Chương 49: Fake Vetuvanje

A long moment of silence stretched between them. Then letting out a long sigh, Ophila pulled the knife away from his throat and held it up between two fingers, turning it in the low lamplight. It was… Wooden. Painted a dull grey, sanded smooth at the edges, it was the kind of toy a child might carry around. Lio guessed that it was one of the props the medical post kept for young patients, most likely. Ophila began giggling, trying to muffle it with her hand, her shoulders shaking hard.

"That was… so… hilarious," she managed, between fits. She set the toy down on the table with a small clatter, the last of the giggling fading as she straightened up, pulling on a coat. Then she gave a more sharper smile.

"But still," she said pleasantly, "if you ever actually do something like that again without telling me first, I will kill you." She nodded at the wooden knife on the table.

"And I won't use a toy," she added. Lio cocked his head at her, feeling like joking around a bit.

"What makes you think you'll manage that?" Ophila chuckled again.

"I'll manage." Lio grinned as well.

"Wanna make a bet?"

"No need." She leaned in close, and poked him on the nose.

"I'll also be expecting a full explanation." Her eyes held his steadily.

"I'm a very patient girl. But I'll be expecting it."

"Very well," Lio said.

"And you owe me a favor," she added. Lio blinked.

"A favor?" She beamed, raising two fingers.

"That's two favors you owe me already." Lio sighed.

"Very well," he said again.

"Good." Then she turned around, clapping her hands.

"Alright," she announced, her voice back to a normal volume.

"He's awake. So you wake up too." From the corner of the room came a loud, immediate snort. Lio looked over, and realized that William Bone was on the floor. He raised an eyebrow. The boy was curled on his side with his coat bunched under his head as a pillow, deeply asleep. Or he had been, until Ophila spoke. William lifted his head up now, his hair pointing in every direction. He moaned, his eyes so swollen with sleepiness that they barely opened.

"Wha—" he started.

"Wake up," Ophila demanded.

"I'm up," William mumbled. He blinked several times, then finally seemed to register that Lio was sitting upright on the cot.

"Oh. You're awake."

"Evidently," Lio said.

"Good." William dropped back down.

"William," Ophila snapped.

"Two more minutes."

"Now."

"Ughhhhhhhhhh…" Finally, William pushed himself fully upright, blinking at the lamp. The three of them walked out of the side room and into the main corridor of the medical post. Outside, the deep amber light of Trestfall's afternoon entered through the narrow windows of the corridor, thick and golden. The single worker staffing the hall looked up from her desk as they all shuffled into view. She set her pen down, nodding at them"How are you all feeling?" she asked.

"Better," Ophila said warmly.

"Thank you. Really, we're so grateful." The woman nodded, turning to look down at a piece of paper.

"The boy was hit by a mild sedative," she explained.

"It should have fully cleared by now, but if you experience any dizziness or nausea in the next few hours, come back." She looked at Ophila next.

"You most likely collapsed from exhaustion. Just drink some water, and get a lot of rest."

"Okay," William and Ophila both replied, though Ophila gave Lio a look at that last statement.

"You're free to go," the woman said, picking her pen back up.

"Take good care of yourselves." They stepped outside. William squinted at the amber light outside, raising one hand to shield his eyes.

"So," he said.

"What now?"

"We should find somewhere to eat," Ophila said, walking down the stairs.

"I'm starving."

"Same," William said immediately, falling into step beside her. Then he paused.

"Actually, before that." He turned to look at Lio, frowning.

"What actually happened? The last thing I remember is that woman's hand coming at my face and then nothing." Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"You got knocked out," Lio said.

"Yeah, I gathered that part," William said drily.

"But what happened after?"

"I'll tell you later," Lio said. William opened his mouth to protest, but a sudden voice to the left stopped him.

"You're awake!" Erygn Columbine walked over. He was clearly exhausted by the day's events, his navy coat disheveled and dark circles under his ocean blue eyes. He stopped in front of them.

"I've been checking in every hour," he said, giving a small smile.

"I'm so glad you're all on your feet." He glanced at William.

"How's your head?"

"Terrible," William said.

"But I'm okay." Erygn nodded, then turned to Lio, his face darkening.

"I owe you an apology," he said, his tone bitter.

"You came to me with information this morning, in good faith, and not four hours later you were attacked in my settlement." He rubbed his face.

"I'm so sorry."

"You couldn't have known," Lio said.

"I should have posted someone near you regardless." Erygn shook his head once, then pulled out a small notebook from his breast pocket, the apparent substitute for his absent ledger.

"Can you please tell me what happened? As much as you're comfortable sharing." And so, Lio gave him the short version. Two Delvers, a man and a woman, both clearly experienced, had followed them from the market district to the outskirts, taken William while he was separated, and used him as leverage to draw the rest of them out. Erygn wrote everything down quickly. When Lio finished, he read back over his notes, then looked up.

"The woman we found unconscious near the shed," he said.

"She's currently in custody." He glanced up.

