John, Maria and Joseph had all gathered in front of the house the following morning. John was surprised to hear that the two officers had found success while blindly wandering around the city. Dalston was one of the largest cities in the Federation, with a population of a hundred-thousand collectively between the urban and rural areas. A stroke of luck was nothing to be angry about, especially not when it led directly to the target they were seeking.
"Why don't we just go in there and bust this guy?" Joseph inquired. He was starting to get restless with all of the waiting.
"There's little reason to attract so much attention so soon. I want to reconfirm that someone is inside first. Whether it is Kageyama himself is immaterial – you've stated firmly that this man is an accomplice. If he is not here then we can simply press him for more information."
"And how do you suppose we do that?"
"I will walk up and knock."
"But you just said we aren't trying to attract attention."
"Knocking on a door is not suspicious, Joseph. You forget yourself. We are not here as 'Inquisitors,' we are merely a group of travellers."
Joseph sighed, "If you say so."
John ignored Joseph's snark and headed to the front of the house. He approached the door and knocked thrice, stepping back to ensure that he had a full view of what would soon emerge from inside. He briefly wondered if the house was presently vacant, until the sound of clattering furniture and heavy footsteps echoed from within. A heavy bolt was unlatched and the door opened.
To John's irritation, the man who pried open the door and stood above was not Ren Kageyama. It took a moment for his brain to catch up and identify the grisly injuries that were plastered across one side of his face and the missing arm that accompanied it. A trio of terrible claw marks ran down and into one of his eyes, which had been blinded by the ordeal. It wasn't Ren, but this man had clearly seen his own fair share of action. John knew enough men with similar injuries to recognize a wolf attack when he saw one.
His smile was friendly and his accent strange, "Can I help you?"
John quickly snapped back to reality and provided an excuse; "Apologies, it seems that I have the wrong house."
He craned his head to the left and peered past the body that blocked the entryway. He did not catch sight of another hiding within. A sparsely decorated sitting room was all there was to see. A sheathed sword leaning against the wall did catch his attention. Staying any longer would elicit unneeded questions from the stranger, so he bowed his head politely and turned to leave. The conversation had lasted for a few seconds, but it had been illuminating. Joseph was waiting like an impatient dog when he returned.
"Are you certain that Kageyama entered this home?" John asked.
Maria nodded, "He knocked on the door and was let in. We think he's using it as a safehouse. It would beg to reason that he is staying out of sight so we cannot see him from outside. He is an extremely experienced criminal."
Joseph concurred, "And that man looked like a mercenary to me. Perhaps they've been working together as well?"
John pinched the bridge of his nose. Their powers of observation were not lacking, though their reasoning was often abrupt and simple-minded. They had claimed that Ren took an extremely inefficient and purposefully evasive route to avoid being tailed. Why would he do such a thing if not for traveling to his present place of lodging? Lest he dedicate such time and energy to every excursion out in public.
"A more forceful round of questioning is required," John concluded. This was a common task in his work as an Inquisitor. Many people rightfully respected their authority and menace – and the truth was never too far from a man's lips when his livelihood was in danger.
"Pah. He has only one arm! Surely he can't pose much of a challenge to us."
John admonished him, "I would advise against such presumptuous thinking, Joseph. Do not place yourself into unnecessary danger for no return."
"Aye sir."
It was the response of a child who had not internalised his sage wisdom. Ethereal, petty and done out of obligation. Joseph was seldom seen learning from his errors. If he was capable of such a thing his raw talent would take him far. John had tried time and time again to instil that value into him, with no success.
"We will knock again and force our way through, make sure that he cannot strike us."
John did not wait to hear any more sarcasm from his charges. He stormed back to the house and knocked again, hard enough to rattle the metal hinges that held it in place. This time the door was already unlocked. A second later the same man opened it again.
"Oh, did you get the right house after all?"
Ryan did not have time to react as three bodies piled their way through and forced him back. He was only one man – he couldn't hope to hold back a tide of others when they were trying to wrestle him to the ground. Ryan thought fast. He backed away from their grasping arms and hopped over a small wooden dining chair that had been left by the fire. As Joseph attempted to charge at him, he kicked the chair in his direction, taking his legs out from under him and sending him sprawling to the floor.
