[DISC.] [AiE] Innocence Tainted - Arc I : Minos [16/11]

>At the border of Minos we sat, late night in a cafe. Our gazes strictly cast on each other.

>Both measuring the one opposite of us for their worth.

>A fire burning wildly in his eyes. He showed passion. Excitement. Fury and demand.

>But he showed and that was his first flaw. Lack of control.

>Whereas your own simply seemed to lack depth.

>You could be looked at, but they could not look at you. You were made of ice and of steel.

>A structure, maintaining itself with no need for others.

>Calculated.

>Composed.

>If that was how you wanted to be seen.

 

>Generic music blared in the background, its purpose lost on you.

>The air filled itself with minotaurs and griffons talking among one another in gruff voices. Silence wouldn't be heard in here regardless.

>A sip of water, to relieve the sore throat on one hand, to break the stare-down mostly.

>"Let us talk business." More of an order than a request.

>Trying to gain the upper-hand from the start on out, the oldest trick in the book.

>Acquire dominance and maintain it. Effective. Very much so.

>Easily seen through as well however. Blunt force.

>Exactly what you had come to expect of their kind.

>Nothing that couldn't be dealt with. Let him lead this dance.

>As long as he tripped and fell at the end. A nod.

"Let's."

 

...

 

>Perhaps a clarification was due.

>This was quite the odd situation to be part of after all.

>Out of all the options you'd ever considered —and you'd considered them all— this simply had never been one of them.

>Not that you blamed yourself for it.

>This was not an error that could have been taken into account. Your methods were still flawless.

>Correction, as flawless as they could be.

>You needed to remain flexible, light on your feet.

>Falling into structures would be your downfall.

>After all, that in itself was the very essence of what you did.

 

>Your name was—

>Well, you had gone by many names. Pick one and odds were that at one point in time it had been yours for a while.

>So when you first came here, you'd opted for the one that suited you the most.

>Anonymous.

>Names wouldn't be sufficient to hide you here.

>No, you drew attention to yourself too much anyways.

>A setback. But one that could be taken into account.

>What was the purpose of a name after all?

>In your specific area of business names were nothing but trouble. No, the name wasn't go to ruin your plans. >Simply something to work around. A little extra challenge.

>Though it oughtn't to, it brought a small smile on your lips at the time.

>Oh, to hell with it. You could show excitement once. Your plan had yet to be composed after all.

>At the time itself, your main focus did not lay on composing your plan.

>No, you had to get rid of the shock firstly.

 

>Your past is still not entirely cleared up yet.

>It bared much similarities with a videotape that hadn't been re-winded properly.

>The images were still mostly there but they weren't clear.

>Business. That's what you did. You were a businessman.

>What kind of business? Any.

>Work your way into companies, extract information, give it to current client, leave the country, begin all over again.

>Simple. Structured. Something you were good at it.

>There wasn't a specific point in time where you could say you started doing what you did nowadays.

>It'd just been what you were good at.

>Playing with people. Manipulating them. Subtly, of course.

>The second you'd draw too much attention to yourself was the second the mission was doomed to fail.

>No room for errors.

>To take down the machine you had to be one yourself.

>And you were. Or rather, you could be.

>Donning an alter identity required very little effort on your part.

 

>It was... It was as if you lacked your own personality and you could simply choose to lay another one over the blank slate whenever the situation required you to.

>Though, that explanation didn't rub off on you too well.

>You preferred to see yourself as a puppeteer of sorts, tugging the strings on every single persona you'd ever created for yourself.

>Yes, that was a metaphor that fitted you. A puppeteer. Playing with the people surrounding him.

>Altering the outcome of any situation in ways that benefited yourself the most.

>Well, that benefited your client the most. Though, by extension, that meant you as well.

>Your area of expertise was one that paid well. Very well.

>You should have stopped when you had the chance. And you had so many chances.

>But you couldn't. There was something in this for you that simply kept you going.

>What that was you still haven't quite figured out yet.

 

>Perhaps you were waiting for one more commission.

>The big finale. The one that would satisfy you for good.

>Or perhaps it was simply for need of validation. No one did what you did. No one could do what you did in the ways that you did them. There were those who tried. But they failed because they lacked commitment.

>The rewards were high but so were the repercussions. The few who ended up in jail were lucky.

>The others... not so much.

>Though lady luck had not been on your side during the last project either. You were discovered.

>To this day you still don't know how.

>Someone could have snitched.

>Had there been someone to snitch, that is.

>Save for you and your client, no one knew of your ulterior motives.

>It could have been your client itself, of course. It could all have been a set-up to capture you.

>But you checked their background. It all added up fine. Things had looked the exact same as they always had.

>Perhaps your flaw lied there and you had simply grown used to your usual methods.

>That was a mistake that you wouldn't make twice.

>Not after what happened to you that night.

 

>The company you were working in at the time was more than just lenient when it came to morals and ethics.

>Though that was not of your concern.

>Extract information, give it to the client and move along.

>Business.

>Just business.

>No need to get more involved into things than strictly necessary.

>At the end of it all, you regretted that line of thought. Their lack of moral values was in effect for you as well.

>They injected you with the chemicals they researched.

>In the brief time you'd been part of their staff, you'd seen the effects on the animals they tested on.

>You knew exactly what was going to happen. And so did they.

>The moment the cold steel of the needle broke through your skin, you were on fire. You burned, insides first. >Whatever they had shot into you was sucking you dry. You convulsed, though the bonds kept you in place.

>As you screamed and pleaded for mercy, they brought down another. It fed the fire within you.

>Looked like this was going to be your grand finale after all.

 

 

>That was the only memory that had remained clear ever since you came here.

>Perhaps because it was the reason you came here in the first place.

>You remember the pain and the screaming, the loss of sight, then the loss of hearing. Eventually, you lost it all.

>Dead. Just like the animals.

>To them, you were nothing more anyway. Another corpse for the pile.

>Or that's what you should have been at least.

 

>Corpses don't wake up in hospitals.

>You did.

>Looks like your application for death had been denied.

>Good. You liked that. You were quite fond of living.

>An extension to your life was quite the pleasant surprise.

>Well, it wasn't quite an extension. It was an entirely new one.

>You were never a very spiritual person. If there supposedly were higher forces out there looking over you, you'd say they were doing a rather lousy job at doing so.

 

>No, what you meant was that you found yourself at an entirely different world.

>Nowadays it sounds so simple. At the time itself... You thought you'd gone insane when you saw the bull-human hybrid walking through the hallway of the hospital.

>Or perhaps you had died after all and this was some odd interpretation of hell.

>That's an option you still kept open.

>But the fact of the matter was that you were consciously here.

>And despite the initial shock of living in a world filled with other species, there were a lot of similarities with your world of origin.

 

>You were found in the streets. They'd brought you in. When they found out you had no money to your name, or even a name for that matter, you were swiftly kicked out again as well.

>This kingdom had seen better days. Giving out free healthcare wasn't exactly a possibility anymore.

>And so you found yourself in the streets, with no name, no money, no house, no nothing.

>And there were so many just like you.

>Save for the 'no name'-part. Most had a name.

>But in essence, they were the same as you.

>Businessmen.

>If something needed to be done, they'd hire someone like you guys.

>If this was meant to be a chance at a new life, you had to throw it away. This was all you were good at.

>If you wanted to keep living, you'd have to fall back into your old habits. And that's exactly what you did.

>At first, you took any job you could get your hands on.

>Your clients were reluctant at first, afraid you were working for the officials or afraid of drawing too much attention towards themselves with your strange looks.

>But after they saw what you were capable of...

>Things quickly picked up from there. More jobs came in, more money came in.

 

>Crime was at its apex in this kingdom. Poverty and famine had struck and so had desperation. Law enforcement was severely shooting short, corruption among them ruining the efforts of the few sincere ones.

>Perfect circumstances for you. The streets had never come across someone like you. At first, you felt... disgusted by having to resort to petty thievery. You were above that. You were a man with skills. A man of grace.

>But you wouldn't let pride destroy you. And as time passed, your name spread through the streets of Minos.

>You became a force to be reckoned with. In just a matter of months, you'd worked your way to the top of the underworld.

>You started out as no one. Now, at the mere mention of your name, people bowed in respect. Or in fear.

>Either one sufficed. You held power and that was known. That was the thing that mattered.

 

>You kept a close circle of associates around you. Your position required that.

>Not that you trusted them. They were looking for power, just like you had been all those months ago.

>And who were you to deny them a slice of the cake? As long as they proved themselves both loyal and useful to you, they were allowed to take a nibble.

 

>Things had gone flawless. Just the way you like it.

>But as with all things; if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

>You were found out. Again.

>But you weren't going to let the past repeat itself.

>You were tipped off.

>In under an hour, your mansion was empty, everyone that stayed in it hidden under the radar.

>A day later, you regrouped elsewhere. Everyone had shown up. No inside job then...

>And that same day, you were found out again.

>Whoever it was, they had their sights set on you and they didn't intend to let you go. A note had been left at the door.

 

~~~~~~

We know your methods.

Do not run any longer if you wish to see tomorrow.

Meet us at the nomad's auberge. Nine tonight.

Come alone.

~~~~~~

 

>Someone had been keeping track off you. For a while now, it seems. And you didn't even have a clue.

>Things didn't add up. These streets were yours. Everything that passed through them would reach your ears eventually.

>Perhaps an outsider job.

>The nomad's auberge...

>This might be griffons at work then. You weren't too far off the border. Travelers frequently passed through. >Though that's all they usually did too.

>Just pass through.

>Minos had nothing to offer after all. Not anymore.

>Then why would they want anything from you?

>Your choices were limited. They knew what steps you were going to take next. You could improvise but that would turn itself against you eventually.

>It wasn't your preferred option, but it might be wise to see what they had to offer.

>Going unprotected was another thing you weren't too fond of. But your inner circle had a reputation in the streets. They would get recognized far too easily. You needed new recruits.

>Nine tonight. No time for new associates...

>Whoever was behind this had planned this out perfectly.

>For the first time in months, your thin lips curled into a sinful smile.

>Finally, a worthy opponent.

 

 

                                *       *       *       *       *       *       *

       

 

>And so, as the sun was beginning to set, you had traveled to the border.

>Your associates followed you, a fair distance away.

>These were far from ideal circumstances but for once, you had been bested. To say you were intrigued would be an understatement.

>The travelers' resting point was a beautiful reflection of this entire kingdom.

>An old wooden shack, threatening to fall apart in a good storm.

>Once this might have been a beautiful building, seeing sacks full of gold worth of profit.

>Nowadays, this was a desperate measure for those who didn't wish to travel at night.

>As you entered, every head —both the beaked kind and the horned ones— turned your way.

>Most fell back into their respective conversations shortly after. Others kept staring at you.

>You were quite the eye-sore in this place after all.

>Your eyes quickly traveled through the bar.

>Several windows, two doors in the back of the room, one door behind the bar. Plenty of room to escape should push come to shove.

>As you ran your eyes through the room, something caught your attention. Just like you had caught their attention. >A hand in the back motioned you over. Slowly, you began the walk through the bar.

>He sat not too far from one of the windows.

>The last of sunlight defined his features. The cracks in his horns served to signal battles fought in the past.

>As you took a seat opposite of him, he graced you with a smile.

>With another wave of his hand, a carafe of water had been set on the table.

>You stared at it and he stared at you.

>"What? Don't you trust me?"

 

"Would you?"

>He grinned in reply and filled a glass himself. You copied his motions.

>Downing half of the glass, he wiped his lips. He stared at you. You stared back.

>"Let us talk business."

>You gave a solemn nod. "Let's."

 

>"We've been keeping an eye on you for quite some time now, Anonymous."

>Your face remained as stiff as ever.

>"And we were quite impressed. Somebody with your talents could be a useful asset to us."

>You briefly purse your lips. Somebody thought —you— were a useful asset to —them—?

>You'd prefer to see that the other way around.

"I'm afraid you're mistaking me for someone else."

>The minotaur's brow furrows.

>"I was told that if information was wanted, you were the person to obtain it. Was I mistaking in that aspect? Or did I get the wrong information..."

>He looks around to see if anyone was listening in. Once reassured, he leans in closer to you.

>"... when I was told you were responsible for the heist on the national gold reserves three weeks ago?"

>That broke the mask you'd been keeping up. No one knew from that apart from your client. Not even the inner circle.

>On instinct, you squint your eyes and lean into the conversation as well.

"Where did you get this information?"

>Leaning back, he breaks the tense atmosphere and lets a grin creep on his face once more.

>"Like I said, we were impressed with what we saw... We weren't expecting you to pass all the tests."

"What tests?"

>You blurted it out before you realized.

>That was a mistake. He was leading this conversation now.

>The net had been laid out and you had just lied down to take a nap in it.

>Things were not working out in your favor this night. Not at all. You'd become accustomed to your plans working out flawlessly.

>And that worked itself out against you today.

 

>Your conversational partner looks around again.

>"This raunchy dump is not the place to discuss that. You showed up. That's all we needed to know."

>He takes an envelope out of pockets and slides it over to you.

>"A carriage will come to pick you up tomorrow at ten. Take all your belongings you wish to keep with you. And don't bother running. We know more than you, Anonymous."

>He gets up to leave.

"And if I do?"

>Not even bothering to look at you, he walks past. "Then you won't see the end of the day."

 

>You left shortly after.

>Though it didn't show, you were eating yourself up on the inside. Tests? Who had been testing you?

>Every single client had their background checked twice. Things were flawless. Immaculate. As they should be.

>You stared at the envelope in your hand. More specifically at the seal it bore.

>A shield with two crossed horns.

>The royal trademark.

>Not once had you run into the authorities. And then this comes out of nowhere.

