Three weeks prior.

"I will be retiring soon."

Dacien paced in front of his desk, hands clasped behind his back. The barest hint of a smile crept onto his face. It was foreign and did not belong, especially on such a somber occasion. It grew into a full grin as he continued. "You will succeed me as First."

Elizabel stood still in the center of the room, not daring to catch his eyes, nor daring to speak. That grin did not promise good things to follow, and she would not invite its wrath upon her. She could see the amusement in Dacien's face from the corner of his vision before he looked away.

"One of you will succeed me, in any case." His eyes swept away from Elizabel and past the two other lieutenants standing beside her. There it was. The other shoe dropped.

The three of them had worked together for years. Pitting them against each other was just the sort of sadistic challenge Dacien would find entertaining. It would not be pleasant, but Elizabel had no doubts in her ability to take on the other two.

She was clearly not the only one whose thoughts followed a similar path. The other two stood up straighter and looked around, as if suddenly remembering each other. A smile of her own tugged at her lips and Elizabel wondered if perhaps it might be more enjoyable than she had thought.

Dacien held out a hand and the three stilled. "Hold. I don't need to see you three squabbling, with the least injured getting the prize. Whoever takes the mantle from me will be long past their days of busting heads and petty hustles. I need to see more."

He continued to pace in silence, his suit shimmering as light caught the surface runes. Perhaps gathering his thoughts, perhaps savoring their impatience. Determined not to play his game, Elizabel looked beyond him to the desk behind.

The normal clutter of the desk was gone- a fact that normally would have drawn Elizabel's eye immediately. It was, in fact, entirely bare except for three sheets of paper, spaced evenly. More theatrics and obviously so, but that doesn't mean it was ineffective. She squinted in vain, trying to read what was written, but it was just too far away.

Dacien sighed at last, breaking the silence. "When I joined the Equalizers back in the day, I was nothing. I was nothing and the Equalizers were nothing. I made it into what it is today—molded it with my will and shaped the pieces into the well oiled machine that we have now. Blood, sweat, and tears,” he paused and chuckled. “Mostly others', but nevertheless. It isn't enough for whoever follows me to know how to throw a mean hook or hustle the right street corner. You need to be able to lead, you need to be able to manage your resources and priorities. That is what I will be testing."

Thayer, the tall lieutenant to Elizabel's side, chuckled. She didn't even need to look to see the smarmy expression he'd be wearing. "Well, if that's all you want, you might as well declare me the winner right here and now. I've been running operations for you for years, and pretty well, if I say so myself."

Dacien nodded along as Thayer spoke. "It is true, you run operations well. You run the unit I set up well. Hardly a test for this occasion. No—I've something grander in mind." He stopped his pacing and turned to face the three. The grin was back. Elizabel shuddered.

With a grand gesture, Dacien threw his arms wide, gesturing at the group before him. "To see who can best lead, we need you on equal footing, and so, I shall provide. Behind me I have the locations of three safe houses," he said with a sweeping hand to the papers lying on the desk. "Each is located in an advantageous area, stocked with basic supplies and a few lackeys to get you started. They are the same apart from one boon that will be granted to each of you."

He rubbed his hands together, looking for all the world like a child in a candy shop. He pointed at Thayer and said, "As my most senior lieutenant, you'll get first choice. The boons are these: the supplies and equipment at one of the safe houses is of notably higher quality and available in more variety than the others. In the second, the minions provided are of higher caliber than the others. They will still need refinement, but you should see better results and more quickly than your rivals. And the last is outfitted with a runic."

Thayer had looked decided until the mention of the runic. He paused a long moment before he said, "What does the runic do exactly? I can't make a choice on vagaries."

Dacien grinned wider. "If you get the job, you'll be doing little else. I suggest you get used to it. I'm feeling generous however, and while I won't tell you what it does, I will say it's the least helpful of the three in a direct manner, though it has the largest potential effect if handled with finesse and given time to grow in power."

Elizabel mulled that over while Thayer thought. Without knowing the exact nature of the competition and how much time they would have, it was hard to say how that would work out. Still, it did sound right up her alley. She kept that thought off her face. As the junior of the three, there was no reason to tip her hand, after all.

"Easy choice, then," said Thayer. "I'll pick the safe house with the gear. I'll not let the others have time to grow into their boons."

Dacien grabbed a paper off the desk and handed it to the lieutenant. "Very well. Go there, and I'll be in contact soon. Good luck."

Thayer turned to leave, waving off the well wishes. "Save the luck for the other two. They're going to need it."

Elizabel held the sigh that sought to escape. The man was as humble as ever. Unfortunately competent however, and he would press his early advantage hard. She'd be ready.

