Chapter 281 - Dark Truths

Kai stilled, the papers filled with names in his hand. He strained his ears and channeled Body Augmentation to make out the sounds moving closer. There were two sets of footsteps, one heavy one light, thumping up the stairs—their words too low to make out through the walls.

Dammit.

His sister stood in front of the left desk with a journal in hand. Unless her intel failed again, one of them must be Herry Rickson, the shady informant and owner of this house. Who was the other one? Hallowed Intuition’s whispers soared despite the wards stifling its prediction.

Even before his skill warned him, facing an unknown foe inside a building engraved with deadly arrays was a bad idea. There was no window in the cluttered study and no way to run without being discovered.

Kai stored the sheets in his ring and dashed toward the door. Splitting his mind in six, he used Mana Engraving to redraw the lines that disabled the trigger. Any amateur enchanter could spot the tampering if they examined the runes. He couldn’t imagine Herry manually disabling the trap each time he entered the study.

He must have installed an automatic switch among the enchantments.

“We must hide,” he grabbed Kea’s hand.

Whoever was coming probably wouldn't treat two intruders hiding in their hideout kindly. It was also possible he had triggered some warning, and the owners were coming to get them.

No, they're walking too slowly.

There were too many unknowns hanging around this affair. Despite the simple satisfaction of a fight, his instincts were telling him it could end badly. He hadn’t survived the Sanctuary without a healthy dose of caution.

Kea stared at the door without moving. “We can get some answers.”

“There are two of them. And we have no idea how strong the second person is.” Kai whispered as loud as he dared. “C’mon, we’ll get better answers by listening. There is always time to jump out once we know our enemy.”

Steps thudded in the boards outside the study, the time to take cover rapidly running out.

“—about your excuses,” a gruff voice rumbled. “We gave you the chance and resources to handle the problem, and you managed to fuck it up. Now those nuisances will run around spreading more rumors—”

Kea clenched her hand around the knife on her belt. His heart skipped a beat, he was about to take out his sword and wing it when his sister turned toward him with a curt nod.

Thank the spirits.

A silent question in her eyes: where to hide?

Piles of papers and journals cluttered the desks, closets and floor. Scanning the space, Kai headed toward a cabinet filled with yellowed volumes that had been pushed against a shelf, leaving a dusty gap behind. It had been also filled with notebooks, scrolls and empty ink bottles.

There was no time to clear the space. Kai pulled out a pile of papers, counting on the general chaos to hide their passage. He swiped his hand forward to store everything else in his spatial ring. Crouching beneath a shelf, he squeezed into the cranny and covered his mouth to muffle his coughs from the dust. His body had remained more wiry than bulky from his stay in the Sanctuary.

Kea watched him, stunned—she was the only person in his family who had yet to learn about the ring. With his only free limb, Kai pulled her inside as the door swung open, rustling the loose sheets of paper. They huddled in a tangle of limbs, cloaked by a veil of Shadow and Kea’s camouflage skill.

“—not necessarily bad,” an oily voice whined. “Mind the wire on the door. No one will believe a bunch of mongrel thrillseekers.”

From how Kea tensed beside him, Kai guessed that must be Herry.

“The consequences are irrelevant. You’ve failed us,” the deeper tone scoffed.

“It’s just a little hitch. How was I supposed to know another group of adventurers would come looking for them? It was your wards that failed!” Herry’s tone contained a sudden edge.

“I'm tired of your excuses, the wards worked perfectly. There isn’t any seeker who can break them in this town. You must have ruined the engraving when you set them up.”

It was really them… What’s going on in this town?

Kea gritted her teeth beside him. Stuck in the dark cranny and unable to turn toward her, Kai twisted his arm to hold her hand, praying she wouldn’t reveal their place. He was also angry at people sulking about how they failed to kill them, but he was more pressed to unravel the wider plot.

Are they kidnapping people? What are they doing with them?

From what he grasped from the conversation, these people had access to a considerable amount of power. Anyone capable of inscribing the inky runes buried in the tower probably had the means to directly kill his sister’s team. They only failed because they wanted to make it seem like an accident in the mist.

“Oh, please!” Herry’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Your group would have been caught years ago without my help.”

