Twenty Two - Getting ready for when it does not rain.

This clothes feel very weird.

I know I have to be in disguise right now but wearing this fancy clothes seems complete out of place for me.

I feel I am calling more attention to me than if I were with my normal clothes.

It is one day until the solstice and I must begin my mission.

This mission came in a dream.

Finally.

After months without dreaming, I had started to worry that I was no longer part of the group or that they thought I was already dead.

I suppose there were other preparations going on behind the scenes that I was not aware.

Preparations for the tenth-anniversary celebration are in full swing.

There are crowds of people on the streets.

Plenty of guards too.

Walking is exhausting due to the heavy flow of people coming and going.

I am being careful not to let anyone recognize me.

I do not think anyone will, but it pays to be cautious.

Besides, I am wearing these strange clothes.

I feel like a clown.

Why I had to be sent to the richest place.

I grew up in a small town.

Born and raised at the rural area.

The water feels heavy on my body.

Even though I am wearing special gear and clothing to stay dry this time.

The water somehow still makes me feel worried.

Also, this are the fanciest and more expensive clothing I ever wore.

It could also be the weight of this outfit.

How do people manage to wear something so uncomfortable every day?

I am heading to a deposit area at one of the customs entrances.

This is the area where goods are loaded and unloaded, and where various high-value, important products enter and leave the capital.

A specialized transport vehicle is dropping off a shipment of wine bottles from the northwest, where the continent's finest fruit is grown.

This is an exclusive order for the Council.

Council Member Karlos is known for always buying the best from the orchards of the Northwest for his lavish parties.

The solstice celebration would be no exception.

The exact opposite.

Three times the usual amount of wine was ordered.

I am on my way to intercept that shipment.

I was given a potent poison to put into those bottles.

I will not fail in this mission.

Whatever is on me, I will accomplish.

No matter what it takes.

The central customs area on the west gate is heavily guarded now.

Several additional workers are putting in overtime because of the large volume of things being delivered.

I head toward one of the more remote storage areas.

Inside, I make my way to the dressing room, where I find several worker uniforms.

I finally get rid of this weird clothes.

Stepping out, I head to the loading dock.

The wine shipment is arriving in a few hours.

I will have to work in disguise until it finally gets here. Became a little more familiar with the people around, to not raise suspicions.

This will give me more time to scout out strategic spots and plan my escape for later if needed.

Time passed relatively quickly.

The other workers did not ask much about who I was. I just said I had been hired temporarily for the festivities.

They simply accepted it.

I think the workload is so heavy that they are not too worried about that aspect of security.

The shipment of wine finally arrives at the site.

I make myself available to assist with the work.

The cases are being unloaded from a large vehicle that arrived and is being transferred to a smaller vehicle capable of navigating the city streets to reach City Hall.

As soon as the transport is finished, I will have to slip into the smaller vehicle so I can contaminate the bottles along the way.

I simply pretend I am doing my job, and no one really questions my actions.

Just act as naturally as possible.

No one will question me.

I am already inside the cargo bed, being transported along with the shipment.

Almost too easy.

Time to get to work.

I was handed this vial of volatile poison in my hotel room.

I have to be extremely careful not to inhale it.

I take the antidote first.

Tastes disgusting.

I release the poison beneath the cargo opening the bottle and leaving it on the floor.

A purple vapor begins to rise, filling the entire space.

This gas is fine enough to penetrate the bottles without needing to open them.

By the time we reach City Hall, it will have fully dissipated, and no one will know the bottles are contaminated.

Even though I am immune to the poison, the smell is awful.

What in the falling boulders of temptation is going on?

One of the worst smells I have ever smelled.

I hope the trip does not take too long.

Upon arriving at the location, they open the vehicle door.

I greet everyone, trying to act normally.

I tell them they can start unloading, saying I need to make a quick stop at the dressing room first.

I need to vomit.

I really hope the antidote worked.

I hope that I do not collapse onto the hard floor in a few minutes.

The smell alone was enough to wreck my stomach.

But most important, I do not think anyone noticed the bottles had been tampered with.

The purple cloud had already dissipated.

I think the odor had faded.

Even though I can still smell it everywhere.

I try to wash my face until I can not smell it anymore.

I does not work.

I think I will be stinking like this forever.

I head back to the garage to help unload the bottles.

The vehicle bed was already practically empty, and no one had suspected a thing.

Mission accomplished.

Now for the second part of the mission: I have to stay hidden here at City Hall until tomorrow.

My goal is to ensure that, when all is said and done, there is not a single Council member left to tell the tale.