Getting into the Royal Castle was easy. The problem however, lied in finding the targeted destination without being caught under suspicion. For Rhys, who’s intelligence was slightly above average, he did not want to go into the castle blind, and then be blindsided, and then die slowly in the dungeons. Rhys decided it would be best to feign an identity to get into the castle, use Augustus’ slothful nature against him, and use the time waiting to explore the different areas.

It was not a bad idea, he got into the castle without his credentials undergoing massive scrutiny, it was just a matter of time before his attendant left him. Alone. Fate had other plans however.

“He’ll see you now, follow me please.”

Fuck. That was like a minute.

Rhys was not expecting this. Unprepared for any sort of confrontation Rhys shuddered at the thought of being captured. Getting caught by guards and getting caught by nigh immortal super powerful beings who did not want you wasting their time, there were minor differences.

“A moment please.” Rhys said.

WHAT THE HELL AM I GOING TO DO! ARGHHHH.

“Sorry, needed to gather my thoughts, my limp threw me off.” Rhys nodded at the man to lead the way. His inner consciousness screaming in despair, his face sweaty, hands clammy. His face had no emotion of his predicament, a keen onlooker would have been able to tell with all the fidgeting. If you were to look simply at Rhys’ face however, his confidence kept him upright.

Rhys paced himself after the man, his limp yet to heal, as they travelled through from the waiting room, a structure of its own, towards the throne room. Rhys mentally placed himself on the map he was given and gauged how far it was to the treasury.

“Here we are.” The man stood at the entrance of the building that housed the throne room. “The Chancellor is waiting for you inside.”

Rhys’ eyes widened in surprises, the Chancellor eh? Feeling a little more confident he waved his attendee off and stepped in There was a straight path to the throne room and Rhys carried himself cautiously, but with conviction. He had passed himself off as an aspiring business representative here to negotiate contracts.s

The throne room was breathtaking, easily the most beautiful, and picturesque thing Rhys had seen. While buildings in Soccordia failed to measure up to their counterparts in other Kingdoms, even the Royal Castle, this room was nothing like that. It exuded a sense of elegance with its hanging tapestries, lofty ceilings and the glass windows brought the room to life. On either side of the room were seats for the nobles, made of mahogany and furnished to glaze under the sunlight, seating no one at the moment. Rhys’ eyes never left the throne itself. It exuded the very power as was expected of a king. It was furnished with red velvet cushions, a deep contrast against the dark oak.

“A little too young aren’t you.” The voice emanated, soft, but piercing the room.

Rhys’ snapped out of the trance, his gaze shifting down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs to the throne was a table. A worktable, filled to the brim with documents. An old man was seated behind it, he laid down whatever he was working on, giving Rhys his full attention.

“Ah, come sit.” He motioned to a chair by his side.

“I suppose introductions are in order. I am not Augustus as you might have figured. I represent him with regards to such matters of course. I am the Chancellor of Soccordia, Valoren Fare. And you are?”

“Titus, Titus Mendacel. Representative of the Siege Entrepreneurial Company.” Rhys replied without missing a beat. “I’ve come here on behalf of my master, to negotiate our wares.”

Rhys’ mind ran through numerous piles of bullshit, picking the most royal kind he could find.

“I – “

“I’ve never heard of this particular company.” Valoren had his eyes narrowed looking at Rhys. “Tell me more.”

Well shit, he’s already suspicious.

“Ah, yes, this is our first venture into the eastern continents. Our headquarters primarily operates in the central continent.”

Valoren raised his eyebrows frowning. “Why here? Would your devices not be usable considering the lack of magic in Soccordia?”

Rhys hesitated. “We… uh.”

“Are you really a representative?” The words came out cold, without a hint of hesitation.

Rhys bit his lips. He took a deep breath, calming himself and returning to the cold demeanor of his façade.

“I apologize if I haven’t seemed very forthcoming. Our products do not run on magic, instead, on more fundamental forces of physics.” Rhys nodded at Valoren. He grabbed a device from his pocket and brought it to the table.

“This is our latest invention; our mechanics call it a ‘jackscrew’.”

Curious but not wholly convinced Valoren took the device in hand rolling it around his palm, supposedly trying to figure out how it worked.

“And?” He said, his voice not betraying his eagerness.

Well, THANKS CID.

Rhys stared helplessly at the device trying to remember what it did and what the hell it could be used for. His previous experimentation had revealed that screwing the lever made the device more oblique.

Fuck me if this is actually a kid’s play toy. Maybe it acts like a support?

Confidently, Rhys took the device and reached underneath the table placing it there at a corner. He motioned his hands at the Chancellor asking him to look down. Rotating the screw, the device continued to morph until –

*Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh* The oblique angle led to gravity pushing hundreds of paper documents off the table.

Well shit. Rhys looked at the Chancellor with an awkward smile. “It’s still a work in –“

“Marvelous!” Valoren exclaimed. His attention fixated on the device.

“How, is it capable of exerting such a great force on the table so easily. AND, maintaining it?” He interjected excitedly.

“Uh… Trade secrets?”

“Of course, of course, I understand. I must however consult various ministers before giving you our decision. You will be in Acedia for a while?”

“Yes.”

