Assassin's Dream

Prologue

France, post World War III, in the Palace of Versailles

Looking over the daily reports, the emperor sighed contentedly. Crime was down, crops were growing steadily, and more people were off the streets: living in their own homes, and able to support themselves and their families.  After his brother had gone insane and started another world war that had nearly killed off half of his own people, he had taken over and begun the lengthy process of creating his new empire. He smiled grimly. At least their military had been kept strong throughout the war. There was still a few problems to take care of, though. Once his brother and his followers had been accused of using their power to their advantage  and setting the empire up for its downfall, his brother had been publically executed and his followers had been thrown in the castle's infamous dungeons. Nearly full with other thieves, murderers, and petty criminals that all needed cells of their own, he was running out of options. He did use the newer jail that had been built 30 years ago, but it was filled almost to its maximum. Building another dungeon or jail would take too long and cost a pretty penny, but he just couldn't release the less-dangerous ones back into the streets.

The emperor was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't hear the approach of his advisor until he stood right next to his desk chair.

"Gods preserve me, Cormack! You need to wear a noise-maker of some sort to announce when you walk into a room, so I save myself from having a heart attack!"

The man bowed hastily and began to speak. "My apologies, sire. Had it not been so urgent a matter I might have knocked on the door until you came to your senses. How are the reports today, sire?" He glanced up at his emperor expectantly.

"They tell of the kingdom's well-being and that we have no pressing affairs to take care of. Your inventions have worked marvelously - what was the name of the latest one? Ah yes, the cloak of invisibility! It works marvelously for the spies we place in the Lower Cities. And, if I hadn't seen how it works for myself, I would say it was magic at work! Inventions aside, I believe you had something important to report?"

"Thank you, sire. I only work for the betterment of the empire. And because I am your most loyal servant, I have been thinking day and night about our latest conundrum. Just an hour ago I believe I came up with the perfect solution." He stood up from inspecting a trinket on the emperor's desk and faced him.

The emperor sprang from his desk chair and began pacing around the room. "Have you really, Cormack? Could your plan actually work? Would those infidels be cleansed from my dungeons?"

Cormack stood up straighter than he had been before. "Yes sire, I have thought out the whole thing very carefully. Our solution comes in the form of a game show - like series of tests. The prisoners in the cells have surely bonded with some of their jail-mates, so I figured that the most dangerous and willing to fight will be given an alternative to their immediate deaths: to join this game. They will be separated into groups of four people each, with each person having a unique skill to add to the group. There will be 20 groups in total. We will create an environment of sorts, a 'field of play' if you will, for them to compete in. I was thinking we could make a playing field at each of our empire's greatest cities. Before the first round starts, all of the contestants will be clothed and given a backpack with some supplies in it. Then they will be allowed to take 2 weapons of their choice from our armory. As for where they will stay...each round of the games will last anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks at most. Around the playing field, campsites will be strategically set up with running water, an outdoor latrine, tents to sleep in, and enough food to last a team for a week. We will send drones to replenish it, if needed. If a team makes it through the callenges set before them during a round, the teams that have not lost any members will be removed from the area. While at the campsites, the teams will be banned from attacking the other contestants."

"By the gods, you've worked it all out! I have just one question: you said that each team that has all of its members alive at the end of a challenge will be removed from the field of play. What happens if one of the members is killed in the midst of the battles?" The emperor returned to his seat and began jotting down notes, while Cormack flipped through a book he had selected from one of the bookshelves by the window.

"The people remaining on the umcomplete teams will become strategically-placed obstacles for the remaining teams. They can have a wide variety of jobs to accoplish; such as poisoning food/water supplies of an unsuspecting team, sneaking up or capturing straggelers, setting traps on the well-used paths, or engaging in hand-to-hand combat with any of the remaining contestants during daylight hours."

"This shall go into effect immediately! We will work out the details later, but these games will be held once every 3 years, with the destination of the first challenge being the capitol. The first game shall start in 2 months time...there is so much to prepare for -" He was cut off abruptly when Cormack dropped the book he had been holding onto a nearby table, and turned to look at him. 

"Although the concept is not finalized, sire, you need to relax. It will all come together if it is meant to be. One thing, sire: what will we call this game?"

The men pondered what to call their latest development. After a few moments, the emperor looked up and uttered the two words that would change the lives of his subjects forever. 

"Assassin's Dream."