Adam, Brian and Matilda exited The Foxbox, seeing the innkeeper on the way out, who was still dealing with all of the commotion that the news had caused. He gave them a pensive stare as they passed but he didn’t say anything to them, he stayed true to his word that he wouldn’t try to force them to do anything or cause extra drama if they did leave.

“Okay, our main piece of information is that wherever the murder occurred was within a five minute walking distance from here. That’s pretty useful.” Vincent was essential to their entire operation, Adam had big plans brewing in his head.

“It’s a start, but this is a pretty dense part of the city, there’s still a lot of people, a lot of buildings, let’s get started I suppose. How do we approach this?” Brian asked.

“Splitting up would be faster, but it’s too risky for now. If we get caught in a tricky spot, we can handle it together. We can handle anything they throw at us.” Adam explained.

“Okay, so we stick together and where do we start, go knocking door to door?” Matilda seemed unsure of their chances in the limited time frame they had.

“Let’s just meander about and find someone who might know something, best case they tell us something useful, worse case I pull out my truth ability.” Adam replied.

“You’re too quick to pull that out, don’t you have any sense of ethics around it?” Brian was still not very fond of that ability of his Adam noticed.

“Sure I do, but since I can manipulate it to just get truth about one particular topic I don’t find it too worrying, I’m not using it to make people spill their deepest darkest secrets.” The only time Adam had not worried about the ethics was when he first tried to use it on Abbey in desperation for their lives. Since then, he had thought about it often, he knew he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he used it on Matilda or Brian.

“Not yet, it’s a slippery slope I say.” Brian didn’t look pleased.

“Well, anyway, I’m not planning on using it, I had a great idea anyway. Let’s go back to Histo. I bet she knows something.” Adam reassured them.

The other two agreed with Adam that it was definitely the most productive first move they could make. They headed up the busy street, noticing thin paper signs put up about Vincent’s execution, they were pinned up on boards and doors on the buildings they were passing, most of the buildings here had the same run down look as The Foxbox, definitely cheaper materials or just worse build quality.

They were learning to navigate this side of the city much better at this point, they made their way back to Histo’s shopfront fairly quickly, through the same alleyways that first got them to The Foxbox. Adam had noticed that both in the busier streets outside the inn and with the few odd people they saw in the alleyways, they were getting a lot of stares and whispers. He supposed that Tob was right about the hiker sentiment, even if people weren’t knowledgeable about hikers, that sentiment would generally extend to the obvious outsiders that they were as well. He really didn’t know what to make of Tob as of right now. He didn’t like them, but he was going to let them off because they fought together, did he suspect them or not?

They approached The Gemonoid, Adam’s third time there. Histo stood dutifully at her shop window as always. She grinned as they approached.

“How is the ring doing my friend?” She asked, turning to Brian as the three of them approached the store.

“Good enough, still overpriced.” Matilda answered for him.

“Very well. You’re here to find out about the murder I assume?”

“Yes, we know Vincent didn’t do it, but it has been pinned on him, we need to help him.” Adam pleaded, she didn’t respond to his words.

“It’s interesting, how Vincent was simultaneously loved for his healing and work, yet feared for his unknown power and potential. This framed murder is definitely an interesting development, what with everything going on with the church and Oak. I wonder if I’ll live to see the conclusion of it all.” She had gone off on her own tangent, staring off into space, almost seeming to forget that they were there.

“What’s the deal with the church anyway? We heard a man mention Oak got sick as soon as he took over.” Adam asked, while he did know what was currently happening with the large leeches on the tree, he wasn’t too sure on the backstory of when the tree fell sick.

“That’s right. He claimed it was already sick and he was the one to finally investigate and he is selling it as himself being the saviour of Oak. I don’t buy it, a lot us here on the east side don’t buy it.” She continued as she moved items from boxes at her feet onto the hooks and shelves behind her.

“So, what’s the idea, using it for their own needs and they are abusing it to the point of sickness?” Adam questioned carefully, trying not to give away that he knew something.

“You catch on quick boy, well done, that’s exactly right. Only Oak knows what they are trying to use it for but at this rate I fear it will get pushed to the point of no return. Luckily, I’ll probably be gone by the time Oak falls, what a sad, sad day that will be.”

Adam felt it was time to fess up, maybe his own truth would be even more effective than trying to force the truth out of her, he also felt uneasy on trying to force his way into such an elderly ladies mind.

