The camp was clearly prepared for his visit. They all gazed at him with varying emotions. Joy. Relief. Expectation. Confusion. Skepticism.
The men guided him to the largest tent, gesturing him inside. Inside were several more Martial Apprentices that stood guard. Rui recognized the only non-Martial Artist within the tent as his client, Fushin Hunfer.
His eyes narrowed as he felt a faint sense of pressure from the man that he shouldn’t have. He was old, his body was covered in scars and his skin was wrinkled and what was left of his hair was white. Despite his visage being that of an old man, Rui didn’t dare to think of him as one. The man almost had a heavier presence in Rui’s mind than the Martial Apprentices in the room.
Rui recalled the details of his background from his mind palace, provided by the mission bill.
Fushin Hunfer was the fifteenth general of Fort Zurtun. When the Britannian Empire attacked, he personally led the military of Fort Zurtun against the forces of the Britannian army. When they inevitably lost, the man didn’t resign to his fate, nor did he throw himself into the jaws of death in some banal sense of honor.
No.
He gathered the surviving forces of his military that would have either died or been imprisoned and escaped with them. He was the progenitor of the rebel group. And many years later, his will to win and free his land had not withered in the slightest, Rui could sense a smoldering fire in his calm eyes.
Instantly, Rui felt a measure of respect for the man, and it reflected in his demeanor.
“Squire Falken.” The former general addressed him. “I’m grateful to you for humoring my request.”
“Not at all.” Rui politely replied.
The man silently extended a hand, refusing to say another word until Rui shook it.
“That being said…” The former general said. “I’m afraid I have another request of you.”
He gestured towards a seat opposite his own as he took his own.
𝒪𝓥xt.𝗇t
“I would like for you to time the execution of our commission with or slightly prior to our own assault on Fort Zurtun.” He told Rui once the latter took his seat.
(‘As expected…’) Rui nodded inwardly. He had suspected that this would be the case. The general had shrewdly realized that getting rid of the weapon had the most impact only if the opportunities it provided were capitalized immediately.
“No problem,” Rui told him. “I don’t mind you coordinating the timing of your commission as long as you don’t alter the pre-established conditions of the mission itself or if there are other reasons that work against my interest. You have commissioned me to destroy the weapon, and I will destroy the weapon and everything needed for me to do so. However, that is it, nothing more and nothing less. I will not play any other role in this war.”
Rui sternly drew a line in the ground early on in their conversation. He needed to express this stance strongly and make it clear that he would not do anything he wasn’t commissioned to do. The old man before him would exploit anything and everything he could for the sake of his goals, and Rui needed to ensure that he wasn’t one of them.
“I did not intend to request or tell you to do more than what you have been commissioned to do.” He blankly stated without any shift in his expression. “Once you have completed your mission, you may leave.”
That sounded all well and fine, but Rui felt he needed to be careful. Even if the old man didn’t request Rui to participate in the war straightforwardly, there were ways in which he could coerce Rui to take part in the war or contribute to it.
If Rui’s exit was somehow restricted or if his well-being was threatened, he would need to employ force to force his way out of this predicament. This would result in Rui contributing to their cause even if he didn’t intend or want to.
If the old man decided the timing and the coordination of Rui’s attack, then there was a chance that he could forcefully put Rui in such a situation where he would be able to exploit Rui further than just the commission. Perhaps this wasn’t likely, but the man had already proven himself to be quite shrewd.
“That’s good to hear.” Rui blankly stated. “Give me a timeframe for when you intended to execute your plan.”
“Within a day or two.” The old man replied. “I’ll present the general plan to you by then.”
Rui paused for a moment. That timeframe was just the maximum delay he was willing to tolerate, he didn’t want to delay the mission any further.
“I’ll add a bonus of ten percent.” The old man offered, keenly noting from the slight hints in his body language that he wasn’t too inclined to accept the offer. “In writing.”
Rui sighed. Since the man was clearly expressing his goodwill and charity, he ultimately decided to accept the offer. “Alright then, please finish all your preparations as soon as possible. I will not tolerate too much of a delay.”
The old man cracked a smile for the first time. “An overwhelming majority of our preparations are complete, all we need are some very final steps, and we can begin the assault any time after. We have prepared some quarters for you to rest and reside until the time is ready.”
“That’s good to hear.” Rui nodded. “Chalk up the contract for the bonus and have it sent it to me as soon as possible.”
The two discussed some other details and technical matters, confirming the basics of what preparations were still incomplete and the kind of role Rui would be playing.
“Alright then.” Rui nodded, getting up. “That brings us to the end of our conversation.”
“Indeed.” The old man replied. “Please get some rest, you have traveled far after all.”