System Change

Present Day—Kingdom of Cydaria

Sabrina and her two guards walked out of the warehouse where she had met Gerald Torith. If she ever had to rank humans based on the ones she met, she would rank that man as the lowest of the low. He was greedy and manipulative, and had no care for those of his own race. If things worked out, she would never have to meet the man again, and that would still not be long enough.

Luckily, her five years as an envoy had passed, and it wouldn’t be strange for her to leave at any time. In fact, she planned on leaving earlier, but she had met that weird man who had turned out to be Onyx Ranked back in Savannah.

She spent some extra time focusing on that man, but other than his odd behavior, dress, and rudeness, she didn’t find much else about him. When she found out he was a friend of Alanah Swan, she gave up looking deeper into him. She had managed five years without running into the woman. She would hate to mess that up this late into the game.

Fortunately, her delaying her leave because of her curiosity had paid off. Gerald Torith contacted her, and told her he had important news, and she must say, after five years of information gathering, the news she just received from the slimy man was the most important news she’d received yet.

Sabrina had an extra pep in her step as she made her way back to the Cydarian Capital. They didn’t rush, they moved at a slow, natural pace. Today was a great day. She was going to complete her mission soon. She would finally be able to see her family and kingdom again, and she did it all without being found out.

She even gave the human guard an uncharacteristic smile as she and her guard reentered the city. It was enough to cause the guard to blush. Happily, she and the two guards made their way to the Teleportation Building. She’d had all the relevant paperwork finished for some time, and all she had to do was hand it in and she could be sent to the border.

From there, it was a few day’s journey to an Indrian city with a teleporter. Within a week, she would be back home. She couldn’t wait.

As the trio approached the Teleportation Building, she noticed a commotion up ahead. Two men, who she recognized, rushed out of the building. One was Derek Hunt, the subject of her recent interest and fascination, and the other was Prince Edgar. They made for an appealing duo.

She had no clue what they were doing. She stepped forward to get a closer look, but before she even realized it, they were gone. Prince Edward disappeared in a bright flash, and Derek Hunt just disappeared. She stared at where they used to be standing, slack jawed.

Now, she was in a predicament. Does she enter the Teleportation Building and make her way home, or should she wait around and try to find out what was going on? The information she currently had was more than enough to call her mission successful.

After thinking, she decided to leave. Derek Hunt and Prince Edgar had caused so much commotion already that gossip would surely spread. Whatever happened would surely be gossiped about soon, and not secretly either. She entered the Teleportation Building with her two lackeys.

“Good evening, Miss Elras.” The elf at the front desk greeted her. He was one of the only workers she enjoyed talking to. He was full blooded, and he always talked to her with respect. “How may I help the envoy today?”

Sabrina flashed the man a bright smile. “I’m finally going home.” She summoned her papers and handed them to the man.

“Has it been five years already?” The man asked.

She nodded. “It has. Actually, it’s been a little over.”

“You must be excited, then.”

“Very much so.” Sabrina confirmed. “I’ll finally be able to see my family again. Letters and missives are no substitute for the real thing.”

“I understand that.” The clerk said as he read through her papers. “Everything seems to be in order. If you will, please follow me.”

Sabrina followed the Elven clerk through the Teleportation Building, asking about what she had seen along the way.

“Was that Prince Edgar I saw before I came in? He seemed to be in quite a rush.” She said.

“It was. Him and his companion appeared to be in quite the hurry. I have no clue as to why, though.” The worker said. “However, not long before those two arrived, the Crown Prince and his guards arrived, too. They were also in a rush. Something big must have gone down.”

“I hope everyone’s okay.” Sabrina said.

“I’m sure everything will be fine.” The Elven clerk said. Soon after, they arrived at a teleportation circle. “Here we are. Step in and we will get the three of you on your way back home.”

“Thank you.” Sabrina and her two guards stepped inside the teleportation circle and waited for the clerk to activate it.

“Now, I’m sure you already know this, but you will be teleported directly to Fort Belaris. It is the closest circle to the border between Cydaria and Indria. Once there, you will be escorted outside the fort and to the border. From there, the journey is in your hands. I hope you’ve had a great time in Cydaria, milady.” The clerk said.

“It was a pleasure.” She replied.

Not long after, she and her guards were teleported to the fort, and within a couple hours, she was standing on Indrian soil for the first time in five years.

Just over the border, there was a group of escorts waiting for her arrival back to Indria. They had been stationed there, waiting for her arrival for months, so when they saw her, there was a bit of a celebration.

The journey from the border to a teleportation circle wasn’t short, but Sabrina didn’t complain once. She was just happy to be going home. After a few days, she arrived at a city, then immediately chose to teleport directly to the capital.

The second she stepped outside in the capital, she took a deep breath in. No longer did the air reek of filth and garbage. No, it was the sweet smell of nature. Indria’s cities were built much the same as Cydaria, but for one glaring difference, the care taken.

The buildings were made with the best woods available, instead of the stone buildings most humans opted for. Each building was decorated with vines and flowers, each giving off pleasant smells. Every city had positions available for cleaners. There were no slums in Indria, at least not in the same sense as the ones in Cydaria. Of course, there were many more cities spread out through Indria, and the population was much less than those in Cydaria.

After taking a moment to bask in the floral smells of the city, Sabrina moved directly toward her own home. She needed to report to the palace, but there was no way she was going to stand in front of the King wearing the same clothing as she had traveled in.

The gate guards at her residence immediately recognized and greeted her. She exchanged some pleasantries, but rapidly moved through the courtyard and gardens to her home. Inside, she was met by her mother, who was a force to be reckon with.

“Oh! Sabrina! You’re back. I’m so happy.” She rushed forward and scooped Sabrina into a giant embrace.

