November 1, 10 ATC

Port Anderssen, Viceroyalty of Checkmate, Principality of Monochrome

When Coronam and the Mask arrived in Port Anderssen, they were expecting no welcome. They knew that fanfare would draw much unneeded attention. But they expected something, anything. An escort at least, to take them unnoticed through unfamiliar territory. When they arrived at port and found nobody at all had come to meet them, they were chagrined.

"Do you see anyone?" Coronam asked. He tried to whisper, but it came out in a breathy, but noticeable voice. The Mask sighed.

"If I did, I would point them out, wouldn't I?" he responded. "And for both of our sakes, can you learn how to whisper?"

Coronam grumbled. "Don't get your feathers all ruffled," he said. "I'm not the one wearing a very conspicuous mask. You know you can take that off anytime."

"I'd really rather not," the Mask said.

Coronam huffed. "If you insist."

After a few more moments, the dock emptied of the other passengers, leaving the pair alone on the docks. Once they were alone, a man emerged from the shadows, wearing a dark purple cloak.

"Can we help you?" Coronam said. His hand instinctively went to his sword. The cloaked figure laughed, betraying a deep baritone voice.

"So skittish," he commented. "Relax. I am a friend." The man pulled back his hood, revealing a youthful face and a head of jet black hair. The Mask began laughing.

"Ah, Hozack, I presume," the Mask said. "Forgive him. He is not used to this kind of work."

"You already know my name?" Hozack asked.

"Well, now I do," the Mask said, "but I had a feeling. You're the spitting image of your grandfather."

"He'd be flattered to hear that," Hozack said, and he smiled. "Ah, but where are my manners?" He extended a hand to Coronam. "King Coronam, I presume?"

"You presume correctly," Coronam said, and he shook Hozack's hand. "But we had best get going. I don't want negotiations to take all night."

"I doubt they will, but, as you please," Hozack said. Here, follow me. I know a quicker way to get to the mansion."

Hozack led them down the riverbank, to what appeared to be a sewer grate. As they approached, Coronam wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"You mean to take us through the sewers?" he asked. Hozack laughed and shook his head.

"It may seem that way, but no," Hozack said. "I certainly can't be seen with two of the Church's most wanted criminals. Even so, I wouldn't drag you or myself through sewers." He moved his hands around the grate, looking for the right spot, and found it. He twisted the fourth bar, and the grate swung open like a door. Hozack threw his arms up in the air, as if awaiting applause.

"If it isn't sewers, what is it?" the Mask asked. They walked through, and Hozack closed the grate behind them.

"They are escape tunnels," Hozack said. "Disguised as sewer runoffs."

"And you would show these to outsiders?" the Mask asked. As they rounded a corner, Coronam scanned the tunnels behind them, making sure that they would not be ambushed.

Hozack chuckled yet again. "Oh, I don't object to it," he said. "We have two dozen all around my grandfather's estate. You two knowing about one or two won't make him or me lose any sleep."

"That's a comfort," the Mask replied. Coronam continued scanning other tunnels for possible ambushers. Hozack ignored their suspicion, and they continued the rest of the way in silence.

After some time, they emerged from a mausoleum. From what they could see of their surroundings, they were inside a walled compound, in the middle of a large courtyard. Finely trimmed shrubberies and a few benches lined the dirt paths, and they could see the torchlight of the mansion patrolmen through the darkness. Hozack closed the door of the mausoleum entrance behind him and gestured to the mansion around them.

"Welcome," Hozack announced, "to Alekhine Manor."

"It's much more modest than I expected from a Viceroy," Coronam said. "That's a compliment, mind you."

"Tell that to my grandfather," Hozack said. "I didn't build the place. Come, he's waiting for us."

The pair followed Hozack through the gardens and into the manor. The manor was as modest as the courtyard, but nothing to scoff at. Tasteful portraits of old family members adorned the walls, and most of the paint had a silver trim to it, but other than that, nothing in particular drew their attention.

