"Odin? The celestial responsible for Asgard, and Lagomia as a whole?" Kors asked, raising an eyebrow, placing his hand on the table.
The table seemed to be about twelve feet long, and eight feet wide, filling up a good percentage of the room it was held in. Along the table's surface, many striations were present, giving its black appearance a sense of personality. The design of an ever extending snake also contributed to this 'personality.' The rest of the room resembled other rooms within the mansion, complete with a grand chandelier hanging above.
Red carpets, golden window frames, all complimenting each other like flavors in a dish.
Kors sat on the far left of the table, Navi to the right, Asakawa and Arivia in the door's direction, and Kaelira in the window's. About half of the room was engaged in the conversation, while the other half was only half focused.
"Yep." Kaen puffed out, along with a tuft of smoke.
"You want us to kill a Celestial. Not only that, a Sorcerer Celestial capable of resurrecting the dead without having to follow the Equivalence Law, understanding someone's entire personality and worldview just from a single glance, and having multiple heroes as his children, Thor being one of them?"
Navi counted out with her fingers, her feet on the desk.
"Don't worry, other mercenary companies are trying to cash in on the opportunity as well. Also I'm not the one telling you to kill him, if you've got issues, take it up with El Sombro."
Navi Highergald's eyes widened.
"Hah? This a direct order from the boss? You could have said so."
Kaen sighed.
"If you were paying attention, Lieutenant, you would have known that already."
"Hmph."
Asakawa adjusted her seat, and promptly raised her hand.
"We are a sufficient fighting force for Sable Veil, but I do not think we could hold even a candle to the intense defensive force deployed in Asgard. There are many that would decimate our ranks in mere seconds. Asgard has been known to retain a good chunk of its forces post fog."
Kors leaned forward in his seat, a creak present.
"Captain Kaen did mention Odin dying however. Still, that does not remove the possibility of other heroes and the Asgardian forces going after us. The danger still lingers."
The Wight cranes his head towards his superior.
"Surely we won't be making such a drastic move on such underbaked preparations, correct Captain Kaen?"
"Huh?"
Kors felt an eyebrow twitch.
"...Apologies, but it seems you aren't particularly taking this subject matter too seriously, Captain Kaen…."
Kaelira was known for her incredibly laid back attitude, especially during mission briefings, often dismissing pivotal questions and such. However, in such a situation, the appropriate demeanor was necessary. This was not a mere assasination on a government official, this was the assassination of a Celestial, a being far past the constraints of humanity. A being that required no tax for the power it wielded.
The Violet haired woman blew out another puff of her cigar, her mood as light as the smoke.
"Well, this really isn't a meeting for the attack per say. You'll be meeting at a nearby organizational building. I'm just letting you guys know what your job is. I'll be staying here as always, taking care of the mansion and training operatives who decide to stay over in your absence."
"Wait, so who's holding the actual meeting?" Arivia asked, making her presence known since the start of the conversation.
"The boss."
The air in the room froze. Everything that had been under the act of 'living' had halted its existence at the mere mention of the title. On its own, the word 'boss', held a slightly authoritative tone, but with the contextual understanding of Sable Veil operatives, it held an immense, powerful presence.
The leader of Sable Veil, a man simply known as El Sombro to its operatives. To others he held many names, all a reflection of other's perception of him. Yet, despite the many names, almost nothing was known about El Sombro. He was a man who had mastered the art of 'existence' without existing itself. From the operative's perspectives, he was often disbelieved by new operatives as an attempt from the higher echelons of the organization to affright their lackeys into submission. This was not true, the man, no—shade—truly existed.
A man that had single-handedly started wars simply due to contracts he fulfilled. A man that had powerful men seek his services to eliminate opponents of their own. A man that had managed to a murder a celestial all on his own. Perhaps it was due to this act of murder that he chose to erase himself from the world and decided to start an organization known as Sable Veil, which recruited indiscriminately. The only rule within the organization being; You must be able to murder a man in less than twenty seconds.
One thing was known about El Sombro.
His eyes were said to reflect back the corpses of those that decided to gaze into them. A personification of death itself.
