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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⚠️ Warnings apply (You can find the warnings in the Before we get started chapter)
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The Information Unit had long since relocated from the Southern encampment. It was too close to Tarkon's border with Hecatite, and after a major attack on the camp, the Council finally accepted General Meixong's request to move. Nagan honestly didn't know how Meixong did it—as far as he knew, Meixong was still in Froshrinra and didn't actually threaten the Council up close—but soon enough, they received the orders to evacuate over the Froshrinese borders.
Every few months they would move between camps, and while it was tiring, Nagan continued to be amazed at how different each region was, from the wintery north to the tropical south. It wasn't until near the end of the year did the Council give them a more permanent location just within Froshrinra's borders with some of the best defenses one could ask for. A couple months later, Meixong officially rejoined them.
It was a fortress built amongst the mountains, high enough to see over the peaks, but not high enough for altitude sickness to kick in. Thick walls surrounded them, and the dragons kept to the sides. The one thing that took getting used to was the stairs. There were so many stairs! During the day, the main level at the bottom was turned into the hub of the fortress, as it was the largest area with rooms carved into the rock. Most of the officers were located at the hub, almost every room occupied by them while the rest were filled with supplies.
The only exception to this was General Meixong, who took the level above; an area half the size of the one below. It was there where most, if not all of their information was stored. It was also easily the most warded area of the entire fortress, and there was an unspoken rule that everyone was to hide up there if they were attacked, not only to protect the precious documents within but to keep themselves safe. General Meixong, meanwhile, sat at the end of the courtyard as the rest of the rooms were used as storage.
The more minor officers, meanwhile, took the third floor. It was probably the least used floor since most of those officers, from lieutenants to a couple captains, were usually sent off on missions. Not that Nagan had an office of his own—he was still treated as a sergeant—but the lieutenant he commonly worked with, Darro Faen, did. There were occasions when he would invite Nagan to help him sort through requests and reports, but more often than not, Darro wanted to work alone and without distractions. Nagan didn't complain; he didn't like paperwork, anyway.
What he did complain about, however, was the fact that the barracks were on the top level of the fortress. Or levels. Nagan wasn't sure if he could call it a level at all since most of the rooms assigned as barracks or common areas were further back into the stone. Nagan did not pity the pagers as they ran up and down the stairs, summoning different people to different levels. It came to the point where being a pager for a select period of time became a common punishment, one that Meixong took great enjoyment in assigning.
