Chapter 10: A Night of Secrets
Back in the throne room of Castle Serris, Jivaro is standing before Hugo as the two are having a one-on-one conversation with one another.
"King Hugo, I am... saddened to report that the assassination attempt in Regna Ferox failed." says Jivaro.
"You are 'saddened' Jivaro?" asks a curious looking Hugo. "What about this whole thing makes you... sad?"
"Well, the assassins, your majesty!" says Jivaro. "Your assassins! They failed to kill King Nemo. And now, they're...!"
"Dead, yes." says Hugo seemingly without a real care in the world. "Jivaro... you do realize who they were going up against, right?"
"Well, of course, your majesty." says Jivaro. "They were going up against Exalt Chrom and Queen Momo, as well as..."
"You can stop right there." says Hugo. "They were going up against Exalt Chrom and Queen Momo, right?"
"Uh, I don't think I see the connection here, your majesty." says Jivaro.
"Ugh, for a genius of war and research, you can be really daft, Jivaro." says Hugo. "My assassins were going up against the ones who defeated the Fell Dragon, Grima. Of course, it was going to be no walk in the park, you fool."
"Oh, oh, right." says Jivaro. "That fact was so obvious, it slipped my mind, heh heh heh heh heh..."
"While I can say that I don't like the Exalt and his tactician wife, I can admit their strength when it came to such a situation like the one my assassins were in." says Hugo. "The assassins would have lost and my brother would remain alive. It's not complex math, Jivaro."
"Of course, of course." says Jivaro looking rather sniveling.
"However... that doesn't really matter right now." says Hugo. "After all, my assassins accomplished what I set out for them to REALLY do."
"And... what was that, your majesty?" asks Jivaro curiously.
"Well, reports came back, that Regna Ferox's warriors have been pretty much beaten." says Hugo. "You see, you have your tricks, Jivaro... and I have mine. Basically, Regna Ferox's army has all but been beaten. Half of their warriors are dead, and most of the survivors have been injured to the point even a healing staff won't completely cure them. While your intention with my assassins was to kill Nemo, I was basically using it as a way to keep them busy."
"You don't mean...?" Jivaro starts to ask.
"Precisely." says Hugo. "Borston's unit was more or less collateral damage when it came to trying to assassinate my brother. Chrom's forces would have been too strong, seeing as they are the champions that defeated Grima. No, the REAL target was the Feroxi military. Is everything falling into place for you now, Jivaro? Is the little hamster in that depraved mind of yours turning the wheel fast enough for you to process this all?"
"Yes!" says Jivaro with a crooked smile. "You knew they wouldn't last a minute against Chrom and his Shepherds, as well as the Khans and the Queen of Chon'sin. And yet, you knew that if your assassins were in Regna Ferox, they would have to deal with her warriors first, am I right?"
"Give yourself a cookie, Jivaro!" says Hugo. "That was the whole point! I know Nemo has hired too strong of help to defeat, much less be able to kill. But, with the warriors of Regna Ferox out of the way, my chances of victory in conquering their pathetic land and people will be all the easier. Not to mention, with Regna Ferox mostly out of the picture, Ylisse and Plegia will easily fall, themselves as their militaries are but of the fraction of the power of just one of my units. You see, anyone can kill a soldier, Jivaro. But it takes a true master to shatter someone's morale enough to the point they wish they were dead."
"Yes, and with the military of Regna Ferox down, you'll be one step closer to wiping your foes from the face of the map!" says Jivaro.
"Now, now, now, let's be patient, Jivaro." says Hugo. "Confidence is good, but too much can be deadly. We still have more work to do. But rest assured, it's going to get done."
"And I'll be happy to assist you your majesty." says Jivaro. "Anyway, I better be off, now."
"Oh, Jivaro, before you go." says Hugo. "I've been meaning to talk to you about something."
"Uh, what is that, your majesty?" asks Jivaro.
Hugo then says as he puts on a gesture of curiosity, "Well, how should I put this? I've been reading your reports, and I can't help but feel you're leaving out a few details. These are details my men have had to tell me face to face about upon returning from the missions with you."
"Go on." says Jivaro looking nervous.
"Well, it turns out that, according to what I was told by my more LOYAL sources, the Shepherds had a guest among them. And it seems he was one not of this world." says Hugo.
"Oh, oh yes." says Jivaro. "You see, among them, we spotted what we think to be an angel. At least, that what I believe it to be. Aside from having the obvious wings, we also did some studies, and his level of divine energy was through the roof."
"And... you failed to tell me about him?" asks Hugo curiously.
"It... must have slipped my mind at one point." says Jivaro nervously.
"Maybe." says Hugo. "Or you could just have a deep interest in him for some sick reasons. Either way, I don't really care what you do with him. But, next time, you might want to tell me about these details without me finding out from others that are loyal only to me, especially when I know who or what I'll be up against. It just... makes you seem like a backstabber. And like I said, if you plan to stab me in the back... you better succeed the first time."
"Y... yes, of course, your majesty." says Jivaro looking more and more nervous.
"Now, you may be off, Jivaro." says Hugo.
Jivaro just gives a nervous bow, then warps out of the throne room.
Just then, from behind Hugo on his sides, two Assassins melt out of the shadows.
"Gentlemen, I need to see about meeting with Baron Zellor to discuss our next strategies." says Hugo. "In the meantime, keep a close eye on Jivaro. I don't trust him one bit."
After Hugo walks off, the Assassins melt back into the shadows.
Meanwhile, in a remote area, we see Jivaro warp in. After looking around to see if only he's around, he starts to growl and clench his fists as he says, "Damn, that Hugo! For such a simple-minded creature that only knows war, he's definitely good at what he does! He also knew about that angel! He says he has no interest in him, but how can I know he could be lying? I MUST get that angel for myself before I learn what that muscle-head is really after!"
