The Plan and the Target [Solo/Job Chain/Plot]

Job Details:

Once a decision was made, there was no turning back. All emotion would be thrown into an abyss, leaving behind a stone cold heart and merciless punishment. Why would anyone go to such lengths? The people of the world had to know that Fate was nothing but an illusion, impenetrable by even the most experienced orange magician. They had to know how cruel the world really was and that it didn’t matter who they were or what they were, tragedy always tore them apart and they were no better than worms wriggling around in a glass jar, trapped. The world would succumb to darkness and chaos one way or another, and there was only one person brave enough to tread such treacherous waters: Adrastos Thanatos.

The blue magician took over an abandoned mansion, transforming it into his own personal base of operations. Cobwebs littered the crevices, some windows were dusty and had pieces missing, so the moon's silvery rays could peek inside the eerie interior, yet despite the unkempt condition, the house still radiated with its previous splendor when its previous occupants still remained. The theme was, at least for a time, bright, but with Adrastos Thanatos as its new master, that was no longer the case. The once bright red rugs had melted into dried blood stains, the curtains, once untainted white, were torn and all they did was sway in the night like ghosts, their deathly moans being the whistling of the wind through windows, and the walls were obsidian in color.

The new lord of the house, wearing clothes sewn from the darkness of night, trimmed with blood, and stitched with the silver rays of moonlight, sat in the only chair at the top of the main staircase in the main hall that could be seen upon entering the dilapidated building. However, without a castle, guards, country, or subjects to call his own, all Adrastos was was a fake.

“We’ve been here for awhile now and haven’t done a thing. Aren’t we going to do something fun?” whined the voice of a Fanalis named Zayn. Adrastos narrowed his eyes, telling the Fanalis to shut up. Even for someone who was a pain to deal with since the Wreckage in Reim, the creep of a man had a point: they had to do something. After framing and helping with the kidnap of Roark, he had been sent on his own by the Alchemists to do as he pleased. He still remembered his last meeting with the old man before he had to go on his own.

Just sitting around would prove to be a waste of time, and Adrastos’ usefulness to the Alchemists would be questioned. Something needed to be done. Now.

What sort of action should be taken? He had heard rumors of the Balbadd Cabinet abandoning their positions, leaving the Minister to rule the country all by her lonesome. Adrastos smirked as he got to his feet. If there was no Cabinet to make decisions, then perhaps he could do something to not only implant distrust within the Balbadd people and it’s current government, then perhaps he could even place his own people within the Cabinet to do his bidding. Before he would be able to do any of that, trouble needed to be stirred and the seeds of doubt had to be planted about the effectiveness of the government and its politicians, whether they could be trusted. Adrastos tied his hair back and put on a cloak, pulling the hood so it covered his face, and said, “Zayn, remain here and make sure nobody stumbles in.”

The Fanalis looked up confused and a bit disappointed that he was ordered to stay. “Where are you going?”

“Just going to do some research.”


Clouds gathered along the horizon, their bubbling form all too recognizable in regards to a brewing tempest. The giant mass inched its way toward the slumbering city, blocking out the alluring face of the moon and replacing it with the harsh flashes that many knew to be lightning. Soon the wind howled in protest, as if angered by what would soon transpire within the city streets, or perhaps it was simply the wild, ferocious beast of nature that was concerned with the mere act of unleashing its wrath upon Balbadd. Tiny droplets cascaded from the black abyss in sheets, hammering the stragglers that stumbled in the muddied roads.

Adrastos ignored the rain as it tried to dissolve him into the ground. Nothing was going to stop him from his new goal. Surely information on the politicians would be public knowledge, and with him having recently entered Balbadd, nobody would be curious as to why he asked so many questions. Unfortunately, questions weren’t going to get him very far, and if he brought on unnecessary suspicion, it would be over for him before anything began. There had to be someplace where politician information was publically stored, someplace where anyone needed to learn about them. Perhaps old flyers or letters still clung to the walls, but with the pouring rain, such an expectation was slim. Did Balbadd have a library? Maybe, but maybe was better than nothing.

He searched the streets, his silver scanning for building that he needed. When he finally did find it, Adrastos entered, feeling chilled from his soaked clothes. He asked the receptionist where information on politicians would be and followed the directions that were given. There, Adrastos found scrolls upon scrolls filled with knowledge on both ancient past and current present diplomatic knowledge. He ran a finger along the labels on the shelves, but eventually just grabbed a bunch of scrolls and piled them on a nearby table.

Hours of careful scrutiny passed by, and the blue magician felt no closer to choosing a target until he came across a list of politicians, both major and minor. The politician which had caught the attention of Adrastos was named Yahya Zakaria, a minor politician. Inside the scroll, there was only the man’s name, a portrait depicting his appearance, how long he was in office, and a broad category in which his position resided. This man would be his target and the first step to disrupting the trust between the people and the politicians. More information would need to be gathered before anything started. At least Adrastos was in a place which such data was plentiful, leaving him to continue scouring through the endless pieces of parchments. He wasn’t going to leave until he obtained more material.

---

WC: 1,084/500