Who knew that each side had a secret? Secrets that could change the tides of war in an instant. They played against the balance--the push and pull of power--invisible to all as the Kinsmen continued to push forward.
Two years had passed since that f...
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Dust billowed up in the midday sun, and the strong smell of parchment reached his nose as he opened the hatch. Steep stairs led down into a pitch-black hole. For the environment, he was surprised he smelled no mildew from the cellar. He studied the walls for the moment. Minor enchantments laced through the wood, most likely keeping the cellar cool and dry.
Not wishing to be caught off guard if anyone waited below, he conjured a ball of red-hued light—nothing too taxing—sending it down the stairs to illuminate whatever was below. From where he stood, all he could see were unstable shelves. Some held crates while others had simple folders and papers stacked neatly. Some were even bound together as loose-leaf pages.
Nagan chewed on the inside of his lip as he debated what he should do next. It felt like every step forward demanded two steps back. He was never meant to be here. Not just in this building, but in this town in general. He should still be in Carvolier awaiting trial, or at the very least, waiting for General Meixong to contact them. Maybe he could have finally gotten advice—real advice—on what he should do.
He just wanted to live.
No sound was made as he made his way down into the cellar. Dark shadows lingered at the corners, but none were large enough to hide someone. Nagan let out a sigh of relief at that. He was truly alone, down here and in the building itself. A small lamp sat atop a crate acting as a table, and Nagan debated if he should light it. He already conjured a ball of light, after all.
And I don't think some of these pages can handle being around any sort of flame, Nagan thought to himself as he regarded some of the older-looking papers, yellow and fragile enough to crumble. That was when he gave an unsure look around the room. But...where do I even start?
At least the most obvious starting point was towards the hatch. Not only were the papers newer, but he also once chatted with the bookkeepers within the Information Unit after seeing how large the archive was. All newer, more relevant documents were to be kept "within reach," and everything should be labeled by date and type at the very least. Thankfully, that system seemed to be universal, as there were small paper labels explaining the contents of the shelf.
1149, one year before the war began (And the year I started going to Carvolier, almost five years ago...). That was where he should start, and perhaps compare it to something recent if those documents have been moved down here yet. Despite what information he was looking for, Nagan couldn't help but smile a bit as he gathered different reports. It reminded him of pulling books from the library before writing a research report, something he groaned at back then, but now he couldn't help but miss it. Life was simpler back then when it was just him and Az in the dorm, either working on assignments or idly chatting. Something...he didn't have for long, Nagan realized. The war started halfway through his second year, and it wasn't long afterward that he was brought back as a soldier.
Nagan shook his head, warding away thoughts soon to follow. He had already been gone for so long he couldn't risk getting caught in the past.
Looking for what information was easier said than done since Nagan really had no idea what he was looking for. Was the Council underpaying them? Did they demand too much? Did they miss payments entirely? One of his assumptions was correct, even after glancing over the order reports for only a minute. Back before the Kinsmen took over the area, it looked as if the mine barely kept up with demand. Some might say that was a good thing, but the transcripts attached to each order said otherwise. Nagan recognized thinly veiled threats to stop working with them entirely—their primary source of income—if they kept pushing for higher pay. But was that truly enough for a town to side with the Kinsmen? Not that Nagan doubted it, but he still felt like there was more to the story than that.
