The houses here in the slums were, for the most part, made of stone. This particular house isn't. Instead of a mix of stone and cement, chunky planks of wood were used as the main support for the structure. Rats going in and out of a hole near the door, cockroaches infesting the garbage bags piled leaning against the wall, and the shrill screams of weird-looking birds also complemented the scene in a bad way. Khrall turns to us and explains the situation.
"We're going to be asking questions to the couple in question today. Their names are Sammis and Sierra Vamoss. They're the parents of Sergei."
"Do you think that his parents are the ones controlling him? Isn't that a bit too messed up?" I ask.
"Beats me. I don't get why they're doing it now, though. Sergei was last seen twelve years ago, just before Nelen killed the king. I think he killed a nun."
"So this Sergei... Do you think he's somehow connected to Nelen?"
"I think so. The couple also used to work for the orphanage Nelen was in, so it's probably safe to assume that."
"I didn't know Nelen was adopted."
"Well..." Khrall leans in and whispers as Strauss knocks on the door. "I've heard some rumors that the nun who got killed was once impregnated by a demon."
Could it be?
"This is the Chimerian Legion! Open up!"
Strauss continues to shout as the sound of slow footsteps echoed from inside. With each slam of the hand, the wooden door seems to give way, but Strauss senses this so he tries to minimize his strength. A lady, who had dark skin and tattered clothes, greets us.
"Yes?" She asks.
"Hello, ma'am. Sergei's back." Aldwynn starts. He's unexpectedly courteous to the lady. "We were tasked to ask you and Sammis some questions. Would you mind if we take a bit of your time?"
"Not at all. Please. Ask all the questions you need. Come in. We don't have much but make yourself at home."
"Thank you, ma'am."
A fireplace, chairs and a hunting trophy of a five-eyed monster can be seen as we got inside... Well, this is unexpected. Unlike its exterior, the inside was clean and organized, very much to my surprise. It's even cleaner than Esmeralda's, and I look at her to see her expression. It's the same as mine. The old lady goes to a room somewhere, so we talked for a small while.
"Tell me more." I said. "About the nun who got killed at the orphanage."
"Well..." Khrall looks at Esmeralda. "Are you sure you want to hear this?"
"Thanks for worrying about me. You can tell him."
"Wait. You knew about their relationship?" I ask.
"Well, yeah. Nelen kissed her when she was drunk, remember?"
"Khrall!" Esmeralda blushed.
"Anyways, the rumor. Well... It's actually true. The nun back at the orphanage they worked in. She actually gave birth to Nelen. She was hiding the fact about her lineage because priests used to burn demon kin back in the day. They only found out when they looked into her diary."
"Where did you get all this information?"
"Well... I'm sorry, Esmeralda, but I have a bit of a crush on Nelen." Khrall smiles a toothy grin.
"Here. Have some hot chocolate. Sorry. My husband seems to be out today."
The old lady comes to the room with a large kettle and a porcelain mug. Although she appeared happy, I can't shake the feeling that there's something slightly off about her. From the moment she greeted us at the door until now, she never took that contented smile of hers, and that makes it even more creepy. Her voice is also flat for some reason. Old age, perhaps? I still can't shake the feeling of something weird going on.
"I'm sorry for the trouble. Can you guys share with the cup? My husband and I only have one." She says.
"No worries, ma'am. Can you kindly take a seat next to me so we can start?" Aldwynn invites. Sheesh. Why can't he be courteous to everyone that way?
"Strauss. The recorder."
"Right." Strauss summons a hologram of a circular device from his gauntlet. "We're on."
"Kindly answer all the information necessary..."
Aldwynn's endless questions about her personal information went on for quite a while, actually. Esmeralda helps herself with the kettle on the small table as the warm atmosphere of the room and the soft fur couch made me feel sleepy, so I decided to also pour myself a nice cup of hot chocolate after her. The smell of something coming from the stairs occasionally fill my nostrils as I sip, but I couldn't tell exactly what it was. Mmm. This is good, but not too special. It's a bit pungent, to be exact.
"Is this how they usually conduct investigations?" I ask Khrall as he take the cup from my hand.
"Well, yeah. See that device over there?" He points to the device. "That circular thing, aside from recording her personal information, records everything that's happening in this room right now. The gauntlet stores the information."
"Don't you guys have records or something? Surely, your Chimerian friends must have some."
"Friendship doesn't exist within the Legion. We only have business transactions. You don't ask questions, and you won't get bitten. Plus, despite the name, everyone works independently. The subquarter's only responsibility is to gather all the information and run their stations. Well, that's all I can think of."
"Aye. I honestly appreciate the answer. These two idiots right here won't talk to me, so it's good to have someone who actually helps."
"Can you tell me a bit about Sergei?"
Aldwynn's formal manner of asking pissed me off again. I look at a nearby clock to see what the time is, but the hands don't seem to be turning.
"Sergei... He was obedient, kind and caring. He didn't have many friends at the academy because, let's face it; No one wants to be friends with poor people. He did, however, have resolve. He must've gotten it from his father." She smirks, as if she was forcing a smile. I think I didn't hear her name.
"Right. Do you know if Sergei made any enemies in the past?" Aldwynn takes the cup from Khrall.
"... Yes. He had many rivals, but he was quiet about it most of the time. However, there was a time where he confessed about one of his many burdens. He told me about this heated competition against one of the current generals, Alistair, and he accused him of stealing his credits all the time. No one believed him except for a little girl, though."
