Tracking Indulge

"You-y-y-you're going al-al-alone?" Stammers asked curiously, planted in the doorway of his Captain's office.  Hana stood opposite him, behind her desk, and packed her rucksack.

There were several wanted posters strewn about Hana's desk, some of them crumpled, some crossed through with ink.  Two were lined up at the top of the desk, side-by-side, showcased subtly: Paris Sangcorbeau and Indulge.

"Who else is there to go with me?  Were our facility teeming with guards, then perhaps I could afford to bring men. . . .but we are few.  And this, well. . . .perhaps the law will get lost when I finally find him."


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It seemed nobody in Eldarus or any of the surrounding towns had seen Indulge.  Hana repeatedly described his mask, his gestures, his voice. . . .to no avail, it seemed.
She was chasing a phantom.
Hana had offered bribes in the form of coin for valuable information.
All she'd been told was that they liked the mask. She'd also lost twenty-five gold.

When eventually she'd lost hope, a child approached her outside of town.
"I seen that mask out by the Regent's big house castle, I think!" he'd told her.  And it was good enough for her.

She posted herself outside of the gates, scanned the area surrounding too.  Without the Guard symbol emblazoned on her shoulder, all she got were scrutinizing looks when she asked about one of Eldarus's most wanted criminals.  But she remained patient, setting up camp in the forest nearby.  She would find him.

It was true that there was not hide nor hair of the elusive terrorist, he had been missing since his mass attack on the wall, which had been all but forgotten. So was the nature of the people of Eldarus, when times were good then all was unimportant. When times were bad it was always someone else who was to blame.

It was that very nature of the people that made Silvius' blood boil, that made him want the extreme reform he so desired, he wanted it for the people. It was this that made him don the mask, and while his original plans were dashed aside by Jaxon's ploys and speeches a small victory had come about. Silvius had made himself quite the figure in reconstruction, he was an active part of the city and these days a light within the darkness, people enjoyed the youthful lord, much more the heroic figure than the one eyed general.

Silvius that day was out on a stroll through the paths that led out into the forest. He didn't get too far when he spotted Hana's camp. He had heard about her snooping about looking for the masked criminal, it had been on his mind for awhile. Not to mention a few days prior and young boy had nearly caught him when he had his most faithful squire transporting some mysterious items, including a well known mask. Luckily enough, the squire was hidden in his cloak as well and thus identifiable.

"Perhaps..." Silvius mumbled under his breath, "we should pay the fair captain another visit..." He cleared his throat. "Both of us..."

On this evening, the good Captain was feverishly interrogating the guards just outside the castle.  She hated these guards, the ones who thought themselves so important that they'd probably never had to lift their spears.  

"I was told that this man was seen near the gates. . . .have you seen him at all?"  She was holding up Indulge's wanted poster.  The guards looked plainly at the paper, then at the young woman holding it.  

"Take a hike, lady.  This your runaway boyfriend or somethin'?  You can be sure he hasn't been around here at all."

Aggravated, Hana tucked the paper back into her pocket and sighed.  "He's a wanted criminal. . . .how do you not know this?  Is your head too far up the Regent's ass?"  Without another word, the Captain turned on her heel and stormed back to her camp to wait it out some more.

Donned in his bright white armor, trimmed in golden feathers, the general approached the scene with the saunter of a leader. He had the gate of a lord and the aura of a captain. Just as the small guard captain had spun about the general stood before her face, perhaps so close that she'd collide into him.

"Ah Captain Tachiban... I see you were conversing with the Regent's men." He cast his honey colored eyes on the two, a grim gaze. "Tell me... were they of any help to you... perhaps I can add my aid to the lot. The charming young man flashed her a bright smile, almost stunning.

The two of them, Silvius and Hana, had very few discussions over the course of his time here. He had less involvement in crime and punishment and more in inspiring the people it effected. There was the announcement defending Shizukesa, much beyond that he'd been a bit less involved. He believed it was time for a change, and so didn't Indulge.

"Ooh!" Hana exclaimed, hands coming up to brace herself from colliding into Silvius's armored chest. She squinted dramatically, as if the general's shining regalia hurt her eyes. "I'd think there were a handsome face above all this armor, if only I could see past the royal gleam," she chided.

Just behind her, the guards looked far from impressed, though their attention was piqued when Silvius referred to her as Captain.

"I was just asking these helpful men if they knew of the whereabouts of Indulge. As much as you've helped with the wreckage in the city, I'm sure you're more than aware of who he is. These trained golems were not so well-versed." Hana didn't bother removing the wanted sign from her pocket.
"Since you have more men at your disposal, I'm sure you have more eyes in the area. . . .which leads me to ask you personally if you've seen Indulge. I've come to fill a more than outstanding warrant on him."

There was a soft tapping noise on the guardhouse door. Stammers went and answered the knock.
"He, hello?"
Before him stood a small boy.
"Are you a guard?" the boy asked.
"I, I am. Are you alright, little boy?"
"I . . ." The boy hesitated a moment, then said, "I saw something and I need to tell a guard . . ."
Stammers ushered the boy inside and sat him down in a chair by his desk. "Alright." he said, taking out a quill and paper. "T, t, tell me what you saw."
The little boy took a deep breath. "I saw two men. They were wearing cloaks. They were talking about hiding things. I think one of them was a thief, but the other one . . . I heard his voice before. He was from the castle."
Stammers wrote down everything the boy said. "I'm going to send for the captain. You should talk to her personally."

Silvius turned out to be just as useful as the castle guards, IF a little nicer to look at. This was ludicrous. Indulge could be anyone, literally anyone.

At camp that night, Hana began to write down the names of every noteworthy face in attendance the nights of Indulge's "lessons" (as far back as she could remember, at least). In the middle of her list, just as she was hitting wall with progress, Vilkas and Farkas came trudging through the brush.
"Captain," Vilkas began, "yer needed immediately back a' the Guard House."
Farkas further explained, "A lad be havin' some news fer ya. 'At stutter says it's fer yer ears only."

Hana gathered her things with some degree of swiftness, knowing Stammers wouldn't call her back into town just for nothing. The three of them set back immediately, and reached the Guard House just before dawn.

When Hana arrived, the young boy was waiting nervously. Stammers introduced him to Hana, explaining that he had some information about a crime that she needed to hear first hand.

The boy hesitated, but finally told Hana what he knew.

"I saw two men talking about hiding something. I think one of them was a thief. The other one was a man from the castle. I heard his voice before. I don't know his name, but I know I heard him talk before. He was in a cloak that night, but usually he wears armor with gold feathers on it. I never heard the other guy's voice before though. I don't know who he was, but that one guy I'm sure of."