"But… the man is still unaccounted for." Lio grimaced.

"He's dead." Ergyn faltered.

"Are you sure?" Lio nodded.

"He fell down the crater, and I saw his head crushed. I think he was washed away after." Ergyn raised an eyebrow, clearly a bit suspicious about those circumstances. But as he opened his mouth to say something further, the sound of boots came pounding a few feet away. It was one of his guards, a young man with a plump face and a red complexion, skidded to a stop beside him, breathing raggedly.

"C-captain," the guard managed to gasp out.

"You need to come. N-now." He gulped.

"It's happened again." Erygn's eyes widened.

"Where?"

"The tavern," the guard said. The color left Ergyn's face. Without sparing a glance at Lio and the others, he turned and started bolting in the direction of the tavern. Lio began following without waiting for an invitation, already guessing at what had happened. Ophila and William came right behind him, exchanging a glance but saying nothing. By the time they arrived, a crowd had already gathered outside.

The guards on scene had thrown up a hasty cordon, but it was already buckling under the weight of the curious and frightened Trestfall residents. Erygn moved through it, yelling as he had with the flower shop owner, the crowd parting for the uniform. Lio stayed close behind him, Ophila and William following in suit. Upon reaching the entrance, they all stopped.

The tavern's interior was exactly as they'd left it the previous evening, with the long timber tables and the low curved ceiling, the only difference being the lack of people inside. Well, except for one person. The elderly woman who was behind the counter. If you could call a corpse a person. Just like the flower shop owner, the Ghostly Annies were everywhere.

Packed into a slit on the hollow of her throat where her collar had been folded back, pressed into the sockets where her eyes had been, and stuffed into her mouth and ears. Beside him, William retched, turning away whilst pressing his hand on his mouth, trembling and shivering as if he had contracted a fever. Ophila didn't turn away. But all the color had drained out of her face as she continued staring at the woman, seemingly unable to look away.

Her hand had found the doorway, gripping it so hard that her knuckles turned white. Lio frowned, studying the surroundings, manually noting the differences and similarities from the past murder. The same flowers, the same arrangement, the strange peculiar detail that nothing else had been disturbed. But a different victim. Again, the murderer had targeted a different person than they had from previous loops. But why? Why these two specifically? Suddenly, a commotion from outside drew his attention.

The crowd at the entrance was parting again, and a group of four individuals entered, three of them surrounding one in a protective circle. At their center was a broad shoulder man who seemed to be in his 50s, wearing a coat colored deep charcoal grey with a single necklace made of a grey fur across his chest. His face was of one that would have been handsome in his younger ages, though now he just seemed strict and cold, with a strong jaw and heavy-browed eyes. Lio's eyes widened. The Mayor of Trestfall.

He glanced at the three people surrounding the Mayor, recognizing them from past loops. They were the Mayor's personal guard, responsible for protecting him, even to the extent of giving up their lives. And they were, probably, some of the most powerful individuals on this Floor. The first was a woman in her mid-forties, with ash-blonde hair pulled severely back in a scorpion tail. From what Lio remembered, he was pretty sure that her name was Briar.

The second was a short, delicate-looking man with round spectacles and ink-stained fingers. His name was Demetri. The third stood directly behind the Mayor, and was the oldest by far, appearing to be perhaps sixty, with a petite, frail body and thin greying hair. Her official name was Malva, everyone in Trestfall simply called her Grandmother. The Mayor surveyed the room, his gaze pausing as it landed on the body adorned with flowers, a flash of anger coming across his features at the defilement of the corpse.

Then he turned to Erygn.

"Captain," he said.

"Brief me." Nodding, Erygn turned to face the Mayor. Then, suddenly, he noticed Lio and the others still standing near the entrance. Quickly, he shooed them away, looking apologetic. Lio nodded, and turned around, Ophila and William following without a word. Nobody spoke on the walk back. William walked far ahead, his hands shoved deep in his pockets, looking pale and unsteady. Ophila walked besides Lio, her long hair swinging behind her. She was biting her lower lip hard, staring down at the floor.

The streets of Trestfall were almost completely silent, most of the resident people having retreated indoors. Now that the word had spread, it was clear now. The flower shop murder had not just been a one time occurrence. There was a serial killer on the loose. Reaching the lodge, they filed up the stairs. William immediately hurried his way into his room, looking ready to throw up. Ophila stopped outside her own room, and for a moment she glanced at Lio, looking like she wanted to say something.

But then she just gave a small, tired shake of her head and turned away, disappearing into her room without a word. Lio stood in the hallway, all alone. Then he opened his door and stepped into his room as well. He crossed over to the bed, and began to unbutton his coat when he noticed something on his pillow. A folded piece of paper. Unfolding it, quick, sharp handwriting revealed itself, having been written in ink rather than the normal charcoal most people used.

I'll be waiting at the furthest left of the Amberpulp fields. At night. Come alone. — Job Lio read it twice, then set it down, the corners of his lips curving up just slightly. Took you long enough.