The Gray Fox went near Gerhard and Cornelia, who had just passed by the table containing paraphernalia from the Altrecht battle. He did not need to call their attention, for Gerhard, the aide, waved a hand to his companion – Cornelia stopped moving and looked at the wrinkled man in a white coat approaching them.

  “Perfect timing, Mister Guildenstern and Miss Sauvant. Come to my study so that I can discuss something with both of you.”

  The crime lord’s eyes swung from the magical energy specialist to the swordswoman; something with ruffled collars, uneven sleeves, and drying patches of sweat forming on both their shirts distracted the crime lord from talking further. He went ahead and said:

  “There’s something else I want you to do first: freshen up and get a change of clothes before meeting with me there.”

  “I was going to say something like that, honestly, Boss.” Cornelia looked up her sleeves and collar before she smiled at the crime lord. “If you’ll excuse me, I need a warm meal and a cold bath to perk me up. Not too sure with Ger- eh… Mister Guildenstern here.”

  “I… likewise, Master.” Gerhard did not need to put more words to the thought; the look in the Gray Fox’s eyes was more than enough to acknowledge the old crime lord’s awareness.

  “Very well, waste no time, and off with both of you. The discussion is long, and no detail should slip away from your heads.”

  The duo nodded and went off; their leader then exited the hangar and left Hollegrehenn and the other staff to their work.

  ????

  A sliding door revealed the presence of two dim figures that were exposed to the room lights a few moments later. Gerhard appeared in a frill-sleeved shirt and maroon pants while Cornelia donned a new shirt and breeches topped by what looked like a buccaneer’s jacket. The Gray Fox found time to prepare for this meeting and had all maps and instruments set up; no piles of papers, more low droning of machinery, and a lighter scent of vapor glided on the ceiling.

  “Excellent, you two, punctual indeed,” The crime lord said; his eyes were on a stopwatch he held and then dropped to the bottom of his coat pocket. “There will be a few announcements I would like to make before we start with the main objectives of this gathering. First, I am removing Miss Sauvant from Mister Norton’s list and putting her directly under your command, Mister Guildenstern. This means that both of you are to perform tasks for me without having to go through Mister Norton’s protocols.”

  “Not that I don’t like what I’m hearing, but are you sure, Boss?” Cornelia crossed her arms under her chest and kept a questioning gaze on the syndicate leader. “I mean, I’ve only been around here for a few days, so should I be going up the ladder through patience and doing a lot of tasks, over being fired by cannon to the top?”

  “Sound reasoning, Miss Sauvant, but I was given high regard for you by both Mister Norton and Mister Guildenstern. Let us say you have earned your keep here faster than you expected.”

  “Sounds like I’ll be tailing you a lot more now, Master Guildenstern.” Cornelia nudged the magician and earned a half-frown from him.

  “Ah, I almost forgot. There’s a little concern I would like to raise about your operation back in Altrecht. This is how three of the battle constructs were destroyed.”

  “Wait. You’re telling me somebody knocked them out?” Cornelia’s back straightened in some attempt to lean away from the others. “And here I am thinking those were no mere tin cans.”

  “We are just as surprised as you, Miss Sauvant.” The Gray Fox picked up a wooden stick from his desk. “Did any of you manage to pick up or come across a foreign gunman and a magic-user in league with the Dragon’s Claw, or that group masquerading as ‘Fortune’s Smile Trading Company’?”

  “No idea, Boss.” Cornelia shook her head twice. “I was busy with what was left of them at the warehouses. You, Gerhard?”

  “There was a faint release of magical energy, but it could have been from my element projections. We were fending off the local constabulary and the town guards. Miss Sauvant and I have dealt with most of the men in and around the warehouses.” Gerhard looked at the ceiling where a long-bladed fan swept slowly.

  The Gray Fox fell silent and walked to an incandescent image on the wall. A floor plan was imprinted by the light.

  “Retrieved information from the constructs revealed that a single attacker almost destroyed an entire team. One with... suspected, magical abilities extracted the gunman when another team wounded him. The rest of the record was a blur, probably because the machine internals reached melting point.”

  “Another rare magician he would be.” Gerhard leaned on the wall and cupped his chin. “One attuned with light. I have never seen such practitioners during my studies at Luminberg. The thought of it disturbs me to a degree, Master.”

  “I don’t know if that’s good news or bad news. That guy might think of even looking for those we’ve brought here.” Cornelia then asked, “Anyway, what happened to them?”

  “Let us say that we have given them the utmost care they needed to be of good service.” The syndicate leader then tapped the stick on the illuminated wall; Gerhard and Cornelia’s eyes shifted to the area. “We will save those thoughts for later. Now, to begin with, what we are supposed to be discussing…”

  The Gray Fox retrieved a book from one of the shelves. It was a book almost a foot and a half long with the thickness of roughly five inches. Golden edges led to a cross that converged at the center of the tome, offsetting the dark leather cover that gave off a weak musk when the crime lord brought it near Gerhard and Cornelia. He took one of the lamps and focused a spot on the ancient text.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “Consider this as an alternative in case I could not secure this object through other means.” The Gray Fox pointed to an illustration in the aged tome. “I prefer buying this off the Empire’s hands, since sending you two, ones whom I consider some of my best aides, is a risk I am unwilling to take unless necessary.”

  “This record is one of the few relics left by the first inhabitants of our land.” His voice cascaded to one of abject seriousness – a neutral tone that was somewhat struck heavily on thought. “It tells the story of a war when sorcerers of old abused the power of summoning creatures from other realms to wage wars for their nations. It proved to be beneficial in terms of reducing bloodshed and meaningless deaths…”

  “…until the summoned ones turned against humanity.” Gerhard continued the Gray Fox’s summary. “The legends said that the surviving summoners managed to call forth an Avatar. The text described it as a being of pure energy, responsive only to those of pure intentions. An unnamed monk was able to harness its power and rallied the last humans to drive the invaders out of the realm for good.”

