The first rays of sunlight had barely appeared on the horizon when Strax, Rogue, and Samira gathered in the small makeshift hall of the mansion. The sturdy wooden table, seemingly out of place in the rustic environnt, was covered with papers and notes that had started piling up as ideas flowed.
Samira leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a clear expression of discontent on her face. Her eyes swept over Rogue, who sat at the table, far too relaxed for soone supposedly discussing sothing serious.
'Tsk, I'm going to kill her before he starts getting interested if I let this happen… This is going to be a problem.' She clicked her tongue as she glared at Rogue, who rely smiled happily.
"Well, if we're really going to form this guild, we need to set priorities," Strax began, trying to maintain his calm. His patience with the two was wearing thin with every second of interaction. He knew these two had a long history of exchanged barbs, and it wouldn't be easy to keep them focused if the provocations started, but this was already infuriating him!
"Priorities, of course," Rogue said, tossing a lock of hair behind her with a mischievous smile, as if talking about an entirely different priority. She shot a direct glance at Samira, whose jaw clenched tightly.
"I've already told you, that evasive approach won't work in Vorah. We're not dealing with back-alley espionage in Eudoria here," Samira retorted, pushing off the wall and stepping toward the table. "The ga is different here. We need strength, soldiers. We need to be ready to face direct attacks, both from Kryssia and the Duchy."
Rogue rolled her eyes, leaning forward. "Sweetheart, if you think we'll survive with just swords and shields, we'll be crushed before we even get off the ground. We need information. We need to know what our enemies are planning before they even suspect what we're up to. I an, information is a powerful weapon. I don't know why Cristine isn't here, but I'm sure she has everything she needs to create a shadow guild like the Black Association and control the underworld. After all, she
is
the daughter of the Assassin Queen." Rogue said, while Strax glanced at her with a touch of curiosity.
'She ca well-prepared… already knows about Cristine's mother... interesting,' Strax thought as Samira raised an eyebrow at him. But he had to hide his reaction sohow to avoid sparking a war.
Strax sighed, rubbing his temple as he looked to both sides of the table. He knew they both had valid points, but the problem was their completely opposite approaches, leaving him caught in the crossfire. "We need both," he finally said, breaking the tense silence. "We need strength, Samira, you're right. But we also need information, Rogue, to know when and where to apply that strength."
Rogue clicked her tongue, leaning back in her chair, clearly satisfied. "See? At least soone here has so sense."
Samira leaned over the table, her eyes blazing. "Strength without discipline is useless. If we're going to create a guild, we need trained soldiers, not just a bunch of informants and spies. We need to make sure we can sustain attacks and protect the city. And if you think sneaking around in the shadows is going to save us when the Duchy cos knocking on our door, you're underestimating our enemies."
"Oh, so you're suggesting we form an army, is that it?" Rogue asked, raising an eyebrow. "How many n do you think we need, Samira? A hundred? A thousand? And how exactly do you plan on managing that? We're in Vorah, not in the heart of an empire. We barely have the resources to start sothing small, let alone maintain a troop, and that bastard of Strax's father will stop us the second he sees the number of soldiers drop."
"We only need enough to make a difference," Samira countered, still calm but with a harder tone. "I'm not talking about forming an empire, but we need to be ready to fight. You saw what Kryssia's ice did to Eudoria. You told yourself that her ice doesn't lt, no matter what they try. If she decides to move forward, do you really think spies are going to stop that? Not to ntion, she has her own soldiers, so the situation is even worse."
Rogue shook her head, a small smile on her lips. "Of course not, but they can give us the advantage of knowing where to strike. Information is the most valuable resource in any war, Samira. And if you think brute force alone can crush the problem, you're underestimating Kryssia. She's a vicious bitch, and you know that. She crushed you in the end, didn't she?"
Strax's gaze flickered between the two won, sensing the tension rising. He needed to intervene before this escalated into a real fight. "Look, you both have a point. We need strength and information. I've fought enough battles to know that both sides are essential. So instead of arguing about which approach is better, why don't we combine the two?"
