"Father, have your read this?" demanded Prince Maxwell vi Alberdain of the king. The young prince was only twelve years old, but he had his father's good looks and his mother's heart, which was unfortunately the best possible outcome of that pairing. Handsome enough for his age and fair-haired, the tanned young half-elf was going to be the envy of many once he'd reached his full growth. As it was, time spent on the practice yard was already putting some muscle on his frame, and he was clearly on the verge of starting his first growth spurt. He'd no doubt be a tall, handsome man in a few years, the kind many would envision a heroic prince to be. Thankfully, he was brighter than both of his parents put together, but that wasn't necessarily an accomplishment, as there were likely single-celled organisms with more intelligence than Maxwell's father.

His august royal majesty, Althwain vi Alberdain the First, looked up from his desk and over at his grandson to see that the young lad was holding a copy of the after-action report of the most recent action taken by the Crows and three of the royal proxies. If the prince looked as though he would possess a heroic figure fit for a statue, the king was in every way the opposite of such an individual. Dark-haired, pale-faced, and sullen-eyed, sporting a scarecrow frame with little apparent muscle, the elf looked more like something that might have emerged from a crypt than the ruler of a powerful nation. With a stern glare, the king stated, "Child, I could recite it by memory, if I had a mind. In fact, I think I shall." He then took a deep breath and then started to do so.

"Your majesty," he began, taking a small measure of amusement from his grandson's surprise, "we have completed the tasks assigned to us, and I report the following. Of the 3,067 members of the Dark Guilds responsible for the slaughter of the Archduke and his family, all have been confirmed dead. General details and any oddities encountered are noted below. For more specific details regarding the minutia of individual actions, please see the attached forms."

"Day One: Of the 3,067 members, 1,079 Dark Guild members were slain during operations intended to capture higher ranking members for interrogation and execution. Further, 139 Dark Guild members were later found dead in the city's sewers, slain by giant rats, slimes, or other creatures that dwell there, time of death determined to be the first day of the assault. Of the remaining 1,849 members, 1,248 were captured alive on the first day, and with guilt apparent with no viable defense, they were taken to the city square for summary execution and public display. Of the 601 that remained, 3 escaped initial capture due to unexpectedly becoming feral wererats, as did an additional 17 others who were slain during the incident. The three who escaped were formerly high-ranking members of the Assassins Guild and included an alpha wererat. They were only able to escape since the sudden transition into feral wererats gave all of those involved an ability to coordinate attacks and maneuvers on par with that of the Crows. The escaped wererats encountered an adventurer in the cellar of the tavern known as The Ringing Bell. At great risk, this individual known as The Ratter (True name unknown) was able to slay all three without being harmed. In addition to the standard bounty for feral wererats, including one alpha, the adventurer was also bestowed the bounty for the capture/execution of the three criminals, in recognition of the individual's bravery." The king paused, then added, "Addendum, the individual in question was recommended for potential recruitment into the Crows. However, upon discrete evaluation, the individual was found to be highly psychically resistant, making her unable to utilize the equipment standard to the Crows. Investigation indicates that this may be due to severe trauma during the subject's childhood causing mental derangement, but further investigation would be required to confirm. At this time, further investigation was deemed unnecessary. For further details, please see the attached form, Appendix C, Subsection E."

Clearing his throat and taking a moment to catch his breath, the king continued, stating, "Of the remaining 598 members of the Dark Guilds that escaped judgment on the first day, 364 were captured and executed if possible or slain if necessary within one week after the initial assault. The remaining 234 were rounded up within thirty days of the initial assault, or confirmed dead either by the denizens of the sewer, the local constabulary or from running afoul of the local adventurers. For further details, please see the attached form, Appendix D, Subsection G."

"The following oddities were encountered throughout operations."

"Oddity One: On the second day of operations, a psionic disturbance was encountered. Source unknown, cause unknown, target unknown. Background psionic activity is unusually high for the city in general, but the source cannot be determined, and standard psionic infiltration methods were proven to be ineffective. Since the activity was not diminished in any noticeable way as the members of the Dark Guilds were reduced, it was determined not to be relevant to our investigations or operations. A report was sent to the mage's guild (Attached, Appendix G, Subsection L), but no further investigation was deemed necessary at this time."

