Lucas approached the door, closed his eyes and let out a sigh of breath. Clicking his fingers together the surrounding atmosphere suddenly went cold like a chill of a winter breeze.
It was the same kind of chill I had felt not only when I was interrogated by Lucas but the same chill from when Darius flew through that brick building. Was this a magical ability of some kind, and what could it be doing? The way Lucas looked so natural showed his vast experience as if he was showing off. I might have a further way to go than I first thought.
Lucas opened his eyes and looked up at the door, "Fritz was just here, but he's not anymore. If we were here just moments ago we might've been able to catch him."
"He was here? Then wouldn't he be still in the area?"
"Our task was to investigate him. Catching him was a bonus." Lucas pulled out a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lit it. "Seeing as we've got a free house to search, investigating this is now the priority."
I just nodded in agreeance and followed Lucas inside as the door was miraculously unlocked. No point in disagreeing with my superior. The air was musty and filled with the scent of decay. The walls were peeling, and the floorboards creaked under our feet. It was clear that either no one had lived here for a long time or somebody really didn't like cleaning.
We started searching the rooms, looking for any clues or evidence that we could use as a lead to Fritz and how he kept getting away. Lucas took a casual approach, smoking his cigarette as he rummaged through drawers and cabinets, while I was more methodical, examining every detail of the room.
Jean told me that Lucas was one of the best, but it didn't even look like he was trying. Was he always like this?
As I searched through some of supposably Fritz's things, I came across a cylindrical object—larger than my old phone, but no bigger than a shoe box.
It had a slew of strange-looking symbols across it and knobby ends. As I reached out to pick it up Lucas came back to where I was searching.
"Don't touch that!"
I hesitated and pulled away. It looked like a container of some sort, but not the kind to give off an intimidating aura.
Lucas walked over and picked it up as if it was harmless. Are you kidding me? I actually got kind of scared for a moment.
He held it up to his face, looking over the strange inscriptions. "Why would he leave this? It can't have been an accident right?" Lucas paused in thought and looked over at me, a concerned yet curious look spread over my face.
Before I could question Lucas, he had already opened his mouth as if he knew I was going to question him. "This is a scroll casing," Lucas said pointing to the object in his other hand with his cigarette. "That enough to satisfy your curiosity?"
"Fritz doesn't seem like the type to be careless seeing how he's evaded the enforcers thus far, right? But he left a scroll here, it wouldn't be a mistake." Lucas said to himself deep in thought, then looked over at me again. "Oh and don't tell Darius about this either ok?"
"Why wouldn't we tell Dairus? Isn't it better if we tell him?"
Lucas raised his voice, "Are you joking? If we just leave it here, it might save us from getting into whatever mess Fritz is involved in, and by the looks of it, it could be very well dangerous and out of our league!"
Out of our league? Lucas, I thought you were good at your job?
Although I wasn't aware of the danger that could be, I could definitely tell Lucas wasn't joking or pulling one over me. His face had that look of innate fear even without the expression of terror, a face I was most familiar with.
"Well that's the very reason we should tell him, isn't it? Darius is good at his job right and isn't he… very skilled oh whatever?"
"You're not wrong, but I feel that doing the right thing could lead to much worse. Just let me do my job you do yours."
Lucas looked to have gained some composure but still opted for his method. I knew if we just argued nothing would get done.
"I've found all the information I need, hopefully this can help that government official and get us paid," Lucas said as he took one last drag of his cigarette and flicked it out the window.
I nodded, reluctantly accepting Lucas' decision. As much as I didn't fully trust his judgment, I had to admit that he was more experienced in this line of work than I was. If anyone knew what kind of danger we would be facing it definitely wasn't me.
Lucas carefully placed the scroll casing back where we found it, making sure it was hidden from plain sight. Thankfully we we're wearing out black silk gloves, meaning no fingerprints to rub down.
