The Land Below our Feet II (Unleashed) COMPLETE

FACTORY

The first shift had just begun and the hardened Argantean was finishing his rounds through the factory when one of his youngest workers came out running around the corner, almost tripping over his own feet as he did so.

-What have I told you, boy? – The annoyed supervisor reminded him with a scolding gesture, lifting his golden eyebrows up expectantly.

-Yeah, yeah… No running in the facilities – The apprentice reluctantly recited, shaking his head with obstinacy – I know, I know, boss. But you see, I came here as fast as I could to inform you that Captain Greghan is at the front gate along with a man and a woman, and they don't look very happy at all!

-And since when is that an excuse for you to disregard the rules? – The foreman retorted sharply, giving him a reprimanding look – Now get out of my sight and go back to work… I'll take it from here.

Once the clerk had left, he allowed himself to finally react to the boy's words, frowning with apprehension while he tried to figure out what could have possibly summoned such a big-shot there.

The cycle was still young, and they weren't expecting any visitors from the city yet, much less Ussi´s right hand himself. So, his unexpected presence could only mean one thing: trouble.

With a rapid pace he hurried towards the entrance of the extensive mill, the sounds of the busy laborers immersed in their own tasks fading into the background as his thoughts raced messily inside his head.

Once he was close enough, he spotted the figures of the warrior and his two companions. The three of them seemingly absorbed in deep conversation with Bjarun, whose anxious gesticulations evidenced his increasing agitation as the edgy manufacturer interacted with the seasoned soldier and his crew.

-I see you've met our Engineering Chief, Captain… – He rushed to intervene, offering the group of newcomers a wide smile paired with an extended hand, and deliberately attracting their attention towards himself – So… To what do we owe the pleasure of your incidental visit, may I ask? Is there anything we can help you with today?

-I hope so – Greghan breathed out, shaking the Argantean´s palm forcefully and smirking wolfishly back at him with an air of mockery – Long time no see, Jakul! Tell me… How’s business going? I certainly hope you've been taking good care of what you've been assigned. You wouldn't betray the Commander's trust, would you?

-Of course not - He coldly replied, grinning warily at the soldier and scanning his inscrutable expression.

Jakul was not surprised in the very least by the warrior's asseveration or by his aggressive tone. He knew perfectly well that most natives still had trouble trusting his loyalty, and he couldn't blame them in the very least.

Yet, he was set to let his actions speak for themselves, and perhaps, eventually earn their respect… He knew there were no shortcuts to accomplish such a feat, and he was not expecting none either.

In fact, at this point he was simply and truly grateful. They had handed him a second chance in life along with some of his lost dignity, and that was more than he'd ever aspired to get from the people whose land he'd once dared to invade.

After the war ended, a tribunal had been swiftly assembled, and he had been tried for his crimes, just as Ussiariah had promised. Jakul had been hoping for a quick and irrefutable death sentence, and he was frankly looking forward to it. Having spent such a long time caged and isolated, he just longed for some final rest.

But what he had originally thought would be a mere formality before his prompt execution had turned into a heated debate between the divided opinions of the diverse members of the jury.

Contrary to what he could have anticipated, the board was conformed by a group of apparently unbiased civilians, specially brought to the city from a neighboring town for this exact purpose.

His latest feats were surprisingly being pondered against his past ones by the tribunal and the two kids that he had freed from Asharae´s claws had oddly been admitted to witness in his favor, which ultimately had proven crucial for his defense.

In the end, the argument in question hadn't even been about whether he deserved to live or die, but about what should be done with a man of his credentials, and where he would be serving his sentence once he'd been given one.

Every aggrieved realm wanted a piece of him! Everyone longed for the chance to make him pay for his people's affronts.

But in another twist of fate, Ussiariah had suddenly claimed possession of that right to Queen Souna´s land, to Jakul´s most utter surprise.

His reasoning being that Lowland's gate had been by far the true victim of the vicious Arganteans´ crimes, and the most damaged one. So, it was only fair that the offender was sent there to be duly penalized.

When nobody was able to refute this logic, and once he generously offered to make himself personally responsible for the inmate´s discipline, the accused was promptly released into his custody with little more to add.

Jakul had concluded that maybe the Commander had changed his mind about the trial, seeing that there was now a slight possibility that he was going to be allowed to live in the end.

Once again, he'd been profoundly astonished when, instead of being brutally murdered by him, just as he had been assuming he would be since the moment the warrior had intervened, he had been then taken to a huge, deserted workshop and freed from his shackles and chains.

-I need the knowledge you possess to arm my people and protect my land – The warrior had dryly stated, nodding at him as he gestured towards the vast unit before them with an extended arm – I believe that you not only can help me bring this to life, but that you also want to... Now, give me a single reason to doubt my initial assessment, and I will kill you in such a dreadful way, that you will wish I would have simply let my men slowly gut you out and have the vultures finish the job when we first met.

So that was the way it had been for more than a year now.

The Commander had made him scout for the few Arganteans left who were familiar enough with the arms trade to make things work, and together they had assembled a classified team who would oversee the design and development of their new and improved military equipment.

He'd put him in charge of the entire operation, and he'd given him enough freedom and trust for Jakul to run things in his own way from the very beginning, with little to no intervention on his part. Except for a few minor adjustments to the safety protocols and some helpful guidance when it came to their transportation and storage practices.

So, seeing this particular group of people standing here today made him feel unsurprisingly threatened and justifiably on high alert.

-Boss – Bjarun´s voice called out, demanding his attention and making his mind instantly return to focus despite his great uneasiness – Would you please explain to Captain Greghan here that being an Argantean doesn't automatically make anyone a weapon expert? He claims that there's been a leak of either resources or knowledge from our people's side, and I can't seem to make him understand how absurd that is… As we have the strictest control measures in place!

-That's right, Captain – Jakul sighed, nodding at the stern soldier and backing up his employee's statement – There's a very reduced group of people who actually know how to make a gun. And they are all aware that the tiniest indiscretion would mean their automatic downfall. They wouldn't risk unleashing the Commander's wrath... No one’s that stupid.

-Well, someone apparently is– Greghan puffed out, eyeing both Arganteans with antipathy – This is no groundless claim at all. We have a reliable source that places a significant lot of ammunition in foreign lands, as we speak, and a very specific amount of them, by the way... So, as you can imagine, we are now very eager to find out how the hell they got all the way there!

-And how should we know? – Bjarun shouted back in an annoyed tone –I can hands down vouch for my entire crew… They are all loyal. It wasn't us!

-No, not us… Not the workers, but the middlemen - The former Argantean Captain muttered, his eyes darkening with sudden recognition – Those firearms were intercepted at some point between dispatch and storage… And someone at the warehouse covered it up.

-Well, you sound pretty sure about that – The Captain observed, eyeing him with suspicion – How is that so?

-Because now that you mention it, I recall having an incident a couple of months back – Jakul replied, shaking his head somberly – There was a report of an incomplete delivery originally made by the Alhesian stash house which was instantly recanted a few days later by a second agent who deemed it a simple bureaucratic misplace.

-Then you believe this agent rushed to bury the issue before you got suspicious and went snooping any further – Jogru concluded, nodding at the Argantean with appreciation – Well… Sounds logical.

-I not only believe it... I am positive – Jakul responded confidently – You say there was a certain quantity of rifles accounted by your informant… So, I am going to make an educated guess here and assume that the actual number you've been provided with is of one hundred and fifty-five rifles. Am I right?

The silence following his statement, and the look on the visitors´ faces giving him all the confirmation he needed... To know that he really was.