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[Bailos]

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Sitting on a rock, using it as a make-shift desk, Bailos sat in the dank cave with his legs crossed and holding several ledgers.

One by one, workers filed by hauling barrels of rusted dwemer relics. On the other side of the room was a new and personal favorite recruit of the Duke's, Magnus, counting and cateloging crates of a strange, shiny, black metal, peeled off the walls of the Dwarven fortress.

Scurrying at a fast walk down the tunnel came a gaunt looking man not even 20 years old, wearing the royal purple of Azeroth. A torch in one hand, the other using his cape to shield his face from the dust, he made his way to Bailos and spoke in his ear.

"...The citizens sir....they're demanding their food!" The messenger delivered.

Snobbishly Bailos said, "Well then feed then, idiot."

"I can't sir, there isn't enough food!" Wincing as he watched Bailos' reaction, the man took a step back, trying not to look too weak in front of the Duke. He continues: "After the morning rations were divided up amongst the soldiers, the butcher was at a loss for as to where the rest of the meats and foodstuffs were....Everyone has been looking all morning, the records show the food was checked in, but noone knows where to....." Bailos stared off at the wall, thinking, surmising as to who did this and why, and it slowly became obvious to him. The messenger finalized, "Lord Balbanes isn't around. He left two days ago for the Keep once again and hasn't returned. How shall we respond?"

Steepling his hands in front of his face, with his elbows proped on the ledger, in monotone he replied, "All the signs point to two things. Someone is trying to force the townspeople against us, to drive us out with as little fighting as possible.....the other part is that it is obviously Vaen's doing. You said the food is already divided? *the messenger nodded* Well then we're too late."

"Order all the men over to this side of the bridge. I don't want us spread to thin. We will maintain guard posts night and day at key positions, but I -want- this mountain fortified" Bailos spelled out. "It wont be long before a hungry mass of Minoc citizens comes complaining. Damn you Vaen. We were so close!"

As Bailos spat those last words, a second messenger neared him to share some news. "The fortress sir. The kegs were installed in the places you ordered. *Hands Bailos a small crystal ball* Activating this crystal ball will trigger a relay with the other crystals inside the fortress......The last of the crates have been accounted and the ships are being loaded now. Balbanes left orders to remove the weapons and jewels first."

Standing up, Bailos chucked the ledger to the side and put his hands on his hips. With an angry sigh, he glared back up the tunnel to the bit of light making it's way down the shaft. "Damn you VAEN!....WHEN will we be all moved out? Any by that I MEAN, all the materials at the Keep, and the troops backed up to the mountain."

Timidly, but with a solid delivery, the second messenger thought for a moment, looking over some notes we calculated, "Three days at most"

Storming off twords the surface, Bailos yelled back over his shoulder, "MAKE IT TWO"