Malvin paused, his mind lingering on the lifeless eyes of Riley, the image burned into his memory. After a moment, he resumed speaking. "Officer Lucus and the other officer returned with Captain Howard about fifteen minutes later. The Captain examined Officer Riley's head himself and reached a similar conclusion to the Lieutenant's: it had to have been thrown from close range to sustain that kind of damage. Then we showed him the note we found, and... well, this is what he had to say..."
---
"This is deeply troubling," Captain Howard said grimly, his eyes scanning the note in his hand. "Not only has a member of the Guard been murdered, but two more have been directly threatened." He glanced toward the other officers before motioning for Malvin and Silas to step aside with him, away from prying ears.
Once they were a few paces away, he lowered his voice. "Do you think Joshua Ambrose is responsible for this?"
Silas nodded firmly, clenching a fist. "Yeah, it adds up. With that whole magic-chi thing he's got going on, he could've thrown the head from a distance and still caused that kind of damage."
Malvin remained silent for a moment, his hand resting on his chin in thought. Finally, he shook his head. "I don't think it was him."
Silas blinked, caught off guard. "What? Why not? It makes perfect sense!"
Captain Howard narrowed his eyes slightly. "Explain, Officer Malvin."
Malvin exhaled and straightened his posture, his voice steady. "I've only encountered Ambrose once, but from that interaction, he doesn't strike me as the type to do something like this. He's the kind of person who craves a fight—he'd want to face someone strong, someone who could challenge him. Riley... she wasn't a fighter. She wouldn't have been a target he'd go after."
Silas frowned but didn't interrupt, letting Malvin continue.
"And then there's the note," Malvin added, his expression darkening. "It felt personal. It wasn't just a threat; it was written with hatred, directed at the two of us specifically. That doesn't fit Ambrose's profile either. He's dangerous, yes, but this? It feels different. Too targeted. Especially given that he doesn't even know Officer Silas"
Captain Howard considered Malvin's words, his gaze drifting back to the grisly scene. He nodded slowly. "You make a good point. We're not ruling Ambrose out, but if it isn't him, we may be dealing with someone else entirely—someone with a vendetta."
The Captain's eyes lingered on the severed head for a moment longer before speaking again. "We'll need to wait for the Lieutenant and her team to recover the rest of the body. The wounds on the head don't look consistent with a clean decapitation. I suspect Riley's head wasn't cut off, but we'll need to see the body to confirm."
---
"After about twenty more minutes, the Lieutenant and her team returned with Officer Riley's body," Malvin began, his voice heavy with the weight of the memory. "And after examining it, the Captain's theory was confirmed—her head hadn't been cut off. It was torn off."
The group fell silent for a moment before Tores shuddered. "What a horrifying way to die," he murmured.
Aeron folded his arms, his gaze distant. "How did Philip Crude manage that, I wonder? Even for a demi-human, tearing off a head with bare hands is... nearly impossible." He glanced down at his metallic right arm, flexing the fingers absently. "With the S.C.Y.T.H.E, I could do it, sure, but not with my normal hand. The sheer strength required is ridiculous."
Jos sighed, shaking his head. "Talk about being humble, Aeron." His sarcasm was evident, though it lacked its usual bite. "But I get what you're saying. Ripping a head clean off someone's shoulders? That's not just strength—that's insanity."
Loreen nodded, her expression tight. "Exactly. You would have an easier time bending steel with your bare hands than pulling off something like that. It's not just impossible—it's monstrous."
Before Malvin could even say it, "We'll find out soon enough, won't we, Captain?" Clare spoke, her tone light but steady.
Malvin nodded, exhaling sharply. "I really am saying that a lot, aren't I?" He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Anyway, at the time, that's why we ruled out Philip Crude as a suspect. Even as a demi-human, this was... different. Beyond even his capabilities—or so we thought then."
Tores leaned in slightly. "What happened after that, Captain?"
Malvin sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Well, it was late, and there wasn't much more we could do right then. With the body recovered, we decided to bring both it and the head inside, laying them in a respectful place. It felt... necessary."
His voice softened, and he leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling for a moment before continuing. "Then came the hardest part. Whenever an Ironguard officer dies, there's one thing you can't avoid—telling their family."
The room grew still as the weight of his words settled over everyone.
Malvin leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling as if the words were harder to pull out when facing the others. "Two officers were sent to get them—her mother, her father, and her older brother. When they arrived..." He paused, his jaw tightening as he struggled to describe the scene. "Their faces… I'll never forget them. The mother nearly fainted—her brother barely managed to hold her up while trying to stay upright himself. And the father…" Malvin's voice trailed off, and he lowered his gaze from the ceiling. "He just stood there. Motionless. Like he couldn't even process it."
The group remained quiet, each member absorbing the gravity of what Malvin had described. "Shit," Malvin muttered under his breath, his tone bitter. "That never gets easier."
Jos tried to inject some levity, though his voice lacked its usual playfulness. "And you had to go through that four more times, huh? No wonder you're the way you are, Captain."
Malvin turned his sharp gaze to Jos, his voice cutting like a blade. "Shut up. Or you know what'll happen."
Jos held up his hands in mock surrender, shrugging as he leaned back. He didn't push further, wisely letting the subject drop. The room stayed quiet as Malvin shifted forward in his chair, rubbing his temples before speaking again.
"But you're right about one thing," he admitted, his voice subdued. "This was only the beginning."