//?A Curious Sergal (3)- Part 16- Version 1

She slowly raked her claws over the smooth wood surface of the Reono-crafted table, gouging out small filings of once professional-level carpentry work. Her golden eyes watched, ever intrigued by the destruction her claws wreaked on the hapless wooden surface. All these clutters of paper were boring her. The Brutal General found it funny how such small scribbles could mean so much to some people.

“My General!”

Rain gazed up from the parchment. A lone spearlancer stood at attention at the periphery of the far side of the grand table that used to be the center piece of the Reono dwelling they searched in. It was scorched, and one of its legs was beginning to splinter. None of that mattered though. It was going to be a heap of ash by the time the Shigu left. There would be nothing left of value in the city-state that would not have been raided or burned by then. The less resources that her army left behind meant the less resources for another army that opposed her.

“Report!” She commanded him.

“I found something that may be of value.” She watched the spearlancer carefully. One could never be too careful with so many enemies lurking so near.

“Come forward. Place it here” She commanded the spearlancer. He did exactly as she asked, then paused, as if he did not know what to do without a command.

“Continue searching.”

“Yes, my General.” Rain smiled in matriarchal content as the Shigu soldier saluted and left.

A few murmurs emanated from those surrounding her just before her claws snatched up the parchment and she placed it in front of her. It was a parchment with writing on it, much the same as many of the others lying on the table were, but at the bottom of the letter was a familiar black symbol with six lines.

“Read this, Askul” She handed the letter off to an aid that could read.
Askul began:

“To be delivered to Our General, We have been meeting with heavy resistance in the Eastern advance. Allied Nevrean, Talyxian, and Southerner forces have been ambushing us throughout the Green-Belt, and the bastards keep retreating whenever we try to strike back. I am mounting a counter-offensive against their fort in the region, but this will leave our garrison at Mura short on soldiers. Please send aid, Squad leader Ryku Tanaka”

“Who gave them this information?” Rain asked the circle of Shigu surrounding the table as her nail pinned the letter down, burying through the six-sided symbol at the bottom of the page.

She glanced sideways as Zyn subtly inhaled deeper than he had before.

“What does this symbol mean?” Rain asked.

“It is the symbol of a people long gone”, was all he said. Zyn managed the inner workings of Clan Shigu, and was not one to overcomplicate things for Rain with too much detail.

“What is this clan’s name?” Rain asked. She wasn’t going to let defiance against her clan, against her, go unpunished.

“They do not consider themselves a clan; they only wish to be known as the Nomads. I understand that this evidence is incriminating, but I would advise you to be extremely cautious concerning anything that deals with that symbol. They were an immensely powerful people, and if they are back-”

“If they are back I shall kill them all the same; this act is a declaration of war against the Shigu Clan”

“Even if we defeat the Nomads, it will subtract from our force’s might. Soldiers that could be fighting in the South. This symbol is only a distraction” Zyn expressed his feelings freely.

Rain glanced back at the symbol before snarling.

“I see the wisdom in that, but if it shows up anywhere the Nomads will pay for their interference!” She immediately returned to planning the army’s movements, “where is the closest reinforcement detachment scheduled to pass within 20 rekusus of Mura?”
Kuvo, the map reader to her right, traced his hand over a parchment sprawled on the table.

“A detachment force 500 strong will pass by there in 4 days”

“Send word for Squad leader Ryku to continue advancing.”Askul began furiously scribbling on a half-burnt piece of parchment that was blank, aside from the small red stain in a corner left by a recent inhabitant of the Southerner city.  “He will have all the reinforcement he needs”