Converging Destinies: Part 1

Chapter 35

       Eris and Cedric went to the girls' room, where they found everyone else.

       "Alright, how did it go?" Zerai asked.

       "For me it went smoothly, for him it didn't go as well, but, he's here and all of the ships are burnt down." Eris explained.

       "Did anyone see you?" Zerai asked Cedric, he nodded.

       "Okay, you're gonna have to be careful when you're walking out in public tomorrow. Or, preferably don't go out at all unless it's to the woods. Now, the public will only think of this as some brigand burning a few ships down. But, the slaver's guild will know that it was a direct attack on them. Anticipate a higher guard presence as a result. The local government won't have any easy way of contacting Aaronsworth for aid. So, now we have to initiate the second phase of the plan." Zerai explained.

       "Which is what?" Ara' Sei asked.

       "This next phase is going to involve head on combat, so be ready for that. Now, we should raid their armory. It's a place where they keep weapons, torture devices, and other... tools. The goal of this is to deplete their supply of weapons, which further weakens them." Zerai answered.

       "Do you know what the next move after this is?" Eris asked.

       "After this, it would be cutting them off from their last source of money, which is the local government, most likely by creating animosity between the two." Zerai said.

       "Do you know how?" Eris asked again. Zerai shook his head. Eris pondered deep in thought for a while.

       "Wait... we have the seal of a powerful member of the local government. If I had some sealing wax and some fancy ink, it's possible I could forge a contract from Aria. Maybe while we're raiding the armory I could drop it on the way out. Then they would find it, and think that we were contracted by Aria." Eris said. Zerai's eyes lit up.

       "That's a great idea! Aria is their greatest sponsor, and so building animosity between her and the slaver's guild would be a great idea." Zerai said excitedly.

       "Okay, so, a quick question. How are we going to destroy all of the stuff in the armory?" Cedric asked.

       "I think we could probably do it the same way we destroyed the ships. Your fire is an invaluable resource." Zerai answered.

       "I could help with that." Ara' Sei added.

       "So, when are we gonna take the fight to them?!" Ella asked loudly.

       "We can't do it tomorrow, the town guards will be on high alert from the ships being burnt. The day after, there will be less guards, and the slavers will have to fight us themselves." Zerai said.

       "I'm sorry if this is intrusive, but Zerai. How do you know so much about the slaver's guild?" Cedric asked. Zerai's dazzling eyes stared off into space for a moment. Then, he sighed.

       "Well, I suppose now is just as good a time as any. I think it's time I told you all my story."