"I feel like I'm going to be sick," muttered Tores, his voice muffled as he covered his mouth with a trembling hand. The queasiness twisted in his stomach, the vivid description Malvin provided enough to churn his insides.
Malvin leaned back in his chair, his expression grim. "It was probably worse than I made it sound," he admitted flatly. "I only heard about it. I never saw the body myself. Even when they..." He paused, searching for the right words. "When they put him back together with what they could recover."
A ripple of discomfort spread through the room. The silence was thick, broken only by the faint shuffling of feet as everyone shifted uncomfortably in their seats. The thought of the officer's family receiving that news—or worse, seeing the remains—sent a collective shudder through the group. Only Aeron and Malvin remained unaffected, one had already lived though it, while the other rarely showed any emotion in the first place.
"At least you know who the killer is," Jos muttered, scratching the mess of his lion-like mane absentmindedly. His tone was casual, but there was a sharp edge to his words, barely masking his unease.
Aeron's gaze cut to Malvin, his voice calm and steady as he asked, "Was there a letter this time, Captain?"
Malvin nodded, his lips pressing into a thin line. "Yeah," he replied, his eyes distant as if replaying the scene in his mind. "Inside the chest cavity, they found a bloody note. It read, 'Another one dead. Just how many will die before you two do?'"
Clare's face twisted in disgust, her arms crossing tightly over her chest. "What a vile person," she said, her voice laced with disdain. To her, even the worst crime lords at least had some twisted logic behind their actions—a reason, no matter how warped. Philip Crude, however, seemed to kill purely out of a sick desire for revenge against people who had barely even done anything to him.
"Let's actually talk about Philip Crude for a minute," Loreen said suddenly, her sharp tone drawing everyone's attention. Her eyes were fixed on Malvin, her brows furrowed in a mixture of frustration and curiosity. "How did he do that, Captain? How does someone nearly leap to the rooftop of a three-story building, dig their claws into the wall, and climb like that?" She leaned forward, her gaze unwavering.
Malvin opened his mouth to respond, but Loreen quickly raised a hand, cutting him off. "And don't tell us we'll find out later," she added pointedly, her tone firm enough to make him hesitate. "We've been waiting for answers long enough, and frankly, this is too much to sit on."
The rest of the group chimed in with murmurs of agreement, their patience clearly worn thin. They didn't just want answers—they needed them. The weight of the unknown loomed over them, and every second spent in the dark only made it worse. All eyes remained locked on Malvin, silently demanding an explanation.
Malvin let out a long, weary sigh, dragging a hand across his face. "You lot are so damn annoying," he muttered, his tone dripping with irritation. He leaned back in his chair, fixing them all with a deadpan glare before continuing, "Fine, I'll tell you, you bloody impatient rats."
The insult hung in the air like an unexpected slap. Everyone reeled back, exchanging baffled glances. *Rats?* That was a first—even for Malvin.
"Did he just call us rats?" Jos muttered under his breath, still trying to process.
Malvin ignored their confusion and pressed on. "You remember that how that piece of shit Joshua Ambrose used magic—or, as he called it, chi?"
They all nodded quickly, Jos replying first. "Of course we do."
Malvin folded his arms, his gaze sharp. "Well, apparently, he could share this so-called 'gift' with other people. And guess what? He gave it to Philip Crude."
For a moment, the room was dead silent. The weight of what Malvin said seemed to take a second to register. Then—
"What?!" they all shouted simultaneously, shooting up from their seats like a wave. They surged toward Malvin, even Aeron showing the faintest flicker of surprise—probably. With him, it was hard to tell.
"Don't yell," Malvin snapped, clamping his hands over his ears.
"How do you expect us not to yell after something like that, Captain?" Clare shot back, her eyes wide with disbelief. Tores rapidly nodded in agreement beside her. "Yeah! After something like that, you can't just tell us to stay calm."
Malvin's eyes twitched with visible annoyance. "Because I expect you to act like adults, not a pack of hysterical children," he muttered with a sigh. "But apparently, that's too much to ask from Ironguard officers."
Clare huffed, crossing her arms, while Tores grumbled under his breath. Jos, however, cut straight to the heart of the matter. "So... does that mean Philip Crude can do the same things Joshua Ambrose could?"
Malvin shook his head firmly. "No. The kind of things that bastard Ambrose did take training—or studying, or something. Philip Crude never reached that level. He didn't pull off any of Joshua Ambrose's tricks; he was just freakishly strong."
Loreen frowned thoughtfully, her mind racing. "So that's how he was able to do all those... things," she murmured, before another thought struck her like a bolt of lightning. Her head snapped up. "Wait a second. Does that mean there were others like Philip Crude working for Ambrose?"
Her question sent a ripple of unease through the group. The idea of more people like Philip Crude—unrelenting killers enhanced with this mysterious chi—lurking in Ironhelm was enough to set everyone on edge.
Malvin held up a hand to cut off their spiraling thoughts. "Relax," he said, his tone sharp and commanding. "From what I understand, Ambrose didn't make a habit of sharing his so-called gift. Philip Crude was the only one of his people who displayed anything remotely like this."
The tension in the room eased, if only slightly. Jos let out a relieved sigh, running a hand through his unruly mane. "Thank goddess," he muttered. "I mean, even if there were others, we've got Aeron here to deal with them, right?"
Jos grinned as he slung an arm around Aeron's shoulder. Aeron, as always, remained stoic. "I don't think I could handle people like that," he said flatly.
Jos shot him an incredulous look. "You slaughtered a bunch of demons by yourself just a couple of days ago," he pointed out.
Aeron gave a nonchalant shrug. "Demons aren't that strong."
Jos blinked, momentarily stunned, before patting Aeron's shoulder and muttering under his breath, "Yeah, you're the only one who can say that..."
Meanwhile, Loreen turned back to Malvin, her tone more composed. "I guess that clears things up. Thanks, Captain."
Malvin waved her off dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. Now everyone sit down so I can continue."
The group obeyed, settling back into their places. Jos and Aeron returned to their spots on the ground while the others took their chairs. Once the room was quiet again, Malvin folded his arms, his gaze sweeping over the group.
"Alright. Now let me tell you how Captain Howard reacted when he found out who the killer was."