Stranger — Roleplayer Guild

Zayn and Liam

Zayn turned to see Liam standing at his door, already packed and ready to go. Good, at least he's speedy. "Liam, we're going to go to Ylisstol. While we're there, we'll be acting as two brothers who live on our own. You are to follow me through town and, should the need arise, keep me alive in battle. I, in turn, will protect you until my business is concluded and we return here. Any questions?"

Brothers. They were going to pretend to be brothers. Liam, astonished, just numbly nodded his head in agreement. "I'll defintely keep you alive," he vowed, tightening his grip on his staff. He was quite pleased to know that Zayn, in return, would protect him. It was as if they were going to actually be brothers. "Let's get going," he said, prepared to follow Zayn anywhere.

Zayn grabbed him by the shoulder. "Not so fast," he said, turning Liam around. He released the boy's shoulder and went to close the door. Once it was shut, he went over to his bed and picked up the tattered cloak, removing his own in the process. "Take off everything that could connect you to Grimleal first. Emblems, insignias, rings, jewelry, anything. If there's even a hint of Grima in it, leave it in this room." Zayn put on the ragged cloak, wrapped his head like a desert-dweller, and put on the old traveler's boots. He then ruffled up what hair was still showing on his head, sighed, and closed his eyes. When he opened them, his face and appearance were entirely that of a casual young man on his way to exploring the world. He turned to see if Liam was ready yet.

Before Liam could heroically dash off, Zayn pulled him back inside before shutting the door. The cleric silently watched the other male as he picked up a tattered cloak. "This is an undercover operation. Be sleek and sly," he told himself as he began to take off anything Grimleal-related. Before long, Liam had a small pile of Grima objects on the ground. Finished, he glanced over at Zayn, only to freeze in surprise. The regal and powerful Zayn had suddenly turned into a commoner. "Whoa! Hi there new Zayn!" he greeted.

Zayn glared at him, all his intimidating fury returning in an instant. The look in his eyes made it clear: he had no desire to be friends. "Come on," he said, blinking his face back to an average commoner as he opened the door and stepped out. The guard outside did a double-take as the two of them passed by, but he was wise enough to recognize Zayn and Liam before raising his weapon. The two of them eventually made it outside and Zayn turned to head for the shipyard. The castle had several ships, both magic and plain, and all from various parts of the world. It helped agents of Grimleal to move freely and in disguise. For this trip, Zayn had commandeered a small, magic-enhanced vessel once stolen from a Ylissian fishing company. The name and general appearance had been altered somewhat since then to hide its true origins. Zayn headed up the loading ramp and motioned for Liam to get on.

A small whimper escaped his lips when Zayn turned back into his normal self. Liam then proceeded to tell himself not to get on the other's nerves too much. He would rather live another day to bother Ruby again. He followed Zayn out of the room and into the shipyard. Liam whistled, looking at all the different ships that were skillfully disguised. When Zayn had motioned for Liam to get on a small Ylissian vessal, the cleric paused. What if Zayn decided to throw him into the sea? Worrisome thoughts crossing his mind, Liam reluctantly boarded the ship, a frown on his face.

Once Liam was on board, Zayn signalled the captain, who saluted and began shouting orders to his crew members. They all began rushing about making final preparations for launch. They also gave Zayn as wide a berth as possible; if Zayn noticed, he made no sign of it. He sat down very casually against the side of the ship and opened his bag, producing two large apples. He threw one toward Liam. "Here," he said as he tossed it. "It's a day's trip, so we'll eat sparingly on the way. It'll help sell the 'hungry young travelers' look."

He made sure to stay out of reach, cautiously glancing at Zayn a few times. He seemed...okay, even digging into his bag to throw an apple at Liam. He caught it, staring at the fruit with an evil eye. "Er, thanks," he said, taking a bite of it as a look of disgust crossed his face. Like the apple he had this morning, this one was sweet and juicy. Although he would have preferred to throw this apple into the sea, Liam put up with it and took another bite of it. "So, what is your big plan?" he asked, tapping the railing with his free hand as the ship began to set sail.