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that, we think it might have only weeks, or even days. We’ve seen some things. We need to find out about this murder to prevent Vincent’s execution, we need him to rescue an old friend of his, another hiker named Hammy, it’s a whole thing but we are here trying to stop the destruction of Oak.”

“Okay.”

Adam saw her response for what it was, an attempt to keep him talking. He questioned whether he should negotiate the information the way Matilda had negotiated the price of the ring.

Matilda bashfully tried to excuse the three of them a few steps away from her store to discuss amongst themselves.

“Adam, once a merchant always a merchant, you’ve drawn her along with the information, she seems keen to know more and she seems to know something about the murder, I say you trade the information, were you thinking the same?” Matilda whispered urgently at Adam.

“I was, for a bit, but I think we don’t even need to, we can play it even safer.” Adam was excited to share his thought process this time around.

“I’m confused, you two sort this out.” Brian said, going back to the shop to look at her wares.

“What do you mean Adam?” She asked in a rushed breath.

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“Oak is so important to these people, like, to a religious level or something like it. I think if the bait is regarding the safety of Oak, which all of them are worried about, we already have the upper hand, they will already want to help us and give us everything they have if they think we can help save it, that’s the best position to be in, we are already there, now we just have to not mess it up.” Adam smiled, already knowing what his next moves were.

Matilda shrugged “I still don’t trust this lady, but you have that look on your face like you know what you are doing so, go for it, but don’t be surprised if she scams you somehow.”

Adam approached Histo again, walking a few steps back to her store.

“Okay Histo, I’ll lay it all out for you, the church is involved somehow in a scheme to drain Oak of it’s energy, we saw it in cave beneath the tree, there’s huge creatures literally sucking the sap out of Oak. We don’t know exactly what is going on but it’s linked to Fargo, I don’t know what Tob knows, but he knows something, I think the Church has a grip on the city patrol as well. What do you know about the power structure here?”

Histo listened intently. “Our government is generally seen as competent and good, the city votes in the members, the odd corruption scandal, the church has been an increasing presence in the running of the government as of late and especially as of Fargo stepping in as High Priest.”

She paused, admiring her own display of product. “Well, I should also tell you since you are outsiders, there’s a whole world of politics regarding the east side against the west side, it’s basically an unspoken rule that they don’t count our votes.”

Matilda spoke up “That’s an outrage, how do you just put up with that?”

“It’s not my fight to be honest, the next generation are fighting harder than ever about it, hopefully one day something changes. Anyway, you lot may not be around long enough to worry about that, you need to know more about this murder.”She sighed as she rubbed her hands

together.

“Right. Do you know who did it? Do you at least know the victim?” Adam was ready to set off again, he just needed a location to go to.

“Gavvey Townstone, I’ll give you directions, it’s only a few minutes from here. I’ve no idea who did it, as far as I have heard, no one knows. It certainly wasn’t someone from the east side.

Some westsider or just a complete outsider I suppose, some people think it might be you lot, just gossip, vague rumours about new outsiders at The Foxbox. Don’t worry, I’ve been assuring them I’m sure it’s not. You’re lucky they trust my word.” Histo explained.

“Thanks. We were getting a few stares on the way here.” Adam shared.

“No surprise, though you’ve probably had that your entire time in this city. Go there, it’s just taking a left at that main road between the alleys and then in the next alley on the right. Tell her family Histo sent you, they are still grieving, let me think, what can you tell them to let them help you. Tell them it’s so Histo doesn’t have to watch Oak topple in her lifetime. They’ll recognise that as something I have shared often in the past few years.”

“Sure. We don’t have much time, anything else? We’ll get going. We already have some clues about this strange man who come into the inn last night, he definitely might have been the one to kill her. Gavvey.” Adam was determined, they would make this right. They wouldn’t watch Vincent get executed.

“Off you go, once her family warm up to you, make sure to be nice, you’ll get somewhere. Go, I’m putting my trust in you lot to fix this mess.” Histo brushed her hands, directing them to get going.

The party set off down the alley, left on the road, and right down the next alley way. Stopping for nothing and paying no mind to the continued stares that they received. The home they needed stood out very quickly, it was the only one with a small crowd out front. It was a simple home, more of a shack really, Adam thought.

