FHC B2 Chapter 56: Confronting the Noble (Patreon)

No matter how hard we pressed her, Irene didn't have any answers. And I wasn't about to torture her to get more information, so I sent Freki to Marcus, who returned to the warehouse with a contingent of guards.

They sectioned off the area and properly contained the staff. People gathered together like moths to a flame, all wanting in on the latest drama. The guards pushed them back, and I noticed several of the Baathan stall owners slink away.

But they didn't matter. In the end, we left Irene with the pair of knights who showed up and entered another carriage. The ride was much shorter. Marcus exited the cabin and forced open the gates where Devon was leaning against the front door of the Baathan manor.

Alice tossed him a scrap of blood-stained cloth. We made sure to collect it before leaving the guards with the body. As he caught it, I threw him the other scrap, smeared with the blood on the walls.

"First rag is the woman's. Normal. The second is from a sigil painted on the wall," Alice explained.

Devon sniffed and held up the second rag. "Blood and some type of chemical."

"You don't recognize it then?" I asked.

He shook his head.

Aah. If only it was that easy.

Devon removed a small metal case from his coat and slipped the rags into separate containers before pocketing it.

"They're waiting for us inside. Was there anything else near the murder scene?"

"No," I grumbled. "The workers opened up for the day and discovered the corpse outside the freezer. They knew we were coming and tried to hide it by stuffing her inside, but then they discovered the ritual lines. It didn't matter to them; they cleaned up and ensured nobody else knew besides the head matron. She instructed them to remain tight-lipped, and you know the rest."

"We searched the perimeter, but there was no indication of a break-in. And whoever completed the murder lacks a scent. There wasn't a trace of another person, only the blood and chemicals," Alice added.

He ran his hand through his hair and pulled away with disgust. Bits of slime glistened on his gloves, and he flicked it aside.

"The underground is expansive. It'd take us months to map it all out. We found an undead ooze that had built a nest inside a major sewage system. At least several decades old, considering its size and powers. But nothing related to our quest," he explained.

I wish I got to see him fight.

"You ready?"

"Oh, one more thing," I said. "The enchantment on the freezer door. Only Baathans can use it."

He nodded and stepped inside.

Old money. The manor felt like walking into an old mansion, where things looked nice, but you could tell that age had claimed the luster. Clean and orderly, no hallway or room we passed had more than needed to showcase a refined level of wealth. And when we entered the main parlor, where Lady Baathan was waiting.

She sat in a plush chair near the window, the curtains drawn to showcase the morning sun. Even as we entered and Marcus shut the door behind us, she continued to look out the window.

Devon moved to a chair nearby and sat, leaving Alice and me to stand awkwardly.

Eventually, she turned and fixed him with a glare. "Grimm."

"Human," he replied.

Her eye twitched, but she set her drink to the side. Slowly, she reached for a nearby shelf and pulled out a journal. As she tossed it onto the table, the paper unraveled, revealing an extended map of the area.

It was hard to see from my current angle, so I moved closer and ignored the old woman's stare.

"That's not what the city looks like," I pointed out. "Those three buildings don't exist; we saw the food stalls in their place."

She narrowed her eyes. "Well-versed, are you? Then know that this map was made three decades ago. When I took over, I changed our district and redesigned our purpose. Several old tunnels were collapsed or built over."

A single purple dot marked one such tunnel. According to the map, it was inside a building's back room, within a block of the warehouse.

"Are you implying we should check these out?"

She practically snarled and tapped the page with her nail. Devon remained expressionless as she ground her teeth.

"I do not tell Grimms how to do their jobs. I have provided you with the information you needed."

Devon casually tapped the table and splintered the wood. Her eyes widened at the sight, but she kept her mouth shut.

"You expect us to believe that all the murders were untrackable by your people? That many within your area, and you ignored them?"

"Of course, we didn't ignore them! We sent several guards to investigate but did not touch the underground. That's Vertus' domain. I would not demean my house's name by allowing such a stain on our honor and allowing such crimes to continue if we could stop them!"

"We investigated the Vertus house," Devon said plainly. "They were more forthcoming with their information."

"How dare you!"

One of Devon's nails turned to metal, and he casually carved through the table until he reached her cup.