>You'd been played yourself. They'd simply allowed you to lay their kingdom to waste.

>You were the one to introduce the concept of 'organized' crime to the minotaurs. And they had let you.

>Why? What king lets his kingdom suffer like this?

 

>After a few minutes of walking, you arrive at one of the checkpoints where Ace awaited you.

>Stepping out from the cover of shadows, his large posture made itself clear.

>He'd been a blacksmith in former days. But as economy came to a halt, so did his business. Couldn't maintain his family anymore and his wife left him. Rumors are floating around she died due to famine a couple of months after.

>A tragedy for him, a blessing for you. He was one of the first to become part of your clique. What he lacked in the cranium, he made up for in raw muscle. Not the smartest of people, but loyal.

>A good asset to have for the more simple projects.

>Extortion and the likes. He did make for quite the threatening figure.

"Did you see who left the place before me?"

>He nods in affirmation.

"Good, we'll have to run a check-up on him."

>You begin to walk away towards checkpoint two where your transport was awaiting you.

>Ace spoke up from behind you. "No need for that."

>You come to a halt, slowly turning around.

>It was not often that anyone went against your word, especially not Ace of all people.

>But before you can question him, he continues.

>"I already know who that is."

 

>At last. Something that went right this night.

"What do you know?"

>"You just met Admiral Tarek. Head of the military forces."

>The cogs in your mind started whirring at breakneck speeds. They don't let someone like that out in the streets unprotected.

"Are we being watched?"

>He shakes his head. "The area is secure. We're certain of that."

>Things didn't add up. Again. And it started to frustrate you.

>A military officer of the highest rank meets with you in a shady location, far beyond the reach of anything even faintly resembling a police force, without bringing protection, to talk about how you've been stealing from his people for months now. And then he simply walks away.

>Whatever he had in store for you, it was outside of his jurisdiction as well then it seems.

>That might give you some leverage over him.

>It wasn't much but you had to cling to every little thing you could grasp for now.

"Is our transport ready?"

>Another affirmative nod and you're both on your way.

>You kept looking around you as you made your way to meet up with the others.

>Paranoia threatened to sneak up on you. Then again, you'd been used as a mere pawn today. That's not a position you were very comfortable in nowadays.

>Though, it seemed Ace had been right.

>You'd reached the second checkpoint without a hitch.

>A cool breeze rolled through the open area where the others stood waiting.

>The moonlight overhead provided ample lighting.

 

>"How did it go?"

>Rhuno was the first to address you.

>For a minotaur, he could be described as good looking.

>He was one of the few who was always dressed.

>Someone with an eye for value. In a matter of seconds, he knew what to steal and what not.

>You'd been quite glad he decided to join you. He used to be a horologist, which explained his knowledge of valuable possessions and his recognition of fine craftsmanship. The upper circle of society used to be where he resided. But when money is scarce, not even the nobles could spend their money on his creations.

>And so, they'd come to claim his possessions and stripped him for all he was worth.

>He was kicked out into the streets and left there on his own.

>In return, he decided to do the same to society.

>He never considered himself as a criminal, he was simply returning the favor.

>A certain aura of dignity seemed to follow him because of that. He always referred to 'the art of thievery'.

>Even when living in the streets, he refused to give up on his poise.

>He'd been living life like that for too long to just throw it away.

"I'm here, am I not?"

>He bowed his head.

>That was his downside as well.

>Rules did not apply to him, or so he thought.

>It wouldn't have been the first time his greed had put one of the missions in jeopardy.

>Despite the length of the time he'd been serving under you, he still stepped out of line. But he was too valuable to you at the moment to replace.

"Let's head home. I have some matters I need to attend to."

 

 

>Minotaurs had odd ways of traveling.

>They pulled their own carriages, in a way much like rickshaws.

>Though, given their physical strength, it made sense for them to travel like this.

>Despite the fact that you had a good head's length on most of them, they easily outweighed you with about a hundred pounds.

>Which brought forth the advantage that you were generally faster whilst traveling due to your deficit in weight. >You still weren't convinced that you were safe. And you were especially vulnerable during relocation.

"Ace."

>All heads turn towards you again.

"You're pulling my carriage."

>Whilst he was not the fastest, he was the strongest. If you were ambushed, he'd serve you better than the others. >And by no means was he slow either.

>Dropping the carriage he was holding, he immediately ran over to yours.

"We're traveling in front. Tell the other three to stick close. Don't break the line under any circumstances, understood?"

>He gave you a single nod. "Understood. Rest assured, we'll get you home unharmed."

>You close the door of the carriage as Ace ran off to tell the others of the formation. Attack in the back was most likely.

>The others could serve as decoy, giving you and Ace enough time to take a head-start.

>You feel yourself tilt backwards and the rhythmic wobbling tells you your peregrination has begun.

 

>It'd be a little while before you'd reach base again.

>Which should give you plenty of time to take a look at the envelope in your pocket.

>You hold it in front of you, the moonlight falling through the diaphanous roof of the carriage clearly outlining the royal seal.

>Wriggling your index finger underneath the top flap, you carefully tear it apart.

>It only contained a single page inside.

 

~~~~~~

 

To Anonymous,

 

The contents of this letter are yours only. Do not discuss anything mentioned following this with anyone. We will know when you do. It would be a shame to have to cut our collaboration short.

We have been keeping track of your whereabouts for the past few months.

The ways in which you operate are highly unusual. We haven't come across anything quite like you in the past.

We've noticed your name getting mentioned more and more often among our contacts.

Some of your missions were compromised. We wanted to see what you might be worth to us.

And you've proven yourself worthy. This kingdom could use someone like you.

 

Tomorrow morning, at ten precise, a carriage will come to retrieve you near your secondary base.

Do not attempt to run. Corporation is highly advised.

We simply seek out what is most beneficial for both of us.

 

 

We look forward to meeting you.

 

Signed

-

 

~~~~~~

 

>Blank. Signed blank.

>If they really knew as much about you as they claimed, then they knew you'd research whoever you'd meet at the auberge.

>So, the admiral might not even be the overseer of this entire construct.

>It got you wondering. If someone of such a high rank might not be the leader...

>Then who could be? Who held that much power to themselves?

>And more importantly, what did they want from you?

 

 

>The hobbling of the carriage comes to a halt and the decline tells you you've safely arrived at your harborage. >You stuff the letter back in its envelope and into your pocket before stepping out of the carriage, the gravel crunching loudly underneath your feet upon doing so.

>Several horned heads looked at you, awaiting orders. But they could wait a little while longer.

>Your gaze turns upward, aimed at the overlying, intricate pattern of stars. A deep breath of cold air fills your lungs.

>All these months of working your way to the top. And for what? To be played like some kind of fool. That in itself was bad enough.

>What struck you as even worse was the nagging feeling of insecurity that began to grow within you.

>The fact that you could not answer this one single question.

>Why?

>What were they planning to do with you? And who where /they/ in the first place?

>You could easily find a hundred questions, yet not a single answer. Only time would tell.

 

>"Sir, do you want us to set up guard for the night?"

>Ace's interruption brought you out of your little daydream. Or nightdream. Whatever it ought to be called at this time of the day.

>You let out a soft sigh.

"No."

>You shake your head before looking back up at the night sky before you continue.

"If they wanted to attack us, then they would have whilst we were on the road."

>You cast one final glance at your men before turning around towards your own quarters.

"Just get a good night's sleep."

>The gravel continue to crack and shift underneath your feet as you made your way towards your own quarters.

 

 

>Pack all the belongings you wish to keep...

>Looking through your room, it was filled to the brim with a variety of items you couldn't even begin to list.

>Just because this was your secondary base didn't mean you couldn't bring some of your possessions with you.

>Though, looking around, all the gold seems worthless now. The diamonds seemed to have stopped shining for you. The ancient artifacts looked like mere souvenirs.

>There was just one thing that seemed to stand out from the pile. On the side of your nightstand it lay. A small silver rectangle. Your lighter.

>You didn't even smoke. Though you had pretended to on your last mission. The one that went horribly wrong. >Sometimes, you didn't have to make things overly complicated. Simply sharing a cigarette with one of the concierges had given you the opportunity to take his keys while he was on break.

>It was the only thing you had left from Earth. And for some odd reason, you felt like you needed to take it with you.

>You throw some clothes in a suitcase, carefully placing the lighter atop of them, before going to bed.

>Though your mind still continued to race at a hundred miles a second, your body claims to have served its purpose well enough for the day.

>Sleep finds you fast.

 

>And the next day closes in on you, one second at a time.

 

 

 

                                *       *       *       *       *       *       *

 

 

 

>With the passing of time, the intensity of light falling through your curtains came to increase.

>You'd forgotten to close them last night. A coincidence, but one that worked out in your favor none the less.

>As the rays of sunlight fell through your window and choose to come to a rest upon your dormant form, the increasing strength of both light and warmth sufficed to pull you from your sleep earlier than the others.

>A quick glance sideways through weary eyes reveals both clock hands currently standing in a position of nearly ninety degrees from one another.

>Almost nine. Seventy minutes of freedom remaining.

>Or that's what you assume at least.

>Since you have no idea what to expect it's only wise to postulate the worst.

>Though, the letter did merely state 'We simply seek out what is most beneficial for both of us'...

>Business then. Perhaps things were not as erroneous as you made them out to be.

>Then again; the tone of the letter they'd handed you, the secrecy of the meeting, the fact that they knew your every move before you even made it, ...

>The entirety of it all just didn't sit well with you.

>This lack of clarity adumbrated the gravity of the situation you were about to become part of.

>And all you could do about it was to simply wait it out and watch it unfold.

>These were far from ideal circumstances for you. Your strength lied in preparation. Planning ahead is where you excelled from the minotaurs.

>Plotting a peerless plan and then acting it out. Quick, concise and foremost; effective.

>No dancing around the issue. Just one swift strike and be done with it. Move in and back out before anyone could even notice.

>But this? Having to sit here and wait for time to pass...

>No, this was not your environment, nor did you ever want it to be.

>Too many loose ends. Too many parameters astray.

>No structure.

 

>Lying in bed, you stare at the ceiling and go through your options once more.

>First, the one you'd like to take: running away. It's the one that'd allow you your freedom.

>But for how much longer? They knew your evasive maneuvers. The threats they made weren't hollow, of that you were certain.

>So you could just go running adrift. Run towards the horizon and see where to go from there...

>But that would just put you back in a system without structure.

>Were you any better off then? You had no clue how many you were up against exactly.

>'...Then you won't see the end of the day.'

>His warning was still engraved clearly in your mind.

>No... Chances of being successful were far too slim to even consider them.

 

>That brought forth the second option: inform the guys and abscond together.

>Though that /literally/ went against the very thing you'd been warned for.

>Not only would you be playing with matches, should you go through with that idea, but you were soaking them in gasoline first as well.

>And what you really needed to ask yourself was whether you'd gain anything from that.

>Sure, you could tell them of what was going on. Or what you knew so far, at least...

>But to what point would that lead?

>If anything, you stood more chance to run away on your own than with the entire group.

>Granted, you could cash in a few favors here and there to keep you hidden...

>But all things considered, you'd likely end up only drawing more attention to yourselves.

>And with a reputation like yours, that would be nearly impossible to get rid of.

>After all, getting your name —or rather, lack thereof— known had been your intent for quite some time now.

>That left you with two more remaining options: comply or try to take them out by force.

>And the latter went against everything you stood for.

>Not that you abstained from violence.

>When the situation required it, the situation required it. Simple as that.

>But needlessly using blunt force just never worked out well.

>Applying tact was the only way to properly deal with situations like these.

>And the fact that you apparently had the head of military forces keeping track off you...

>Yeah, fighting your way out would not do you much good here.

>So it all came down on the thing they'd said from the start on out.

>Comply. Collaborate. See what they have to offer you and go from there.

>Though it left no room for preparation, it was the best option you had for now.

>Well, the only one really.

 

 

>Having reassured yourself that your plan of action did not allow room for any changes, you leave the comfortable embrace of the sheets and head towards your bathroom.

>If you were going to discuss business, you might as well look somewhat presentable.

>A cold shower, shave and a clean suit would have to suffice in that aspect.

 

 

>Washed, shaven and clothed, you leave your personal chambers and make your way to the kitchen.

>Though your stomach was too knotted for a proper breakfast, a day never started without a cup of coffee.

>Upon arrival, you quickly discern that the guys hadn't exactly obeyed your order last night.

>Several empty bottles of beer stood on the table, another few lay broken on the floor.

>And one empty bottle of wine as well. Definitely Rhuno's.

>Well...

>You told them to get a good night's rest. You're quite certain that that's exactly what they're doing right now.

>And it would save you the effort of having to come up with an excuse to leave the mansion on your own without raising suspicion.

>As you fill the coffeepot under the faucet, you can't help but let your mind stray to its previous thoughts once more.

>They had singled you out.

>You weren't allowed to tell anyone else of what was going on.

>They told you to take all the possessions you wished to keep with you.

>They were cutting your ties with your network, whilst making it seem as if you disappeared on your own account...

 

 

>Pouring the water in the coffeemaker, you resume your train of thought.

>You needed to make a decision.

>To either have some sort of back-up prepared or to be amenable to do everything yourself from here on out.

>As the machine whirs and hisses, you contemplate the possibilities.

>Having a back-up would be a direct violation of the terms they'd enforced.

>You had to consider whether this was a risk worth taking or not.

>This decision might end up holding your fate...

>But regardless of its weight, you take this as you would do with any other matter.

>Simply consider the risk on one hand, the reward on the other.

>The most ameliorating option would make itself clear through logic and deduction.

>Being found out on would serve grave consequences... For both you and whomever you'd tell.

>And that left you with two remaining questions.

