“I must ask you to follow me. We have questions.” She says and rests her hand on the pommel of the sword at her waist.
Her features are gentle, almost regal, nowhere near as rough as the mercenaries of the Fist yet she still gives off that same confident, predatory aura. Strong and refined. Her hair is blonde and long just like ours, which is wrong by the way, with blue eyes as cold as the clearest ice. Not once since she addressed us did her facial expression change and neither do we know what her fellow knights think because of the pointy helmets they wear.
“Lead the way.” Mom answers nonchalantly, nevertheless I can still feel some hostile tension in her voice.
The situation might seem calm for now but my mind is anything but.
[Warrior lvl ???]
[The general Skill [Identify] has reached lvl 80-> 82.]
Not a good sign.
I feel my heart beating a little heavier, a little faster. I’ve had my fair share when it comes to encountering powerful people but one such monster walks up to you out of the blue, makes demands and you know damn well there’s not much you can do…
Concerning.
Now that I think about it Dad rushed ahead exactly to prevent something like this from happening… He’s not here and some random powerful people are. Please Gods let him be okay and be the one to rescue us if we do something stupid and not the other way around. He’s always been the reasonable one.
Like, who even are these people? And why aren’t the guard stepping up to do their duty?
Urgh. I hate questions. Every answer just results in more questions…
“Mom who are-” I still ask. Curiosity might kill the cat and that still won't ever stop me.
“Later dear.” She puts a finger to my lips so fast it even makes a little smacking noise. “I heard our escorts are the jumpy type.”
Her comment goes unanswered as we simply walk through the emergency entrance. The soldiers, always eager and proactive now stand aside without a word and avert their gazes as we walk past. Not even in Martha’s presence did they act like this.
The uniform footsteps and clanging of metal armor accompany us down the streets not to the barracks, the Fort, or any fancy residence… We march straight towards the government palace. Both people and carriages pull aside go give way as we proceed, however unlike the guards, there is no recognition or fear in those people’s eyes. This is merely the work of flashy armor and survival instincts.
Do I feel in danger? A little, but that might just be the paranoia speaking. If they meant harm then walking through half the city seems kinda meaningless to me.
Approaching the place of power in this major city, the honor guards still act like meek kittens around our escorts, although I pay little mind to them, the building is a lot more interesting.
Most of it is the same as in any other city I’ve visited thus far. Three plus stories, a lot of glass, some gold, and fancy carvings on the facade. What makes this one stand out is the massive balcony on its top floor along with the dome sitting there like a crown.
They have griffons in there.
Might and fluffiness combined into one majestic body. Made by sticking a lion onto an eagle's butt… Huh? Does that make a griffon a chimera like the rabbits?
Independent from my musing, two more of the fancy people join us, this time without any armor. These dudes are so stoic they don't even greet their fellow… whoever they are. If not for the same gray-gold color scheme they would look like servants in those robes.
Unsurprisingly we get inside the palace just as smoothly as the rest of our little walk. At this point I’m a little antsy, curious to know who or what we’re dealing with, and only mildly fearful about the consequences. We didn’t do anything wrong after all. I think.
A hallway here isn’t that much different from what I got used to in the Fort. Just a lot taller, more luminous, and full of clutter. A plant that probably dies every two weeks because nobody cares about it, a few paintings depicting an event or dudes nobody has heard about before, or sculptures of gorgeous people of otherworldly beauty wearing too little clothing. Not that I don’t value art and fineness just put functionality a few steps above.
Corner after corner, double door after stair we walk in complete silence. Bar of course the incredible amount of noise made by the armor and metal boots hitting the marble floor. Around halfway Valka’s stomach added its own voice to the choir. I sent a quick thank you to the Gods that it was hers and not mine. It was priceless to see her try and mask the embarrassment when I’m probably no less famished.
Finally, we stop at a door, a lot sturdier and a lot less fancier door. Two of the armored men, although I guess one is a woman because her chest plate is vaguely boob shaped… they need the room I know, still a weird design. They flank the door while the rest of us file in. The inside is a lot more welcoming than I expected with zero windows, zero luxuries, and only a single plant in the corner besides the table and chairs.