They arrived in a foyer, which was more finely decorated than the hallways. Hozack gestured to the velvet ottoman in front of a warm fire.

"Take a seat, gentlemen," he said. "We'll be with you shortly." He went down a hall, leaving Coronam and the Mask in front of the fireplace.

"They're quite hospitable," Coronam said. He took a seat on the ottoman and crossed his legs. "Nice of them to set out a fire for us. It's damn cold outside."

"I find them suspicious," the Mask said. He took a seat next to Coronam. "Hozack is trying too hard."

"You're too cynical," Coronam said.

"You aren't suspicious?" the Mask asked. "I would've figured that a ruler like you would always be alert. How else can you guarantee your safety?"

"Alert, yes," Coronam said. "But not suspicious. If I'm suspicious of every ally I have, how can I ever make friends? Trust is the heart of leadership; trust in your allies and trust in your subordinates. It took me a long time to learn that lesson, but I'm better for it."

The Mask turned away and looked at the fire. "Perhaps," he muttered.

A moment later, a door opened and they heard conversation from down the hall. Both Coronam and the Mask looked down the hallway and saw three men coming down the hall.

"—invest in this," one said as he came into earshot. He was tall and had slick blonde hair and a goatee to match. "Too much risk, especially for me."

"Who is that?" Coronam asked.

"Topiary Moogle," the Mask answered. "A banker from Eclipse. His family has run the state's banks for generations. He's the head of the family now."

Another man came out from behind him. He was shorter, with multiple scars and an eyepatch decorating his hairless head. "Well, there's no other way for me," he said, speaking with an unfamiliar accent. "The current laws are choking my trade routes. If this keeps up, I'll die a pauper!"

"And him?" Coronam asked again.

"Yargama Frag," the Mask answered. "He's from the riverlands out east, beyond the caldera. He controls the trade of foreign goods in and out of the Subreddit."

Coronam squinted. "What's he doing here, then?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," the Mask said.

Finally, as they walked into the room, a third man emerged from the group. He looked like Hozack, though several decades older, and he carried himself with a cunning finesse. Coronam didn't have to ask; they both knew it was Sphinx.

"Gentlemen, please," Sphinx said. "I will find a way to reconcile both of your interests. In the meantime, go to the guest quarters and get some rest." He turned to Coronam and the Mask. "I have other business to attend to."

"As you wish," Topiary said. He and Yargama Frag walked out the door without another word or glance in the visitors' direction. As the door closed behind them, Sphinx looked at them and smiled.

"My friends, you are finally here," he said. "I am sorry if I kept you waiting. Please, come with me to my office."

"Much obliged," Coronam said. He and the Mask walked down the hall behind Sphinx and turned into a spacious office. In the center was a beautiful mahogany desk with four chairs around it, and on the sides of the room were numerous cabinets and bookshelves. Two large windows illuminated the room with moonlight and cast an eerie shadow on Sphinx's face. Sphinx took a seat at his desk and beckoned for his guests to do the same.

"Now gentlemen," he said. "I am glad you are here. Shall we continue with the pleasantries or shall we cut to the chase?"

At that moment, Hozack closed the doors of the room behind them, shrouding the room in darkness. The Mask glanced at Coronam and then back to Sphinx.

"Cut to the chase?" the Mask said. "How do you mean?"

"You have come to us with a proposition of an alliance, yes?" Sphinx asked. Hozack came up and stood behind them. "Well, we have already made up our minds."

"Are you going to capture us?" Coronam asked. "I'm required to ask, at this point."

Sphinx merely laughed. "Oh, heavens no! Did I give that impression?" He leaned back in his chair, a mischievous smile on his face. "If I wanted to do that, I had plenty of opportunities to do so. At the docks, in the tunnels, in the gardens. Even right now, if I wanted to. But I have no such intent."

"Then what do you intend?" the Mask asked. He was clearly irritated with Sphinx's games.