Walking up the steps and approaching the front door of the home, the small crowd of people glared at them and murmured to each other, Adam overheard one elderly man asking a woman next to him “What are they doing here?”

Adam paused at the front door, knocking on it. All of the people out front and a couple that were inside the house near the front door looked at him strangely. One of the men inside asked “What do you want? This isn’t a good time here.” Based on the confused looks, Adam guessed door knocking was not a custom here.

“Hi, we were here about Gavvey Townstone.” Adam ummed and ahhed, feeling nervous at the large, bald man glaring down at him. “Were her family here to talk to?”. The man was both significantly taller and wider than Adam.

“You should get out right now. Yeah her mother is here, grieving as hard and painfully as I’ve ever seen anyone grieve. Her father, you’re speaking to him, and he is running out of patience.”

“Oh.” Adam turned to Matilda, hoping she would be able to step in and rescue, Adam was generally a confident person, he was confident in his abilities in many different ways, but just conversing with people was not one of them, Matilda seemed much better at that.

“Hi there Mr. Townstone. I’m Matilda, Histo sent us here. She told us to tell you, we are here so she doesn’t have to watch Oak topple in her lifetime.”

The man’s eyes instantly lit up. “Oak be blessed, Histo, it has been a while. I know my wife and Gavvey would see her all the time, but it’s probably been well over a year for myself, I’ve just been so busy I guess. Okay I see, if she sent you on good terms that’s different. I’m sorry it’s just a tough time for all of us right now you know.”

Matilda walked with him further into the house “Of course, don’t be sorry, please. We just want to help with finding out who did this to your daughter. I’m sorry, we don’t know her or anyone but we have some clues on who might have done it.”

Brian looked at Adam “Good idea letting her do the talking, you totally blew it man.” Adam rubbed his head above his ears, still trying to shake his nerves off. “Yeah, I’m working on it.” They followed Matilda and the man further into the house. The man with Matilda barely seemed to fit through the doorways with his large frame and stature.

“So I take it, Vincent isn’t the one who did it?” He asked in his deep, baritone voice.

“Correct, Mr. Townstone.” She replied. “That’s part of why we are here, we want to protect Vincent, he is innocent.”

“You can call me Peth. I see, so what do you know about who did it?”

“We have some ideas but we were hoping you might know anything about the murder, if you saw anything or heard anything that might be another clue we can use.” Matilda continued leading the conversation, Adam decided she was going a great job why disturb the peace.

She continued asking probing questions as Peth gave her his recount of everything he had heard during the night from his wife, he wasn’t home but was able to pass on the information second hand. Adam peered out of the window while they chatted and gathered information, trying to plan his next move, he was worried they still might run out of time based on everything he had seen so far. Peering out of the window, he noticed the extensive network of houses around him, this was a very dense urban environment, all of these cheaply built homes were stacked together so tightly. Each one looked exactly the same, he wondered if the government had just built the cheapest possible housing for the city. Looking out, he could see all of the bright orange roofs of each house, which extended as far as he could see in one direction, all the way to the next block of buildings or to the next alleyway he supposed.

He made eye contact with a man crouched on the roof adjacent to the house they were currently standing in. The man’s eyes widened as they made eye contact and he stood up and began running on top of the roofs away from Adam. It was a longshot, he had never successfully used his abilities at this range, but Adam tried to focus some of his psychokinetic force at the mans feet to trip him. He missed again, but he did manage to shove some force into the mans back, enough to make him topple anyway, just not in the way Adam had actually aimed to do it.

Adam dashed out of the house shouting “There was a guy on the rooftops watching us!” He climbed up onto the roof of the Townstones house with the aid of some pushes of force heaving his own body up. He dashed in the direction where he last saw the man. Adam felt like his new found agility was really helping in this situation specifically, he had lost complete line of sight of the man but after a burst of sprinting the man came back into view, still trying to run on the rooftops in the same direction he was headed before he tripped. This was crucial, if they lose this lead they might have to watch Vincent and all of their prospects for Oak die in front of their eyes Adam thought. He began adding little bounces of kinetic force to each step as he dashed across the rooftops. He quickly gained speed, watching the man running away from him get closer and closer. He overshot a step, getting more air time than anticipated, smashing his face into the roof of one of the houses and slid down the roof, toppling over the edge, down into the yard of someones home.