By the time the door closed behind Thayer, Dacien was looking at Regina. She rocked on her heels as she thought. "I have to admit, the artifact does sound tempting. It does sound right up my alley. Even better it sounds like something Elizabel would love." She looked over and winked at Elizabel, who was suddenly sure she had not been as successful as she thought at her poker face. "Still, Thayer is no slouch. I'll take the trained goons- I have a feeling we won't be able to spare the time for more."

She smiled at Elizabel as Dacien gathered the two remaining sheets. "Nothing personal, hun. And at least you'll enjoy your experiments while I wrap this thing up, right?"

The elation of getting the boon Elizabel wanted, by default or otherwise, disappeared in a wash of annoyance. She took note of the patronizing tone, the writing off of her as competition before they’d even begun. She tacked it on to the end of an ever-growing list of grievances against Regina. And then she smiled.

She nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Of course- nothing personal at all, Reggie." A flicker of annoyance broke through Regina's mask and Elizabel pressed on. "I'm sure this will suit us both just fine."

Regina turned towards Elizabel and laid a possessive hand on her arm. "I'm glad you see it the same way. Once I'm settled behind the desk here, you can tell me all about what you discover." And with that, she was gone, without waiting for a reply.

Elizabel scowled, not caring if Dacien saw it. He chuckled and handed her the final paper. "I wouldn't have called you here if you would be so easy to discount. Go, and put on a good showing, will you?"

Elizabel bowed her head and took her leave. Once the door was firmly shut between her and the First, she took a large breath to steady herself and looked at the paper in her hand.

Proceed to 127 Darklands Place. Awaiting you there will be Eisley, Cassmere, and Panos; your first underlings; further instructions; and, of course, your boon.

Good hunting.

Elizabel mulled the rather sparse contents over as she exited the building. Darklands had a rather unsavory reputation. That was, almost certainly, the point, but it was inconvenient. She was used to mingling in the financial districts and dressed appropriately. Her car was also appropriate for those flashy environments. In Darklands driving such a car would draw attention.

As she walked down the sidewalk and prepared to call a cab, she wondered if it was intentional. Was this the first hurdle of the test?

She shook her head. Test or not, it was just good sense. And more to the point, if she let this get in her head, then she'd prove Regina right. That wasn't going to happen.

Elizabelflagged down the first cab she saw with the glowing green enchantment that signaled an empty ride. She gave the sylvan driver the address and settled in. This was the chance she'd been waiting for. A chance to showcase her abilities, to show the wits could win over brawn. To show she didn't need Regina to succeed.

She turned her mind away from that last thought and instead focused on what lay in front of her. From the sounds of Dacien’s description, she didn't have much hope that the safehouse itself was anything beyond the bare essentials. Three subordinates was promising, however. That was not an insignificant amount of manpower to give the three for a test, and yet also not enough for many of the side endeavors the Equalizers usually partook in.

And the runic. She couldn't begin to guess what it may do. Possibilities rolled around her head. By the time she arrived at her destination, she had her guess set. The three underlings would be her muscle in a challenge to build the most turf. The runic would likely allow her to pacify, and perhaps even co-opt, the rival gangs in the area. Not her forte, but she could do it. She'd find a way.

The building was unmarked, and she was only mostly confident that she had counted correctly from the last numbered building. It had certainly seen better days; the paint was peeling where it wasn't gone already and the walls themselves seemed to be more patch than not. With a practiced eye, Elizabel studied all potential entrance points. Subtle runework reinforced what otherwise looked like equally run down windows and doors.

With the care given to security, Elizabel felt more sure she had guessed correctly. That was good, she had big plans waiting.

Hand on the door, she paused and straightened both posture and dress. You can only make first impressions once and all that, and she'd need the loyalty of the brutes waiting inside to pull this off. One last deep breath to steady herself and she pushed a bit of will at the door.

A small click let her know the enchantment had accepted her signature and she opened the door. Without pausing, she marched inside. "I am Elizabel," she announced to the room. "You lot may address me as Dark Mistress Elizabel. Know now that our path is not easy, but the rewards will be—" She trailed off.

The room she had barged into was dim and sparsely furnished. Stairs filled one end of the room, while a small kitchenette and old, rickey table crowded the other side. A tall goblin, relatively speaking, of course, stood on a chair, hunched over a large sheet spread over the table.

He ran his finger over it, tracing something on the sheet that Elizabel couldn’t quite make out from the distance. Across from the goblin, a red imp with stubby wings lounged in a chair, feet kicked up onto the table. He looked up and met Elizabel's gaze with a nod.

"Ayy," he said as he tossed her a half-hearted salute. "You must be the new boss. 'Bout time ya got here."