The sky had not yet darkened to night but Adder’s bar was already busy . There were borderland merchants, adventurers, heathens, believers of all sorts and more eating and drinking together . The air was choked with the smell of booze and tobacco .

A dancer twisted and swayed at one end of the common room while large men pummeled each other in the boxing ring on the other side . The whole bar was a sea of testosterone with yelling, cheering and cursing that shook the ceiling timbers .

It was certainly a rowdy place, but there were clear limits to the debauchery that was allowed .  

An older man entered the bar . He was tall and lean, and a spindly goatee sprouted from his chin . His clothes were simple but surprisingly well kept . He looked like an old scholar, presentable beneath the large hat perched atop his head and covered the majority of his face .

“Sir, we have your reservation ready . ”

A server approached to offer a.s.sistance . He was young and his long hair was tied back in a simple ponytail . A pair of bright eyes shone with youthful vitality .

The old man nodded, though his eyes never ceased scanning his surroundings . They stopped for just a moment when he spied Adder behind the bar . The bar owner raised his head at the same moment, and for a brief second their gaze met . Then they each looked away as though they’d seen nothing .  

The young server brought the man to a private room by a window before pouring him a gla.s.s of silvery wine followed by plates of food . This sort of fare was a delicacy here, but the man with the goatee seemed disinterested .

“I will not disturb you during dinner, sir . ”

The old man picked the hat off his head and placed it upon the chair beside him, allowing his flowing white hair to fall freely . He didn’t look exceptionally old but the blade of time had carved marks in his face . The valleys were vestiges of bitter times and his eyes were sharp and unwelcoming . Inside there was anger, pain, expectation, as well as morbid insanity mixed with restlessness .

Even his presence was uncomfortable . Calm as the surface of a lake, but in a caldera that could erupt at any moment .  

About an hour later a tall man with a hooked, beak-like nose entered the bar . He looked around with beady eyes then slipped the server a sc.r.a.p of paper with a number on it . The young man, without saying a word, led the newcomer to the indicated room .

While they traversed the common area, the bird-like man seemed to move both slow and fast . If one were to look closely his every step seemed calculated and precise . Especially as he threaded his way through the crowd he never touched a stool or one of the other patrons . Slippery as a phantom he quickly flit by, leaving no trace of his pa.s.sage .

Without a question, this was a man of skill .

The young man stopped before a door and pushed it open .

When the bald man with his aquiline nose appeared before the goateed stranger his eyes glimmered with antic.i.p.ation . He rose to his feet and addressed his guest with great respect . “Boss Buzzard!”

The one called Buzzard sized up the other one . “It’s been a while, old friend . You’ve aged quickly . ”

“It’s the curse of humans that we should grow old . It’s nothing to fear . What we should loathe is growing old but accomplis.h.i.+ng nothing . ” He punctuated the thought with a bitter sniff then waved the young man away . “Leave us . ”

The server glanced at the middle-aged man with the hooked nose, back at the man with the goatee, then bowed to each . He left and closed the door behind him, leaving the two men alone .

Buzzard sighed once they had the room to themselves . “You shouldn’t keep this up . You aren’t in the best health, come back with me . Over the last twenty-odd years you’ve contributed much . Enough . You don’t need to spend all the rest of your time and energy here, you need a life of your own . ”

“Life? My life had already been ruined . ” The man with the goatee shook his head . “The only desire I have left is to see Skycloud City in flames . If I can one day feel the warmth of those fires on my face then any price will be worth it . A few decades in exile would mean nothing if that was my reward . ”

Suddenly Buzzard lifted a hand, entreating silence .

He rose and pushed open the door, his eyes darting left and right . Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, just the ponytailed server walking down the hall . He sighed .

“Relax, Buzzard . No one will eavesdrop on us here . ” The older man stood as well . He understood the need for caution . “The owner of this place is more than he seems . Without his help I wouldn’t be here to collect this intelligence . ”

“The bar owner? Can he be trusted?”

“It’s hard to say, but I think so . He doesn’t stand with Skycloud, they would kill him ten times over if they knew the things he’d done or the treasures he hides . It’s the same for helping me with this . ”

“I trust your judgment . ” Buzzard nodded . “Do you have it?”

The older man produced a black bound book from his clothes and handed it to his companion . “Everything is in here; troop counts and locations, and the names of all their captains . There are more than one thousand five hundred middle- to low-ranking officers on that list, as well as their backgrounds . ”

“Hard to get one’s hands on, certainly!” Buzzard took the notebook from him as though handling a priceless treasure then began to leaf through its contents . “With this we can formulate a plan for infiltrating Skycloud . You’ve done us a great service . ”

The older man’s response was forlorn . “It cost years and the lives of thirty companions to get this information . It was their n.o.ble sacrifice that built this foundation . I hope it serves its purpose, that wretched place must be razed to the ground . ”

Buzzard looked through a few more pages . Although he was only scanning the entries he could tell it was both true and accurate . It must have taken years of struggle and dedication for the old man to get all this together, unfathomable sacrifice . His mission had not been an easy one .

“Don’t be stubborn . Come back with me!”

