The six of them sat in a tight circle, the booklet resting on the stone between them like a holy text awaiting interpretation.
Charon had opened it minutes ago, but no one had said a word since. It was thicker than he expected, and heavier. Bound with string and worn at the edges, it radiated an unexpected authority in a way few things ever did.
He turned the first page and read aloud, making sure it was clear.
"No code names. We go in as ourselves, using fake identities, but we don’t need to become someone else entirely. It even says to act natural, try and blend in."
Liam muttered in response, reclining back against the stone and folding his arms behind his head.
"I’m not sure I know how to do that. Blending in has never been my strong suit."
Annie cocked an eyebrow.
"You? The man taller than everyone else by a foot, with massive muscles and an axe the size of a building? You definitely blend in wherever you go!"
Charon ignored them, flipping to the second page. It had a crude map marked with three Xs and two sets of coordinates.
"Alright, here we go. First, we head North by two days’ travel. There is a supply cache hidden in some bushes along an old trade road. We’ll find Eastern-style clothing, local currency, and..."
He paused to lean in.
"What I think is a series of documents. Licenses, I expect."
Darius furrowed his brow.
"They have provided us with forged papers? That is... unexpectedly professional. Even for the High Elders, that must have been a challenge."
"There’s also a note that says to memorize the documents and destroy them before we arrive. Seems obvious, if you ask me."
Annie took a deep breath and leaned forward.
"That confirms it, then. They don’t expect us to fail. They expect us to be spies. They’re just too lazy to train us for it."
Emerius took the booklet from Charon’s hands and flipped further ahead. He spoke while tapping the page, his finger rising and falling rhythmically.
"These are points of interest in Ebonclay. Shops, taverns, temples, and even the old political structures. Some of them are circled."
Charon leaned in again and read the header.
"The circles indicate high-value targets. Either because of information they hold, or because they are ideal for sowing discord."
Liam peered over his shoulder.
"Any mention of how exactly we’re supposed to do that? I didn’t pack any dynamite."
Charon took the booklet back and flipped to the next page. It listed suggestions in bullet points.
Incite local conflict between townsfolk and guards.
Sabotage supply lines or water sources.
Create false rumors about the war being lost or approaching armies.
Bring up the former rule by the High Elders.
Cause damage to buildings.
He blinked twice, then passed the book around.
"This is darker than I thought. They’re not just asking us to spy. They want us to dismantle a community."
Emerius didn’t flinch.
"An unexpectedly cruel approach to what we are told is a town of former citizens."
Darius shook his head with disappointment and a hint of judgment.
"That is not our call. These are now the people of the Clayton Republic. Those who have remained in their lands have refused to flee to safety."
Annie nodded her agreement, her arms wrapped around her knees.
"They want chaos, so we will bring chaos."
Charon tilted his head.
"Sure, but that depends on how innocent the town really is."
"For all we know, they could be trapped. We could save them, be the heroes we were meant to be."
The wind rustled the grass, and a flock of birds broke off into the sky somewhere far behind the wall.
Darius turned to Charon and Emerius.
"We are going to have to work together. We can not just each do our own thing. I understand you are new to this land, but this is a group mission, and if one of us screws it up, it puts the rest of us at risk."
He looked around the circle, meeting the gazes of the others as well. They all returned his look with confidence.
Charon took that as a sign to continue, a plan blooming in his head as he considered everyone’s skills.
"Okay. Let’s divide this up. Darius, you’re good with people. Take the merchant angle. You’ll talk to the guards and nobles, get a feel for who’s in charge."
Darius gave a short nod, a wry grin splitting his face as he watched Charon take the lead.
"Red and Emerius can work on rumors. She has her mind powers, and Emerius has the shadows. He can sneak around and gather information alongside her."
Emerius acknowledged him silently.
"Liam, you are big, loud, and flashy. Your best bet will be to draw attention away from the rest of us. Get drunk, cause a fight, whatever you have to do."
"I’m bein’ ordered to drink and fight? Are we sure this is a mission and not a reward?"
Charon turned to Annie.
"You’re smart and know more about history than the rest of us. You can watch everything. Keep track of what we’re doing, what the town is doing. If we miss something, you won’t. You can also try and find dirt on the officials."
Annie looked startled by that but didn’t object.
Charon smiled slightly.
"I have a lot of undead that I can summon at will. They can cause all sorts of mayhem and vanish before anyone notices. Just a few of my larger skeletons, and the entire town will be a tizzy."
The others looked satisfied with that.
Charon exhaled through his nose and flipped to the last few pages. They outlined the return conditions, supply restock points, and safehouses along the way.
Nothing fancy. No promises of rescue. No backup plans.
Liam nudged Charon with his elbow.
"Y’know, Darius is usually the one callin’ the shots, but you have the makings for it. Shouldn’t surprise me, you necromancers love to have your ducks in a row."
Shocked by the compliment, he looked around to see a string of nods, the most fervent coming from Emerius, whose eyes were narrowed as if deep in thought.
They spent the next hour poring over every word of the booklet, until each of them had read it twice and the corners were worn from handling. They tossed ideas back and forth, such as how to enter the town without drawing eyes, but made no concrete plans.
It would take them two days to reach the first cache. After that, they would have a better estimate of what they would be working with.
They would also lose any other support.
No Fort, no High Elders, no armies.
The walk was quieter than Charon expected.
They set up camp under a craggy outcropping, far enough from the road to avoid being seen. Liam lit a small fire using dried moss, and Darius summoned a thin wall of light to shield the flicker from curious eyes.
Sensing the question Charon and Emerius were going to ask, the dark-haired swordsman grinned and explained.
"After we returned to the Fort with you, I did some light training and advanced. I happened to unlock a new spell that allows me to bend light to make things harder to detect."
’So he earned a new spell as well?’
His eyes widened further.
’That reminds me, I have yet to properly learn my own new spell. During the assignment, I should try and do that. It could be helpful.’
Liam set his pack down to reveal a large collection of rations, from dried meats to dried berries, and even a few dried crackers.
’Wow, the Fort can afford to build giant mechs the size of a skyscraper, but better field rations? No, that’s way out of budget! Perish the thought!’
Glaring at his stack of impossibly dehydrated food with open hatred, Charon sat with his back to the stone. The others, by comparison, happily ate, especially Liam, who managed to eat three portions in a single sitting.
No one said much. They were all thinking about the mission.
It was nothing like he expected. A battle would have made sense, even as part of a smaller unit to accomplish a specific goal.
But infiltration, information gathering, and sabotage?
’This doesn’t make any sense. This feels wrong.’
Charon felt something tighten in his chest. Not fear. Not pride. Something in between.
He took the booklet from his satchel and set it beside him. The cover had started to tear at the spine.
He didn’t need to open it again. Every word was etched into his mind.
They had two days to become someone else. Then a month to cause enough chaos to make a town forget what normal felt like.