“Pha!” The gruff laugh was followed by the low thud of a fist meeting flesh. A body crashed among the papers with a groan. “Don’t overestimate your value. You’re a drop in the river, puny and replaceable. Just like this moldy town. You have no idea of what’s at play.”

“You! You can’t treat me like this!” Herry’s indignation quickly crumbled into a sob with the shuffle of paper and steps. “Wait! I’m sorry. I must have made a mistake. It won’t happen again!”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

“You’re pathetic,” the thug sneered. “Do I have to remind you what the praetor does to people who become a liability?”

“There is no need to disturb him with this.”

“Oh, he already knows anything that happens in this town,” the man cruelly chuckled. “Perhaps I should report that we have a problem…”

“No—” Herry gulped. “No, sir. Please. I’ll handle it. Those bumpkins were lucky to escape. They were getting close to my affairs, but they know nothing about you. Just give me more time. I’ll solve this hiccup.”

“Don’t bother,” the thug scoffed. “We don’t need you to draw more attention. I’ll handle them. You focus on finding more candidates.”

Sounds of crumpled paper changing hands followed a taut silence. “But— but that’s too many,” Herry squealed. “There is no way to get this many without the garrison realizing what’s happening. I—”

“Let us worry about the Republic and do your job. The praetor wants to be done here before the winter is over. He’s not as patient as me with those who disappoint him.”

“I’ll— I’ll find a way to get them. And when will I receive…”

“You’ll get your due when the job is done.”

“Of course, but I could use—”

The gruff man wasn’t interested in hearing him out. “I’ll send you word the usual way when the issue you caused is solved.”

“Thank you.” With an obsequious tone, Herry accompanied the other man down the corridor and stairs.

They’re gone.

Kai exhaled, unsure of when he had last breathed, and almost choking on the dust. The situation was worse than his worst-case scenarios. The more he learned, the more tangled the plot became.

Why can’t the Republic look after their own backyard?

Squeezed beside him, Kea let out an angry pant. Before they could think of crawling out of the hideout, Herry strode back into the study and slammed the door shut.

“Fucking asshole! Who does he think he is? Just a lowly grunt. I can hire a dozen like him. If they're as powerful as they say, they wouldn’t hide like rats, letting all…” His mutters grew too low to make out, covered by the crumple of paper and pound of books getting moved.

“Where did I put those damned lists? I left them right here…”

Oh, shit…

Kai was counting the chances the guy wasn’t talking about the same lists he had stored in his ring when his sister tapped his shoulder. He couldn’t see her face, but the message was clear enough. She was tired of waiting.

Guess it doesn’t matter at this point.

Hallowed Intuition had quietened to an angry hum, and the chances of Herry finding their intrusion rose every second. Kai drew letters in Kea’s palm, preparing to engage.

His limbs were growing numb from the awkward position. They had a confusing conversation of taps and lines before agreeing to a countdown—hopefully with the same plan.

Now!

Rather than crawl out of the cranny, Kai channeled Body Augmentation. Limbs flushed with mana, he pushed the cabinet with his full Strength mirrored by Kea. The wood creaked, thrown across the study faster than he expected in a whirlwind of chips and books.

The crash shook the house, hidden from the outside by the same wards cloaking the building. Dust and paper fluttered, making him cover his mouth to stifle a dry cough. Kai was beginning to worry he had splattered the man under the furniture when he saw a shadow limping toward the door.

Before he could move, Kea had already darted across the study to grab him. Herry was a short man in his thirties with a weasel face and oily black hair. He was dressed in a stained silken robe with frayed edges.

“You!” His eyes went wide when he recognized her. “What do you think you’re doing? Unhand me immediately! How did you find this place?” His attempt to free himself ceased when she tickled his throat with a knife.

“Shut up!” she snapped. “I can’t believe I trusted you. You were behind the disappearances from the very beginning.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. How could I—”

“Stop lying! We’ve heard everything.” Her glistening eyes were aflame with rage. “What have you done to Caeden?”

“You have no idea the type of people you're dealing with.” Confronted with her seething anger, Herry put on a derisive smile. “This isn’t like the rat infestation you clean for a few coppers. If you don’t let me go immediately, they’ll make you pray to the Moons for a swift death."