This room is so far my favorite in the entire multistory marvelous monstrosity for one simple reason… It has Dad in it.
“Just what part of the ‘ill-described mission’, ‘weird little monsters’ and ‘chimera found in a cavern’ could you tell them so incorrectly to make us end up here?” Mom smacks her poor husband, her language of love. She was just as worried for him as me.
“Good to see you too.” He chuckles while rubbing the back of his head.
“So you messed up Mr. Lucious?” Asks Valka while cautiously observing the room.
Mr. Lucious? Hahaha. Hearing my goofy father being called a Mister… The man who gets bullied by his wife and fooled by his daughter every waking moment, a Mister? Valka just can’t get used to addressing my parents casually for some reason and acts all rigid.
Cute.
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“Just Luke or Luc is fine Valka,” He shakes his head in defeat. “And no, these” His eyes flicker over the fancy people present. “esteemed investigators are here to make sure no important detail is left out. They made the journey here as fast as they could and are probably tearing through the forest as we speak.”
Is he telling me that he got back a little less than a day before us to report and by the time we arrived these people were already here and at the site of the chimeras? Just what sort of magic did they use?
The door opens again, signaling the arrival of another robed figure, albeit a little different in appearance. The young man has a tall cylindrical hat on his head and a scroll with golden letters strapped to his chest. His garment is even fancier than the rest, yet the most striking features are the slight smile on his face and the deceivingly kind eyes. A farce. As I quickly skim through the contents of the scroll my eyes get caught on the large letters on the bottom.
Lord Inquisitor Damien
[Rogue lvl ???]
[The general Skill [Identify] has reached lvl 83-> 84.]
Even worse than the woman. Holy fuck people, those rabbits weren’t even level 200 there’s no need for the heavyweights.
“Please accept my sincere apology for the sudden interruption to your daily business and gratitude for the seamless cooperation.” He bows his head to accompany his toad-eater words. “I see your eyes have already found the answer to my identity, however, allow me to introduce myself.” He steps next to the woman who escorted/kidnapped us. “My humble name is Damien, an Inquisitor from Epros and keeper of the Arcane Prohibition. This lady beside me is-”
“I’m Judge Katherine Silani and you’ll be under observation until we conduct our investigation.” So she’s the bad guard and the dude is the good one, got it. “We’ve already heard the details of the story once but will question every one of you to find every last detail. You might find our proceedings rude and unfair, however, your inconvenience is a small price to pay for avoiding a greater loss of life.” Her conduct is strict, straightforward, and ruthless.
I would choose Katherine over Damien every day of the week. She cuts straight to the point without wasting time and energy on pleasantries.
“Forgive my partner’s outspokenness.” Damian chuckles and pulls out a chair. “Take a seat, please.”
His attempts at making us feel comfortable hit a hard wall of reality, or three, just by being where we are. Barren and probably locked room with warriors armed to the teeth and here to squeeze any and all information out of us in the name of their greater good.
This feels more bothersome than anything.
Despite never getting that explanation Mom postponed, I know enough about the Magisterium to understand what we’re dealing with. Deep shit. Just on the edge of it, suffering the consequences of someone else’s mess.
“Let’s start with a few simple questions.” Damian locks his fingers with an easygoing smile. “Can you tell me your names?”
***
The tedious back and forth went on for hours, ranging from simple questions like why we ended up finding the chimeras, to impossible ones asking what they looked like.
How the hell are we supposed to describe creatures that look like too much and too little at the same time?
The woman often interrupted, demanding more details than we were able to recall. Her questions aimed at why exactly we, the kids, engaged in combat instead of the adults and why we didn’t report back sooner. Just basic nitpicking. Mom and Dad have taken it upon themselves to answer most of the questions, sparing us from the pushy comments.
After the umpteenth stomach growls and dissatisfied comments, the man finally relents. “I see that we’re causing great inconvenience. You may leave now, however, I must ask you to stay within the city until further notice.”
We stand up with a relieved sigh while stretching our limbs. I personally, besides planning on eating till I burst, have to pee like crazy.
“Although,” Damien speaks again as we approach the door and the knight/soldiers stand aside. “I’d like a few more words with the children. It will take only a minute.” From the corner of his eyes, I see his gaze narrow on us.
