Chapter 71: Interviews
Looking over the law enforcer who led me here, I see that almost everything he wears is covered in armor. Through the eye slit, I see his aquamarine eyes and wispy blond hair slipping out the helmet at the back.
He turns his piercing blue eyes towards me before speaking with a relatively average voice. I avert my eyes away from his gaze. “First, remove that armor so we can ID you.”
Complying with difficulty, I ponder if I should really remove the only thing protecting me? I shake my head, pushing away the thoughts, then quickly remove my helmet and chest plate. I don’t take off any further armor, as all I have under my armor is underwear. So, to save me from the embarrassment, I chose to gamble that the guard wouldn’t mind. I lightly meet his eyes to see if he is bothered before turning away.
He looks me over, then his carefully maintained neutral face cracks for a split second. Placing my hands over my head in stress, “Everyone is always surprised,” I remark to myself.
After schooling his face back into its neutral façade, he hastily scribbled some writing into a book to his side. “Okay, let's start with your name, Mr...?”
As calmly as I can, I reply, “Aeternum.” No more or less is needed. I read somewhere that you should say no more than is required. I hope that's true, as I don't really know what to do in this situation.
Jotting down my name, he asks “Does that come with a surname?”
I just shake my head. It’s not because I don’t have a surname, but because it's embarrassingly mediocre.
“Okay, Mr. Aeternum, where is your residence at the moment?”
And in that exact moment, I realized that I don’t know the name of my own damn town! I shake my head in resignation. “I have an estate within Mayor Average’s town.
He just nods along, “What's your date of birth?”
I pause, and start wondering: When was I born? Does my last life even matter? I suppose that it would be hard to explain if I ever got caught. Why is this so hard? I think back to when I first appeared and try to push aside the horrible images burned into my mind. I think back. It was warm, a soft breeze. The trees were lush, I think it was summer. “Sum… Summer, I am a summer child.”
“Okay, with the basics out the way, let's get to the important stuff. First, I will tell you; you're not in trouble. Thankfully for you, Average didn’t neglect to say an informant was within the building.” He pauses for a moment, his tone dropping imperceptibly. “Otherwise you would be under arrest. For now, I will question you to get to the bottom of this whole mess.”
Thinking back to Damon’s family, I ask “What will happen to that family?” Why am I concerned for such an evil family? I shouldn’t be, yet I am.
He clears his throat with a cough as he slowly removes some folders for his perusal. “We will interview each of them, check for discrepancies, then compare evidence from the manor and testimonies from the captives. We also have some witnesses from the abduction of some of these captives. Once all this is compiled, we will try those found guilty, and the others will have a… very large fine for affiliation to the criminal members.” He places the folders neatly down across the table. “Now, why were you there?”
It appears that he is starting with hard questions. Suppressing a slight tremble in my hands, I question if I really have to go back, even mentally, to that nightmare. I don’t want to answer that, yet I must. I guess that, even with my morals, I have to lie a little. “I am sorry.” I mentally say, hoping the officer doesn't think less of me. I am not going to tell the police that I was stealing materials for blood magic.
“I was... investigating the rum… rumors.” I feel my eye twitch.
I can only assume that he cocks an eyebrow as he simply replies “Vigilante, huh?” He dares to call me a vigilante! I am no vigilante, I am a hero. Wait… am I a vigilante? I helped people, though?
He taps his fingers on the desk, grasps a folder in the middle, then parses through its pages. “Now, why was the lead member of the atrocious crimes… dismembered?” I wince in mental pain as I recall… the scene.
So many bodys, blue with icicles of blood dripping down their arms. Blood pooling around grates on the floor. My legs suddenly feel weak for a moment. The officer tilts his head at my small stumble. I manage to wrestle my mind back under control.
I sigh in resignation. I feel that this is going to be a long evening. He starts to placing images and files on the table neatly. Spotting a familiar scene I wince. Seeing red for a split second, I blink. “Seeing all the prisoners… I had to help. They were going to die! I freed them all, one… Only one of them had a mind left and his will still intact… He did that.” I say, pointing towards the splatter of red on the photo on the desk before turning away and suppressing the rising nausea. No one deserves that. My face is wet, why? Rubbing my eyes clear, he notices that I’m ready to continue.
Leaning forward slightly, he asks, “What did this man look like?”
I can't do that to the prisoner, he did what I felt was fair, if crude. I should use a broad description; it's the best that I can do. I finally tell him “He has lots of muscles, tall and brown hair, middle-aged.”
