"I'm sorry I couldn't leave a note; I had to leave in short notice." Matthew-Kaine said after greeting Iamthey.
"It's fine, but...what is this place?" He had just entered what appeared to be some sort of conference hall. Or at least it used to be. There were spider webs in the corners of the room, and several dozen boxes filled with old books and journals filled shelves along the sides.
"This is the Tattered Volume, a small bookshop in the Elite town of Crapelhall. The owner of this shop has been a good friend of mine for quite some time, and was perfectly willing to lend us the basement for a few days. I do hope it meets your needs. Everything we need is here."
"What exactly are we planning on doing here for more than a day?"
"Well, I said we needed refuge, right?"
After arguing about it a little more, Iamthey decided to give up and have a look around the place he would be staying in for possibly a week. He picked up a book. "History of the Separatist and Elite War... The Battle of Achronos...The Life and Death of Emperor Dogbert... Who wrote all of these?"
"I did."
Then, from a chair near the corner of the room, stood Count Confusion. "Please do not be alarmed. It appears things have changed. I am with HA now."
"I do hope you see my logic in bringing him here. I wanted you to talk as allies, now that times have changed. I have recently heard that Dogbert was ruthlessly murdered again. He was cremated not too long ago."
Iamthey was outraged, "Matthew, I don't see your logic in anything anymore! Why would you bring him here? How do we know he's not Viggy in disguise? How can you ever trust this man?" he barked, pointing rudely at Count Confusion.
"Please, Iamthey, if you wish to speak of me, look at my face. I have no time for improper manners."
"Improper my ass!"
"Stop, both of you! I know this is going to be hard, but we need to cooperate if Viggy is going to be stopped. Both of your cities are at risk of certain destruction; we have no time to argue."
"Matthew, could I speak with you alone for a moment?"
"...Fine. Iamthey, stay downstairs. We'll be back in a moment." Matthew-Kaine opened the door with a key, revealing the cold damp tunnels of the backdoor system. He closed and locked it behind him.
"Please, I really can't listen to Iamthey. He will never listen to me, even if we are now on the same side."
"Well, he'll have to eventually, because none of us are leaving until we have a plan."
"I understand you are trying to help, and I thank you for that, but I don't think he really wants any."
"He needs it, believe me. Nobody truly knows how powerful Viggy can be. We have to work together... Or it will be the death of us all."
Matthew came back in with Count Confusion and placed a box on the table. He opened it to reveal an urn. "These are the ashes of our Emperor Dogbert. I suggest that we find some way to bring him back. We all know that an immortal is not so easily killed by man or Elite, even if he chooses to accept his death. If we can aquire the right tools, we can have him back with us."
"I have been a good enough ruler for long enough; why can't I just stay at my position?"
"Because you don't even know your own Council. Hotshotesquire has been trying to communicate with me for about a month now. Either you sent him or he's a traitor. Judging by the look on your face, I'd say treason."
"I...I'm speechless. Hotshot was always a friend to me. We had different beliefs, and recently we've been arguing, but I never thought..." Iamthey went silent. He still couldn't believe his ears. First FlameSama dies, then Dogbert is killed, and now this? The Count and Matthew were right, Dogbert would have to come back.
But how?