"The Sacred Blades," he answered. "The group is becoming a bigger and more dangerous threat with every passing day, and if we make the mistake of ignoring them while they're small, we risk being overwhelmed by them when they grow. That's how our ancestors lost their shining chance to free Grima; they underestimated the Shepherds. So, we're going to make sure that the ambush that's been set for them goes smoothly. If it doesn't, we'll just have to think of something else. With me so far?"

Liam listened to Zayn's words, his curiousity piqued when the Sacred Blades were mentioned. He had heard that the group were trying to become like the Sheperds. If so, then they would become a huge problem in the future. "I'm with you," he said, nodding. "But an ambush with just the two of us...? Wouldn't that be like suicide?"

"Probably," Zayn said, so nonchalantly that it almost didn't sound like him. "Fortunately, we're not actually taking part in the ambush itself." He took a bite out of his own apple, then paused to consider. "...Well, that's not entirely accurate. We will be taking part, but not on the side of Grimleal. We're going to help the Blades escape the ambush unscathed."

"E-eh?" Liam scratched his head, confused.

"You heard me. We're going to help the Blades escape with their lives."

"And then?"

"And then, we're going to make sure they think forces of Valm are entirely responsible for the attack." He took another bite of his apple. "Walhart, unbeknownst to the general public outside of Valm, did have a few descendants among his harem girls. It wouldn't be a stretch to assume that one of them wanted to kill the Sacred Blades for what the Shepherds did to their ancestor. So, once they've bought into that, they'll start turning their gazes on Valm, rather than on Plegia. And once they've turned their backs to Grimleal...?" he paused, wanting Liam to finish it for him.

What Zayn had said next cleared up Liam's confusion. He eagerly nodded, excitement flooding within him.
"Uh, we..uh...we..." he paused, his eyebrows knitted together in thought. "We...destroy..them?"

Zayn sighed. "No, we make our real moves. Once the biggest threat to the Grimleal turns their backs on us, it gives us the opportunity to make our real move, something not even the council knows about." Zayn looked up at him, and the ice in his smile almost seemed to chill the air around him. "We send a Valm assassin to kill Ylisse's Queen."

Zayn took another bite out of his apple. "Though they might be a threat to us, a rag-tag band of warriors poses no threat to a nation like Valm. So, we need to give them an army to back them up. I've selected Ylisse's army. I truly doubt that any assassin will be able to make his way to the Queen, but even with the attempt, it'll seal Valm's fate as the adversary. Ylisse will be outraged, and even if outright war doesn't spark from this, they'll be so busy bickering with each other that their scrutiny of Plegia will loosen slightly. And that loosening is all we need to make our next big move. Soon, the world will know that Grimleal is back." He took the last big bite out of his apple and threw the core behind him. It flew over the railing and landed in the sea. "For now, however, our job is to make sure the ambush doesn't succeed. We'll pose as simple passersby who happened to be in the area and decided to help them out, as thanks for all the work they've done around Ylisse. Once they're casting glances in Valm's direction, we make our exit and head home."

"So," he said, finishing up his speech, "what do you think? Any questions? Comments? Concerns? And don't be afraid to mention them; I don't care for kiss-ups or sugar-coaters."

"I think you're quite brilliant," Liam finally said after a long pause. Zayn's plan was well thought out to the point where it scared the young cleric. It was as if Zayn had laid out a row of dominoes, and he only needed to give one tiny push to make them all fall into chaos. He was truely worthy of a Grimleal commander and the power that came with it. He only wondered what would happen after Grima revived.

