Rezkin considered the plans he had set in motion over the course of the night. He had much to accomplish in the morning, and he would have to do it as quickly as possible if he was to avoid suspicion, especially from an already mistrustful general. After making it clear that the Diamond Claws were now under his authority, Rezkin had taken on the more tedious task of setting up his confrontation with the assassins. One could not brutalize and intimidate assassins into cooperating.

Men turned to thievery for survival or to improve their stations in life. They did what they did because they wanted to live. Assassins, on the other hand, had a different attitude toward life and death. Although they preferred to keep living, assassins knew there were often times when one was just as good as the other, and they understood that there were occasions when death was preferable. If Rezkin simply tried to push his weight around, he would be outnumbered and overpowered. The assassins would have no fear of his threats warning them against reprisal, and his friends, whom he was sworn to protect, would be in danger. No, if he wanted the assassins to cooperate, he would have to earn their respect and show them that he, too, could be an asset—that collaboration would be in their best interest.

It was to that end that Rezkin infiltrated the Assassin’s Guild. He needed to show them that he was absolutely a threat, that he had no fear, and that he was a master of the Skills. The master assassins, in particular, tended to have a sense of superiority, a firm belief that they were the most Skilled men and women in the kingdom. They needed to know that Rezkin could get to them at anytime and anywhere, and there was nothing they could do to prepare or prevent it.

The quarters of the guildmaster were located in an underground sublevel in the center of the guildhouse, which the assassins referred to as the Hall, in honor of the Halls of the Afterlife. Everyone else called it the Black Hall. The entrance to the sublevel was visible from nearly the entire first floor of the Hall, and in order to access it, one had to pass through the training arena, which was occupied at all times by assassins of varying levels of Skill.