C"My mom's a powerful mage who knows at least five of the elements." Naga explained, "She knows a variety of other magic and is super strong."
"Mhm." Roko said as he wrote down what Naga had said, "Have you ever seen her casting magic?"
"Only in practices." Naga nodded, "But she's super scary whenever she gets mad."
"Where would your mom be if she was casting a spell like that?"
"For giant fireballs, probably at the throne room at the very top."
"Like I suspected." Roko muttered, "Where do you live in Min al Azal?"
"In a really fancy room right below the throne room."
"Below the throne room? You mean inside the upper tower?"
"Yeah, there's a secret floor in the middle of the tower, it's super cool!"
"Interesting." Roko said, "I didn't expect that. The elevator didn't look like it stopped anywhere in between the top floor and the top of the tower. Perhaps I should've used my map spell more."
"You can't get to it by the elevator. There's a secret doorway you have to use."
"Could you tell me more about that?"
"What's in it for me?" Naga crossed his arms.
"Alright." Roko sighed as he tossed his pen down onto the table, "I guess you've given me enough information for today."
"So you're going to help me now right?" Naga said with a hint of excitement.
"Sure."
"No tricks?"
"No tricks."
"Then...you'll stop going after my dad?"
"You haven't helped us THAT much." Roko scoffed.
"Then...what are you going to do?" Naga frowned, "You're going to help me stop the rebellion, right?"
"I agreed to spare your father where we can. If you want us to stop our activities altogether, then you're going to have to do something else."
"What is it?!"
"Here." Roko handed the kid an envelope, "Give this to Azimuth."
"What's this?" Naga said, looking over the envelope curiously.
"New orders you could say. You know everything you need to know about Muldingirmus. Now you need to learn about Mulapin."
"But I already learned about Mulapin." Naga frowned.
"Not from the people's perspective." Roko explained, "If you want to negotiate with us for peace then you need to understand us. Starting with why we fight. Why the city is the way it is and what it is we need from someone claiming to be their king."
"...Is this really necessary?"
"This entire rebellion started because Sirius wouldn't listen. I'm not saying you have to do something about everything but knowing this city's history is the least you can do. And that is something that is not my story to tell so I'm sending you to Azimuth. If Azimuth complains about this, tell her that for me."
"Okay..." Naga said, unsure of the assignment he has been given.
"Good." Roko stood up, "Now I have something to prepare for."
"Are you attacking my dad again?"
"Not directly."
"Hmmm..."
"Don't worry. If your dad is worse than I even thought then he wouldn't even notice."
That night, a single lone man in a suit discreetly entered Muldingirmus through the rebel's gate. Carrying a briefcase, he strolled through the opulent district before entering a mansion. Because of the district's smaller size and almost half of it being dedicated to business infrastructure, there wasn't as much room for giant mansions with open yards but that didn't stop the rich from making mansions anyway just without as much open real estate. This one in particular was sort of both for living and for business. There was a space for deliveries but most of the actual business was done in a small section of the mansion. Because this was the house of a wine merchant. The grapes that would be grown for this brand were done in a field far away and then transported to this home for bottling, storage and then eventual transit to local stores for sale. All of this took place in a large underground lair beneath the mansion.
The man strolled through these empty underground halls. The workers of this business had long retired to a separate room inside the actual mansion part of the campus, above ground. And the man seemed to know this, moving without a hint of fear of being caught as he strolled right into a big room. Wooden vats of wine stood all around the left and right sides of this hall, lying on their sides and taps available for any guests to take a sampling of their signature product. The center of the room had a long table, ornate and cleaned. The entire area was distinctly decorated to serve as both a meeting room and a party room, albeit a more quiet and refined party. No such party was going on today as this man strolled to the very back of the room where a small office table was set up for the business owner to work under a large lit glass shelf of a truly large amount of wine. Smaller rooms branched off to the sides of this office space to more private chambers.
The man walked up to the office table and placed his briefcase down, leaning on the edge of this table until a more distinguished man walked out from the side chambers, up to the well suited man.
"Good evening. I'm glad to continue business with you tonight." the distinguished gentleman held out a hand for the well suited man to accept a handshake which the man took.
"FREEZE!"
Starry Knights suddenly flooded out of the halls of the workplace and piled together in front of the only exit of the room, the foremost of them readying a line of crossbows at this illicit meeting.
"Mr. William Herschel!" One sneering Starry Knight leader stepped up to the front of their ambush, "You are hereby under arrest for collusion with rebel forces!" Then his eyes narrowed in glee as he eyed the well suited man, "As well as you, Roko, leader of the Earthbounds."
"..." Roko removed his fedora and placed it on the table, "So you figured it out."
