As Elric left through the rear exit of the throne room, he spotted someone familiar leaning against the stone wall. "Do you need something, brother?" The King asked. Pushing himself off of the wall, Orthum replied, "I heard your meeting through the door."
The older brother continued ahead of his sibling, causing the shorter and paler man to trail behind him. "What of it?" Elric asked. "If that boy is an Inheritor, then he is too valuable to the kingdom. That is big news, and if we let him run about, then we may lose him," Orthum replied, failing to keep his voice calm.
"What do you suggest then? That we shackle that child to us? Considering who he is the Inheritor of, and the fact the beast kingdom is aware of him, that would surely sour our still budding relations," Elric stated.
"He is young. I'm sure we could tie him to us using Selene. Then she would finally be of use-" Orthum was cut off as Elric spun on his heels with a scowl painted on his face. "We are supposed to be better than those before us," Elric hissed, "She is free to do as she pleases. We are not our father. We will not use our own flesh and blood in the pursuit of politics and power."
"What if we could find a way to take his power?" Orthum countered. Elric's anger dropped as the question sunk in. It took a moment before Elric shook his head, "No. That is his own power. I will not be greedy. I will continue to seek friendly relations with the boy. Do not do anything to the boy," Elric stated firmly as he held Orthums gaze.
The younger, black-haired man stared intensely back at his older brother before sighing, "You're right, brother. I will do as you say."
Elric's body seemed to relax a little at Orthum's words. He knew his younger brother cared about Centralis, but he was more like their father when it came to dealing with matters. Elric took after his kind hearted mother, who had passed many years ago. She was a woman who was kind and compassionate, unlike the man she was forced to marry.
The previous King, Ronem Rothguard, was very heavy handed with all matters. He didn't care about the slavery, nor the impoverished citizens. Guards ran amuck, completely unchecked in how they dealt with matters. But the man did care about controlling those around him, and trying to take what he could from others. Even at a young age, Elric knew he would never be the man his father was.
"I will leave you be then," Orthum announced, nodding his head and leaving Elric by himself. The blonde-haired man sighed as he watched his brother leave his sight. Elric loved his siblings, but he feared his brother was becoming more like their father each day.
Dismissing that train of thought with a sigh, Elric made his way back to his chambers for some much needed rest.
///
"Rex!" Dex cried as he jumped from Ken's shoulder and wrapped his arms around the brown mouse. "Eugh," was all Rex could choke out as he was nearly strangled from Dex's strong hug. Hearing the commotion, Fitz turned away from the group of rats in front of him and towards the entrance of the alley they were in.
"Fitz!" Ken called as he ran up to his furry friend, "Did everyone make it out okay? Are they all here?"
"Yeah we all made it out alright. Couple of burned furs but nothing too major. Everyone's here," Fitz replied, eliciting a sigh of relief from Ken.
Lina, Giselle, and Hunt watched with curiosity as Ken and the rodents continued to exchange words and squeaks. "Are all of your friends okay?" Giselle asked after a minute. "Yeah! Everyone made it out okay. I was worried for a bit there but it's all good," Ken smiled.
"What about the people who broke in?" Rex asked once he was able to pry himself from Dex's firm grasp. "They ran when they showed up," Ken gestured to the group of people behind him. "I'm gonna miss that place," Fitz shook his head.
A wry smile formed on Ken's lips as he thought about his home, "I'm going to miss it too buddy."
"So what do we do now?" Rex questioned. As of now, they were broke and homeless. Unless they didn't mind sleeping in piles of ash, not to mention that their attackers could potentially show back up.
Ken turned towards Hunt, asking, "Can they come with me? I'm not going to leave them out here." Hunt looked a bit reluctant to answer, but eventually said, "I don't think a few dozen rats would be able to walk about in the castle without causing a panic. Perhaps they could stay in the stables?"
"Eh, I don't mind it," Fitz shrugged, "Sure beats sleeping on the streets. Plus it'd only be temporary right?"
"Most likely, but are you sure that would be fine?" Ken raised a brow.
"It'll be alright. I'll let the others know the situation," Fitz nodded.
Ken turned back to Hunt and told him that it would be alright for now. Though he had no intentions of letting it stay that way for long. He had been notified earlier that he was able to stay in one of the many available rooms within the castle, but he planned on making that stay as short as possible. With the way things were going, he had a feeling he would need to get a much bigger house than the previous one he had.
"Alright, let's get going then," Ken stated as all his companions began to get ready to make the walk back towards the castle. Tonight they would get as much rest as they could to prepare for what he assumed would be a tough day tomorrow.
///
Located in one of the cities 'Dark Zones', two figures approached a cellar door, knocked three times, then entered. Inside, they were met with a dimly lit room, with the only source of light coming from a small candle centered on a square oak desk.
Behind the seat sat a similarly dressed man, though he wore a blank purple mask on his face instead of cloth. Sweat began to line their brows as the two men noticed the man's head seemingly facing no particular direction at nothing.
The quietness of the room was unsettling, and the men began to wonder if their captain was already aware of their failure. "C-captain Stone," one of them began to speak, but was cut off as the snake tattoo on his hand began to shift, causing the man to suddenly panic. "Captain Stone! We did what we could but some filthy animals-"
"Silence," a deep voice calmy came from the masked figure. Instantly the man's voice went out, yet he still tried to plead for forgiveness as the snake on his hand swirled and slithered slowly towards his chest. Only the ruffle of his clothing and the scuff of his shoes could be heard in the eerie silence.
When his pleas failed, the man began violently ripping his clothes off until his chest and head were bare, revealing the moving tattoo to the still air. The man started clawing desperately at the snake slowly traveling up his arm to no avail, leaving bleeding cuts along his skin.
His companion was rooted to the spot, watching in horror at the sight before him. He was still relatively new to the organization, yet he never knew the snake could move.
When that failed, the man unsheathed one of his shortswords and began to stab and even cut off his own arm before the snake could reach his torso. The man's silent screams of pain and agony continued as blood and flesh alike continued to fall onto the stone below.
Just as the last bits of flesh and sinew were disconnecting, the snake managed to cross over it like a shadow, continuing its path until it stopped above the man's heart. With the snake over his heart, the man knew his life was going to be cut short.
The snake lifted it's head from the man's skin out into the air, becoming physical in form. With quick movement, the snake unhinged its jaw and struck the man with its fangs penetrating deep into his flesh. The man grimaced even more as whatever he was injected with quickly began to seep throughout his body.
In moments his flesh began to sizzle as chunks of himself began to slough off of his bones. Soon, what remained of the man sat in a pool of steaming liquid on the floor. The second man stared at the goop, his stomach threatening to release everything in it currently. The only thing worse than the sight of the first man was the smell. It was foul, only being enhanced with the basement's stale air.
"Cerastes do not allow ample room for error," Stone spoke casually, bringing the remaining man's attention back to him. "Remember this, Riso. I need not speak to our goddess, for her silent desires speak to me. That desire is that we do not fail. I will do what I must to prove myself to our goddess, for I yearn to walk among Hesperides in the afterlife. I suggest you not only prove your worth to me, but to her as well."
Riso shuddered at the calmness in Stone's voice, who was clearly unaffected by the puddle of flesh nearby. "Y-yes Captain," Riso bowed, "I will prove myself not only to you and the Empire, but Goddess Astra as well."
The masked man remained silent as he turned his head upwards, facing the rotting floorboards above. "I shall carry out your will, my Goddess," Stone whispered quietly to himself. "The blood of the Inheritor will soon paint this city's streets."