The tax officer lead them out of the office, through dimly lit corridors, all the while speaking very highly of Aithan Alistair.

"Lord Aithan could have been a promising king, had he fought in the Southern Ring Battle" he spoke emotionally.

"I agree " Raven said, his voice heavy with mischief. He was cooking something up, River was sure. It was only common sense that one should not voice their controversial opinions about royal families in public. But the tax officer kept talking.

"The new king is a disaster" he shook his head in dissapointment "no one knows about his origins or upbringing.He just showed up on the day of battle ,like a wind , and slayed all 11 heirs down !"

He lowered his voice to a whisper as if he was afraid that someone might be listening.

"I heard he is a tryant. They say he acts like a demon when he is crossed"

Good sir, please shut up.

"Oooooooooh "Raven gasped dramatically " How aweful "

"Dont tell anyone I told you this , Im telling you because you are under Lord Aithan and he has my repect " he fumbled around his pockets looking for keys.

Why are you still talking ,sir?.Do you have a death wish?

"If you have to work directly under him in the future , watch your head. He might wrench it off bare handed"

He jammed the key in to the keyhole "He has ears everywhere , one must be extremely careful. I trust these gentlemen"

"Your advice is much appreciated officer" Raven smiled sweetly.

Tax officer guided them to a inner room and opened it with another set of keys. He pushed open the heavy wooden door .

As soon as the door opened River was hit with a wave of palpable energy. He grabbed Raven 's sleeve in panic.

Raven narrowed his eye at him. "What?"

"I dont know . I feel something " he clutched at his chest . It was like a mist with a weight , smothering him , crushing his lungs. He started seeing bright spots in his vision from how intense it was .

"If you are sick, stay outside " Raven regarded him with annoyance.

"Ill be ok , lets proceed My lord"

They walked to a corner where the hundred gold rods were stacked on each other in four neat piles. River felt the sense of being hit in the face with an invicible force growing the closer he stepped . River wanted nothing but to break in to a frantic run and get away from this golden monstrosity .

River's heart beat kicked up, galloping in his ribcage . Bile rose in his throat. He wiped his clammy hands together, trying to stop them from trembling. It was hard to discern what he was feeling. Such magnitude of fear, anxiety and panic was alien to him.

"If you want to throw up , go out for fucks sake " Raven urged .

"Im quite alright My Lord " he assured through gritted teeth. It was evident that no one else in the room felt anything. Maybe he was just exhausted and overwhelmed from past day's events.Yes, it must be that, he is finally crashing from stress.

But a deep, dark, animal like instinct whispered in his head that no , it was the gold . It scraemed ,begging that he had to get away from them as fast as he could.

Raven picked up a rod from the pile. It was as long as a forearm and looked quite heavy .He passed the thick cylinder from one hand to the other, estimating its weight.He then suddenly shoved it at River, apparently wanting him to hold it.

It made River flinch and he jumped back , tripped and fell back with a dull thud .

"The fuck is wrong with you?" Raven looked equal parts annoyed and amused. He picked up another rod and scrutinized them, paying no attention to River on the floor .

He tried to crawl back on his feet but they felt like two strands of cooked noodles. The officer hurried over to help him up.
"Are you sick , mister ?"

"Im alright , My Lord just caught me off guard"

"Is two enough ? " Raven asked "do you want more ?"

I want none! I never want to see those wretched things again!

"Two will suffice my lord "

The second the door closed behind him ,River felt like he could breath normally again. The feeling of unease dulled a great deal but did not completely vanished. River felt his heart slowing down to its usual rhythm.

Tax officer wrapped the rods for them to take and accompanied them out of the office .

"Can I have this good sir's name ? " Raven asked humbly "Ill inform my brother that you've been a great assistance "

The officer laughed merrily "Im Cao"
He then blanched " your who?"

A fist slammed on to his face in answer ,followed by the mortifying crunch of a nose breaking. Officer Cao fell back , blood pouring in a steady stream down his face and neck.

The commotion seemed to grab everyone's attention. Some officers came over , probably intending to interfere with the fight. Raven shot them a glare so intense that they froze on their tracks.

Officer Cao's face was contorted in both fear and pain. Man was shivering like a newborn cattle ,his eyes threatening to outgrow their boundaries.

"Your Majesty" he whimpered pathetically.

River looked at Raven Alistair and felt his knees going weak again.

"They say he acts like a demon when he is crossed"

That has not been an exaggeration.

" Ill let you keep your sorry life and job but the rest of your face will have to go " he smiled darkly, down at the subject of his ire.

Officer Cao threw himself across the cold floor, prostrating before his King.

"Your Majesty is most generous " he wailed loudly, tears,snot and blood splattering. " This subject has spoken wrongly. Have mercy !have mercy!"

Raven grabbed the man by his collar and pummeled him few more times . Officer endured silently as blue and black bruises bloomed across his face . If River was being completely honest, getting to keep his head intact in exchange of suffering a few minor injuries was a steal .

"Don't talk shit behind people's back " Raven threw the last punch with such force that River saw a tooth flying.
"Spineless pig "

He let the man go , who promptly returned to prostrate in gratitude. By this time the crowd had catch on the situation and that this was some important political figure. They all kept a safe distance and watched silently in fear.

They walked out of the office.Raven stomped away and River ran after him, trying to catch up. He reminded himself never to get on the bad side of this man in the future.

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Hi, author here.

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Today's mini theatre

Raven - Ill tell my brother that you were a great assistance

Officer Cao - *It was at this moment that he knew, he fucked up*

Raven Alistair