>Is there  anyone whom you could trust enough for this responsibility?

>Dependency is a factor that's always hard to rely on. You'd only be adding a very unstable variable to the equation.

>And furthermore,  what are you willing to give up for that?

>No one would help you without wanting something in return for it...

>So, all things considered, the solution was clearer than ever now.

>You'd be putting yourself at risk for a reward you don't know and can't rely on, and on top of that you'd have to be sharing your earnings for it...

>With a single mechanical click, the motions of the machine come to a halt and a fresh pot of coffee awaits you with wafting aromas.

>From the cupboards, you retrieve a porcelain cup and in a gracious arc, the black beverage flows into it.

>You take a sip and as you let the flavors dance on your tongue, you take a decision as well.

>Looks like you were back on your own.

 

 

 

>You tilt the white porcelain back once more but are only rewarded with a single drop of the caffeine-containing beverage.

>This was your third cup of coffee already in less than twenty minutes.

>Maybe if you could just drink one more cup, you could put off the confrontation for a little while longer...

>Okay, you were grasping at excuses now.

>It didn't make sense. Usually, you were the authority in the field when it came to manipulating situations like this.

>This ought to be a walk in the park for you.

>But the fact that they had bested you, seemingly without so much as the slightest effort, unnerved you fiercely.

>For once, you begin to doubt your capabilities.

>A nervous jerk upwards of your head shows the clock nearing ten with just a few minutes to spare.

>Too late to run now.

>Rubbing your temples with both your index- and your middle fingers, you take a few deep breaths in an attempt to slow down the maelstrom in your mind.  

>You just had to calm down and look at things rationally.

>Now was not the time to begin doubting yourself.

>Apparently they thought you were worth something to them.

>What that was exactly you didn't know yet but there was something. That's all that mattered right now.

>They required something that only you could provide them with, otherwise they wouldn't go through all this effort to get to you.

>That gave you leverage. You just had to determine where its fulcrum lay.

>What it came down to was that your voice held weight to it.

>How much weight was yet to be determined but you could work around that.

>Just make yourself /appear/ as if you're valuable and everything would work out in your favor just fine. Or that's what you tell yourself at least.

>With a grave sigh, you head back towards your own chambers.

>The entire mansion was eerily quiet. You would've preferred some kind of noise over this grating lack of sound.

>Anything to distract you a little was more than welcome now.

 

 

 

>You look around your chambers, unsure whether you'll return here anytime soon.

>But you had made a decision and you were sticking with it too.

>Hesitation and doubt weren't going to benefit you.

>You were on your own from here on out. Topic closed for discussion.

>Bending down, you take the suitcase you'd packed last night and with little effort on your end, it becomes airborne.

>Casting one final glance back at the room, you turn on your heels and walk down the hallway, letting the door fall shut behind you.

>Your soles gave off hollow clicks as you made your way down the marble corridor.

>A few hours from now, the others would wake up and find that you were gone. You wonder how they'd fare without their centerpiece.

>Maybe they'd start looking for you. Maybe they'd fight under each other for a new leader.

>The latter seems more likely. With recent developments, they'd probably be relieved to see that you were gone.

>Though, you wonder if whomever you were about to meet up with would continue to let your gang run free.

>They knew your plans. Your entire network was infected. It was only a matter of time until it spread to the centre.

>No... Things would need some severe reorganization for them after today.

>They'd need a new centerpiece then. Someone to guide them and plan things out for them.

>As soon as a position of higher power became free you'd have to be an idiot not to attempt to take it.

>Rhuno would most likely be the one to end up in that seat.

>He would be the only one who could even attempt to take over your position.

>He might be able to run things. For a while, at least.

>Though you just know for a fact that he'd screw things up the moment something big came into play.

>His eyes were perceptive, that much was true, but his greed overpowered his abilities.

>Biased as you may be, you're certain that they don't stand a chance without you.

>And though they've served you well for quite some time now...

>You smile, knowing that you were the glue that kept it all together.

 

 

>A bright summer sun attempts to blind you as you step outside into the gravel.

>It's quite successful in its endeavors as well.

>You squint your eyes as you look up into what was a beautiful night sky just hours ago.

>Faint clouds lazily drift by overhead, providing little protection from the sun that was suspended high in the sky.

>The aerial scenery is painted in azure hues, faint and fading stripes of white tainting the otherwise perfect monochromatic display.

>The beginning of a perfect summer day...

>To others perhaps. You have neither the time nor the need to take in your surroundings.

>With an sudden sense of confidence welling in you, you leave your premises with large strides.

 

>The crackling noise of gravel shifting underneath your footsteps halts as your substratum gets replaced by unkempt cobblestones.

>You look to your left where the road swerved a little while longer before turning into a dead end.

>On your right was where you would be awaited. A few hundred yards away the road splits in two, marking the beginning of the maze of small streets that connected you with the rest of this town.

>An air of bravery surrounds you as you begin to march towards the intersection.

>And once more, your predictions prove to be factual.

>Just behind the right turn, barely visible behind the building outlining the corner, awaited a carriage.

>You doubt if there were any place in Minos where it would look more out of place than right here.

>Its black coated steel bodywork did not show a single dent. Not even a single scuffmark, for that matter.

>The sun reflected brightly of the pristine polished paint in a prismatic array of colors.

>Looking down, you notice that the trestlework kept four wheels rather than two like your own carriages.

>This type of vehicle removed the majority of the weight from the passengers and their cargo from the carrier's back, making them perfectly suited for long distance travel.

>They were incredibly expensive as well. Differential axles were no easy item to manufacture for minotaur blacksmiths.

 

>Ace had been very proud to tell you all about his previous line of occupation when he first started working under you.

>Though you weren't particularly interested in blacksmithing, the knowledge he was willing to share might always come in handy.

>Today being one of those cases.

>If these were the means of transportation that you had been provided with, money would not be an issue with these people.

>That's always a good thing to know.

>Walking slightly closer, you get a view of the one pulling the carriage as well, whilst still remaining unnoticed by him.

>The minotaur who would be responsible for your traveling time was exactly what you'd expected him to be. A servant like any other.

>His grey coat and lack of clothing made him perfectly unrecognizable.  So average that it became an oddity in itself.

>Someone who doesn't stick out from the crowd.

>Those are always the guys to look out for, how controversial that notion might appear.

>It's almost as if he were a statue with the way he stood there, not moving a single muscle.

>The sun relentlessly beats down on him, though he doesn't seem to take notion of it. Simply because he was not allowed to.

 

 

>Taking one last deep breath, you walk from behind the corner and into full view. No turning back now.

>Before you can address your chauffeur of choice however, the door of the carriage swung open sideways, blocking him from your view.

>The same hand from the night before motions you in, causing a light acceleration in your heartbeat.

>Had he already seen you looking from behind the corner or had he simply heard you approaching the carriage?

>With an ironed expression, you step into the carriage.

>The inside was just as pristine as the outside. Smooth, black leather seats that didn't show a single wrinkle.

>A white coating covering the surface of the inner walls that didn't have so much as a fleck of dust on them. Once more, you are reassured; money would not be an issue.

>With a metallic clank, your suitcase meets with the floor of the carriage before you take a seat facing the admiral.

>"Right on time. You almost had me worrying there for a moment, Anonymous."

>He playfully smiles, as if situations like this were habitual to him.

>You find yourself maintaining the impeccable poker face however.

"You left me with little choice, admiral."

>Though your tone of voice is neutral, the message itself carries an undeniable sense of spite in it.

>His head tilts ever so slightly, a smile following his motions quickly.

>"So, my reputation precedes me." He briefly chuckles before donning a far more serious expression.

>"Address me simply as Tarek, if you would. You'll find that titles and formalities will have little meaning from here on out."

>"And if I left you with little choice, it seems I was not strict enough..."

>The playful demeanor from mere seconds ago was now replaced with a hardened stare that served only one purpose.

>To instill fear in anyone who went against his word.

>You knew that stare all too well. It's one you've had to rely on more than once in the past.

>You do not respond to him at all. Simply ignoring his non-verbal communication was the only way to deal with this.

>You can not lose a game if you don't partake in it.

>His hand balls into a fist and with two short taps against the iron plating that made the body of the vehicle, the gentle bobbing of a carriage in motion came to be.

"I came, didn't I? Is that not what you wanted?"

>A solemn nod was your reply. "Indeed it is, there is much to discuss."

>The admiral folds his hands in his lap and simply looks at you with an expression so neutral it rivals your own.

>You both gently bounce up and down as the hardened wheels grind along the cobblestones.

>Though it was hard to gauge how much time had passed, it was safe to assume it had been several  minutes by now.

"I thought there was much to discuss?" you ask, taken aback by the unnerving silence on the admiral's side of the carriage.

>That playful smile briefly flashes over his features again, seemingly mocking you, as if there were something he knew and refused to tell you.

>"All in due time, Anonymous."

>"All in due time."

 

 

>So...

>A battle of wits then.

>You copy his motions, folding your hands in your lap, the left atop of the right.

>And with that, a stare down had begun.

>Time passed by innominate as you locked eyes with the admiral.

>Two unmoving men, not uttering a single word, yet saying so much by the way they sat and looked at one another, their gazes measuring their opponent's worth.

>The first to look away would acknowledge the other's dominance.

>Something as mundane as to break eye-contact could have severe consequences later on.

>It wasn't about oppressing the other as much as it was about refusing to let your own self worth go unnoted.

>By simply locking gazes, he knew that you'd refuse to let him predominate the direction of what would be to follow.

>It came down to what you'd already concluded earlier.

>For some reason they needed /you/ to do something for them.

>Though you were in the position of the underdog right now, that did not mean that you could not put up a fight.

>If it could be called that.

>You still did not know what means they required of you.

>Perhaps you could work towards a mutually benefiting situation.

>Though...

>Things never went easy for you, did they?

 

 

>Time passes by and the tension lingering in the carriage slowly fades out.

>Rather than a battle of fortitude, it had developed into one of endurance and perseverance.

>A silent agreement that this could be delayed until a later time seems to have formed itself and though seemingly nothing has changed, the atmosphere inside the carriage became much more bearable for its inhabitants.

>You did not let your guard down however. If anything, this would be the perfect time to start forming your plan.

>But the admiral held his cards close to him. A bit too close for now.

>From all that you've seen so far, you still can not form an idea of what to expect...

 

>You take note that the rhythmic bobbing of the carriage had diminished greatly all of a sudden.

>That was odd. You hadn't came to a halt.

>The wheels still grinded along the road, their monotone grating sounds still clearly perceptible.

>That would have to mean that you were traveling on a hardened road.

>A very well maintained hardened road at that.

>In the entire kingdom, only one place had the luxury of hardened roadways. It was also the only place that could afford the maintenance of said roadways nowadays.

>The very capital of the sovereignty itself; Minos Lau.

>Had you been traveling this long already?

>Going from the border where you'd been staying towards the centre of the kingdom would take two hours at the least.

>That would mean it was nearly noon, if you hadn't passed it already.

>You have to repress a sigh as you let this information seep in.

>What could they possibly have brought you here for?

>The admiral seems to take no note of your internal conflict, his expression stoic as it had been throughout the entire journey.

>With a slight shift of incline, you get pressed into your seat a little more.

>So you were traveling upwards as well...

 

 

 

>The society of minotaurs was divided in a very simple system of castes.

>To go upwards literally meant that you were traveling upwards in terms of social circles as well.

>The entire kingdom was centered around the castle that stood atop a small mountain.

>The further away you went from the royal household, the lower you went and by extension the closer you were to the slums.

>You recall how enthusiastically Rhuno would ramble about the riches of high society when he became part of your team.

>It was an unspoken competition between those of opulent lineage to move as close towards the castle as was possible.

>And it seemed like you were headed for the very top of the mountain itself...

 

>The carriage groans as the incline grows steeper and steeper.

>To pull the entire combined weight of the carriage, both the admiral and yourself and on top of that, the somewhat negligible weight of your suitcase had to be no easy task.

>Especially not in weather conditions like this.

>The speed with which you ascend gradually slows down until the wheels no longer make a sound.

>Could the grey coated minotaur not endure the burden he had been tasked with?

>You were interested to see how they would treat incompetence around these parts...

>When the door opens and he motions for the both of you to step out of the vehicle with a courteous swing of his arm, you come to see that he had simply parked in between other carriages of similar build.

>You'd arrived at your destination, it seems. An impressive display of strength from the chauffeur...

>He bowed as the admiral stepped out and kept his gaze downcast until you followed in his wake.

>"Let our servant carry that for you," the admiral spoke, turning around to face you.

>You hold your suitcase in front of you, simply patting it with the base of your hand, throwing a hollow polite smile in the motion as well, before bringing it to your side.

"I'll think I'll manage, thanks."

>A short shrug follows. "As you wish."

 

 

>The admiral begins his march and you see no reason not to follow him.

>He walks at a leisurely strolling pace, allowing you to take in the atrium you'd arrived at.

>You were enclosed by buildings on both your left, your right, as well as straight in front of you.

>And they were no unfamiliar sight to you.

>Not that you'd been here before but the reputation of the royal castle was well known throughout the entire monarchy.

>You felt overwhelmed by the huge, imposing buildings made out of a combination of wood, steel and stone that enclosed your surroundings.

>Though that was what they were made to do as well.

>To impress whomever had the honor to walk amidst them.

 

 

>You'd always considered minotaurs to be a rather simple folk.

>Hard workers rather than hard thinkers for the most part.

>Their buildings conveyed that very clearly.

>They impressed through sheer size and build.

>There was no room for decorative arches, no need for unnecessary aesthetic details.

>Their concept of art most certainly did not lay in architecture.

>No, these buildings were constructed to outlast the ages.

>Sturdy and solid, just like the kind that had build them.