Zayn frowned at him, more annoyed than enraged. "I just told you I don't like kiss-ups." He sighed. "Ah, it doesn't matter. Anyway, make yourself comfortable and be ready when the sun rises. It might only be the two of us, but we're about to start a war." So saying, he pulled his head wrap over his eyes and closed them. It would only last a day, but it was likely to be a long, tense boat ride; if he got spotted, or if his cover got blown, he could very well be walking into his own death. But if all went according to plan, this was going to be the start of a glorious field of chaos. I should invite Alice along next time. I'm sure she'd love to be a part of that kind of killing. With that, he drifted off to sleep.

Liam shrugged. He had only stated what was true. He nodded, watching Zayn as he settled into sleep. Scary. Not saying another word, he leaned on the railing as he watched the sun sink below the horizon; the sky painted with reds and oranges.

Once the King's meeting had finally let out, Zayn returned quietly to his chambers. He closed the door behind him, then smiled coldly. His plan had finally been set into motion. From this point, he would have to play an active role to make sure everything went smoothly. Naturally, however, he would have to stay out of the spotlight, since he didn't want to tip off either the Blades or the Grimleal to what he was up to. He began running calculations in his head: the ambush was to take place in two days, so if he were to take a Quickboat (boats powered by magic to move much faster than regular boats) to Ylisse within the hour, he would probably arrive just before the ambush occurred. Once there, he could-

A distinctive flapping sound pulled him back into reality as Ragmi, the messenger hawk, landed on his window sill. He opened the window to allow the hawk entry. Sure enough, there was a note attached to his leg. Zayn opened the note and began reading. It was a basic status report: Vass had not been discovered, and the Blades were heading to Ylisstol. Good, then all is going as planned, he thought. He took a new sheet of paper and wrote a quick reply, offering Ragmi a small rat as he did so, which the hawk gladly gobbled up.

Continue to act as normal. Draw no suspicion to yourself. Report again in three days.

Since Zayn was the only one who handled communications with Vass, he didn't bother signing it. Vass would know who had sent the message. He tied the message to the hawk's legs and ordered it back to its master. The hawk cried a vicious cry as it took wing back to Ylisse. "Good. That's one thing taken care of," he said, mostly speaking to himself. Once the hawk was out of sight, he closed the window again. This time, however, he closed the curtains as well. He opened his wardrobe and removed the false bottom, revealing a tattered brown cloak, a tan-colored head wrap, and a pair of travelling boots. They were commoner's clothing, made all over the world and sold in almost every shop that handled them. He would blend right in. Removing the items, he placed them on his bed and returned the false bottom to the wardrobe. Anyone else in Grimleal likely wouldn't be caught dead wearing such tragic clothing, but to Zayn, these clothes might as well have made him invisible; more than worth the ragged appearance and derisive sneers he received while wearing them. Before putting them on, however, he opened his door and stuck his head out.

"Guard."

The armored man turned and saluted him quickly. "Yessir?"

"Send Liam to my room, and tell him to pack for travels. I will be departing briefly, and I would have him accompany me." Liam was young and naive, making him very easy to manipulate, but he was also a healer, making him very useful to have around.

"Sir." The guard saluted again and rushed off to find Liam. Zayn shut his door again and sat down. Truthfully, he would have liked to take someone else along as well, in case something went wrong. However, of the very limited people who had earned his attention, no one else would be a wise choice. Ruby was a skilled swordswoman, but if her sister was with the Sacred Blades, she would be recognized immediately. Verin- well, in Zayn's eyes, Verin was next to worthless, and he would remain that way until he could prove otherwise. Alice the Pegasus Knight would have made for good aerial support, but Zayn placed no trust in her being able to restrain her killing urges long enough for him to accomplish his objectives. In the end, Liam was the only person he knew of that could support him while posing the least amount of risk to his mission. Still, he had considered each of these individuals before, and if they continued to prove themselves (in Verin's case, if he could prove himself at all), Zayn would definitely make use of their skills. For now, he only had to wait. He was leaving in forty-five minutes, with or without the young cleric.

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