The smell of old paper and overall age and degeneration filled my nostrils as I sneezed at the rising dust from the decrepit record book I had just pulled. However unpleasant the current circumstances I know found myself were, I was still glad to be here, for this was were my search for the truth would begin, in a pile of paperwork. I could only sigh irritably at the thought; I was a person of action, of split second decisions that could cost me everything, not (and at this point I stare loathingly in the direction of the sniveling Record-keeper who found my discomfiture amusing) this.

                        But, as luck would have it, the Tarnaa had left this vessel of prior human achievement alone, so my next target should be listed somewhere here since he lived in the area and was well known, and this town, called Lethaid, was known in this realm for its library.

                        I piled the newest addition to my stack on top of the others I had just pulled, then made a shaky trek with much balancing acrobatics back to my table, which was already covered end to end with official paperwork, old news grams of former glory, and other such means of written correspondences.  Near the head, I had a neat pile of important local files on the man that had to be returned, which I had borrowed with the local governments express permission. I chuckled at the reminder of the look on the Town representatives face when he had taken a good look at the small badge I wore hidden under the edges of my cloak and only showed when the need arose.  My chuckle was cut short when I sneezed again and a stifled snort of derision could be heard from that prior little weasels alcove. Irritated I looked up, glaring at the small man with the spectacles that looked far too big for his small head with such precious few brains. The Record-Keeper coughed, as if he didnt live in this dust, and went back to his writing, whatever that may be. I shook my head and opened the book, searching, for what, I wasnt quite sure.

                        It was full night now, I knew I had to get back to the Lazy Tree, but something these words said tantalized me with half answered questions. My target, a man by the name of Lucien Heike, was a businessman, as were most of my targets, but this one had no dealings with the Tarnaa, or any corrupt officials, of whom I kept close track of on my own.  In fact, this man had secret dealings with other rebels, including the supposed Dragonriders, who had reemerged not to long ago to do battle with the Tarnaa, and could only thus be considered an ally. Yet for my leader, a very smart man who knew my skills would surely leave this man dead, to have me take him out made me feel like something didnt sit well in my stomach. I didnt understand why the Fangs would want to get rid of an ally, unless my leader, whos true name I have never known, was afraid that the Dragonriders would reclaim this Realm, and once free, claim it as their own. Then it would be just a different dictatorship under more false pretences. I quickly banished that thought, my loyalty was to our cause, not to my Leader or to anyone else who would threaten those ideals, and that included Dragonriders and, in this case their suppliers. Irritated at the lack of answers to be had, I slammed the book shut, causing further discomfort by awaking another cloud of dust.  Standing stiffly I pulled my empty pack near and after piling all the books and records neatly into small piles, started placing them gingerly inside, deciding to do some searching on my off hours at the Tree. The weasel man cleared his throat, trying to get my attention. Without looking up I waved him off, Theyll be back when Im through with them, if you want you can record which ones I take so you can make sure they all come back. I said, pulling the string tight on my pack after all the books and records were safely stored.  The man sputtered a bit, then I finally made some coherence out of the statements. It appeared this wasnt allowed, so I shrugged, and handed him a list on a thick piece of paper. Here, these are all of the books, Ill have them back by the end of the week, and if your superiors give you trouble, direct them to Valarin Skylshaen at the Lazy Tree Tavern. I said, shouldering the pack and walking outside into the growing dusk.

                        I arrived to the Tavern at the height of Happy hour, as Adreon and the rest of the staff termed it.  Half the tavern was filled with drunks in various stages of drunkenness, while the other half was people here and there playing cards, betting on dice, and other games along with the eating of good food prepared by Cook. Thankfully tempers were so far kept in check, as the half that wasnt drunk wouldnt get drunk until a tad later, and those men were the mean drunks. I nodded at a few of the regulars, grinning at the antics of a couple boys who were obviously just experiencing the joys of good booze. It seems the old timers were enjoying it too, along with some soldier types as the drunken duo did some tap dancing on the table with one of the more charismatic serving-girls. It wasnt long till that particular section was all singing along with the boys, and even shorter still for some of the upstairs ladies came down to mingle and get in on the festivities.