Erodyne sat in his chair, as per usual. In truth, he was slightly bored. Now that he'd sent the rest of his army out... well, there was nothing really to do. Sure, there were a few soldiers still in the fortress, stationed for protective purposes... but that was it. That and the women that lived in the East Wing. They were the entertainment, Erodyne supposed, but he hardly cared to pay them a visit.
A few more monotonous minutes passed. And then a few more. In fact, a while passed before anyone entered the room at all. But... finally, the main doors were opened. Erodyne watched them, somewhat greedily, to see who was visiting. It was a Token soldier. The Tokenmaster could tell that by the way he was dressed.
"Ah, and who are you?" he asked the man that was quickly approaching him.
"I am called Grenwid, sir... I keep eye over one of our watchtowers. I'm the one that has been watching the battle. I've come to you in great haste," the soldier took a deep breath, "As soon as I was sure, I rode all the way here. Day and night. I have some news that you might want to hear."
"Very well," Erodyne answered, "How goes things at the Caverns? I assume my other soldiers have arrived by now."
"They have, sir," the soldier answered, "That is what I have come to speak with you about. The Caverns... it isn't going well for us. Not that I can tell. Even with the new soldiers, the Eldians are still seemingly... winning. Somehow. Not by much, and their victory is hardly guaranteed... but there's a chance of this ending badly for us. The problem is, the plan didn't work. They didn't lose morale at the sight of the rest of us... in fact, I'd say that their confidence is now boosted somehow. They lead a death charge on your new troops on sight. Either way, their troops are killing faster than they're dying, and while it's not a big problem yet... it will be soon."
"Excuse me?" Erodyne's eyes flashed with a nodule of anger, "What?"
"We are going to lose, if we don't change something," the soldier said, taking a step away from the Tokenmaster.
Erodyne's eyes went back to normal after a couple of seconds.
"Well," he said calmly, "That just won't do, now will it?"
The soldier was unnerved by the way Erodyne spoke. He'd heard of the Tokenmaster's relaxed temperament multiple times. But the way he spoke, it was almost too tranquil... too serene. If he had to describe it, he would say that listening to the Tokenmaster speak had the unrelenting, ominous feeling of the calm that happened right before a storm. Grenwid had never met Erodyne before, and even after this small amount of time, he wished that he would never have to speak to him again. At least... not face to face. There was just something spooky about a man who didn't anger.
Especially at news like this.
"I don't know, sir," Grenwid said, taking another step back.
"You keep backing away from me," Erodyne observed with a smile, "I noticed that. Are you afraid of me? I assure you... I'm not going to bite."
This sent shivers down Grenwid's spine.
Erodyne noticed this too, but this time, did not say anything. He did not mean to scare his men, but if they were to be afraid, then that did not concern him. He wasn't trying to frighten. The Tokenmaster stood from his spot and began to pace around the room.
Grenwid stayed quiet as Erodyne sorted through his thoughts.
"What can I do? What can I do?" he murmured under his breath.
Grenwid didn't know what to say. With a quick glance, he wondered whether or not he should just leave. After a few minutes, he began backing up towards the big double doors. Erodyne noticed this immediately.
"Where are you going?" he asked with a serene smile.
"I figured I would leave you alone to your thoughts, sir. It seemed as if you needed some privacy to think things through," Grenwid answered with an even tone of voice. This made the Tokenmaster nod and clasp his hands together.
"I do not wish you to leave," he said, "If you would, stay."
"Very well, sir."
After that, Erodyne began pacing again. Grenwid simply took in a deep breath, waiting on the Tokenmaster to come up with a plan.
"What can you tell me about Eldia?" he asked his soldier as he was walking about the area. Grenwid thought for a minute before answering.
"Not much. Err... I know that their army is commanded by a man named Zayn Rothstead. But, other than that, I know that they are run by an emperor named Geh'lien Rus ... and that..."
"That's it," Erodyne interrupted the soldier, "That's what I'm going to do. Is there a captain here anywhere?"
"What?" Grenwid questioned, confusion apparent on his face.
"A captain?"
"No," Grenwid stated, "Well, I mean, I don't know if there's a captain here. That's not what I meant when I said asked 'what?'. Eh, what I mean is: how are you going to stop this? If you don't mind me asking, that is. I didn't necessarily give you any ideas just now." As the soldier spoke, he shifted balance onto his other foot.
"Ah!" Erodyne exclaimed, "You told me they had an emperor, though. Tell me this, what is a country without an emperor?"
"I don't understand what you mean, sir."
"What I mean is: they have an emperor now, but they won't soon. I can see it. The country will fall under havoc... making Eldia weak. The soldiers and captains of their armies will panic. And, in said panic, they will not be able to focus on the task at hand. Which, in their case, will mean death," Erodyne explained calmly, "And then, without the soldiers and without the emperor, the country will simply burn in the flames we create."