"Not only is he going to be present in person because of such an important mission, he also wants to see Lazy lid and Samuel."
"..."
Kors switched his gaze from Arivia—to Navi. They had known Kaito well, so Kors expected a reaction from the two girls, however none came from the two. They merely maintained the same expressions as before. Arivia however, shifted her position in her seat slightly.
After maintaining his composure by adjusting his hair, Kors asked, "Are there any Sable Veil bases situated in Lagomia? I'm not sure if I know of one, as Lagomians tend to dislike any foreign armed forces in their mountains and towns. The only reason we managed to place a base here is because we are along the border of Vultia and Lagomia. We have also lied to the nearby locals and stated we were hunters."
Kaen walked over to a nearby window, her gaze situated outside at the two boys below, training to become operatives of Sable Veil. One was frequently dipping his head in a bowl full of water containing soap, while the other was deep in a wrestling match with Dorius, a Hommunculus that had belonged to her.
"There's one in Midgard, the city where all the 'foreigners' gather around to deal in whatever shady business they get up to. Not that we're ones to talk." Kaen mutters.
"You're the only one talking!" Navi yells.
"We'll have to meet there in about two days, but it's a good thing we're only thirty minutes away from Brocken, which is about thirteen hours from Midgard."
"Captain, when you say Brocken, are you talking about the one that's halfway eaten by fog?"
Arivia asks.
"—We've also got our Lionels back from HQ, so we'd be able to make it a bit faster there. The roads tend to be really bumpy here, though, so we'll probably have to make adjustments to our 'hunting' carriage… Huh? You made a comment, Asakawa?"
Kaen turned around, her violet hair following behind her. A puzzled expression overtook her usually stern face.
"She hasn't opened her mouth in the past five minutes!" Navi exclaimed.
"Huh, I thought I heard one of my people complain." Kaen finished, clearly alluding to the fact that she did not like complaints.
Arivia leaned back in her chair, clearly exasperated.
Kaen crossed her arms as she continued briefing.
"While there are some various fog zones that erupt from the numerous Abyssal Valleys in Lagomia, they're far away from each other. So if we run into one, we surely won't run into another. Just be prepared to fight a couple devils, make sure you're good on your arcana.."
Fog Zones were areas of the world that were claimed by the fog. They no longer fell within the realm of 'sanity', only madness. The floor would warp, the sky would twist, and the structures would laugh. Within the Fog were monsters known as Devils. These were not the same as Aberrations, as they could only exist within the fog, and were oftentimes mutated Sapients twisted beyond belief.
In areas where the fog touched, Kingdoms fell. Approximately 60% of the world was overtaken by the mysterious corruption, an ongoing disaster that never seemed to dissipate. If compared to their counterparts thousands of years ago, kingdoms today would surely crumble in anguish.
The world's corpse was rotting away, while its doctors watched.
"Man, all this talking is making me hungry." Kaen grumbled. "Does anyone know if Kaito's cooking tonight?"
"She only refers to his real name if he is doing something for her…" Kors muttered. "But, I believe he is cooking." The second statement was made in a louder tone.
"Oh, that's great then." The woman stated as she tossed her cigar outside the window. Perhaps it had landed on said Kaito's head, one would never know. With that, she turned towards the door, her steps possessing more vigor than before.
"Well, meetings are done, get ready, you all."
Kaelira Kaen left the room, having finished uttering her briefs to her underlings. Once again, such an act was not uncommon, but was much to the chagrin of those around her. However, it was not as if she particularly cared for her reputation.
The door slammed shut, the noise reverberating throughout the room which remained silent. Perhaps the silence's origin was not natural.
The remaining members of Sable Veil remained in their seats, dumbfounded by the torrent of information that was thrusted in their direction. They were expected to dispose of Odin despite their strongest only being a Thaumite.
Navi rested her chin on the table, a large sigh escaping her lips.
"Remind me not to overperform on our next assignment…"
"I believe you underperform." Asakawa retorted.
"Shut up… Hgnh, nevermind, I'm too overstimulated."
