"What do you mean they were already dead?" asked a corpulent man with a frown on his face.

It was only dawn. The first few rays of morning light bounced off the extravagant fixtures of the office. On the walls were brilliant paintings by renowned artists, while on the floor was a fantastic rug reminiscent of the Chura people. One man sat behind a splendid mahogany desk while cupping his forehead into his hands; worry filled his mind. He was an old man with receding greyish hair. Black bags adorned the underside of his eyes, caused by years of restless nights, while his skin and eyes took on a yellow hue. His eyes wandered toward the bottom drawer of his desk where the solution to all his woes rested: a half-empty bottle of aged Borelian Rum.

In front of him stood two men. The first was middle-aged. His shoulders were broad, and his greyish beard neat. Despite the man in front of him wallowing in anguish, he stood straight, unconcerned. By nature, he was a military man who simply followed his superiors' orders. Countless medals were securely attached to the breast of his pristine gold and white military uniform.

He was the vice leader of the Golden Knights, the first knight order of the Kingdom. The Golden Knights were one of the two pillars of the royal family, the other one being the Royal Guards. While the Royal Guards' area of operation was only the Capital, the Golden Knights would usually operate outside of it. In this case, he was tasked with helping the man before him fulfill his task. The commander had yet to tell him what that man's mission was, and he didn't ask either. He had orders, and he would follow them. As such, unless spoken to, he would usually remain silent.

Next to him stood a young man no more than twenty. He wore the same military uniform and held his head high with pride. He was a new recruit in the order. New recruits could not attend such a meeting, but his circumstances were unique. The man sitting at the desk sighed before speaking.

"Any news about the device?"

The vice leader looked forward past the seated man. His gaze was serene but firm, utterly uninterested in the man before him. Disgust crept in the corner of the younger man's eyes, but the seated man was too absorbed in his own problems to notice.

"The compound is quite extensive, governor. My men are still combing through it. We will inform you once the search is completed," replied the middle-aged man emotionlessly.

The man looked up from his desk, his gaze resting on the bearded man.

"I was told that the Golden Scale Knights were the best the Kingdom had to offer, yet they only sent a few kids for this mission."

The young man felt offended by the offhand remark. He tried to voice his objection, but the Vice Captain put a hand on his shoulder and said sternly, "Elliot, this is not your place to speak." Elliot quickly closed his mouth and retreated. "While he may be young," the man added, "he is also a talented soldier."

"I didn't think the famed Golden Knight Order would allow commoners into their ranks," the governor said derisively. "How low you've fallen. It seems your losses from the war were high enough to allow just anyone in."

Elliot was fuming but held his tongue.

"Some commoners are talented. It would be a shame if they don't contribute to the Kingdom."

"Ha! They are nothing more than sheep. Their bloodlines are impure, no better than humans. If it was up to me..."

"It's not. Her Majesty will rule how she wishes. Can we get to the point?"

"Fine. Those thugs are irrelevant, but the device is most important and must be retrieved at all costs. I don't care how you do it, but this takes priority over any other matter. I don't want to have to think of the consequences if you fail in this matter."

A chill spread over the governor's body as he considered the possibility of failure. The Prime Minister himself had granted him this relic. He had heard rumours about what had happened to those who crossed that man. He shivered, recalling them.

As the town was located on a main artery of the Kingdom, the amount of travellers passing through was enormous. However, the town's guards were barely enough to ensure the safety of the more upscale part of town. With limited manpower, the governor had a difficult time fulfilling his orders. That is when he had a stroke of genius, or so he thought. He would use the town's underground elements, mainly the gangs and criminals, to do his dirty work for him in return for leniency in their other activities.

The arrangement worked initially, but the situation changed when the Raging Beasts took control. Although they were mostly the same as the previous gangs, they were much more ambitious and, as such, recruited much more personnel, making it difficult for the governor to rein them in. Even now that their leadership was gone, the gang was still wreaking havoc in town, sucking resources away from the search for the relic.

His plan had backfired splendidly, leaving him with a mess to sort out and the relic gone. He wanted nothing more than to hide in his bed and never come out again. Fortunately, he could always blame someone else, like the two men before him.

"I read in your report that two strange individuals were sighted within the compound last night..." the governor said, raising an eyebrow.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Elliot took a step forward and reported.

"Indeed, I was the one who sighted the two of them. Despite coming from inside the compound, they didn't seem to be with the bandits as they tried to avoid them. They didn't even try to fight and simply fled. I tried to catch them, but they jumped from one of the walls before I could reach them."

"They jumped?" the governor asked.