>This edifice could serve as a harborage should the kingdom ever come under siege.

>Though, from what you'd heard, war hadn't been held for a few hundred years now.

>Strange though, a species that prides themselves as warriors, yet not fighting a single battle.

>That had always struck you as somewhat of an oddity, though you had never bothered to look into what caused this sudden aversion of war.

>But that would have to wait until a later time. More urgent matters were at hand right now.

>You'd been given the opportunity to look around far more than was necessary by the admiral.

>His intent was clearly seen through however.

>It was all just an affectation. Making themselves appear to be drowning in wealth.

>But appearances deceive. That in itself is their nature; their true intent.

>A rule that you embody and which exceptions you have yet to find.

 

>You'd seen the other side of the spectrum as well. You'd even gone so far as to familiarize yourself with it for months now.

>Every single gold coin that was passed through these buildings was one that was stolen from those born in poverty already.

>The only difference between them and you was that you didn't deny what you were.

>A thief. Nothing more than that. Everything was for sale for the right price. Your services were no exception to that.

>And they could pretend all they want, sitting in their expensive mansions, sipping their imported wines, dressed in foreign fabrics, laughing away at dinners of unfathomable size...

>They were just the same. Thieves. Nothing more than that.

>Except that you did it all on your own.

>You didn't need a corrupt society to help you.

>Oh well. Let him display his farce for you. It wasn't like it'd ever amount to anything.

 

 

>You'd finally reached the other side of the court and by extension, the central building.

>The admiral halted before he climbed the stairs, trying to gauge your impression of it all, most likely.

>With an artificial air of apathy surrounding you, you close the distance in between the both of you, coming to rest at the foot of the stairs as well.

>"You should be honored, Anonymous. Very few get the privilege of walking these grounds."  

"I could think of a few places I'd rather be right now," you placidly state, a certain hint of malcontent not hidden in your voice.

>"Do you now?"

>" Hmmm," he muses, clearly feigning thought, " I doubt you'd want to be at your mansion right now, though. What with the invading police forces and what not..."

>And on that statement, he begins climbing the stairs.

>You knew this was an angle they'd play at. If that was meant to elicit some form of response from you, they didn't quite seem to realize who they were dealing with.

>Though it did amplify just how well prepared they were. Had you not complied to their demands, you'd been brought here by force...

>You had to tread on light feet.

 

 

>With no other way to turn to, you begin to ascend the stone stairs, following the admiral's trail.

>The doors were already opened, allowing entrance to whomever wanted it. There was not a single guard to be seen here as well.

>Did they think that no one would ever attack the castle or did they deem the guards at the gate of the atrium capable enough of keeping out any unwanted visitors?

>Something you'd like to know, though you're quite certain that asking anything about the guarding of the castle would not give off a very trustworthy vibe.

>Best to keep that question to yourself for another time then.

 

>The inside of the building impressed in the same way the outside did.

>Immaculate white walls reached skywards, only coming to rest at the highest altitude they could've possibly reached before rendering the structure unstable.

>To walk in here made you look insignificantly small, like an ant in a colony.

>The effect of it was somewhat lost on you, however, due to the fact that you had a good head's height on most minotaurs.

>You were still small in comparison to the building, of course, but nevertheless, you tended to look over the crowd rather than be part of it, giving you a somewhat misplaced sense of superiority.

>Though you hardly ever had to rely on it, your physique could easily make you seem much more threatening than you were if there was a need for that.

 

>The hallway was silent, the only thing clearly audible were the repetitive steps from both you and the admiral, oddly enough in perfect synch with each other.

>Or it was, until your stomach began to rumble.

>Well, you had been traveling for well over two hours now. You couldn't really be blamed for being hungry.

>Your audible notions of lacking stomach contents are not lost on Tarek and he stops to turn around.

>"You're right, I could go for a bite to eat myself too."

>Without waiting for a reply on your end, he continues to walk, seemingly no change in his course whatsoever.

>At the end of the hallway, he takes a right, leading you to two gates of respectable size.

>With a mighty shove of his hands, they swing open and a wall of turbid noise collapses on you.

>Inside sat at least three dozen minotaurs, both male and female, seemingly idly chatting away with each other.

>As the admiral steps forward, the bustling of the crowd immediately dies down and they all slide their seats back, coming to stand for the admiral.

>"At ease," he demands shortly after.

>They all take their seats once more and resume their chatter, as if nothing had happened.

>This.

>This was the first thing of the day to impress you. This was not some orchestrated event, not some overly fabricated act.

>This was simple leadership with an iron fist.

>He didn't give them a single order. He didn't even speak up.

>His presence alone had rendered three dozen others in silence.

>The motions they'd performed were automated. Each and every single one of them acting like they were part of an oiled machine.

>And their lack of uniforms made you assume that these were not even soldiers for that matter.

>Briefly, you think back at the mansion you'd left behind and its occupants.

>If these were the kind of people out for them...

>You pity those who'd attempt to resist.

 

>The ritual left you more thrown off guard than you'd assumed and it is only when you feel something getting shoved into your ribs that you return to the world of the waking.

>"Go on. Eat to your heart's content. It's all yours."

>Looking down, you see that the admiral had given you an empty plate.

>It was only then that you noticed the smell lingering throughout the room.

>At your right stood an entire buffet filled with a rich assortment of fruits, different kinds of bread and a wide-ranging variety of meats.

>You push the plate back towards him.

"No, tha—"

>And at the exact moment you were going to decline his offer, your stomach voices its disagreement at your plan.

>Upon hearing the rumbling of your stomach, the admiral doesn't hold back his laughter.

>"There's being cautious and then there's plain being stupid, Anonymous."

>"Look around you," he orders, motioning throughout the room with a wide swing of his arm.

>"Everybody's here eating the food. Do you really think we'd resort to petty measures like that?"

>"A little trust goes a long way, you know..."

>Perhaps that was a bit excessive on your end.

>Still, staying light on your feet was never a stupid thing to do.

>Though, you suppose grabbing a bite to eat would not be the worst decision you've made so far.

>You take the plate he offers you once more.

"Thanks."

>It was hard to make that sound genuine but Tarek seems not to care, instead starting to fill up his plate with food.

>You follow his lead, choosing a few loafs of bread to go with a sizeable piece of what you presume to be chicken.

>After having filled a cup with some sort of fruit juice, you walk towards the tables, taking a seat at the head of the table opposite the admiral.

>You look around you for a moment.

>A few glances were thrown at you every now and then, though no one really seemed to pay much attention to the alien in the room.

>Hesitantly, you begin to eat the meal you'd chosen for yourself.

>You had to admit that this was actually really good.

>Your hesitation soon fades as you begin to satiate your stomach's demands.

>The admiral looks up at you and flashes you a grin.

>"Enjoying the meal?"

>You simply nod in reply. Answering with a mouth full of bread and chicken isn't really your modus operandi.

>"Well then, better get used to eating like this every day, Anonymous. If it's ours, it's yours."

>More persuasion. That in itself wasn't a bad thing. It only showed just how eager they were to get you to comply.

>But what did they want you to comply to in the first place? This was starting to become bothersome.

>Analyzing the risk versus the reward is kind of hard if you only know one of them.

 

 

>You swallow your mouthful and decide that it's time you posed some questions of your own if you wanted to get some concrete information.

"So you keep saying..."

"But —and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong— I find it rather hard to believe that you just brought me here to give me a free meal."

"Because if that's the case, the blackmailing and the arrests seem a bit unnecessary to me, admiral."

>"I already told you to address me as Tarek. 'Admiral' Tarek has nothing to do with this case," he replies in a harsh manner, visibly displeased by your inquiries.

"It'd be nice if I knew what this supposed case was."

>Though the both of you kept your composure very well, you were beginning to draw some attention of the minotaurs sitting closest to you.

>"Don't you think it's questionable that an entire room of minotaurs doesn't seem to bat an eye at an alien walking in?" he asks, staring at you with a small smirk on his lips.

"I noted as much already."

>"Very well then." The legs of his chair scrape against the ground, the high-pitched noise drawing the attention of the entire room towards him as he leaves his seat to stand up straight.

>"Team," he bellows in his loudest voice, " I'd like to present to you: Anonymous."

>He exaggeratedly points at you with both hands.

>The entire team stares at him with a look of bewilderment to which he responds by bursting out in rambunctious laughter.

>Some of them follow his lead, others simply shake their head before continuing their talks among each other.

>He takes his seat again, still laughing at a joke you seemed to have missed the punch line of.

>"This here, Anonymous, is your personal fan club," he says once his laughter has calmed down.

>As your brow furrows in confusion, he continues.

>"This is your personal research team. They're the ones who've been keeping track of you for the past few months. They know more about you than you know about yourself."

"That still doesn't tell me why you brought me here."

>He tears a chunk of meat from a bone before his reply comes.

>"You'll see soon enough. Now eat first, so that you have plenty of energy. We'll have to wait for everybody involved before we can begin."

>You stare at him a little while longer but it seems he was done talking.

>All in all, he hadn't exactly told you much.

>Though, as you look around the room once more, you have to suppress the urge to smile.

>Three dozen minotaurs.

>It took three dozen minotaurs several months only to keep track of you.

>Maybe an escape wasn't out of the question just yet.

>You absentmindedly resume your meal, your mind already beginning to think on a possible way to get out of this...

 

 

>A while later, a buzzer gives of a single ring and shortly after, the entire room gets filled with the noises of the minotaurs leaving their seats, gathering their plates and stacking them in tray carts before leaving the room.

>In a matter of minutes, the entire room was completely cleared out, save for you and the admiral who was still enjoying his meal.

>He looks around, only now noting the lack of other conversations around him.

>Wiping his lips on a napkin, he shoves his seat back and lets the stained serviette fall onto the remainder of his meal.

>"You never get enough time to eat around here..." he mutters to himself.

>"Well, let's get going. They'll be ready to see us now."

>Eager to finally get some answers, you swallow the last of your juice and follow the admiral as he walks out of the cafeteria.

>He takes a left, walking back to the central hallway from which you came, immediately coming to stop at the first door on his left.

>His hand balls into a fist again and he raps the door twice in rapid succession.

>You recall how he barged into the lunchroom without the slightest hesitation, a stark contrast with the current situation.

>To whom does an admiral need to justify himself? Were they not the highest rank a military could reach?

 

 

>A muffled voice comes from behind the door, "Come on in, it's open."

>The admiral grips the handle, opening the door whilst motioning for you to enter first.

>With no alternative than to do his bidding, you step into the room, the admiral following you before you hear the door click shut behind you.

>A small conference room is where you were awaited by three others.

>Two of them were seated at the table that stood in the centre of the room, another stood at the other end of the room on guard.

>The room itself didn't quite fit in with the rest of what you'd been shown so far.

>The fact that you weren't facing a wall but instead one large window, granting you an overlooking view of the city, for starters.

>To add to that, paintings were hung on the wall and on the far end of the room stood a bust in the corner.

>This room looked too decorated to just be used for general purposes.

>It seemed more like it belonged to someone in particular.

 

>Your line of thought gets broken as a hand on your shoulder leads you to take one of the seats at the table.

>You sit down at the end of the table, taking the chair furthest away from the window whilst Tarek fills the seat next to you.

>Opposite you sits a female minotaur whom you faintly recall seeing earlier in the cafeteria wearing a light-yellow summer dress.

>Her off-white coat and short, rounded horns gave her a notable distinction from her male counterparts.

>The moment she realized you were staring at her, she turned her undivided attention to you as well.

>Her own deep-blue eyes come to rest upon your form, a certain sense of excitement doing a poor job of hiding in them.

>"Anonymous," the admiral's low, gruff voice abruptly interrupts the semblance of serenity that was lingering in the room, "I'd like you to meet Ms. Delona, head of the research team I spoke of."

>Her lips curl in a little smile as she addresses you, "You've certainly been an interesting subject to keep track off."

"Glad I kept you off the streets then, I suppose."

>She giggles childishly at your response and in a certain way, you feel endeared by her reaction.

>She did not seemed to belong here. Her behavior was so casual.

>So unrestricted...

>For a moment, you consider it to be an act but when you look at the other end of the table and find those blue eyes again, you begin to doubt that notion fairly quickly.

>Perhaps she hadn't been working here for a long time.

>Yes, that sounds as a reasonable exp—

 

>"This here," he motions to the minotaur sitting next to Delona, "would be counselor Sera, overseer of this project. "

>A somewhat older looking minotaur with a stern expression briefly looks at you before going back to sorting his pile of papers.

>The admiral just shakes his head before looking at the last minotaur who stood at the other end of the table.

>"And Barlow here is to ensure that you're not going to jump through that window."

>The guard grunts in affirmation as he looks at you.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," you address the admiral. "Finding fitting suits is hard enough around here as it is. Wouldn't want to tear something by jumping through a window..."

>"It's just a precaution," he replies. "You can never be too sure around you from what I've heard."

>You turn back towards Delona and nod at the admiral with your head.

"Tell him I'm not that bad, will you?"

>She holds a hand over her mouth in a poor attempt to prevent her from giggling again.

>"I could do that, but then I'd be lying, sir."

>You immediately shake your head upon hearing that.

"No. No sirs and misters. Just Anonymous."

>"An odd choice of name," counselor Sera decides to partake in the conversation.

"Well, you see—"

>You get interrupted by three knocks coming in rapid succession of one another.

>You jerk your head towards the door you came from, but the others all look the other way, towards the opposing corner of the one where the bust stood.

 

 

>Now that you paid more attention to it, it appeared there was a second door in the room.

>It blended in so well with the rest of the wall that you hadn't even noted it.

>The others all stand up and the admiral grabs you by the shoulder, roughly forcing you to do the same.

