“What do you mean they never showed up?” Hayate slammed his hand against the wooden table that thankfully separated him from the buffoon in front of him. He violently whipped his hand to the side sending papers and other items flying as his eyes started seeing red. The man before him noticeably grew more and more white as he delivered the bad news to the young lord. “How could this happen?”

Mitchell, as he introduced himself, stood from his chair and walked to the other side of his office. Hayate had been released from his holding cell on Shinsou’s orders. Despite Lord Osiris not being currently present in Whitevale he had already arranged everything for Hayate to meet with Mitchell and discuss the recent developments. The book elf was a shorter man, a scholar really, and as he waddled to the filing cabinet behind him he continued to listen to the young lord’s rant.

“They were supposed to rendezvous with Brotherhood operatives outside the Illian Marsh,” Hayate said trying to remember the plan down to the detail.

“They never arrived, Lord Amatsukami.” Mitchell said as he slapped the report down in front of the man. Hayate swiftly took the parchment into his palm and read over it with anger in his eyes. It stated that the team responsible for receiving his clan never made contact with them. In fact it went on to say that upon further investigation that the exit to the tunnel system they were using to escape had been caved in on this side. The final statement mentions no signs of stragglers or survivors, but also no signs of fighting of conflict.

“Hiruzen!’ Hayate yelled as he chucked the report across the room. With heavy feet he stormed out of Mitchell’s office and out of the barracks. He didn’t know where he was going and didn’t care as long as he could get away from people for a moment. After a short walk he found himself in the outskirts of town beside a large lake. As he reached the water’s edge he looked down into his reflection. The calm stillness of the water was abruptly disturbed as the swordsman’s tears caused a ripple.

The news was hard to hear.