," the woman spoke in a menacing and playful tone, looking at the advisor's paperwork. "All of this could have been avoided," she added.
"No, this is fine. Now we can pin it all on her," the advisor retorted while still focused on the papers.
"How about the Hero? Hmm? He may still be alive," the woman queried.
"I doubt it. He would've come himself if that's the case," the advisor answered. "In any case, he doesn't have the Divine protection anymore. We made sure of it," he arrogantly remarked.
"Fine," the woman gave up her query and walked around the study. "But you know, that man who was just here... He's quite sharp. He's onto you," the woman warned him.
"I'll let you take care of him. That's what you're good for, right?" the advisor taunted her.
"I'm not your lapdog!" she exclaimed. "But I am bored, so I'll humor you this once. He may be quite the challenge," she then proceeded to disappear into the shadows.
The advisor sighed and continued his work.
Elias, now inside the Thieves Guild, was on his way to meet the Guild Master. Looking around, he realized he had been led down into the sewers. Small torches lit the path, and he could spot a bug or two roaming in the shadows. His footsteps echoed in the eerily silent place. Among those sounds, he could also sense the presence of vigilant eyes always ready to strike at any moment. But Elias didn't falter; he knew his mission and he intended to follow through.
When they arrived at the door, the hooded man opened it, outstretched his arm signaling Elias to enter. As Elias stepped halfway inside, the hooded man spoke in a soft voice. "Good luck, Elarion." Elias ignored this; he knew exactly what he was getting into. To be called by a name that he had abandoned years ago was no surprise. He continued to walk inside until he was face to face with a tall, burly man sitting on an ornate chair. The man had silver hair brushed back, a prominent scar across his face, and a short trimmed beard. The door could be heard as it closed shut. Elias noticed that they were alone inside this room. A few moments of silence passed, and then the tall, burly man broke it.
"Elarion, I haven't seen you in a while," his voice was deep and gruff. He looked at Elarion from head to toe. "I see you have made yourself comfortable in the Fort."
Elias was steady. He didn't let intimidation get to him. "It's Lieutenant Elias Markus now," he proclaimed, standing his ground against this intimidating man.
"Of course, of course... What can I do for you, Lieutenant?" the man mocked, a slight snicker forming on his face.
"I need information about the Hero party's comrades," Elias commanded.
"Oh, you mean the Hero party who supposedly defeated the Demon Lord? Which one? The Elven Paladin who is one of the guardians of the Goddess Tree? The King Barbarian who leads the Unified Beast Tribe? Or the Archwizard of Sorcelight Institute who serves as an advisor to the King? How about the young Apothecary that you hauled here?" His eyes studied Elias' reaction each time he mentioned a party member. "Or wait... maybe you're looking for my daughter... Thalia?"
Elias' eyes opened in shock. He had never seen the Thieves Guild Master's daughter when they went through the fort before.
"Thalia... was part of the Hero's party?" Elias asked the Guild Master, but perhaps he was asking himself. Why hadn't he noticed before? Was it deliberate? Questions flooded his mind, and then before he got carried away, he asked, "What happened in the Hero's party after the Demon Lord was defeated?" He demanded answers.
"You have been part of this organization for a long time, Elarion... You know what our goal is. Your coward father didn't have the guts to achieve what he wanted. Now he lies somewhere at the bottom of the sea." His expression suddenly changed from amused to cold. "I promised him that I'd spare you once. And there is no second time." He proceeded to stand.
Elias expected this turn of events. He knew he had to be back here someday, to exact revenge. But his mind was still fixed on the mission. He had to go back and inform the commander of what he had learned. About Thalia, about the Thieves Guild's plans. But he knew going back out was harder than going in. He unsheathed his sword from the scabbard. "You will tell me everything, and you will tell me now!" He proclaimed.
"Sure, you know how it is. The strong always get what they want," the man answered and stood in front of Elias, his towering height and physique far exceeding the commander's.
"Thieves Guild Master Iron Fist Rodney, I challenge you to a duel!" Elias proclaimed.