“Lord Berda, Investigator Melinda Joiner has arrived.”
“Ah good, it was quite brave of Nopaly to send one of his rejects. Learn anything?”
“She was honest about her Class and Level, my Lord. She is a Level 37 Medium, through-and-through.”
“Grand. Anything else?”
“Nothing of note. Although, she strikes me as inexperienced.”
“Well then, let’s not keep the rookie investigator waiting.”
-A conversation between Baron Garretti Berda and Butler Benjamin Abert moments before meeting Molly Joiner.
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There was a lot to take in here, but before I could get a head of myself, I needed the full picture from the Baron, “Ok, uh, what’s the story here?”
“Ah, the story. What a fine question!” The Baron waltzed in by me, gesturing out to his office, “Late last night, my wife and I were awoken by a large crash and the smell of smoke. Rushing out, my wife went to the guards downstairs while I rushed to the office.”
He crept through the rubble, carefully stepping around the stacked coins, “I found the door’s locks destroyed, the whole office on fire, and amidst all the chaos, the Coins of Berda scattered across the floor.”
I pointed at the coins, “They’re stacked now.”
“Astute observation, investigator. I can see why Nopaly spoke so highly of you.”
‘I’m gonna punch him.’
Don’t.
‘Then you should punch him.’
Even worse. It was one thing to have a side-effect of a Class be the motivator for a crime, there was a certain amount of legal defense for that. If I just did it by my own free will and hand, well, I’d be fucked.
‘I return to my first argument.’
I ignored Frank, tilting my head at the coins, “Ok, so, why? And, uh, what are the Coins of Berda?”
The Baron sniffed, suddenly striking a pose and pointing to the sky, “The Coins of Berda are an ancient relic! One that has been in my family since Thomask’s great brilliance tilled the soil our prosperity now grows!”
‘He has to have practiced that in the mirror, right?’
‘Nah, if he had, he’d have noticed how stupid he looks!’
“So, uh, did you stack them or something?”
“No,” The Baron shook his head, “The Coins of Berda are separate coins, but are just part of a greater whole that desires to be whole.”
I smiled and nodded, trying to hide how little that had helped.
“Ugh, they are drawn to each other and stack themselves. Understand now? It was Thomask Berda’s Class Artifact, the epitome of his gift with currency and value.”
Ok, finally, I understood. Skills that allowed people to craft magical items and machines were one thing, but a Class Artifact was another. Only those who’ve reached Level 100 are able to even begin to work towards such an achievement, and it isn’t exactly easy then if the legends are to be believed.
Still, it made me wonder who exactly had the cojones to try and go for a royal family’s most cherished Class Artifact.
I nodded, “So, is that it? Did you see the culprit?”
Benjamin spoke up, “The mistress of the house, Lady Berda, spotted the miscreant as they dove out of the window and into the yard beyond. She attempted to apprehend them, but they escaped.”
So, they try to steal something, fail, burn everything down, and then get attacked on the way out, but manage to leave with their life?
I examined some of the crisp remains of the surrounding books, “And even if I figure out who did it, uh, this thief is probably out of the city by now, yeah?”
The Baron stepped in, shaking his head, “Moments after I saw the coins scattered, I acted quickly. I activated ancient barriers around the estate, stopping anyone from exiting by any means, be they mundane or supernatural.”
Ancient protections, huh? The thief must not have known about them if they thought they could get away.
Sniffing of the piles of ash, I frowned, “So they’re still here.”
“Indubitably.”
“Beyond the obvious,” Because really, any Class Artifact would fetch an insane price on the markets, legal avenues or otherwise, “Why would someone want to steal these Coins of Berda?”
Baron Gerretti shrugged, “Politics? Another royal family wanting to rub it in my face, it certainly sounds like something a Clarota would love to do. It was doomed to failure, however.”
I raised an eyebrow, “Why’s that?”
“Because, the Coins of Berda possess a number of unique capabilities, one of which acts as an anti-theft mechanism. Anyone not of the Berda family attempting to take ownership of the coins are simply unable to have them on their person, no matter how tight the grip or quality of the bag.” The Baron seemed to smile, as if pleased that his ancestor’s artifact had the opportunity to thwart a would-be thief. “I don’t even deign to lock them up, the effect is so strong.”
Well, he was certainly confident. Still, I was a tad confused. Why would a thief want to burn everything up? Even without the coins, there were certainly valuable books and artifacts around that could be stolen! Why just destroy them? And what about that loud crash that woke the Baron and his wife up?
At this point, Benjamin spoke up again, “We’ve already made a list of suspects with their Class and Level clearly stated. Skills they possess are also listed, as I have such things documented.”
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He pulled out a stack of documents, handing them over as I took out my clipboard and began to skim through the details. There were over thirty servants that regularly worked at the estate, not to mention the fifteen royal guards that regularly rotated out.
Reading through the names, I peered up at him, “And, uh, your Class and Level?”
The butler sniffed, “All possible suspects are listed there, Investigator Joiner.”
“Ok, uh, that didn’t answer my question.” Did he really think because he was the head butler I wasn’t going to suspect him?
‘It’s the exact opposite!’
‘I hope it’s him. And the Baron.’
“Miss Joiner,” The Baron laid a soft hand on my clipboard, “Neither Benjamin nor my wife are to be considered suspects in this matter. Benjamin was the one who fetched the guards and my wife was clearly not involved.”
I hated when taller people stared down at me like they knew better than I did. Height should have never become equated with authority, in my opinion.
“Well, uh, ok,” I managed to mutter under his gaze, retreating down to the list of names, “I just, uh…ok, I’m gonna need to speak with your wife, at least…you know, as a witness? Ok?”