"Oddity Two: On the ninth day of investigation, three members of the Crows encountered the guildmaster of the Necromancers Guild. He was dead, true-death confirmed and buried under what they described as an enormous pile of nectarines, exact number unknown. At the same time, they encountered an individual known locally as 'The Sewer Hermit'. He claimed ownership of the nectarines but admitted that he had no idea how they'd ended up here, or why the deceased criminal was buried underneath them. His only answer was "Like trousers, nectarines hold many mysteries". When other members of the Crows passed through this area half an hour after the encounter, the Sewer Hermit and the nectarines were gone. 'The Sewer Hermit' has held the designation of Class One Mysterious Entity for as long as the classification system has been utilized, and all members of the Crows know not to hinder the individual's movements through the sewers. This incident will be added to his file with the others. For further details, see the attached form, Appendix L, Subsection Z."

"Oddity Three: While investigating the hideout of the Assassin's Guild, the Crows located the remains of an adventurer known as 'The Black Rat', real name [Classified]. It was determined that he had been captured only a few hours before the arrival of the Crows, and had been interrogated, tortured, and executed shortly before operations began. An investigation determined that The Black Rat was a former high-ranking member of the Assassins Guild who left when the guild joined the Dark Guilds alliance. He had attempted to stop the assassination of the Archduke and his family but failed. An autopsy determined that he had likely been dosed with a rare, incurable, and lethal poison (exact nature unknown) during his attempts to prevent the attack. Were it not for the individual's strong resistance to poisons brought about by years of self-inflicted poisoning along with other factors (Noted in the attached form listed below), he'd have died immediately. Instead, he had only a few days to live at most. After setting his affairs in order, the Black Rat attacked the Assassins Guild and caused the deaths of several high ranking members before being captured. His assault, capture, torture, and death appears to have been the primary reason why the Assassins Guild made no further acts during the time between the Archduke's death and the arrival of the Crows. In recognition of his service to the city, he has posthumously been awarded a citation for his bravery and self-sacrifice, as well as the bounties for each member of the Assassins Guild he is confirmed to have slain before his death. With no known living relatives, the funds were bestowed upon the adventurer's only designated heir, the adventurer designated as The Ratter. The Black Rat's remains were given a proper burial at the kingdom's expense. For further details, see the attached form, Appendix Z, Subsection M."

"No further oddities or irregularities have been reported at this time worth mentioning on this summary report. The city is no longer under martial law, and the order has been restored in full without further notable incidents. The Crows have been released back to their normal duties, barring 100 members who will remain to assist in keeping the peace until a new overseer of the city has been named. The three royal proxies and the remaining Crows will keep the peace until such time as a new governor has been selected and they have arrived to oversee the city."

"All in all," the king admitted, "it was very good work. No civilian casualties to report, all executions concluded only after unquestionable confirmation of guilt, and no losses among the Crows. They fulfilled their mission exactly as outlined. I've recommended a commendation for all parties involved."

The prince stared at his grandfather in slack-jawed awe for a moment, eliciting a chuckle from the king. "I've ruled this kingdom for over fifty years," he stated bluntly. "That's twice as long as the previous three kings combined. I didn't get where I am now by failing to read and memorize reports." In fact, he'd managed to head off five different coup attempts before they could even start by simply reading reports, noting contradictions, and taking the appropriate actions to determine who was telling the truth and who needed a trip to the gallows. A human king would have found such things maddeningly tedious, but many elves can sit around all day reading reports and never get bored, and Althwain vi Alberdain the First was an elf among elves.

When his predecessor had been poisoned, the one wise action the previous king had made was to choose Althwain as his successor, rather than risk passing it on to one of the sons who may have been responsible for the assassination. Within three days, Althwain had identified the ones responsible and had them tried in a court of law, then executed. While many considered Althwain to be a cruel and heartless person, in the last fifty years, he'd restored order and established systems that had not only brought stability to the kingdom but also a level of prosperity not seen since the end of the near-mythical Age of Splendor. Alberdain was one of the mightiest kingdoms on the continent, if not the world when fifty years ago it had barely managed to keep itself from falling into barbarity due to the feuding of petty lords and the previous kings being unable to maintain any semblance of order or control. Only a monster could have saved the kingdom from itself, and so Althwain had become that monster without hesitation... and he could become that monster again whenever it was needed.