"I have a thought," Grenwid interrupted, "How do we know that it's going to work out in that way?"
"Because," Erodyne answered, "I'm not a fool. Any country with an abducted leader is bound to go into frenzy. Especially with the war at hand. I figure you should know this by now." His words were slightly harsh, but he still wore the same tranquil expression that he had worn since Grenwid had first greeted him.
"I mean: how are we going to capture the emperor? Surely he has trained guards to protect him from plots like this?"
"I worry not about his guards," Erodyne answered, "After all, it's not as if I'm sending men to break down the door and drag him off. No. I think I will send another type of combatant to do the trick. One that they would never detect. Say, a rogue, perhaps? Maybe two, just in case."
"Rogues?"
"Yes. They're rather good at stealth."
"I know that much. I just haven't really seen anyone like that at all within the Token army."
"That's because I don't send them out to fight. Not often. No. Not when they're so good at things like infiltration. And spying. Yes, those are the things that I like to use my rogues for. And now -- now this. I should go and retrieve them."
"Would you have me do anything?"
"Yes. I would, in fact. There is a man by the name of Darris here. He should be two floors down, in the sixth room to the left. If you would, go and tell him that I should like to speak to him and that I have a few messages for him to deliver," he ordered quickly, moving to the other side of the room.
"Yes, sir."
And then he left.
It wasn't long after Grenwid left that Darris came running up. He was skittish, as per usual, with parchment flying out of his hands. Erodyne smiled slightly at his messenger, humored at the man. He always seemed to be in some sort of rush when he was called for, the Tokenmaster quietly wondered why.
"You needed me to deliver messages?" he asked swiftly.
"Ah, you are always quick!" Erodyne praised, "And yes, I did need you to send some out for me. Three, in fact."
"What would you like them to say?" Darris asked, yanking out a bit of charcoal and readying it over the paper.
"I would like the first ones to go out to Feron Darkwood and Geil Redoth. They reside here close to the fortress, in fact. Within the city. I would have you simply say for them to come and hold counsel with me, for there is a mission I would like to discuss with them. Face to face. And as for the third one --I will write what it says. Do you mind, my friend?"
After scribbling something down, Darris shook his head and handed Erodyne a piece of blank parchment and his charcoal. With an appreciative nod, the Tokenmaster went and had a seat. As soon as he was comfortable enough, he began to jot his message down. Darris could see from where he was standing that Erodyne's handwriting was small and neat.
General Zayn Rothstead,
First and foremost, I offer greetings. After all, it is not in good taste to begin a letter with bad news, now is it? No. No, it is not. Yet, tragically for you, I seem to have some ill-fated information for you and the rest of Eldia. I'm afraid it's rather extensive, actually. You see, Mr. Zayn, I'm afraid with the Eldian army doing as well as they are at the Caverns --that I may have to seek after company. Your emperor, in fact. I'm sending some rogues to gather him now, actually. Even as patient as I am, I feel as if I need to go ahead and retrieve him now. Don't worry... my men will bring him here quite alive.
I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about when he arrives, for good or for worse.
But, good news for him --my fortress is quite the place. I'm sure his stay here will be mostly tolerable for the time that I decide to keep him alive. I send you this simply to inform you of my intentions, considering you are in no state to aid him. And also to invite you to join him and me in this little parley I have arranged. I'm afraid that chances of you seeing him after that are nonexistent.
Cheers,
Tokenmaster Erodyne Maug-Rin
After writing the letter, he handed it to Darris to read.
"I wish you to deliver this to the Eldian general," he spoke, "My spies in Wallfront informed me this morning that he has arrived there with his group. I am quite sure it would be easy to find him upon your arrival. After all, he is famous in sorts."
"You wish to taunt the general of Eldia?" Darris questioned after he finished reading the letter, "Is that wise to do?"
"No. Perhaps not," Erodyne smiled, "But it is quite humorous. And I am one for good humor, you should know this. Not to mention, they truly cannot reach him in time. After all, their mission is not complete."
"Very well, sir," the messenger nodded, "I will trust your decision."
"Good, good."
"Will it be dangerous for me to go?"
"No, no. You are not a Token soldier. You are simply a messenger. They will not see you as a threat, considering you aren't one. Go on, now. I should hope that you are quick about giving him this letter. Along with the other two messages I have sent."
"Yes, Sir Erodyne. Err, Erodyne."
And then, Darris left with the letters, frightened at the prospect at crossing the border of Eldia. But it was more than that...
He was frightened for what would happen when he crossed General Zayn himself.