"Alas, this is Daylily or vampire's kiss lily. They only grow where blood has soaked the ground."
Ethan placed Lucy down on her feet and kneeled, examining the ground. Lucy walked ahead a bit into the flowers and touched them. She fell forward with a yelp and hit the ground hard.
"Squee, help me up, please, Wendy."
Wendy rushed to her side, and her eyes widened as she looked around. She helped Lucy stand, dusting her off.
Ethan stood in a defensive stance, ready for anything as he moved closer. This place felt off. There was a faint smell of rot and decay in the air, and a thick layer of salt covered the ground. Ethan pushed Lucy and Wendy back to the border of the flowers.
"Alas, wait here for now. Be diligent and on guard."
Ethan walked back and took a dried branch. He opened patches in the salt, where it lay in heaps. He saw four heaps between the trees, and the daylilies grew around them. Ethan walked back, tracing his steppes so as not to disturb the area too much. As he returned to the training area, Ethan hugged the two around their shoulders. He stopped on the edge of the forest and looked at the two.
"Alas, look at me and keep calm. There are four bodies out there covered in salt and something else."
Lucy shivered, and her face paled, her pink complexion turning white. Wendy grabbed Ethan's hand and looked around with suspicion. Ethan pulled them closer to him, hugging them.
"Alas, go back to training. I am going to contact Thompson soon. The training will have to end today. And resume tomorrow morning if possible."
Ethan called all the students together, congratulating them on their tenacity and discipline. He asked them to go and rest, and he would meet them again in the morning for more practice. They cheered; their spirits were high, and they were learning skills that could save their lives in the dungeon.
Lucy and Wendy stayed behind, talking to some students as Ethan walked to the nearest payphone. He had to use two copper coins to call Thompson. He explained their find and hung up a minute later, returning to the training field. Wendy waved goodbye to a catkin girl as she left for the day. Lucy sat on the grass, hugging her knees to her chest. Ethan knew she had been traumatised by the fact that she had tripped over a dead body. He sat next to her while Wendy stood, keeping a lookout for Thompson and his officers.
"Alas, Lucy, you did well. Now those poor souls could be buried and their killers brought to justice."
Lucy gazed up at him, her emerald-green eyes full of tears. Ethan hugged her, and she cried, her head on his shoulder. He lifted her, and she straddled him as he caressed her back. She held him around the neck, and he could feel her body shake with each cry, holding his robe in her tiny hands. After two minutes of crying, she leaned back, sniffing, her eyes red and puffy.
"Squee, that was the second time I have been near a dead person. It was terrible."
She hugged him again and loudly cried as he held her. Wendy had seen dead people and had seen many terrible things in her short life. Soon, They heard sirens coming closer. The vehicles landed, and Thompson stepped out as Ethan levitated and stood on his feet. Lucy, still in his arms, Ethan placed his hand under her butt to hold her. She grabbed tighter with her legs, not wanting to let him go.
Two gorgeous officers followed Thompson, and their blouses strained to contain their big breasts. There were officers taking equipment from the vehicle.
"Good day, Ethan and to you as well, girls. I hope Lucy is okay. One of my officers can look at her."
"Alas, good day, Thompson. And a good day to you, officers."
Ethan nodded to the two women, and they greeted them in return.
"Alas, Lucy will be fine. Wendy will show you four bodies in shallow graves, covered in salt and another substance to mask the rotting smell."
Wendy led Thompson to the bed of flowers, and soon, officers taped off the area. Thompson's officers set up equipment, took photos, and catalogued the scene. A coroner's vehicle arrived, and two young men stepped out. One was a human, and the other, Ethan, suspected a vampire. The vampire looked around and greeted Thompson and the two officers with him. He commented to his partner as they carried body bags into the forest.
"I love Thompson's crime scenes. It is a titty and panty festival for the eyes."
"Yes, George, you are right. Look at her. She must be fresh from training. How beautiful."
Thompson touched the officer on the right of him on her ass, holding her. She moved closer to him with a big smile. She had a notepad and a pen in her hands. Thompson looked at Ethan as he grabbed the other woman's ass.
"Ethan, tell me everything that happened here and leave no details out."
Ethan recounted their story as Wendy held Lucy's hand beside him. She had fallen asleep as he held her. The officer wrote as he spoke, and Thompson caressed their backsides thoroughly. One of the officers returned and showed Thompson a bag with a copper plate in it. This was from the Ghost Flower Village Adventures Guild; this man was a bronze adventurer.
Ethan immediately suspected the Skinwalker. He wondered if all the corpses were from Ghost Flower Village. The sun was setting, and Thompson had asked them to stay. Thompson had a young officer against a tree out of the line of sight as he was ploughing her. Ethan did not bring it to the girl's attention. He did not want to give them ideas.
Ten minutes passed, and the officer walked by, pulling her skirt down, and Thompson followed, zipping his pants up. She had a satisfied grin and winked at Thompson as she took up her position near the vehicle loaded with evidence. The coroner's vehicle lifted off the ground and disappeared into the night.
"Ethan, come to the station tomorrow after you finish the training. Have a good rest. You and the girls did well."
"Alas, Thank you. We need to catch the killer or killers who did this."
Ethan held his arm for Wendy. She looked at it, then grabbed it. He lifted her onto his back, securing her with his hand under her butt. Ethan could see they were exhausted from the training and the excitement of the day's murder scene. They were emotionally and physically exhausted.
Ethan glanced back at Thompson. The two officers were bent over the bonnet of his police vehicle side by side, and Thompson mounted the one from the back. As soon as Ethan could see they were out of sight, his feet left the ground, and he flew forward, speeding towards the portal.
The evening had started, and he could not go to Grace. Right now, she would be at the inn. Events had ruined his plan to convince her to join his party. The academy was entirely devoid of students. Ethan flew into the portal, and they appeared inside the village portal.