"To support you," Hozack interrupted. Sphinx sighed.

"Hozack, please," he said. "Don't get ahead of yourself." He turned back to his visitors. "We are willing to lend you our help, of course, but we will need some things in return."

Coronam shifted in his seat. "Such as?"

"Immunity," Sphinx said. "For my cooperation with the regime."

"What cooperation?" the Mask asked. "It was Onyzyon who pledged to Inferno, not you."

"That is true," Sphinx said. He steepled his fingers. "But recently I have received a special invitation to Jannis's court. I am part of his inner circle now."

"His inner circle?" Coronam asked, now clearly intrigued. "That's excellent. You can give us targets, strategies, opportunities for—"

"Slow down," Sphinx said. "That can all be yours, yes, but I need you to promise me what I ask for." Coronam nodded and sat back down.

"As I was saying, I need immunity. And I need a guarantee that Nitesco will not try to democratize any part of Monochrome. He can have Onyzyon and his family, but I need Monochrome whole."

"So that you can take it over when he is imprisoned," the Mask observed. Sphinx shrugged.

"Perhaps," he said. "But my further interests are none of your concern. All I need you to agree to are those two things. Anything else I decide I want, I will negotiate with Nitesco."

"And in exchange," Coronam said, "you will provide us with spies, information, and military access."

"Of course," Sphinx said. "And a few of my troops as well, but not enough for Onyzyon to notice their absence. So, do we have a deal?"

"One more thing," the Mask said. "I would like your grandson to accompany us."

Hozack and Sphinx exchanged glances. "Whatever for?" Hozack asked.

"Well," the Mask said. "I find that communication is so much easier when you have somebody who knows what they're doing with you. Hozack should be well acquainted with your grandfather's contacts, yes?"

"That is a fair assumption," Hozack said tersely.

"I would like someone from your house to accompany us, to ensure that the resources you lend us operate at maximum efficiency. I would say you, Sphinx, but you must keep up appearances with Jannis, and I assume that Hozack's parents are…"

"Dead," Hozack confirmed. The Mask nodded.

"A pity. But that leaves only him to come along." He looked from Hozack to Sphinx, scrutinizing them.

"Coronam?" Sphinx asked. Coronam nodded.

"I like that idea," he said softly. "I feel it would guarantee the full cooperation of your resources."

"I am willing to go, grandfather," Hozack said. "Have no fear. I will make sure everything runs smoothly."

"As you please," Sphinx said. "Now, if that's all we have to discuss?"

"That is all," Coronam said. "I believe my associate has contacts in this city that will escort Hozack to where he needs to be."

"And where would that be?" Hozack asked.

"Enabler," the Mask said. "I will send you to Contramundi. You will coordinate with Austin and Nitesco by falcon. Rest assured that Contramundi has the resources to do that."

"And where will you gentlemen go now?" Hozack asked.

"Let us worry about that," the Mask said. "In the meantime, you should come with us. Show us the best places in town."

"If you insist," Hozack said. He turned to Sphinx and gave a small bow. "Farewell, grandfather,"

"Goodbye, Hozack," Sphinx said. "Mask. Coronam. It's been a productive meeting."

"For us both," Coronam said. "Good night, Viceroy. It's been a pleasure." Hozack was escorted out by the Mask and Coronam, and Sphinx was left alone in his office.

He heard the bookshelf in the back corner of his office creak and groan before the secret door behind it finally opened. Topiary Moogle and Yargama Frag emerged, both wearing concerned expressions.

"They are more astute than we estimated," Topiary said. He stroked his goatee. "Perhaps gambling on them is a mistake."

"The die is cast," Yargama commented. "We must follow through."

"Yargama is right," Sphinx said. "We cannot back out now. My grandson is committed."

"We could've played our hand better," Topiary said. Yargama grumbled.

