Rumors in Disguise [Job-Solo]

Job Details:

The morning air was crisp as it cooled down the heated body of Adrastos Thanatos as he jogged back to the inn where he temporarily resided in. The sun had yet to crawl its way over the horizon, however the sky had still been smeared with the approaching hues of day. It was only a matter of time before the streets became crowded with people, both peddlers and customers alike. The young man wanted to be back in his room before being bombarded by merchants who were desperate to sell their wares.

When he finally did arrive, he unlocked the door and walked in like any other day. Afterward, Adrastos shut the door, securely locking it with the latch, and  took his time to proceed with his daily routine, wanting to relax after his rigorous training. A long bath was needed as well as a change of clothes and a whole list of other tasks to accomplish. Unfortunately, Adrastos didn’t get the chance when something white on his bedside table caught his attention. A mysterious parchment had been placed in Adrastos’ room while he was elsewhere. Nobody could have walked into his room since it was always locked upon his absence, plus there was nobody he knew that could have delivered the letter either. Unless it was the information from the Brotherhood of Ash.

Adrastos walked over to the bedside table with his bare feet thumping against the wooden floorboards. His fingers ran over the smooth surface of the paper for a moment as if in hesitation. This was the letter he had been waiting for since a couple of days ago. Whatever was inside this letter was crucial, but his performance while executing the job requirements would be more important since failure would mean death. There was no time to waste on such trivial worries though. With a swift movement, the seal was broken, revealing the letters and words that were enclosed.

Neo,
Here you will find the details of your assignment. I shouldn’t have to remind you what will happen if you fail or if you happen to tell anyone about this. This is what you will need to do: You are to spread a rumor to a Fanalis Corps member that King Lagi has gone to Kou for Yoshiro’s aid. He wishes to have military support in keeping his throne. The source you will claim to have received this information from is Roark who was speaking to someone else. How you accomplish this is none of my concern so long as you execute the plan perfectly with no loose ends. You get one chance. Your job begins now. Do not disappoint.

Adrastos smirked. So he had to spread a rumor of such degree without flaw. An interesting situation. If this became a success, it would no doubt cause some sort of disruption. On the other hand, there were bound to be people that were suspicious. That Fanalis from the castle was a pain, and there were the higher ups as well to worry about. Adrastos shook his head. My only concern is what has been presented to me. Everything else will have to flush itself out after I’m done. I only need to worry about passing on this rumor. The best option would probably a lower ranking Corps member. You have to start out small before going after the bigger fish, right? The magician began to pace to and fro with his silver eyes glued on the path his feet walked. It will be impossible to simply stroll up to them and present this false information. I’m not someone who would be taken seriously since I am not allowed in the castle normally. I need to be someone else, someone who is a bit more likely to be taken seriously. A member of the Palace Staff would be more appropriate. A guard wouldn’t work. They’re bound to know each other unless it was someone freshly picked. A servant? Maybe. They have more of a means to overhear the whispering of others without being acknowledged.

Adrastos stopped in front of a mirror that hung on the wall of his room. The reflection he saw looked almost mad while somehow managing to keep a cool demeanor. His eyes were their normal shade of silver, but his pupils had shrunk so much it was hard to fathom he had any. They even lacked the glistening sign of life that many people appeared to have. Let the fun begin then.

---

A young servant, scrawny in build with short green hair and golden eyes and clothed in garb for palace servants, came running to a patrolling Fanalis Corps member. “Sir! Excuse me! Sir!” His bare feet kicked up the dirt that lay in a film upon the ground. His breathing was heavy, comparable to a panting dog that was overheated, and was a clear sign that he had used all of his stamina and strength to approach the Fanalis. “P-please! I h-have an urgent m-message,” he panted. The young boy crouched, placing his hands upon his knees as he attempted to catch his breath. When he looked up, his eyes were wide saucers glimmering with desperation and begging to be heard. “I need to s-speak to your c-commanding officer!”

“Slow down, young man,” said the Fanalis man. “You’ve over-exerted yourself. You need to drink some water and sit down before you fall over.” As the Fanalis tried to usher the boy to sit, the servant shook his head violently while weakly pushing the man’s arms away. “Y-You don’t understand! My message concerns the king! There isn’t time to waste!” The Fanalis soldier stared for a moment as if trying to process the situation, then gave a stiff nod. “Follow me then.”

The servant boy sucked in whatever air he could muster before following the Fanalis Corps patrol. They walked at a quick pace, not too fast to where the servant could potentially pass out but not too slow to where the sense of urgency was completely forgotten. Any form of communication to pass the time was ignored, leaving the pair to walk in silence. Thanks to their swift speed however, little time had passed and no side conversation was really necessary.

