"By the Great Mother!" Berion blurted when the treasury turned out to have been emptied as well. "What does this m-"
The dimensional sealing arrays had been activated again, cutting off the transmission.
"Excellent question." Lith thought out loud while putting everything in the office back as he had found it.
'I can get taking out all the weapons in preparation for the war, but why take the money as well?' Solus pondered.
'Aside from the muscle head that attacked me, no one used a decent artifact and even those he had were nothing much.' Lith replied. 'It doesn't make sense unless the nobles are planning to run away while the army invades.'
'I don't think so.' She said. 'If they wanted the gold they would have escaped before the army arrived and those weapons have no value for someone who isn't trained in using them.'
Too many things didn't add up. Now Lith had a clear understanding of the situation inside Zeska, yet he still couldn't find a way to connect all the dots.
He was still considering whether to find the nobles and interrogate them or get out of the city to give the Royals a full report when the decision was taken out of his hands.
A rainbow light flashed through the windows accompanied by the distant sound of multiple explosions. The colored fireballs were the convened signal meaning that Captain Estar needed Lith and that he had to get out of Zeska as soon as he could.
The sun was already low and there wasn't much time left before nightfall. Lith found a broom closet where to hide and waited for dark while using Demon Grasp to further refine his deep violet core.
Then, he opened a Spirit Warp Steps outside the city and then another to get back to his tent. This way, when Lith walked out the dimensional corridor, his second in command saw a common landscape on the other side.
"What's the matter, Captain? I was about to get some answers. This better be important."
"It is. Rudra has followed the messenger to Phresca and is waiting for your instruction. Quaron has to be there." He said.
"I can't break Zeska's siege on a maybe." Lith shook his head. "Give him the people he needs to keep an eye on all the city gates and have them look out for Quaron."
"But, I've already alerted the regiment and we are ready to mobilize at any time. If he's there, all we need to do is to take Phresca down and kill Quaron to take back the entire region!" Estar said.
"First, we are not sure he is actually there. The messenger might have just gone to the last known location. Second, even if Quaron is hiding in Phresca, he just needs to lower the arrays for a second to Warp away and slip past our forces." Lith replied.
"By staying here, we are cornering him. If he gets out of the city we will surround and kill him. If he keeps hiding, he'll lose the support of the people of the Nestrar region. Either way, we win.
"On top of that, I just discovered the presence of another player who manipulates the nobles of Zeska from the shadows. If the same is happening in all the other cities, then this is something bigger than just a traitorous Ranger."
"What do you mean?" Estar was flabbergasted.
"Just stay here and listen." Lith took out his army amulet and called Berion who in turn had the King join the conversation.
"At ease. There is no time for formalities." Meron said to his kneeling subjects, allowing them to stand up. "Major Verhen, tell me everything that you have discovered in Zeska."
Once Lith was done with his report, the King felt the need to sit down.
"I doubt that our enemy is an actual god, but they have gotten their hands on the best artifacts we had granted Zeska, if not on those of all the cities who are taking part in the rebellion." Meron said.
"Are you sure?" Berion asked.
"Judging by the tone of the conversation that Major Verhen overheard, it is clear that the nobles of the various cities are competing to gain the favor of this so-called god. It wouldn't surprise me if all the missing weapons and money have been handed to them." The King replied.
"Your Majesty, if you are right the forces assigned to Verhen might not be enough. If the enemy uses all the stolen weapons at the same time, then even a bunch of city guards can easily take on a regiment of mages.
"We need to send reinforcements." Berion calculated how many soldiers were needed to the task and the answer was appalling.
To guarantee their victory, the Royals had to leave several key areas of the Kingdom exposed, giving the Undead Courts and Thrud an opportunity that, if exploited, might upset the balance.
"That's what the enemy wants so we are going to do the opposite." Meron shook his head. "Major Verhen, we have been dealt terrible cards but if played properly we can still win.
"Your promise to recognize the Nestrar region as a free country was reckless and stupid, yet it gives us the higher ground we need."
"Your Majesty, it was merely a ruse. Captain Estar can confirm you that my plan was to kill Quaron the moment we exposed his location-"
"I don't care what your intentions were, I'm interested only in the results." Meron cut him short. "Quaron has no way to avoid your challenge without losing everything he has built whereas scouring the entire Nestrar region for him would be nothing but a wild goose chase."
"I want you to stay put and wait for him. You are lucky that Quaron didn't arrive while you were absent because it would have meant his victory by default."
"Are you really putting the fate of an entire region on my shoulders?" Lith was flabbergasted.
"Of course not. This is not a bard's tale. In the real world, a ruler that bets the future of his country on something as barbaric as a fight is a delusional idiot. Either you win or lose, I'm going to use all of my power to take Zeska back.
"The only thing that will change is how much blood is spilled and if you will be punished instead of rewarded." Meron said.
"Punished?" Lith echoed.
"Archmage Verhen, I assigned you this task in order to defuse the situation, not to aggravate it. You are smart enough to know that, as the leader of this expedition, you are bound to take credit if you succeed and responsibility if you fail.
"By using the Royal Decree to lay your trap you didn't put only your name on the line but also mine. The people of Zeska heard you and so did our soldiers. Whatever the outcome of the fight, the people will judge us.
"If you win, you'll be considered a hero, but if you lose and go back on your word, then you'll become my scapegoat.
"Not only will your family remain without any security detail, but I'll also revoke all of your privileges within the Kingdom, ask you to pay the Verhen Mansion for its market price, and have you serve the army until you make up to the mess you've made."
