Chapter 267 - Cake's arrival

Chatter filled the station, stopped in the middle with a few passengers, the express train. Onboard, a tattooed lady that waved the moment she stepped off. 

"Hey boss," holding a briefcase, she waved with a smile.

"Hey Cake," cigar thrown in a bin, Staxius helped in carrying some of her luggage.

The gathered crowd dispersed near the entrance, taking a left turn, Claireville town came in view. "This place sure is lively," a comment after having seen the amount of decoration and cheers. 

"Let's get you settled first," the voice tired from not having slept well, a few alleys later, surrounded by a nice yard, an inn. Comfortable with warm colors; it seemed more like a cottage. Though it looked cheap, the price told after stepping inside was 2 Gold per night.

"That's expensive," squinted, Cake tried to see if there had been an error in the pricing.

"No, my lady," voiced the receptionist, "-tis the price we charge for it is at the center of town. Not to mention, we've got an indoor bath, a garden out back, and very comfortable and spacious arrangements."

"Excuse me," voiced Staxius, "-I've but one question?" the gaze as sharp as a knife.

"What may that be, sir?" she returned the gaze without fear. 

"Is this place safe," a vague question at best.

"Yes, very safe," she slid a piece of paper across the counter, "-welcome to Jason's Cottage. I apologize for not saying anything, but this is my assistant, Hae. An ex-member of the assassination sect; it's perfectly suited for hiding out."

"I presume you were told about our arrival?" he asked yet again.

"Not really," she took back the paper, "-the master of the cottage is a very meddlesome person. Thus, orders to keep an eye on a certain individual was given. He'd known that sooner or later, said someone would come by this place; hence the note." 

'Jason sure knows how to give a surprise.' Confused, Cake looked around as if she searched for something lost. "You're going to stay here."

"Oh-" she jumped, "-don't start speaking without notice," startled, she sighed, "-fine."

"We'll take the best room," voiced in a serious tone, Hae nodded and handled the formalities. Up the stairs to the third floor, on which rested four rooms, they headed farther to the back. One secluded and devoid of activity, at the far-right corner. 

"We're here," the door opened. As opposed to having paintings hanging in the corridor, there were wooden logs onto which rested wood carvings and statues. The roof was brown – none would have guessed a place so small on the outside would be this spacious. 

The layout, general without nothing jumping out, the trio walked in. "Lady Cake," Hae whispered as luggage was placed on the bed, "-over here," she gestured.

"What's the matter?" at ease for a member of the assassination sect protected the vicinity, her tone felt friendlier. 

"This room is special," she walked into the toilet.

"Don't tell me," Staxius mumbled, '-there's going to be a secret door behind the shower, I'm sure of it,' as predicted, a door opened. "That bartender, I swear," the head shook.

"Did you say something?" asked Cake.

"Not really, let's just go in," not worth discussing, flickers of blue light came from inside. 

"Welcome to Jason's Cottage, a very special room for very special guest," against the wall, many displays of which had important information. A circular table right behind with couches. "On the wall here," she tapped a button, "-is the control panel. Soundproof thanks to magic, one can toggle barrier whenever desired. Make sure to turn it off when the room has been used. For the most part, it can go run for a week without stop." A few steps later, "-there's also this button here and two lights. One of them is under my control while the other is under yours. It's for an emergency, if something happens to me, then the right one will turn on while the other is for thine use." 

"Intricate for a cottage," she smiled, "-I've got the basic layout. Good to be working with you, Hae," on that, the lady bowed and left.

"I suppose this will be the command center?" 

"Right on, I had no idea that Jason controlled a cottage here," she turned with a curious look.

"I had no idea either," he knew what she wanted to know, "-I just thought that the place was perfect to give out orders. It's a perfect fit for a hideout, cheap looking for expensive. The price makes it only accessible to the rich, not only that, the amount of space at the back is excellent for hiding any unwanted merchandise. Garden as she said, I took a look around yesterday, its nothing like a garden, the trees are big and overpowering. The foliage is so dense the sun is blocked. Might seem annoying, the fact of the matter is that it fits all the requirements," now sat on the couch, he waited.

"Fair enough," her stance relaxed, "-I'll go get the toys, gimmie a second," excited, she hummed and skipped out the room. 

'Yesterday,' the eyes closed, '-flashbacks from the time on the roof.'

"-I know who is responsible for the assassination," the All-seeing eyes worked tirelessly in finding what they thought. 'None of the three knew anything. Rather, their responses were those of utter disgust, they wanted to know who'd done such a thing. My suspicions were right, I couldn't trust them based on prejudice. Normally, I can only work out from what the person feels and translate that into possibilities of thought. Yesterday, the eyes felt more powerful, the symbols of power, I felt it surge, especially Nike's wing.' 

After a rather troublesome exchange, they gave information.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Theodore.

"Shutting down the whole town is a bit extreme," voiced Gallienne in concern.

"Please," Lucy begged, "-do what you wish and find whoever is responsible," her face, fueled by hate, distorted from beautiful to vengeful, "-I'll make sure they suffer." 

