"Aherm, Guorzo is nowhere to be found, it seems likely that he perished, the settlements, villages and small towns that had been facing famine all vanished in their entirety, it seems that not a single person has survived, we have tried to push further, but although they are still standing, the previously inhabited areas have become nesting grounds for the monkeys…" a shivering guard reported, not daring to look up from the written reports he was reading from, afraid to met the freezing glare of his lady.
"Guorzo, Guorzo…" her head resting against her hand, she was leaning against a brand new desk.
"My Lady, there is nothing to worry about, Guorzo's passing is unfortunate, but he wasn't an important piece of your force, and seeing the methods utilised by our enemy, it is clear that it is not the work of the royals or of any powerful faction, I would wager that their guerilla tactics imply a small group, or a lone-" Ohrn spoke up, only to be suddenly silenced, keeling over to one knee.
"Did you feel the need to comfort me Ohrn? Guorzo was a fool, but don't forget that you are on the same standing as him from my perspective, I invested in him, his progress was satisfactory for his poor level and depraved tendencies, do you understand?
My investment, my trust was killed, what are you going to do about it?" she calmly turned to both Ohrn, Abbanh as well as the rest of the guards present for this little assembly.
Just as they were about to respond, a young guard rushed into the office.
He stopped instantly and stiffened up, Lady Syklon motioned for him to get to speaking already.
"My Lady, word is that the royals have heard of what is happening, they don't know much but many of them see this as a sign of weakness, they might believe that you are vulnerable…" he said stopping before he could continue as he made the mistake of looking her in the eyes, shutting up instinctively.
"The sharks are smelling blood, well, they've never liked me very much, I don't appreciate their ball-less behaviour either, they are only breathing because I couldn't care less about their existence, did they mistake my graciousness for passivity? Do they think that Lady Syklon is a little pushover because someone has cut my supply lines?
Very well then, very well" she walked past everyone, her face impassive, as captivating as always.
No one dared to stare for too long however, she put her hand on the hilt of her blade.
"Ohrn, you are in charge of dealing with the cockroach, maintain activities, or cease them for a while if you wish, I want that foul thing gone by the time I come back, I will be paying a visit to the dear leaders of this nation, a little stroll if you will, it is high time that they remember that this country was built with might" she laughed a little bit, a rarity that sent shivers down some spines, or that warmed the heart of those that didn't understand what that laugh meant.
Just like that Ohrn was put in charge, a heavy burden to carry, he couldn't possibly disappoint his lady, she was trusting him with her entire business, the elite was aware that she didn't truly value it as much as she made it seem, but still, it was something that had been built with her own two hands.
It might as well be pure gold in Ohrn's eyes, gold so beautiful that entire nations would fight to the death to even lay their eyes on, he couldn't imagine himself putting it on pause for any reason.
"As you wish, have a good travel my lady" he recited, soon followed by everyone else, once she set her mind to it, Last Syklon pretty much vanished from the city, Ohrn predicted that it would take her a week to get to the royal lodgings, about ten minutes to slaughter everything and everyone if she took her time, so all in all, he had two weeks to get her orders done with.
It had already been a week since Guorzo's supposed death, it was hard to say if he was truly dead since no body had been found, but his loyalty was firm, he couldn't have run away even if he had committed a mistake that warranted his execution, the elites of Lady Syklon weren't only so because of might, but also because they couldn't betray her.
The office was soon cleared of all the lesser guards, leaving only the old man and the second elite.
"Abbanh, I trust that I don't need to tell you that we must get it done as quickly as possible, but we can't just both go onto the hunt, our enemy is a filthy rat, but much like the rodent, he is cunning, he only attacked Guorzo because he was alone, an opportunity they couldn't miss on, he couldn't fight with help for the live of him, you and I can, and won't be tricked so foolishly"
"I don't plan on halting Lady Syklon's businesses, we might not be getting any new customer due to the constant attacks on the roads, but plenty are still around, they are afraid of leaving, and in dire need to get their minds elsewhere, we can squeeze them dry of everything they own, the record profit, plus the annoyance being dealt with will surely please our lady, not to mention, her mood will be high after murdering the royals, we mustn't sour it"
Ohrn stroked his beard, his white apparel fluttering as he quickly walked toward the door, followed by Abbanh.
"We simply need to decide who will be in charge of what-"
"I'll leave you the administrative stuff and all that crap, I can't run a business at all! I'll take a small force and scour the surroundings and plains for the critter, he has been using the monkey to assist him, I'll visit the areas they inhabit as well" the spearman didn't hesitate.
Ohrn had expected this, but he was still disappointed, Guorzo had been foolish, but he had had a good enough head on his shoulders to multi-task, Abbanh was nothing but a meathead, a glorified enforcer.
"Very well, with me here, you can just take our best men, if you die, the lady will despise you" warning his younger fellow, Ohrn watched over one of the main areas, which would soon be filled by customers.