Part IC: Plotting the Route
Date: Kapton 9th, 114 A.U.
The Sla’ad stood before Jaigran, limply trying to keep on his feet as the Emperor stalked toward him. Bitterly, the Sla’ad looked up at him, the scar across his face, as his eyes shot bullets at the approaching emperor.
“Murderer,” the Sla’ad whispered. “I hate you.”
“Azjlan wouldn’t have died if you had cooperated better,” Jaigran replied. “And I see that you are before me because you have finally relented. Where is the Arglem?”
The Sla’ad bit his lips before finally answering. “We hid the Arglem in a treasure trove with the rest of the great treasures of the Sla’ad,” he finally forced out. “We hid them in the famed Caves of Dragla and then sent a landslide over the opening to seal it off.”
"I see…” Jaigran said. “You have done well to finally relinquish your information. And what of the Sla’ad who haunts me?”
“What?”
“The Sla’ad who hunts me—who is always stalking me—always in the shadows—looking for its chance to attack me,” Jaigran spat. “The Sla’ad you have appointed as an assassin. What of him?”
The Sla’ad’s eyes grew large. “I—I have no idea what you’re talking about!” he cried out. “I have never heard of any such thing—we were never close enough to the Mothership to try to send an assassin up to kill you. I swear, Emperor—I am innocent concerning this matter! I know nothing of it!”
“I see,” Jaigran murmured, before looking back up at the guards. “I have no use for this pitiful wrench. Send him to the labor camps, but make sure to log which labor camp you send him to in case I need to speak with him again. Take him away.” The Sla’ad slumped in resignation as the guards dragged him away. Jaigran let them go before quickly running to his table where all the maps and books were laid out. The fabled Caves of Dragla. So, it would appear that the explanation that they had been destroyed during their bombardment of the capital city of the Sla’ad was wrong. No. If the wretched Sla’ad was correct, than they were purposefully buried by Sla’ad seeking to hide their hidden treasure. All the pieces were falling into place. The last thing that remained was to plan his course to the Caves of Dragla, to take the Arglem for himself.
Kapton 10th, 114 A.U.
The Watcher waited as the ship came into the Mothership, docking before the door slowly opened and he stepped out, accompanied by two guards on either side. He looked back with satisfaction to see a very faint shadow playing behind him on the floor. He was only able to gain a shadow after his times of rejuvenation, a shadow which quickly disappeared, but which was useful nonetheless. Striding forward, the Watcher didn’t leave the launch dock before he noticed Emperor Jaigran making for him, six guards accompanying him—four of them with lights to dispel all of the shadows. The amount which the Emperor had degraded into believing this vain superstition disturbed and disgusted him to a certain extent, but there was little that he could do about it.
“Greetings, Emperor Jaigran,” the Watcher said. “It is nice for you to be the one to find me, rather than me searching for you.”
“Yes,” he replied, rather absent-mindedly. “How was the trip?”
“Your forces ought to be making heads-way in the battle against the goblins shortly, possibly by today,” the Watcher replied. “The priest who is convinced that I’m his god has been consolidating support, and I’ve arranged things to make a humiliating defeat for the goblins by your hands. What of you?”
“We have successfully taken the information from the captive Sla’ad,” Emperor Jaigran replied. “According to him, the Arglem was hidden in the Caves of Dragla before they were sealed in with a massive rockslide. I have a ship ready for us to immediately leave.”
The Watcher’s eyes sparked and he stared at the Emperor. “The ship is ready now—to immediately leave?” he asked. “Why such the urgency to find it?”
“We already know from your spy that you implanted in the Xavier Team that they are searching for the Arglem,” he replied. “We can’t risk the chance of them getting to it before us.”
“I see,” the Watcher said, pursing his lips, as his mind ran through the information. “Very well. We must be of haste in order to claim the Arglem before they have. What size airship do you have?”
“We have a Class III warship,” Emperor Jaigran replied. “And three regiments of guards to go along with us.”
“Three regiments of guards?” the Watcher asked. “Why so many?”
“If the Xavier Team is also looking for the Arglem and our paths happen to again cross, I’m not taking any risks,” he snapped. “They nearly killed me in Yippah because I wasn’t prepared. I’m not going to find myself in the same position again. We have enough guards at the Mothership, and so we’re taking three regiments with us.”
“Very well,” the Watcher replied. “You have prepared well for this trip; I’m impressed.”
"Well, I wasn’t the Emperor because of nothing when you chose me,” he reminded him. “As essential as you are to our plan to destroy Arquenia, I am quite adept enough to prepare for my own affairs.”
“Quite true,” the Watcher said. “Now where is this ship that you mentioned? We must leave at once.”
“It’s two docks down from this one,” he replied. “Let us therefore go and take the Arglem. And so get a step closer to victory.”
Question of the Day: How will the Watcher influence the traitor to accomplish his goal?
