106 Downfall of the Asurai

In a dimly lit dining room in Brumau, several high profile people had gathered for a meeting. At the head of the table sat the Barron, the current leader of Brumau. Around the table were other notable people that ran Brumau from the shadows, people that the Barron himself had picked.

The Barron was a big, heavyset man with a trimmed goatee. At the moment he was sipping on a glass of wine as he inspected some documents that had been placed before him. After a few minutes, he looked up at the rest of the people at the table and spoke.

"How are preparations for the defence tonight?"

"Everything is ready sir. The wave is judged to be about mid sized so the current allotment for defence is plenty," replied the person sitting to his left. This man had a shield emblem on his lapel.

The Barron nodded, then fell silent for a moment.

"There was another Kreppelin that came in today. Anything I should know?"

Another person at the table with a sail emblem responded, "Just more mercenaries. Flame Scorpions from the Exile Frontier. They were well geared so they should be useful in the defence."

"Good. What about the Asurai clan. Are they still alive?" asked the Barron.

A third person sporting an eye emblem replied, "Yes sir, they are still alive. The latest report shows that they are taking casualties and have made requests for reinforcements."

The Barron grunted. "Keep watch on them. If they try to escape, send in the Wolves. The least they can do is die with dignity."

"Understood sir."

The Barron finished off his wine, then looked around the table. "Anything else?"

The person wearing the eye emblem spoke again, "There has been some activity from some of the personnel we marked for surveillance sir."

The Barron looked at him sharply, "What kind of activity?"

"We are not sure sir," replied the man. "All we know is that they have been more active than usual."

"Find out what they are planning," said the Barron. "I want to know their every move."

"Yes sir," came the reply.

"If there is nothing else, you are dismissed." said the Barron as he stood up.

The rest of the people at the table stood as well and bowed to the Barron, then filed out of the room.

As the people left the room, one of them, the stocky man with a shield emblem on his lapel, called out to one of the others, "Watch, a word if you will?"

The man he called out to was a lanky, older man with the eye emblem on his lapel.

"What can I do for you Guard," asked Watch when the two of them were alone.

The two of them were not using their real names when they spoke to each other. The Barron had designated titles for them and put them in charge of certain aspects of the town's management. Guard was in charge of defending the town and coordinating the defence against the beast tide. Watch was in charge of the Barron's spies and subterfuge, as well as keeping track of information.

Guard looked around for a moment then asked, "That Asurai clan, you are keeping an eye on them personally?"

Watch shook his head, "I am not, but I have one of my best men on the task."

"The chieftain of the Asurai clan has a blade that I want. After they... expire, could you have your man recover it for me?" asked Guard eagerly. "There will be payment of course."

"I will let him know," replied Watch. "But I will not have him put in danger. Only if he has a chance of recovering this blade will he act, understand?"

"Yes yes, I understand. The blade is unique, it is made from a blue metal that should be easy enough to spot. The sooner he can recover it the better," said Guard as he rubbed his hands together.

"Yeah I got it. Why do you even want it?" asked Watch.

Guard's eyes lit up when he heard the question. "Well, as you know, the Asurai clan is one of the oldest clans in all of Frenach. In fact, I have discovered that they are one of the original four clans that settled here in Frenach thousands of years ago! Out of those four clans, only the Asurai clan remains, for now at least. That blade I spoke of is rumored to be the last relic that remains from the original generation of the Asurai clan. I am simply interested in the manufacturing process that was used to make it, and what the blade is made of."

Watch chuckled at Guard's enthusiasm. "I get it, you will have the blade if there is an opportunity for it."

"Thank you! I will have the payment ready!" Guard said as he practically ran off with excitement.

Watch also made his way out, shaking his head at his colleague's enthusiasm. He had not known that the Asurai clan had such a history. He thought they had only been another group of traditionalists left over from some cult. Turns out they actually were one of the original clans.

It was well known that the Barron did not get along with the chieftain of the Asurai clan. In fact, the barron had taken his current position as owner of Brumau after defeating the Asurai chieftain. If he remembered correctly, the Asurai had been in Brumau for many years, and had attempted to gain ownership of the town several times only to fail.

Watch found himself wondering if the Asurai clan was hiding any other relics besides the blade. The Barron had put them in a rather compromising situation, forcing them to defend a gap in the Bulwark with no reinforcements or supplies, so it was only a matter of time until they were completely wiped out. If they had more relics, he would have to let his men know to recover them after they were dead.