>He turns himself towards you and points a finger at you accusingly before he hisses trough his teeth, "Don't say a single word until you get permission, understood?"

>Though that technically was a question, you don't think it's one that's open for another response than 'yes'.

>The door opens and three people enter the room.

>Two guards, armed with spear and sword, as well as—

>Now there's a face you're familiar with...

>Though you're used to seeing it in gold rather than in person, the resemblance was unequivocal.

>The guard closest to you comes to a halt at the corner of the table before he makes his announcement.

>"Now present: King Carceri!"

>The old minotaur slaps a head against the back of his helmet resulting in a metallic clank.

>"There's eight people in this room. I could've told them that myself, you dunce."

>The guard simply bows and meekly takes a step back, looking towards the floor as he does so.

>You have to force back a chuckle at this display.

>That draws the attention of the king towards you all, causing him to furrow his brow.

>"Sit! Sit! What are you all doing standing around? We've got chairs!"

>He frantically waves his arms at you all as he takes a seat at the head of the table himself.

>This was the man leading the kingdom? No wonder this economy was a shipwreck.

>None the less, you all follow his commands and take your seats once more, save for the guards who now stood centered around the king.

>He was clearly someone who's been around for a while.

>His bristly, white eyebrows alternate between falling and rising as he looks through the room.

>A pair of hazel eyes take everything in, coming to rest when they meet your own.

>"Ah, the elusive 'Anonymous'... Glad to see that you could honor us with your presence today."

>He actually sounded genuine as he made that claim. Was he unaware of who you were or were you missing something here?

>"I presume you've been introduced to the other participants, yes?"

"I've made their acquaintance, yes."

>He smiles and looks around the room again. "Good. Good. Let's just cut to the chase then."

>He stops looking around, instead now focusing on you alone.

 

>"What do you know about magic, Anonymous?"

>That question took you aback. What did this have to do with you?

>His gaze burns into you and so, you simply answer this inquiry as honestly as you can.

"I've heard it mentioned here and there that there used to be magi among female minotaurs in the past. They're claimed to be extinct nowadays as far as I know."

>Carceri purses his lips and he makes an odd performance of wobbling his head around.

>What's even more odd is that this is something you do yourself when you're trying to sort your thoughts when you're alone. You always figured to be the only one who had this weird little ritual.

>"Close, but not quite," he follows up. "Their numbers have diminished greatly over time but they're certainly not extinct yet. You're sitting opposite one, for that matter."

>You quickly look at Delona again who blushes lightly under the spotlight of attention.

>"But," the king speaks up, drawing the attention of the room towards him again, "our magi are not the only ones. The inhabitants of our bordering diarchy, Equestria, are very skillful in the realm of magic..."

>"Our magic has always relied on runestones to temper and refine the results. But most of it remains to be simple protective spells and such."

>The king turns towards Tarek for a moment. "Did you show him the inscriptions at the gates of the atrium?"

>Tarek's eyes widen for just a moment, barely visible from the angle you're looking at him,  but showing a slight sense of panic in them long enough for you to take note of it.

>"No, Lord, I did not. It must have slipped my mind. I apologize."

>He dismissively waves a hand. "It wasn't that important anyway."

>The king looks at you, his brow dropping ever so slightly as he does so.

>"Is there something you would like to say?" he asks, beholding you with intent.

>"You're free to speak your mind inside these walls."

 

"Not that this isn't an interesting topic to chat about... but how does any of this concern me?"

>The king bobs his head again, most likely trying to sort his thoughts out.

>It takes him a short while but then he nods, as if he were convincing himself of something.

>"Have you ever heard of the Dark Ages before, Anonymous?"

>Slowly, you shake your head side to side. "Can't say that I have, I'm afraid."

>The king follows your example and shakes his head, letting out a long-drawn sigh as he does so.

>"Such a rich history our kin has..."

>" I thought you to be a man of intelligence," he scolds you.

"My sincerest apologies, but I was a bit too busy trying to survive out on the streets to be reading history books."

>Your reply makes no attempt to hold in its spite.

>"I see..." the king softly mutters whilst staring at the table, apparently not perturbed by your answer in the slightest.

>"And yet, it is of vital importance that you know these things. The past has served as a mold for the present day. What happened then is what has brought you here right now."

>He casts his gaze upwards again, meeting your eyes in the process.

>"It's been almost seven hundred years ago now..." he starts his tale.

>"A being of magical nature came to this world. It called itself Discord, lord of all things chaos."

>"We don't know much about where it came from or what its motivation was..."

>"But wherever it went, destruction followed in its wake swiftly."

>He pauses briefly, puzzling together what to say next.

 

>"It began its journey in Equestria where it unleashed its powers to tear apart the magic of the residents. The more spells they casted to keep him away, the stronger it became."

>"Manuscripts of those days speak of forests of fire, of places where gravity suddenly fell away, of plants that came to live and buildings that started talking..."

>"He deemed it innocent fun. Those that got harmed by his actions he seemed not to care for."

>"The equines were of peaceful nature. They attempted to reason with it, asked it to stop its madness..."

>"It didn't take kindly to that. It grew bitter and spiteful that no one saw the beauty of its creation."

>"Where it did not seem to care for victims before, it set out to make as many as it could after that confrontation."

>"And that was just the start of it all..."

>Carceri rubbed his hand over his chin a few times, tapping the fingers of his free hand against the table as he tried to figure out how to continue.

>"After a while, it grew tired of taunting the equines and it began roaming towards other kingdoms as well."

>"By the time it reached the griffon dominion, it had grown even more powerful. And it had grown as a character as well."

>"It didn't dance around the issue there. It slaughtered hundreds, if not thousands. Whatever had happened to it when it left Equestria, it came out of it with a taste for blood."

"All sources of those times talk of how their streets ran black in the blood of their own kind for weeks. Anyone who dared to oppose it was struck in an instant."

>"Few man remained. Woman and children were hiding in their houses, filled with fear."

>"They couldn't go out for food as long as it wandered around freely. Some books of olden speak of how its laughter could be heard throughout the streets as entire families sat starving inside their own houses."

>"Some must've eaten their own kind in those days..."

>" It had driven them to that point of insanity."

>"And those few who gave into their desperation, and came out into the streets in search of food were met with a fate that's just as horrifying."

>"They came down with a decease they used to call 'the black mark'. Their feathers would fall out, their skin became stained with black spots and they lost all their senses."

>"When the Dark Ages were just over and victims were being brought to hospitals, some were still found crawling in the streets searching for food or their homes..."

>"There was no way to help them. Equine medicine failed, our own fared no better..."

>"They had to be put down. It was the... the right thing to do for them."

 

>Carceri takes a deep breath, letting his eyes wander through the room once more, slowly going over the paintings that hung on the wall.

>In his gaze was despair, and such was within him, too.

>"And we were the last whom it visited..."

>"It must've enjoyed the psychological trauma it inflicted on griffonkind. Or perhaps it knew its ending was closing in..."

>" It isn't unreasonable to assume a being of magical nature like him to have a certain sense of clairvoyance that made him do what he did,  knowing what would happen in the future as consequence of its actions..."

>"Tell me, Anonymous, if you had to describe us minotaurs in just one word... What's the first thing that comes to mind?"

>For a while, you remain silent. That this world had such atrocious history...

>You were no stranger to war; Earth had plenty...

>But this was just on an entirely different level. Mass genocide under the pretence of 'chaos'...

>You were no saint but that was nothing short of absolute horror to you.

>Carceri coughs, his brow furrowed as he grew annoyed at your lack of an answer for his question.

>You hadn't forgotten, you just needed some time to place things in perspective.

"Warriors."

"I've always heard your folk priding themselves on being warriors."

>And then you make the connection he was driving at.

>They must've been the ones responsible for the creature's downfall.

>He sighs, though nodding in agreement.

>"And did you ever wonder where that notion might stem from?"

"You ended it, didn't you? You slew the... Discord, was it?"

>"If only we had..." he mutters to himself.

>He looks straight at you, and for a moment, his age really makes itself apparent.

>There was just something about his eyes... Something in them that wanted to be avoided.

>A certain paleness in them, telling that they'd seen too much already for one lifetime.

>"When it came to our lands, it'd had its fill of bloodshed. We were spared of that..."

>"Instead it... it used its magic to do something to us. Minotaurs simply went mad. They hungered for blood under its power."

>"And it commanded us. Like savages, our kind began warfare against the other kingdoms."

>"They were already weakened, still recovering from his earlier attacks when we attacked them."

>"That's when we became known as beasts of war. They saw us as nothing but animals who were out to hunt."

>"Our own magi couldn't do a thing to break its influence over us. This was just far beyond their reach... Despite the knowledge that they stood powerless they tried, but that was something it didn't approve of..."

>"There weren't many graced with the gift already and he pulverized those numbers into mere dozens."

>"At the time, no one had realized it, and yet it had been so obvious. That paranoia he held against runic knowledge..."

>"If only we'd seen it sooner..."

>He takes a deep, labored breath before he continues his tale.

>"It seemed like there would be no other end to this war then complete extinction."

>"Minotaurs fought against equines. Equines fought against what remained of the griffons. They fought against us..."

>Carceri brings his left hand to his temple, rubbing over it in circles as to calm his temper that had flared during his last monologue.

>"Twenty years... His reign lasted twenty years."

 

>"Twenty years of war."

"What ended it?" you interrupt him.

>The creature's powers had been made clear by now. It was its downfall you were interested in.

>He faintly smiles, though it seems pained.

>"Runes," he replies, his brow suddenly rising as if he surprised himself by that answer.

>A single word that brought the end to such a legend. The contrast was jarring.

>"Just not ours..."

>"The Equestrian Princesses had forged their own. Six very specific crystals, each one engraved with spells so complex they look like illegible scribbles to our own kind."

>"They were very fickle things... Each one had a specific magic frequency that activated it. Only when all six were in tune did they work. "

>"But the Alicorns of Equestria had managed to make them work. They made their weapon, using our knowledge, and went to face the creature."

>"The confrontation didn't last long and its course was decided immediately. Neither of the princesses gave it a chance to say so much as a single word. They knew there was no reasoning with it."

>"Their spell encased it in stone. Nowadays, they keep it as a statue in their capital so that they will never forget what it did..."

"Why do you speak of that like it's a bad thing?" you inquire, confused by the words he conveyed and the conflicted tone in which he did.

>"The spell had been broken... but that didn't mean the wars immediately stopped."

>"Friction had grown in between the kingdoms at the hand of the creature's enchantments..."

>"It took quite some time for both equines and griffons to believe that we had been under its command for such a long time. Especially since it had met its downfall due to our methods."

>"They did not trust us much, thinking that we went to war with them on our own account..."

>"And, in a way, we can't really blame them for that."

>Carceri pauses to look at you, trying to read your reaction to it all but your face is left blank.

>Not intentionally this time. You're having some trouble placing this all together.

>This world was not what you had expected it to be; its past far more troubled than you'd ever held possible.

>"We..." he begins, though immediately fades out again.

 

>You can tell he either does not know how to say what he wants to tell, or whether if he should tell it in the first place.

>"Equines used their magic to paralyze their enemies. Griffons might have killed some of ours when the situation was dire, but most of them could resort to the skies to flee from us."

>"But we... we were the ones who killed our enemies. The numbers are disgustingly big compared to our own losses."

>A grave sigh leaves him as he mutters to himself, "Beasts of war..."

>"Our kind does not /pride/ itself on being warriors, Anonymous. It's a burden that's been imposed on us by others..."

>This was the first mention of murder you'd ever heard since coming here, now that you came to think of it.

"And... what's next? Where do I tie into this picture?"

>The king nods, suddenly remembering that was the point he was working toward.

>"When the Dark Ages came to pass, the world was left in ruins. That was our chance at redemption."

>"Construction, craftsmanship and hard work are things we do not shy away from."

>"We helped our border countries rebuild themselves before we began rebuilding our own land."

>"People were wary and cautious around us at first, but we managed to work together..."

>"For a while, at least."

>"Our craftsmanship gained us a good name. When society had been rebuild, that's what we were known for."

>"Construction work, blacksmithing, ..."

>"Anything that required intense physical labor, really."

>Carceri picks up the carafe of water that stood on the table and fills himself a crystalline glass with it.

>He takes a few sips, the refreshment visible doing him well, before he moves on.

 

>"The world could finally start living again. Though the wrinkles weren't smoothed out completely, we all managed to live in peace with one another."

>"Until about... ninety years ago, he came..."

"The creature broke free?" you ask in disbelief.

>Certainly, you would have heard of it before had it only been ninety years since its escape.

 

>"Thank the heavens it didn't," the king replies. "No, it's remained petrified ever since and let's hope it never gets out..."

 

>"About ninety years ago, a magical prodigy came to life in Equestria. He was named Starswirl, though he insisted on being called Starswirl the Bearded later on in life."

>"He brought forth incredible developments in the field of magic."

>" Well... for equinity, at least."

>"Equestrian spellcasters advanced in their magical expertise at an explosive rate."

>"And then, we simply became unneeded."

>"Why use physical strength and craftsmanship perfected throughout time when there's magic to replace it?"

>The king's composure began to slip, an undertone of anger so clearly audible in his voice.

>"A single unicorn. That's all it took to close us off from society again. And we tried..."

>"We tried so hard to keep up with them. We cut our prices in half and still, we could not rival with them."

>"The stigma we thought we'd finally grown past came kicking back in full force."

>Carceri sighs, his head falling in his hand as he continues to skim over the pictures on the wall.

>"Our kingdom has been secluded ever since he gained fame for his developments."

>"Our economy just grinded to a halt in what seemed like no time... Nothing of value passes these borders nowadays."

>"We had to fall back on our own resources. Treasures of the past had to be used to keep us afloat."