"Maybe that's why you underperform."
"?!"
"Ms. Highergald, she was joking!! Please stop choking her!!"
____________________________________________________________________________
The glass swayed in the wind, dancing to the invisible symphony. The morning sun soared above, albeit incredibly slowly, giving the impression of a deep orange crack in the world above. And in the distant background, the hanging city of Asgard stood tall amongst its own background.
"My son." A man's voice seemed to sprout out of nowhere, surprising the Violet haired boy. This boy was no older than ten years old, evident by his short stature.
"What do you think of this scenery? I've frequented here throughout my life, yet the view seems to never lose its touch. It reminds me of the efforts I've made, the people I've saved."
"It's like your mother. Every time I look at her, I fall in love all over again. Though that love lasts until she scolds me for reading late at night."
"Not funny, father."
The man, huge in frame, yet clearly in his old age, laughed.
"I still do not understand on how a mountain can curve in such a way to support the weight of an entire city. It sure is convenient. I'll be sure to thank whoever did such a thing. Hopefully she's a woman, a beauty too."
"What happened to the analogy with your wife?!"
The man laughed once again, angling his roar towards the sky.
"It was a joke my son. A joke. Everyone knows me for my jokes, you know!"
"Your jokes are terrible!"
"Perhaps it is merely your sense of humor?"
"No, I am really confident in my humor! Everyone is!"
"Fine then. Would you like to hear a joke?"
"What do you call an intelligent, confident, and powerful existence that has a bright future ahead of it?"
"Hmm… A smart star?"
"Nope!"
The man picks up his son by the waist, and hoists him on his shoulders with a swift, powerful motion. The edges of his mouth then stretch to their very limit as he blurts the words.
"My son!"
The man shakes the boy around on his shoulders, laughing.
"... I don't get it."
"Don't worry, you will get it someday."
"Can someday be tomorrow?"
"That's up to you! Any day can be your someday, as long as you are willing to give it something!"
"That's confusing."
"Hah… Don't worry about it." The man looks around. "By the way, where are your siblings?"
"Hmph."
"Let me guess, you got into a fight with them? Haha, was it over potty rights or something?"
"Seriously, stop with the jokes."
"My son."
"?"
"Do you see that city?"
"Yep."
"Do you know how it was built?"
"With bricks?"
"Wrong. With people. Everyone worked together, and it took a long time, but with enough effort, we created our home, Asgard."
"What I'm saying, is that if you truly want to be greater, you must work with others. You can lift heavy weight on your own. But with others, you can lift anything. But you must be prepared to sacrifice. If you don't sacrifice anything, you won't gain anything. That is what it truly means to be responsible."
Those words engrained in every orifice of the boys brain from that moment they were uttered.
Sacrifice. Responsibility.
____________________________________________________________________________
"Loki. Heimdall. My family." The voice soared, addressing each of the participants within the grand room. A marble white floor that seemed to extend for miles. Golden accents in every etch of the architecture. A majestic table with diamond and pure gold inscriptions upon it, telling the legend of Asgard and its conception.
"You all have become aware of what has happened to our father, I'm sure. Perhaps through the whispers of our citizens, or the spilled secrets of our enemies, it does not matter."
"The upcoming days will be Asgard's hardest, that is for sure. Neighboring kingdoms, countries, and deviants known as mercenaries will attempt to assassinate the man who has done nothing but good for his kingdom. They will both arrive in droves, or as organized attacks, we cannot be for sure. However, we must give it our all in defending our home. I understand we have had our differences in the past over petty territory and family feuds, but now is the time to band together if we are to ensure our future in this dying world."
The figure raises his fist.
"Our beloved father, Odin, fought all on his own for the past three thousand years! He was the only one of his kind, the Celestials, left behind after the great FOG!! He took care of an entire kingdom of people by himself! Only when he met mother forty years ago was when we were born! We are incapable of living the same amount of time he has, so let us try and do a portions worth of his work in the little time we have in this world!"
"Let us put aside our differences and fight for a greater cause!"
All cheered for the same cause.
Yet what drove them couldn't be more different.