"We heard your talk." Kea didn't balk or even blink at the threats. "I'm not scared. Not everyone is a coward like you."

Seeing her unwavering glare, Harry gulped. “I can pay you gold! Have you ever seen a gold mesar? I can give you two. No, five! You just have to leave Limgrell today and never mention this again. You won’t have to work another day in your life. It will be as if this never happened.”

Yeah, sure.

Kai remembered the stories of adventurers disappearing without a word he had heard in Varsea. The chances Mr. Weasel would forget about the whole affair were near nil. He was worrying Kea would kill the man when he refused to answer.

“I’m not interested in your bloody coin!” She pushed the blade closer, drawing a thin line on his neck. But despite the burning emotions lacing her voice, the hand holding the knife was steady. “You think I won’t do it?”

As a few droplets of blood flowed down his chest, Herry went two shades paler, limbs falling limp. “You— you don’t understand. I’ll take a slit throat to what they’ll do to me if I talk.”

“They who?” Kai asked, standing behind the man to not show his face.

Herry tried turning to see, but Kea held him in place. “I don’t even know myself. But they’re dangerous. More than you fools can comprehend. They have connections and eyes everywhere. You can’t esca—”

“Your friends aren’t here. I am,” Kea hissed. “If you tell us what we want to know, you still have a chance to run. I know you’ve already made plans for it. Or would you rather die here?”

“I—” Herry gulped, a bead of sweat running down his temple. “You’ll get us both killed.”

“Let me worry about that. Where is Caeden? Where have you taken him?”

“Only the Moons know. The boy was the smartest of your lot. He kept putting his nose where it didn’t belong just like you,” Herry sneered. “If you're lucky, he’s dead.”

The hand holding the knife started shaking, her voice cracking. “You’re lying!”

“I— I have n— no idea what they did to him. I swear! My job is just to provide the names of people who won’t be missed. I’m an information broker, they don’t tell me anything else and I don’t ask questions.”

Isn’t that convenient…

His nails dug into his palm, Kai had the sudden impulse to stab the lowlife himself. “How many?” he growled. “How many people have you sent to their death?”

“I don’t remember,” Herry said with a shrug. “A few dozen perhaps. I told them it was too many for a year, but no one listened to me. They would have died anyway. And I also need to eat. It’s nothing personal.”

A few dozen… You signed off their death and it isn’t personal?

That was way more than was reported by the Hall of Seekers and Valela.

Kea didn’t appear to be listening, blinking rapidly to clear her eyes, gaze lost. “He’s dead…”

Taking advantage of her slack grip, Herry pulled his hands around the knife and headbutted her nose. Free of her grip, the man dashed toward the door, far quicker than his pudgy body suggested.

Where do you think you’re going?

He was about to cast a spell to stop him when the informant slipped onto a loose sheet of paper. His body went tumbling against the entrance. The scene looked comical right till he snapped the wire stretched on the threshold.

A metallic clink echoed in the study.

Shit!

Hallowed Intuition spiked past the monotonous buzz. Kai didn’t wait to see what kind of trap was set in motion. Burning with mana, he lifted Kea and ran toward the opposite wall of the room. A sheet of ice coated his back when the flames roared, multiplying their momentum.

Without time to cast another spell, Kai channeled all his Water mana into the shield, twisting to hit the wall with his shoulder and protect his sister. The rotten boards of the house gave way before his bones, they soared across the street, pushed by the blooming explosion.

A thin sheet of ice just formed around them when they smashed into a nearby building. The crash forced the air out of his lungs. Gritting his teeth, he held onto Kea and reinforced the shield as he plummeted toward the ground.

The mud softened the fall. Behind them, the house was devoured by a sea of flames.

He suppressed a grimace, holding his ribs. “Are you okay?”

Kea watched the fire, dazed. Silent tears flowed down her chin. “Yes… I’m… I’m fine.”

The lie wouldn’t have convinced a child. Kai wished he could console her, but alarmed voices were already drawing closer. With all they had discovered, being found anywhere near this place could be a death sentence.

“Can you move? We can’t stay here.” He wove a veil of Shadow around them.

His sister mutely nodded.

Hanging onto each other, they limped away.