"Are you going to be alright?" close, Xula asked with her fingers pinching his sleeves. 

"Yes," with a warm voice, "-the request came from Josiah. I can't well ignore him who has taken care of my daughter. This tournament is important for her as well, tis a stepping stone to her a.d.u.l.thood. It just so happens that the fate of Hidros intertwines with my desire to see my daughter grow," the feeling of woefulness from Lizzie being gone even with Xula bearing the child, never left. A hole in the chest, one that took away the growing compassion towards humans. 

"Whatever the reason is," visibly shaken, "-as Queen of Hidros, I'd like to ask a favor," the words felt as if it didn't want to come. She wanted to cry but was held back by her title.

"Listen to me," hands locked with Xula, he walked closer to Gallienne, "-Queen or no, I care not. I'll help whoever I want," hand placed on her shoulder, "-I'll do whatever I can to handle this situation. Just make sure to cover for me if anything should happen. You're a friend to Arda," the face seemed at ease,"-not to mention that you've grown close to Shanna," he stared his wife gently, "-it wouldn't be nice to let this growing friendship waste."

"King Staxius," bowed Theodore and Lucy, "-we'll help how ever we can." 

"I appreciate it…"

"Wake up," a sharp voice broke the nap. 

"How long was I out for?"

"About twenty minutes," muffled, the voice grew clearer, "-though you need to come to, I've got everything set up." Sat behind screens that changed colors, Cake typed without end. 

"Sorry about that," awake, "-what's the status of the army Karlson was about to send?" 

"Look on the table," she pointed without turning, "-each dot represents one of our agents," they were all around the town. "Next to it is an earpiece, it was made on special orders. Separate from the main network, we can communicate with one another despite the blackout." 

"What about you?" he asked, "-isn't using that interface useless?"

"I've my methods," she turned, "-should I remind you of who I am?" 

"I got it," he stood and took the earpiece, "-any plans yet?" 

"From what you told me; the prince got shot. It could cause chaos; thus, you were asked to silence the affair as stealthily as possible, am I correct?" 

"Yes," he took a seat next to her, data was placed onto a timeline, "-that's why I called on your help, none knows the Shadows better than the Dark-guild."

"It's going to be fun," she smiled, "-let's get working then," everything gathered, assumption excluded, was noted. 

"I see," she thought,"-there's too many improbables." 

"Honestly, priority is shutting off the town, none can escape. Blow up the railway," he said in a serious tone.

"For real?" baffled, she coughed.

"Yes, blow it up; shut it off completely. Not here but close to Rosespire. Karlson should be able to do as much. Since the town has two paths, one leading to the north, towards the capital city and south, to the monster-infested region – any informants will be forced to travel. The ones responsible are here this instant, roaming around with smiles and relishing at the thought of their success."

"I understand," to which orders were sent across, "-we'll make it look like a truck had an accident with the train. As for the people who'll leave – what about them, should we kill them?" 

"No, not now anyway, I doubt the informant will risk standing out. All who came to this event will remain till it's over, there's no doubt about it. They're smart, since the blackout; their guard will be up. Should provide enough time to trace back the events." 

"Hey boss," she paused, "-you sure are amazing."

"Flattery isn't going to get you a raise," he stood, "-I'll head out, can't risk looking suspicious before the crowd. Monitor the populous and keep me informed. Let's show them how scary the Dark-guild can be," with a wave, he teleported to the hospice. 

'The war against snow took a toll, not to mention they killed Boss's daughter. The only thing I can say is this, Renaud, Karlson, Jason, and I, are pissed. Bringing an innocent life into the ways of the underworld is sacrilege. That realm belongs to us, any who tries to disrupt it will pay. Worry not, Shadow, revenge shall come,' hand on keyboard, they began.

'The issue here is Ernis. The assassin thinks he's dead. The populous, however, think that he's alive. I've no idea to go on, the only link so far is that brain control magic. If Ernis were to show up uninjured, it will have two effects, depending on the puppet master. Either, they'll try again and grow careless, or change plans, to attack without being seen,' sat on a metallic chair, he waited beside Ernis' room. 'Now if the prince doesn't show up, the populous will be suspicious but not that concerned. In actuality, that's what they think we'll do, an excuse to say that he's been sent back. What're their motives, blacking out information was the only thing I could come up with. What's the real objective – if it was the prince's death, I doubt that they'll sit idly by, wait,' something clicked, '-why would the marksmen go for the body. In no way would they have wanted to hire someone incompetent. A bullet to the head would have been a simple task, not to mention that it missed every single vital spot. The more I think, the more convoluted this scheme becomes,' he paused, '-think, what if the prince wasn't the only target, what if there's more. A warning, a show of power, a threat – what are the demands, who stands to benefit. Hold on,' instantly, '-what's the succession line for Hidros. What' if Gallienne is to die, I doubt Xula and I are targets. I remember them not having a child, if that's the case, the one closest to her bloodline will get the throne. The only way this makes sense is if it's for a fight for the throne.'