He then gestured for me to follow him as we left Fritz's house, making sure to get something to eat. We made our way back to the carriage that we had caught earlier, and Lucas hailed the driver to take us to the Den back on Argyle Lane, which would take a while once again.
As we boarded the carriage, the tension between Lucas and me was palpable. The carriage rolled along and the scenery had started to change from the dilapidated town to the picturesque countryside. Rolling green hills stretched out as far as the eye could see, dotted with trees and the occasional run-down house. The sun was high in the sky, casting a warm golden light and shadows over the landscape.
The carriage ride was quiet for a while, with Lucas staring out the window lost in thought. I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking, and why he was so adamant about not telling Darius about the scroll casing we had found. I could be overthinking things but did Lucas not trust even his own boss?
After a while, Lucas finally spoke up. "The scroll casing. It had the emblem of the Barros family on it, likely related to the government official hiring us for this job."
"Pardon?"
"That Barros family was involved in passing the anti-arcanist law, yet they still have scrolls like the one we saw just earlier. Just having it goes against the laws that they even approved," Lucas said still gazing out the carriage. "It could very well be the catalyst to another uprising. That's why I don't want to get involved… I don't want to stir the pot."
Although I didn't fully understand the weight of this matter, I was taken aback. Lucas had just given me great information that I probably couldn't read about back at the library. What could that law be about? Was it intertwined with magic and what was this about an uprising? There have been uprisings in the past?
I know magic is outlawed from seeing that public execution, so was this law passed to prevent the use of magic for some reason? This would mean these so-called magic users are called arcanists? I can't come to any conclusions just yet, but this is a good start.
It also makes sense that Lucas wouldn't want to tell Darius now, it was a lie worth telling to keep each other safe for now.
"I see. So, the Barros family is involved in some shady business despite their public image as government officials. And this scroll casing could potentially cause trouble if it falls into the wrong hands."
Lucas looked over at me, his expression confirming my questions. "We just need to be careful and not let anyone else know about it. Got it?"
I looked away out the window, understanding the gravity of what we had stumbled upon. "Sure," I said. This was much deeper than I realized. This regular scouting mission had turned into some kind of conspiracy in a matter of moments.
As the carriage continued its slow journey back to the Hunters Den on Argyle Lane, I couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. We had left Fritz's place we had still mettled in something we probably shouldn't have. I'll have to be more careful from now on. The sun had started its descent, casting shadows across the landscape, mirroring the uncertainty that loomed over me.
We arrived back in Leode and the familiar sight of the dark and stoney building greeted us as we made our way inside. As we entered the den, Jean was sitting in his usual spot behind the counter.
"Welcome back you two. Got along?"
"Perfectly fine," Lucas responded.
Jean looked over at me, "If Lucas ever starts to get on your nerves, just let me know and I'll take his place. I haven't been on a mission in a while."
"Heh, I'll keep that in mind," I replied.
Both Lucas and I made out way inside and down the hallway to Darius' office.
"Yes, come in," he said before we had a chance to even knock on his door. Lucas looked used to this, but it was still a shock to me. It was as if Darius could see the future or something.
We entered Darius' office, and he gestured for us to take a seat. Lucas wasted no time in briefing him on what we had found at Fritz's run-down house, leaving out the scroll casing and its connection to the Barros family.
Darius listened attentively, nodding occasionally as Lucas spoke. Once he had finished, Darius leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Well done, Lucas," he said with a satisfied smile. "You've done a good job piecing things together. Now, I want you to go and write up a detailed investigation report. Oh, and make sure Elias shadows you again to learn the ropes."
Lucas nodded, his serious demeanour never faltering. "Sure thing, boss. I'll get on it right away." As Lucas left the room to carry out Darius' orders, I began to follow along.
"You're doing well, Elias," Darius said as I was in the doorway, stopping me in my tracks. "Keep up the good work and learn as much as you can from Lucas. He's one of our best."
"I'll do my best, sir," I said.
Darius nodded, satisfied. "Good. Now, get back to work. You've got a report to write up."