"I am running out of patience," Aldinar sneered as he stared down at Jack. "It seems you have a rather tight lip. No worries, I'll try this again tomorrow. I might even bring a few associates of mine to help me out. They specialize in the type of magic that would wring out the truth from even the toughest prisoners. I'll be seeing you soon, human."

With that, he stormed out of the room. His assertive presence was so imposing that every guard in the proximity buckled into submission as soon as they see him. He was a Paladin of the Septstellan Order after all, as his distinctive set of pristine teal-colored divinium armor had clearly signified.

Being a Paladin was not something to be taken lightly. They were the most elite group of mageknights in the continent---the first and last line of defense against the Demon Army. People like him naturally exuded a godly sense of importance, as though the entire world revolved around them.

This is a waste of my time, the admiral thought to himself with a frustrated frown.

He wasn't able to get a single grain of useful information out of that prisoner, not even while using the basic interrogation tactics that had been mostly successful before. This questioning was supposed to be simple and straight-forward---and yet it wasn't. Either he had lost his touch or these followers of the Crimson Flame had gotten more tenacious.

It was of little concern to him, however. He's confident that he'll be able to get the truth out of him tomorrow once he round up his assistant interrogators. Their skill in empathic magic was among the best of Southeast Elrinthia, to the point where even the strongest wills would be no match against them. That prisoner can keep up with his lies all he wants. Sooner or later, the truth will come out.

It was nearly evening when Admiral Aldinar rode his horse through the streets of Ingenwell, accompanied by a troop of highly trained elven mageguards following him in a strict formation. As he traveled the streets, he could see the expressions on the faces of the civilian passersby. Some reacted awe. Some reacted with trepidation. A few even reacted with hatred.

These sorts of reactions were not entirely uncommon. Throughout millennia, racial tensions were high between elves and non-elves. However, it had been particularly intense for the past few decades, what with the Divinium Wars draining them of their precious resources and the prohibition of magic to all non-elvenkind. It was only with the Treaty of Ilvandar that there was even a semblance of peace for the past couple of years.

The presence of rebel groups like the Crimson Flame undermined all that. They upset the delicate order that the Elrinthians have established in Halandril, all just so they could have the legal right to wield magic.

Just the mere thought of it infuriated Aldinar to no end. He considered them as nothing more than ignorant fools. They don't know the first thing about the true meaning of magic. Magic wasn't merely a tool. It was an artform. It was their culture. Its meaning to the elves was something that can't possibly be comprehended by non-elves, no matter how hard they try. And to think they consider themselves worthy to use this sacred art. Such blasphemy!

A sense of pride welled up inside Aldinar. Sooner or later, he will root out of the Crimson Flame and demolish their entire organization. It was only a matter of time. He was sure of it. He cannot fail!

After a brief trip on horseback, Aldinar arrived at his destination, the Heavenly Orchid, widely considered to be one of the best brothels in the city if the locals were to be believed. After a day's work, the admiral felt a period of relaxation was desperately needed.

Once he had entered, he could already smell the aroma of various flowers, wine, and perfume tickling his nose. The interior was decorated with expensive-looking furnishings that gave off an impression of high-class decadence. All around him, he saw lovely-looking courtesans dressed in colorful glamorous silk giving him subtly flirtatious greetings.

He had been in this place plenty of times before, enough so that the manager of this place was gracious enough to set him up with a private room specifically for his usage. it was a suite with the best accommodations available, designed to cater to important people such as himself.

He entered the room to change out of his armor. With a simple activation of a rune on the breastplate, the pieces of his divinium armor magically shifted and separated before opening up, allowing him to slip out of it with ease. Normally, without the assistance of special magical runes etched onto the armor, it would require a squire to get a knight's armor on and off of him, of which the process would take minutes instead of seconds. Such is the convenience of magic.

Afterwards, while the armor itself was locked in a standing position in front of him, Aldinar began inspecting it. It was a routine inspection he did regularly to make sure his suit of armor was in perfect condition at all times.

