Mercyaa, along with Rdrag and Hebanyac, arrived at the entrance of the cave half an hour after the scouting party had gone inside. The leader sat down on a small stair’s step at the entrance, while the other two jumped onto the boulders and positioned themselves on them.
“And this is your plan to catch the Hashashins?”
Mercyaa nodded.
“Why follow and look for evidence? They will either come in through over our dead bodies, or they won't come in at all, and then we will have no reason to suspect Top Secret of having ties to the alleged assassins.”
Hebanyac sat down next to them and said:
“This sucks! I thought this was it, finally, there would be something interesting in this endless political struggle.”
“We'll take turns standing watch, every three hours.”
Hebanyac cupped his face up with his palm.
“Are we just going to sit here one by one for three hours? That's boring! How about I order the grill and we cook some Quallnorb meat? I caught a couple the other day.”
“We're not going to order anything. Somehow you got yourself a commanding officer position, and now you’re not happy," said Rdrag. “Why did he appoint you in the first place?”
“Probably so as to prove every family has a black sheep,” said Mercyaa with envy and anger.
“Oh God. Yeah, you're such a comedian. Can't you entertain us with Stand-up?”
“I'm afraid a man with an IQ under 50 wouldn't understand my jokes.”
“You talk, but all I hear are farts.”
“Look...”
“Thrrrrp, Thrrrrp, Thrrrrp,” Hebanyac kept repeating.
“Enough...”
“Thrrrrp, Thrrrrp, Thrrrrp, Thrrrrp, Thrrrrp, Thrrrrp, Thrrrrp, Thrrrrp, Thrrrrp...”
“I'm gonna blow your head off!”
The military commander laughed evilly and continued his attack:
“There's a rumor going around that you wanted my spot?”
Rdrag looked at Mercyaa in surprise.
“Yes, I fucking did. Yleen is apparently trying to win the respect of the schoolchildren by appointing one of them.”
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“Uh-oh. I'm afraid to disappoint you,” Hebanyac replied with a squeaky voice. “I am, as you may know, seventy-three.”
“Take off your mask and prove it to us,” said Rdrag.
“Only after you've given me... mmm... what can you give me? Oh, as a matter of fact, nothing!” He chuckled as if he'd scratch a blackboard with a fork.
“Okay, this conversation is wearing me out,” said Rdrag. “Mercyaa, if they see someone on duty alone, won't they try to kill him and get through?”
“They could,” he replied. “But that would immediately prove their connection to the guild. Hashashins, if they really are what we think they are, will not perform tasks that require fine work as if a herd of elephants had swept through. On this assignment, especially so. The slightest slip-up will cost them everything. Yleen will bestow the Enemy of the Race debuff on everyone. Top Secret will come under attack for their gaffe. In addition, once they are inside the dungeon, they will be followed by an army of three thousand players, the players who voted for Weylin and his guild. They will be killed and that will be the end of the game for them.”
“You are so clever and shrewd!” clapped Hebanyac.
“By the way, why is this clown with us?” Rdrag jabbed his finger at the military commander.
“Are you talking about me?”
“About the Eiffel Tower.”
“The what?”
“At the last moment, Yleen ordered me to take him.” Mercyaa said with resentment.
“Yeah, yeah...”
“Great. Finally, everyone will get to see your five-year-old face.”
“Ooh-ooh-ooh, you scared me there! You try to win first.”
“Stop it!” The leader gave everyone an angry look. “I’m fucking tired. Honestly. I'm fucking sick of getting involved in this conversation.”
“Damn it, I don't know why his voice works like a trigger for my irritation. All right, take it easy, Rdrag.” He said to himself, waving his hands as if ordering someone to stop. “What happens if Top Secret wins,” he decided to change the subject a few seconds later, “and ends up on the other side of the mountains?”
“We will lose our seats in the government, and they will gain power, new lands to explore, possibly new resources, monsters, the whole lot. If that happens, there's nothing we can do to stop them. Even ‘enemy of the race’ won’t help.”
“It's a tricky situation, indeed!” Hebanyac squeaked, and the others shuddered at his voice and asked him to speak a little quieter. “I’m confused. So...” he paused, gathering his thoughts and continuing, “Top Secret wants to pass through the dungeon and gain new lands by getting rid of our leaders at the end. Yleen and Illyseh want to finish the scouting mission and expose Top Secret and the assassins for their lies and conspiracy. And Ronnie…”
“Alleged assassins and alleged conspiracy,” Mercyaa interrupted.
“I don't work as a part-time investigator. I tell you what I think. Let's move on. Ronnie wants to complete his contract and continue playing solo. The Hashashins want to stay out of sight and keep their reputation and complete the "Diplomatic Quest"...”
“Supposed,” Mercyaa stressed the word, and continued, tone of voice slightly lower, “a diplomatic mission.”
“I see, you've got a lot on your mind. You got me thinking. So... where was I? Аh! Yes. And we want no one to enter the dungeon until Yleen and Illyseh return unharmed.”
“Okay. Enough talk. Who's first on watch?”
“Let's decide on sous-fé.”
“What?”
“Rock-paper-scissors.”
All three of them thought about it and decided that it was the fairest option. Rdrag won first. He will be last one on watch. Mercyaa won second.
“Oh, shit!” shouted Hebanyac.
“Make yourself comfortable.”
“What if I get attacked?”
“So run or as a hero, fight and die. I don't really give a shit. The main thing is not to forget the evidence. Screenshots and video. We record during the entire watch.”
“You're not ashamed of showing your real thoughts, are you?”
“Yes.”
Mercyaa and Rdrag set up their tents right in front of the entrance and went off-line, while Hebanyac sat on the steps in front of the entrance and froze, muttering that he always won at this game when he was a kid.