“Everyone has their own battles to fight, and I’m not backing down from the front lines ‘till this one is finished . So long as I’m needed, I’m not going anywhere . I’m sure you understand . ” The old man was steadfast . “But since you’re here I do have a few young soldiers to recommend . A few good lads I’ve dug up and kept close over the years . With the right training they’ll be of excellent use to us . ”

Buzzard sighed once again . He knew the old man’s temperament .

He wasn’t going to come, but his recommendations were welcomed . Buzzard trusted his friend’s judgment, and anyone he offered would be reliable .

“It’s about time . ” The old man fished a pocket watch out of his clothes and took a glance . “Come with me . ”

The young man with the ponytail was wandering aimlessly around the bar, bored stiff, when suddenly he spied the man with the goatee and his companion quickly leave . After a brief tremor he dropped what he was holding and hurried after them .

The old man had planned this down to the minute . It was the busiest time for the streets of Sandbar Outpost, and the crowds were fierce . When he and the middle-aged man joined the fray they instantly vanished . The young server tried to keep up but stopped when he reached a crossroads . Several streets and alleyways slithered before him like a spider web . He had no idea which one his targets had taken .

Several minutes later, in an abandoned warehouse .

Dust and the stink of mold permeated the air . The light of a candle struggled against the breeze . Its frail light flickered against the darkness, and like the old man it just hoped to fill the world with a little light and warmth before it burnt out .

“These are the young men I was talking with you about . ”

There were six people standing before the man with the goatee . The youngest of them was about twenty, and the oldest no more than forty .

“I’ve hid them here . They’ve helped me gather the information we have for the last decade or so . The product of constantly looking for talent . Every one of them has followed me through the fire and they all have unique skills . Whether you train them as spies or frontline fighters they will be your most trustworthy soldiers . I can guarantee that with my life . ”

Buzzard nodded . “I’ll make sure to pa.s.s your personal recommendation on to Wolfblade . ” [1]

“Wait! If we leave what about you?” One of the men with a large black sword on his back spoke up . “I’m with you . Wherever you go I’m going as well . ”

“And me!”

“Same!”

Buzzard was moved by their loyalty . Most members of an independent Dark Atom cell dreamed of joining the main group . That was especially true for borderland spies like them . It was a promise that they could move somewhere without worry for food or clothing, where they would be taken care of . Who wanted to live like this? Like rats in a sewer?

Yet these men were willing to give up that opportunity to stay with the old man who led them .

“Death will come for us all one day, but faith is indestructible . ” The old man answered them with a pleasant smile . He picked up the dying candles and used them to light others, spreading the light farther . “So long as we pa.s.s on the flame of our convictions, one day it will be a wildfire . What regrets would I have in death? Do not forget our goal!”

The six men looked at one another .

Buzzard interjected, curious at their reaction . “You have other goals?”

The old man nodded matter-of-factly . “There’s an inconspicuous c.h.i.n.k in Skycloud City’s proverbial armor . Give me a little time, so long as that opening remains we can use it to administer a poison that would kill tens of thousands of city residents . It will be a catastrophe the likes of which the holy city would not recover from . ”

As the plan slipped from the old man’s lips his face turned monstrous and eerie .  

Buzzard had never seen hatred at this level . This man’s solitary purpose in life was to see the downfall of the holy city . But it was an interesting plan, and he opened his mouth to inquire further when –

Ding, ding!

The sound of a small bell softly flitted through the air . Clear and melodious, it stabbed at their ears like a poison dart .

“s.h.i.+t!” One of the men by the door scowled . “Someone’s trying to sneak up on us . I think we’ve been made . ”

An enormous black man hoisted an equally ma.s.sive gun from his back . He began pulling bullets the size of thumbs from the bandolier around his chest and began feeding them into the firing chamber .  Click! Click! He stepped forward, aimed at the door, and fired .

BANG!

A shocking boom tore through the area, the warehouse door was blown to pieces .

With a cry of shock and pain the bullet hit someone on the other side and sent them flying . At the caliber this large man was using it didn’t matter that the bullet first pa.s.sed through the door . Whoever he hit was dead .

“f.u.c.k!” The old man shouted . “Buzzard, get out of here now!”

“But you-“

“Now isn’t the time!” He shook his head, cutting the other man off . “Think about what that notebook is worth . You need to get it to Wolfblade, no matter what . Otherwise all our effort is wasted! Now shut up and go!”

But even before his words could sink in the intruders were reacting . Suddenly the whole building roared like a hurricane had descended upon them .  [2] The windows rattled and the wooden walls clacked as suddenly a hail of arrows fell .

“Find cover!”

Buzzard kicked over a table and hid behind it, just in time to see the deadly heads of seven or eight bolts poke through the wood . The others scrambled for protection, but one of the younger men was too slow and a crossbow bolt caught him in the eye . He was alive long enough to scream and then crumbled to the floor lifeless .

1 . The name should be familiar . It’s the name of the Dark Atom’s leader .  

2 . For those who have never experienced a hurricane, here’s what they sound like . Headphone users beware . Missing is the deep groaning rumble that underlies this . Almost everyone describes a hurricane pa.s.sing over their house like being run over by a train .  

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