When it comes to the armor's inspection, Aldinar was beyond meticulous. A full suit of specially crafted divinium armor like this one was given to him when he was initiated as a Paladin of the Septstellan Order, the highest honor any elven mageknight could ever hope to achieve. Only those who had proven themselves to be among the best of the best in both combat and magical prowess were allowed to wear it.

Because of the status this armor carried, its craftsmanship was second to none, easily rivaling that of even the best dwarven armorsmiths of Dorencor. Remarkably enough, being made almost entirely of divinium only contributed to part of the armor's astronomical cost. Along the armor's surface were etched with magical runes that gave its wearer extra protection from a wide variety of magical spells. All in all, it was the perfect suit of armor, fit for a knight serving under the Goddess Ysna.

Because of all that, this suit of armor held a special meaning in Aldinar's heart. It was not merely an item. It was a symbol of his pride and honor to both his race and his nation. It was a representation of his accomplishments and the core of his very identity.

After a thorough inspection, Aldinar safely stored the armor in a special case that was also enchanted with runes to help keep it in perfect condition. Even though divinium was ten times stronger than steel and does not rust or tarnish, he wouldn't take any chances of it being damaged in any way, shape, or form. If there was so much as a scratch on it, he will have the head of whoever's responsible.

After that was done, Aldinar changed out of his clothes and into a comfortable bathrobe, ready to enjoy his evening amongst the courtesans. Elven courtesans only, of course. Aldinar wouldn't be caught dead with a non-elven whore, no matter how beautiful they may be. At that point, those non-elven whores would have to pay him to touch his bare skin.

As the evening went on, he enjoyed himself in a steaming warm bathhouse surrounded by beautiful elven courtesans, relaxing music, and refreshing flower wine. It was an experience that even kings and lords would be jealous of.

However, as he fell into a sense of relaxation, a small but aggravating thought rose up at the back of his mind. He was personally assigned by the Queen herself to patrol the various cities of Halandril, both to look out for demonic changelings and to suppress the rebellion of the Crimson Flame. Even though these were important matters, they were nowhere near as significant as some of the other conflicts that Southeast Elrinthia had to face.

What about the fight against the demons at the east? What about the fight against the orcs at the west? Those were the places where he could truly acquire the glory he wanted and make a name for himself. Instead, he was stuck posted in Halandril doing menial tasks such as this. He felt as though his skill set was being under-utilized in a place like Halandril. He had a growing suspicion that the Queen didn't trust him with the greater tasks as much as he liked. It's as though the Queen had forgotten that Aldinar was her own grandson.

But of course, Aldinar knew better than to second-guess the Queen's decision. Southeast Elrinthia differed from its Northwestern twin in that everyone had to earn their rank through merit instead of birthright. Having the Queen being your own grandmother could only take you so far up the ranks. Every official of the Southeast Elrinthia military had to earn their place through blood, sweat, and tears. The Queen may be ruthlessly strict, but she was never unfair.

As Aldinar wallowed in the bath, a sense of motivation was restored from within him. This was most likely a test given to him by the Queen---a test to see whether he had what it took to handle smaller tasks before she allowed him to handle bigger ones. Surely, if Aldinar could prove himself by excelling in stomping the Crimson Flame rebellion, the Queen would give him an opportunity to participate in the battles at the frontlines. He knew he could eventually succeed. He was certain of it.

However, just when he was in the middle of his relaxation session, someone came by to interrupt his train of thought. Aldinar turned his head over his shoulder to see that it was the guard captain.

"Admiral, I have urgent news to report," the guard captain said with a respectful salute.

Aldinar reacted with a sour expression as he took another sip of flower wine from his porcelain cup. "How dare you interrupt my time of rest? Can't you see I'm preoccupied at the moment?"

Despite trying his best to maintain a sense of professionalism, the captain couldn't help but feel uncomfortable towards the situation he's in. Here he was attempting to report information of great importance and his commanding officer was practically naked in front of him, soaking in a bath with equally naked courtesans wrapped around his arms. Aldinar saw how flustered the captain was and couldn't help but relish at his awkwardness, even for just a while.

"But sir, this is urgent."

"Surely, whatever news you have can wait till tomorrow."

