Just like that, two days passed by in a blink.
Amanises spent those days in her usual routine, which now included nightly poetry, only getting out once a day to spend time with her oh-so-beloved co-workers.
It had become so usual, that she forgot her original location is still in Backlund, only being reminded after seeing her captain pop up a couple of times to solve some troubles or to inquire about the mission.
She now stood in the Captain's office, watching as Dunn briefed them on what happened with the investigation regarding Madam Sharon and the information received from Psychiatrist Hood Eugen.
Dunn Smith used those two days to give everyone a break before handing out missions again.
It's important to keep your employees rested enough for no complaints to appear. This was his motto, one the Tingen Arcanists loved.
"The lead investigator regarding lSharon was Melissa Moretti." He started. "She had done a good job for the cover-up, shifting the blame to a possible Vampire of unknown origin."
"How nice it is to have an insider." Exhaled Seeka while soothing the muscles of her neck from sitting too long in one position while writing her latest novel.
"We don't need to worry about that anymore, also I recieved some news from the castle regarding it."
"Hm?" Amanises was curious.
"Apparently, Sharon has been long sought off by one of our members. The issue hasn't been made public so we weren't aware."
How convenient! Daly was so scared of notifying Him when all of this was basically useless!
Meanwhile, the woman in question let out a visible exhale of relief.
"With that done, we only need to shift our focus to what we gathered from Hood Eugen." Dunn shifted the attention back to him, making the members adopt a serious expression.
"A ritual was executed long ago, and Hood Eugen played direct part in it, making him unstable."
"What kind of ritual?" Inquired Daly.
"I'm unsure, if I were to ask about the details there would be a nearly guaranteed chance of getting corrupted. I only know it involved the True Creator, the deity worshipped by the Aurora Order." Dunn gave the details just in case Evelyn wasn't aware of that evil deity.
Amanises was well versed in those organizations as the Tarot Club and Daly often mentioned them be it in passing or really important matters.
So those zealots are involved? Of course they are…
She gritted her teeth.
"Hood Eugen also mentioned a good friend Lanevous, I suspect he was directly involved in the ritual."
"Lanevous?" Kenley, who was quietly standing at the side, suddenly sprang upwards.
Everyone's attention shifted to him, so he was obligated to explain. "Someone from the Divination Club asked me to divine an investment, as it turned out Lanevous scammed people of about 10 000 pounds."
"10 000? I need some advice from him." Joked Seeka, it was well known that this author wasn't that well-off.
"He ran away before anyone could take action." Kenley finished his statement.
"We should investigate him further, even if he ran away, some traces must still be left." Dunn Smith said while sniffing his pipe, the smell of tobacco filling his nostrils.
He raised his gaze and landed on three people.
"Evelyn, Leonard and Frye, I shall search for his residence in the city records and give you the location. Once you have it, I'll give some investigation permits."
Great, I'm being deployed again. Amanises sighed inwardly, she really felt overworked even if this was not a paid job.
Free labor.
However, there was no need to refuse.
Leonard and Frye exchanged a look, neither of them talked the whole meeting and were surprised to even be noticed.
I didn't even realize Frye was there, but it's uncharacteristic for Leonard to stay quiet for so long. I wonder what's on his mind.
Amanises got the notice, she would come back tomorrow and await for the information together with her assigned teammates.
As everyone left, only two people remained in the office, Daly Simone and Dunn Smith himself.
Daly sighed and sat atop his table, looking at the covered window in a daze so Dunn took the initiative to speak.
"Why did you go out at night? Didn't you say it was too dangerous?"
"So what if I did? Evelyn would've died for sure, thankfully the Archive keeper felt like giving me a free divination."
There were no high-raking seers outside that grumpy old man who looked like a war veteran, so she had no choice but to ask him.
He refused at first, but for some reason accepted once Evelyn's name was mentioned.
"I'd be a failure if I let that woman die. It's clear He places great importance on her. There was no one searching for Madam Sharon before."
Daly Simone had been aware of the preferential treatment for a long time, she wasn't against it but mostly felt afraid for her friend.
"If He has a plan for her then it's either she's dangerous or in danger."
Seers are known for planning ahead, such attention guaranteed trouble.
Dunn rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yes, however we can't do anything but follow His arrangements, I know that." Then he looked up at her again. The gaze of someone who has been worn down by death and decay mirrored her own.
"But you shouldn't put yourself into danger either. Since Evelyn Dusk is that confident, there's surely a back-up plan for everything."