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Such as when the archduke had been slain and the Dark Guilds had challenged the king's authority.

The prince closed his mouth with an audible click, and said, "Nevertheless, grandfather, I must protest this act of barbarous savagery. Your Crows hauled men into the city square and had them executed by the score. Over three thousand men and women, killed. Even if they're criminals, having them slaughtered wholesale like animals? What would the Archduke have said, were he still alive?"

The king noted, firstly, "If he were still alive? Probably something along the lines of 'Please let me out, it's dark in here.'" At the prince's annoyed expression, the king stated, "The Dark Guilds had my dear friend murdered in an act of 'barbarous savagery', along with his family. That alone would have been enough to warrant their elimination. However, they compounded their crimes with a direct challenge to the authority of the throne. Had they not done so, I might simply have had the Crows act covertly and eliminate the Dark Guilds in their sleep. However, such a public display of disrespect to royal authority especially in one of the grandest cities in the kingdom requires a public response. To do otherwise would make us appear weak in the eyes of our neighbors."

Rolling his eyes, Prince Maxwell said, "And appearance is so very important to you."

The king slammed his fist down hard upon the desk, and shouted, "IT'S THE ONLY THING THAT KEEPS US SAFE!" At his grandson's shocked expression at the sudden outburst, King Althwain took a deep breath and steadied himself, before explaining, "To the north, the Boren raider tribes sharpen their axes, eager for the first sign of weakness so they can begin raiding our settlements on the border once again. If they thought for even a moment that I didn't have the power and the conviction to send the Crows over again to kill every woman and child in their villages while their warriors are out slaughtering our people, they'd be over the border and raiding villages in a heartbeat. The fear of our strength keeps them huddled in their yurts, rather than at our gates. The Arzen empire to the south has been eager to expand for decades, even though their infrastructure is crumbling. If they thought for a moment that I wouldn't send a flock of Crows out to slit the Emperor's throat the moment their armies crossed our border, as I had done twice before, they'd be marching on the palace by the end of the year. The fear of our strength keeps their armies within their borders, rather than putting our people to the sword. To the west, the Corsair Confederacies roam the seas eager for plunder and watch our trading barges with covetous eyes. If they thought for a second that I wouldn't send the Crows to burn their cities to the ground as I've done eight times in the last fifty years, no ship that left our harbors would ever return. The fear of our strength keeps their pirate fleets in the harbor, rather than raiding our trade routes. And do not even get me started on the goblins, hobgoblins, and orcs to the east. The only reason they do not attack is that we slaughter every one of them that tries to come down from the mountains, and because so much of our military is dedicated to guarding our borders, I cannot send out expeditions to hunt them out completely. Worst of all, the priests are telling me that the gods are preparing to drop a new dungeon somewhere in the kingdom within the next ten years, and of course, the gods refuse to answer any questions as to why. So, we'll have to deal with that madness as well."

A new dungeon was a major problem. Yes, it provided all manner of useful resources to a country with the heroes necessary to conquer it, but it also produced monsters, and with it monsterkin. If the dungeon was spawned someplace remote that was not promptly discovered, there was a chance of it spawning a monster horde that could wipe out entire cities before it was stopped. Worse, if it popped up in the middle of a major city, that could have far worse implications. Of course, there was also the potential economic impact: If the dungeon appeared and was manageable, it could cause a major boon for the economy... up until it was conquered and disappeared. Then, the kingdom would have to deal with the repercussions of such economic growth vanishing just as quickly as it appeared. It wasn't a good idea to let dungeons fester, either, since the monsters it produced became progressively stronger over time. In just about every possible way, dungeons were a nightmare to deal with and plan around. If there was some way by which the gods could be placated, to convince them to stop inflicting these horrors upon mankind, the king for one would gladly do whatever was asked of him. Sadly, the gods refused to answer any questions regarding the dungeons, or listen to any pleas made by mortalkind regarding this one thing.

