"Tragic, truly tragic."
Byron Lancaster cast a final glance at his superior, Major General Newman, Bill's father-in-law, then withdrew his gaze from the beleaguered Fat Dragon, which was embroiled in a bloody conflict after having devoured a geoduck.
Back on the Golden Deer, he fondly caressed the contract conch shell.
"Look at you. Instead of retreating to the back, you kept charging forward, especially when those Barbary Pirates still had an ace up their sleeve. Major General, I really didn't plan to trick you so soon. Now you've fallen into a pit you can't climb out of, haven't you?"
As a qualified puppet master behind the scenes, Byron knew that after setting the stage for the two main characters and an unexpected supporting role, he did not need to witness the ending to know it would be quite a spectacle.