In the next second, he was holding the tip of a long, curved sword to his temple.
The Inquisitors stopped. None had seen his remaining arm move to retrieve the blade from its resting place on the back wall. It was as if he had teleported from one position to the next! John cursed himself for falling for such a foolish trick. Ryan glanced up at the other guests with a terse smile.
"I don't get many home invaders round these parts, so forgive me for the rudeness. Ya'll folk know there's nothing worth stealing in this house; so why don't you just turn around and get outta' here?"
John tried to get a handle on the situation. This was bad. He'd gotten the upper hand over them in an instant. Whoever he was, he was powerful. He could move at a speed that made any move risky. John wanted to do this by the book. That meant getting out with all limbs and officers intact. Joseph was now at the pointed end of the sword. Against all of his reason and planning, Joseph barked out a demand.
"Do you know Ren Kageyama?"
Ryan chuckled, "Really? That's what this is about? Let me guess – you're a bunch of fellas' looking to kick up some trouble with him?"
"What's it mean to you?" Joseph spat.
"Cause' that means you're itching to get yourselves killed. I don't care how tough you think you are, Ren is already fifty steps ahead of you. It don't matter what you do or how much you prepare, stab him in the back, poison him, catch him in a trap – none of that matters when he can turn around and fight back."
"Bullshit."
"I ain't seen it myself but if Ren says it, I think it's true. He's not the type of guy to hype himself up unless he can get some cash out of it. And just between you and me, I snuck a peek at his stats while he was distracted."
"And?"
"You think I'm gonna' give you that info? If you wanna' die so bad go look at him yourself – just don't be surprised when he kills you for it. He wants that kept under wraps for a reason."
"Joseph, shut it," John barked. He was too close to giving away the game; he was being led around by the nose by his captor's questioning. He walked towards the prone man and grabbed him by the scruff of his collar, hauling him back to his feet and away from the swordsman. His ire soon turned to the one-armed resident. "You will be judged harshly for your association and friendship with Kageyama. A bill paid in blood."
"Pft. Friendship? That guy don't know the meaning of the word. He's as cold as the north pole."
"When his time comes, you will regret crossing us."
Ryan rested the dull side of the sword against his shoulder, "If I was a betting man I'd put my money on him over you. Be sure to tell me how that goes for you, if you don't end up six feet under trying."
John cut his losses and dragged both of his studies out of the house. The door was slammed shut and locked behind them. It was only by the restraint of Ryan that none of them had lost an arm of their own. To know that frustrated John endlessly. Joseph was hopping mad for an entirely different reason.
"I almost had him! Why did you have to get in the way?"
Spittle flew. Joseph doubled over as John walloped him with a gut-punch. He coughed and hacked, prostrated on his knees as John tried to enunciate the simmering fury in his chest.
"Listen well. Even as Inquisitors, there are men and women who surpass us and the limits of mortality. The moment that we stepped into there, the battle was lost. That man was fast enough to kill all of us before we knew it."
"Cowardice! In the face of a heretic!"
John ragged the beleaguered man back to his feet, "Choose your words carefully Joseph, lest they be your last. For what purpose would you willingly die here? To learn a small handout of information from a stranger? Is that all your life is worth? When you reach the other side – apologise to the gods for being so wasteful with their heartfelt work!"
Joseph staggered back as John released him.
"By all means, head back inside and ask him to kill you – if that is what you so desire."
Joseph clenched his fists and opened his mouth, but nothing he could say would change matters. His fury was incandescent but ultimately futile. John was a man set in his ways. Joseph's mind imagined clever comebacks, or ways to dismantle his statements to leave him as nothing more than a mewling babe, but he knew that none of them would work.
Maria stepped in to defuse things, "Sir, what shall we do next?"
"Unfortunately, he will be on guard due to our invasion. Hopefully Sequester and Maritan have better news for us. We shall find and ask them as to what they have learned."
Joseph trailed behind as the Inquisitors moved on to their next lead. He stewed in a sense of deeply rooted malice for those who spread corruption in whatever form it took. John had seen the consequences with his own eyes, so why did his zeal waver so at such important moments? Could he even bring himself to do what was necessary to slay Kageyama?
If John was not willing to take the needed measures to see the mission's end, then he would simply have to do it himself.