Evan mentioned that the people of the Tower respect power and strength. I need to convey that somehow. Convince them I am worth following.

"Uhh ... yes, umm," Isaac gulped, "hi i'm Isaac". You fucking idiot.

Isaac could hear Evan start chuckling softly behind him as he stared at the faces studying him. Several of them seemed to be at a loss for words, their mouths hanging slightly open, while others openly regarded him with looks of contempt. After several awkward moments of silence, one of the men stepped forward, "this ... this is the man," the word oozed with disdain, "that the Tower has chosen to be our Raid Leader?" Isaac narrowed his eyes and turned to face the man that had spoken, ignoring the mixture of gasps and snickers that spread through the room.

Evan stepped forward, his hand on his blade, but Isaac stopped him with a look. He took a moment to get a clear look at the man. He was the youngest of all of the leaders in attendance, tall, with deep blue eyes that seemed to be filled with resentment, and sun-blonde hair that fell to his shoulders. His body was covered in deep blue silk, and he wore a sword on the right side of his hip, the pommel encrusted with jewels. Isaac noted that almost half of the guards that stood around the room had moved slightly as Evan had reached for his sword. Information.

Name: Lithriss Duras

Race: Human

Level: 9

Class: Paladin

Role: Prince

Affiliation(s): Royal Family, Veridian, Paladin Order

Isaac sighed as he read the information. I just can't catch a fucking break.

"Is there something you would like to say, Lithriss?" Isaac's voice was calm and soft, but the casual way he had brought up the prince's name spoke volumes. Lithriss stood there for a fraction of a second, confused by the sudden change in character that had overcome Isaac. The prince opened his mouth to reply, but a voice, raw with power, spoke up first, "that is quite enough. We are here to discuss the course of action that must be taken over the next few weeks. The Tower has not called a raid for as long as I have lived, and some of us, including myself, have seen centuries pass by ..." the voice chuckled softly at his words as he gestured to those in the room, "and yet some of you children, " he eyed Lithriss, "would rather stroke your ego and play your infuriating politics than prepare for a war that may be your last".

Isaac saw a flicker of fury cross the prince's face before disappearing as if it had never been there. He's going to be a problem. Lithriss gave a curt bow to a tall, lanky man that Isaac immediately recognized as the Whisper that had helped them against the dire wolves, seated near the back of the room. His skin was wrinkled and scarred, and he rested his head on a simple staff carved from unassuming wood. His eyes shone a brilliant green, and they betrayed a cunning and youthfulness that seemed at odds with the rest of his body. "Of course Whisper, let us continue".

Isaac bowed deeply to the Whisper, offering a silent thanks. He cleared his throat loudly and waited for the leaders to end their whispered conversations. His brief encounter with the prince had cleared his mind and settled his nerves. "It seems we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. My name is Isaac King. The Tower has placed me in charge of this dungeon raid". He took a moment to acknowledge the man that had spoken out earlier, "the Whisper is right. If we are to succeed, those of us here must work together to formulate a plan of action ..." he waved Evan forward, "Evan here was part of the group that was sent to map the dungeon. I will ask him to repeat his earlier report to everyone present". Isaac moved backward and ushered the wide-eyed Evan forward with a smirk. That's for waking me up punk!

It took Evan a few seconds to get going. Despite the fact that he was no longer technically a Royal Guard, obedience and deferment to leaders and nobles had been engraved into his body. He started and stopped several times, casting sideways glances at the prince, until he finally seemed to find his courage. "The truth of the matter is that we do not know much. We had received several reports from local hunters about the possible appearance of a new dungeon about a week ago. The Citymaster put together a group of Explorers to investigate the reports and map the dungeon, and assigned a group of men from the Royal Guard to defend them". He let his words sink in, waiting for the hushed conversations to settle before continuing. "We managed to locate the entrance to the Dungeon but were not able to enter. We received a warnin' from the Tower and were told to return to Aether. As we turned around to head back, one of the gates to the Dungeon opened and released a pack of Dire Wolves. We fled, but not before suffering heavy losses. Eventually, we ran into the raid leader, who along with a group of Whispers helped us kill the pack". Evan looked down at his feet, and Isaac knew that he was still struggling with his inability to protect the lives he had been assigned. "While we didn't manage ta get a good look at the inside of the Dungeon, several of the Explorers have put together some information. I dun know the specifics, but I will have them brought over so that they may share what they found out".

