Kaiser sketched a smile, but that smile did not dissipate the tension floating in the thick air of the office. He slowly crossed his arms, and fixed his gaze into Balac's eye sockets.
"I fully grasp the nature of the mission you are entrusting to me, Lord Balac," he began, his voice resonating with an unusual clarity in this room with its mausoleum-like atmosphere. "It is about eliminating Prince Asmodeus. However, before committing myself to an undertaking that could very well cost me my life, I deem it necessary to know its underlying motives. If I am to risk my skin in the infernal circles, I want at least to have the certainty of knowing for whom and for what I am fighting."
Balac remained motionless for a long moment. His claws scraped softly against the dark wood of the desk, and he let out a hoarse sigh.
