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The spirits of all those present in the council chambers had lowered as they witnessed they emperor in such a tiered state. He looked as if he had endured intense manual labor and even his voice sounded raspy and unenthusiastic, yet the men and women present at the table knew better than to assume that this was a physical burden, no, it was spiritual. Aleko sat after generously hydrating himself and awaited for the envoys to speak their piece. The first to raise from his seat was none other than Cyrus, his words steering the conversation to the one direction everyone was already thinking. 

“[b]I believe I speak on everyone’s behalf when I say that we feel honored by your kind words, sire. As such, we shall not dally and get to the point.[/b]”

All gazes were now affixed at the white-clad wizard and tension only became thicker as the old man continued. 

“[b]Zeiserberg. A small province in the Eastern part of the Anthro Kingdom has been recently conquered by the Stainless Empire. We believe this to be a premeditated assault, aimed as both a challenge and an insult directed to our faction and our Emperor in particular.[/b]” 

After hearing those words, Gymor Cloudkeeper spoke up “[b]Premeditated? A targeted attack meant to challenge and insult our Emperor? Master Weaverstar, what makes you believe that?[/b]”
 
“[b]Simple deduction, I assume..[/b]” Ethel Shroudmyr joined in “[b]From what I know, Zeiserberg is a small province which declared neutrality. It has no particular strategic importance, nor any valuable resources to speak of. Such an attack would be wasteful, so the enemy must have a particular reason in mind[/b].” 

The ever-silent Durran Windsteel nodded in agreement before saying “[b]So the Stainless meant this attack as an insult towards our Emperor considering his Anthro heritage? [/b]“

“[b]Perhaps…[/b]” Cyrus sighed deeply and gazed briefly at Aleko before continuing “[b]But his gra… [i]We[/i] believe that they specifically targeted this province…because it happened to be the birthplace of our Emperor and the current residence of his mother.[/b]” 

The news shocked the attendants, some more obviously than others yet it came as a surprise for all. Moments of silence passed before anyone persuaded themselves to spoke. “[b]Sire…I am…so sorry. You have my word we will do all we can to..-[/b]“ Marcus Gwynpath’s hushed words towards Aleko were interrupted by the sound of metal against wood as the mechanical-prosthetic arm of Eamon Weissnout slammed on the table, sending vibrations through it and nearly tilting the glass of wine next to mistress Shroudmyr. “[b]This is an outrage![/b]” the Anthro envoy bellowed “[b]Targeting the former home and own mother of the Emperor? Outrageous! Inconceivable![/b]” the wolfish snout had contorted into a snarling-like appearance “[b]We simply cannot let them go unpunished! We will have their heads for this…-[/b]“ “[b]Master Weissnout, calm yourself![/b]” Ludwyn Groverunner rose from the table, raising his voice to match master Weissnout’s which seemed to have snapped him back to his usual polite self, excusing himself for his outburst, rearranging his tie and seating himself back right before master Groverunner followed suit. After a few more moments of silence, the Dwarven envoy cleared his throat and spoke. “[b]It is indeed an outrage and I speak for all of us present, nay all of us of the New Empire, when I say that we will do all within our power to rectify and punish those responsible, sire.[/b]”

A confident nod came from all those present at the table yet right after, the Dark Elven envoy attracted everyone’s attention “[b]This is indeed problematic, yet you are all missing the point..[/b]” her composure was as elegant and unfazed as ever, her voice accompanied by the sound of her long nails, tapping along the surface of her glass “[b]How did the Stainless Empire come to know such…personal details about our Emperor when even we, his own council of envoys, have only [i]now[/i] been made privy to this information?[/b]”

A second wave of shock had struck the table, some gasping at the sudden realization of this obvious fact. “[b]Mistress Shroudmyr…You don’t mean to suggest…[/b]” master Windsteel stopped before he could finish his sentence yet Korvius Frosthand confirmed his suspicion. “[b]I believe she is correct. My fellow colleagues, esteemed Imperial Wizard, your grace. We should consider the possibility that we may have a traitor, spying for the enemy in our midst.[/b]” 

“[b]Who would dare…This can’t be true.[/b]” Master Gwynpath spoke, to which the Undead envoy replied with a sly grin “[b]Already denying Marcus? You just made yourself suspicious..[/b]” The Human envoy was obviously angered by the accusation yet he it was mistress Shroudmyr who retaliated against master Frosthand “[b]So did you, Korvius, by already throwing accusations around.[/b]” The onyx-stone on the Half-Breed’s bosom glistened as she crossed her arms, a faint smile creeping on her pale visage, satisfied with herself by turning the Undead’s grin into a frown. 

