Echo'es of Time

The grand hall of the Thresh Clan private quarters buzzed with murmurs and speculation as figures clad in fine robes and armor gathered.

The room, vast and imposing, bearing the weight of history, unity and progress , its walls lined with tapestries illustrating the rise of the clan through trade, business and commerce.

At the head of the table sat Lord Dairon Thresh, his once-proud gaze clouded with concern.

The last few years had seen a steep decline in their dominance over the markets, their long-standing rivalry with the Ishatar Clan tipping over the iceberg in the latter's favor.

Supplies perished, customers defected, and their influence waned, while the Ishatars flourished

like an unstoppable tide.

The gathered officials and trusted advisors sat tensely, awaiting the arrival of a key figure who

could shift the tides of fortune in their favor.

Lord Dairon grew impatient, The time for their planned meeting had already come and gone,

without their visitor ever arriving, he was growing impatient .

'Maybe he's not going to come after all'

His thoughts had perfect timing,

The heavy oak doors creaked open, and a man stepped in, draped in a travel-worn cloak. His

presence commanded attention; his stance was rigid, disciplined—a soldier's bearing barely

concealed beneath his guise. He wasnt alone , behind him a group of people joined him,

Dylan, a mysterious figure, known to them only as Dly,

'If that was even his real name'

His face was unseen beneath his hood but still everyone know whom he was and what he was

capable of, His history was more fearful to people than his actual name.

He had the figure of a able person ranging to be about 7 feeets tall and his body build heavy.

He approached the center of the room with measured steps. He was no mere man but a man

with a purpose, his own motives hidden beneath layers of secrecy. But his powers..

Everyone around could tell , his body emanating a frightening type of mana.

Lord Dairon leaned forward, his eyes beaming with a wonderful smile. "Welcome!"

"We know you must be tired from your journey here, sit down and dine with us." Maids started to

flood in and began serving everyone in the room.

"Don't bother" He flagged down the spot presented to him so he could sit down, he didnt want to waste unnecessary

time here, he was here to bargain on what he wanted and that was all.

He was a man with few words and hardly had time for meetings.

He wasn't here to dine with fat pocket strangers.

"You need the secret behind a clan ?—how they manage to

keep prices low and still amass wealth." His voice was calm, steady.

"Is that right?" Lord Dairon nodded

" Not just any clan , mind you sir Dylan." Lord Dairon spoke out , his officials nodding their heads .

"The Ishtars to be exact , they tend to have a tight security and are isolated from other part of Inunna, so it might tend to be a little-" Dyl looked at him dryly

" The specifics doesn't really matter to me" He cut in looking Lord Dairon with dead eyes. He wasn't a man afraid of a mere 3rd class clan

"You've tried conventional means. Reasoning. Mimicry. And yet, nothing has worked."

A murmur of agreement rippled through the room. They had indeed attempted everything within

the bounds of fair trade, yet the Ishatars remained untouchable.

"You claim you can retrieve this information without implicating us?" one of the advisors

pressed.

"I don't claim," Dly corrected not giving him a glance.

"I will." He let the weight of his confidence settle over them before

adding,

"But in return, I want something."

Dairon's fingers curled against the polished wood of the table after all he had heard from the person whom had introduced Dylan to him about his demands that only the Thresh clan could provide.

"State your terms." Dyl smiled , Business men tend to have a way of doing things that greatly amuse him , although Lord Dairon knew what he wanted he still wanted him to state it himself.

"The clan's mana-healing potion,The Thresh God Fluid" Dly said evenly, everyone gasped the clan leader hadn't told anyone the demands.

"It is known to mend soul core wounds that otherwise fester beyond healing. My… condition requires such treatment."

Silence thickened the air. The Thresh God Fluid was the main foundation of the whole clan and their most guarded assets, the portion required a full year to produce a bottle at a time,This was no small request , it was worth more than hundreds of thousand gold crowns. The mana-healing potion was one of the Eleven wonders of The kingdom of Nytheris, the portion was never sold in it's pure form it was often diluted from one bottle to about A thousand drums of healing portions .

Dairon exchanged glances with his advisors. Finally, he exhaled, nodding.

"If you succeed, you will have it." After all he had already accepted his terms before just wanted a proper way of doing things.

"What?"

"Why ?" Murmurs filled the entire room, the portion was rarely given to a single person,

Dly gave a single nod. No more words were needed. The deal was struck. Turning around he didn't listen to the murmurs after all the clan leader had accepted his terms and it couldn't be broken and if by chance he broke their promise then -

'I will had no choice but to eradicate the whole Thresh clan off the map'

With his trusted group, Dly set out that very night. The Ishtars settlement was as far as an entire state from the Thresh's base , he had to start his journey.

Shadows stretched long in the moonlight as they entered their Chariot blending into the night, unseen yet ever watchful.

The clan hall was still filled with murmurs, the clan leader made no trial in explaining himself to anyone, after all he already had some people supporting his ways of handling the matter at hand.

'Getting the Ishtars secrets was worth more than a year worth portion ' , He knew he could make the whole Ishtar clan crumble of he has a leverage on them in any way.

And once he had destroyed them the Thresh clan would be at the top of the market once more.

The game had just began. The game to more wealth.