The Jackals were a military group, mobilized by either the royal family or Adel, the commander, himself, situated all throughout Anglion. Though they were labeled as “military”, it was only in name, as they acted more like police than anything. Ariostead was quite tranquil, so the only real threats were the monsters called Angeons that lived beyond the edges of the city. Sometimes, they would bleed past the walls, tainting and destroying.
The Angeons were inhuman. Completely and utterly so. Though they could take the forms of humans or at the very least possess one, they were anything but — cruel, arrogant, and callous. It was often said that if someone became hostile all of a sudden, they were often possessed.
That’s where the Jackals would come in. Other than what could only be called as exorcisms, they also performed general peacekeeping, utilizing magic in order to destroy the Angeons that dared to even think about broaching the walls of the city.
HALCY: “A surplus?”
ADEL: “That’s correct. They’ve moved past the walls several times this past week. It’s become so bad that... Alaric himself had been investigating.”
HALCY: “Ah, so that’s where he was... There was an attack on Amadeus, too, wasn’t there?”
Adel nodded. “Right. That’s what began his investigation. He did always think lowly of us, hm?” He laughed bitterly.
Halcy hadn’t even noticed that, when Alaric was alive. He had been cold to him, but he had always gotten the job done quickly and efficiently, so he supposed he was just like that with everyone. But then again, Alaric was quite beloved by most, if not everyone else. Halcy rarely had contact with him, anyway, as Alaric preferred to go straight to the Head Commander rather than Halcy, the Vice Commander.
Most others preferred Halcy, however.
They walked through the winding streets towards the tower in the distance, still.
ADEL: “Regardless, we have reason to believe it was an Angeon attack that killed him, and not a human. The defenses of the walls have been lessening, even though we have dedicated people to erect barriers...”
Halcy stopped walking, thinking for a moment, then hurried to catch up. “So it’s easier for them to get in and get out...”
ADEL: “Yes. I personally believe they’ve been destroying one section of the wall, in a blind spot of the barriers. There are only three blind spots in the entirety of Ariostead. Do you know where?”
HALCY: “... One is the Jackals’ HQ, isn’t it? But I don’t know the other, I’m afraid.”
ADEL: “That one is right.”
To the left and behind the Jackals’ Headquarters lied a bridge out of the city. It was closed off due to being too dangerous to cross. Rather than get it fixed, the city just kept it closed. However, this made it even more dangerous — as the Jackals rarely even paid attention to it, it became known as the “Crossing of Angels”.
Despite the name and assumptions, only when the gates on the front were opened did it allow Angeons to actually cross over and into the city.
But people were curious. They always managed to find a way to break the lock and open it up. Thankfully, it wasn’t often; since the HQ was there close by, there were always patrollers, and they were able to seal the gates once more or scare away any ne’er-do-wells from even attempting in the first place.
But the gates on that hadn’t been opened in a very long while.
The second blind spot was a forest, named the Unknown Grove, to the northwest of the city. It extended past the walls of the city — the walls were actually built at the beginning and at the end of the forest. The forest had magical properties, filled with fog and seemingly always changing how it was set up. As such, a barrier couldn’t be maintained on it. This is where most Angeon managed to come in. However, it was heavily guarded at the edges — most Jackals, and never citizens, were allowed to enter the forest. They had to wait for the Angeon to come out, but they could be missed on occasion.
One other blind spot in the barriers and city walls was, in genuine terms, the actual entrance of Ariostead. The entrance was at the very front of a forest path, a path that stretched for meters upon meters. Standing at the entrance to the city, one couldn’t see the end of the path, actually. It had been made in such a way that it would scare off anyone with second thoughts about hurting the city — after all, they had time to think about what their actions would be, so those with lesser hearts and resolve would inevitably turn back and leave. Only, they couldn’t —
The barriers had to be lowered every time someone came in or exited. There were certain times of the day — and never during the night — where any one person could leave or come, when the barriers would be down. Not only did the forest path scare away some people, but it acted as a queue. So when someone immediately tried to leave, skipping the line, they would get in trouble anyway.
But that sort of thing didn’t deter the Angeon, completely composed and put together enough to bypass the entrance and forest. Although most Angeon tried to get in via the Unknown Grove, certain higher-leveled Angeon managed to get in through the entrance.
They were growing smarter, more organized.
They were becoming more human.
HALCY: “So they had to come in through either the entrance or the Grove, right? In order to make it to the palace where Alaric would have been most likely, it would have been the entrance. The walls of the entrance are closer to the very middle of the city.”
ADEL: “That’s where you’re wrong.”
Halcy paused. “What?”
Adel smiled, only very, very small, at him. “You’re wrong, Halcy. Alaric had requested that he enter the Grove on the day that he was found.”
It took Halcy a moment to let it click. Or a second moment — perhaps a third. “He did? So he went into the forest...”
ADEL: “And he brought something out with him. Perhaps inside him, as there was little evidence to suggest there was a struggle to imply a second person.”
HALCY: “... So it’s actually a murder.”
His wish had come true, but at what cost? A murder, by an Angeon smart enough to know what it was doing?
ADEL: “Right, so—”
HALCY: “Ah—! Sir Adel...”
Adel raised a brow, stopping at the entrance to the HQ. He had had his hand out as if to open the door, but he lowered it, turning his head to look at Halcy.
Halcy swallowed. “Doesn’t that mean that the suspect, or, Angeon, or... Well, do you think whatever it is that killed Alaric is still in Ariostead?”
The other man gave it a moment’s thought. “... You’ve really said something right this time.” He turned fully towards Halcy. “Alright, here are orders. It may have tried to escape through the Grove, so go on ahead and investigate. I’ll dispatch a squad to you in order to help.”
Halcy nodded, straightening his back.
ADEL: “Meanwhile, I’ll dispatch more officers around the city and at the entrance.”
HALCY: “Are you going to issue an official alert?”
Adel thought about it again. “... Not yet. That’ll just let it know that we’re onto it... and it’ll cause the citizens panic. All in all, it’d make it harder.”
Halcy nodded again, then saluted. “Very well, sir. I’ll do my best.”
Adel gave another sort of smile, very small, one that he never showed to anyone else but Halcy, and disappeared into the headquarters without another word.
After Adel had left, he let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. Halcy turned, and then he immediately stopped.
He had to go where?!
And alone?!
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