  “Okay. I’ve never known this story before. I think you got me with this.” Cornelia sat near the Gray Fox and let him and Gerhard continue the tale.

  “This power, manifested as an armor, was hidden in another dimension, only to reappear when the world needed its help once again. Of course, if it is summoned the way the wizards of old did.”

  “All this for long-forgotten stories, huh?” Cornelia clasped her legs and looked at the book in the crime lord’s hands. “So we’ll learn how to call on that power with your book, Boss?”

  “Not quite, Miss Sauvant.” He unscrewed the top part of the tome’s bindings and revealed a crystal with an unnatural green glow. “The one I have now only tells the history of the wars, as well as the other documents that are needed to perform the summoning process. I suppose that our progress with magical technologies will lead us to replicating the rites they used a long time ago.”

  The crystal was returned to the book, and the aging kingpin set it aside. He went to the walls where the projected floor plans were placed.

  “What is in front is a diagram of the Imperial Archives. My sources confirmed that a tome containing the rituals was sealed away at the center of this establishment.”

  “I’ve heard that the place has very strict security,” Gerhard said.

  “Which means directly attacking the place is suicide.” The Gray Fox prodded his pointer to the central right section of the floor plan. It was a wide room with three doorways that led to larger rooms. “The location of the text is far east from this point. You will use the crystal hidden in my book to locate the tome.”

  The stone gleamed against the light at first. Gerhard went closer to inspect the relic when it gave off a short, dim glow. The crime lord continued:

  “Sages of old cast what we would call a ‘magical lock’ on the tome so that none could read its contents; this crystal will react to that book’s presence and will make your find easier. Another thing is that the text will only open up to one who wields this key. I’ll arrange another meeting with the two of you, in case there is no other choice but to steal the book. If needed, take care of the key by all means.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Cornelia said, looking at both men, and continued speaking. “Aren’t we supposed to have disguises or something so that breaking into the place would not be so unbelievably hard? I don’t like the idea of getting chased by soldiers in their stronghold.”

  “I’ll have that taken care of, Miss Sauvant. Your uniforms, along with forged identities, will be procured by my contacts in less than a day from now.”

  The pointer was led to a second-floor plan that looked like the Archives’ sewerage system. It was also the time when Gerhard went to where Cornelia sat to get a better view of the layout. The Gray Fox then said:

  “Your means of escape would be through the maintenance shaft located at the Archives’ generator room.” The crime lord’s stick encircled a room with four large rectangular icons. “We would be flying in our phase transports the moment both of you complete the exit through the northeastern outlet.”

  “A dirty getaway for another dirty job.” Cornelia stretched her legs before crossing her left on top of her right. “Can I ask something, Boss? I’d like to make sure you won’t be ticked off or anything like that.”

  “This is an open discussion. Begin.”

  “Don’t get me wrong, but going through all this just to chase after some fairytale isn’t that cool in my eyes. At least that’s what I think it is. Not that I don’t want to do it since you are paying me to go through all this, but what if this is not everything that your books say?”

  There was silence. Gerhard glared at the swordswoman with Cornelia’s purplish eyes, returning a rounded stare. The Gray Fox’s lips made a slight quiver until they widened and gave way to a low chuckle.

  “I understand your doubt, Miss Sauvant. I would not order you to do this all in the name of mere guessing. This phase, and everything that comes after it, is in the direction that’s according to plan.”

  “I get that. You wouldn’t want us to do all of this even if it means having all of Kriemreich come after you if that book holds your answers.” The swordswoman went to the desk where the book was placed and gave it a deep stare. “What do you guys want to get after all of this is done?”

  “Simple, Miss Sauvant.” The crime lord’s words made the sword lady look back at him. “I believe that this part of our history holds the key to our true advantage. Our forebears misused this power, but I believe it can be… perfected, put to optimal use. That is where our true peace begins, for us, and then for the whole world to see. Wouldn’t you want to finally be rid of the sword and live in a world where nothing and nobody will ever bear intent to harm?”

  “I would love that… to be in a place where I can live like everybody else.”

  “Who would not want that, Miss Sauvant? I only desire true peace. Our regime, sturdy and strong as it is now, is bound to fall to our neighbors the moment we lose our guard. My vision is to see to it that we will never have to be afraid of that possibility again.”

  “That’s good to think of, good to dream about, and even better to live in…” Cornelia’s gaze softened and then shifted to the floor; her fingertips swished on the surface of the ancient book. She shrugged her shoulders before continuing:

  “But what do I know? I’m just a blade following orders at the end of the day.”

  “You will see the way all of us do here, in due time.” Gerhard seconded the crime lord’s statement; the glare was gone and was replaced with a look of concern.

  “We have covered everything we need in this discussion. Mister Guildenstern, kindly lead Miss Sauvant and give her a breath of fresh air. I suppose the room has become all too musty lately.” The Gray Fox then looked at Cornelia, who was being ushered out of the room by the magician. “Not to worry, Miss Sauvant. Your questions were unexpected but were… insightful. I would love to discuss more with you some other time.”

  The door opened and then blocked the crime lord’s view of his two aides in a few moments. The projectors were turned off; the papers containing the floor plans were rolled and set aside. He sat on his desk chair, looking at the clock above the door.

  “To think my thoughts about this would be stirred by words of a fighting woman. How unexpected...”