“He’s always so intimidating.” One of the pitch black clothed figures shuddered as him and his colleague left Nirvana. They’d taken the portal from Nirvana to Aurum, that they might exact the Voice’s will.

The other one replied, “I will never know why we got assigned to him. That... damned Voice. The leader met his end just like the last one. You’d think they’d have learnt by now.”

They ran through the streets, moving quickly to catch the rat that was spotted by the Arbiter’s agents.

“What are we to do with the rat? Kill it?”

His colleague nodded. “Whoever exits that building, we have to tail. Wherever they go, we have to kill them... You saw what he did to the leader when all he did was speak up... imagine what he’d do to us.”

He gagged at the thought. “I don’t want to think about it.”

The senior agent pointed at a plain building amongst the shops and stalls of the Dwarves’ quarter. They looked at each other and nodded. This was the Tinkerer’s hideout, and they were to wait for the intruder to pop out.

The two agents found a discreet location nearby and waited.

And waited.

Minutes passed.

The Arbiter’s agent left, causing the building to assume its original decrepit appearance for a second. The walls of the building then shimmered, and the plain looking house that once stood there returned.

“They’ll come out soon.”

“Didn’t two of his agents go in?

The older agent pondered for a moment. “Now that you mention it... there were meant to be two of them delivering that message.”

“I suppose all Aspects just have a tendency to kill whoever they like.”

“No no. Just a handful of them.”

“Like that’s any better. The most powerful people in the world just love killing people. Who could even stand up to them?”

“You’ll want to watch your words... For someone so young, you shouldn’t be talking about things that’ll get you killed.”

“In this line of work it feels like everything can get you killed.” He sighed.

The door opened.

The two agents stared at its opening.

A brown haired lady walked out. She had a beauty spot under her right eye.

The two agents looked at each other. They nodded.

The tail began.

The older one whispered such that only his partner could hear him. “Did the report say that the rat was a woman?”

“There was no report of gender or race. The only report was that there was a rat snooping around the Arbiter’s agents.”

At first, it felt like they were being led in circles as the woman stopped and checked multiple stores and stalls repeatedly. However, after a brief pause, the surprisingly beautiful lady began walking down a different path.

“The ports?” The younger one questioned.

The older agent frowned beneath his face-mask. He let out a low growl.

“That’s... annoying.” He turned to his colleague, “Don’t hesitate to show them your ID. It’s better that they know who we are, rather than locking us up and figuring it out later anyway. At least this way, we’ll be able to finish the task.”

The younger, less experienced, agent agreed with his older and wiser partner. He didn’t quite fancy dying at the Arbiter’s hands like his ill-fated leader.

For long minutes, they walked. They shadowed the lady, who’d by now donned a hooded cloak. Fortunately, it was distinct simply by its shade of grey compared to the rest of the cloaks they came across. That, and the lack of cloaks in general made her stand out more. In a way, it made it easy for them to keep up with her.

The weather made it even easier to follow her, since there was no rain whatsoever. Aurum’s capital didn’t get to experience much rain, but whenever it did rain the entire city would practically be forced to lock down. Zenith’s natural weather was never mild, and the agents were grateful that today was simply a hot, sunny day.

The ports were within their sights. They were always lively. There were many bars, many portal-houses, and many songs and women to dance along with. Both of the agents of night wished that they could have spent this time drowning in booze and women. However, they had a goal to accomplish. The security gates that led into the ports were open all day, every day.

The rat passed an ID card to the officer on duty, and was allowed through.

Both agents of the night prepared their cards, when they encountered a very large double-headed basilisk lugging a carriage full of trade goods past them. It got in their way for more than a moment, without a path around it. They lost track of the woman. The clinks and clanks of the various goods in the carriage ebbed away as the basilisk trudged along its path. Somehow, those sounds managed to rub more salt in the wound than the agents thought was possible.

Fortunately, a second officer at the security gate showed up. With two officers on duty, they could get through much easier. Both agents ran towards the gate. They passed their ID cards over to one officer each.

The younger agent got through smoothly, but the older one had some complications.

The officer at the gate looked at the card closely, squinting with withered old eyes. “I’m going to have to run an agency check. This card looks to be tampered with.”

The older agent resisted the urge to deck the officers right then and there, but that would only cause more problems than it would solve. He signalled to his partner to go and survey the ports, to try and find out where the lady went.

The security officer ran the card through a pair of arcane circles that made a whooshing sound as he did so. Information came up on a miniature crystalakrum.

