“Doesn’t this just bring you back, Drim?” Phon was brimming with glee as she slid off the back of Drim’s hoverbike. “It’s been so long since just the two of us went on a mission together. Ever since those burdens came around, our lives have been so much busier.”
It was hard to ascertain which ‘burdens’ she meant exactly. The new recruits and members? She could honestly be referring to all the way back when Kada and Xard joined. Her words were true, though. They hadn’t gone somewhere as just siblings in quite some time. Honestly, they probably wouldn’t be alone together now if the mission hadn’t specifically requested the two of them.
The request was pretty simple, something any of the higher ranks could handle. However, the circumstances and reward offered couldn’t be ignored. The brother and sister had ventured well out into the wilds to the private and well-hidden estate of Earl Earl Darquess. Yes, his title and first name were both ‘Earl’.
He had been a noble serving the Drazah Empire during the war. These days, he’d found success as a political advisor for several countries. He was the kind that didn’t have a lot of power themselves officially, but could pull whatever strings he needed. Such a notable person would warrant their attention to begin with, but what they’d included in their request had forced their hand. The Earl now had to be dealt with, preferably amicably, but other avenues weren’t off the table.
Earl Darquess had a reputation as an overly cautious man. The territory the Drazahs found themselves at only supported that fact. His compound nearly rivaled their own in size and security, feeling closer to a prison than a place to live. At least beyond the high exterior walls it became far more fanciful. Well-maintained and lush topiary dotted the long drive up to the mansion from the front gate.
A few guards had met them at the entrance and escorted them into the compound. Even more were waiting when they got to the mansion itself—dozens outfront, all heavily armed and looked well trained. A maid then met them and led them inside to the library.
Earl Darquees was overseeing his staff stuffing books into boxes. Of the rooms they’d passed, it was one of the few with anything left in it at all. Clearly, the Earl was preparing for a move and fast.
“Ah, greetings Lord and Lady Drazah!” the Earl greeted them eagerly. He didn’t quite meet their expectations—a much softer and verbose air about them than one would expect for an alleged political mastermind.
“Uhh, Drim and Phon is fine,” Drim insisted. “We’ve never held our titles in any official capacity.”
“Then I would ask the same,” Earl Darquees reciprocated. “Just Earl is acceptable. I expect us to be mutually beneficial partners in this arrangement. Formality can just be a burden. So let’s get right to it. I shall send someone to fetch my children.” The Earl gestured to two nearby packers and they fled the room.
“Forgive me for my insistence,” Drim spoke with odd confidence that he didn’t normally express. Nothing less could be used when dealing with someone of this caliber. “It is not that we don’t believe you, but we’d like to see evidence of your claim before we agree to anything.”
“Of course, of course,” Earl didn’t seem to take any noticeable offense. “I have it right over in the hall.” The Earl led them out of the room and into the ballroom. Up against one of the walls, a large object was covered in a giant white sheet. A servant that had followed them uncovered it with a flourishing tug.
“There you are, a genuine Drazah nuke. Still active,” Earl boasted about it as if it was part of a prized historical collection. “As a measure of good faith, this one is yours to take as you please. I assume someone of your talent should have no problem moving it.”
Drim nodded to Phon and she walked over to the bomb. After wrapping her eyes on her ribbon, she placed a hand against the metal. Both she and the bomb vanished, only for her to reappear a few seconds later.
“And you said you had… how many of these again?” Drim asked for reconfirmation.
“What was it now? 74, right?” Earl looked over to the servant to double check. They nodded in agreement. “Yes, 74 nukes of varying size and explosive potential. We found them when investigating which safehouse to move to next. I’d entirely forgotten that I’d agreed to store the blasted things for your parents.”
“Now, I understand that you all are not quite fond of your parents actions, nor the empire they left behind. I also hope that you can appreciate that many of us gave our support, not out of shared ideals, but out of necessity and self-preservation. Now, I had no love for your parents or their campaign, but nor will I deny the role I played. The past is the past for all of us, so let’s not allow it to ruin our future.”
“I can agree with you there, and we are not here to condemn you for anything,” Drim acknowledged with sincerity. “We are here for what you can offer to us, and you called us here for what we can provide. Your request seems simple enough, assuming there’s no details you’ve hidden for us. So our arrangement, then, is that you will hand over all remaining nukes upon our agreement and fulfillment of your conditions, correct?”
“Yes, of course!” the Earl once more showed no hesitation. “After our arrangement is complete, I will provide you with the location of the remaining nukes. They are at one of my other safehouses, not the one we are moving to presently. Unfortunately, I had to leave some of my guards there for obvious reasons. So, I’ll be as happy as you are to get rid of them and get my staff back up to full operation.”
