Chapter V: Preston* West

*Preston is the second highest rank in the Azurat military.

A thick cloud of smoke rolled from the man’s lips, filling the air with a beautiful, white, man-made cloud. He traced the ebony sand at his feet with his foot thoughtfully, “And you say that we are now missing eight guards in this area?” The man turned, puffing once more on his thick cigarette, the flame burning it almost completely to its butt.

“Y…ye…yes sir,” the guard stuttered. He looked down at his uniform and adjusted it in front of the high-ranking officer before him.

“Don’t do that for me, son,” the man said patiently. He blew out another geyser of smoke and drew the remains of his cigarette, putting it up to the dead torch above him, it did not light. “Funny that, the torch won’t even light again. So what did it matter if the guards were alive to light it or not?”

Marcus West looked up and down the dimly lit alleyways. It was a rude awakening to be called out of bed just before sunrise to the report that several guards had gone missing in a certain area and almost the entire city’s torches had been snuffed out in the night with no guard seeing a single vandal. West had always considered himself a methodical man, the kind of man whose brain didn’t skip a single step in the process of thought and that was why he had risen to the rank of Preston. “And you say that there are plenty of other areas throughout the city where guards had not been killed but the torches were out?”

The guard considered this for a moment, making sure it wasn’t a trick question, “Y..yes sir,” the guard stuttered.

“Has anything else odd been reported recently?”

“Nothing, sir. Well….I mean….one of the towers….was recently attacked….by….by Vasu warriors…..they took it….but that…..that doesn’t have anything to do with this………sir…”

West turned away from the young guard and rolled his eyes. “Perhaps I just got this far because he was my competition,” he muttered as he stared down an alleyway. West thought better of this, however, since he was not the most inconspicuous man in the city. He stood a good six feet high, with shoulders as broad as a doorway. He was not completely fit as far as soldiers go, for he had a small belly beginning, but most of even that was solid muscle. He was a clean-cut man, however, with a youthful crackle to his hazel eyes. In fact, many had noted that West was one of the youngest Prestons ever, achieving the rank at the age of 28. He ran his hand through his extremely short, crew-cutted black hair. “Have you checked to see if anyone has reported anything stolen from the area?”

The young guard swallowed, “There have been no reports by any citizens, sir.”

“Have you check to see if the citizens are alive in their homes?” West flicked the cigarette away and drew out another. There was silence. He turned to face the young guard behind him. The guard’s eyes had swelled to saucers and his knees had begun to shake. “Well don’t wet yourself, son, go check now!” The guard, grateful to leave the presence of the towering force in front of him, raced off. “God help us if we go to war,” West muttered lighting the cigarette. West marched over to two other officers who had been woken in the same, happy way that he had. “What do you think, Captain Fyndhart?”

Captain Fyndhart, a youth of meerly 22, turned and saluted West. “There was a report in an area across the city of four hooded men who seemed to be there for but a moment and disappear. We found a trap door leading into what appeared to be the old execution pits. There was no sign of any bodies, however.”

West nodded thoughtfully. “Listen, captain. Ever since the gate was shattered by who knows what, we’ve been having strange sightings and phenomena that no one can explain. I don’t like that sort of thing. I like the tangible and the explainable. I want you to set an appointment for me with the Niesus, the librarian, for as soon as possible.”

Fyndhart cocked his head, “Sir, they say he’s insane.”

West nodded puffing his cigarette, “When the logical can’t explain, try the illogical, captain.” West turned at the sound of hurrying footsteps.

The young guard arrived, a cloud of sand trailing after him as he wheezed. His eyes were wide and teary as he ran full-force into West, “I’m sorry sir! I should’ve checked the houses…I’m sorry!!”

West spat out his cigarette and pulled the guard away from him, “What is it, son?”

The young guard took a deep breath, “You’ll have to come see for yourself.”

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