Ignite the Sun

Thratvar was standing in the main hall of their hideout, inspecting the first of the swords they ordered.

"I've got bad news." Kalim walked up to him. "I can't get in contact with the Enlightened, the Grandmaster might have sniffed out our contacts."

"Is it a big issue?"

"Depends how you look at it – they were a pretty good source of information so losing them will be noticeable, but they also didn't know shit about us, not even my name. They won't expose us at least."

"That's good enough for me, we can find new information brokers."

"The problem is that we're quickly running out of our points of contact, first Trent, then cut off from Mountainfall, next the disaster in the Order and now the Sage's Summit. I'm currently left with few people from the Riders, some intern from the Tower and a handful of idiots from smaller settlements."

"And what are you doing to remedy that? We need information if we are to succeed."

"More than you clearly – I had to threaten that Overseer of yours for him to even listen to us."

"But he took the order, didn't he? What matters are the results, not the means you take to achieve them."

"Easy to say when you're not the one doing this shit..." Kalim's eyes fell on the blade held by his partner. "Which one is that?"

Thratvar turned the sword slightly to show him the small skull engraved on the guard.

"So he started with the most straightforward one."

"Simplicity is something to be appreciated when It comes to weapons."

"Says the guy with a teleporting dagger." Kalim chuckled. "Will you give the swords one by one or wait for all of them and distribute them then?"

"The earlier the weapons land in their hands, the earlier we can start testing – no point in delaying it."

"Did you choose who's going to get this one then?"

"Yes."

Kalim raised an eyebrow while waiting for an elaboration, but none came.

"You must be starting to feel surrounded in here." He attempted to change the topic. "Eight humans, but just two Serakhiin."

"I never particularly enjoyed the company of my own kind." The Pathseeker shrugged. "Tharosk already reminds me of most of the traits that I dislike in my brethren."

"That's a bit harsh – he might be a bit brutish and not particularly bright, but he's also quite skilled at many things. He even managed to make friends with some of our new companions, a relationship almost as deep as the one we share."

Thratvar didn't appear to be particularly amused by the joke or even react in anyway, but that in itself was quite the progress – he used to give Kalim this distinctly unimpressed look whenever he said something that was supposed to be funny, but some time ago he stopped.

Kalim was slowly wearing him down.

"I must admit, the fact that he managed to find any common ground with the new group was completely unexpected." The Pathseeker stated.

"I think they have quite a lot in common actually – especially with David and Rudolph, the invasion was the first time they participated in real battles, they earned their rank thanks to it and they've been displeased with their superior for a long time."

"They were enemies back then, it's not impossible they even met each other at the battlefield."

"But they're not anymore – now their allies, and with no loyalty left from either side they're simply exchanging war stories."

"Perhaps you're right..."

"I think you should get more Serakhiin to join us."

Thratvar's eyes finally left the blade and travelled to the side where Kalim was standing.

"Why? I just told you I don't enjoy the company of my kind, and I doubt the rest of humans would be very appreciative."

"Because we run the risk of discouraging one of the sides if we have an imbalance in the organisation, and I need to recruit more people to help me with information gathering."

"So it is just another one if your selfish plans."

"I wouldn't call gathering information to ensure our continued survival exactly selfish, but sure whatever you say."

Thratvar looked at him in silence for a couple seconds.

"What is our plan then? We cannot simply start approaching random people, that could end in our exposure."

"I'll infiltrate the Enlightened posing as a pilgrim and try to recruit our former informants – if they got found out they'll be all the more happy to get out of there. As for you, you should look for more specialists, we can't keep relying on outside help to do the most basic tasks."

"I'm a Pathseeker, not a salesman – how do you propose I find more people without the relevant skills?"

"Do the same thing you did with Tharosk – use people who are at their lowest and are starting to doubt the empire. You always said how executions, punishments and shit like that is extremely commonplace in your culture, so use that to your advantage."

"And how exactly do you propose I find people like that?"

"I don't know, I'm not the guy who managed to surveil someone using the blade of a sword." Kalim shrugged. "Set up something to watch a few outposts from the inside – that imperial Pathseeker leading the army already gave up and went home so no one will be able to detect you."

"It could take months to find someone suitable, I discovered Tharosk by pure accident while monitoring the disturbance caused by another Pathseeker."

"Then it will take months – take years if you have to, organising a revolution isn't something that you can do in a single afternoon."

"Very well." Thratvar conceded. "Do you have a plan for your own infiltration?"

"Something like that, yeah – it shouldn't take me too long to find our contacts and confirm what happened, so if I don't come back in two weeks send someone with a sword."

"That's not a plan."

"That's the best you're gonna get from me – I never liked planning anyway."