An obese man ran through the cavernous corridor. His hair was black and greasy, his face ruddy and covered with blemishes. Aside from the robe and underwear he was wearing, he also was adorned with necklaces and rings of lavish design. His oily feet slapped against the marble floor, leaving a trail one could easily follow.
"Commander!" he shouted between heaving breaths, "Commander!"
A man clad in full plate armor appeared from a corridor down the hall and ran noisily towards him. He knelt before him upon arrival and said, "Yes, your eminence."
"Commander," he said between breaths, "you failed … ha … to kill … ha … them. They've left Arcadia already!" he ended with a breathless shout.
The commander's eyes opened wide in surprise. He had thought he had everything covered to pick up the seven of them that threatened his country but given the Pope's revelation he realized the distance between himself and Aernide was too great to respond quick enough. The team he had sent to St. Brassel must have passed them on the way. But why had they not been stopped in Arcadia? If they've already left, they could be here in three months.
"I shall see to this myself, your eminence." He responded and prepared to leave.
"No! You will stay here and send a reliable subordinate. I won't be killed because of your incompetence!"
The commander's heart fluttered at the cruel words, but nodded and said, "Yes, your eminence. I shall impose a blockade at the Rimder slopes and have everyone arrested."
"Check the caravans too. Thorougly!" the pope bellowed at the commander.
"I'll have new drivers assigned and arrest the current ones." The commander replied.
"And along the road to Gloverlita?" He questioned.
"And to Dobalt as well, in case they have departed by ship." The commander replied.
"Yes. Yes! Make it happen!" He bellowed as he turned on his heels to return to his chambers.
The pope staggered back towards his chambers, painfully winded from his run through the corridors, "Where are my attendants?!" he shouted.
Commander General Budoegh Le Saux immediately headed towards the garrison to enact his orders. He had been born to a military family and his father still held a position as a brigadier general in the 4th Army Corps, and was currently fighting on the frontlines in Dhuexlia, while his mother had actually died in the fight against the Dhue Kingdom. He desired to join his father was high, but his loyalty to the pope far exceeded his familial bonds.
His position as the commander of the 1st Royal Elites was secured eight years ago, when he assumed the position from the former commander who was killed by the pope due to incompetence. Commander Le Saux almost joined the former commander in death a year ago when one of the newly summoned puppets disappeared. The blame was pushed onto the summoners who were punished, and later managed to disappear themselves.
The last intelligence he got on them was that they had fled to Aernide and had been caught in Wrand but were rescued by someone. Their current location wasn't known and were believed to have head either north to the capital St. Brassel or west into the Sorrow Forest.
He arrived at the garrison and entered the main hall, calling out to the runner to fetch all of the captains. He headed straight to the war room and reviewed the large map on the floor, showing the current locations of all of the military forces. In his mind he was planning the distribution of troops to maximize the coverage.
Upon arrival the captains stood in formation at the edge of the map, the runner stood by the door. Commander Le Saux looked to the runner and said, "Send a message to the Marquis in Yarmere." The runner nodded and turned to a desk to retrieve a piece of paper and a quill to write with. When he was ready, he looked to the Commander. "Send a squad to St. Brassel. Investigate for seven suspicious individuals and two traitors to the state. Report back immediately. Now go."
He turned to the first captain, "Captain Drezen, move your entire unit to the Rimder slopes. Bring along four merchant replacements and arrest everyone that tries to get through the pass."
The man frowned a little bit and replied, "Merchant replacements, we're arresting the merchants too?"
"Everyone except the puppets." He replied.
The captain saluted and turned on his heals, exiting the hall immediately. The commander turned to the next captain, "Captain Cornec, same orders. Move your unit to the Hasfil Path. Local merchants will be seized, and their cargo confiscated. If they offer any complaints, kill one or two to shut them up." Like the previous captain, this one saluted and moved immediately.
"Captain Garland, send half of your unit to Dobalt to look for suspicious personnel, especially in groups of five or larger. Arrest all." A snap salute followed by a quick turn and the captain was out the door.