The officer squinted at the screen as he tried his hardest to read out the words. “Agent... of the... night. The Aspect of Vision’s personal agents?! Oh, my. I do apologise for taking up your time sir!”

“It’s... perfectly... fine.”

“Please, go on through.” He offered up the agent’s card.

The older agent snatched the card back and ran through the gates.

He looked around for his partner.

After a moment, his partner ran up to him from his right, “Nothing on this side.”

“Then we’ll check the other side. If she’s not here, then we’re done for. The damned Voice will probably kill us personally.” The nerves in his voice were prominent.

After almost an hour, they’d covered the ports thrice over.

It was over.

Beside a portal-house that led to Mount Zildran, they reconvened.

“We’ve lost her.”

“We’re going to die, aren’t we?” The younger agent’s eyes began to feel heavy.

The older agent sat on a stray chair from a nearby empty bar. “That we are my friend, that we are.”

Contemplating one’s life decisions often took place much later in one’s life, but the younger agent felt the need to do so right now given how awful his circumstances were...

The older agent had seen that face many, many, times before. He placed a relaxed hand on his partner’s shoulder. “Since we’re here, let’s have one last night of fun. How many women do you bet you could bed in one night?”

The younger one stifled a laugh. “Pfft. I could easily bed three in one night.”

“The first to bed three will be the last to die then.”

One wouldn’t know if it was youth, or simply the desire to live that spurred this random thought to come to the younger agent’s mind.

“Wait. If we’re here... at the ports... why don’t we just... leave?”

“That’s... not a bad idea rookie! Let’s have some fun and take a portal out. Better to take the chance than return to our deaths!”

A raven watched the two of them from atop the empty bar. Its eyes glistened red in the light of the twin suns’ setting.

Kallad watched as they left to their night of fun and tomfoolery.

He genuinely hoped the best for their survival.

Kallad recalled the information that he gathered from the ID cards. The Spectre is working with the Arbiter then. What could possibly be his endgame? He must have a reason for going to all of this effort. Whether I’m able to figure out Amon’s true intentions before it’s too late... I’ll have to work faster!

Kallad flew upwards to the tallest building at the ports. He looked around at the shadows of the portal-houses, the bars, the fun that people were having dancing and drinking with each other.

Oh, to be young. I’ll have to get those two to come here and have some fun with each other one day.

Kallad reminisced for a few minutes, then took to flying back towards the other end of Aurum’s capital.

He flew back to his home.

Upon arriving at the red light district, Kallad flew into an alleyway near Devil’s Secret. He morphed back into himself.

I look rather dapper, if I do say so myself.

His suit was clean and devilishly handsome.

Upon walking up to the Secret’s steps, however, he was stopped by his own guard.

Of all people... is this a mutiny?

“I take it you have a good explanation for this... Mr. Guard.”

“That name’s stuck now, isn’t it sir?”

Kallad nodded slowly with his eyes wide open, “Oh yes. Yes it is.”

“Whew... Well, Naam told me to warn you. Go straight to her before going anywhere else. That’s all sir.”

Kallad stared at him suspiciously for a few more seconds, then nodded. He walked past Mr. Guard and entered the Secret.

He looked around.

The lobby was... in tatters. Many of the machines, chairs, and tables, were laying on their sides. Glass bottles that were once full of expensive liquids laid shattered on the floor. Beyond the physical damage, the lobby was abnormally sparse. Wilder nights have resulted in more damage than this, but why’s it this empty?

However much he wanted to look around, Kallad decided to heed Naam’s warning. He went to the VIP reception area.

Naam was alone, sat behind the desk with her chair turned around so she wasn’t facing the entrance. She heard her dad walk in.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

Kallad narrowed his eyes as he stared at the back of her chair.

“You’ve stolen my line. I was going to use that in a bit with Rai later... You better have a good reason for that.”

Naam swivelled around in her spinny chair. “They weren’t theatrics, I’m serious. I had to wait for you. Okay. Listen. I-”

“I’m listening.”

Naam took a deep breath.

“So... I had to call an emergency due to ground tremors. The lobby is mostly empty because the patrons have gone to their rooms, which are all fitted with emergency teleportation devices. It was safer for them to be there, rather than down here.”

“Okay, I saw the damage when I walked in. I also don’t see the problem. You did the right thing and acted in the interest of everyone’s safety when there were ground tremors. Well done.” He clapped for his daughter.

“Yeah... that’s not exactly what happened though.”