Daly frowned a little and then turned back to Dunn. "And what about you? You're telling me to not put myself in danger when you do that repeatedly.
"You have been warned to not consume extra Beyonder Characteristics, yet you still do. Not only that, but entering the dreams of others will cause you to get corrupted and see things that one shouldn't.
Daly Simone emptied her heart on him, got up from the table and walked towards him.
"You're worried about me, but I'm also worried about you too. Take a break."
She cupped his cheeks tenderly, looking deeply into his eyes.
Dunn Smith tried his best to uphold his gaze, but ultimately failed so he looked down at his feet.
"I know. I'll be more careful."
"Okay, I'll also take care." She whispered, getting closer and closer until their lips became one.
***
With the investigation permits in hand, the wondrous trio of corpse-like, beauty and corpse-like beauty showed up at Lanevous' residence, or what used to be his, since he ditched his entire family and fled with the scammed money.
To Amanises' surprise, the asshole was actually engaged to his fiancé, Megose. The nice lady let them in as she even encouraged them to do their thorough search.
"Find him, please! My fiancé doesn't know what he's doing. Find him and I promise I'll bring him on the right path." The woman kept mumbling and pleading, it was very apparent that she wasn't taking his runaway well.
Poor woman. She's pregnant too. What kind of monster leaves his unborn child in such a way!
The family was quite well-off, had it not been for the scam, they could've lived together until the end of their days in wealth.
This is what greed and blind faith does to people.
She let out a dejected sigh at the poor woman. Megose wasn't even that old, she was far younger than herself and put through so much.
Brushing off the sad feelings with ease, Amanises straightened up and started her search throughout the house.
Leonard chose the criminal's bedroom while Frye went to his study.
Amanises was unable to find anything so she met together with Leonard, who brought the same results, over to Frye.
Lanevous' study was rather spacious, with a large window letting in all the sunlight, a hardwood desk and multiple bookshelves on a wall close to the fireplace.
There was also a small adjacent room that had cleaning supplies.
Frye first searched the small room, finding nothing, and now he and Leonard inspected the desk.
Scattered documents regarding received funds and bank transactions, along with fake information and investment advertisements cluttered the study desk.
The drawers held even less as most were empty or filled with miscellaneous items.
Amanises didn't join in, instead walking around the bookshelves and picking up books one by one.
Leonard caught her from the corner of his eye. "What are you doing?"
"Looking for a secret passage." She answered with half a mind.
The Nightmare poet raised an eyebrow in confusion then returned to his work.
This continued for a while, with Amanises painfully going through each book, until—
A small note slipped out from one.
"Huh? Hey! Look at this!" She held the note high in the air, making Frye and Leonard abandon their futile search.
"What is this?" Frye asked, but he did not need an answer. It was more of a rhetorical question giving away curiosity.
Without waiting for anyone to say anything, Leonard came closer started reading the small letter out loud:
"Hahaha, congratulations. Congratulations on finally finding this letter!
"This means that you're not too stupid, nor too slow. You qualify to take part in this game of life and death that I've designed.
"Child laborers that die before their time. Factory workers who seldom live past ten years after entering the factory because of their working conditions. Female workers who risk severe illnesses for a meager salary. I see boundless resentment surrounding every factory, turning the surroundings oppressive and gloomy. This is the worst of times, and also the best of times. Our game shall take place under such a setting.
"Fools, prepare yourselves, I'm going to issue you a hint!"
What the fuck? Has this guy lost it? Amanises' expression turned from shock to disgust. Yes, he definitely lost it!
She exchanged glances with the two men, then turned back to the letter. Leonard's voice sounded more like an actor reading this madness.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the hint is that I've placed a bomb in Tingen, a bomb that will grow stronger over time.
"Seek it and finish it before it explodes. If you lose the game, there will be a boom, and the entire city of Tingen will be reduced to a ruin. Trust me, I'm not lying at all about this.
"—Lanevus, who enjoys giving his friends pleasant surprises."
"A bomb?" Frye was appalled.
"It seems so." Answered Amanises in a short breath.
Leonard held the letter up to the sunlight and looked as he flipped it around. He didn't find any other clues.
"The term 'bomb' is probably an expression. I've never heard of a bomb that can grow stronger."
"Yes, that's what I thought too. There's no way a lunatic would use something as mundane as a regular bomb."
"From the looks of it, this bomb will be quite the event."
"Could this all be because of the deaths? Look at what he mentioned, dead factory workers, child laborers that die early and more. These could feed into that bomb of his, accumulating resentment and turning it into evil."
