On a rainy day Rovia seemed rather hushed and dismayed. Most of the people of the city flabbergasted as they found three dead people near the river. Few people couldn't even see the dead body's as the visuals of them were rather horrifying and gut-wrenching. As the responsible authority, the guild sent two people to the scene. As Liora and Eamon were investigating the fire incident the guild sent two other members Rumi and Leo.
Leo was a very energetic person with keen eyes, tall and muscular whereas Rumi was a beautiful lady with a charismatic presence. Both of them reached where the dead bodies of the victim were found, in a village near the river.The gentle hum of the water was a stark contrast to the grim scene that lay before Rumi and Leo. As they stepped onto the bloodstained ground, their faces reflected a mixture of determination and dread.
Rumi, with her raven-black hair and piercing green eyes, scanned the area with a practiced calm. Her presence was commanding, her charisma undeniable, as villagers whispered in awe of her beauty and grace. Leo, towering beside her, was a bundle of kinetic energy. His keen eyes darted from one clue to another, taking in every detail with intense focus. His muscular frame seemed almost out of place in the serene village, but his alertness spoke of countless hours of rigorous training.
They stood over the bodies of the two victims, their heads punctured cleanly by some unknown force. The gruesome scene was made even more disturbing by the presence of the third body, who lay nearby with his chest torn open and blood crusted around his lips.
Rumi knelt beside the bodies, her fingers hovering just above the wounds without touching them. "Look at this," she murmured, pointing to the clean, cauterized edges of the wounds. "Whatever did this was extremely hot."
Leo nodded, crouching down beside her. "It's almost like something melted through their skulls," he noted, his voice low. He reached out, brushing the tips of his fingers against the ground. "And this heat… it's not just any heat. It's magical."
Rumi's eyes flickered with recognition. "Magic, yes. But who could wield such power?" She stood up, her eyes scanning the surrounding area. "We need to talk to the villagers. Someone must have seen something."
They asked the underprivileged village people, they were all poor with torn clothes, one of them told that a kid saw the bodies and created a fuss and everyone reached out to the scene. They did not get much information from the village so they left with the bodies and brought them to the guild.
At the guild the scene was rather intense as the news of Torins death was unfathomable. People gathered in clusters, murmuring amongst themselves, their faces etched with anger and fear. The guild's insignia, once a symbol of hope and protection, now seemed to mock them from the banners hanging around the square.
Leo and Rumi entered the guild and as energetic as Leo is, he asked Liora who was rather apprehensive, "why did you bluff that day that Torin was in guilds protection? How can you say something without thinking? Because of your carelessness a person died. It's on you Liora and on you too Eamon." They had no answers to Leo's condemnation. It was indeed their fault, they shared an important clue so openly without caring about the consequences.
Leo was a C rank adventurer, he naturally was rather friendly but when he gets serious, he becomes ruthless. "Now that you guys showed your incompetence the guild will have to bring higher ranking members, this situation is out of our hands and because of your incompetence my image will be hampered." In the guild you have to be at least rank C to become a special member of the guild like protection team etc. As the lowest rank for special members, people who were at rank C were not treated the same way as the people at Rank B and A. This is the reason why Leo is frustrated as this situation will hamper those who are currently at rank C, their image will see disgrace.
Finally Rumi said "stop it Leo" with a rather calm tone, "we don't have time for this right now." Her gaze moved toward Liora, she asked " did you find anything useful from the crime scene?" Liora with a slight guilt responded "his eyelids and neck were destroyed by something very hot". Rumi's eyes widened, she said "are you sure it was done by something hot?" Liora answered "yes".
Leo said "interesting". Eamon after a long time said "why are both of you so shocked?" Rumi replied with a stern face "the victims we just investigated were killed by something very hot too, it seems and most probably connected somehow" she concluded.
Leo again spoke with a grin on his face, "don't know about these three people but for the death of Torin we have a lot of suspects hehe" "There's nothing grin about you psycho" said Rumi with a calm tone.
After witnessing the situation of the city, Jack returned to his room, the familiar surroundings offering little comfort. The room was dimly lit by a single flickering candle, casting long shadows that seemed to stretch and distort with every flicker. Jack's reflection in the small mirror above the dresser looked like a stranger—his eyes hollow, his face smeared with blood. Despite the grotesque nature of the night's events, a peculiar sense of peace settled over him. The weight of his actions was heavy, but it was tempered by a grim satisfaction.
Jack sank onto his bed, his mind racing through the events of the past few hours. The deaths of Travis and his lackeys had been swift, merciless. He had acted with calculated precision, driven by an instinct for survival that had overridden any lingering doubts. The brutality of the killings was a stark contrast to the sense of clarity he felt.
"In the heart of darkness, one finds an unexpected serenity," Jack mused, recalling a quote he had once read. The words resonated with him now more than ever. The chaotic violence had provided a twisted sense of resolution, a paradoxical calm amidst the storm of his conscience.
"In the end, it is not the deeds that haunt us, but the fear of their discovery," he reflected. The thought of being found out, of facing the consequences of his actions, gnawed at him. The fear was a constant companion, a shadow that loomed over every decision he made.
As Jack prepared for sleep, his mind was a tempest of conflicting emotions. The peace he had found was overshadowed by a gnawing unease. The city was on edge, the guild was closing in, and Jack's future was as uncertain as ever. He had taken a dark path, and the road ahead was fraught with peril.
He closed his eyes, hoping for respite, but sleep eluded him. The echoes of his actions and the weight of his choices lingered in the dark, a constant reminder of the fragile line he walked between survival and self-destruction.