While Lux and Nevreal were talking in private, Lucius was inside his Merchant Guild, and checking the reports from his subordinates that were currently in other towns and cities of the Kingdom of Gweliven.
Truth be told, the Guildmaster of Twilight Rain had also ordered him to try and find a way to make Aina work for them.
However, the doll-like beauty was unmovable like a mountain. Lucius had sent many disposable pawns in order to try and negotiate with her, but her answer was always no.
This annoyed Lucius very much.
There was a saying in Twilight Rain that if they couldn't have something, they would just destroy it.
But before moving ahead with that last resort, they decided to use the age-old tactic of using Aina's sister as hostage, in order to make her submit to their will.
Just as Lucius placed the last document in his hand on the table, a knock was heard on the door of his office.
"Come in," he ordered.
A Dwarf with brown hair, who looked battle-hardened entered the room with steady steps. He was none other than Ferron, Lucius' right-hand man and bodyguard.
"Nevreal arrived in Whitebridge City half an hour ago," Ferron reported. "Are you really sure that you want to meet up with him?"
"Of course," Lucius replied. "He is very close to the King, and I want to know what he wants from me. My only concern is why he contacted that country bumpkin, Sam, instead of talking to me directly. I didn't think that they were acquainted."
"This is true," Ferron agreed. "Maybe he didn't think that Sam had what it takes to collaborate with him, so he decided to talk to someone with more experience and influence, such as yourself."
"I always like flattery," Lucius grinned. "Especially coming from you, Ferron. However, we shouldn't let our guard down. Make sure to have our Elite Guards watching the surroundings while Nevreal and I talk. I don't want surprises, especially surprises that might get me killed."
Ferron nodded. "I'll stay by your side and have Rankers surround the building. That way, we can handle any kind of unexpected surprises."
At around two in the afternoon, a messenger arrived to give Nevreal a letter that came from Lucius.
The name of the meeting place was written there. After seeing the name of the location, a smile appeared on Lux's face.
"This Tavern is one of the gathering places for the members of Twilight Rain," Lux said. "It seems that you are heading inside the Lion's Den."
Nevreal frowned, but he wasn't afraid. Although he was only an Initiate that didn't mean that anyone could bully him. As one of the individuals who had a High-Ranking position in the Kingdom of Gweliven, he possessed several artifacts that could kill Rankers.
"Draven, come," Lux ordered.
Immediately, the Half-Elf's shadow moved and transformed into the Shadow Lord, who almost made Nevreal jump in fright.
"Y-You!" Nevreal stuttered as he patted his chest. "Can you not do things that will give me a heart attack?"
"Sorry, but I want to ensure that someone can help you escape when things get messy," Lux apologized. "This here is my subordinate, Draven. He can travel using shadows. As long as he is with you, I will be able to see, and hear, everything around you.
"Depending on the situation, I will immediately conduct a raid. All you need to do, Sir Nevreal, is make sure you escape as fast as you can, so that you don't get caught in the crossfire."
Nevreal nodded. "When things get dicey, I will not hesitate to teleport back to the Capital City. When I return, I will bring High-Rankers with me and help clean the aftermath."
Once their plan had been established, Draven merged with Nevreal's shadow, making the middle-aged Dwarf feel a little safer knowing that an ally was watching over him.
"Remember, prioritize your safety," Lux stated. "All you need to do is buy me some time to encircle the place, and prevent anyone from escaping. Robin will stay here, since this is one of the safest places in the city."
Robin, who was listening quietly on the side, nodded his head in understanding. This was an operation of great importance, so he didn't want to get in the way, and jeopardize Lux's plan.
When everything was ready, Nevreal left the Inn and headed towards the Black Horse Tavern, where he was going to meet up with Lucius.
While this was going on, three adult Dwarves appeared at the Teleportation Gate of Whitebridge City. One of these Dwarves had red hair, and an intimidating face that was enough to make babies cry the moment they saw him.
He was none other than Harrus, the leader of the Rankers that tried to kidnap Princess Anastasia not long ago.
The Brawler was summoned to the city by Lucius for another matter, which concerned the Dark Guild greatly.
There had been sightings of a Seven-Headed Monster at the Northern Regions of the Kingdom of Gweliven, and Twilight Rain wanted to know if this was the same monster that had erased Wolfpine Barony from the face of the world.
If so, they would do their best to have a talk with its Master, so that they could become allies.
A powerful monster capable of destroying entire cities was something that greatly interested the Guildmaster of Twilight Rain.
If they could make it their ally then they would have a Trump Card that would make their conquest of the Kingdom of the Dwarves much easier.
"Harrus, while we're here, why don't we deal with that rude Guildmaster that rejects our Leader's good will?" One of the Rankers asked. "I'm sure that once we break her arm or leg, she will be more willing to have a proper dialogue with us."
Harrus snorted after hearing his subordinate's proposal.
"We didn't come here for that," Harrus replied. "The Slayers are already moving to make that brat submit. It is only a matter of time before she kneels and begs our Guildmaster to make her his servant."
"Tsk!" The other Ranker clicked his tongue. "Such a killjoy. I'm just saying that things will get resolved faster if we handle it on our own, rather than an Assassin that is still wet behind the ears."
Harrus ignored the Dwarf's complaint and walked with steady steps towards the Black Horse Tavern where Lucius was waiting for his arrival.
After his failed attempt to capture Princess Anastasia, Harrus received a lot of ridicule from his comrades, making him feel like killing people.
However, since it was indeed a fact that his carefully planned mission failed, he had no choice but to accept responsibilities and be demoted from his position.
Even so, the Guildmaster of Twilight Rain still held Harrus in high regard. Because of this, some of the important tasks were still handed to him.
This was the Guildmaster's way of letting Harrus redeem himself, and the red-headed Dwarf was quite thankful for the trust given to him.
Little did he know that the same person that had gotten in his way was also present in Whitebridge City, and was currently targeting one of their Honorary Elders, whom he was about to meet very soon.