After enough ranting to himself, Jivaro slowly breathes and calms down.
"All right, Jivaro. Take it easy. Just keep your cool, keep your cool." says Jivaro with his usual crooked smile. "You're one step ahead of him anyway, and you know more than just war, unlike that war-wacky twit. With what you've planned, you'll have an army that could kill Hugo's many times over and over."
Jivaro then strikes the hilt of his sword in a seductive manner.
"That's right." says Jivaro with a very evil looking smile, now. "With this baby, I'll have a force that will surpass any army out there in the world. Very soon, nothing will stop me. Nothing."
Jivaro then stops to look around again before walking off until he's absorbed by the darkness.
Just then, from behind a tree, we see an Assassin appear as he seems to have been listening in on Jivaro's personal monologue.
After we see the Assassin glare, we get a shot of a gold, pocket watch hanging from the Assassin's belt that has an S on it similar to the one on the coins that Nemo and Ziggy showed to the Annas back in the port town in Ylisse.
Just then, at a remote area where a camp has been set up, we see Jennifer sitting on a log near a campfire. She looks into the flame with a somewhat sorrowful look.
Just then, the same Assassin from before appears at the camp. When Jennifer sees the Assassin, she says, "You're late."
"Apologies, your highness." says the Assassin. "I was a bit delayed. Again, I'm sorry."
"Well, at least you're okay." says Jennifer. "So, learned anything new that might be important to our cause?"
"Maybe." says the Assassin. "It seems that Jivaro may not have full loyalty to Hugo, as if he might end up betraying him down the road."
"The crooked ones are usually always that way." says Jennifer in an unsurprised tone.
"Not only that." says the Assassin. "But it also looks as if he may be up to something. He said about having command of an army whose might would surpass any military in this world."
Jennifer starting to worry a little, and asks, "Any more details than that?"
"Unfortunately, no." says the Assassin. "But we'll continue to monitor him and Hugo, and keep you up to date."
"You do that." says Jennifer.
"Also, a bit more information I feel that I need to share with you." says the Assassin. "Jivaro has been talking about a being from another world that is here in this one."
"You mean... like something from the Outrealm Gate?" asks Jennifer.
"More like... something from a completely different universe the way he's been putting it." says the Assassin. "He's says this being is an actual angel. Even more curious, he's looking to claim this angel for himself."
"An angel, huh?" asks Jennifer before looking back at the fire. "And Jivaro wants to claim this angel for himself, right? Just what could The Weasel be planning?"
"I don't know, but... as I said, we'll continue to keep an eye on both him and Hugo." says the Assassin.
"Please do." Jennifer replies. "We need to know more about this angel, and... what Jivaro is really planning for him. But right now, that should be the least of our biggest worries. While Jivaro's schemes do not need to be looked at, I'm still more worried about what my brother, Hugo is going to do next."
"I might be able to provide a little information for you." says a voice.
Jennifer looks to see another Assassin come her way.
"So, what do you have for me?" Jennifer asks.
"Nothing good, but it is something you need to know." says the Assassin. "Apparently, King Hugo, or rather Jivaro sent as an assassination force to try and kill your brother, Nemo in Regna Ferox."
"What?" says Jennifer. "How did he manage that?"
"Apparently, Jivaro has been using warp magic." says the Assassin. "We suspect that's how he's been getting information and assassins back and forth so quickly."
"Well, at least we know how he's been doing it." says Jennifer. "But the question is can we do anything about it?"
"I'm afraid the news gets even more grim." says the Assassin. "While the assassin attempt on King Nemo failed, they did however succeed in decimating Regna Ferox's military. In fact, Hugo says that the assassination attempt on Nemo was just a decoy, and that his real target was Regna Ferox's army."
"You're kidding!" says Jennifer.
"I wish I was." the Assassin replies back. "I really do."
"Drat." says an angered Jennifer as she look back at the fire. "It feels like this battle was lost for us even before it was won."
"So, what do you plan to do?" the Assassin asks.
Jennifer puts on a look of determination and says, "Well, I'm not going to give up just yet. I will see this through. I the meantime, continue to keep a close eye on things. Understood?"
"Yes, your majesty." reply both Assassins.
"You're both dismissed." says Jennifer.
After that, both Assassins leave Jennifer to her thoughts.
"Hugo." Jennifer thinks. "How far are you willing to go with this path of destruction you're creating?"
Meanwhile, taking place in Soltis' lab in the Alchemy Academy in Ylisse where Soltis himself is working on some type of project, one of the Assassins that was talking to Jennifer comes in.
"Master Soltis." says the Assassin. "I would speak with you as I have news."
"Oh? Soltis says as he turns around to face the Assassin. "Speak, then."
"Very well." says the Assassin. "This new is about Jivaro the Weasel."
Soltis grunts a bit as he puts on a sour look, then says, "So... what is that bastard up to?"
"It appears he may not be completely loyal to King Hugo, if at all." says the Assassin.
"Yes... I figured as much." says Soltis not seeming to be very surprised.
"What's more..." the Assassin continues to say. "...he talks about having access to an army that could decimate any military force in the world, including that of Serris."
"He does, does he?" asks Soltis in a peculiar tone. "Do you know anything more... detailed about it?"
"Unfortunately, I do not." says the Assassin. "But... from the way he was looking at his sword, I wonder if that has anything to do with it?"
"Perhaps." says Soltis. "Anyway, good work. You may take your leave."
"Thank you, Master Soltis." says the Assassin.
As the Assassin melts away in the shadows, Soltis turns around to put on a thoughtful pose.
To Be Continued in Chapter 11.