“[b]Esteemed Envoys, please![/b]” Cyrus spoke up, silencing all around “[b]We cannot deny the possibility of a traitor yet we accomplish nothing by pointing fingers.[/b]” The wizard leaned heavily on his staff and wiped a few beads of sweat from his brow before continuing “[b]With his grace’s permission, I shall personally conduct an investigation into this matter and find out if and who this traitor might be.[/b]” His gaze turned to Aleko, waiting for a reaction. “[b]For the moment…[/b]” he continued shortly after “[b]We should concern ourselves with the situation at Zeiserberg  and what we can do to remedy it.[/b]” 

It was Korvius who shook his head dismissively “[b]In this case, we are simply wasting our time here. The Stainless Empire will obviously not be interested in negotiations or diplomacy, otherwise they would have sent us a list of demands or something of the sorts.[/b]” 

Master Groverunner stroke his chin in contemplation “[b]Which means they await a reaction from us. Capturing the province where our Emperor’s own mother resides is meant as …an invitation..[/b]” 

“[b]It’s a trap![/b]” Gymor bellowed and shortly sat back silently as all gazes had momentarily shifted to him. 

A deep sigh escaped the Elven envoy “[b]In any case, I have to agree with master Frosthand. Diplomacy will have no avail in this scenario.[/b]” His sparkling green eyes fell upon Aleko “[b]Sire, you must consult with the generals on this. Considering the …delicate situation at hand, we shall take care of any political matters and postpone the ones that require your attention for another time.[/b]” 

“[b]We understand the personal importance of the matter, sire. You can count on us to keep things under line until your return.[/b]” After Durran said those words, all envoys promptly stood from their seats, signifying that the meeting was over and Aleko was free to head towards the Map Room to discuss the matter with the generals. “[b]Sire..[/b]” Marcus Gwynpath caught Aleko’s attention just before he was about to pass the door’s threshold “[b]Please, allow me to accompany you to the Map Room.[/b]”

During the walk through the halls, master Gwynpath made sure to express his previously interrupted sympathies “[b]I am terribly sorry for what has happened, sire. I cannot imagine how you must be feeling… you have my sympathies…[/b]” the Human’s uncharacteristically mature voice seemed sincere even if the choice of words may have not been the best.“[b]If there is anything I can do to assist, please do not hesitate to appeal to me. I will all I can, limited as I might be.[/b]” 

Eventually, Aleko reached the entrance to the Map Room at which point the Human envoy excused himself and left. The heir found all generals accounted for save for General Marteen Leafdancer whom has yet to return. After exchanging greetings, the generals listened intently as Aleko explained the situation in detail to them.

“[b]Fouckin’ cowards..[/b]” General Ironfist spat “[b]Tha’ nerve o’ em Stainless bastard’s! Somethin’ needs tha’ be done ‘bout ‘em. Somethin’ permanent![/b]” 

“[b]Mmmm…Zeiserberg…[/b]” General Primelyt manipulated the enchanted map to show the province in question. “[b]Wresting it from the Stainless will not be easy…[/b]” The Human General then outlined a number of neighboring provinces in two colors. Two of them in blue and three others in gray. “[b]These two provinces have pledged their allegiance to the Old Empire..[/b]” he explained “[b]..while the rest are neutral and I believe they intend to keep it that way.[/b]” 

