Chapter 57: A Trade Gone Wrong.

The heavy oak doors of the throne room groaned shut with a finality that hung heavy in the air. Sunlight, sneaking through high, stained-glass windows, cast distorted colored squares on the polished marble floor. Yet, the vibrant display did little to dispel the oppressive atmosphere that had settled upon the room.

The air was sharp with a tension thicker than the dust motes dancing in the sunbeams. Ryan stood before the self-proclaimed king, a sardonic smile plastered across his face. Beside him, Cecil stood poised, an iceberg in a room suddenly turned furnace.

"So...seems our bluff failed" Cecil whispered, her voice devoid of panic "Now what?" She asked.

"What else?" Ryan's voice laced with strange confidence "We kill and rob the stupid bastards"

Before them, the leader, sat upon his false throne, smirked under the weight of his purchased crown. Flanking him were the four mages, faces grim and spells crackling at their fingertips.