The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 209: Scouting for information (2)

Chapter 209: Scouting for information (2)

’Why do they refer to humans as goods?’

He hoped to be mistaken but all the documents on the Vice-Captain’s desk pointed toward that. He rummaged further and finally found one sheet from which Hex learned the date and location of the arrival.

Another document provided the structure of their team. The Starsworn, as they were called, referred to teams of highly trusted and loyal soldiers of the King’s hidden forces. They existed in the shadows for ages.

The Vice-Captain belonged to the Starsworn-SS3 team, which handled logistics. The ’goods’ made up the majority of their transport, but they also handled other things required to survive in the ruins.

Each team consisted of one Captain, two Vice-Captains, and thirty members. Usually, they divided the personnel between the two Vice-Captains to fulfill their tasks.

Hex also found a map of the noble’s district, highlighting certain areas such as the base, the walls, the warehouses, and the transit points.

Unwilling to remain for too long in the room, he erased the traces of his presence in the room and walked out.

’The other Vice-Captain takes care of the night shift and is at the transit point. Let’s see if I can find the officers of SS1 and SS2.’

Although he didn’t find details about the other teams in those documents, he did learn that SS1 to SS3 remained in this district. SS1 had wall guard duties and SS2 maintained order and secrecy.

’The Refined Knights I sensed earlier should be the Captains. They sure have it nice, only required to sleep, eat, and check on their people.’

According to the documents, the Captains stayed out of the picture. Their orders came through the Vice-Captains and many lower-ranked members hadn’t seen their superior’s face in years.

Hex melded again in the darkness. Thanks to the map, his targets were clear now.

...

’The gate leading toward the Temple district remains shut and only opens when goods are delivered.’

Hex stood before another desk, looking similar to the one he had been earlier in the night. A pot-bellied man snored heavily not far from him. His thick mustache swayed up, each time he exhaled.

The room reeked of booze and the smell of uncleaned dishes assaulted his nose but Hex ignored all that. He focussed on the documents on the SS1 Vice-Captain’s desk. The greasy finger marks on the papers made reading them quite challenging but with some effort Hex managed to.

Scanning the documents he learned that the SS1 to SS3 never entered the Temple district. They didn’t even talk about anything else than guarding and rotating the shifts. Tracing the time slots of the gate openings and the dates, he noticed a certain pattern.

The gates only opened when the goods were delivered and that happened three days before the darkest night of the year. He learned it thanks to the man snoring on the bed. Or rather, thanks to the admonishing the man received in one of his letters. The letter came from his superior, raging against him for not opening the gate the last time the goods arrived.

Apparently, the man didn’t check the timetable correctly. In order to avoid a similar mistake, the Vice-Captain circled all the dates and put annotations like darkest night, -3 crosses on the night of full moon with annotations like dark circle means full moon, not dark sky.

Hex noted that the next date with the darkest night was after six days. He double-checked because based on the mess on the table and the letters, he didn’t dare to trust the man too.

’This coincides with the date when the SS3 will receive their next batch. They never keep them in this district. Interesting.’

Hex cross-checked and only when he noticed the two teams aligned, did he trust the date. The seed of a plan sprouted in his mind but he needed to refine the details before proceeding with it. After checking the names of the guards and everyone in SS1, he slipped back into the night.

...

The base of SS2 was the furthest away from the wall. After successfully infiltrating the two other bases, he arrived at the SS2 base. This group performed all the tasks related to maintenance and keeping the order. But their most important task was keeping the beasts and Heartless out of the area they used.

The hundred or so men in the three groups occupied a small corner in the northern corner of the noble district, leaving the greatest area untouched.

Hex didn’t need to see a document to know why. The southern part of the district used to hold all the influential people of the city. It should be the place where the strongest Heartless resides. If they entered, they risked a battle with them.

Although the royals didn’t need to fear anything, fighting a battle against Calamities and even a Devil perhaps, wouldn’t go unnoticed. The energy fluctuations would be sensed by people like the Commander and the Duke.

No matter what their goals were, no one would allow another group to obtain all the benefits. Like with the other bases, he crept into the dark and approached the room he guessed the Vice-Captain to be. He based his guess completely on the energy he sensed.

But as soon as he reached the room, his steps halted. The Vice-Captain of SS2 seemed awake and more importantly, he wasn’t alone. Another Knight was in there.

Although feint, the sound of moans and panting, didn’t escape his sharp ears. Even though he believed he could win against both, he decided to retreat. After all, his objective was to remain in the dark.

But just as he was about to leave, he heard one of the people inside talk as she gasped for breath. Her words held no meaning but the sound itself caused him to pause. He remembered that voice.

’But what is she doing here? Even if those bastards from the Dawnbringers knew the situation here, how did she manage to infiltrate in such a short time?’

Hex moved away but didn’t leave the base. He wished to verify if his ears recognized the correct person. He didn’t know what to do once he verified her identity but at least he would like to see the lady who betrayed them the last time they faced each other.