Looking over I see him shaking his pen lightly. It must have stopped working. I enjoy the moment of peace as he shakes his pen in the hope that it would start working again; what a familiar sight. Sadly, everything breaks and dies. He chucks it in the bin in frustration before grabbing another from the draw. He quickly writes to catch up with the conversation. The simple human act made the tight bundle of pain in my chest lesson ever so slightly. Yet, seeing the pen break and be replacing fills me with images of the poor people who lost their minds within those walls.
Finally, he stops writing, and inquires “How did you sneak in?”
“Invisibility potions and a bit of caution,” I say calmly. Wait? Why did I say that without thinking? I am not normally that rash.
He immediately leans back replying “Heavily illegal potions.”
Internally, I am panicking. “Shit, shit, shit I can't believe I just outed myself like that.” I start to shake, my body outside my own control as my hands do no more than vibrate.
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He simply moves on, neglecting to write anything further for now. I shouldn’t be so damned focused on his pen, but it's hard knowing that everything he writes down is potentially a reason for me to go to jail. It’s not like I will let them, but still. Forcefully turning my eyes away from the still pen, I feel an ache behind my eyes from the strain. I begin running my nails over my skin in stress.
This continues for a while, us going back and forth, eventually painting a clear picture of what happened. I neglected a few details to avoid trouble, but overall, I was honest, I tried my best to be. It was horrible, every moment brought back memories of red. My hands feel dirty. At the brink of tears he finally says what I have been mentally begging for.
“Okay Aeternum, that shall be all for this interview.” A pregnant pause fills the room. “Don’t look so scared. I am not going to arrest you. As much as I… disagree with being a vigilante, you just saved over a dozen people from being slowly tortured and experimented on. You also helped us stop a large and dangerous ring of blood mages.”
My anxiety just disappears from my shoulders. Yet, as the anxiety disappears I become all the more aware of the sickly feeling in my chest. The zombie-like rhythm I kept during the interview.
“It wouldn’t have gone this smoothly if the law enforcement weren’t already investigating this area. We were close, but you beat us to the punch and saved lives in the process. Commendable, if stupid. I will neglect to write anything illegal in my reports and will emphasize you as a valuable informant rather than a vigilante.”
I just bow deeply and say “Thank you. It me… means a lot. I am sor… sorry to have caused you trouble.” Cursing myself for the stutters. I try to be as nice as I can. I don't want to antagonize the officer.
He nods appreciatively, scribbles away a signature on his report, then files it away. “Okay, let's get you out of here, shall we?”
I simply nod emotionlessly. re-equipping my armor was a chore for my tired mind and body. Yet i cannot neglect it, I have already gone to such lengths for anonymity; I may as well keep it up.
He walks me through the same security doors. I note with amusement that they both look durable from an earthly standpoint, but I am sure that my wyvern armor could blast through it like paper mache. I, of course, didn’t say this, but it did make me chuckle. Humor hiding the horrors in my psyche.
He opened the final door and with wide arms, gestures for me to leave, to which I readily accept. Not wasting any time, I disappear around the corner. I am grateful that the whole ordeal is over. Or, so I thought.
“Are you stupid?! Why would you sneak into that rat's nest?!?” The mayor begins shouting in anger, showing a rare moment where his cool demeanor goes out the window.
Lowering my whole waist in a half bow, I say “I am sorry, I was curious. But I did good, is that not okay?” I Trembled at the first real scolding I have gotten here. I feel like a child, embarrassed. Yet angry, I am my own man!
He tightly compresses his brows in frustration. “It was a nightmare getting law enforcement to that location. If they weren’t already planning to storm the damn place, they would have treated me like a laughing stock.” He pauses for a moment. “Look, you saved lives. For that we are grateful, but it was very stupid. Just leave, let me rest, and pretend you didn’t bring a heaping pile of fresh paperwork with you.”
I am clearly dismissed, so without delay, I leave the building. Stepping outside the large well-maintained doors, I see a familiar face.
“Cassie, hey! How are you?” A smiley facade covering my face.
She runs towards me before hugging me. I just awkwardly return the hug. I am happy she cares, but how do i respond to this? I haven't hugged someone… in so long. “How did you find out?” I simply ask. Wincing at my own stupid response.
