When Phil came jogging down the stairs, he saw Reese was already waiting for him. He gave her quick wave as he joined her, but she didn’t respond beyond giving him what appeared to be a sad smile.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, just… thinking about things. Come on, they’re waiting for us.” She waved for him to lead the way. His gaze lingered on her for a second longer, then he walked over to the wall panel that hid the portal to the guild and pressed his hand against it. Binding the card he’d received months ago had given him access to everything a party leader was supposed to have, so he wasn’t forced to rely on the girls for everything. He still liked to have at least one of them along, however, because having access to something didn’t mean he knew what the hell he was doing, and he was smart enough to know that.
The panel slid open, revealing the portal. Phil stood back and waved Reese through with a “ladies first” flourish. She gave him a tightlipped smile, not quite meeting his eyes as she stepped through. Phil cocked his head a little, confused at her subdued behavior, but figured if she wanted to talk about it, she would. She generally never held back on anything she wanted to say, so on the rare occasion she kept something to herself Phil had learned not to push. Sometimes people just needed their space. Shrugging it off, he followed her through.
“Ah! Mr. Thomas! Thank you for coming so quickly.”
Phil looked around in surprise. He wasn’t even fully through the portal yet and he was already being greeted? Well, he had been summoned, so they were clearly expecting him. Locking on to the source of the voice he gave a hesitant wave.
“Uh, hi… Jack, was it?”
Jack was quickly making his way over to them, his hand already stretching out for Phil’s. The stern looking woman from their first meeting also accompanied Jack. Now that Phil wasn’t freaking out like he had at their first introduction, he had more time to take her in. He was terrible at guessing someone’s age, but he would’ve placed her in her upper thirties, maybe low forties. Her brown hair was starting to show streaks of gray and was pulled into a pretty severe bun. Phil idly wondered how pulling it that tight didn’t cause any pain. She carried herself upright and far too stiffly for Phil’s comfort, her head tilted back a touch, giving him the impression that she was looking down her nose at him. The fact that she was dressed like the average female FBI agent shown on TV didn’t help the anxiety she was giving him.
“Yes! Jack, and you remember my aide, Adele, right?” Jack beamed as he shook Phil’s hand vigorously. The woman in question glared at the back of Jack’s head, who winced like he’d felt the gaze. “Sorry, Ms. Cooper to you guys. Miss Campbell, pleasure to see you again. All goes well, I trust?”
Reese nodded, her sullenness replaced by a professional smile. “Well enough, Jack. So, why were we summoned?”
Jack nodded approvingly. “Straight to business. I like that. Follow me, both of you.”
Phil glanced at Reese, but her professional mask didn’t crack. She simply tilted her head, indicating he should take the lead. Jack turned and started walking quickly towards security, Ms. Cooper falling in behind him. Reese placed a hand on the small of Phil’s back and nudged him up next to Jack while she fell in behind him, next to the aide.
“So, is anything wrong? The last time I was summoned it didn’t go well.”
Jack chuckled. “Yes, I read the report on that. You’re a gutsy kid, you know that? Turning your back on the council not once, but twice? Well, be that as it may, you still got your party leader title. As for this visit, no, nothing’s wrong. Well, I mean it depends on your point of view. You’ll see.”
As they approached the security checkpoint, Jack waved at the guards who cleared a path for them to continue through without being searched. Quirking an eyebrow, Phil followed him through, nodding in greeting to the guards manning the station. Phil had to jog a couple times to keep up with Jack as he speed walked through the old concourse, leading them to what appeared to be an old first class lounge. Entering, they were greeted with a large room filled with chairs and tables, a bar off to one side, and in the center near the back of the room sat a massive desk covered in papers and computer monitors. Jack moved around to the back of the desk and waved Phil and Reese to a couple seats. Ms. Cooper moved to a nearby seat and picked up a tablet off the end table next to it.
“Please, have a seat.” He waited until they had, then began speaking again, pacing back and forth behind the desk. “As you may have heard, Miss Campbell, the guild leader recently retired.”
She nodded. “Yes, I was aware. He was such a lovely man, too. Always ready to help someone new. He did look a little pale the last time I saw him though.”
Jack nodded. “Well, he was getting tired, and one can only spend so long locked in an office before it starts to take a toll. The fact that he was able to hang on to the post for a century is rather impressive.”
“A century?” Phil asked in an astounded voice.
Jack raised an eyebrow at him. “Yes. A century. He’s elf descended, you know. They tend to have longer lifespans.”
Phil looked at Reese. “So Rose…”
“Will probably outlive the rest of the team, yes.”
Phil slumped in his chair. Just when he thought he knew the fundamentals, there was always something new dropped in his lap. “Every day I keep learning how much I don’t know. Anything you want to tell me?” Reese gave him a half smile, her eyes momentarily dropping to the floor before turning back to Jack.
