It took a while, but finally something happened: a woman left the house through the front door. She was unfamiliar to me, and I checked the cube. She was the person I had tailed here.

I considered following her but decided against it. I could likely find her later if I needed to. The important question right now was who she had been visiting. It stood to reason she had been reporting back to someone, and I really wanted to know who this someone was.

When I finally had my answer, my stomach dropped, and I might have gaped a little. I knew the man who exited the house and jumped into a carriage. It was the male administrator from my initiation. Grim was cackling in the back of my mind, thoroughly enjoying the situation, but I was genuinely confused. How deep did this go?

I checked my cube and marked the administrator on it, then waited a few minutes and descended the roof. I cast a quick conjuration on myself, an illusion that would make me appear mostly as myself but with black hair and a fine suit. It wasn't a perfect illusion, being somewhat spur of the moment, but it would do the job.

I strolled out of the alley and across the street. I turned down another alley and soon found myself behind the administrator's house. I made sure no one was looking before I scaled the low wall surrounding a small garden. It was beautifully cared for, with small paths of fine gravel, a little lake, and a small pavilion where I imagined the man would take tea in the morning. All in all, it was a lovely little relaxation space in the middle of the city.

I walked up to the house that I knew for certain was empty. The cartographer's cube was proving really damn useful for all this sneaking around. The door was locked, so I conjured my images and sent Grim inside. He opened it from the other side, and I slipped through.

I searched the building as quickly as I could, scouring each room for any sign of the administrator's involvement. Finally, on the top floor, I found a luxurious study with fine furniture and expensive-looking paintings adorning the walls.

As I began rifling through drawers, Grim inspected the paintings for any hidden compartments. Unfortunately, after several minutes of searching, I came up empty-handed. Frustrated, I considered my options. I couldn't afford to stay too long; someone could return at any moment.

Just as I was about to give up hope, I remembered the cube. Activating it, I studied the hologram closely, and a plan formed in my mind. "That might be something," I muttered to myself.

Descending the stairs to the cellar, I surveyed the barrels of fermented drinks and shelves of food. Eventually, I reached the far wall, and Grim alerted me to the enchantment present. "We're dealing with a sneaky one," he warned.

I considered his words before asking, "What kind of enchantment?"

Grim shrugged, and I felt a twinge of unease. "No idea. But I would put a trap if it was something I wanted to hide."

Suddenly, I had an idea. "Think you could get through Grim?" I asked.

The spirit examined the wall for a moment before answering, "No... I can't pass through it."

Disappointed but not defeated, I paced back and forth in front of the wall, trying to come up with a solution. "I know something interesting is behind this wall," I muttered to myself.

In the end, I decided it wasn't worth the risk. I could bring Isabel back later, and she might have a better idea of how to get through. With a sigh of resignation, I snatched an apple from a nearby shelf and left the way I had come, ensuring that Grim locked the door to the garden from the inside. Besides, the fact that the administrator was involved somehow, was information enough to cause a stir.

As I walked into the lounge, I saw that Lyra had returned with Malik, and the bodies had been cleared out. However, I noticed a suspicious patch of disturbed ground in the yard and was about to ask where they had put the bodies when Lyra came over and hugged me. "I am glad you're okay. Did you find something out?" she asked.

I nodded and sat down at the table. "I followed our rogue, she entered a house in the lower district, and it belonged to someone we know," I said. Malik, who was looking serious, sat down across from me and asked, "Who?"

I glanced at Lyra, who gave me a small nod, and took a deep breath. "That male administrator from my trial, don't know his name," I said. Malik's eyes widened in surprise, "Sigen!? He is involved in this?"

"I couldn't find any hard proof in his house, but there is a hidden room in the basement. It was enchanted, so I decided to leave it alone. Pretty sure if there are answers to be had, they are in there," I continued.

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Malik leaned back and rubbed his face. "This is a real mess," he said, while Isabel entered from the bath downstairs. She noticed me sitting there and walked over. "So?" she asked.

I explained my findings again, and Isabel cursed. "That damn snake. I will tear his damn heart out for this!" Malik stood and paced. "Lyra has filled me in on the situation, and it honestly sounds a little ludicrous. At least until we arrived to find corpses everywhere, and a bound up rogue with a rune mark on his forehead. Not to mention these crates," he said, gesturing at the crates still resting on the table.

Lyra came and sat down next to me but focused on Malik. "Something is going on, Malik. Even you have to admit there is too much evidence to ignore it," she said.