She continues to hug me even more tightly before replying, “Secret. Please… please! Don’t be stupid again, please. Your yearly dumbass pass has been used.” i see a wet trickle down her face. My heart pangs in pain. I hug her back properly, “I am sorry.” The first real words to leave my lips since… shaking away the thoughts. Later, i dont want to make her even sadder. The warmth of her body feels healing, the comfort soothing my scared mind.
Appreciating and enjoy the hug. When it finally ends, I feel much better and slightly sad at it being over. I turn to her and crouch slightly to look into her eyes. “Thank you.” Hoping she truly understands how much i appreciate her.
She nods before grasping my hand and walking me to the nearest tea store. We sit and enjoy some fruit tea together. Silence pervades the quaint room, but I don’t mind. It's not a suffocating silence. Instead, it's a peaceful and meaningful silence. The calming place helps me forget. If only for a little while. I still occasionally tap my foot nervously, before quickly suppressing it and trying to return to my calm state.
Eventually, I lean onto her shoulder slightly before closing my eyes. Not to sleep, just to relax. I have had a long… terrifying day.
Suddenly, I sit forward, clenching my chest. I can feel anxiety spreading through my ribcage. After closing my eyes, the blackness turned to a crimson red. So many body parts, so many. Cassie looks over concern written on her face, her arm on my back as I slow my breathing and calm down.
Yeah, this will take a while to forget. I wince, knowing that sleep will be a rare pleasure for the near future. “At least it will harden my mind and make me stronger,” I say, half not believing what I was even saying.
Eventually, I bid Cassie farewell. Her company was much appreciated, truly. But I don’t want to impose or bog her down with my emotional baggage. It's unfair so i politely leave, I head for a slow walk around town to hopefully clear my mind of the things that i experienced.
Walking through the darkened streets, I shiver as I see the shadows. It feels eerie, like I have a thousand evil eyes on my back. Walking to a more brightly lit area, I try to avoid alleys for the rest of the night. The demonic sensation in the back of my mind receded in the light, but didn’t completely disappear.
I walk a circuit around the town, eventually finding myself in front of a house I visit often. Stepping up to it, I knock lightly. Hastily, the door opens, and a surprised voice speaks out “Aeternum? What brings you here?”
I just shrug, “Could use some company right now.” Averting my eyes away from his beaming smile.
Jengal readily accepts that explanation then invites me in. He is home alone, his mother is doing… something? What is she doing this late at night? I cannot help but wonder as I sit on his stupidly large fluffy sofa. He hums in the kitchen as he prepares some biscuits and bad tea.
I just sit back and enjoy the familiar air. The background noise is like a melody, relaxing my mind. Jengal places the teas and biscuits on a coffee table in front of the sofa, then comes to sit next to me.
I start some small talk. “So, who chose this color for your sofa? It's such a terrible green.”
He just shrugs, “My mother said it was a bargain.” I smile at the simple answer.
It’s as good an answer as any, I suppose. I just sit there for a moment. I want to say something about today… but I don’t. I just sit there, silently, for an indeterminate amount of time. Suddenly, I am snapped out of my funk by an energetic voice. “So, ya do it?”
What, do what? Wait, I know. Turning to him I try to say “yes”, but it comes out as a barely audible whisper.
He just nods smartly before suddenly pausing. “Wait, the rumors are true? Ah shit. No wonder you're so quiet. You are normally talking up a storm. Don’t worry I can talk for the both of us.” He lightly taps my shoulder in a friendly manner.
I appreciate his energetic attitude. It lightens my heart ever so slowly. He starts out all good and comforting, but then I see a thought almost physically manifest on his face. He resists the urge to ask it, but eventually, he caves, “So… erm… did you get it?”
I just crack, processing his question before suddenly tumbling onto the ground in laughter, a burst of broken and tired laughter. He looks panicked and confused; the poor soul. Eventually, I get myself back together, sitting up with an aching stomach. I removed the small quantity of garmonbozia that I gathered. It was 4 in total. His mouth lights up in a smile. “Congratulations buddy, what's it for again?”
I manage to murmur out “It helps you get permanent boosts to your body. A permanent potion effect.” He must be part bat because he seems to have heard all of that. He nods knowingly, “That sounds super powerful.”
I nod back, “It is.”
I sit there for a while, enjoying the company, and slowly sip the tea and munch on overly sweet biscuits. It helped me immensely, although I wonder if sleeping tablets exist here. I could do with a knock out tonight.