“Now, the law would dictate that I inform the Central Peace of these nukes and hand them over. However, in my personal opinion, they are legally your property by right of inheritance. As such, I think it only appropriate that they be returned to the rightful owner. I’m sure that on your end, you wouldn’t want anyone else to come in possession of these weapons, even if it is the CP.”
“And I’m no fool. Since I’ve made you aware of their existence, and given you a general idea of their location, I’m sure there’s nothing I could do to stop you from finding and taking them. Nor would I try to. As I said, they’re yours.”
“However, the Fiends For Hire, as I understand it, is a very rational, responsible, and reputable organization. Fair pay for fair work, even if you all sometimes get shafted on the fair pay part. To me, that just speaks even more of your character. You would not take advantage of someone willing to work so openly and honestly with you.”
“Now, I don’t believe I’m asking for too much: a small favor in exchange for years of safekeeping and the prompt return of your property. I believe I’ve laid out the request adequately in my initial contact, but I’m happy to answer and alleviate any of your concerns.”
“Yeah, alright, I have one,” Phon didn’t hold back. “Your request just doesn’t make sense to me. In essence, you want us to babysit some spoiled brats for a few days while you secure your next safehouse, yes? And this is all out of fear of a growing assassination plot against yourself and your family, correct? So then why in the hell would you ask us to do weak zjik that your guards could do instead of trying to just uncover this assassination plot? That’s the kind of work we’d be better at.”
“I think what my sister means to ask, is perhaps you could better explain your situation so that we can better understand our role in this,” Drim translated the question into a less-hostile version.
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“Certainly,” the Earl was amenable. However, it seemed that the explanation was going to be a bit long-winded, so the Earl sat down in one of the few remaining chairs in the room and invited the siblings to do the same.
“I won’t get into the fine details of my suspicions, but my fears are not unwarranted, and nor are they uncommon. This is an entirely political situation, one that I am quite capable of handling. I will just need a bit of time and to ensure the safety of myself and my children in the meanwhile. If such a politically polarizing group such as the Fiends For Hire were to get involved, it would only serve to diminish my ability to smooth things over. I hope you understand.”
“Now… for my children. The spoiled brats as you called them. Well, I won’t disagree with you. They really are Cosdamned spoiled brats!”
“Father! How dare you call us such baseless insults in front of others!” A voice called from the doorway to the ballroom.
“Well, you are…” Earl merely shrugged at his son. He got up from his chair and walked over to join them, then turned to introduce his children. “This is my son, Allant. He’s 22 years old, and a bit of an ass, to put it lightly.”
The appalled boy stared with a gaping mouth at his father, unable to process the relentless words. But his father seemed to have a point. Allant’s entire being just screamed douchery—from his absurdly high collar that was almost above his mouth to the overly threaded waistcoat that appeared to be lined with jewels.
Not to mention that his nose was so upturned at those around him that he was almost looking at the ceiling. He was the picture perfect representation of a pretentious noble, a true arrogant young master.
“And this is my daughter, Victori. She will be 20 later this year. She pretends to be friendly with anyone she thinks she can manipulate and then spits ill their name behind their back.”
“Is this them, Father?” the dolled-up girl asked. “They look so penurious and brutish. You really believe we should be left in the care of such unrefined louts?” The girl was just as arrogant as her brother. Her dress had more frills than a doily factory, and her hair could pierce the heavens with how curled it was—to the point of resembling drills.
Together, they made almost the antithesis of Drim and Phon: a brother and sister so caught up in their nobility that it was their only identity. They even made Gatrim look like a peasant with their frivolity and haughtiness. On the other hand, it almost served like a reflection of what the Drazah siblings could have been, a look at another universe where they grew up as the spoiled royalty they were destined to be.
“Yes, my dear. I can think of no one more suited for the job. And, it will do you well to remember that the Drazahs are a bonafide prince and princess. They are well above our station and you must give them proper respect.” Earl insisted. Victori’s eye gleamed for a moment when she heard the word prince, but then went back to staring at Drim as if he was some kind of savage.
“Now, I ask that the two of you stand there patiently and quietly while we finalize the details.” When the Earl returned to his chair, he seemed exhausted from just that brief exchange with his children. “So… you see what I’m working with. I will admit, I have another reason for specifically requesting your services.”
“I fear not just for the safety of my children, but for their wellbeing. By that, I mean their ability to get by in the real world.”