>"Though I do believe you're more than well aware of that..."

>"Aren't you, Anonymous?" he lashes out  at you bitterly, spite and disgust pounding down on you with his accusations.

>Then it became clear how threatening Carceri could get once the lighthearted mask had been shed.

"You're not even considering blaming me for this, are you?"

"I've hardly lived here for half a year... I had nothing to do with the downfall of your economy."

"If you're looking for someone to blame for this, you'll have to look further. I'll absolve myself from whatever it is you want to pin down on me."

 

 

"One man simply can't be held responsible for something of that magnitude."

>"Your presence certainly didn't aid us either," he retorts.

"A corrupt man in a corrupt society. Seems to fit just fine to me."

>In less than a minute, this back and forth had increased the tension in the room tenfold.

>Neither of you spoke, no one in the room dared to breathe too loud as you and Carceri stared daggers at each other.

>With flared temper, you made no attempt to await his response either.

"So, now what? Why did you bring me here? If this is an arrest, you could've skipped out on the history lesson as far as I'm concerned."

>The admiral chuckles at your outburst. "We wouldn't put this much effort into an arrest. Don't be arrogant."

>"We're willing to give you a chance, Anonymous," the king adds.

>"You see... Our resources are running low. Dangerously so. And my people are beginning to notice."

>"We're on the precipice of war... and it's time we chose our enemy."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

>"My people are growing tired of living in poverty. War will break out soon if we don't do anything about it..."

>"And I can tell you now that this kingdom will not survive if it'll start tearing itself apart."

>Carceri downs the rest of the glass and slams it down on the table before he continues.

>"Equestria never gave us a chance. They dominate the entire economy, not even granting us a second look. They drown in wealth and watch as my people are starving on the streets."

>"It is thanks to our knowledge and methods that this world regained its freedom and /this/ is how they repay us."

>His entire visage is contorted in anger, the spite and hatred dripping of his sentences as they leave his mouth.

>"Either we take back what belongs to us or my people will destroy themselves."

>"And I'll never allow the latter to happen as long as I rule this kingdom."

>The king pauses and for a while, all is silent as you let things sink in and Carceri lets his temper cool off.

>You briefly look over to the other end of the table where Delona tries to make herself as small as  possible, clearly afraid of seeing someone of such high position in such an emotional state.

>Counselor Sera had adopted a grim and sour expression at his superior's outburst.

>Your mind whirs and groans under so much new information to take in.

"Okay. So... You're about to go to war to prevent riots from breaking out..."

"What do you need me for?"

>The king smiles, as if you'd already accepted his proposition merely by acknowledging its presence.

>"Our resources are running out. Our armed forces have seen more vibrant days..."

>"The past has taught us all much. Equestria isn't as harmless as it used to be."

>"If we just march in there and start fighting our way through, we'll never reach anything past the borders themselves."

>"They might not be a folk of war, but they outnumber us and their resources are vast."

 

 

>"We need information."

>"And I've heard you might be able to help us out with that."

 

 

>So this is where you came into play...

"You want me to... get you intel on their armed forces?" you ask tentatively, already beginning to run through various potential outcomes inwardly.

>"Correct," Sera answers you.

>You remain silent for a while, tapping your fingers against the edge of the table as you think about what's been told so far.

>The soft rhythmic sounds that resound as your fingernails hit the polished wood provide you with the necessary distraction to fully focus on where to go from here.

>There were some things that needed filling in before you could really contribute something worthwhile to this conversation.

>First things first.

"Why me?"

"I mean... you got me. You caught me. That means you've bested me, no?"

"Why me then?"

>The admiral decides to take this one.

>"You saw the team in the cafeteria," he replies, the gruffness of the voice only aiding to the severity of the situation.

>"Just how many people do we have on this project, Delona?" he asks the female who'd done her very best to remain as quiet as possible during this entire exchange.

>"Uh... Forty-three, sir. Seventeen female, twenty-six male."

>Tarek turns back towards you.

>"Forty-three of us, working in the shadows, to keep track of you..."

>"Something tells me that sending forty-three minotaurs over the border is going to draw a bit too much attention for something like this."

>That was exactly what you were expecting to hear. They had bested you by outnumbering you rather than outclassing your skills.

"Okay... So, you need me to do this..."

"Why should I? What's in it for me?"

>If you're the only one qualified for the job, you can go steep with your demands.

>And this didn't sound like it'd be something that came close to any of your previous assignments.

>With your current information you even doubt it to be possible.

>Though you imagine yourself to have finally gotten out of your position of underdog, both Tarek's and Carceri's expressions leave little to the imagination.

>"A criminal oughtn't deem himself in a position of demands," Tarek threatens in a malevolent tone of voice. "This isn't an arrest but we could make it one very quickly if you want to."

>He raised a valid point but one that could be discarded so easily.

"Okay. Then I won't do it. Jail it is."

>You were the one who would call the sh—

>Tarek smirks at you, a chill rolling down your spine immediately. What does he have to smile about?

>He nods, that smile still plastered on his face. "You're right. Jail it is. Where you can meet up with all your old buddies whom you ratted out... I'm sure they'll be happy to see you again."

>And at that, your mood drops below absolute zero.

>They could've told the guys anything. Including that you were the one to get them arrested.

>And it even made perfect sense with you running away. If you'd left a note...

>If you'd left a note...

>You'd fucking ruined your own chances.

>On the outside, you look as composed as you can muster.

 

>On the inside, you're at war with yourself.

>Cornered. Like a stupid animal, you were cornered.

>And you did it yourself.

>What options remained? Deny, and die in a jail. Or comply, and likely die in a foreign land.

>What's there to chose from? They're both equally horrible.

>You let your head come to rest in your hand as you rub your temples.

>Why bother with the composure? The game had been played.

>You'd lost.

>"That isn't to say," Carceri suddenly speaks up, " that we won't reward you..."

>Your gazes find one another as he speaks. You give a meek nod, motioning for him to continue.

>"You're a man of many talents, Anonymous. Some more worthy of my respect than others..."

>"But we both know that you are the only one who qualifies for this assignment."

>You lift your head up again. You were in no position to pose demands but perhaps a mutually beneficial agreement could be reached after all.

>"Let us assume that your mission is successful..."

>"If we can find the weaknesses in the Equestrian defenses, my army shall conquer their posts soon."

>"We will force them to surrender to us, or be responsible to chose for their own end..."

>"Equestria will belong to the minotaurs and I shall be the one to lead it."

>"But..."

 

>He looks through the room, once more going over the line of paintings hung on the wall.

>You look up as well, to see that on the far end of the line hung a painting of Carceri himself.

>"Minos is in need of leadership as well. When Equestria has been conquered, our economy will rise again. My folk will regain its former glory and pride."

>"And they will need someone to guide them."

>"Someone of intelligence. Someone with insight. Someone who can decide on the behalf of a country."

>"Tell me..."

>"How does 'King Anonymous' sound?"

>And for the first time for as long as you can remember, all became silent.

>No cunning plans forming in your head, no contemplating what would be the best next move, ...

>The cogs simply rested and only two words remained.

 

>...King Anonymous.

 

>Was this it?

>The final score to settle?

>The risk went straight through the roof for this...

>But the reward went even higher.

>A kingdom under your command.

>A segment of this world that you could form as you see fit.

>You recall the past few months; your first arrival to this world, how your life on the streets had formed, how much you had to struggle at first just to stay alive, ...

>And you were one of the exceptions. You did survive.

>The means by which you had done so were questionable, but you were given no other choices.

>But you could change that.

>This kingdom could thrive under your command.

>Your subjects would bow wherever you went.

>Not out of fear, but out of respect.

>The possibilities were near endless.

>It was tempting —no, it was far beyond tempting— but this was not a decision you should rush.

"Can I think about it for a bit?"

>A request for permission. You'd already admitted his dominance with that, but why deny the truth?

>"What's there to think about?" he asks, his tone not one of spite, yet instilling a certain sense of fear in you.

>But he was right.

>You had two options. One was a certain death. The other had the potential to be the single best thing to ever happen to you in your entire life.

>Your chest rises and falls as you take a deep breath.

"So... how do we go about this?"

>Barely notable, a sly smile flashes over the king's features and you're eager to return the sentiment.

>"Sera," the king addresses the minotaur at his side," I believe that's your cue to step in."

>He scrapes his throat, once more shuffling his papers around.

>"Ahem... Well, let's see. As my colleague here said earlier, we can't just send a troop of our own over the border."

>"Our communication with Equestria is near non-existent, so that would raise suspicion."

>"But we could use that to our advantage..."

>He briefly looks at you before retrieving one of the papers out of the pile in front of him.

 

>"For the past few months, there's been a dispute at the border near Aureawal."

>"Aureawal used to be territory of us, but we gave it away to Equestria at the end of the Dark Ages as a peace-offering."

>"They never did much with it, and those who lived there refused to go away."

>"But the Alicorns of Equestria did not seem to mind and simply let them live in peace."

>"In the past, it was the largest town to be so far from the centre of the kingdom but it's degraded into a small community with only a few dozen living there. Normally, we'd never hear a thing from something so far from the capital."

>"But recently," he halts for a moment as he searches for the next paper, "there's been mentions of unicorn patrols marching through the lands, claiming Aureawal is theirs and telling minotaurs to leave in peace."

>"It's been an unspoken agreement for well over five hundred years that we could keep Aureawal to ourselves and then this comes out of the blue..."

>You're inclined to inquire once more how this concern you, but you've been shown that all of it /does/ in fact tie together, so you patiently wait for Sera to continue.

>"And that's how we're going to get you into Equestria," he finishes as if he just made perfect sense.

"... You're going to have to be a tad more specific than that, I'm afraid."

>Another paper comes out of his pile before he replies.

>"Like I said, our communication with Equestria is as good as non-existent..."

>"How about we brought some change in that?"

>"We could send you over the border as a diplomat of ours to discuss this issue."

>"And whilst you're there, you do what you do and gather what you can on their army..."

>You keep your thoughts on that proposition to yourself for a little while longer.

>One thing is sure; they put a lot of thought into this.

>Your tongue rolls over the top line of your teeth as you sort things out.

>The plan did make sense. But there were some blanks in it that weren't exactly negligible.

 

"There's some things that need straightening out though..." you remark.

>"We're all ears," Sera responds.

"You want to send me across the border as a minotaur diplomat, right?"

>He gives a single nod in reply, already well aware that it wouldn't suffice as an answer.

"In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm not a minotaur."

>If Sera could smile, he'd be doing it right now. But you don't think he can, for he simply starts messing around with his paperwork again.

>"But you look enough like one to pass for one," he responds.

>"You're a bit oddly proportioned and you lack horns but other than that, you could pass as one of us."

>Wait, you're the oddly proportioned one?

>"Just keep those pants and shoes on all the time and you'll manage."

"And the lack of horns?"

>"I'm certain you'll find your way around that, no?"

>You ponder for a moment, tapping your hand against the table as your mind tries to find something to work with. And it doesn't take you long to come up with something so stupid that it might work just fine.

"You said the kingdom has been in seclusion for a while now, right?" you ask the king.

>"It has been," his answer comes. "How so?"

"Poor father of mine... Having lost his horns in a work-related accident."

"My childhood was so hard on me, being the only one of my kind without horns..."

>Sera's brow furrows at your excuse for a lack of appendages protruding from your head.

>"I'm not really sure if that'll work..."

"How extensive is the Equestrian's knowledge on inherited genes from this species?"

>He shrugs with a bewildered look on his face, both a motion and an expression that don't seem to fit him.

>"I don't think anything has ever been written about the subject, much less published in Equestria."

"Then it will work."

>His lack of conviction remains as he stares at you.

"By making it a supposed emotional matter, they won't push it. I'm sure of it."

>"If he's certain of it, let him do it his way, Sera," Carceri decides to butt in.

>"Very well then."

"No, not quite yet," you state, gaining you the centre of attention again.

"You want to send me across the border as a minotaur diplomat, right?"

>He nods again, awaiting your remark.

"I don't know the slightest thing about this world."

"Today I've heard  about a world-wide war for the first time ever since I've gotten here."

>"It's a subject not many wish to talk about," a gruff voice from your side softly speaks.

"That's beside the point, I—"

>"How can you represent a country if you know nothing about it, right?" Sera's voice cuts straight through your own.

"Exactly."

>"We're well aware of that. The thing is..."

>He taps the pile of papers that lays in front of him.

>"... it's going to take us at least a few days, and more likely a few weeks to set up a diplomatic treaty with Equestria."

>"In the mean time, you can brush up on your history of both our country and theirs."

>Your agreement comes non-vocal at first in the form of a nod.

"Okay. Back to the school banks then."

>"Ms. Delona will see to it that you are provided with all the materials you deem necessary."

>You look over to her, an earnest smile of appreciation briefly showing upon your visage as you do so.

"There's one more thing that I'd like to ask though." You turn back towards Sera.

>"Feel free to," the voice at the end of the table answers, causing you to turn your gaze a little further.

"Why do you trust me?" you address the sovereign. " You've seen what happened to your kingdom at my expense."

>Carceri's eyes find your own as you continue.

"Who's to say I won't go running the second I cross the border?"

"What grounds do you have to trust me on?"

>His head tilts ever so slightly as he looks at you with an expression of amusement.

>"Your honesty is most appreciated, Anonymous. It shows that you're willing to consider us as allies rather than enemies..."

>"But you're right. Why should we trust you? Though I think there's a more fitting question to replace that one actually."

 

>"Where are you going to run to?" he asks, holding his right hand upright with three fingers lifted.

>"Equestria can't hide you. You'd be the centre of attention wherever you went."

>One finger comes down.

>"You could go south, past Equestria and into the uncharted lands..."