“Sir, this servant boy claims to have an important message regarding the King of Reim. He has insisted that it was urgent and that he needed to speak to you personally. He was out of breath by the time he came to me and was on the verge of passing out from exhaustion,” reported the Fanalis Corps patrol. Before them stood a tall man with his hands behind his back as he faced the wall opposite of the entrance. A grunt came from the authority figure followed by a shift of his broad shoulders. “Is that so?” He turned, glowering down at the servant boy. “What is this urgent matter that you claim to have?”

The servant boy swallowed hard as if intimidated by the superior Fanalis Corp officer, then exhaled slowly to calm his nerves. “Sir, I overheard Roark speaking to someone while I was cleaning. The door was ajar and every word I heard was coherent enough for me to know the content they were speaking about. He was talking about the real reason King Lagi went to Kou. It was so that he could ask Yoshiro for military support so he could keep his throne.”

The commanding officer remained silent for a few moments, allowing the air the grow heavier with each passing second. “That is rather alarming news.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Thank you for providing us with this information before it was too late. At least now we may have enough time to act and stop this. You have served your country well despite your status as a servant. It only proves that anyone can serve their country without being in the military.” The Fanalis’ mouth curled into a thin smile of thanks. “You are dismissed, lad.”

The servant nodded and took his leave. He walked away, out of the sight of any Fanalis Corps members and into a shadowy alley. It was there that his appearance transformed, revealing that his true identity was Adrastos Thanatos who had been under the guise of his Thanatos Persona. He had a slight smirk upon his face before he wandered off into the growing street crowd.
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WC: 1,404/500
Magoi: 210/250

Ability Used:

Octavius looked up as a loud knock sounded at the door to the office area he shared with Sly. The General was normally out training the teams of the two Colonels who were currently not available, leaving Sly to handle most of the matters in the office, but it was one of the rare days he was available.

“Enter.”

He arched a brow as one of the Commanders, Varian, entered with a troubled look on his face. It was obvious the man was struggling with something internally, uncertainty flashing in waves across his face. Varian was an old friend of Sly’s, one of the few to survive the initial slaughter by the Brotherhood of Ash.

“Speak openly, brother.”

“A servant came to one of my team today, claiming to have disturbing news. While I am not prone to listening to Palace gossip, something about what he said and how urgent he made it seem… I do not believe the boy is lying.”

Octavius frowned, a Palace servant had approached a member of the Fanalis Corps? It was unusual, most of the staff were terrified of the growing number of Fanalis Corps, knowing how dangerous they could be, to be one of the most trusted protectors of Reim. That one had felt strongly enough to approach not just a Fanalis Corps member, but a Commander spoke volumes. Octavius moved to shut the door to the office behind Varian. With the door closed, Varian seemed to relax a touch, knowing that the information he had to share was not something he wanted to have repeated by lower-ranking members.

“A servant of the Palace was brought to me, in a state of near panic and exhaustion. He claims he overheard Roark discussing something of import while he was cleaning…”

“Go on, Varian. I know you are not just idly passing on gossip, you aren’t drunk enough for that.”

The Commander chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

“He claims Roark was talking about why Emperor Lagi was in Kou. He claims Roark said Lagi was there to ask Yoshiro for military support, to keep his throne. He intends to keep it by force.”

Octavius froze at the words, understanding why Varian was hesitant to speak on the matter. Any accusation against the ruler of the country and his powerful father was indeed a matter for worry. Emperor Lagi had seemed quite agreeable about helping to transform this country into a Republic, to free it from one of the traditions holding it in the past. But what if it was all an act, to buy him time? The ruler had taken off for Kou rather quickly, claiming he wished to see about conquering the dungeon while investigating some rumors of the Dark Hand, but they seemed like legitimate reasons. Then again, it would also provide decent cover if he were really there to try and secure forces to keep the throne. His fingers tapped on the desk as he let the thoughts flow through his mind. Why would Roark be part of this plan, though? He was seemingly a staunch supporter turning the country into a Republic. There were too many unknown variables in this tale, he would need more solid proof before approaching Roark about the matter.

“Thank you, Varian, for coming to me with this. I know you speak out of concern, not idle gossip. I will look into this.”

Dismissed, Varian left the office, leaving Octavius with his thoughts. He would need to send Sly to investigate this further, you could not trust anyone else with this. Normally, this would fall under the realm of the Unity Corps, but if the rumor was true, Lagi lead the Unity Corps and would likely have supporters there. No, for now, he would leave this to Sly, until they knew who they could trust. He had worked too hard to let anything upset the change, not when they were this close to pushing their country into a new age of development.

---

Hours later, Sly’s face was tight as Octavius explained the situation, hating what he was hearing, but nodding in agreement. He did not want to believe that Lagi might put this country through more strife, simply to hold on to a throne that was not truly his to begin with, but if it were true, they needed to know.

“Don’t worry, boss. I will find out anything I can.”