Elydes

Chapter 293 - Brewing Shadows

Kai forcefully shut the notebook and stored it in his ring.

Everyone had poured their mind over the plan—Valela included. It was foolish to believe he would catch a detail they all missed, yet his mind couldn’t stop brooding over it.

It’s as solid as it’s gonna get.

The pervading cold of his bedroom welcomed him back to Limgrell. Kai stretched his sore legs, casting a miniature storm to shower before wearing some clothes.

It’ll soon be over.

Whether they located the missing people or failed, Kea had agreed that staying longer would be too dangerous.

He had pushed his body and skills to the limit to reach the gates before they shut for the night. As the mists appeared over the sloping hills around the lake, whispers had started brewing in the back of his mind, more insistent with every stride.

The warnings had spiked when the guards questioned him at the western gate. If they had shown outright hostility, he would have written it off as mistrust of an outsider, but they had let him through with barely a question—someone had taken notice of his absence.

Did some Republic official wake up to do their work? Hmm… no, that sounds wishful even in my thoughts.

He had expected they’d be targeted after Niel was taken, but as people continued going missing, the cult ignored them. Had Hobbes scared them off? Or were the remaining members not worth their time?

We’ll see who smiles at the end.

His sister and friends had holed up in their rented houses to stay safe. He couldn’t hide his trip to Darvell, but only Flynn and Rain knew about his meeting with Valela. There was no time to solve Kea’s mistrust of her. The rest of the group thought he had gone to gather supplies and information at the Hall of Seekers there.

I’ll explain once we’re away from here.

He had studied the wards guarding the town from every angle to figure out how the cultists moved. They had been laid by a master more skilled than anyone in Limgrell. No one would sneak past them undetected—if not for one inevitable flaw.

A knock on the door sent mana surging to his fingertips.

“You up?” Flynn poked his head through the crack of the door, looking reassured to find him there. “We’re ready when you are.”

“Yeah, I’m coming.” Kai grabbed the bandolier with his sword from the chair he used as a cloth rack. They took precautions to avoid direct confrontation, but his plans had the tendency to go awry. He didn’t want to worry about revealing his spatial artifact if he was forced to draw his blade.

Every rule has an exception, right?

“How’re you feeling?” Flynn sat at the dining table, polishing an array of knives before him. One by one, blades disappeared into his sleeves, inner pockets and boots as if he were casting Space Magic. “You looked pretty beat up last night. I can ask Kea to delay another day.”

“It’s just a little soreness. It won’t bother me.” Kai flexed his shoulders to warm the muscles. If the cultists had caught wind of him, they couldn’t afford to stall in this cold dump.”

“Ain’t that the truth…” Flynn’s lazy smile turned weary. “I never thought I’d forget how the sky and sun look…”

“Hmm, I miss the sea…” Rain stood up from the couch to join them. “Not that I want to go back,” added, rubbing his arm. He wore a loose gray shirt and trousers under a long blue coat and fluffy purple hat. Over the last weeks, he had narrowed down the clothes he needed to feign the cold bothered him. “Do you know where we are going to visit next?”

Kai bit his cheek. “I… don’t know.” Unmasking the cult had been his entire world since Niel went missing, but the perpetual fog hadn’t chipped Rain’s confidence. For him, the cultists were merely an inconvenience in the itinerary. “Maybe we could go to some place warmer?”

“A few friendly folks would do us good,” Flynn said as he grabbed a glass of water. From his smooth movements, no one would guess he carried an armory worth of blades. “And better food! If I have to cook another bland stew without salt or meat, I’m going to rip my hair out. And the world doesn’t deserve the loss.”

The siren furrowed his pale brows, then nodded. “Yeah, I’d like to see a real squirrel. And a hedgehog!” Suddenly he leafed through a booklet with lifelike pictures of animals and scenery. “Maybe a moon phoenix. They say they’re breathtaking…”

Where did he get a tourist guide?

A smile lifted his gloomy mood as his friends drafted an ever-increasing list of requirements. Yes, this was just another step. “We’ll figure it out once we’re done here. Unless the plan has changed since I left…?”

Last night he had dropped dead, exhausted after reviewing Valela’s intel. It wouldn’t affect their plans aside from drastically reducing the search range.

“It’s still the same.” Flynn snooped over Rain’s shoulder. “Caeli wanted to split into teams and cover more areas, but her idea was sunk.”

