Dmitri Ivan whistled in excitement as he walked along the cold corridors of his office.

He couldn’t help but rub his hand in glee.

He had just received the best news and he couldn’t wait to share it.

He stroked his dyed mustache as he walked with a slouched gait.

He considered himself fortunate to have been around when he did.

The aides walking behind him exchanged a puzzled look surprised by the informal behavior of their leader.

Normally he was a grouch and overbearing man so the display of excitement came as a surprise to them.

They knew better than to ask questions though. Sooner or later, the reason for his excitement would be made known to them.

"You’re dismissed," He said to them quite merrily as he made his way into the office and shut the door fast.

They took the cue and left then broke into a debate about their leader’s mood once they were out of earshot.

Inside the office, Dmitri poured out a large helping of coffee for himself as he got ready for a conference call with the leaders of other territories.

If he could have his way, he would have preferred that they all met in person.

The practice had long been shunned jointly by them due to how time consuming it was.

Though the world had changed drastically, he was still old fashioned and considered some of the changes unnecessary.

It showed in his carriage and even the setting of his office.

A dark mahogany wooden desk dominated the center of his office.

It was not in vogue and he was always teased for it.

All that happened behind his back of course. No one could say it to his face but he hear the whispers. He pretended not to hear them when they said such remarks.

On the desk, there was a green banker’s lamp with a brass base, providing light in addition to the bulbs overhead.

A rotary dial phone sat next to a leather-bound notebook and an inkwell with a fountain pen.

The walls were lined with built-in bookshelves filled with leather-bound books and assorted papers which were his most prized possession.

For someone old fashioned, he had quickly embraced his abilities when they first appeared and he had marked that Christmas as the best day of his life.

It was the start of his rise to power and the end of a shitty low paying job.

His old job as an English professor gave him the love for studying and he applied that to magic too.

His efforts combined with his new ruthlessness had paid off and he had survived the previous scenarios.

"Pesky thing," He muttered as he tried to start the call on his phone which was surprisingly giving him a tough time.

He glanced longingly at the rotary dial phone on his desk.

"If only..." He said admiring the simple straightforward call feature as opposed to the cell phone in his hand.

It slightly intrigued him than he let on. He had enlisted the help of a young engineer in his team to work him through conference calls when the others has first brought up the idea.

Not before swearing him to secrecy and basically threatening to kill him if the news ever got out.

"Finally,"He muttered in relief as he finally got the hang of it.

He fiddled with his pen as the phone rang. One by one they entered the call.

He waited till the last person joined the call before he spoke.

They were now complete. Four in total including him.

"I just got the best news today," He began in the way of opening.

"What could possibly be good in this gloomy time?"

It was Jimmy Wilcox, the leader of the territory adjourning theirs and his close friend.

He sounded tired and worn out.

"You know that girl and her team, What’s her name again?" He said trying to jog his memory.

"Of course we know her so move on with the story. We’ve been planning to plunder her territory for some time now, what about her?" Fallon said impatiently.

"Don’t tell me you’re still opposed to fighting them," Chris butted in.

"Allow him finish first. Her name is Lyra," Jimmy berated them.

"Who do you think you’re talking to?" Fallon said, taking offence.

Dmitri watched in amusement as Fallon’s face turned red on the screen as he bobbed his head looking agitated.

"Can we all calm down and hear what Dmitri has to say!" Chris said quickly to forestall an argument.

It was common knowledge that Jimmy and Fallon never saw eye to eye on things.

"Thank you Chris. Moving on, word reaching me from an insider in her team says that Lyra and her team went to fight demons to score points leaving their territory defenseless. The whole team went with her. That means their resources are just there for the picking."

The rest of them stiffened on hearing what he said.

It was a beautiful start to an otherwise difficult scenario.

"We are definitely plundering the place and making way with their resources. I am all for it," said breaking the silence.

"How reliable is this informant?" Jimmy asked in an even tone. He was the most cautious one among them.

"I wouldn’t know since I didn’t meet him myself. He passed the message to the guards at my gates who passed it on to me. Apparently he had a fight with Lyra and she kicked him out before they left. This was his way of getting back. I know it looks shaky but it’s better news than nothing."

"I know but it looks fishy. That’s what my instinct is telling me" Jimmy said shaking his head.

Fallon gave something of a huff no doubt questioning the validity of Jimmy’s instincts.

Chris saw the tension between them and spoke up before Jimmy could fire back with a retort.

"Yeah. How couldn’t they predict that we could plunder their resources in their absence?"

The thought marinated in their head till Fallon broke the silence.

"Let’s put it to a vote then."

With the exception of Jimmy, they all voted yes to plundering the place.

Finding himself alone, he reluctantly rose his hand.

"You fuckers have me. Alright let’s tear the place down."