"I'm afraid it cannot, sir."

Aldinar let out an exasperated sigh. He hated being interrupted in his downtime more than anything. But alas, he must take on the responsibility. Such are the woes of those in high positions of power.

"Excuse me for a moment, my pretties," Aldinar told the courtesans. "I'll be with you shortly."

The courtesans merely giggled sweetly as Aldinar don on his bathrobe and moved with the captain to a more secluded area of the suite where their conversation would not be overheard.

"This better be important, captain," Aldinar said. "Tell me, what is so urgent that you would interrupt me in the middle of my respite?"

"Sir, I believe we have captured Dingo Hwyte."

"What?!" Aldinar's eyes lit up with full attentiveness at mere mentioning of that particular name. "Did I hear you correctly? Did you just say you have captured Dingo Hwyte? The Dingo Hwyte?!"

"The very same, sir."

The shocking news came to Aldinar so abruptly that he had to pause for a moment to think. Around these parts, there was perhaps no name more infamous than that of roguish furrofaun mage known as Dingo Hwyte, the right-hand man to the leader of the Crimson Flame. Anywhere there were Crimson Flame-related activity, Dingo Hwyte was bound to show up. His exploits were legendary to the point where people have told tavern stories and sung bard songs about him.

Among the members of the Crimson Flame, his skill in magic was perhaps one of the best. It was said that he was so proficient in wind magic that it had earned him the nickname 'the Howling Wind'. Because of how influential this furrofaun was to Crimson Flame's activities, he had understandably been a thorn to Aldinar's side.

There had been countless times where the admiral tried to capture him, all of which ended in failure. Dingo Hwyte's aptitude in both the roguish skills and the magical arts had made it impossible for him to be detained. There was almost no prison that could hold this furrofaun, at least not for long. If what the captain said was true and that Dingo Hwyte was captured, that could be huge, even if the possibility of him being captured in the first place was far from believable.

Aldinar's eyes turned dead serious. "How did he end up captured? I want to know everything."

"Yes, admiral. You see, we have received a complaint of a brawl happening at one of the taverns. It was between an elven man and a furrofaun, both of which appeared to be heavily intoxicated. No one knew who started the fight but it eventually escalated into the use of magic from both sides. Thus, the furrofaun was forcefully apprehended and charged with unlawful use of magic while the elf was simply let go with a warning and a small fine."

Aldinar listened carefully to every detail. "Did the furro put up much of a fight?"

"No, sir. He tried fighting back but his magic was pathetically weak. It took barely any effort to lock him up."

Aldinar narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "So, from what heard, all you did was capturing a furro using magic. That by itself doesn't mean anything. How can you be certain that that furro was Dingo Hwyte?"

"Why Admiral, he said so himself. He admitted to being the very same Dingo Hwyte we were looking for. Plus, his description matches that of Dingo Hwyte as well. A tall lean canis furrofaun with white fur, a preference towards wind magic, and is often seen in a brown leather duster. This guy is almost a perfect match. Not only that, he even bragged about it and all. Won't shut up about it, in fact."

"Did he now?" Aldinar raised an eyebrow. He then paced back and forth around the room, trying to make sense off all this. After some thinking, he finally came to a conclusion. "Forget it. He's obviously not the real Dingo Hwyte."

The captain looked at him with confusion. "Pardon me, admiral, but what makes you say that?"

"If you have even a tenth of the intelligence I have, you know that Dingo Hwyte is a mage with remarkable skill. My own soldiers have been hunting him down all these years and still they had no luck finding him. There is absolutely no way the real Dingo Hwyte would allow himself to be caught by the likes of some lowly guards in a tavern brawl. This is simply too easy.

"The one you caught is probably an imposter of some kind. People like him are nothing more than swindlers who often tried to impersonate famous figures, whether they be royalty or renowned criminals, in order to trick the locals into giving them some sort of benefits. Maybe a free drink here and a free night's stay at the inn there.

"These sorts of people are not at all uncommon, unfortunately, and you have just encountered one of them. In addition, you claimed him to be drunk, so he was probably spouting nonsense in his drunken haze, deluding himself into actually believing he is the real Dingo Hwyte. That, I think, is the probably the most likely explanation."