"We all stand to benefit from this," Yargama said. "This is in our common interests. Just because your banks would take a hit doesn't mean it isn't a good plan."

Topiary huffed. "That's not what I'm—"

"Stop arguing," Sphinx said. "The decision's been made." He paused. "Go ahead, Mr. Moogle. You sound like you have something to add."

"We've secured the League's support," Topiary said. "But unless we can cripple the Church all at once, it will not matter. Can you immobilize the Church's leaders?"

"I can," Sphinx said. "Yargama, please inform Representative Psiah to limit the Church leaders' movements in Bumblebee. Make it as difficult as possible for them to travel. An immobile leadership is a vulnerable leadership."

"As you command," Yargama said.

"And what would you have me do?" Topiary asked.

"Return to Eclipse," Sphinx said. "Continue investing. Keep the money flowing. Let me handle the rest."

"As you wish, my lord," Topiary said. Sphinx beckoned for them to leave, and they walked into the secret passage, closing the door behind them and leaving Sphinx with his thoughts.

November 2, 10 ATC

Crouchback Village, Occupied Lancaster

Austin paced back and forth while watching her men do drills. Her soldiers danced back and forth across the field, swinging their axes and swords and stabbing their spears. They ducked and rolled, swung and riposted. And despite the fact that she had been drilling them nonstop since Coronam arrived, they were still sloppy and inefficient.

On the dirt path behind her, she heard footsteps. Nitesco walked up beside her and stopped to watch the drills.

"How goes it?" he asked, knowing full well how badly it was going. Austin shook her head as a soldier in the field accidentally speared the ground on one of his thrusts.

"They've been complacent for too long," Austin said. "They've been manning garrisons and doing patrols, sure. But they aren't prepared for battle yet."

"Discipline was always going to be a problem," Nitesco said. "Our allies took all the troops that survived to protect their own borders. The ones that stayed were generally not the ones they wanted."

"I know that," Austin said. "But—still! Our plans mean nothing if we don't have the capability of executing them."

"Don't string yourself out," Nitesco gently chided. He patted her on the shoulder. "We'll find a way. And if Coronam and the Mask get us allies, we may not need our own soldiers to bolster our fronts."

"Yes," Austin sighed. "I suppose."

"Come on, "Nitesco said. "Give them a ten minute break and let's go get something to drink. I'm parched."

"Alright," Austin said. She turned to the field of soldiers. "Ten minute break, all of you! Nobody try and sneak out, either, I'm taking a head count when I get back!"

The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief and set down their weapons as Austin and Nitesco walked away. Nitesco shook his head.

"Perhaps you're right about the discipline," Nitesco said.

Austin chuckled. "I'm always right, aren't I?"

"Don't push it," Nitesco said, but he laughed.

When they arrived at the storehouse where the drinks were kept, they were surprised to see that Kazehh was already there. He was sitting on a crate in front of the door, sipping a cask of mead.

"Kazehh?" Nitesco asked. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be guarding Opifexa and Alfonse?"

"I am," Kazehh said, and he sipped his mead with a smug smile. "They're both inside, talking with some man from Nuts and Dolts."

"Nuts and Dolts?" Austin asked. Kazehh nodded.

"He said to tell you that the Mask contacted him," Kazehh explained. "But that's all. The rest you can discuss with him."

"Thanks, Kazehh," Nitesco said. "Don't get too drunk; you still have a job to do."

"Too drunk?" Kazehh asked. He drained the cask of mead and began on another. "Not after one or two. I have a job to do, like you said."

"Of course," Austin muttered. She and Nitesco entered the storehouse and saw Opifexa and Alfonse sitting and talking to a man neither of them knew. He was tall and wore heavy armor. His face was serious, and his brown hair was matted against his head. When Austin and Nitesco came into the room, he ran his hand along his poorly shaved face and leaned back in this chair.

"It seems I finally get to meet our commanders," the man said. "Forgive me for not coming to you directly. I thought I would get to know this little outpost first."