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

Isaac nodded to the assembled leaders as Evan finished speaking, "I will give you all some time to discuss what you have heard amongst yourselves. We will reconvene in an hour". He watched as the leaders formed groups and talked to each other at length. Dozens of indistinguishable voices scattered across the hall. There are too many voices. Too many opinions. I will need to rely on their experience, but that experience needs to be funneled in some way.

An hour passed by relatively quickly. Eventually Isaac stood up and the ongoing conversations quieted. "I have given you time to talk to one another. Now we must move forward". There was an immediate explosion of voices.

"Leader! We must speak about how rewards and loot will be distributed! ..."

"We must send out a group to explore the Dungeon! We hardly have any information! ..."

"We should attack at once! Hundreds of my men have already arrived! This dungeon cannot stand against our combined forces! ..."

And on and on it went. After only a few minutes Isaac was already beginning to feel the beginnings of a headache. "ENOUGH!" he roared.

Isaac sat down on a chair that Evan had brought by earlier. He was exhausted and having to deal with these "leaders" who acted no better than the spoiled nobles that Isaac was used to dealing with outside the Tower was making him irritable. "There are too many of you to get anything done. Too many people with opinions, probably all of them valid, but too many nonetheless". He sighed as he looked over the faces of those assembled before him.

"You will vote. Everyone will be allowed to nominate someone," he stared at Lithriss, "other than themselves to represent them as part of a Raid Council. There will be only five members of the council to represent all of you, so choose wisely. They along with me and Evan will make up the seven members of the council. Is that understood?" There were nods of agreement and 'ayes' from the group of leaders, some even gave Isaac looks of approval. "That was a good move lad. These men have been playing at secret wars for years. Using diplomacy, and politics instead of blades and magic. All of them vying for more power. By making them elect a council they are now forced to work together and pick the men most qualified to look after the interests of the whole group", Evan whispered from behind him.

"I nominate Prince Duras!" Of fucking course. He turned to look at Evan, and the man just shrugged, "fools".

In the end, there were eleven nominations total, but the Whisper refused his nomination, stating that he was not allowed to interfere in such matters. Another round of voting ended with five candidates: two older men by the names of Eric Hallow and Daryl Blaze, an old woman known as Ariel Theon, a young woman called Emily Ironblood, and of course Prince Lithriss.

The council talked for another hour around dinner served by servants before agreeing to meet early tomorrow and put together a plan for the next few weeks. After the council had left the Citymaster's residence, Isaac groaned and fell back into his chair, his eyes staring at the ceiling.

"So what are you going to do?" Evan asked, worry marring his usually gruff and cheery voice. "I'll propose a scouting mission. The council is mostly in agreement that we do not know nearly enough to do anything for the near future. We need to know more information about the dungeon and its dangers".

"You'll need to get stronger". Isaac stared at the face of the man who had sworn his life to him. If he closed his eyes, he could almost make himself believe that Evan was his father, chastising him about something he had forgotten. "Yes, I know". He looked around the room. "Where is the Whisper?" A shadow along one of the walls seemed to fade in and then out of existence. A moment later there was the tall, lanky man from earlier. "I am here".

"Whisper, I have a question, and maybe a favor to ask of you". The Whisper's eyes became unfocused for a moment before he stared at Isaac. "Ask then". "I need to be able to protect the people that have been placed under my care. I have little skill with a weapon and even less experience in leadership or command. I need a teacher. I was hoping that teacher could be you".

The Whisper eyed Isaac carefully, seeming to peer through his body and into something ... else. For a second, Isaac felt a small pressure in the back of his mind, but it was gone so quickly that he wasn't even sure that it had ever been there in the first place. "No".

Isaac looked away, shame and anger clouding his vision. There will have to be another way.

The Whisper approached Isaac, a malicious grin on his face. "I am no teacher boy. But ..." he laughed softly, "there are others. I will send for them. You may live to regret the day you asked for this. But, I suppose you will be alive".