Leonard seemed to agree with Evelyn's idea, as he added no further commentary and simply nodded while thinking.
Frye's sunken eyes were in a state of anxiety. "We need to report this as soon as possible!"
The other two agreed, there was nothing more dangerous than a ticking time bomb, one that continues to grow especially.
"Let's search a little more here and then head to Captain." Amanises had the gut feeling that there was something more, she hadn't checked every corner yet.
Frye sighed but agreed, knowing he didn't really have a say in this, while Leonard shifted from one leg to another.
Amanises moved towards the small room again, perhaps the Corpse Collector wasn't that thorough.
While also turning around, Leonard smirked and said. "How's the search for the secret room going—"
But before he could finish that sentence, a loud thud followed by dust particles and the cracking of wood filled the study.
"Cough! Found it." Amanises said nonchalantly before throwing a coughing fit.
Frye and Leonard nearly jumped to the gaping hole in the ground, covering their noses with their hands.
"Lady Evelyn! Is everything alright?" One of them shouted frantically while looking below at the woman in black.
"No."
"..."
***
Cough! Cough!
There's so much fucking dust here! How long ago has this place been used?
Painfully, she got up from the dusty wooden floor, trying to focus her vision in the scattered dust.
Rays of bright sunlight shone from above, hardly illuminating what was inside, but that didn't hinder her due to Night Vision.
Thud! Thud!
Around her, Fye and Leonard jumped down, landing on her sides.
"Here!" Frye extended his handkerchief to cover her mouth and nose.
After breathing in the nice fragrance, she muffled a 'Thank you'.
Leonard helped the woman to her feet while throwing a look around, only Frye was almost blinded by the darkness.
"This is—"
"An altar." Amanises finished his sentence as she scanned the nearly empty area ahead.
"He really has no shame does he? An altar in his own house?" The Nightmare tried to make a joke out of the situation, but it didn't end up looking like one due to the gravity of it all.
Once Evelyn was able to stand on her feet she shrugged the men off and walked ahead, inspecting the altar.
"It doesn't look like a sacrificial altar, that's for sure."
She observed the circular 'table' carved from stone in the middle, the chains surrounding it and the burned out candles.
This looks like some sort of BDSM room...
She took a look at the black chains carefully, few were rusted over but it didn't look like there was any blood residue.
Moreover, the chains themselves were in otherwise good condition, as if the person held didn't even try to escape.
Did they have no hope or did this willingly?
She held her chin while thinking over it.
"Shall we get Kenley here to do a divination and find out what happened?" Frye proposed.
"No." Leonard shook his head. "That's far too dangerous, this involves a True God."
Instead he pointed his head at Evelyn while putting a hand on his hip.
"What about Miss Divination Expert here? Can't you help us?"
If someone died here I would probably be able to, however—
Amanises shook her head. "Didn't you just mention a True God? Telling me to go kill myself sounds less of a threat than that."
Leonard's face stiffened. "It was just a joke..."
"Yeah, yeah." She fluttered her hand, brushing him off.
"We need to get one of the high level Seers to find out what happened. Perhaps the Archive Keeper would come here? This is still an emergency."
"Phah! No way! That old geezer will stay inside the Castle even if the world were to end. He's more paranoid than the Leader Himself, which is quite the achievement."
"Then we'll have to wait until one is available. Let's get out of here for now."
She went back to the hole and jumped upwards, followed by the other two men.
Back in the study room, Amanises looked at the large hole in the ground with a complicated expression. "What do we do about this? Will Megose and the servants be able to shut up until an actual expert arrives?"
Leonard shook his head. "Probably not."
As he said that, he extended his hand towards what seemed like nothing, pulling out a small wooden puppet from thin air.
The puppet squirmed in his hand, but he held it extremely tight. After a few seconds, the entire room seemed to change.
Illusion!
Leonard let go of the puppet, making it return to its place nowhere.
Everything went back to how it used to be, the hole in the ground now gone.
"This should do. Let's go make the report."
"Alright." Evelyn and Frye said in unison.
On their way out, Megose asked if they found anything, she looked rather anxious, almost trembling from nervousness and worry.
But Amanises couldn't do anything but tell her that they will get in touch with an expert and that she shouldn't get agitated as they have everything under control.
The woman trembled for a little, but calmed down after Amanises cited a calming poem under her breath.
"Please don't worry, it's not good for the little one." She said the last thing with a small smile while turning around to leave.