"Captain Thoraval, augment the royal guards. I want no puppets working without soldiers, double the protection on the cathedral." The commander then went to a nearby table and wrote something on a scroll, handing it to the captain and dismissing him. After the captain had left, the commander moved the pieces representing the unit he just deployed to their appropriate locations.
The goddess Helles had sent an oracle to the pope two months ago. Although he had reacted appropriately and dispatched the forces, someone must have been incompetent in their responses. The first he could think of was the governor in St. Brassel not delaying the information, or the guard commander not enforcing it.
Sneering a little, he left the war room and headed towards the depository. Nobody is allowed entry into the depository except the pope and the monks who tend it. The monks were trained from a very young age and made into eunuchs to ensure their loyalty. When the commander reached the depository, he moved to the one place he was allowed to go to, the assignment hall. Here was located the puppet numbers of all currently alive puppets, and their current unit of assignment.
When he found what he was looking for, he wrote eight sets of numbers down on a piece of paper. Below he wrote, "Orders for units listed: Kill Governor Trescott. Kill Guard Commander Threthewey. Appoint Vice Governor Ward to position of Governor. Le Saux." And handed the note to the monk at the communications depot and waited. The monk read the note and proceeded through a door at the back.
To get to the crystals required three monks. One to open from the outside, one from the inside, and one stationed in a position to view both to confirm they are allowing appropriate personnel to enter. There was a mantrap located between the inner and outer doors with murder holes and arrow slots covering the area completely. Puppets were assigned to stand by at the location to kill whoever is in the mantrap at a moment's notice from the central entry monk. These puppets were old, but still capable. They were some of the first puppets to be summoned and have been in service for over sixty years.
When the monk came back a few minutes later, he handed the note back to the commander and nodded, signifying the task had been completed. The commander stared at the note for a few minutes contemplating what to do next. Suddenly having a thought, he turned around and headed back to the assignment hall and searched for a puppet number assigned to the guard commander in Arcadia. When he found one, he wrote the number at the top of the note followed by, "Orders for unit listed: Inform Guard Commander Pascow orders. Dispatch one unit. Follow road to Rimder Slopes. Arrest all. Le Saux."
He returned to the communications depot and handed the note to the monk. When the monk had completed his task and returned the note, Commander Le Saux turned on his heels and left the depository. He headed towards the living area of the cathedral at a rapid pace. Upon arrival, he headed to the pope's chamber and knocked at the door. When the word "Enter!" was heard, one of the guards outside the door wordlessly opened the door and allowed Commander Le Saux to enter.
The commander approached the pope, who sat in a chair, still sweating from his venture to find the commander initially. He knelt before the pope and handed forward the two notes and said, "All is as you have asked, your eminence."
The pope read the notes and smiled, "Good. You have done well commander. Inform me when you have captured them."
The commander replied, "Yes your eminence." Stood and exited the chamber swiftly. Upon exiting the chamber, Commander Le Saux headed back to the war room to add a unit to the map on the floor to indicate there was a patrol. He stared hard at the map and thought about the possible routes they could take. If they followed the mountains north west to the sea, they would find the mountains continue into the sea and would be unable to cross. Following the mountains south east, they would reach the Hasfil Path. But there was still a large area that was not covered between the path and the sea on the other side. Captain Cornec was a brilliant man though. He would likely spread his unit across the distance for the greatest coverage, but even that much was still a lot of area left unchecked.
He wracked his brain on where he could pull more forces from but was unable to think of any free forces on the Seeclind continent. If it were Dhuexlia, he could probably pull back two units, but it would take at least three months just to get to Arcadia. From Arcadia to the Rimder Slopes would take two months.
His eyes traced the path from Arcadia to the mountain range, then followed the mountain range north west and stopped. West of Apotoyuca there was a way through the mountains, but nobody ever went that way because it was too dangerous. But those people wouldn't know that. If they fell back from the Rimder Slopes and followed the path north, they might even find the path leading to the Hell Gap. If they survived, they'd be weakened.
He looked up to the runner that stood by the door and said, "Fetch me Sergeant Heardt." The runner's eyes opened wide for a split second before he turned and was out the door.