The captain considered his words carefully in his head. "That does sound reasonable. But admiral, are you absolutely sure about that?"

"Of course I'm sure. My judgement is never wrong."

"Even so, perhaps you could come down to the prison to double-check, just to be sure."

Aldinar shot him a glare. "Do you honestly think I would waste my time at something so trivial? Are my words simply not enough for you?"

"No sir, I meant no disrespect. So, what do you propose we do with that furrofaun criminal then?"

"Wel, regardless of whether or not he is the real Dingo Hwyte, that furro did still broke the law by using magic. Do what you will of any criminal under those circumstances would. Put on the standard mana-negation shackles on him and lock him in a jail cell. I shouldn't have to tell you this. You should know this by now."

"Admiral, are you sure it's wise? From what I've heard, Dingo Hwyte was a skilled lockpicker. Standard mana-negation restraints would do no good. We needed the extra-secure mana-negation shackles, ones that cannot be easily lockpicked."

"Like I said before, he's not the real Dingo Hwyte! Haven't you've been listening?" Not only that, the authorization to use the extra-secure mana-negation shackles required Aldinar to fill out a bunch of paperwork, which he was not looking forward to do.

"I meant no disrespect, sir. I just thought it's better safe than sorry, that's all."

Aldinar glared at the captain with such severity that it made Aldinar feel large and the captain feel small. Aldinar then gripped tightly onto the captain's shoulder as if to further indicate his dominance over him.

"Listen well, captain," Aldinar whispered into the captain's ear with a low threatening tone. "You'll do well to respect those who are above your rank. Don't forget who you really work for. You may be a human guard captain of the nation of Halandril, but your true allegiance lies to the elves of the twin Elrinthian Empires. If I catch even a hint of insubordination from you, I will demote you faster than you can blink. Do I make myself clear?"

The captain swallowed a lump in his throat, feeling incredibly terrified. "Yes, admiral."

Aldinar grinned wickedly, knowing he had made his point clear. "Good. Now leave me be. Oh, and try not to bother me with any more of your 'news' while I'm on my respite, no matter how urgent they are. I will not tolerate being interrupted on my period of relaxation. Whatever troubles that comes your way, I assume you are competent enough to handle things on your own."

"Yes, of course, Admiral. I'll take my leave then."

With that, the captain exited the suite, allowing Aldinar to return to the pocket of paradise he was in before.

The next morning, Aldinar was faced with a catastrophe he couldn't possibly comprehend. In front of him, he saw the two empty jail cells with two unlocked mana-negation shackles left on the ground. The entire prison building was in complete disarray. There were signs of destruction to the infrastructure and various guards were tending to their wounds left by last night's skirmish.

There had been an escape, or at least that's what Aldinar had heard, and the two criminals in these very jail cells were solely responsible for it. One was the human suspect that Aldinar was supposed to interrogate today. The other was a furrofaun who was presumed to be a Dingo Hwyte impersonator. Or so he'd thought. He wasn't so sure now.

There was no way two measly criminals could have fought off an entire platoon of guards and made the escape successfully. There had to be a reasonable explanation to all this, though Aldinar wasn't sure if he'll like to find out.

As the admiral stood there in the jail room, rigid as stone, the guard captain arrived with a salute. "Admiral, there you are. I was looking all over for you-"

In an instant, Aldinar thrusted his gauntleted hand at the captain's throat, pushing him against a wall. The captain's eyes bulged in terror and he struggled to breathe.

"What is this?!" Aldinar hissed with vicious anger. "What the hell is this?! How in the Goddess's name did you let the two criminals escape?! Answer me!"

"Admiral...please..." The captain was nearly the point of choking, forcing Aldinar to release his grip on his throat. He couldn't exactly question someone who couldn't breathe, can he? Kneeling on the ground, the captain took a couple of heavy breaths before answering. "Sir, we tried fighting against them, but they were simply too powerful."

"Too powerful?!" Aldinar took it almost as an insult to himself. "There were only two prisoners! You've got a platoon of guards at your disposal! Under what definition are they considered 'too powerful' for you and your troops?!"

