"Grand-Guard Inerish? We're getting a sudden influx of..." my secretary said over a speaker to the backdrops of excited crowds. And, with a tired sigh, I got up and walked towards my office door.
"What is this all about...?" I spat out in question to the cheering crowd of guardsman.
"Word just came in-" one began to say before another interrupted.
"That osibindah! He's lost all the protections he had! They just openly declared it! We can finally kill it!" this one finished before everyone started to cheer. Even my secretary who was usually professional clapped gently with joyous intent.
"So?" I asked them, putting an instant stop to it all.
"So...?" one repeated before nervous chuckles filled the room.
"Smiling Jhurack is still out there, with reports saying he was active this night against a vigilante, and you want to tell me that you care more for some bug that has caused us no issue?"
"No issue...!? It's an osibindah!"
"Watch your mouth, officer." I dismissively commented as I started to get angry. I made sure to step out before them and made my intent clear. My hand rested on my sword pommel and my magic creeped out. I glared each of them in the eye...
"With all due resp-"
"With all due respect, you will do as you are ordered. You will focus on finding that madman, you will bring him in, and you will get your priorities in order!" I snap at all of them. Snorting as I shoved my head one way to get them to disperse.
"Grand-Guard Inerish, I know we have our priorities, but-"
"BUT NOTHING!" I yell at my secretary. From then on out, not one word came from her. And I walked off back into my office. I bridged my brow and then sighed.
I understood very well how morale was in the toilet. How the men I was leading had lost all faith in the idea of capturing this man... Many came here to avenge family and lovers. Others were attaché to the prior lot.
All, however, regardless of how long they had served within my guard, were invested in it. Every day of every hour we heard the cries for help and the orders. That madman had come back again and again for thirty years...
Every year, more women died. And we have never been able to figure out why they were killed. Links we thought were present faltered time and time again. It was never where they attended or what they did...
Our only link was that it was what they were... Which meant nothing. This man tormented us as much as he did the city as a whole. So it made sense, it really did...
I knew that they all just wanted something they could feel good about. If they weren't making sure our country was safe, they were failing again and again. Scandals were becoming so common that the government bloated itself justifying it. No one had faith in us...
The job I was brought in to handle had left me despised. Every attempt had failed. So I could see why they wanted to go after one meagre bug... They could at least patch their degraded pride.
However, I saw fit to ignore it in its entirety. If the bug caused issues of a particular note, I would deal with it. For now, though? I had to focus on the black star of our show...
Smiling Jhurack...
"Okay, let's see who got themselves turned into an amplifier for this man's reign of terror." I dismissively commented as I stored a cup of tea. Slowly, I drank it as I brought up all this fresh surveillance footage. A more thorough eye you would find nowhere else. Nothing could be done within these walls without me knowing.
However, what I did not expect to see was how the confrontation ended. And, I paused it right as the madman took off the vigilante's silly mask. It was the bug... Smiling Jhurack made a point of confronting that bug...
"Why'd you do it...?" I asked the footage as I started to rewind it. Soon, I was leaning back in thought. No matter how you looked at it, he came out for that bug. This was unprecedented in the thirty years Smiling Jhurack had been active.
Vigilantes always came across him during another attack. They'd get in the way of my men and witches and pay for it. We'd question them the following morning and collapse in our seats... Tired at yet another failure.
But, no, this time, Smiling Jhurack appeared just as the bug came looking for him. But why? Did these two have a history? But how did a bug have a history with...?
"Of course..." I uttered as I recalled Suhurlodst's prior statements that got everyone riled up. A Student Nin was on his last legs and their tolerance for him had grown thin... This must've been Student Nin... And, if I remember correctly, he was there as well during the operation on that Sl'Ayiysab girl...
It wasn't much, but, it had my interest as a potential plan of action. Besides, it has been thirty years of failure, what was wrong with a few more testing something? If Smiling Jhurack wanted to make a habit of this, we would be ready!
"Attention all members of the Thrurstradtur City-Guard! Suhurlodst Academy of Arcane Learning and Understanding has made an official declaration regarding one of their students. It is no longer enrolled, prior agreements are null and void. However, you will not, under any circumstances fire upon, hunt or any other such things if you are to come into contact with the former Student Nin."
I could practically hear the roars of protest that had suddenly erupted. And now that I had made my intentions clear, I should call in a favour I was owed. Like with how Suhurlodst handled our withdrawal earlier this year. We too would need the complete obedience of those Union soldiers.
"Grand-Guard Inerish?" questioned Galanmarck as he suddenly jolted awake. A smirk appeared on my face as I watched his tired expression suddenly appear.
"That favour you owe me, you know the one, I'm calling it in." I say as I leaned onto the peak of my connected hands. Locking my jaw between upright, gloved fingers as it all played out in my head. We would draw Smiling Jhurack out with the bug, and, I'd catch him just like that! My reputation would be saved and it would all be over!
"Right, and what do you need?" he asked as he suddenly lost every bit of tiredness. He adjusted the way he sat and took on a stern expression.
"Every soldier you can spare. I want them all!" I tell him with a growing grin.
"Have the Clockwork Council signed off on this...? It was a struggle just to get them to be willing to let a custodian regiment to guard His Royal Highness."
"They will be more concerned with other factors to care. Besides, they have no power to interrupt me."
"A coup...?" he questioned with some amusement.
"No, that same problem that has been such a problem for so long..."
"I see, then, I'll see what I can do. I am more than enough to guard His Royal Highness, but I will have to transfer command authorities to you."
"Do what you have to, I need their unyielding, ceaseless determination to follow orders." I tell him. Briefly recalling the training exercises I oversaw against those same soldiers. We used Suhurlodst's facilities but I was very impressed regardless of where it was. The Council made a point of sending our best men, and they lost spectacularly.
Smiling Jhurack's reputation meant nothing to them. Gossip and the mood of the troops would not deter them. They'd be as absolute as I wanted my word to be. The perfect men for a control freak...
"You better watch out, Jhurack, I'll be bringing you down..." I promise with a stern glare as I looked out at the city. Then, beyond to the airship that loomed over Suhurlodst.