It was a cold, late night at the Imperial Palace, not the time the court of the emperor would usually congregate. However, the ministers of the court had flocked to the palace, and having gathered in the main hall, they waited for the prime minister to arrive.
"The emperor has appointed in a new chief advisor!" One of the ministers stated. A mumble erupted among the court.
"This seems very unusual" Another minister spoke up, scratching his beard thoughtfully; "I thought he left choosing advisors to minister Honest?
"I heard he was brought in on recommendation from a friend." A different minister declared. More ministers then started to speak up about the situation.
"Does it matter where he chose this advisor from, the brat is the emperor after all!"
"He's also a child, should we really be letting him involve himself in the affairs of government?"
"Personally, as long as I have a steady supply of young women and gold, I don't care who he picks!"
"That doesn't change the fact that a child is now appointing government officials, we should really be leaving the affairs to state to the prime minister!"
"Then why don't we see what the prime minister thinks of him then! If he doesn't mind, it shouldn't matter who His Majesty picks."
As if playing a game of devil's advocate, Honest, the prime minister, barged into the room, an annoyed look drooped across his face, his clothes look liked they had been put on hurriedly. The other ministers fell silent, waiting for his verdict.
"Prime minister", one of the other ministers began speaking. "Did you hear about…"
"I was dragged away from important business on orders of his majesty!" a frustrated Honest boomed out "But I've come here to learn that I have to meet some new advisor that he picked for me, what madness!" Honest started to march towards to the throne room. The ministers fell in line behind him, like a plethora of soldiers on their way to war. As Honest burst the doors of the throne room, he and the other ministers were greeted by a sight that caused their very stomachs to churn. Sitting atop the throne was not the young emperor, but and old, slender figure. Clad in fine garnet robes, he let off a powerful, commanding aura. He sat with his legs crossed upon the throne, resting his right hand while sipping wine with his left. He spoke with a stern tone to an attending servant, although the ministers couldn't quite catch what he was saying. Nether the less, the sight of this stranger sitting so comfortable on the emperor's throne sent Honest flying into a deep rage.
"How dare you!" Honest howled, stomping towards the throne with the other ministers in tow; "Who the hell do you think you are to sit in the seat of our glorious emperor! I will have you strung up to the crows!"
The man abruptly turned to Honest, hitting him with a gaze that could pierce flesh itself, his eyebrows raised like those of an enraged danger beast.
"I'm sorry", The man stated in a mild mannered but undeniably angry tone towards the servant, "but I'm going to have to pause our conversation for the moment." The man shot up out of the throne and started pacing towards Honest and the other ministers; "Its time for me to clear this fucking pig stye out!" He stated in a sharp voice, changing Honest's mood tone to concern rather than anger. The man walked down from the throne and stood in front of the ministers. He was tall and slender, only slightly higher than Honest; however, his gaze made the ministers feel like insects.
"Pardon the rude introduction" The man spoke up in a sarcastic tone, his gaze fixed on Honest. "My name is Malcolm Tucker, I'm His Majesty's new chief advisor." Tucker moved away from Honest, pacing around him and the other ministers, continuing to speak as he walked. "I've been brought to bring some fucking order into this pisshouse you call a royal court!" The ministers were taken aback by this statement, unsure how to process the sight of a rude middle ages man lecturing them on their own jobs.
"Is this a bloody joke!" Honest loudly boomed "I was never informed of this, and I'm the one who picks his majesty's advisors!"
"I'm sorry, would you mind shutting the fuck up while I'm fucking lecturing you!" Malcolm shot back at Honest, leaving him in a state of shock, his jaw left gaping at the nerve of this man. Malcolm then reached into his pocket and took of a scroll of paper.
"I-it can't be" One of the ministers spoke up in the shock of what he just saw, the others followed.
"This has to be fake".
"It's not possible".
"He must have, faked this, He must have!"
"There is absolutely no way he would sign something like this."
