"You…" Alkori glared at Izroth as he moved his hand towards the weapon at his side.
Tonne was flabbergasted by Izroth's rude behavior. He was a Manager of the Resource Management Division! While he was not as strong as those at this table, his ability to allocate resources required that they show him a certain level of respect at all times. Who did this brat think he was daring to utter such outrageous words?!
However, just as the atmosphere started to become tense,
booming laughter resonated throughout the conference tent.
"Bwahahaha! You sure brought an interesting one along, Solomon! Alkori, Tonne—this is far enough, don't you think? The real enemy is outside this camp, not within. Do you two really have that much time to waste on managing your fickle pride?" This voice came from the Rosentarus representative.
The Rosentarus representative was a well-toned woman of the Zensana race who belonged to the rabbit sub-species. However, the woman's appearance mostly resembled that of a human's, with her only defining Zensana traits being the rabbit ears atop her head and the small tail at her lower back.
NPC Name: Rosentarus Ten Beast Guardian, Duchess(???)
NPC Level: ???
"This is none of your concern, woman!" Alkori snapped back.
"I'm making it my concern, though?" Duchess replied with a narrowed gaze.
"Then, I-!"
"Enough." A deep and cold voice sounded, causing everyone in the tent to fall silent.
"My decision is final in this matter. Now, I want to begin the conference—is there anyone who wishes to object?" Solomon gave off a heavy pressure as he spoke.
A few seconds of silence went by as no one raised any objections.
"Good. I hereby announce that the conference begins." Solomon said with a friendly smile as the heavy pressure vanished without a trace.
"Tch…" Alkori had a look of displeasure on his face as he glared menacingly at Izroth one last time before turning his focus forward.
'Meaningless.'
Izroth would not sit back and allow himself to be bullied by anyone, regardless of their identity. As long as Alkori did not attempt something foolish, then Izroth planned to let this matter rest here. After all, there was no benefit in fighting one's own ally.
Aurie inwardly sighed. This Izroth was too reckless. Getting on the wrong side of the Pzenium mercenaries leader and the Resource Management Division Manager would bring him no advantages. However, she understood Izroth's temperament well from their previous encounter with one another. Of course, she also knew that this was necessary for Izroth if he wanted to gain any kind of foothold in the overall conversation.
Solomon carried on the meeting and listed the topics at hand. There was a particular topic that needed to be addressed instantly, and for this, all eyes fell onto one individual—the War Intelligence Group Lead Agent.
NPC Name: War Intelligence Group Lead Agent Soothing Smoke(???)
NPC Level: ???
"Soothing Smoke, I am sure you are already aware of the incompetence that has been demonstrated by the War Intelligence Group these past several days. If it were a minor slip-up, I could overlook it. But as a result of your inability, we have lost the lives of thousands of soldiers. What do you have to say for yourself?" Solomon stated as he maintained a calm exterior, but there was a hidden rage present in his words and demeanor.
Solomon had lost one of the Commanders under him, and another was gravely injured. How could he not be furious?
The one called Soothing Smoke wore a black cloak that completely hid their physical features—this was a common appearance among the agents of the War Intelligence Group.
"It was an oversight on our end." Soothing Smoke replied.
Bang!
"Don't screw with me! An oversight on your end? Is that all you have to say?! Because of you, I lost many brothers!" Alkori erupted as he angrily slammed his fist on the table and jumped to his feet.
"Your loss is… Unfortunate. But, it is within the range of predicted acceptability for Pzenium warriors given the present circ.u.mstances." Soothing Smoke responded calmly.
"Acceptability..?" Hearing that word, Alkori flew into a fit of rage as he grabbed ahold of a chakram at his side.
Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!
Out of nowhere, the conference tent was filled with a dozen additional individuals. All of them wore attire similar to Soothing Smoke; however, they seemed more combat-oriented.
Simultaneously, the two people who accompanied Alkori also drew their weapons and moved closer to the Controller's side.
"I would advise against violence, Controller Alkori." Soothing Smoke said.
"What's this? I thought everyone was only allowed to bring two personal guards, General Solomon. Can it be that your Amaharpe does not trust its allies?" Alkori scoffed.
"I assure you, I, too, was unaware of our guests. Soothing Smoke, would you care to explain yourself?" Solomon questioned in a severe tone.
'Interesting… This way of erasing one's presence reminds me of that time.'
During his quest to escort the Silver Hawk Merchants Caravan, the group the late Tempest prince Ronbinarzin used as a disguise to sneak himself into Proximus, Izroth ran into players utilizing an item called the Veil of Serok.
This item completely erased the presence of those under its influence to a point where even Izroth's Soul Sense was unable to detect anything. If even someone like Solomon stated that he did not know they were hiding, Izroth believed they had to be using an item similar to the Veil of Serok.
"General Solomon, this is but a small precaution in the face of the recent developments within the Demilitarization Belt. I should not have to explain that it is well within my authority as a Lead Agent to invoke more drastic measures in a state of emergency. I would deem the assassination of various command figures as one such state." Soothing Smoke replied smoothly. They then held their hand up as the group of individuals disappeared.
"Quite bold. Though not the kind of bold I enjoy. There is nothing I dislike more than snakes who slither in the darkness behind my back." Duchess commented.
Alkori returned to his seat and said, "Agreed. General, if I don't receive a proper answer, then I will take my Pzenium warriors and leave this cursed battlefield. It is our honor to fall in battle, but I will not sit aside and let my brothers die a meaningless death."
"Controller Alkori is correct. Today, you must provide us with a reasonable explanation for the War Intelligence Group's failure to notice the true movements of Tempest. If you refuse, even the Head of the War Intelligence Group will not be able to save you." Solomon stated firmly.
Soothing Smoke remained quiet for a few moments before he finally spoke and said, "I receive an order from the Head that stated not to take any action within the Demilitarization Belt. I simply followed orders, General Solomon. I am sure the Head has their reasons."
"The Head?" Solomon furrowed his brows. The Head of the War Intelligence Group was a mysterious individual; however, their methods for gathering intel and finding the enemy's weak point were unquestionable. There was only one person in Amaharpe who knew of the War Intelligence Group's Head true identity—the current king of Amaharpe.
However, it did not make any sense. Why would the Head give such a disastrous order to Soothing Smoke?
"Are you positive this order came from them?" Solomon inquired.
"There is no question about the order's authenticity. Unlike the other war branches, we of the War Intelligence Group have multiple safety nets to ensure there exists no room for error." Soothing Smoke replied.
Solomon spent the next few moments questioning Soothing Smoke; however, no matter how hard he searched, Solomon could not find a legitimate reason for the Head's order to Soothing Smoke.
"Can it not be that the War Intelligence Group has merely been breached at its highest ranks?" Izroth said what everyone was thinking, but no one wanted to assume was plausible.
"Impossible. The War Intelligence Group-" Soothing Smoke was swiftly interrupted by Izroth.
"Has several safety nets in place, right? However, Tempest has been preparing for this moment in secret for many years. Not to mention, their hand is not the only one at work. Can you say without a shred of doubt that there exists a place in this world that one cannot break into with the proper preparations?" Izroth asked.
"…" Soothing Smoke met Izroth's inquiry with silence.
"It seems difficult for everyone here to accept, so I will be the first to say it clearly. We may have no choice but to consider the possibility that the highest ranks of the War Intelligence Group have been infiltrated by those linked to the Shadahi and Tempest." Izroth said, which immediately caused the atmosphere in the room to turn grim.
If their primary information network had been compromised at such a high level, Ekquilore might be the least of their worries. This could turn out to be the biggest disaster of the war thus far!