“I will be the first to admit, I have failed as a parent. I was so caught up in their safety in happiness that I neglected the firm-hand and strictness needed to turn them into functioning adults. So… they’ve been spoiled rotten. I’m not sure I can remember a single time I’ve told them 'no’. Just last week, I bought them the sports cars they wanted, but neither of them has the faintest idea how to drive!”
“My fear is that if we continue down this path, they will be reliant on me for their entire lives. I am happy to support my children until my dying day, but they need to learn to live without me. Therefore, once this assassination plot has blown over, I plan to take steps for them to move on from my care.”
“I will support them in whatever they endeavor: whether they want to get married into another house, receive a continued education, or join the workforce. However, I will no longer tolerate them doing nothing.” Earl glanced over at the pained faces on his children. “I’ve given you plenty of warning about this. Now I’m going to make good on my promise!”
“So, I’m not actually expecting you two to set them on their paths or anything like that. My hope, though, is that you can help them break through the first step. You see, they have a certain sense of superiority about them, which I can only blame myself for as well. I’ve been the only person above their station who could have ever scolded them, and I never did.”
“Now, they believe themselves untouchable. They have everyone wrapped around their finger, and think they can use their station to get whatever they want. I’ve tried in the past with tutors and life coaches, but they refused to listen since they were ‘just hired servants’. Even with their peers, since we have a higher rank of nobility than most, they’ve always lauded themselves above everyone else.”
“What I need is someone they can’t take advantage of or manipulate to show them how life really works. Who better than those of the highest ranking nobility and some of the strongest beings in the world? That is why I have issued my request for you two specifically.”
“As for the finer details of the request. My staff and I will soon depart for our next safehouse in order to get everything prepared—hopefully within the hour. While it is something we are doing in response to the assassination plot, it is something we would have done soon anyways.”
“Since it is my life and my belongings at risk during this transport, I will need all of my guards to ensure my own safety. In two days time, half of the guards will return to escort my children to the new safehouse. During this period, I will leave my children in your care and trust you to keep them safe. With your capabilities, I firmly believe that just the two of you will suffice.”
“Now, this will leave just the four of you here. There will be no staff to pamper them and no one they can manipulate. I ask that you do not treat them specially in any way, as if they were any other client you were in charge of. And YOU are in charge,” he glared at his children again.
“If they misbehave, throw a fit, or are in any way anything below the ideal client, I give you my explicit and encouraged permission to correct their behavior however you see fit. While I don’t want you to purposefully mistreat them of course, I hope this will teach them some humility and experience of what it is like to live a normal life.”
“I understand fully that two days is not a lot of time to really change their personalities, but I hope it will become a cornerstone to help rebuild them. Now, there is one final part to my request. You are welcome to reject it if you like since I am not one to tell you how to do your job, but I ask that you hear me out.”
“My children are rather socially inept, even with their peers, but it is exponentially worse when it comes to those of the opposite gender. Even when others have come to visit, my son would only converse with the men, and my daughter with the women. I’m not sure they know anything about the opposite sex, let alone how to talk and interact with them. How can I marry them off if they’re always shying away?”
“That is why I ask, for the duration of your care, that Drim would be the primary caretaker of Victori, and Phon be in charge of Allant. Of course, I would not ask that you neglect the other if needed, but I would like to make the most of this opportunity as I can.”
Phon looked a bit perturbed by the idea, but Drim didn’t hesitate. “That should be fine, Earl. We understand and will do our best to accommodate your wishes.”
“Excellent, excellent! Now, I would never expect it from my children, given how they shy away from the unknown, but you’re welcome to give them a smack should either try anything inappropriate.”
“What do you mean, us?” A cry came from Victori. “Of course I won’t try anything, but you’d really trust your daughter to this brute?! Just look at his searing eyes. They are undoubtedly plotting something!”
“Now, now, Victori,” the Earl tried to reason with her. “This brute, as you put it, has created one of the most successful organizations in the world and amassed an uncountable wealth, all at his young age. He could pursue anyone he wanted, so I believe you have no cause for worry.”
“Uncountable wealth, you say…” Victori mumbled with no further complaint, now hiding her face behind a fan.
“If there is nothing else to ask, I shall get back to completing our preparations. Actually-” The Earl paused as he got up from his chair. “-Might I inquire for your assistance in moving these last few items? I believe moving them would be trivial for you, and not having to strain themselves would allow my servants to better prepare themselves for the journey.”
“Of course,” Drim agreed amenably.
“And it will give my children a moment to retire to their rooms and come to grips with their situation.”