>"Good luck going through the Forbidden Forests. That's where Discord was slain. The magic residue that he lost in battle partially seeped into the soil there. Things grew there that should have never become. Nobody's ever come out of there alive and no one knows what lies beyond it."

>There goes the second finger.

>"The Griffon Dominion might offer you shelter... If you ever got there, of course."

>"You can only get there either through Minos itself or by boat. Our border patrols would quickly pick you up and bring you back to me, if you ever intended to go there."

>And that's three for three.

>You can't help yourself but smile at his countdown.

"So I can pick... I can go to jail and die, I could try to trek through some ancient enchanted forest that wants to kill me without knowing where I'd end up..."

"Or I could help you out."

 

>Carceri acknowledges you with a diminutive smile. "Those are your options."

>You shove your seat back as you stand up straight, the guards tightening their grip around their spears upon your movements.

>You lean over towards the ruler, holding a hand in front of him.

"Something tells me this is off the charts... but a handshake will do just as good, I think."

>The old minotaur grips your hand, a single motion up and down signing the pact you'd just agreed to.

>You take your seat back, casting a glance towards all those seated at the table.

"I guess we're all partners from here on out then."

>You let your gaze come to rest on Delona who tries to refuse to meet your eyes as inconspicuously as she can.

>"There's one more thing," the dry, analytical voice from her right spoke up.

"Being?"

>"That name of yours has got to go. It draws far too much attention," Sera's reply comes.

>Though in the past you never cared much for names, you had to admit that 'Anonymous' had a nice ring to it. A certain taunting appeal that made it without a doubt your most favored name so far.

"Can't we keep it? I'd li—"

>"Absolutely not. What kind of name is 'Anonymous' anyway?"

"It's mine," your answer swiftly follows.

>"Well not for much longer. It has got to go if you even want a chance at this whole setup being successful."

>Reluctantly, you give in. "Fine..."

>"Very well then, I shall see to i—"

"What about 'Anon'?" you butt in.

>"What?"

"Anon. How's that for a name?"

>"I..." He scratches his head in confusion. "I don't see why not. At least it looks somewhat normal."

"Anon it is then."

 

>He sighs as he stack his papers on top of each other again. "Unless anyone else wants to change their names, I think that covers all as far as I'm involved."

>He looks over to Carceri who nods at him. "Dismissed."

>And with that, the bureaucrat makes his way out of the room.

>"Miss Delona," the monarch says, "show Anon to his chambers and give him the rundown."

>"Tarek, I don't believe we have to worry about him running out any longer. Dismissed as well."

>"At your service, Lord." He bows before leaving the room as well.

>"We'll meet again at my earliest convenience, Anon. But for now, I have a kingdom to oversee."

>He pushes his chair backwards and marches towards the door in the wall, two guards in front of him, one in the back.

>Which leaves you and Delona.

>When you look away from the king's exit, you see that she already stood waiting for you at the door.

>"Are you ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," you say, picking up your suitcase as you walk towards her.

 

>And just like Tarek had done before, Delona leads you through the building where each hallway looked exactly like the previous one whilst perfectly seeming to know where she was going.

>You took a few rights, then a couple of lefts. There were a couple of stairs involved as well and before you knew it—

 

>"And this is where you'll be staying."

>She came to rest in front of an oak door at the end of the hallway that carried the number seven on it in golden trim.

>"Just uh... get settled in for now and I'll come pick you up when dinner is served, okay?"

>"We'll start your studies tomorrow and then we'll just see how much help you need."

"Sounds good to me," you say, pushing open the heavy wooden door.

>"Is there anything you need?" a soft voice from behind you comes.

>Even though she probably can't see much of it, you shake your head.

"I'll manage, thanks."

>"Okay. Well... see you tonight then."

>The door falls shut and you hear the sound of her hooves on the floor grow more distant with every passing second until it fades out into nothing.

>You toss your suitcase on the bed and toss yourself next to it immediately after.

>A fairly mundane room considering you're in a castle, you conclude after having looked around for a bit.

>The events of the past afternoon replay themselves in your mind as you fall back onto the bed and stare at the ceiling.

>They'd been keeping track off you for months.

>They captured you and your allies, setting them up against you.

>They brought you here and forced you into complying to their demands by whatever means were necessary to make it so.

>They'd cornered you and made sure that there was absolutely no possible way for you to escape from this.

>You recall how every effort you'd made in this world so far had brought you to this point, where you were treated as nothing more than a means to an end...

>And you smile.

>Sincere and grand.

 

"...This ought to be interesting."

 

 

 

                        *       *       *       *       *       *       *

 

 

 

>It's been four days since you agreed to the king's proposal.

>And in those four days, you've somehow already fallen into a certain routine.

>Your days were filled with studying, followed by taking tests on the subjects you'd learned about.

>Every once in a while, you remembered to eat though you couldn't say that ranked very high on your list of priorities right now.

>There was no way of telling when you'd be sent off towards Equestria, so you had to cram in as much knowledge as you could as fast as possible.

>For all you knew, you'd be gone in less than a week.

>Time was of precious value right now.

>Best to make good use of it.

 

>Dainty knocks upon the door of your room break your immersion with the manuscript laid open in front of you.

>A furtive glance shows the clock pointing at precisely eight. You briefly smile.

>In the past couple of days, she'd shown to be of punctual nature. That's a quality you could appreciate.

>"Anon, it's time to get up. I'm coming in, o—"

>Upon opening the door, she immediately halts herself, coming to rest somewhat awkwardly in the doorway itself.

>"Oh, you're up already... Again," she says somewhat bashfully, her hands folded together in front of her and a light rosy tinge spreading on her cheeks.

>Her hair was done up in a neat bun today, and a two piece ensemble consisting of a white blouse and a black skirt gave her an air of strictness and professionalism to the untrained eye.

"My day starts at six, Delona," you reply casually.

>You didn't fall under the category 'untrained eyes' any longer. You and her had spent enough time together in the past few days for that.

>Her appearance might make her look somewhat austere, but her behavior was quite the opposite of that.

>"Well... maybe you want breakfast then? You've been up for two hours already," she asks, now walking into your room, signaled by the click of the door falling in its lock again.

>You tap against the silver container stood on your desk with the tips of your fingernails, resulting in a harmony of light metallic intonations.

"Chef brewed me a fresh pot already. He said he doesn't mind making a bit extra on top of the rations of the morning regiment..."

>"Coffee isn't a proper breakfast, Anon." The tone of her voice is most certainly disapproving, though it carries a hint of concern in it as well.

 

"I can always eat later. Besides, I really need to finish this chapter by noon, if I want to pass this test."

>You punctuate your statement by going back to where you stopped reading before you were interrupted.

>"Relax a bit, okay?" She places a hand on your shoulder in reassurance.

>"You did great on all the previous ones, I'm sure this one will go just as good," she gently said. "And we could always move the test if you need some more time. It's not like we're in a rush."

"Still no word from Equestria, huh?" you ask whilst skimming over the paragraphs you've already read.

>"Sera says he's expecting an answer soon."

"Hmmm," you absentmindedly hum in reply.

 

>You tap your fingers alongside the edge of the table as you intend to begin a new paragraph but you prematurely stop yourself, and turn around to face the horned female in your room.

"I'm just a bit worried. This test isn't like the others..."

"There's a bunch of this stuff that I can't read," you say as you take one of the stacks laying at the end of the desk to prove your point.

>"Let me take a look at that." She holds out her hand in expectation as you pass her the files.

>"Oh," she speaks lightly, as if surprised herself. "Did I gave you these?"

"No, I went to the librarian and asked her to give me everything on the war. I don't want to miss anything important."

>"These are copies from the actual manuscripts from during the war. Of course you can't read them, almost no one can read ancient Equestrian nowadays, save for some students specialized in this kind of thing."

"What do you mean 'ancient Equestrian'?"

>"After the war, any and all forms of literature were collected by the Equestrian kingdom and republished in a renewed version of the language."

>"It was meant to improve the unison of the three kingdoms, but... you know how that worked out."

 

"So... everything in 'New Equestrian' was written after the war?"

>"Yes. Well, published after the war at least."

"By Equestria itself?"

>"Uh... Sort of, I guess?" Her reply comes with hesitation. "They're just reworked copies from the old pieces of literature."

"And no one ever opposed to that?" you ask, hiding the undertone of annoyance in your voice.

>"Not really, no. We were the workers, Equestria the thinkers. That's the way it was back then."

>"It was easier for them too. Their magic was more suited for it than ours..."

"Oh, alright then. Guess I'll just focus on these new books then."

>"Do you want me to take these back to the library for you?" she asks, waving the stack of what seemed like illegible scribbles to you around.

>You take a sip of coffee before you reply, "No, just leave them. I might take them with me. You know, gift of cultural exchange, that kind of thing..."

>"I don't think they'll be very interested in old diaries they've already read, Anon," she says with a slightly taunting giggle in her voice.

"You never know..." comes your reply, before you put the stack back in its original position.

>"Guess I should let you get back to work then?" she asks as she's already making her way to the door.

 

"There's something I've been meaning to ask," you say, causing her to come to an immediate stop right in front of the door.

>She turns around to face you again. "What's on your mind?"

>There was this thought that had manifested itself in the back of your mind. It had started like a whisper, but rather than dying out, it had developed into a nagging sense of doubt over time.

>And no matter how badly you focused on your studies, you could not seem to get rid of it.

>You had to know...

>Even if it would reveal a weak spot if you did. You'd just had to trust her.

 

"What's going to happen if they decline?" you inquire, your eyes finding those brilliant pools of blue shimmering in the light of a waking sun as you look up at her.

>Her head tilts slightly and she refuses to meet your gaze after you've spoken.

>"What do you mean?"

"We have an agreement... but if Equestria refuses the treaty, this entire construct is going nowhere."

"What happens to me then?"

>She fold her hands in front of her again. A physical means of closing herself of from you, even if it was only implied.

>This was something she did frequently when she was nervous. And it's something that struck you as very odd.

>She seemed to be in a rather high position of power, and yet she didn't make a single attempt at hiding her body language. Perhaps she thought you could not see through her, simply because of the difference in species.

>But there were too many similarities between this world and your own to neglect things like this.

>Maybe it was just you looking into things to deep again, but she could be read like a book if you knew how to.

"What? What do you know?"

>She softly shakes her head, her gaze aimed slightly below yours so she didn't have to look you in the eyes.

>"I... T-that's not my jurisdiction. You'd have to ask admiral Tarek..."

>Like you'd get a straight answer out of that one...

"And... if I fail? What then?"

>She bites her lower lip, mulling over what to say.

>After a few moments, she turns around and opens the door.

>"You won't," she says, looking back at you with a soft smile. "See you at two in the library, okay?"

"Sure." You nod, before she closes the door shut behind her.

 

 

>You sigh and sip from your coffee again.

>'...We were the workers, Equestria the thinkers.'

>That much was obvious, to say the least.

>Were they blind?

>To have all information come from one source is never trustworthy.

>That's why you had your network in the first place. An ear on every corner of the street.

>Granted, after the entire ordeal with the Chaos-deity, things might have been a bit hectic.

>Things like that tend to get overseen in the grand scheme of things.

>You look at the stack of papers on the opposing side of the desk.

>It mocks you, containing information that you can't access.

>Lazily letting your wrist drift in a figure of eight, you stir your coffee around as you continue to glare at the old manuscripts.

 

>Then again, there was still plenty of information for you that could be accessed.

>Like the book that was spread open in front of you.

>A quick peek shows that your little conversation only took up about ten minutes.

>With one last gulp, you down the remainder of your coffee.

>Back to your studies...

 

"Chapter nine: Battle of Arawellis," you read out loud to yourself.

 

"Let's see what happened there..."

 

 

                                *       *       *       *       *       *       *      

 

>"Are you almost done?"

>Her question rolled by like a soft summer breeze; it was barely notable, yet pleasant to the touch.

>Would your attention lay elsewhere, you'd wonder what would have brought forth such a soft sensation.

>Though given the fact that the two of you were the only ones in this part of the library right now, it'd be rather hard to ignore her.

>Your gaze remained on the parchment rolled out in front of you.

"Just the last one..." you quietly replied.

>The test had gone by much better than you had anticipated. You'd already gone through your answers a second time to correct yourself where it was necessary. You hadn't made a single alteration.

>Only the last question remained. You'd excluded it from the others out of simplicity's sake.

>In Delona's curly handwriting, the final line read: "When was the Treaty of the Tri-folded Unison formed?"

>You recall the particular paragraph you'd read this morning stating that the agreement was formed in the same year the wars ended.

>Dipping your quill in the inkwell, you quickly jotted down "1023 AU."

>Though the answer was correct, you couldn't say you were satisfied with it.

>The 'AU'-addendum referred to when the three tribes of equinity had united themselves to live in one shared kingdom under the guidance of the Alicorns.

>And it was something that ticked you off for some reason.

>It did not make sense to you why this entire world worked on a timeline set out by only one kingdom.

>Whether they wanted to or not, to you it seemed as if they were implying to have time revolve around them.

>A statement along the lines of "This is where our kingdom came to be, and so this is where the entire world came to be" is something that would not by met by acceptance on your end.

>No, in these past five days, you'd learned quite a lot and you had to agree with the king.

>The kingdom of Equestria didn't concern itself with whatever played beyond their borders.

>In a certain way, it reminded you of yourself. Though you simply couldn't begin to compare the impact of one person against the impact of an entire society.

>You might not be a saint but nonetheless, you were going to have to make quite the effort to repress your prejudice against the equines.

>Dipping your quill into the inkwell once more, you draw a line through your answer, and instead replace it with "The end of the Dark Ages — 1023 years after the unison of the three equine tribes".

