Chapter Fourteen: The Briefing

(Hershel's POV)

The ride to Ylisse wasn't very eventful, unless you include the part where Omofrisit and Frey decided it would be a good idea to coax a bear into our campsite, but that's a story for a different day.

When we finally did make it to Ylisse, we ended up arriving at the same time as Chrom and friends. I tried to avoid them and hope they didn't recognize me, but of course, Robin noticed us and walked over to us.

"Hello, Hershel. Interesting that you should be here at the same time we are, huh?" He gave me a look that clearly said he thought I was a spy.

"Robin, I thought we had gone over this, I'm not a spy, and Chrom said he trusts me."

"I know that, I can't help but wonder though."

"Whoa whoa whoa. Buddy, this guy is as trustworthy as they come." Omofrisit said. "In fact, I can't think of a single person that I would trust more." Despite his words, I could see his fingers crossed behind his back.

"And who, exactly, are you?" Robin asked.

"My name is Omofrisit. I am a powerful sorcerer from a time long past, seeking something that is very important to me." Seemingly from out of nowhere, a strong gust of wind came, making Omofrisit's cloak flutter in the wind.

Frey and I rolled our eyes and Robin looked skeptical.

"Ooookay. Well, it was nice seeing you again, Hershel." The tone in Robin's voice said otherwise.

When Robin got back over to his group, he whispered something to Chrom. As soon as he was finished with his whispering, Chrom looked over at us and gave a smile and a wave. I waved back out of courtesy and our groups went their separate ways into the city.

"Hershel, where are we going?" Frey asked.

"I already told you, I have to meet up with some people tonight. You and Omofrisit can do whatever you want." I answered.

"Gah! Fine, c'mon Omofrisit, let's go find somewhere to eat."

"Ah, um, okay. I'll catch you later, Hershel!" Omofrisit said as he walked away with Frey.

Finally, I can get back to the task at hand. If I remember right, the assassin said I was to meet him in the same tree we met in the first time. The only question is how to get in to the palace gardens. I suppose I could try scaling the wall.

Just by looking at the wall, I could tell it would be quite a chore to climb over it, but I could probably do it if I tried really hard. But is there an easier way in?

Just as I was trying to figure out a different way into the palace gardens, I noticed Chrom and friends coming up to the castle gates. Looks like it's time to mooch.

"Hey, Chrom! How are you doing?" I said as I walked over to him.

"Oh, hi Hershel." He said, a little surprised. "Um, I'm doing fine, I suppose. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm doing well. I was just thinking to myself how cool it would be to see the inside of the palace." I said with a (fake) thoughtful face.

"Oh, um, if you'd like, you can come inside with us." He said a little awkwardly.

"Really!?" I said enthusiastically. "Thank you very much!"

As I blended with the rest of the group, I could tell that both Frederick and Robin were glaring daggers at me.

They're just jealous of my acting skills.

(Omofrisit's POV)

Maybe I should have stayed with Hershel. As much as I like hanging out with Frey, I feel like Hershel is going to get himself in trouble.

Bah! I'm just getting paranoid, he's a big boy, he can take care of himself….probably.

I took another swig of my drink. Frey and I were currently sitting at an otherwise empty booth in a low class bar, drinking cheap beverages. The bar was rather run down, the floorboards were cracked and split in various places, the paint on the walls was peeling and there wasn't much in the way of light. In addition, each and every glass had at least one chip in it. But, the drinks and food were cheap, thus the reason we were even there.

"Omofrisit, I'm bored. Find me something to do." Frey said, putting his head back against the chair.

"Well, we could always rob the nearest bank." I said with a sly grin.

"Okay, but how are we gonna do it?" He asked.

"I'll grab the moneychanger and hide him in a supply closet, and you can use your power to make yourself look like the moneychanger. That way, you can just leisurely walk into the back room and grab the money." I explained.

"Ok- Wait, how do you know about my power?" Frey asked with a hint of panic and suspicion.

Shoot! Okay, calm down, just come up with an excuse.