The big man nodded reluctantly. "That would seem to be the case. Isabel, show me the core David retrieved." Isabel left the room and returned with the inactive core. She handed it to Malik, who studied it closely.

We waited for a good long while before Malik placed the core on the table. "I have seen this before," he said.

Isabel's gaze sharpened. "Explain."

Malik gave her a stern look. He was her senior and of a higher rank, so she amended her statement. "Please," she added.

Malik grunted and began to speak. "Around twenty years ago, I was part of an expedition. We were to go through an abandoned research complex." Lyra perked up. "The one in the lake?" Malik nodded. "The very same. Five teams were assigned to go in there, all of us among the elite, and two teams had even been called from the main branch to lead us."

Isabel whistled. "It's that dangerous out there?"

Malik shrugged. "It was a damn house of horrors down there. Out of 26 people going in, only 4 of us returned." We all stared at Malik in shock, but no one spoke, so he continued.

"The place is a maze once you get into it proper. The monsters in there were disfigured versions of themselves. Xalindor, as the alchemist was called, had performed some horrible experiments down there. We managed fine until we reached the holding pens. That's when everything went wrong. We were ambushed by a horde of all kinds of monsters, a wave of large teeth and claws. People started dropping one by one, and despite our best efforts, we were forced back. One of the teams from the core branch covered our retreat, but none of them returned. We managed to collapse the path behind us when we were sure they weren't coming, but we had been reduced to only ten people at that point."

Isabel reached over and touched Malik's hand. "I'm sorry, Malik." The big man glanced up at her, and I saw his eyes were moist.

Malik wiped his eyes and nodded. "We were hounded every step of the way out, and we found ourselves holed up in some kind of lab. That's where I saw these runes. Those I saw in the lab were experiments, failed ones at that, but I would recognize those patterns anywhere."

Malik stopped, and we sat in silence for a while. Then Lyra asked in a small voice, "What happened then?"

Malik glanced at her with a sad smile. "Might as well finish the story, I guess. We couldn't stay there. We were all injured to some extent, and our only chance was to make a run for it. We formulated a plan. I would act as vanguard, smashing a hole through whatever came at us. Laryn would bring up the rear with Aric. They both had great defensive spells and would have the best chance in a running fight."

Malik stood and began to pace again. "We rushed out, and soon we began to encounter those bloody beasts again. I smashed through them with my axe. It's somewhat of a blur to me. When we finally reached the exit, the attacks stopped, and there were only four of us left: Aric, Laryn, Bishop, and myself."

Lyra went to Malik and hugged the big man. "Thank you for telling us. I never heard of that mission."

Malik patted her back gently with his big hands. "Oh, you wouldn't have. It was a disaster, and the higher-ups wanted it forgotten."

Isabel slammed her fist into the table and cursed. "So what I am getting from this, is that what we are seeing now is connected to Xalindor's experiments. So someone managed to get in there, somehow survive the monsters, and continued his experiments," she said. Malik nodded in agreement. "That would be my guess," he said.

Lyra sat back down and asked, "But how is the administrator connected?" Isabel scowled. "That man is too ambitious for his own good. I just can't fathom what releasing monsters in the city would gain anyone."

As everyone pondered the situation, I suddenly remembered something. "Um, Isabel. What happened to the one we let live?" Isabel looked over and smiled. "He should be about ready for some questions. I might have used him for punching practice for a bit. He wouldn't talk, so..."

I rolled my eyes. "Bloody hell, Isabel. You tortured him?" Isabel scoffed. "I didn't torture him! I beat the shit out of him, is all." Lyra burst out laughing. "That is sort of what torture is, though, Isabel," she said. Isabel looked a little embarrassed. "Perhaps someone else should handle this part. I...well, I am probably still a bit riled up," she said reluctantly.

I stood up slowly and stretched. "I suppose I could give it a whirl." Everyone looked at me in surprise. "What?" Lyra looked a little worried. "Are you sure you want to be a part of that?" I raised an eyebrow. "What, torture? No, I was thinking more along the lines of scaring him so bad he'll spill the beans all on his own."

Malik smiled. "Leaning into the lunatic persona then?" I gave him a wink. "It was good advice. It already worked once in the last day, so I might as well keep the ball rolling. I don't like the idea of torture, but do we have much of a choice? We might not have much time after all."

Malik sighed and stood up. "I will go with you. I will stay out of sight, and should the need arise for more...direct methods, I will step in." I gave him a nod, and we went upstairs. It was time to put on a bit of a performance.