"Did you think we wouldn't?" The leader said with a wide grin, "The ace card you left on Lord Sirius' chamber was a distinct, special ace from a custom made deck of cards created as a limited time souvenir of the Serpens Hydrae wine company! They were only distributed in private wine parties that Mr. Herschel held! That you would have it implies that you've been having discreet meetings that Sirius easily uncovered with just a bit of research! We Starry Knights took control of your facility with the help of your wife, Mr. Herschel! She was very willing to help when it came to light that you may be making dealings with the ENEMY!"
"Very impressive." Roko said, not sounding very impressed, "But if you figured all that out then you should've figured to not come here."
"What? Upset that you got caught? You shouldn't have left such an obvious clue then! You were so busy gloating that you never thought you'd be caught like this!"
"It's because it was so obvious that you shouldn't have taken such an obvious bait." Roko sighed, "What's the point of teaching when the student doesn't listen?"
"You'll be able to teach the rats once we capture you and throw you in the cell in the deepest depths of Min al Azal!"
"I'm sure the rats would be better students than Sirius." Roko sighed again, "Whatever. I'm tired of this."
Roko snapped his fingers and immediately the lids of the wine vats flew open and several armored Earthbound rebels quickly filed out of the cavity. In seconds, a small army equal to the Starry Knights had filled the room, climbing over chairs and the large meeting table to form a defensive wall in front of the glorified personal police force.
"H-How'd you sneak so many soldiers in here?!" The leader screeched.
"Oh yeah, you probably didn't notice but there were some extra shipments today." Roko replied.
"Y-You think you won just because you sneaked a few soldiers in some barrels?!" The Starry Knights leader tried blustering weakly, "H-Herschel! Mr. Herschel! News of this betrayal will reach the ears of the public soon! If you call off the rebels now, you might-"
"I'm going to stop you right there." Mikado said as he removed his disguise, "Your Mr. William Herschel is not here. He was never here."
"Wh-wh-what..." The Starry Knight's leader face paled.
Roko pulled up his briefcase and opened it, pulling out a shaker bottle and several barista tools before turning to the shelf of spirits behind him and selecting a few choice picks to fill the bottle with.
"So here's what's going to happen." Roko said as he filled the bottle with ice and began shaking it, "We're going to have a little drinking party. The only only ones who gets to attend are those part of the Earthbounds and those who will personally go to Sirius' face and tell him he had been outplayed once again. All other people are free to leave. Those who try to fight will meet every arrow and blade we have. If you want a drink, throw down your weapons and come right here to pick up your free drink and leave. Of course, if you still want to fight, we can have a small skirmish right now and at the end, we all will be sipping fine drinks over your dead bodies til we are drunk."
Roko poured the drink into a martini glass, added some embellishments and slid it across the table to the front.
"First one is a Sparkling Cosmopolitan. Any takers?"
A difficult silence took over the room. The rebels didn't look the least bit distracted by the strange event going on, offering no openings and the Starry Knights were all looking around at each other, unsure of how to approach this situation. Until one knight threw down his sword and shield,
"Fuck it. I'll take it."
"Gerald?!" The Starry Knights leader cried out in shock.
"Go right ahead." Roko gestured openly to the glass as the brave soldier walked past the rebels who opened up a path for him to march up to the glass and take a swig.
"Muah." Gerald polished off the glass with a dramatic flourish, "Oh, that's actually good."
"Much appreciated." Roko said, taking the glass back as he began cleaning it, "I'll take any information on Min al Azal as a tip."
"Can I get another drink?"
"You can if you give me information."
"Well...there's actually a nice indoor garden on the third floor."
"Not helpful but I'll take it." Roko said as he mixed up another cocktail in another glass and offered it to Gerald who gleefully took the drink, "Now take it and leave. There's a secret exit to the right there."
Gerald took his drink and finished it in one gulp before walking off to where Roko had indicated, down a hall.
"Mikado?"
"Of course." Mikado said as he took up a cloth and began cleaning the used glass Roko handed him in a sink below the shelf as Roko prepared the next drink.
"Daiquiri next. Any takers?"
At this point, the Starry Knights abandoned all discipline and threw down their arms, pushing past each other and the rebels to try the drinks. Their leader could only watch in despair before giving in and throwing down his weapons to try and pick up a drink himself. That was a long night for Roko who single-handedly served drinks to everyone there. First to the Starry Knights who offered up small bits of information until they were all gone. Then the Earthbounds were welcome to their own share of drinks before they retired in the very mansion they had infiltrated. The night ended without a drop of blood shed.
"Morning." Corissa greeted as Roko arrived back at the rebellion base the next day.
"Morning." Roko yawned, "Last night went well."
"No one died?"
"No one died."
"Excellent!" Corissa clapped, "I'm surprised you'd come up with these sorts of plans on your own for no reason!"
"No reason is a bit of a stretch." Roko shrugged, "I did get a few interesting tidbits of information that I wrote down."
"And then you'd do things like try and invade Min al Azal all on your own." Corissa continued.
"Yeah okay." Roko scowled, "Where's Herschel anyway? I need to check up on him."
"He's still setting up the store you prepared for him."
"Right. Then I'll go see him now."