“I take it you’ve been appointed in his place?” she asked, not answering Phil’s question.
“That I have. The council seems to think I’m the man for the job. Oh, don’t make that face. Your opinion of them is well documented, Mr. Thomas. Rest assured that will have no impact on how well we work together.”
“Work together?”
“Well, yes. I am the new guild master, after all. At the end of the day, you all report to me. Now, speaking of that, it’s time to get down to business.” Jack stopped his pacing and faced the two of them, pressing his fists into his desks and leaning forward. “I’m afraid the vacation is over for your party.”
“Huh?” Phil stared at Jack.
“He means it’s time to start taking quests again,” explained Reese. “It’s been four months since we last worked, and you’ve yet to take one.”
“Because I’m still learning!” Phil objected. “Wait, four months…”
Jack chose that moment to interject. “Ah, yes. That particular quest is still open, in fact.” He began shuffling through papers on his desk. “I know I had it here somewhere…” he muttered. Ms. Cooper got up from her seat and walked over. Much more gently than Phil would have thought, she brushed Jack’s hands out of the way and grabbed a folder. She handed it to him and returned to her seat.
“Ah, thank you. I would be lost without you.” She merely sniffed in response, working on her tablet again. “Anyway,” he said, turning back to the pair. “I hate to do this to you, Miss Campbell, but the incidents you were investigating that night still need resolution. We’re stretched a bit thin these days, so no one has been able to cover your old stomping grounds.”
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Phil took the folder Jack offered him and flipped it open.
Guild Investigation Request
DATE: 14 Nov 20XX
Submitting Party: Police Chief Mark Gomez
Reason for Request: Unable to determine the cause of death in numerous male corpses.
Details: A rising number of male corpses in the downtown area have been discovered recently. The deceased men age in range between 18 and 35. All were found stripped of clothing. There is no sign of foul play beyond bruising found on the wrists and hips, and all of the victims were reportedly in good or excellent health. Post mortems have turned up no trace of poisons or drugs. (See attached reports.) Most victims were found in their own homes; however a couple were found in hotel rooms. Hotel clerks report the victims checking in with a woman. No trace of a woman was found at any location, and the witness descriptions don’t match. We believe something outside of the norm attacked and killed these men.
Party Leader Accepting Quest: Bruce Wright
Quest Status: Ongoing
“This is what you guys were working on that night?” Phil asked after perusing the file.
Reese nodded. “Yeah. In fact, we were on our way to the bar you were at following up a lead.”
“You’ve been studying up on past and common threats to the region, haven’t you, Mr. Thomas?” Jack asked, holding up a hand to keep Reese from continuing on.
“Yeah. I hadn’t realized so much went on behind the scenes in my own city.”
“Right? You live in a crazy town, I’ll give you that much. Alright, using what you’ve studied and that file in your lap, what’s your conclusion? What are you looking for?”
Phil flipped open the folder again and reread the request. “Let’s see. All were men. All in good health. Bruising on the wrists and hips… hmm.” He flipped back through the autopsy reports, already having a rough idea of what they were looking for. “That’s unusual…” He looked up. “All these men had erections when they were discovered.”
Jack nodded, waving for him to continue.
“I know that’s not as uncommon as people think, but doesn’t that only happen if they die face down, or when they’re hung? Something about gravity allowing the blood to flow into… but these men were all found flat on their backs. So something needed them hard. It’s a succubus, isn’t it? But if they were already dead, why would they need them to stay hard afterwards?”
“Ever try getting that last little bit of a milkshake through a straw?”
“Oh,” said Phil, then his eyes widened as the image hit him. “Oh!”
Jack smiled. “Anyway, yes, we’re thinking a succubus. Maybe more than one, we’re not sure though. They’re rare. Almost as rare as your incubus buddy. Truthfully, we’d rather have more like him than the woman or women we’re looking for. He at least leaves his victims alive.”
“So you want us to resume the investigation?” asked Reese.
Jack nodded. “Yes. You’re already familiar with the particulars. The only change is that there have been three more victims, bringing the total up to ten. It looks like she’s attacking once a month, and she’s about due for a top up. Any questions?”
Reese shook her head no, then looked at Phil, who thought about it, then shook his own head.
“No, sir. I guess this day was bound to come sooner or later. I’m sure the girls can answer any questions I come up with later.”
Jack smiled and extended a hand. “They’re a remarkable team, and they won’t steer you wrong. Show me what you can do, Phil.”
Phil stood and took the offered hand, Reese standing beside him. “I’ll do my best.”
“That’s all I can ask for at this time. Now get going. I’ve got a ton of work to catch up on,” he smiled tiredly, waving at the mountain of paperwork on his desk. Phil and Reese said their goodbyes and left the office.
They took their time walking back to the lobby. The silence was awkward between them, and Phil drew the wrong conclusion as to why. He briefly waved the file in front of him.