Malcolm unravelled the scroll in his hand to reveal a letter, and on it lied the imperial seal, only accessible to the Emperor himself. The contents of the letters were the orders appointing Malcom to chief advisor, singed by the emperor himself.
"Is this fucking good enough for you?" declared Malcolm, the ministers just nodded in shock, except for Honest, who remained in an almost stupor like state from Malcolm's abrasive attitude.
"Now!" Malcolm spoke as he started walking again, "I've been brought in to deal with you fuckers!" He whipped his right arm in the air as his face scrunched up into a disgusted scowl. "I mean fucking look at you! You're all a bunch of fat twats who spend more time eating dogshit and fathering bastards than you are running the fucking empire!" Malcom circled round again "It's no fucking wonder that there is a bloody depression going on, you're spending all the empire's money on meat and women and don't get me started on the fucking women. You practically turned the palace into a fucking brothel, it's so bad I could smell the fucking stench of venereal disease from the northern border!" Malcom then moved in closer to the ministers, who were still trying to process the berating they were receiving. "-and at least five prostitutes tried to solicit me on my way to the throne room, at least five!" Malcom spoke sternly, gesturing his right hand at the ministers "Do you really want the people to know that there are prostitutes in the fucking Imperial Palace, because you know if they find out where their fucking moneys going, it be hell to pay for you moronic fuckers!"
"Mr Tucker" Honest finally managed to regain his composure and attempted to reason with Malcolm in a calm yet pompous manner "What you say about us may have some merit in the truth. However, we can surely come to an agreement to deal with your 'issues' with our management of affairs, we all just need to find some common ground."
"Common ground?" Tucker replied "Alright, I'll give you some fucking common ground." Malcom then started to list his demands to Honest "First; half of you fuckers have to go, and I'm choosing your fucking replacements." The ministers where once again bewildered by this, the thought of losing their positions which they had killed to acquire so easily filled them with terror and anger.
"Second" Malcolm continued, you all listen to my advice, if you make any fucking decisions come to me first before you fucking implement them, follow the fucking line." This demand made Honest shudder; he was so used to having his way that being brought down a peg was a shock to his system.
"And finally," Malcom continued "If any of you fuckers step away from the line, you're fucking out, I'm not standing for a lack of disipline in His Majesty's court, you either act like a fucking minister of the crown, or you're out!" There was another pause, the ministers then talked among themselves before Honest spoke up.
"Mr Tucker" he spoke in a subdued but still pompous manner "We will accept your demands for the moment on behalf of the emperor. However, I am still the Prime Minister, and since I rule on behalf of His Majesty, I have a right to make my own decision independent from you!"
"Alright fine," Malcom replied somewhat dismissively, "Its getting late, and I'm fucking starving, just make sure I know who's out by tomorrow, or it'll be up to me, and you bloody well don't want that."
"Thank you, Mr Tucker" Honest said as he and the Ministers started to leave."
"However!" Malcom spoke again, going back to his stern voice, "If you don't fucking accept my terms, I might just have a we little fucking chat with his Majesty about who is running his empire, and I think that wouldn't be beneficial for any of you, would it now?
"Damn him!" Honest thought, his blood boiled with rage, he realised now that he had to tread carefully around this man, or he would end up like the many ministers he executed before him.
"I understand" Honest said with dejection as he left the throne room with his peers. He heard Malcolm as he returned to speak with the servant, only catching something about a scandal of an army general and embezzling funds. As Honest and the other ministers left the place, a night of conspiracy awaited them as the minister's fought amongst themselves over who should leave the Imperial Court. As Honest sat in his carriage on the way back to his mansion, he felt angry, his position, pride, comfort, and wealth where now under threat from this new, foul-mouthed advisor. However, Honest was not the only one who would come to view Malcolm Tucker as an enemy. On that same night, one of the ministers was assassinated while he slept in his carriage, killed by the very group that would soon set their sights onto Tucker himself. They were the revolutionary band of assassins that struck fear into the hearts of the ruling class of the empire, and they were known as Night Raid.