“Oh, thank Yatei.” Kai massaged his temples. He understood Caeli’s worry for her brother, but being close to the finish line was only a reason to be more cautious.

“Yeah,” Flynn said. “Though it wasn’t an ethereal glowlight that argued her down for two hours.”

“Then Rain also has my deepest appreciation,” Kai chuckled. Ignoring the affronted look, he took out his ticking pocket watch. “We have to go meet with Kea. Check you’ve gathered what you need. Essentials only. I have a little space in my ring if you need it.”

Regardless of success, they might not see this house again, and running around with full luggage would alert the cultists they were up to something.

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“I’ve got everything I need.” Flynn patted the only visible dagger he carried strapped to his belt. Throwing open the kitchen cabinets, he found a piece of jerky and stuffed it in his mouth. “I’ve already checked the rooms. Rain stored my other stuff in his artifact.”

Uhm… We’re really doing this.

The merry vibe puffed out. No one spoke as they left the stark apartment. Outside, the fog had swallowed the streets. Elemental motes pulsed in Kai’s veins, ready to be unleashed.

If that will even help.

The day of the ambush remained vivid in his mind: how his skills and essence had deserted him. The memory chilled his blood. From Rain’s knowledge, it could be the result of a portable array or a profession skill. Such powerful effects often came with heavy restrictions unless the difference in grade was huge.

His attacker had been a shadow and blade cloaked in mist, but they definitely hadn’t reached Green. Fending off the assault, Kai had been too focused on not dying to realize his opponent hadn’t shown any skill. Did the nullifying effects not distinguish between friend and foe? Hobbes had scoffed at the idea that his blinks could be affected, so whatever they used wasn’t invincible.

I just got to figure out the exact restrictions.

Truth be told, he’d rather not experience that powerlessness again.

The fence of Kea’s house came out of the fog across the streets. Three figures stood before it, their postures tensed before relaxing in recognition.

“We’re ready,” Caeli blurted just as a privacy ward bubbled around them. Her frenetic gaze lingered on Kai. “You’re good to go? We’ve delayed enough for your errand. I could have told you there was no point looking for intel elsewhere.”

“It was worth a try.” Kai shrugged, keeping his tone polite. He would act much worse if his brother had gone missing for two months. How long could someone tensely wait before breaking?

“Then we can move!” Caeli grinned. “I still think we should split up. Even narrowing down to three locations, it’ll take us days to sweep them. More chances for the culprits to notice us. And we all wanted to avoid that.”

“Caeli. We’ve already discussed this. We are not splitting,” Kea firmly stated. Her posture was steady and alert, though exhaustion painted her face and weary eyes.

“I see…” She pursed her lips. “I’m the only one who wants to save them.”

“Oh, don’t you dare!” Kea growled, spitting flames from her eyes.

Yatei have mercy on us.

Kai stepped between them before the argument degenerated. “Why don’t we take a deep breath?” His selfless action earned him two glares. “There is no point splitting. We don’t need to check the northern ruins and the wooden hills.”

Caeli blinked in a quiet stupor while Kea turned to him like a hound. “What do you mean?”

He raised his hands to appease her. “We’ve just learned of it.”

“Bel received new intel,” Rain said, skirting the truth. “She didn’t want to speak until she could confirm it. Multiple adventurer teams have checked the ruins up the north shore. And the hills don’t match the timing of the last abduction. She could still be wrong, but it’s unlikely.”

The mention of the clerk blanketed the street in silence. Finding how the girl fooled them had been a hard blow to swallow; Kai wished to slap the spectacles off her face and then himself for falling for it. If it weren’t for Rain, he would have kept playing her jig.

The siren had brokered a deal to get intel in exchange for his discretion. And despite his desire for retribution, Kai knew they would have never managed to narrow down the locations of the missing without her help.

“Do we really trust that viper?” Caeli scoffed and crossed her arms. “She has already tricked us once.”

“Not on her intel. She never led us astray on that,” Mari muttered, reminding everyone of her presence. The hood cloaking her face let her blend in with her surroundings. She had become even quieter since Niel disappeared, rarely leaving the house.

“That still doesn’t mean—”

“I’ve also had a hunch since I came back,” Kai said. It was hard to gauge Treasure Sense and Hallowed Intuition—and he might be biased from Valela’s knowledge—still, the path was clear. “I think we are on the right track.”

Caeli bit her lip, they had all witnessed the efficacy of his skills. “Do you want to bet everything on it?”