The Baron’s gaze softened, smiling, “I’m glad you’re up to the task, Investigator Joiner. I’ll let my wife know you wish to speak with her, although she is still calming down from last night’s events. Feel free to examine the rest of the estate as you wish, Benjamin can fetch any suspect you wish to speak to.”
“Uh, thanks.”
‘Prick!’
I left the room before my spirits decided to make their issues with the Baron known using my mouth.
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The suspect list was, while quite thorough, not giving me a lot. I’d spent the last few hours going through the documents, trying to piece together the circumstances with the Classes I had on hand.
From what I understood, there was a single thief, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t have accomplices. Honestly, it felt unlikely that they didn’t. Why would you rob a royal family without some sort of team?
As Benjamin described, while the ancient barrier currently keeping everyone inside was a closely held secret and barely used, this being the first circumstance requiring it in 50 years, the perimeter of the estate was closely patrolled by royal guards.
And you didn’t become a royal guard by having Classes that let thieves slip in easily.
‘A solo job is riskier, but comes with a bigger payout, kid.’
I blew a stray bang out of my face, “Yeah, yeah, but none of these servants have any Classes that I could see helping them get away with this. Most of them are barely over Level 20!”
On average, they all had Classes like Maid, Chef, Servant, or, in one particular oddity, a Cleansweeper, an Uncommon Class. While interesting, the Skills that they had didn’t lend to thievery or getting away with it.
‘Well, you don’t need a Class to be good at something. How many investigators actually have the Detective Class?’
I shrugged, “Iunno, but they’re the ones that get all the promotions.”
‘We kinda got promoted!’
“Getting fired isn’t a promotion, Coco.” Sometimes I wondered when Coco’s optimism would start peeling away at reality.
‘Ugh, I hate peeling! Potatoes are yummy, but cleaning them? Disgusting!’
I should get some potatoes on the way home. It’d been a while since I’d cooked instead of grabbing something from one of the street vendors.
‘Aye, that’s the spirit. Look at you, getting back in the saddle.’
I blushed, throwing myself back into the case, “Ok, so, uh, yeah, the only one that really stands out is this guy, Peter Till, a Level 26 Gardener.”
‘Why’s he standing out?’
“Those vines we noticed at the front gate,” I tapped at one of Peter’s listed Skills
‘And climbable.’
I nodded, “Not saying he’s our prime suspect, but after going through everybody else, he’s our best lead.”
“Investigator Joiner?” Benjamin’s voice cut through my reasoning.
I looked up, having been sat in one of the comfortable private rooms as I went over the suspects, “Ah, um, yes?”
The older man sniffed, “Lady Berda will see you now.”
I nodded, “Good, uh, great. I’ll go, uh, see her?”
“Upstairs, the right hallway, third door to your left. Do try your best not to get lost.” He said it like he expected exactly that.
Well, I wasn’t great at directions, but I had some mighty fine helpers to make sure I didn’t lose my way.
‘Did he say the third or fourth door?’
‘We should go down the left hallway!’
Nevermind.
Standing up, I held out a list of names to Benjamin, “If you could, uh, get these witnesses ready to talk, I’d appreciate that. A few of the guards on the scene and Peter Till, the gardener.”
While I was somewhat worried about Benjamin, a suspect in the case regardless of the Baron’s wishes, fetching other witnesses, it was a worry that couldn’t bear fruit. I couldn’t find them without help and the Baron, the one man I actually didn’t suspect right now, had retreated to his wife’s side.
Benjamin looked at the list, before nodding, “Of course, investigator. I’ll get right on that.”
Opening the door for me, I gave him a nod before setting off to find the fifth, uh, no…fuck. Well, I knew it was the hallway on the right, at least.
‘Wasn’t it the left?’
I prayed to the heavens it wasn’t.
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After knocking on the door of an empty, but huge bathroom, I awkwardly made my way to the next door over and gave it a heavy, polite knock, “Uh, Lady Berda? It’s Investigator Joiner.”
‘If this one is a bathroom too, can we go? ‘Cause we definitely need to go.’
While I agreed that a bathroom break would be nice, that juice from earlier was tickling in my bladder, I couldn’t just…go into the Baron’s bathroom, could I?
‘Why not?’
Silence met my knock. Maybe this was really another bathroom? No, that didn’t make sense. Why would a noble have two bathrooms right next to each other?
I tried the door handle, the door giving way and I peeked inside. I’d been given permission to go through the estate as I wished, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t hesitant to abuse such a privilege. And yet, this room was worth it.
A grand bedroom with four large windows spilling light into the entire room. Through the wispy curtains, I could see the beginnings of a balcony, but the finery of the decor wasn’t what drew my steps.
‘Well I'll be damned, is that…?’
‘It is! It’s-!’
“A spirit,” The building excitement in my chest bubbled over into my words, my fists tight as I took in the sight before me, my
A beautiful woman, her long transparent hair flowing down to the floor behind her with just enough color in it for me to peg her as a brunette. She was staring off into the windows, not having noticed me yet, and that was perhaps for the best.
An active spirit, while valuable to someone with a Class like mine, could be dangerous.
And yet, I couldn’t stop myself from taking the risk, “Excuse me?”
The spirit tensed, as much as a spectral being could, and turned towards me, “Oh ho, a servant who can see me? What business do you have with this Lady Berda?”
‘She’s so pretty!’
I coughed, “Uh, well, ma’am, I’m Investigator Joiner. I’ve come to figure out who tried to steal from the Berda family. Would you…be willing to answer a few questions?”
The spirit smirked, “I’m sure I have time to spare.”
I took a deep breath, mentally thanking