The dungeons were supposedly meant to test the great heroes who walked the land during the Age of Splendor, mighty demi-gods who possessed powers far greater than any mortal of the modern age could ever dream of attaining. Those heroes were long gone, having vanished at the end of that myth-shrouded age. No one knows why they vanished, or if they might ever return, but they were gone without a trace. The gods did not seem to care that those mighty heroes were no more, and kept dropping dungeons down upon the realm, expecting ordinary mortals to deal with them. The gods seemed to care very little about mortals unless they started to step out of line...

The king paused, then admitted, "A new warlord has appeared up north, and he's uniting the tribes under his banner. He's a more reasonable and even-tempered man than many before him, so I've been covertly aiding him in accomplishing this, supply him and his men with better weapons and equipment. Uniting the tribes under a new, wiser leader may finally put an end to centuries of bloodshed and brutality, allowing us to civilize our northern neighbors at long last. The old emperor in the south is of poor health, and his heir is far more concerned with addressing domestic issues that threaten to cause the empire's collapse, rather than with mindless expansionist policies that make their situation worse. I've met him, and when he takes the Imperial throne, we should be able to get along well enough to start a proper alliance between our two nations without fear of being assimilated or subjugated. The Corsairs are beginning to lessen their privateering, as commerce is proving more profitable and less risky than attacking merchant ships. I've been fostering the new merchant princes there, and hope to convince them to turn their naval fleets towards mercenary work and protecting the trade routes, rather than attacking our ships. As for the orcs, well, naught but extinction is going to stop monsterkin from attacking and killing people, and when we have fewer problems to contend with, I can dedicate the manpower needed towards wiping them out for good. If I am to foster a brighter future for our kingdom, I must deal with the realities of today. If that means that I have to bring the hammer down upon those who risk the safety of the kingdom for their own petty ambitions, I will keep that hammer at the ready for however long I need it."

Prince Maxwell, to his credit, said nothing, listening to his king's words without interruption. The lad may have hated to admit it, but he couldn't deny that the king had a point. After the king had said his piece, the prince simply stated, "There has to be a better way. When I am king, I will not engage in such barbarity."

King Althwain simply smiled and said, "If," with a large emphasis on that one word. After all, the lad's father had assumed he'd become king, only to learn that just because he was the king's son didn't mean the king was going to give the kingdom to a man who had to write 'Left' and 'Right' on his shoes to remember which one went on which foot. The man's mind-bogglingly incompetent attempt at a coup after finding that out had been punished by exile, rather than execution. Of course, being exiled to the east with all the dreadful things that lived there was hardly kinder than simple execution. The king's son, upon being released from his chains and shoved out to his new home, had shouted out that he'd return and take the throne that was his birthright. This was a mistake, as the goblins nearby had heard him. Maxwell's father wasn't out of sight of the military escort that led him to his destination before goblins came and killed the man, then butchered his corpse. One of the goblins in question had even made the man's skull into a codpiece, after making a mask from his face. The king had spent a day in mourning after hearing of his son's death, which was spent in his study, reading his favorite book while drinking from a bottle of brandy, pondering how the union of the two wisest elves in the kingdom could have resulted in such an absolute dunderhead. If it was the work of the gods, then the gods had a sick sense of humor.

After a moment, the king amended his statement, adding, "If you become king and you don't have to commit such atrocities to keep our people safe, it will surely mean that I succeeded in everything that I'd set out to accomplish as a king, and you should thank me for keeping your hands clean by dirtying my own."

The prince said nothing else, but the king made a note of his grandson's attitude and expression before leaving. The lad might have accepted the king's reasons for having acted as he had, even if the youngster didn't like them. However, it was clear that he was unhappy about it, and had his own ideas as to how things should be done. For a more duplicitous person, the king would have been worried about coups or betrayals. However, the prince was too young, straightforward, and idealistic for such things. While not necessarily a fool, he was too honest, too... "pure" for his own good.

It did not surprise the king when, four years later, the young prince disappeared, leaving only a note indicating that he had run off to become an adventurer. The only thing that had surprised the king was that it had taken the prince so long to do so.