Prologue - A Bloody Diplomat

Prologue

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To be a spymaster is to be a spider;

Weaving a web of traitors and liars.

Dangerous and essential,

But who would cry if it dies?

- The Handbook Of Espionage, Verse 23

Poison is not the weapon of a coward, it is the weapon of someone who values their life.

- Chloe DiCaprici, Renowned Spymaster

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King Oscar trembled on his ornate throne, whimpering. The throne itself was a beautiful construction of wrought gold and precious gems, and it was a symbol of power and authority. Tonight, however, it offered scant sanctuary. The King was by no means a small man, and was in fact tall, well built, and trained in the sword. However, you never would would have guessed it from his current cringing submissiveness. The reason for his terror stood calmly in front of him, an easy grin across his face.

"What?" Leon asked, vivid green smoke rising off him and bleeding from his eyes. His long cream colored diplomats cloak was marred by vivid splashes of blood, and he tossed the constricting garb aside.

He wore simple clothes underneath; rough leather pants belted over a tan tunic, the clothes of the middle class. Oscar knew, however, that he was no middle class citizen. The silver pendant of the Queens Draconian Corp glinted at the nape of this throat.

His face was lightly tanned, and white-blond hair framed his sharp visage. His age could have been approximated around the 18 range, but he was athletic, and had shown to have whipcord strength. His eyes were also colored the same electric, poisonous shade of emerald.

"You look like you've seen a ghost!" Leon remarked, calmly wiping the lifeblood of 20 men off his blade. The vapor rising from him looked like a gaseous form of acid, and hissed whenever it met the torches suspended in braziers on the wall.

When he had walked into the hall unannounced he had looked and acted normal. However, when the translucent form of a grinning skull had appeared above him, the strange effects had begun. Then he had unsheathed his sword, and carved a bloody path to the throne. His handpicked Royal Guards, selected from throughout Alastrium for their skill and strength, fell like dominos. Besides the inhuman reflexes and power he displayed, other disturbing happenings had occurred. The Royal Guards appeared weaker, almost withered, and their skin was tinged a sickly gray.

To complete the massacre, scintillating emerald shards had erupted through the floor, shredding the guards. An insatiable bloodlust had appeared to befallen him as he dispatched them with apparent ease.

As Oscar watched in horror, a cloud of the smog drifted over the torch closest to Leon. It enveloped it, and choked it out mercilessly. Then an almost merry green glow sprang from the still smoking stick, and filled the hall with a sickly light. Instead of warmth, however, he felt a shivering sense of cold creep through the hall. The fabulous paintings and lush carpet decorating his great hall seemed duller in the vivid light, as if it was the opposite of a torch.

Leon, by contrast, was further illuminated, and the gory coatings of his sword and jacket were made even more obvious. He stood sideways, half facing the King, continuing the methodical action of cleaning his rapier. The thin spike of a weapon looked as though it would snap in half at the first provocation, but the corpses of his guards lying decimated on the ground attested to its power. Regaining a miniscule bit of courage, Oscar spoke.

"So," he said bitterly, gazing around at the ruin of his foyer. "The diplomatic party was a farce. You never planned to honor the flag of truce." A shocked expression crossed Leon's face, and he gave the King a hurt look.

"We did no such thing!" he protested, with an obviously exaggerated sense of woundedness. "The diplomatic meetings were very successful, and I think the treaty will help both our Kingdoms. The building of a bridge to cross the Ashrya river is a wonderful idea. As for the 'not honoring the truce' part... well, the meetings are over, and technically we have no obligation to remain peaceful." He gave a winning smile to Oscar, which did nothing but anger him.

"Traitorous bastards." Oscar spat. "When Erosia finds out what you've done, your Queendom will be obliterated." Leon pondered this, and nodded in agreement.

"That's very true." he said slowly. "However," and now he turned to face Oscar fully, and there was no trace of a smile on his face. "The Queen requested I leave no one to testify to our crime." With that, he began walking towards the throne, with his now clean sword at hand. "Anyways," he said in an impressed tone. "You chose your Royal Guards well! I haven't had to use Neucromancian in awhile!". Oscar cocked his head to the side slightly, pondering what on Eros he was talking about, but dismissed it. Leon was coming closer still, and with a monumental effort, he took hold of his greatsword with trembling fingers, and raised it before him.

"If I am going to die," he said slowly, eyes fixed on the approaching figure. "I will not die a coward." Leon paused, and gave a little clap.

"Well said, well said." he remarked. Then a grim smile devoid of any actual humor marred his face, and he continued his approach. "Now let's see if you can make good on your brave words, King." In an instant, he had sprinted from the middle of the hall to the foot of the throne, and thrust forward.

Oscar barely managed to parry it away, but to his credit, immediately brought his sword up in an immensely powerful overhand cut. Had the stroke hit the upraised rapier dead on, it would have sheared through it, and kept going to cut Leon almost in half. However, it didn't. Leon calmly slanted his blade to the slide, and instead of meeting a solid resistance, the greatsword slid to the side.

As Oscar stumbled forward, off balance, Leon rotated his sword, and stabbed him, cutting cleanly through the fine suit of chain the King was wearing. Then it continued its inescapable path and pierced Oscars chest, going clean through his ribs.

"You know," Leon remarked in a tone of regret. "Big overhand slashing strokes like that are a terribly inefficient way to kill someone." Oscar could do naught but choke as blood poured into his lungs. As he stared uncomprehendingly at the wound in his chest, he coughed violently, and bent to the floor.

As his sight faded, he looked down and saw a stain of blood on the elaborate carpet beneath his feet. I wonder where that came from? he wondered dimly, as he slid to the ground and his vision went black. Leon stepped back, and wiped off his sword once more. He sighed, and began to pace his way to the exit. "I always get the dirty work." the Queens Spymaster observed, and as his eye color faded back to amber, he let the doors slam shut behind him.

CHARACTER PROFILE UPDATE: LEON

Name: Leon

Position: Royal Spymaster

Age: 18-20

Characteristics: Young, tall, sharp features, strong, passive aggressive

Weapon: Rapier

Skill?: Neucromancian

Deadliness: Extreme