“It's our best shot.” He held her fiery gaze. This investigation had been built on theories and deduction from the start, they wouldn’t get definitive proof without exposing themselves.

Now I just have to hope Valela was right.

“Okay,” Kea patted her friend’s back. “But if we’re going to do this, I want to talk to Bel.”

Rain nodded before Kai had a chance to argue. “We can go together. I planned to check on her before leaving in case she found something else.”

That’s not a terrible idea…

He had avoided the manipulative clerk for weeks, though he wouldn’t mind giving her one last middle finger. “I’ll come with you.”

“Fine.” Caeli shifted her attention between them, still irked. “But if we're going to search the lake, I need to change my bags and supplies.”

Kai stayed quiet to not restoke conflict. The supplies to move around the lake or across it should be pretty much the same, and a waterproof backpack was a necessity into the fog.

“Someone should check with the fisherman who promised us a boat,” Mari said, pulling her cloak tighter around her. “I’d rather not find it has a hole when we are in it.”

Caeli let out a sharp sigh. “You’re right. We can ask Aldred if he can lend us his just in that case. I don’t think he’ll mind.”

The middle-aged man was always eager to help any adventurer looking for his daughter.

Reaching a consensus, they moved into their apartment. Caeli and Mari disappeared into their room while Kea discussed the next steps with them. A handful of tedious minutes later, they went back into the cold mist.

“I’ll go with them.” Flynn gestured to the two girls. Moving in groups remained their best defense. There had been no other cases of people attacked in company aside from Niel—the exception that made all the difference.

“Okay, be safe.” Kai watched them disappear down the street. While both teams counted three people, their combat power was quite different.

Hobbes? Can you keep an eye on Flynn?

The furball rested on a windowsill behind them, never going far from him. He agreed to the task with surprising swiftness, perhaps feeling some gratitude for being carried on his back for the better part of two days—or in a gracious mood.

Yeah, I promise we’re almost done here. Then we can go somewhere less boring. And yes. With better food too.

Warm approval flowed through their bond, the impressions growing gradually stronger and clearer. Kai hurried to keep pace with Kea, who marched ahead toward the Hall.

Rain closed the line with him, peering in Hobbes' direction through the dense fog.

No time like the present.

“Uh,” Kai scratched his ear. “I… wanted to thank you for, well… everything. We couldn’t have gotten here without you. And you didn’t owe us— me anything.”

Rain tilted his head, the usual serenity marred with confusion. “You don’t need to mention it.” His pointy smile lit his face. “We’re friends, right?”

“Yes. But not every friend goes that far.” He let his gaze wander along the paved streets of the center. “And I don’t take it for granted.”

“Then it means we’re best friends,” Rain beamed, a glimmer of amusement flashing in his eyes. “And I honestly didn’t do much. It was fun.”

Okay…

The siren might be the only person who could call a month-long stay in a creepy town shrouded in mist and hunted by cultists fun. Kai decided he wasn’t going to question it. Maybe the creatures of the deep worked by different rules.

“Hey, we’re here,” Kea announced over her shoulder.

The crumbling facade of the Hall emerged from the mist. Kai was surprised when the heavy door swung open without a metallic screech. Someone had finally oiled the hinges.

The vast Hall inside was silent, letting their boots echo on the hardwood floor. No adventures mingled around the free tables: the sight had become almost commonplace in the last weeks. Stranger yet, the desk where Belice sat to observe seekers coming and going was vacant.

“Do you know if it was her day off?” Kai asked, his words uncomfortably loud in the vast emptiness.

Rain shook his head, wrinkling his nose. “She didn’t mention it.”

“A clerk always mans the front counter. Or at least they would leave a sign.” Kea advanced toward the polished desk.

“Wait! Something is off.” Kai hastened after her, but his sister didn’t slow down. There was no other human in the Hall: a stack of papers lay scattered over the desk, nothing that resembled a sign. A single blotch of red ink marred the sheet on top.

Kea froze a step from the desk, a hand rising to cover her mouth.

“What— Shit.” Kai stood rooted beside her.

The coppery smell wafted over him at once. Looking past the counter, Belice’s body lay crumpled beneath her chair. Chestnut hair spread messily over her face, twisted in pain and shock. Her lifeless eyes stared at the ceiling. A black dagger stabbed to the hilt in her heart, drenching her pink blouse in dark blood.

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