Austin pursed her lips. "And who might you be?"

"I am Various," the man said, flourishing his hand dramatically. "And I have been sent to help you by our mutual friend, the Mask."

"Quite a few interesting war stories," Opifexa said. "Did you know he fought in the Third Shipping War?"

"Will you tell us more stories another time?" Alfonse asked. Various, despite himself, grinned.

"Sure," he said. "But I have to work now. It's been a pleasure, both of you." He gave a small bow to Opifexa and Alfonse before walking out.

"Are you coming?" he barked to Austin and Nitesco. Nitesco groaned and followed, beckoning for Austin to follow too.

"So," Austin said. "You fought in the Third Shipping War."

"I did indeed," Various said with a hint of pride. "Twenty-six years ago, I fought my first battle."

"And which battle was that?" Nitesco said. "As far as I know, there were few battles in Nuts and Dolts until the end of the war."

"Oh, there were a few on the borders," Various said. "Around the middle of the war, King Inferno CLXV decided to try and invade my country. At the time I was seventeen years old, looking forward to the day I could enlist. Turns out, the war came to me."

"How did that happen?" Austin asked.

"The Crossharish forces struck first at my hometown, Andruid. We sat between a large ridge and a river, so if they were to resist being flanked, they needed to take us first. Unfortunately, most of the men were away in the war, so I was one of the few fit fighters there.

"When a messenger came and informed us that the forces were encroaching on our town, there was a panic. The nearest garrison could not mobilize in time to help us. When the mayor heard, he locked himself in his house and refused to come out. So I took matters into my own hands. I helped a few other men round up as many men as we could. We convinced them that we needed to stand together to have any hope of survival, and so we built barricades around the town, we practiced defensive strategies, and we stockpiled as many supplies as we could. When the invaders finally came, we were ready."

"And you repulsed the legions of men sent to invade?" Austin asked, clearly skeptical. Various cocked his head and smirked.

"Believe it or not, we did," he said triumphantly. "For two weeks, we held out, until the garrison finally arrived. And since I was the only surviving leader of this effort, I was declared a war hero."

"And now you're back from retirement?" Nitesco asked. "What for?"

"Because people like Jannis and Zissman are all pieces of shit," Various declared. "They are a threat to peace and a threat to our freedom. Also, the Mask promised me I'd get the first pick of the Church treasury."

Austin sighed. "I'm glad he consulted us on this."

Various smirked. "Relax, I'm only taking what would look good on my mantle. It's just for trophies and keepsakes."

"But why you?" Nitesco asked. "Not to sound rude, but what can you do for us that any other old war hero can't?"

"I'm forty-three," Various said, chagrined. "I am not that old. And besides, instilling discipline is one of my skills."

"Discipline?" Austin asked.

They rounded a corner and saw that the soldiers they had been drilling were now languishing in the fields. Various pointed at the soldiers disappointedly.

"There," he said. "You run a leaky ship, I see."

"We see your point," Nitesco said. "We'd be happy to let you take over drilling the men while we plan."

"Then that is what I shall do," Various said. "I look forward to working with you. I sense this will be a very… interesting partnership." He turned his attention to the field and began bearing down on the lazy soldiers. Almost as soon as he arrived, his demeanor completely changed: he began cursing and belittling anyone in sight, and the soldiers hastily took up their weapons and resumed drilling on his command.

"Well, he certainly has a knack for, uh, instruction," Nitesco said.

"Bit of a prick," Austin commented.

"Perhaps," Nitesco said. "But at least he's on our side now."

"Do you think having him around will help?" Austin asked. She turned to look at Nitesco. "Do you think he'll help us pull an invasion of the Church off?"

"Well, he certainly can't hurt," Nitesco said. "Come on. Let's leave him to his work. We have work of our own to do."

"I suppose," Austin said. She glanced one more time at Various and the soldiers in the field before turning to follow Nitesco.