"Wait. He used to be on bad terms with father?"
"Father?" The old lady's brows furrowed.
"Yes. Anyways, moving on... Do you---"
"Shut up for a second, will you? So you're telling me you're one of Alistair's children?"
Her voice cracks as she said the last part, and all of us sat there in silence, shocked by her swift and sudden change of mood. She scanned his eyes, but he averted her gaze. Is he afraid? He looks at Khrall, then at Strauss, then at Esmeralda, then at me. As if he was trying to get us to help him.
"No. He isn't." I lied. "He's just delusional. Don't mind him."
"You b--"
"Don't try to make a fool out of me." The woman turns to Aldwynn, the contented smile still in her face. "Is that true?"
"... Yes."
Awkward silence. The room stayed still for almost ten seconds, until Esmeralda spoke.
"Sorry to bother you, miss. He didn't mean that."
"Oh, it's fine. Everyone makes jokes here. It's all fun and games. Don't worry. It's no big deal. Don't worry about it."
It should've been fine after that. At least, if she only said it normally. She tried to weave cackles in as she stuttered the words with a speed quick enough to finish the whole statement in four seconds. All five of us tensely stared at her as she did this. Everyone was weirded out, sure, but she isn't really much of a threat.
"Let's resume, then." Aldwynn clears his throat. "Do you know someone who uses voodoo magic?"
"My husband and I use voodoo magic, but we only do it if there's money involved. It drains too much energy." She takes the cup from the table.
"Where did he go, by the way? It's been an hour now." I ask.
"Oh, dear. He just went to hunt some boars. He'll come back soon. Go on. Feel free to ask some more."
"Oh. Uhhh... What else, Strauss?" Aldwynn turns to him as he summons a piece of paper from his other gauntlet.
"Let's see... How do you feel about it? About Sergei running rampant and killing people?"
"How I feel about it? I'm happy, of course."
She didn't even hesitate. This woman must be out of her mind. Her son's dead, he's brought back to life by Gods know who, and is getting his body used like a puppet to commit crimes. Wouldn't a normal parent's reaction be more of angry?
"Why?" Is all I muttered. She turns to me with a serious look on her face, and smiles sincerely. What the fuck?
"Because he'll also take his killers with him. Every curse has their boons and banes. One of the banes of Voodoo magic includes the inevitable killing of the person, or persons, responsible for one's death. Unless if it's the owner himself, of course. Do you see the irony?" She chuckles heartily. "If I'm being honest, I don't really care about all the killings that's been happening for the past few weeks. At least I can rest easy knowing that my son got the justice he deserved."
"Wait. I thought Sergei died when he tried to fight an Ancient on Judgment Day." I question, but Strauss answered instead.
"No one actually knows how he died, but it happened on Judgment Day so everyone assumed the case. His body was also found in a field where Ancients dwell, so it's a good argument. They even recovered the body, only to find it missing in the morgue a couple of days after."
"You sure know your stuff. You a fan of urban mysteries?" I remark.
"I'm not, but thanks for the compliment, I guess... Er... What was your name again?"
"Sol."
"Strauss."
"We're not here to make friends." Aldwynn intrudes the conversation with a lazy glance. Right. Back to business.
"Any more questions?" The old lady asks.
"Hmmm... What you said about voodoo magic." I ask.
"Yes?"
"What if the owner or owners were the ones who killed him and they're intentionally doing this because they want to defame Sergei even more?"
...
Wait. I think I just said something insensitive. Ah, shit. I did say something insensitive. Yep. Her eyes are showing it. She didn't like what she heard.
"That's it. Get out."
"But the int--"
"All of you. Get out. Now."
"Wh--"
"Please."
Her voice cracks again. The muscles on her face are forcing her to smile now, and her eyes are slowly getting watery. She didn't wait for an answer. Three minutes later, all of us were outside as she slams the door in our face. Oh, well. I guess the mission's done for the day.
"Nice job, Sol." Aldwynn sarcastically remarks.
"Thanks. I trained all my life for that moment."
"You're stupid."
"No you."
"Oh, well. I guess it's done now. Should we call it a day?" Khrall joins the conversation.
"Khrall's right, everyone. It's already dark now." Esmeralda coos. Aldwynn looks at her for a moment and sighs.
"... Alright. We should head out."
Is what should've happened. We get to go home safely and sleep to our heart's content. I miss my bed, Minerva, but these common thugs are in the way. We were sandwiched in seconds as gangs came out like mushrooms from the abandoned walls that surrounded us. Some of them had black robes from the Arshalam Sect. Oh, boy. Not again.
"You mates got a few Cings to spare?"
The coarse voice of someone in the crowd rants, but the dozens of men made it impossible to pinpoint where it came from. There's also the smell of beer, sweat and dirt. What are these guys planning?
"Are these people drunk?" I ask.
"Probably." Aldwynn replies and shoves me just in time as a bottle comes flying towards my direction. "Watch out."
"Thanks." I reply as one of the goons charges at me with a knife. I punch him in the face with my right hand as the four of us form a barrier surrounding Esmeralda.
"Protect the girl." Aldwynn commands.
"You don't need to tell me that." I said.
"So we're playing White Knights now, huh?" Strauss jokes.
"Good one, Strauss." Khrall laughs. "Well... Business beckons. Let's go kick some ass."