"Nice to meet you. I'm Derik," he shook the hand of the Alaric.

"He is the one that's been giving me intel on the vault. Speaking of intelligence, have you found anything new about the demon king's whereabouts? We lost track of him at the battle of Drab river," Lina asked.

He adjusted his white cravat. "I've heard that he has retreated westward. I still haven't been able to glean anything about his abilities."

"And what about the war?" Lina asked.

Lord Theurge Bolon of Gauteng is moving east through Baliskar. New Tango is losing ground to Mesburg, but the created monsters are delaying their progress. There probably won't be any major development before winter. Melilla has been pushing through Palatine, but Limousin reinforcements should stall their advance," he said.

"Any news on the disappearances?" she asked.

"No, but it seems people in Baliskar have been disappearing as well."

"Well, as you may be able to see," Lina said, "we are currently are unable to escort someone into the city. This siege may take months, and I would prefer not to delay any more than necessary."

"The longer we stay here, the closer I get to my contract ending," Derik thought.

"It is unfortunate," Derik began, "but there is nothing we can do. We'll just have to wait it out for the siege to be over."

"That's not entirely true. I'll see what I can do," Alaric responded.

Before Derik could tell him not to bother, he took out an astrolabe from his pocket. He vanished into thin air.

"Woh, what was that?" Derik asked Lina.

"That, my friend, was the best spy in the world," she replied. "My family used to oversee intelligence operations in Mesburg. He was a close friend of my family and has worked with me to track the demon king."

"That explains everything, thank you," Derik said. "Except for the fact that he disappeared faster than an enemy of the state!"

"He has a magical artifact that allows him to temporarily make him invisible to the naked eye, issued by the government for his exemplary service. Not unlike my bow."

"You bow is magic too?"

"I told you it was a family heirloom. It shoots missiles that glide through the air with unerring accuracy. My father used to tell me about how the bow was once used by a master archer who shot an arrow; this arrow crossed the entire length of the country of Mesburg, landing in the center of an archery target for a local tournament."

"I need to get me one of these," Derik thought. "Maybe finding this vault isn't so bad after all."

Alaric climbed down the walls and landed in the courtyard of the fortification. He walked down the streets of Dinar. He glanced down at his astrolabe, ducking into an alley and closing it. Dressing in a cloak, he exited the alley and made his way to the castle's main hall.

As he followed the road that leads to the keep, he looked around the city. Soldiers hurried back and forth carrying supplies. People were rushing to put out a few fires, and many took shelter near the walls from the occasional stones that crashed inside the walls.

He approached the entrance to the main keep. The guards moved to stop him, but he unveiled his cloak.

He approached them. "I've come to speak with governor Merik."

The guards escorted him in, standing him face to face with Merik. Alaric took a bow as the guards left the chambers.

"Ah Olmec," he said. "While your information about the Palatine army was correct, it came too late to be of any use. Now, look at the situation I am in. I have gotten no news from General Brown, and barbarians are barring down on us. I'm stuck here, Olmec! I'm stuck here!

Alaric shook his head, "I regret to inform you that the demon king has already withdrawn further into the country my lord."

'What? You mean there isn't anyone coming?"

"Sadly so, my lord. There is no one coming to break the siege; however, I have come to offer a solution to your troubles."

"Tell me. Tell me!" the governor responded. "What do I employ you for? Hurry up and give me a solution before I detach your head from your body!"

"There is no hope for us breaking the siege," Alaric said. "And sneaking out to escape is all but impossible; therefore, the only option available to us is surrender."

"What? Surrender? And get taken prisoner to be executed? Have you lost your mind? Because if you haven't, you are about to."

"I am quite serious," Alaric responded. "I overheard that the commander of the Palatine forces would be willing to let you continue to govern this city if you surrendered. Your men would be spare as well. Though, that wouldn't be possible with the garrison commander in charge."

The governor thought on this as the sun began to slink behind the horizon.

Derik woke up. The rays of the morning sun peeked through the tent.

"Another day of drills and gambling," he thought. "This job is really growing on me. After this siege, I'll practically be done with my contract. Then it's off to laze about in some vineyard for the next few decades."

As he walked out of the tent, he noticed a white flag fluttering in the wind down by the town. He went down to investigate and found a fanciful man dressing in light purple negotiating with the legate.

"I bring you this man's head as good faith," he revealed a black cloth sack. "We surrender to you."

The legate looked inside briefly and signaled to his men. "You have made the correct decision. I'm sure your people will welcome democracy and freedom." He said as he slapped a set of chains around the governor's wrists. "Take this man away."