“Wonderful. Please do come back in a few days. I will have our terms ready by then.” He sounded serious but his previous excitement told Rhys that the response would be favorable.

Holy shit, is it really that easy? He didn’t even ask for my terms. No wonder capitalism is bloody booming.

Nodding Rhys picked up the device, putting it back into its original form, and taking his leave. The Chancellor, in his excitement, had forgotten to call for an attendant. Rhys took the opportunity to quickly sneak out. Moving with a purpose he cut through the pathways, ignoring the stares of the servants, finally making his way in the direction of the treasury.

It was... small. Unlike the grand throne room, the structure that housed the treasury was not eye-catching in any way. The only reason it stood out was because of the numerous guard posts around it. Each of them seemed to be manned, as Rhys watched he noticed a few guards routinely circling the compound. He could not get any vision of what lay inside the building though. His vantage point, close as he could get, without drawing any unwanted attention.

Let’s try my luck.

“You there!” Rhys shouted out. The nearest guard turned his head quizzically unsure at who was being spoken to.

“Yes, you!” Rhys commanded.

The guard looked confused, he did however follow Rhys’ words. Apparently, the right attitude did get you into places.

“Yes... Yes sir.” The guard stammered.

“Chancellor Fare asked me to inspect the inside of that building. For security reasons.”

“The man looked distraught. Sir, we do not have authorization to enter.”

“Not you man, just me.” Rhys retorted, his arms crossed. Yet at his height he looked more of an angry child than a respectable person of importance.

The guard, not wanting to contradict the Chancellor’s orders, finally replied.

“I’ll go get my commanding officer, please wait here, Sir.” He scampered off before Rhys could make another move.

“Well shit.” Rhys quickly realized that he was in no position to continue with this farce. He quickly moved out of the area and back onto the main path towards the entrance of the Castle. Rhys was able to leave without any further incident. Disappointed in the fact that he was unable to get a glimpse of the treasury but nonetheless reassured that the main line of defense were guards, Rhys was more confident in the job. His only regret, having to had reveal himself to the Chancellor.

Mentally and physically exhausted by the charade, he got himself a light meal at a nearby tavern and then began the journey home. With Novus happening in two days, Rhys decided to dedicate more time to his plans.

Interlude

Valoren was jovial as he left the throne room after the day’s meetings were over. Representing the King was no easy task. Especially considering he did everything Augustus was supposed to do. With one last duty on his roster he made it to the King’s chambers. It was situated at a far corner of the Castle, well removed from anything that might disturb the King. As he came closer, he began to sweat, his knees weak, arms heavy.

The pressure he felt was normal. This was the aura Augustus exuded subconsciously, nowhere near as powerful as it could be. Knocking twice on the door he hesitantly awaited a response.

“Enter.”

Setting foot in the room and quickly closing the door behind him, to not let any light enter, he made his way closer to the bed. A thin veil was hung across the room, dividing it in two. Valoren could not see the King, but the dark silhouette and immense pressure was enough to be sure of his presence.

He spent no time dilly-dallying.

“There were several meetings today. With the minis-” He choked off the words as his throat tightened. The temperature in the room plummeted and Valoren shuddered as he fell to his knees.

“Who was it.” The voice came out soft, aloof. It was an unexpected contrast against the intensity which kept Valoren on his knees.

“I… I… Yo-….” He struggled to form words as what limited oxygen he had escaped him. The silhouette seemed to shrug, the intensity softened.

Valoren, in tears, was unsure of how to react. “Your Majesty… what do you mean?”

“There was someone you met today, someone who was not part of our court.”

“I – I was just about to tell you.” Valoren stammered, unsure as to how his King knew of Mr. Mendacel.

“The man, he came as a representative of a business. The Siege entrepreneurial company. He bought a fascinating device with him, he came to parley for our sponsorship on behalf of his master.”

“Where from?” The response was curt.

“They are based in the central continent, or so he told me.”

Augustus said nothing at that, instead he dismissed Valoren with a wave.

“Leave, and keep me updated on this matter.”

“O-Of course your Majesty.”

Valoren was dumbstruck at what had just happened. Quickly running out of the chambers and into a different section of the Castle to escape the suffocating pressure, he could not understand why the King had done what he just did.

Even Augustus was surprised by his own reactions. He quickly passed it off as a natural reaction. After all, it had been nearly a decade since he had last sensed magic within his kingdom.

End.

Oh shit, I should really figure out a way to keep my stuff safe.

Rhys realized how much he had neglected his own possessions, rather ironic for a thief. His humble abode had nothing restricting access to anyone passing by. Aside from the fact that it was inconvenient to get to, there was nothing physically stopping someone getting to it.

He was reminded of this when he walked into his lair, there was a piece of paper knifed into a wall. Rhys gasped in surprise.

How the hell do you stick a knife into a rock wall? What the fuck.

Carefully removing the knife, perfectly good knife too, he tossed it to a side and then inspected the paper.

Etched in it were the words, ‘Tread carefully.’

Rhys stared at the paper in disbelief, clearly expecting more. He dismissed the words, after all he was a thief, and thieves knew no other way to tread. Instead, Rhys made plans to make sure no one else stumbled across his home, with or without intention.