Ferrik the half-orc had already cleared the pathway through the various offices so that his boss wouldn’t have to be inconvenienced by any staff or misplaced furniture when he stormed in. It was a foregone conclusion that Ferrik’s boss would be storming. He had already sent word that his trip had been derailed and that things were not looking well. Now that he was back in the capitol Ferrik would have to make sure that orders were carried out to fix whatever had gone wrong.

True to form the man in black swept into the offices and under his arm he carried a wooden case that was shaped like a large cube. The case had rounded edges to make it more easily carried under a person’s arm as well as to lend it a certain aesthetic appeal. These cases were quite common around this particular office so that wasn’t to be seen as being out of the ordinary. The man in black motioned with his head for Ferrik to follow him, and the half-orc quickly complied. Once in the sanctity of the man in black’s office, Ferrik closed the door behind him and stood waiting while his superior got settled in.

“Alright, first things first. You are going back into field service. Get packed and be aboard the Kapriolen when it leaves for the north. You have to get the offices in order up there and reestablish our ties to whoever is running that asylum.” The man in the black attire sat heavily into his leather chair. “Take that case to our people in the grotto. Once they do what needs to be done, you are to reassign Redemption to the services of the renegade demon in the labyrinth. Make sure he understands fully what he is being told to do, and if there is any hesitation in his devotion or lack of comprehension then clap him in irons and drag him to the furnace. Take whatever help you will need for that. He doesn’t leave the grotto without agreeing to my terms, understand?”

Ferrik replied quickly with “Yes, sir. Understood.”

The man in black nodded his head. “Excellent. Tulford is out. He blew it big time and I’ve dealt with him accordingly. You are replacing him. If you allow anything like this to happen under your watch, you will be similarly dealt with. I’m not giving out second chances willy-nilly here. Yes, we are a land of assassins, and you have to expect the occasional incident that falls outside of our plans. But if you hide anything from me, from anyone in this department, and it is dragged into the glaring light of day like this crap show was, so help me God I will use your skull as an anchor for my yacht. You understanding all of this?”

Ferrik again quickly replied, “Yes sir. Understood.”

The man in black took a deep breath. “This trip was as close to being a total write-off as I can imagine without us actually all being sent to the gallows. Never again, Ferrik. You keep things low key and above board. Submit your reports, keep the blood off your hands, and find a way to use the people you already have to get things going again. If I see improvement, I’ll send along some additional muscle. You keep an eye on them. You are in charge, not the other way around.” The man in black pointed at the case and said, “Now get out of here with that and get to business. I have an appointment with your replacement.”

Ferrik grabbed the case and tucked it under his arm. Leaving the office, he could hardly keep from grinning and doing a victory dance. This was his chance to really show his worth. It was finally Ferrik’s time to shine.