After hearing Adoazze say that this whole experience may have just helped my case I stand up a little straighter. Seeing this death, recreated right in front of me, it has opened something within. I will find who did this and either someone else arrests them or I’ll… do something unkind.
Before I can complete my thoughts, Milrich makes a sound of shock.
“What!? You think just because the foot depth is a little different that we’ll just let him go? To me all this sounds like is bad acting, you can definitely fake the depth and stride of your steps. Especially with some of the Powers out there! We should just chuck him back in the cell and do a proper investigation!”
Adoazze and the other Guardsmen look between Adoazze and Milrich before being interrupted by Number 1, who seems to be keeping himself composed way better than I.
“Milrich, who stuck a stick up your ass?” says 1 sounding pissy. An angry “What?” is Milrich’s only reply as he gets angrier and angrier.
“Woah, woah, take it easy mate, the veins in your neck are popping, you risk death via papercut!”
“Are you threatening a Guardsman!” asks a furious Milrich as he starts to walk towards us. I look worried and give Number 1 a WTF face before Adoazze moves over and grabs him by the arm.
The atmosphere is tense and chilling as she sends a hard look at Number 1 and I before settling on Imi, “Imi, please escort them back to Headquarters, I need to wrap things up here.”
Imi practically jumps out of her skin before composing herself and replying, “Ma’am. Alright let's go.”
As we all file out of the shielding, Adoazze and Milrich stay behind, the doorway closing before we hear anything but I know Koda or one of the other shadows should be in there so I’ll eventually find out later. The camouflage is re-added and we are all escorted back to the Guard HQ and find ourselves seated at Adoazze’s teams desks in the main area.
Once we take a seat I turn and give Number 1 an exhausted look, we had tried to talk through the Suppression Jacket again but no luck so far. “Mate, the hell were you doing?”
Shaking his head he replies, “Yeah, should not have antagonised the people who we are working with… But we do have a plan so let me work on it.”
I turn to look at Lock, seated next to me, “You know what the plan is?”, “Yes, it’s a most interesting idea.”
I sit there perplexed for a moment, this is definitely not what I was thinking in my cell, maybe some kind of parole or deal or something, not some TV show script.
Number 1 turns to Imi and asks, “Miss Imi, I would request a meeting with all of us here with Master Naaf as soon as he is available.”
“I don’t think I…” says Imi as she looks cautiously at us, “Imi, we are in the centre of Guardsman Headquarters, your main suspect is in a Suppression Jacket and no way to get out of here. If you don’t mind?”
Imi looks between us and Dr Roselin before walking away up a flight of stairs and through a doorway. We wait for a moment before Imi walks out and heads into another room next door to the one she entered.
After a moment she peaks her head outside and waves at us, we get up from our seats with Dr Roselin and walk up the stairs. As we move we can see and feel several eyes on us, Guardsmen watching the four of us walk up the stairs. Entering into the room, it is a large conference room with a large rectangular table and chairs all around.
Light crystals hang from the roof and larger crystals are embedded into the carved dark wood of the table, there are some crystals at each seat but all of them are turned off. All of them but the ones at the end of the table.
Seated at the end of the table is a tall Greater Beast, he is covered in brown fur like his eyes and two large horns twisting next to his head, both cut short. He’s wearing a loose cloth in an almost roman style with fitted leather greaves.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
He stands and directs us in, speaking in a gruff and heavy voice he says “Hello Michael, about time we should have met.”
“Guard Master Naaf I presume? Good morning, or is it afternoon?” I ask.
“About midday, what can we help you with?” he says, directing us to sit. I nod to Number 1 and he leans forward. It’s his show, I'll let him run it.
“Master Carson, I am not one for small talk so I'll just come right out and say it. We have a list, a list of criminals which are a part of a criminal empire that has been growing right under your nose for who knows how long.”
“A list?”
“Yes, let's call it the Blacklist as we seem to be in quite a similar situation. Here’s the deal, we give you our information and you let us have a more equal, working relationship.”
“Interesting, and how do I know that this information is correct?”
“You can call Master Carson right now, and if you don’t believe him well, I’m sure you have other ways of confirming it.”
He pauses to think about it a moment before asking, “What kind of “relationship” are you looking for?”
Number 1 grins softly before replying, “Oh nothing so fancy, it's quite simple really. We, and by we I mean Original Michael here and us clones didn’t do this killing. We want to find out who and help you catch them, so in return we hand over the information we have on this criminal empire and we can help each other.”
“What makes you think I can’t get this information from somewhere else?”
“Oh you might, it’s a definite possibility but consider this. There is more out there. Historically OutWolders end up in the thick of things, making drastic changes to the lay of the land. It's been what? Three, four days in this city and I find a bunch of people who are corrupt and a criminal empire that you definitely didn’t know about or are complicit in!” Naaf frowns at that comment, I hope he knows what he’s doing.
“Working with the Institute, well you caught me, a whale. But if you want the leviathans on my list then we need to work out a deal.”
Leaning back, Master Naaf pauses for a moment, eyes darting between the five of us seated at the table.
“I’m listening, what are the specifics of this deal?”
“Simple, The Guard works with the Adventurer Society to solve both of these cases. All information shared between us. ”
“Michael, original Michael goes on a parole and assists with the investigations, unencumbered by these quite impressive Suppression Jackets I might add.”
“Both investigations are coordinated with yourself and Master Carson, we keep the Institute out and keep them guessing as they are a prime subject.”
“And lastly, most importantly, I work only with and am protected by Adoazze and her team.”
Holy shit Number 1 what was that! You're kidding, there’s no way he’ll go for that!
“An interesting proposal, I actually was talking with Adoazze recently. She’s on her way, matter of fact she’s been listening in. She says you came up with a good idea, details that were skipped over in the initial investigation.”
“She’s almost willing, as am I, but. I want to know just one thing… why should we just trust you?” He turns his head and directs that question to me instead of Number 1. I give Number 1 a glance for a moment before trying to come up with a good response,
“Right now I haven’t really proven myself much, I could be lying, I could be a horrid evil man. But if I am telling the truth then can you really, really afford to just let this go on? When the next time an OutWolder arrives in the city, how are they going to be welcomed?”
“You’re not really giving me much to go on.”
“True, so I would recommend talking with Master Carson. Maybe if you see what we have with your own eyes you might change your mind. But unless there is anything else I think we are done here, don’t want to take up too much of your time.”
I moan internally, hopefully that comes across as polite and not overly sarcastic
He scratches an arm for a moment before waving us out, we all stand and begin to walk out before he asks “Mister Nessgray, what do you think of Michael?”
Taken aback, Lock replies after a moment half standing and sitting, ”Um, well. Yes, I don’t think he did it. And the criminal empire we found is definitely real. I helped capture some of them myself.”
Master Naaf stares at Lock for a moment before standing up and exiting the room through a side door leaving us behind. We also decide to leave and walk back down to our desks and chairs. The balls in his court now.