An hour ago...
Being absent from work was looked down upon, even in a notorious organisation like the Ravens. That's why someone was sent to look for them when Red and Chubby didn't appear in the guild for their assigned missions.
While it may seem that it was done out of concern, it couldn't be any further from the truth. Instead, the guild was worried that the Army or some other faction had captured the two.
While the order had been given to look for them, it was essentially an assassination permit, but only if the two had been captured. It was to ensure their silence, even though every member of the Raven guild was 'trained' to endure pain to uncomprehensible limits.
Thankfully, the two were found around Victor's workshop, their usual hanging spot. But the news Red shared with them wasn't good at all.
Victor had deep dealings with Ravens and knew some secrets. But due to the knowledge and skill he brought to the table, Victor was never 'trained'. As such, his dealing with the Ravens was a secret that even Red and Chuibby were unaware of.
The secrecy around Victor's involvement was a security blanket to protect Victor and the guild. Since Victor's experiments were unconventional, to say the least, the guild provided him with security in the slum, where no other faction dared to enter.
In return, Victor not only shared the profit from his business with the guild but also gave some of his creations to the Raven for specific missions. In fact, the client he had been working with recently was introduced to him by the guild.
That's why the news of Victor's disappearance shook the guild's higher-ups. People were immediately deployed to search for clues regarding his disappearance, and thankfully, Red and Chubby hadn't tampered with anything.
While the Ravens searched for clues, the higher-ups had called the Watchers, a group of trained assassins specialising in hunting down high-value targets.
As usual, they were tasked to hunt down Victor or anyone who could have taken him out. Since Victor's chimaera-making skills were quite valuable, the Watchers weren't allowed to kill him.
For the first time, they were asked to bring a target alive, and while it would be a difficult mission, the Watchers readily accepted and left to search for Victor.
At the same time, residents of the slums were called in for interrogation. It went without saying it was hellish for those living near Victor's Workshop.
The Ravens were trying really hard to find out anything unusual. Unfortunately, the slums were a spot where strange things always happened.
Especially when it came to Victor, no one had much information to share. He was a brooding old man often seen dealing with corpses and mumbling to himself like a madman.
Even the slum-dwellers, used to interacting with troublesome folks, kept their distance from him. Besides, it wasn't like Victor was exactly a lovable man.
There were rumours of how he had once killed his wife and children to see if he could resurrect them. However, he failed, and that incident broke him and made him the madman he was known to be.
But those were just stories Victor made up so no one would bother him. Still, those stories were now giving trouble to the Ravens.
As for the crime site itself, it was utterly destroyed. Aside from a small pool of blood and rotten flesh that belonged to Victor, there weren't any clues for the Ravens to follow.
Not to mention, the chemicals strewn around the place had masked any potential leads, such as fingerprints, to help aid the investigation. Whoever did the job had been thorough, not leaving anything for the Ravens to work with.
Eventually, the Ravens had to wrap up the site, and that's when the crowd approached the workshop to see the drama but were soon shooed away.
"Goddess Aria, watch over your lost lamb in his journey. May your grace shield Victor from harm and guide him through the shadows. Keep him safe under your divine embrace."
Upon saying a quick prayer, Timothy, the one Red and Chubby referred to as the Leader, turned to face Victor's sons.
"I understand it's a tough time for you, but you need to do your work," he said. "Ravens don't like weakness; you both understand that well and what the consequences could be..."
Chubby sniffled while Red maintained a straight face. Red's reaction caught Timothy's attention as he looked into his eyes. It seemed Red was hiding something from the rest of them, and if that was the case, it wouldn't end up well for him.
Suspicious, Timothy asked, "Red, is there something you want to inform me about? Something in regards to Victor?"
Timothy had expected Red to drop the act but maintained his straight face as he replied, "Nothing that you're not already aware of, I'm afraid."
He continued, "I'm... just shaken by Victor's disappearance and by the amount of the blood spilt inside; it's no secret what might have happened to him."
Chubby immediately shot Red a dirty, enraged look that shut him up quickly. While Red always controlled his brother's actions, he knew better than to cross Chubby as he was much stronger than him.
"Don't you dare... Red! This is your only warning!" Chubby yelled, and it looked like he was on the verge of killing Red as he stared at his brother with bloodshot eyes.
Noticing the rising tension, Timothy intervened between the two. "Come on, now. Deep breaths and Red... why don't you take a walk and gather yourself. I'll take care of Chubby while you cool off."
Red just shrugged and walked away. Antagonising Chubby had been a deliberate move on his part, wanting to distance himself and check the evidence hidden from the prying eyes of the guild.
The evidence was a recorder Victor used for his operations. The person who killed Victor either didn't know about the recorder or didn't care enough to leave it behind.
Either way, Red was about to find out who was responsible for his father's death. And he wasn't about to let Timothy or the guild handle the revenge—this one was personal, and Red would make that bastard pay.