We all silently groan. Just when the promise of freedom was weaved right in front of our noses… Mom aggressively pulls out her chair and flops down unceremoniously.
“I’m afraid my questions are only for the children to answer.” The man shakes his head apologetically. “Would it be possible for you, dear parents, to patiently wait outside for just a short while?”
Shit. Shit, shit, shit. What does he want? It can't be he thinks we did it.
“No fuckin-” Mom is about to lose her shit in record time when Dad grabs her arm.
“This is outrageous.” He speaks with calmness on the surface. “There’s no evidence pointing towards them having a hand in this. We have cooperated in good faith for as long as we could to aid trouble but this seems a bit excessive don’t you think?” He argues with aggressive politeness.
“There’s no need for concer-”
“It wasn’t a request!” Katherine barks and steps closer, her eyes flashing challengingly. “Your role ends in answering when asked. Resist and we’ll have a serious problem for interfering with a Magisterium-sanctioned investigation. Now, outside!”
Mom frowns and keeps the stare-down going for a few seconds before stepping back.
She turns to us with a strained smile. “Just behave and answer the rude lady’s questions, kids. We’ll be waiting outside. And take care of this…” Then I see her mouth, Fist.
I gulp and nod. I know I’m not in danger, or at least that feeling of an ethereal dagger dancing on the back of my neck is missing, yet the pressure on me sure does make my heart heavy. As if someone has me in their grip and slowly squeezes ever harder.
Like a plaything.
Dad drags his still-fuming wife out the doorway and throws me a quick reassuring glance before the room gets locked again with a heavy thud.
“I understand that no amount of flowery words will soothe your mind so I’ll get straight to the point, I-” He continues before the breath gets caught up in his throat. “What is it?”
I have my hand raised, the least rude way I know of to signal my intention to speak. “I... this might sound very bad but I really have to go to the toilet.” I speak with the volume of a mouse.
It's embarrassing. I feel like a child who can’t hold it back during Marhta’s lesson. Not to mention the heavy atmosphere making my request even more ridiculous.
“Katherine, would you be so dear to accompany young Elyssia? We seem to have caused great discomfort despite their willingness to help.” Damian asks without a hint of mockery and with a voice so genuine I almost believe it myself.
There is no one as polite and caring toward a stranger as he shows himself to be. All his attempts at painting a well-meaning and helpful person are creeping me off. Not the kind of predator that lays in wait for the prey but one that lures them in.
The Judge, as she introduced herself, grunts and leads me out of the room throwing her grace out of the window. I can accept this reaction much easier. Upset because of a slight hiccup, too prideful for a task as lowly as guiding a escorting a young girl to pee and just honest enough to show her displeasure.
A quick and unforgettable walk later business is done and I’m guided back without a single word. At least Mom and Dad are well and waiting for us outside.
When the door opens again…
“... yeah and we took down the small ones easily. Oh, that more evolved rabbit was a lot tougher. We had months of experience working together and even then it was a little wild.” Valka looks over to me with a wide smile and pops some small brown bricks into her mouth. “You’re back.”
A plethora of reactions run through my head. ‘Why are you being hail-fellow-well-met with that snake of a man?’ ‘Don’t accept food from random people!’ And most prominent of all, ‘What are you eating?’
“Nice to see you relieved of your burden Elyssia. We were just chatting about your little confrontations when you arrived, quite the delightful battle I must say.” The snake of a man opens his mouth again.
Actually, would this be considered an insult toward snake beastmen? Poor fellas are associated with treachery just because they are similar to an animal with poison.
As freeing as it felt to be outside of the room I much prefer being here, with Val. Not much we can do even as a team however her presence combined with Damian is still better than that cold husk of a woman.
“I requested you stay back because of a few irregularities we noticed about the two of you.” His ever-present smile disappears and a calculative look replaces it. “Both of you are too strong for your age. That in itself could be an acceptable irregularity… if only your species weren’t a mystery to us as well. I also noticed some interesting snippets of information Valka shared with me. Could you please enlighten me Elyssia… what element exactly do you use?”
Shit, this idiot…