Chapter 236: Danmor Marches

"We’re here." Justinian happily said, slamming his ledger shut, as the carriage he and Isis rode in came to a stop just before a large army that was making the final preparations before they moved off. They wore a flurry of colours and carried numerous banners, each one of them representing a different mercenary company. It was shocking how easy it was to tell the difference in terms of prestige between them all, even for Isis, who had no military training.

Smaller groups, only a few hundred big, all stood in neat, organised formations, their armour and weapons perfect, any previous damage they may have suffered perfectly repaired. They all looked better fed, were tall, muscular, and their armour and banner were adorned with brighter colours.

’They likely came from rich parents as well, considering how tall they are. Second or third sons maybe.’ Trying to apply her knowledge of Veston to them, she looked at the rest. Next were those she could tell were middle of the road, not the best but by no means bad. They had obviously been battle-tested, their armour and demeanour showing it, but they lacked the rigid discipline of those at the apex, and had more subdued colours to represent them. Whilst not as tall either, they were still in shape, proving they earned enough to feed themselves.

Finally, the horde of individual sellswords and poor mercenary companies. Making up the majority due to the sheer number of men from Danmor who wanted to try their luck at getting rich quick, they huddled and spoke loudly, uncaring about presentation or discipline. They either wore no colours or wore faint ones, and some were a mixed bag of those who looked well fed and those slightly underweight.

Isis stepped out, followed by Justinian’s personal guard surrounding the two, so no one could get close. It was the first time she had ever seen them act so protective of the two, allowing hardly any room to breathe. Looking at Justinian, she could see he was slightly disgruntled that his men were so close, but he kept any complaints to himself, knowing they needed the protection at that moment.

Wondering what the plan was, she could see up ahead Augustus and the soldiers of the Pantheon waiting for them in a small clearing created using carriages. Only when they were close did the guards surrounding the two break and give them some freedom.

"Augustus, I am surprised you are out here. I thought you were lying when you said you would march out with them." Justinian chuckled and looked him up and down, raising an eyebrow, wondering why he wasn’t wearing any armour or carrying a blade.

"My armies will go ahead of me. I had truly wanted to leave alongside them, but with the state of the titan statue, I can’t exactly leave. If it is in desperate need of repair, another and I are the only ones who know where the funds needed for such a thing are, and it requires both our approval to access."

"You still haven’t gotten rid of that rule?" Justinain chuckled in disbelief. "It is mind-boggling why you let it be."

"I trust myself not to dry the coffers of the pantheon, but whoever comes after me, not so much." Shaking his head and waving a hand, wishing to move the conversation on, he carried on, "The problem is, I hope the issue isn’t too bad. I have already said I would march alongside these men, and my reputation will come into question if I don’t at some point. A preacher can be many things, but a liar isn’t one of them."

"It’s why you shouldn’t make promises, my friend. Unforeseen events can jeopardise them." The Justinian sighed, "Anyway, did it get worse?" Augustus nodded.

"You were right. The problem is we do not know the source. I have spoken to a few people who have worked with the material the statue was made of, and they say there are a few things that can cause it that are easily made, but the issue is they require constant application. The issue is, however, no one has returned. I stationed guards around it last night, and the wear continued."

"And do they say there is anything that can be used once to have multiple days of effect?" Augustus shook his head. "The arcane, then?"

"That is the main theory, but once more, the arcane would require a constant top-up, but less frequently. Right now, the two main theories are the arcane and runecraft." Justinian froze and looked towards Isis, his mind working through a theory before looking back at Augustus. Finally, he turned and looked towards the distance, able to see the titan popping up above the pantheon over the rooftops.

"Runecraft, you say."

"They say it is theoretically possible. But to do so would mean the person has to know the exact runes that could cause such an effect on the statue as well. I have some knowledge in the craft, and even I know that such a thing would require hundreds, if not thousands, of runes to make possible on something so grand, yet we have not found one." Justinian smirked and sighed.

"My friend, I meant no insult because I am the exact same, but compared to some masters of the craft, we are children learning to draw. Hypothetically, however, if such a thing were done with runecraft, would it require constant maintenance?"

"Yes, but not to the degree of the two previous options. Self-sustaining rune conduits do exist, but once again, for something on such a scale, it is more theoretical. I do not know of any master who has entered the city."

"I do," Justinian replied. Isis felt her heart stop for a second, realising who he was on about, and slowly looked up at Justinian as his gaze drifted towards her. "I don’t know how skilful he is exactly, but he is one of the best this city has ever seen in living memory; any item he has created has sold in my auction house."

"Yours?" Augustus said in shock, knowing the level of quality Justinian held himself to. Seeing his gaze drift towards Isis, the realisation dawned upon him, and his fists curled in anger. Using everything he had to keep himself calm, he spoke, "The Lunarian?"

"Find the runes. That will give you the answer." Justinain said coldly, getting a nod from Augustus. Turning, he gave orders to his men, who saluted and marched off, leaving him with the bare minimum of protection.

"Isis. What has your friend done?"

"How could I know?" Isis said in disbelief, unable to believe they were asking her, "Seth hasn’t exactly hidden his hate for you and the city. Besides, I thought he was under your watch."

"He was, which is why I wish to find the runes before I say he did it," Justinian replied. Looking to Augustus, he carried on, "My men haven’t noticed him slipping out, and I assume those who guard the Pantheon haven’t noticed any intrusion." Justinian paused. "Could it possibly be someone on the inside?"

"Everyone who has access to the statue has been part of the faith for years. Why now and not before, if that was the case? No, that is a stupid question; the answer is obvious." Augustus sighed, his rage towards Isis and Seth subsiding but still present to a small degree. "It’s possible, of course it is. But it’s such a small number of people that it would be easy to figure out. I’ll do the investigation anyway, but I highly doubt it." The three looked towards the gate, hearing a horn blowing followed by cries of joy. "The march is starting."

"This incident has got me thinking. What of the Chained Brothers? They have been strangely quiet, no? I still believe they may be the cause of the statue, but if we ignore that, they have done very little to antagonise." Carrying on, Augustus asked, and Justinian fell into thought.

"Surprisingly, I am unsure. They went deeper underground. Common safe houses and patrons have vanished. I had wondered if you or another may have been the cause of that, but it appears not to be the case."

"So they are hiding?"

"They are preparing." Justinian corrected and looked around at his guards, who had made a small perimeter around them. "Why do you think I came so heavily armed? If they were to act, it is when the majority of those who can fight have left the city. I would warn you to do the same going forward." Augustus nodded, taking the warning to heart.

"Well, I had come to see you off, but considering your staying for the time being, it was unneeded." Justinian chuckled and gave a thin smile. "Be sure you do actually join this war, Augustus. Every day you delay your promise, the people will begin to question you."

"I know. I will get the situation stabilised first, and then I’ll be gone." Sharing a smile, Justinian turned around, the sound of marching footsteps getting too loud for comfort, and quickly jumped into his carriage, riding off.