Date: Kapton 9th, 114 A.U.
The Sla’ad stood before Jaigran, limply trying to keep on his feet as the Emperor stalked toward him. Bitterly, the Sla’ad looked up at him, the scar across his face, as his eyes shot bullets at the approaching emperor.
“Murderer,” the Sla’ad whispered. “I hate you.”
“Azjlan wouldn’t have died if you had cooperated better,” Jaigran replied. “And I see that you are before me because you have finally relented. Where is the Arglem?”
The Sla’ad bit his lips before finally answering. “We hid the Arglem in a treasure trove with the rest of the great treasures of the Sla’ad,” he finally forced out. “We hid them in the famed Caves of Dragla and then sent a landslide over the opening to seal it off.”
"I see…” Jaigran said. “You have done well to finally relinquish your information. And what of the Sla’ad who haunts me?”
“What?”
“The Sla’ad who hunts me—who is always stalking me—always in the shadows—looking for its chance to attack me,” Jaigran spat. “The Sla’ad you have appointed as an assassin. What of him?”
The Sla’ad’s eyes grew large. “I—I have no idea what you’re talking about!” he cried out. “I have never heard of any such thing—we were never close enough to the Mothership to try to send an assassin up to kill you. I swear, Emperor—I am innocent concerning this matter! I know nothing of it!”
“I see,” Jaigran murmured, before looking back up at the guards. “I have no use for this pitiful wrench. Send him to the labor camps, but make sure to log which labor camp you send him to in case I need to speak with him again. Take him away.” The Sla’ad slumped in resignation as the guards dragged him away. Jaigran let them go before quickly running to his table where all the maps and books were laid out. The fabled Caves of Dragla. So, it would appear that the explanation that they had been destroyed during their bombardment of the capital city of the Sla’ad was wrong. No. If the wretched Sla’ad was correct, than they were purposefully buried by Sla’ad seeking to hide their hidden treasure. All the pieces were falling into place. The last thing that remained was to plan his course to the Caves of Dragla, to take the Arglem for himself.
Kapton 10th, 114 A.U.
The Watcher waited as the ship came into the Mothership, docking before the door slowly opened and he stepped out, accompanied by two guards on either side. He looked back with satisfaction to see a very faint shadow playing behind him on the floor. He was only able to gain a shadow after his times of rejuvenation, a shadow which quickly disappeared, but which was useful nonetheless. Striding forward, the Watcher didn’t leave the launch dock before he noticed Emperor Jaigran making for him, six guards accompanying him—four of them with lights to dispel all of the shadows. The amount which the Emperor had degraded into believing this vain superstition disturbed and disgusted him to a certain extent, but there was little that he could do about it.
“Greetings, Emperor Jaigran,” the Watcher said. “It is nice for you to be the one to find me, rather than me searching for you.”
“Yes,” he replied, rather absent-mindedly. “How was the trip?”
“Your forces ought to be making heads-way in the battle against the goblins shortly, possibly by today,” the Watcher replied. “The priest who is convinced that I’m his god has been consolidating support, and I’ve arranged things to make a humiliating defeat for the goblins by your hands. What of you?”
“We have successfully taken the information from the captive Sla’ad,” Emperor Jaigran replied. “According to him, the Arglem was hidden in the Caves of Dragla before they were sealed in with a massive rockslide. I have a ship ready for us to immediately leave.”
The Watcher’s eyes sparked and he stared at the Emperor. “The ship is ready now—to immediately leave?” he asked. “Why such the urgency to find it?”
“We already know from your spy that you implanted in the Xavier Team that they are searching for the Arglem,” he replied. “We can’t risk the chance of them getting to it before us.”
“I see,” the Watcher said, pursing his lips, as his mind ran through the information. “Very well. We must be of haste in order to claim the Arglem before they have. What size airship do you have?”
“We have a Class III warship,” Emperor Jaigran replied. “And three regiments of guards to go along with us.”
“Three regiments of guards?” the Watcher asked. “Why so many?”
“If the Xavier Team is also looking for the Arglem and our paths happen to again cross, I’m not taking any risks,” he snapped. “They nearly killed me in Yippah because I wasn’t prepared. I’m not going to find myself in the same position again. We have enough guards at the Mothership, and so we’re taking three regiments with us.”
“Very well,” the Watcher replied. “You have prepared well for this trip; I’m impressed.”
"Well, I wasn’t the Emperor because of nothing when you chose me,” he reminded him. “As essential as you are to our plan to destroy Arquenia, I am quite adept enough to prepare for my own affairs.”
“Quite true,” the Watcher said. “Now where is this ship that you mentioned? We must leave at once.”
“It’s two docks down from this one,” he replied. “Let us therefore go and take the Arglem. And so get a step closer to victory.”
Question of the Day: How will the Watcher influence the traitor to accomplish his goal?
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