"Um, well, you see…It's because Hershel and I go way back, and he never had a twin of any kind, and I've seen other people who can change to look like other people so, I just assumed that's what you did." I said with a nervous laugh.

"O-kay." Frey said, still looking suspicious.

I suppose Frey decided to change back to his regular appearance, now that I had 'found out' about his ability.

"Eh, I don't really feel like robbing the bank anymore." He said. "Bartender! Two glasses of your finest whiskey!...You're paying, right?" Frey asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I'm paying."

(Hershel's POV)

Finally, after almost a full hour of acting like I was excited to be seeing the inside of the palace, I was able to get the gardens without being followed.

I found the place where I was supposed to meet the rest of the thieves; apparently, I was the last to arrive. Among the group, there was an orange haired man with a strip of cloth tied around his head and few pieces of candy sticking out of his pocket.

The second man seemed to be a boy in his late teen years with blue hair and a matching cape that was ripped at the bottom.

The third was a man whose age I couldn't gauge due to the mask covering the lower part of his face. His outfit was similar to mine but with lighter colors in certain places. He seemed to have to long, red strips of cloth attached to the neck area of his outfit, which could have been a cape at some point. And lastly, his hair was a lightish-black color, not quite gray, but fairly close to it.

Just as I had finished sizing up my colleagues, our employer arrived. I had expected it to be the same man I had met in the tree, but I suppose not everything goes as expected.

The man had appeared in a puff of black smoke, and judging from that and the man's clothes, I could guess that he was probably a sorcerer or a dark mage.

"Good evening, I am Validar. You are all here tonight because I needed your expertise and you needed money. As you may already kn-" He was cut off by voice off to our right.

"Hershel! There you are, we've been looking all over for you, and then Omofrisit suggested we try here." Frey explained as he ran over to me with Omofrisit in tow. They both seemed to be out of breath.

"Who are these people?" Omofrisit asked, finally noticing the others.

"I could ask the same question." Validar said, obviously annoyed.

"Well, I'm Frey, and this is Omofrisit." Frey explained. "Now who are you?"

"I am Validar, and these four men are my employees."

Suddenly, Omofrisit got the most evil and angry expression I had ever seen on a person.

"Validar, was it? I must ask, have you been in contact with dragons lately?" Omofrisit asked.

Validar got the same evil and angry expression. "Perhaps, have you been around any demons lately?"

The two stared at each other for what seemed like forever before I couldn't handle not knowing what this was all about.

"Um, if it's not too much trouble, could you two tell me what's going on?" I asked.

"Dragons and Demons have a grudge that dates back to the time of the Demon King himself." Omofrisit explained.

"There is indeed a grudge, but come on, do you really believe in the legends of the Demon King?" Validar asked with a skeptical look on his face.

"I do." Answered Omofrisit.

The two glared for a bit longer before someone else tried to break the tension.

"Right, well, why don't we introduce ourselves? My name is Colm." It was the boy with blue hair that had spoken.

Next, the man with orange hair. "The name's Gaius, and I'll do anything for candy."

"Volke." The tall man said simply.

"Um, I'm Hershel." I said.

"My name is Frey." Frey added. "…Psst, Omofrisit, you're next."

"Tch, fine. I'm know as Omofrisit."

"Yes yes, that's all well and good, but let's gets back to the task at hand, shall we?" Validar said with on last glare at Omofrisit.

We all nodded our consent.

"Great. Now, as I was saying before, you may have already been told, but you're job is to unlock any and all doors inside the palace, and in return, you may keep any treasures that you find. Upon completion of the assassination, you will also receive a small sum. Any questions?"

"What if someone sees us?" I asked.

"Kill them." Validar said.

A/N: Well guys, I'm very proud of this chapter, and this isn't even its original length, I had to cut part of the chapter out to be used in the next chapter.

But anyway, PLEASE give me feedback, I have only gotten consistent feedback from a couple of people, so I'm not sure if I'm doing well or not. So please leave a review or send me a PM telling me what you thought of the chapter.

Thanks for reading!