>Though it might be a tad extensive, it was something you were far more pleased with.

>You neatly fold the parchment in half and hand it over to the femme minotaur who'd been waiting for you to finish for the past hour.

"That ought to do it."

>She softly smiled at you as she stuffed the parchment in her briefcase.

>"I'm sure this one will be just as good as the others."

"Well, I'll let you be the judge of that."

>Standing up straight, you lean back and let your back pop and crack as it sees fit. Sitting still for over an hour had made you quite—

 

>"Sore?"

"A little," you groaned as you shifted a final time. "Anyways, what's next on the agenda?"

>"Oh, no no no," she said as she set out towards the entrance of the library, motioning you to follow her.

>"You've been cooped up in that room for five days on end now. It's time you relaxed a little."

"Relaxing isn't going to do me much good once I get sent off. I need to know wh—"

>Turning around, she gives you a stern look. Or she attempts to, at least.

>You can't say you're very impressed.

>"You know the majority of what you need to know already. The only thing that's relevant that you haven't learned yet is the Industrial Revolution and that's a walk in the park compared to what you've already studied."

"Okay, but still—"

>"In case you forgot, I'm your mentor," she spoke. "And for the sake of your studies, I hereby command you to relax a little."

>Your brow raises in amusement.

>"Just... please?"

>With a sigh, you shrug. "If the teacher says to close the books..."

>The small smile you'd grown familiar with over the past few days spreads on her face again.

>"I'll give you your books so you can start at five tomorrow, if that's what you want, but just try to forget about your studies for this afternoon, okay?"

 

>She resumed her march towards the entrance of the library and you followed her on your own account this time.

>"I don't want you to burn yourself out on all this. That'd be a lot worse than you not knowing the history and developments of blacksmithing..."

"Guess that makes sense," you comply. "But trust me, I can take a lot more than this..."

>"And I don't doubt that for a moment..."

>She turns away from you to address the receptionist behind the counter, "Could you get someone to bring this to my chambers?"

>The minotaur behind it gave a curt nod. "Of course, miss Delona. I'll see to it myself," he answered as she gave him her briefcase.

>She gave a quick smile in earnest appreciation before taking you into the hallway.

>"Come," she commanded, "there's something you haven't seen yet."

 

>There was quite the commotion of the daily hustle-and-bustle resounding through the white marble hallways, though at a time like this, that was only to be expected.

>Lunch hour had ended only a short while ago and everyone was still getting back to their respective stations, lingering in the hallways to conclude the small talk they'd started over their meals.

>The two of you kept going however, your march apparently set towards the gates leading outside.

>Soon, after having squeezed yourselves through the crowds, you find the sun beating down on you as you step into the atrium.

>You squint your eyes at the harsh invasion of light upon them. Raising a hand over them to provide a shadow of sorts, you look upwards into the cloud-filled sky.

>"See?" Delona taunts. "You've been cooped up in that little room way too long."

>"Come on," she exclaimed with enthusiasm as she took your hand, dragging you along with her.

>Where you were going, you couldn't tell yet. She was leading you around the castle, but whatever for remained unknown for the time being.

 

>Shortly after, your surroundings had shifted from a numb grey to a vibrant array of colors where green was without a doubt the most predominant one.

>"I don't think you've been here before, right?" she asked.

"Can't say that I did... Not this one, at least. I used to own one myself, though."

>"Oh, I know of the botanical garden of 'your' mansion," she replied, the emphasis on that possessive pronoun not going by unnoticed.

>You stare at her with your head cocked ever so slightly, to which her brow soon lifts in mock-offense.

>"What? You think I didn't know about that?" she jabbed. "I've said it before, we know all there is to know about you, Anon."

>You lift your hands in front of you as if to surrender yourself.

"In my defense, I genuinely had nothing to do with the disappearance of the original owner."

>"You didn't..."

>She turned around as she began walking into the garden.

>"...but we did."

>Now that was an answer that needed some time to sink in.

>She'd already disappeared from sight behind some bushes when the realization finally kicked in. You rush into the garden, quickly catching up with her as she leisurely strolled along.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

>She turned sideways to grant you a brief look before continuing her pace. Her voice sounded even softer than usual in these surroundings.

"We knew you had people in that particular area. We made the old man vanish into thin air. Or we made it seem like that, at least."

>She came to a stop at a yellow park bench.

"Your people did the rest for us," she said as she sat herself down on it. She pats the remaining space beside her and you once more comply to her demands, setting yourself next to her.

 

>"But let us not speak of such things this afternoon. There are more pleasant matters to talk about."

>You turn towards her, head cocked as you try to discern what she meant.

"Such as?"

>"You," her reply sounded. "Tell me about you."

"I thought you already knew me through and through," you chuckled.

>She slaps against your shoulder with a flick of her wrist. "Not like that..."

>"You know... before you came here. We have the hospital files but those had nothing of value on them. I don't even know what species you are officially."

>Your lips briefly tug upwards. You can't quite place why, but somehow it was nice to see they still didn't know everything about you.

"We called ourselves humans."

>"Tell me then, human," she said. "Why did you come here?"

 

"Honestly? I don't know. I can't really remember anything specific from Earth... Just shards and fragments, but nothing concrete."

>You're rather certain that telling her you died and ended up here somehow wouldn't be met with much belief. And you really don't feel the need to share it with her either.

>"Do you miss it?"

>It's a question you've asked yourself multiple times by now. Searching for an answer often just frustrates you, so you've learned to forget about it.

>Hearing it again now just leaves you feeling hollow.

"I don't know... It's not that different here, I guess."

>"But what about your friends? Your family?" she asked. "...Your wife? Your home?"

>You quietly shake your head.

"None of those. Not that I can remember at least. I just lived a bit everywhere. Wherever work took me, I guess. Like I said, it's really not that different here."

>"What did you do?"

>You gazed at her with confusion.

>"On Earth, I mean," she followed up. "What did you do on Earth for a job?"

>You shrug again. "Same thing as I do here. I survive."

>"...by whatever means necessary, huh?" she pondered, though it didn't sound much like a question.

>Quiet descended in the garden, allowing you to reflect upon the new information they'd granted you.

>You've claimed ownership over that mansion for such a long time now...

"Just how long has this been going on?" you ask in bewilderment.

>She briefly purses her lips as she mulls over the answer. A soft shake of her head followed swiftly after.

>"I'm afraid that information is restricted."

"Really now? Am I supposed to believe that?"

>She huffs at your accusation. "If anything, I should be the one doubting if you are telling the truth..."

 

"Doesn't change a thing about how I've seen how many people start whispering as you pass through. Everyone here addresses you as 'miss' and does whatever it is that you ask them to do."

>The minotaur's soft-blue eyes found yours again as she seemed to look at you in disbelief.

"Don't think I don't see things like that, Delona," you retorted. "And for whatever it might be worth, I haven't once lied to you."

>She turned her gaze back in front of her, though you're not certain whether it is because she's enjoying the scenery or because she doesn't want to face you.

>"You can't blame me for doubting your word considering your past," she stoically spoke.

>If she thought she'd get off this easily, she was severely mistaking. Perhaps she didn't know you that well after all.

"Well, you seem to know all about my past. But what about yours?"

>That earned you her gaze once again.

"You know all about me. Isn't it fair if I got to know a bit about you?"

>"Like?"

"Like why you can order anyone around here without being questioned..."

>Her expression was neutral, almost apathetic as she spoke, "Simple. I'm higher in rank than they are."

"Just how much higher? I have yet to see the first person say 'no' to you."

>"Are titles and formalities really how you want to spend a free afternoon?" she chastised.

 

"Apparently they are."

>A sigh leaves her as she turned away from you again. "I'm the only High Sorceress known to live in this entire city... Sera might be the king's right hand but when I say 'no', the king says 'no'."

>And then it dawned on you why she never bothered to hide her body language or her emotions as she spoke. There was simply no one there to oppose her.

>You cast your gaze downwards, staring at the gravel as you let the extent of her political power sink in.

"And you're the one who blames me..." you muttered.

>"I'm sorry?"

"And you have the nerve to doubt whether or not I'm telling the truth?" you said, gaze now cast straight at her, letting little tot the imagination in your tone of voice.

"You practically run this place. You could stop all of this right now!"

>Your expression contorts in a vile mask of anger. "Have you ever stepped outside of your little palace? Have you? People are dying in the streets as we speak and you have the power to stop all of this."

>"It's not that simple..."

"No? Isn't it? Is it easier to let things go by they way they are now then?"

>It grow increasingly harder to remain seated. For the first time since you came here, for the first time in as long as you can remember even, your temper gets the best of you as you recall your first months spent here.

"You don't get it. You've never had to live on the streets. You've been sitting here in your castle, safe and sound without a worry in the world. I've seen misery and poverty. I've seen people die before my eyes. You have no idea what it's like out there."

>With a snap, she turned to face you and for the first time since you've met her, there was no mistaking that you had angered her.

>"And you have no idea what I've had to sacrifice for this position. Don't you tell me this is my fault, because last time I checked, you weren't much of a saint either."

>Though silence found you again, the near-palpable tension thriving in the air made it notably less enjoyable.

"I did what I had to do to survive."

>"And if this plan goes the way I intend it to go, you'll be among the last who needed to live like that."

"The last of minotaurs who needed to live like that," you corrected.

>Your mentor heaved a sigh as she preferred to gaze off into the distance again.

>"We will offer them our terms first. If they see the way our kingdom fares, perhaps we can convince them to work something out with us. We'll know how willing they are to negotiate once you get back to us."

>She shifts in her seat, turning to face you fully as she fold her hands in her lap.

>The anger that had been there on her face moments ago had seemingly dissipated into nothing.

>"We will offer them a chance. If they chose not to consider it, that is their responsibility to bear."

>Standing up, she brushes some non-existent dirt of her dress.

>"But I can not allow my kingdom to go on the way it is right now. And I will do whatever it is that I can to set things straight."

"...by any means necessary, huh?"

>Only a nod comes as your response.

 

 

 

 

 

                                        [What would have happened next]

 

>Anon and Delona take a trip into town

>The paperwork gets pushed through

>Anon goes to Equestria

>Meets the princesses at the trainstation

>They try to teleport to the castle, but Anon can't into magic

>Carriage ride to the castle

>They give him a couple days to settle in

>He tries to get some reading done, but finds that he's being watched both by guards as well as regular personnel

>He needs to find a way to get closer to the guards

>One night, he decides to go out for a walk into Canterlot

>He stages being robbed, wounding himself to make it seem more convincing

>He tried a little too hard as he nearly passes out before making it back to the castle

>He gets hospitalized, which in turn causes the diplomatic discussions to be halted for a good while

>Anon voices his concerns towards the safety in Equestria and demands a meeting with the guards and their superiors

>The princesses deflect it and say it's a rare occurrence that certainly won't happen again

>He reluctantly has to accept

>A few days/weeks later he can take care of himself again, allowing him back into his own room into the castle

>With the lighter he brought from Earth, he stages a fire

>Since there's no magical residue whatsoever (thank you based earth) the ponies have no clue who's trying to get to Anon

>This time, he does get his wishes and meet with the guards and their leaders

>There's a conference in which the captain of the guard explains how they patrol and so on

>The entire thing is rigged by the princesses, whom don't trust Anon very much

>After the presentation, Anon hangs out with the captain, inviting him for drinks

>They go out for drinks and establish something akin to friendship

>Anon's healed enough again to roam the castle freely and the guards seem to have given him some room to breathe

>In the library, Anon comes across a certain room he'd never noticed before

>When he tries to enter it, he feels the same faint tingle of magic as he felt when the princesses tried to teleport him

>He enters the room, which contains various scrolls, written in old Equestrian

>He takes the ones that were kept under a glass cage and tries to make sense of them

>He remembers when Delona said that it's a language only known by scholars and how there conveniently happens to be a school for gifted unicorns next door

>Asking one of the students to translate it for him, in return getting the name of a high-ranking politician on their resume, he drops off the papers with some shy student

>That same night, Anon goes out with the captain again, getting him so drunk he can't stand on his own legs anymore

>Carrying him back to the barracks, Anon talks his way around the guards, telling them he'll go put the captain back in his cabin and that no one needs to know about the affair

>Once inside his cabin, Anon quickly starts roaming for the defense plans, which he successfully finds

>Anon plans to call off the diplomatic treaty, make his way back home and give the papers to the king

>The next morning, however, he receives the translated papers from the student who'd worked all night to get it done

>The papers turn out to be letters from princess Luna to Celestia and vice versa from during the war/discord's reign

>In it, they discuss how to prevent a situation like that from ever breaking out again

>They vow to leave nothing open to 'fate', as how it could turn into chaos too easily again

>Everything needs to be regulated under their guidance, hence why the ponies regulate the weather, instead of letting it take care of itself

>In the letters, Anon also finds that the princesses, despite all their research, despite trying to use the Elements of Harmony, simply cannot find the power necessary to control the rotations of sun and moon

>In the last meeting with the princess, Anon confronts her with the information he found, telling her that he'd already sent a copy of it towards his kingdom days ago

>The princess explains how she tried to protect her subjects

>She wanted to make sure they would be safe, before trying to help the other kingdoms

>Anon tells her the situation in Minos, and how unfair the economy is distributed

>With some reluctance, the princesses and Anon reach a decree in which Minos and Equestria will do business with one another again

>Anon returns home, where everyone is glad that he found a peaceful solution

>Save for the king, who has him imprisoned

>He dies shortly after, however, in circumstances that are not entirely clear

>Anon, after being freed, gets crowned king over Minos and leads the kingdom into a new age of prosperity

(Also, he gets it on with Delona. I mean, seriously. Cowgirls. Max u-unf.)

 

 

And that's the story that never happened.