“[b]Don’ we ‘ave any places on our s’ide?[/b]” The Dwarven General inquired, crossing his arms and looking skeptically at the map, which was once again manipulated to show a distant province outlined in red “[b]The closest allied province is Wunderhelm. Amassing troops there would no doubt raise the suspicion of the neighboring provinces and would take us about 3 weeks to march against Zeiserberg[/b]”

General Ashade stepped forward and manipulated the map back to Zeiserberg’s position “[b]It won’t matter since we cannot secure a trustworthy passage. Reaching Zeiserberg from Wunderhelm would require us to either trespass through enemy territory or march through stoically neutral provinces which attracts the same risks.[/b]”

Silence had overcome all present in the chamber as their gazes were affixed on the map, pondering the seemingly desperate situation. It was General Stonestorm who broke the silence with a curse “[b]Shit! We need a plan to reliably reach the province and kick out those Stainless sons of bitches before it’s too late..[/b]” 

A new voice had made it’s presence heard from the entrance “[b]I may perhaps be of assistance[/b]”.

The taps of the wooden staff on the stone floor echoed through the chamber as Cyrus made his way closer to the map “[b]I believe I may have a solution, if I may speak…[/b]” The generals shifter their gazes at Aleko who gave a weary nod after moments of silent pondering, allowing the Imperial Wizard to explain his proposition. “[b]General Planestalker, you have the possibility to send Infiltrators in the vicinity of Zeiserberg if not somewhere within the province itself, correct?[/b]” 

“[b]That is correct, Master Weaverstar..[/b]” The Dark Elf responded shortly, not revealing that he had already prepared to send Infiltrators as per the Emperor’s orders from yesterday, allowing Cyrus to continue his idea. “[b]I would speak to them and give them a few materials as well as detailed instructions in manufacturing something…special.[/b]”

The old wizard turned to the rest of the generals and to the heir as he continued “[b]With those materials and my instructions, the Infiltrators would be able to manufacture a ritual site, complete with a mystical spell circle which would allow for the teleportation of a number of troops to the pin-pointed location.[/b]” The notion appeared to intrigue the generals as Cyrus continued, dropping his gaze at his feet momentarily as fi to recollect his thoughts “[b]Naturally, this spell will be very strenuous as it involves the transportation of multiple people at once, as such I will need a little time for preparations as well as the assistance of a few select mages for the spellcasting itself.[/b]” 

“[b]How long would that mean?[/b]” Asked General Ashade, to which Cyrus responded with another question addressed to the Dark Elven General “[b]How long would the Infiltrators need to reach Zeiserberg and manufacture the ritual site, General Planestalker[/b]” After a few quick moments of pondering, the Dark Elf responded with “[b]Between 7 to 8 days, depending on how complex this…ritual site happens to be[/b]”

The Wizard nodded “[b]It would suffice. The only matter left is to decide what troops would go.[/b]” 

General Bulkwyn turned to Aleko “[b]What do you think…uh…sire? This is the best plan we have at the moment. Unless you happen to think of something else?[/b]”

Before Aleko could respond, Bojor cut in “[b]Time ain’t exactl’y on ou’r s’de y’know, lassy. We need ‘a plan an’ we need ‘t now. As much a’ I hate tha’ shyte arse teleportin’,  this be tha’ bets option we’ got.[/b]” The Dwarf was about to reach for a cigar from under his coat yet reconsidered in the last moment as he continued, pointing at Aleko “[b]It’s ye’mum. So I assume ye’ plan’ ta’ go yerself, aye? Question, is… who ye’ gon’ take with ye?[/b]” 

All generals seemed prepared to pledge their troops at the Emperors call, yet Aleko had to consider carefully what type of mission this would be and what troops would be best suited for it as well. The task is to liberate Zeiserberg from enemy occupation, which means they would have quite the battle on their hands, strong troops would be recommended considering the limited number they could bring to the filed, he knew that. Aleko assumed that this spell could teleport around 3 squads of anything, excluding himself and possibly one or two generals, so he had to think what and whom was best to bring along. The generals inside the map room and the Imperial Wizard were standing by, waiting for their Emperor to reach a decision and voice his orders.           
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