"I'll come with! I have some sandwiches made in advance. You can have some if you haven't had any breakfast!"
"Yeah, I'll take some."
The grate to a familiar store popped open and Roko and Corissa (and Varis) climbed out to an abandoned store in the midst of being cleaning up.
"Herschel?" Roko called.
"Roko!"
A man approached him in a simple dress shirt and pants and warmly shook his hand, "Please, call me William. And thank you again for this opportunity."
"I only provided the foundation." Roko replied, "What happens next is up to you. You may have a hard time winning the people over."
"I'm an experienced merchant. It's nothing I haven't had seen before." William chuckled, "Though I'll take your warning to heart."
"I'm not trying to scare you. If anything I want to thank you again." Roko nodded, "I can still hardly believe a merchant of Muldingirmus would so readily abandon their opulent home to open up business in the dying district."
"Sirius made for an astounding business partner. But I haven't agreed with the state of things for decades." William shook his head, "For a long while I couldn't see past the profits I've been making but seeing your rebellion in action has inspired me to take action myself. Unfortunately I'm a man of peace so I can't support you so directly but I can try and bring life back to this hopeless district."
"With your money, you can probably revitalize the entire economy by yourself." Roko said, "But that will mean you will lose plenty of your riches. Are you really okay with that?"
"As I see it, I'm just returning the riches I stole from the people back to their rightful owners." William nodded, "I've never forgotten my roots as a middle class citizen. I only got this far with my passion for wine. And now, after so long, I think I've found my passion again."
"No matter what people may take from you, nothing will take what you gained today." Roko bowed, "The city and indeed the Earthbounds are indebted to you."
"Please, if anything, it all depends on you next." William clapped Roko on the shoulders, "If you do not win against Sirius, then everything will fail once again."
"I have every intent to win this war." Roko nodded, "No, if there are more people like you, I've already won something far greater than this war alone."
"That you have, my friend. May I interest you in some wine?"
"I don't drink but I can mix you up a mean cocktail. You can have it with some sandwiches."
"Ah, Corissa!" William bowed to the princess, "Pleasure to meet you, your highness. My wife would quite like the chance to meet you herself."
"I'd be honored to meet her, sir." Corissa curtsied back, "And allow me to extend my own congratulations on your new start."
"Many thanks, young lady. But let us celebrate this with a magnificent toast! To a new era!"
"That all happened?" Azimuth said dully.
"Sure did." Corissa smiled.
"Wow, so you got to non-stop party all night and all day and in the meantime, I get stuck with a kid."
"I thought you liked kids." Roko replied.
"I...don't hate them." Azimuth glanced off to the side where Medeia and Naga were playing Monopoly with Pluteum waiting for his turn by the side and Aranea having already gone bankrupt, "I just didn't expect to be taking care of kids in this rebellion!"
"I mean, that's what everybody else has been doing for years according to you."
"You know what I mean!" Azimuth hissed.
"Azimuth, Medeia threw the dice at me again!" Naga called.
"Because you were stealing from the bank!" Medeia cried.
"Who cares, there aren't any police in this game!"
"Naga, come over here, Roko wants to talk to you!" Azimuth sighed.
"What? Okay..."
Naga and Medeia shot one last nasty glare at each other before Naga walked over to them, "What is it?"
"Why are you cheating?" Roko asked bluntly.
"I mean, it's not like I was doing anything serious..." Naga muttered, "It's just a game."
"Was it because you didn't want to lose?"
"Well...yeah, kinda."
"Now did you not want to lose or did you feel like you could not lose?" Roko asked, "That no matter what the circumstances you couldn't be seen losing?"
"Well..." Naga looked down.
"Sirius may have taught you that losing was unacceptable. Or maybe it was your mother. But the reality of the situation is that losing is bound to happen one way or another. It's not the loss that makes you shameful it's how you handle it that decides that. What you do after, what you learn. Once you learn from defeat, you can start preparing for it. Make each loss a surer chance for victory down the line. That is something even your father cannot do. If you want to surpass him, you can start with that."
"...Okay..." Naga said, not sure if he got the lesson, "I'll...think about it."
"Can you try and get along with Medeia too?" Corissa asked.
"She's so bossy though." Naga said, his face scrunching up in disgust, "She pushes everybody around and tries to decide everything by herself."
"S-She's not that bad..."
"She IS that bad!" Naga cried, "I'm doing my best to become the new leader of this group but it hasn't been going well! No thanks to you either!" Naga glared at Roko, "I thought Aranea would be super strong since she was your child but she's actually super weak!"
"I'm not technically her parent." Roko muttered, "And also, Aranea...is dealing with a whole situation."
"Well so am I!" Naga crossed his arms, "Me and Medeia are tied in matches right now and I can't afford to let her take the lead! Every time we've tied, I've been the one to pull ahead so I'm not giving her a chance to pull ahead and hold that over me!"
"You didn't hear a word I said about losing, huh?"