"The warehouse wasn't broken into, and there is no other means of entry other than the front entrance. That means they had access to the building and the freezer. Your enchantment is secured against anyone, not of your line. Explain."

"I can't," she spat. "The two who had access that you met were here this morning. I sent them off myself. Nobody else should have been there or have had access to the freezer."

Devon held her gaze and eventually pulled his claw away. Before he stood up, he grabbed the journal.

"If we have more questions, we'll be back."

We followed Devon and left the estate. As the gate shut itself, he turned and addressed Marcus.

"Watch the nobles and make sure they don't try to run. We'll proceed alone toward the tunnels."

"Yes, sir!" Marcus saluted.

As we walked toward the building containing the marked tunnel, I glanced at the Baathan manor and frowned.

"I'm surprised we didn't ask her more questions," I said.

"Any questions we extracted would have been a waste of time. The murder is fresh, and that takes precedence. She provided what we needed," he said as he held up the journal.

He ceased conversing until we came upon the building in question. The workers of the small bakery stuttered as they saw us, and one ran inside, only for another woman to rush out.

"My apologies! I was unaware you would be visiting us. Come in, come in. We'll provide you with whatever you need!" the flour-covered woman spewed.

Devon opened the journal and looked up, much to the woman's worry.

"Show us the back room."

She hesitated but nodded as she held open the door and shouted for the other girl to step away. Fresh bread, sharp sourdough, and other smells blanketed the area. A growl rumbled from my stomach as we entered, causing the older woman's eyes to widen.

"Sir Grimm, I would be happy to provide you with some fresh loaves."

I shook my head. "Perhaps another time."

My response must not have been as friendly as I intended, considering she sunk back. The two continued to watch us nervously as Devon marched through the kitchen and stopped inside a storage closet.

Unlike what the map said, only unblemished stone and cleaning supplies were inside the dusty room.

"Are we in the wrong area?" Alice asked.

In response, Devon ran his hand along the walls until he stomped next to the doorframe. A wave of pressure blasted from the floor and sent dust scattering. I coughed and covered my face, but Devon stepped aside, revealing a set of stairs leading down.

He raised his palm. “Ek kalla á lýsandi stjörnu.”

A fist-sized star appeared above his raised palm, casting the shadows away. He glanced toward us and stepped into the stairwell.

The stairs were short, leveling into a long tunnel made of carved stone. He paused at the entrance and extended his arm, the light revealing a split at the end of the path.

Dirt and stale air entered my nose, but so did the scent of something else. It stirred the voice, but not strongly enough for it to shout words into my head.

Devon removed the black metal case containing the rags and grabbed the second rag. He smelled it and handed it over.

Oh.

Now that the smell was there, I recognized it.

"It's the same," I stated.

"Yes. Stick close."

When we came to the split, we followed our noses and entered the right tunnel. The smell increased, as did the scent of decay and rot. The voice rose to the front, ready, known. I pulled out my axe, as did Alice, though she kept her weapon close to her chest since the tunnels limited her movements.

The smell intensified to the point I could taste it on my tongue. It reminded me of formaldehyde and cloves blended with carrion.

We shuffled down another bend, ending in a large room stacked with broken furniture and cracked crates. Rat droppings littered the floor, but they were petrified into little stones that rattled against the ground as I accidentally kicked a few.

Devon held out his hand and stopped. "Stay near the door. I'll head inside first. Attack anything that comes toward you."

Despite the lack of life, the smell continued to intensify, and when I activated my mana and set the fiery liquid into my eyes, I noticed a dull green glow extending from the far wall.

He stepped in, holding his spear and the light in the other. I summoned my own light and waited, the warm orb resting gently above my shoulder.

Step. Nothing. Step. Still nothing; the wall didn't react, and no magic activated.

He reached the end and placed his hand along the stone. Dust crumbled away, but the glow stayed the same.

"Is it safe?" Alice called out.

"Maybe, stay back," he replied.

He dropped the incantation and traced along the edge of the glow. When he reached the floor, he stopped and pulled away.

Click.

Stone broke, and giant tentacles wrapped around the hunter. They pulled him into a serrated maw before the ceiling collapsed.

"Devon!"