“Huh... Pray tell then, dear daughter. What exactly do you mean?”

“It’s probably better if I just show you.” She walked over to the lift and pushed the button.

Kallad followed her.

Ding.

The door opened.

They walked in.

“I don’t know what possibly could’ve... been. Why are you pressing the basement button?”

Naam pressed the basement button.

Kallad held a poker face at his daughter.

“What did they do?”

Naam got in front of Kallad and waved her hands out in front of her, “No no! They... just... did what’s best for them!”

“Okay. Move aside.”

Naam nodded timidly and moved out from in front of him, back to the side of the lift.

Ding.

The doors opened.

Kallad took a few steps into the room.

He looked around.

It was completely destroyed. The panels in the walls and ceiling were practically ripped to shreds. Craters dotted the room’s floor sporadically. The wiring for the vent work and room settings was no longer beneath the floor, and loose cables had sparks flying out of them. There were scorch marks aplenty throughout the wreckage. The only reason that the building wasn’t completely destroyed was because the training area was far enough underground to not have affected the Secret’s foundation.

After a few moments of Naam clenching her jaw in anticipation, Kallad simply sighed. He turned around and looked at Naam with soft eyes, “Explain.”

Naam was surprised. Compared to when she was a child, this father of hers was... calm. He didn’t show his anger like before. Or maybe he truly wasn’t angry. Naam wouldn’t know.

Still, she was anxious. Her lips quivered slightly as she began her explanation.

“O-okay. First, Rai and Sin are very sorry. Second, Sin’s got a forbidden spell and it evolved. Third, that spell caused all this damage. Fourth, the only reason it even did this much damage is because it evolved and Rai had to siphon the pain out of Sin, but there was nowhere for it to go so he ejected it out of his back into raw lightning and they’re both fine now but-” Kallad raised a hand, stopping Naam from speaking any more.

Naam frowned. She almost broke down, “They’re really really sorry.”

Kallad slowly walked over to her.

Naam shut her eyes and winced.

Kallad pulled her in for a gentle hug. He whispered quietly, “You did well to support your sister. I’m proud of you.” He held the back of Naam’s head as he hugged her.

Naam’s surprise got the best of her. She only went to return Kallad’s embrace when he moved to let go.

They both laughed at the mishap.

“Argh, that tournament as well... I’ll need to get this fixed by Saturday...”

“Hehe... you don’t have to worry about that. Lilly and I have come up with a better idea for the tournament.”

“My daughters coming up with a devious plan? I like that you’re both following in your father’s footsteps!”

“No. Just... no.”

Kallad burst out laughing.

Naam smiled at him as she waited for him to calm down.

“You should get some sleep. Snooping around won’t do you any good if you don’t have the energy for it.”

“Whew... You’re right, this stuff can get fixed over the next week. I’m knackered enough as it is.”

The two returned to the lobby, where Kallad returned to his bed in the backroom, and Naam took the lift up to her apartment with Lilly after closing the reception for the night.

After a long day, the Ravens and Rai slept soundly.

The Arbiter, however, was not sleeping soundly. At all.

 

---

 

Amon growled softly as he climbed atop the bed. The two ladies from earlier were now joined by another. He savoured the fleeting excitement of indulging in his lust. It was the satisfaction of fulfilling a primitive desire. One that Amon typically wouldn’t have ever considered even just a year ago. However, the upcoming summit was a cause for celebration. His long-term planning and plotting would soon come to a conclusion.

One of the ladies poured wine down her chest for Amon and another of the ladies to drink from her breasts.

The third lady kissed the one with the wine, leaving little room for her to breathe.

A worried voice suddenly came from the doorway to the large bedroom.

“Sir, a report from the agents you had send that urgent message!”

Amon sighed. He nibbled on the wine girl’s free nipple, causing her to squeal in delight. In a soft, low, tone he whispered to the ladies, “I’ll be but a minute. Don’t have too much fun without me.” Amon grabbed his pants from the corner of the bed and slid them back on.

They giggled amongst themselves. “Come back quickly!” One of them called back out to him.

Amon threw on a robe that loosely covered the rest of his body and left through the bedroom doorway.

He went from the bedroom into the open area with the balcony. Marble flooring was consistent throughout the building, but the other part of the architecture that Amon valued highly was gold. Gold inlays and engravings found themselves on every pillar, every doorway, and every relatively important part of the building.

To Amon, it symbolised strength.