"But sir, it's true. You should have seen it. Their magic was at another level, especially the furrofaun."

"Ahh, yes, that imposter you have captured!"

"I don't believe he is an imposter, sir. At least, I don't believe so anymore. Before he escaped, he'd shown us the Flare of the Crimson Flame! We all saw that flare light up in the sky! He is the real deal, Admiral! He is the real Dingo Hwyte!"

Aldinar couldn't believe what he's hearing, but there was no way this could have made sense otherwise. That furrofaun drunkard was not spouting nonsense after all. He was the real Dingo Hwyte and he had allowed himself to be captured, only to break free from their grasp. And along the way, he had also assisted in breaking out the human suspect that Aldinar was planning to interrogate.

What was the purpose of all this? Was it all simply a petty way to taunt him or is it something more sinister? Aldinar racked his brain into figuring out what all this meant until he came up with a possible explanation.

"You fool! You utter fool! We've been had! That human prisoner of whom I was planning to interrogate is a member of the Crimson Flame after all! That is why Dingo Hwyte had allowed himself to be captured, just so he could break his associate out of that jail cell! It was all a trick! A ruse! A ploy devised by that lowly furro, and we had fallen for it! Why didn't you warn me about it?! Why didn't you tell me this earlier?!"

"Admiral, you've told me to not bother you while you rest. You said that I could handle things on my own-"

"You idiot!" Using his armored boot, Aldinar kicked the captain in the face so hard that it gave him a bleeding nose. A smidge of blood just so happened to stain the tip of Aldinar's boot. Jus the sight of his boot being stained had only added to Aldinar's anger. "Look what you made me do! You've dirtied my boot! This was all your fault!"

"Admiral...I'm sorry..." the captain whimpered as he struggled to get the words out through his bloodied face. He couldn't look more pathetic if he tried.

"Guards!" Aldinar ordered loudly, calling two guards to enter the jail room. "Get him out of my sight!"

The two guards obeyed, carrying their captain out of the room. After taking a moment to calm his nerves, Aldinar began devising a plan in his head to remedy this situation. He had made a terrible blunder. He had the notorious Dingo Hwyte in his grasp and, not a day later, he had allowed him to slip away just as easily.

In retrospect, he probably should have listened to the captain's suspicions. He probably should have double-checked on that furro prisoner to make sure he's the real deal. He probably should have filed the paperwork to allow for extra-secure mana-negation restraints to be placed on that imposter. He probably should have done a lot of things that he didn't do. This entire fiasco could have been easily avoided if he did.

He then tried to calculate the aftermath of all this. He was the commanding officer of this entire platoon when this was happening, so whatever failures that had happened here, its blame would be be placed solely on him. He cannot allow anyone to catch wind of this failure. Imagine what it would do to his reputation! If the Queen were to find out about this, it would look really bad on his part. He cannot allow it to happen!

He would not allow his position to be tarnished like that. He'll need to find a scapegoat and divert all the blame into him. He'll file a report, saying that it was the guard captain's incompetence that had led to the prisoners' escape. The captain would surely be demoted and even lose his job, but that is a small price to pay for maintaining Aldinar's spotless record.

Now that that was out of the way, there was still the matter of finding and recapturing the two prisoners. At this point, they were probably long gone from the city. Even so, Aldinar would not give in. He'll gather all his available forces if he had to just to find the two of them. He would not allow this failure to disgrace him any further. Only by recapturing these two criminals would he be able to truly salvage this operation.

"Guards!" Aldinar called out, ordering one of the guards to enter.

"Yes, Admiral," the guard said.

"Give the order to form a search party to find the two criminals who had escaped. Gather as many trackers as you can. They've only left last night, so they shouldn't have gone far. Search thoroughly at every tavern, inn, and house. I want them found!"

"Yes sir!" The guard saluted and exited the room, leaving Aldinar alone to his thoughts.

You may think you're clever, Dingo Hwyte, Aldinar thought to himself. But eventually, you will suffer your defeat under my hands. Just you wait and see.