“Are you going to be okay with this?” he asked the distracted woman.
“Hmm?” asked Reese, realizing he was speaking. “Oh, that. Yeah, I’ll be fine. Britt will be as well. Rose I’m not sure about though. We’re going to have to revisit the area we met you. Where…”
He let her trail off. He already knew that part was going to be tough. He wasn’t looking forward to it either. “What led you guys to that bar? Was there a pattern to the attacks?”
Reese sighed. “Can we wait till we get home before we talk about it?”
“Uh, sure. If you want,” said Phil, a little flustered.
“I’m sorry. Today just hasn’t been going like I expected, that’s all. Let’s let the others know, then we can fill you in as well.” She looped her arm in his and put on a clearly forced smile as she started pulling him towards the portal exit. Before they entered the portal though, Phil came to a stop and gripped her hand to keep her from moving. She stopped, mid-step, arm stretched out behind her, mentally refusing to turn and look at him.
“Reese,” Phil said softly. “Are you okay?”
After a brief pause, she shook her head. “No,” she said, fighting back a sob. Why did he have to be so goddamn nice!? she thought. He’s making it so much harder than it already is! “But there’s nothing you can do about it, so please don’t try, ok?”
“But-”
“Please!” she almost yelled. In a softer tone, “please, just… just let me work through this on my own, okay?”
“If… if that’s what you want,” he said. “Just know that I’m always here if you need anything.”
“I know,” she whispered, still not looking at him. That’s part of the problem though.
Phil released her hand, finally allowing her to summon the portal home. She quickly went through, and by the time Phil had followed her, she was already at the top of the stairs heading for her room.
*
Rose found Philip pouring over some of her old notes in the library a couple hours later. She paused at the door to observe him as he compared a couple pages, then jotted down notes in his own book. She had to admire the dedication he was showing. Had been showing. Ever since his encounter with Robert, he’d been solely focused on getting better at everything he could. She didn’t really wonder how the other two had fallen for him. His hard work and determination was what had won over Brittany. His eagerness to learn, his kindness, his awkwardness, and sense of humor had won over Reese.
In a way, she was jealous of those two. They had been able to move on from their love of Bruce. Granted, he had helped them along considerably by being the colossal asshole he’d turned into, but that still hadn’t been enough to completely push Rose away. She had lived in constant fear of him near the end and had taken to staying with Britt for protection and comfort, but part of her still yearned for the man she had loved. Because of that, in the deepest recesses of her heart, she hadn’t been able to forgive Philip for killing him that night. It wasn’t rational. It made no sense to any who would ask, but there it was. It was like Philip had robbed Bruce, the Bruce in her mind’s eye, of the chance to redeem himself. It naturally followed that if he didn’t have the chance at redemption, he also lost the chance to be the man she so desperately missed.
Intellectually she knew it was absurd. When he died, Bruce was already far too gone to save. Maybe if they’d caught it sooner, but the council had known already, hadn’t they? They’d let him run amuck, doing nothing as he turned into a monster to save their precious image. So, she should really place all the blame on them and not Philip, right? But it wasn’t the council that killed him. It was the man in front of her. The man so trusting of everyone in the house that he sat with his back to the door without a care in the world. The man who was willing to walk into danger with three women he hadn’t known four months ago. Everything he did was so earnest, so… desirable, but she just couldn’t see it. The wounds were still too fresh. She’d been with Bruce for years. As handsome as he was becoming, Philip wasn’t Bruce. Physically, emotionally, he wasn’t the man for her.
He did seem to be the man for Britt and Reese, however, and she needed to help that happen. She’d seen Reese’s flight from the portal earlier, had seen the confused Philip follow for a couple steps, then pause. He spotted her, then filled her in on what Jack had asked of them. Suppressing the emotions that welled up inside of her, she suggested he take a look at her old notes on the quest while she went and spoke with Reese.
That had ended in failure on her part though when Reese told her she needed some time to herself. Rose had walked the house since then, trying to plan the best course of action. It had only been a couple hours since the women had their impromptu conference in the armory and the decision the other two had made was already fracturing the house. Being close to the man they desired and unable to act on their wants was a recipe for disaster. She had to make them understand this wasn’t the same situation that she’d been oblivious to with Bruce. They had all loved him, and she had unintentionally monopolized him. She had no desire for Philip. If those two wanted to share him, she wouldn’t be put out at all. In fact, she’d be thrilled for them. It’s true her relationship with Reese wasn’t what it used to be, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to see her happy. And to see Britt turn absolutely gooey like she had earlier? Rose knew only strong feelings could produce that result in the normally fierce woman.
Rose straightened up, her mind made up. She was not going to let them miss out on happiness on her account. Watching the object of their affection stretch his back, Rose grinned. He’d called her the “nice one.” We’ll see about that, she thought.