Nirvana was full of marble, gold, and extravagant materials lining its building walls and infrastructure. Even the poorest citizens of the region lived lavish lifestyles. Amon made sure that Nirvana would become known as the pinnacle of Zenith when he became the Arbiter. After just a few years of strife, he’d managed to secure the clan’s place as a powerhouse throughout the world.

But right now, Amon didn’t wish to admire his handiwork. He had a visitor.

An agent of his.

The dark skinned elf removed her mask as she kneeled.

Amon stared at her. He waited multiple moments to allow her to feel the cold hardness of the marble flooring, and for it to cause a bit of soreness in her knees.

“Failure is not a weakness, Mindi. Tell me, what happened to Kareem?”

Mindi held her kneeling position.

“He angered the Tinkerer and met his end.” Mindi knew how this went. She would only answer as much as she was asked. She would not speak unless spoken to. She would not waffle, or provide unnecessary information.

That is what it meant to be the Arbiter’s agent.

“You recovered his body?”

“I did.”

“Lay it there.” He pointed to an empty space in the room.

Given the ample empty space in the room, Mindi was glad that he pointed where to put the body to avoid any confusion. She pulled Kareem’s body from her spatial storage. It flopped lifelessly into the space allocated by Amon.

Amon walked over to it.

He stared at the corpse. Something was missing... “His head. Where is it?”

Mindi pulled the ashes of Kareem’s head from her storage and placed them beside his body.

Amon let out a soft sigh at the sight of Kareem’s incinerated head. “A good agent. Lost to his own hubris. Perhaps if he’d tempered his mind as much as his body he wouldn’t have fallen like this.”

Instantly, a bright ray of light beamed down from a flat arcane circle mid-air. It incinerated the rest of Kareem’s body. Oddly enough, Mindi felt a cold energy coming from the light, rather than the heat that one would expect from a light ray, but she chose not to think of it any further.

The ray of light stopped when there wasn’t a body left to burn.

Kareem’s remaining ashes floated beside Amon as he walked over to the balcony’s edge.

“Mindi, have you any words?”

Mindi walked beside Amon and kneeled once more.

“None that would be befitting of your presence. I merely thank you for the spreading of his ashes.”

“Very well. Farewell, my loyal agent.”

The ashes shot off into the distance. They spread into the wild winds of Nirvana. Since the region was far up in the sky, above the clouds, the winds were always strong.

After a few moments, the air shifted.

Mindi remained kneeled.

Amon groaned. “Twice in one day. Will you make it quick this time?”

Two agents of the night appeared, kneeling before Amon who looked out over Nirvana with Mindi kneeling beside him. It was a scene eerily similar to the one they’d been a part of only a little earlier in the day.

The one on the right spoke, “Our agents reportedly found the rat, but they lost track of it. They haven’t returned since.”

“Tut-tut-tut. Now that just will not do, will it Mindi?”

“No, it will not, sir.”

Amon turned to the two agents. He beckoned for Mindi to rise and stand by his side for the time being.

His voice came across soft, “While there is nothing you can do about such an outcome... I’m not happy.”

Everyone audibly gulped.

Amon gently caressed Mindi’s cheeks and chin, “My dear Mindi. You’ve been so loyal to me for many years. Since the beginning, if I recall right. So I shall let you choose. Who in this room shall meet their end today?”

Mindi savoured Amon’s caress for a moment. Then she pointed at the agent on the left, the one that did not talk.

Amon grinned slightly. He leaned in close to Mindi’s ear and whispered. “You chose correct. Well done.”

A ray of light like the one that incinerated Kareem’s body shot down on the agent.

He screamed and yelped in pain. His screams turned into shrieks. His shrieks turned into whimpers. His whimpers died out.

Not once did the agent call for help.

The ray of light stopped once there was nothing left to burn.

Amon turned to the other agent, “Will you clean this up and get out of my sight?”

Silently and quickly, the other agent heeded Amon’s orders.

After he left, Amon turned to Mindi. He leaned close as he softly brushed the back of his hand across Mindi’s cheek. He whispered, “Perhaps as a reward... you would care to join me for some... evening entertainment?”

Mindi held his hand close to her face. “I would love to.”

Amon led her into the bedroom, and enjoyed his evening with the four ladies.

His plans to completely devour the Life clan’s Aspect, and dissolve the remainder of that dead clan into his own were effectively underway.

Amon would prevent his Zenith’s destruction. And he would please his master by doing so.

The Creator gleefully watched over his servant. So far, all was going according to plan.