“I’m happy to finally be home, mother.” Sabrina said, holding back tears. “Unfortunately, I can only stay here long enough to clean myself. I must report to the palace posthaste.”

“Oh?” Her mother put her at arm’s length to examine her. “I see. You must dress properly if you are to visit the palace. Come, come.” Her mother led her to the baths to have a proper cleaning.

It was the first real bath Sabrina had in five years. Unfortunately, she was on a time crunch and was unable to enjoy it. Tomorrow… she said to herself.

“Your father is already at the palace. I have sent word that you have come home. He will meet you there.” Her mother ushered her back out of their house. “Go. You mustn’t keep the King waiting.”

Before long, she was with her father, waiting to be summoned by the King. She was more nervous this time than she was the first.

“You may go in.” A servant called for her. “Just the girl.” He stopped her father from going into the Throne Room with her.

She understood. This was a private mission. Her father hadn’t known about it, at least, she hadn’t told him about it before she left. Whether the King had informed his brother, she didn’t know.

She walked into the Throne Room to the same scene as five years ago. The King sat alone in the room, on his throne, looking not a day older than when they last met.

Sabrina walked closer and bowed. “Your Majesty.”

“My niece. It has been five years since you left as an envoy. I trust you had a pleasant time in the Kingdom of Cydaria.” The King greeted her.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The King motioned for Sabrina to walk closer, and just as she had the last time, she did. Then he erected a soundproof barrier over them.

“Tell me, Sabrina. Did you learn of anything important over the last five years? Anything not safe for communication crystals or our other spies?” The King asked.

“I have learned much. As for the usefulness of what I have learned, that can only be determined by Your Majesty.” She replied.

“Then let us begin.”

Sabrina took in a deep breath and began pouring out all information she learned, down to the tiniest detail. She told the King of which nobles were loyal to the Royal Family, and which were unsatisfied. Which wanted a new regime and which could be bought. She had information on guards from the different cities, and as much military information as she could gather.

She had compiled a list of all the strongest people in Cydaria, both known and unknown to most. In fact, just recently, she added another name to that list. The King and Sabrina spent hours going over every last detail. By the end of her report, her King might have known more about most of the dungeons in Cydaria than Cydaria’s own King.

Finally, she moved on to the final report she received by Gerald Torith, the man who had provided the majority of the information she had gathered in the first place, before she left.

“And after the auction, the Kingdom has decided to send a number of high-level personnel into this dungeon. This is a list and known levels of the current members of the team.” She handed the King a list of names.

“Interesting.” The King commented as he looked over the list. “Though there seems to be a few names missing.”

“That is correct.” She replied. “When I received the list, Prince Edgar had yet to decide on the final members of the raid party. I suspect the undecided members will be even stronger than those currently listed.”

“I see.” The King looked up at Sabrina and smiled. “You have done well.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“You have even gathered a small amount of information that I did not have before. That is remarkable, indeed.” The King said.

Sabrina froze. Was the King saying he already had all of this information?

“Relax, girl.” He smiled. “This was a test. It proved your loyalty and capabilities. From what our other spies gather, other than a single occurrence, no suspicion was even cast upon you, and you played your role as an envoy well. For that, you have done admirably.”

“A single occurrence?” She asked.

“This Derek Hunt. He seemed to take a small interest in you before forgetting about it. Nothing you didn’t already know, or report. He is a bit of an enigma, though. He came out of nowhere, then was in business with the Crown Restaurant and Alanah Swan. It’s fascinating.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Also, you have gathered the information about the new dungeon and the team before any of my other spies. For that, you will be properly rewarded.” The King said.

“I do not need any rewards, Your Majesty.” She replied.

“Yet you will have them.” He spoke. The King then snapped his fingers, and the barrier broke. “You may now leave. You will stay in the palace tonight. Please send your father in behind you.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” She turned to go, then remembered the necklace. She made to remove it, but was interrupted.

“Keep it. Think of it as part of your reward. It is a valuable thing. You may have use for it in the future.” He motioned for her to continue.

Sabrina left the Throne Room. She wasn’t sure what to think about everything that had transpired. The King had already known everything she told him, other than small tidbits about servants and such. Other than the dungeon information, she had provided him with what? The favorite color of the second daughter of House Aarden.

Of course, he already knew everything. He was the King of an entire country. He had spies much more capable than a young elf like her. What was the point of this all? Why had she spent five years of her life doing that? She thought of countless questions as she found her father and directed him to the Throne Room.

Back in the Throne Room, King Osian Elras sat on his throne in contemplation. The information the girl arrived with was new, and more important that she had believed. He stared at the paper with the list of names.

“If this many powerful people will be away from Cydaria for at least three years, how much will their military force be weakened?” While he was deep in thought, his brother walked into the hall. “Brother!” He greeted. “Come, sit. Have a drink. We must toast to your daughter’s competence. She has done the Kingdom a great service.” King Osian stood from his throne and placed a table and chairs down in the room.

“I knew she would.” His brother said as he moved closer. “She has the mind for it. And at her next class change, she should also have the skills for it.” He took one of the chairs and sat. “She need only stop thinking about marriage. She is much too young to worry about that.”

“Mhm… But weren’t you her age when you met your wife?” The King asked as he took out some wine and poured drinks. If anyone other than his brother had seen him doing this, they would be shocked and appalled.

“I am not her.” His brother said.

“That is true.” King Osian tipped his cup forward. “To Sabrina Elras. For not being as incompetent as my little brother.”

His brother snorted. “She takes after her mother.”

The two brothers had a good laugh at that before King Osian got serious once again. He erected a soundproof barrier over them.

“Oh?” His brother said.

“We have much to discuss. You daughter really did bring me interesting news this time.” King Osian said.

“And what news did she bring?”

“I think.” King Osian took a sip of wine. “It is time.”