Rogue made a sweeping gesture with her hands. "That's what I've been trying to say, but it seems like soone is stuck on the idea that only a blade solves problems."
Samira narrowed her eyes. "If it weren't for blades, you wouldn't even be alive to give that opinion."
"Girls, please," Strax interjected, raising his hand. "Let's focus. We need a guild that can handle both physical threats and espionage. Rogue, can you help us build a network of informants? Samira, you can train those we decide to recruit to form a combat force. But both aspects have to work together. None of you can handle this alone."
Samira huffed but didn't argue further. Rogue smirked slightly, clearly feeling victorious in their verbal sparring, but at least the plan was taking shape. Strax continued, already visualizing the next steps.
"We need a headquarters," he said, picking up one of the maps from the table. "A place to establish ourselves and start recruiting. And, if possible, off the duchy's radar."
"I can manage that," Rogue said, moving closer to the map and examining it. "I have so contacts here in Vorah who can help. And before Samira says anything, no, they aren't just spies. They're builders and engineers who can help us construct sothing solid."
"How long?" Samira asked, still skeptical.
Rogue shrugged. "That depends on how much we're willing to pay."
"Money isn't the problem," Strax replied. Although he had spent a good amount, he still had enough left after robbing the Black Association, plus the valuable items they had acquired in Eudoria; selling those would get them more. "The issue is ti. We need to establish ourselves before the duchy realizes what we're doing. Besides, in six months, I'll have to go kill that spider."
"That's going to be complicated," Rogue comnted, crossing her arms. "The duchy has eyes everywhere in Vorah. If we start moving resources, they'll notice."
"That's why you're here," Samira said with a slight ironic smile. "To make sure they don't see us until it's too late."
Rogue winked at Samira. "Finally starting to see my worth, huh?"
"Don't get cocky," Samira shot back.
Strax sighed but couldn't help a small smile. They were a pain to deal with, but deep down, he knew that this dynamic was what would make the guild succeed. Strength and strategy. Power and intelligence. They needed both, and he was confident that together they could build sothing truly powerful.
"Alright, that's settled," he said firmly. "Let's start working on the base and recruit our first mbers. And we need to prepare for the duchy. That ans both training and gathering information. We need to be ready for the worst."
Rogue stood up, stretching her arms. "I'll start making connections and see what I can get in terms of materials and labor."
"I'll handle the training," Samira said, still crossing her arms. "When the recruits arrive, I'll make sure they're ready to fight."
"Good," Strax nodded. "Everyone knows what they need to do. Now, we just need to act fast. The duchy won't give us much ti."
The two won moved away, each heading off to pursue their tasks. Strax watched them for a mont before sighing and turning back to the map. He had a feeling that ti was not on their side, and not just because of Kryssia or the duchy...
"Did they already leave…" Cristine said, erging into the room. "Why did you ask not to participate in the eting? I an, I was here the whole ti, but…" she comnted.
"A bad feeling," Strax replied, his gaze fixed on the map.
He was staring intently at a spot. "Isn't this where Beatrice was found?" Cristine questioned, noticing Strax's finger hovering around a sowhat... grim location.
"I don't know why, but... I have a sense that sothing is wrong here, at this point," he said, pointing to an abandoned cabin.
"You felt that out of nowhere? How strange…" Cristine laughed. "Do you want to go check it out?"
"No, I want you to send soone else to go there. I know you still have part of your guild here; they probably don't know that the Black Association is gone yet. Try to recruit the best of them for our guild," Strax instructed.
"Got it... are you that afraid I might get hurt checking sothing you don't even know is there?" she asked, chuckling.
"Yeah, you're way too important, and I'm not about to risk your life over a bad feeling that might not even be real," he replied, still gazing at the spot.
'The last ti I felt sothing like this... was when she was kidnapped... sothing is definitely wrong...'
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