"Indeed. Although the wall isn't that high, a fall of this height without a clear landing zone is quite foolhardy. I tried to check on them but couldn't locate them when I reached the top of the wall. The next morning, I checked the area and found traces leading into the forest."

"You didn't pursue?"

"Several gang members escaped similarly," the Captain interrupted the report. "We do not know how many are lurking in those woods. I will not risk my man unless we are sufficiently prepared for it."

"That's not up to you! I want that device found. I don't care if you have to search every house in town; it must be retrieved, whatever the cost."

"It will take time."

"Time we don't have!"

"Not my concern."

The governor took a deep breath. Talking with this man never went anywhere.

"Then have them prepared and go catch them. We need that device!" the governor said before dismissing the pair.

Once alone, he leaned back on his chair, hands covering his eyes and sighed. The day had just started, and he wanted it to end already. A flood of documents littered his desk, ranging from the town's patrol reports to fiscal reports of the town's various guilds.

Although the perks are excellent, he thought, being governor is such a pain.

After lamenting his fate for a while longer, he finally went back to work. After a long day of trudging through an endless pile of documents, the governor finally returned to his mansion, where his wife awaited him. Although he was in his late fifties, his wife seemed no older than twenty.

He was born a common man from an artisan family. Instead of inheriting his father's craft, he became a scholar by attending an academy in the capital. After graduating, he was employed by a merchant company where he handled the accounting books. He wasn't remarkably talented, but through luck and less-than-righteous tactics, he amassed power and wealth, eventually usurping the position of president when the owner died. As he grew older, he sought evermore power, so he chose to go into politics, and by a stroke of chance, he was appointed as this town's governor.

Now, with all the influence he could wish for, he used this power to grant his desires, which included his wife. She was his fourth one, and once he grew tired of her, he thought of getting a fifth. The woman was beautiful and quiet, which suited him quite well. She was the third daughter of a local merchant. The merchant's business was failing when the governor approached him with the money to keep it afloat in exchange for his daughter. The merchant failed to realize that the governor was behind the failure of his business by supporting his competitor. Even today, he is still in the dark, even feeling grateful to him.

After a meal and a bath, the couple prepared to sleep. Despite being old and out of shape, the governor was still quite energetic in bed. After a torrid night, the man drifted asleep when a voice woke him.

"That was quite the show," the voice said.

In a panic, the governor scanned the room. Unable to find anyone, he turned towards his wife to discover she was gone. As he was about to shout for help, a hand gripped his throat, preventing him from breathing. He struggled to free himself, but a black silhouette whispered in his ear, "Relax. This will be a long night. We have much to talk about."

******

The next day, in the same inn as before, Felix had just woken up and was getting ready to depart on his journey. Just as he ensured his gear was in working order, Sofia burst into the room, carrying a stack of papers, looking frantic.

"What happened?" Felix asked.

Before she could reply, Sofia noticed the packed luggage and frowned.

"Are you leaving?"

"My business here is done. It's time I get going."

"Without even telling me?"

"I'm still here, aren't I?"

"I'm coming with you," she said, and before Felix could argue, she added, "I need to look for my brother, and I have a feeling that you two will cross paths. Besides, there's something you are not telling me. I see it in your eyes."

"There's much I'm not telling you, just as you keep a lot from me."

"Such as?"

"You're a noble, for one. Don't try to deny it. The way you carry yourself makes it obvious."

"It's something anyone can learn."

"What about your charm? It obviously comes from your bloodline. Remember what that guy told us about your brother?"

"The Hydra? That's obviously a lie. Our family records only state that our bloodline comes from a snake."

"So you do admit to being a noble."

"Does that matter?"

"Not at all, but wouldn't it be easier to ask for their help searching for your brother?"

"They're all dead," she said without an ounce of sorrow. Felix noticed a hint of scorn in her voice. He didn't ask further. Silence permeated the room until he remembered the papers in her arms.

"What's that," he asked, pointing toward them.

"Oh, right! Big news," she replied. "The governor's dead. It's all over the papers. His body was found in his mansion last night, and his wife is missing. They think it's revenge for the assault of the Raging Beasts headquarters. By the way, where were you last night?"

"I see," was all he said, uninterested.

Felix ignored her, continuing his preparation as if the news were irrelevant. Sofia was disappointed in his lack of reaction and prodded him further. He simply shrugged. When he was done, he looked out of the window. The inn offered a great view. From here, he could even see the governor's mansion. Quite a few people were frantically running around outside the building.

Once he was satisfied, he turned around to face Sofia.

"What's with that look?" she asked.

"Nothing... Just remembering last night," he said, a smile on his face.