Recent Content by Relatively Sane

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"Just give them a second..." Dylan began, before suddenly-

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Blue light suddenly illuminated the room, as a crystal orb sat on a table began radiating magical energy. Behind the orb, a single glowing blue eye opened, and the creature it belonged to moved in closer to the table. A resonating supernatural voice emanated from the creature.
"Who dares to enter the lair of the arcane?" it spoke. "Doth thou wish for knowledge? Power? Secrets?"
"These, we can deliver in abundance" came a voice from behind the group, as another creature appeared there. The being was dressed in long blue and purple robes, and seemed to only have two fingers and a thumb on each of its black-skinned hands. Its face was obscured by a strange veil and hood, only the glowing eye visible. "Permitting thee can deliver something in return..."
"But perhaps thou art unprepared for the infinite extent of our knowledge..." the creature waved its hands mystically, causing bluish smoke to pool around the crystal orb.

"If I hear another 'Thou' I'm leaving" Dylan grumbled. The creatures paused "Cut the theatrics"

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"Only the finest chefs for such an important gathering" Mortimer smiled. He glanced away briefly, but couldn't spot the two strangers from a moment ago. That was troublesome. However, something did catch his attention as two half-drunk engineers were talking particularly loudly and conspicuously nearby.
"Did you hear about the train hijacking over in Varawyn?"
"Ah yes. The Architect's new agents were responsible I presume?"
"Yes. The train was carrying stolen Iron Soldiers and their blueprints-"
"Can you not talk about this right now chaps?" Mortimer interjected. Though he had a smile, an observant individual would noticed the menacing look in his eyes. The two engineers shuffled away nervously. He turned back to Mirela "Sorry about that, I do so hate it when people talk politics at my parties" He stated, the paused. "Hm. Perhaps It's time I show you what our little group actually do in this city"

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Some time passed as Dylan guided the small group through the streets of Erradan. They made small talk along the way, and crossed Victoriana's Bridge, the large structure spanning the Eastwyrm River. The setting sun cast an orange glow over the river, and coloured the clouds of soot and smoke that were spewed forth from the highly industrial Factory District to the north. The Fisheries district squatted by the seaside, an eclectic collection of run-down tenement buildings that were packed tightly together, with alleyways and canals snaking their way through. Dylan stepped off the main road and into the lamplit dinge of the cobbled side-streets. A small winding path took him between secretive buildings, some of which looked like they sold incredibly dubious wares, and reached an inconspicious black door. On the front was a plaque that read "Oracles".
"Just to warn you, things get weird from here on out" Dylan stated, before opening the door and stepping inside.
The room within was dark and bare. The others wouldn't be able to see a thing. But Dylan was different. Swirling blue patterns crossed his vision, in bright flowing lines. These lines combined and separated around him. The threads of reality. And somewhere among them, an entity hidden in the dark.

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The first floor of the manor seemed to be where the bulk of the mingling was taking place. Much more comfortable in appearance, several large, open rooms dominated the area, each richly decorated with furniture. Some partygoers sat in armchairs or sofas, sipping at the wine in their hands as they chatted about everything from economics to engineering. A large buffet table was laid out in one room, with all manner of fancy dishes; from traditional Erradan seafood, to exotic Hirokiri curries, and some cakes. Standing near the top of the stairs was Lord Mortimer Gallahowe himself, currently chatting with an Engineer-Captain of the Varawyn Imperial Engineers.
Lord Gallahowe turned away from his conversation to spot Mirela McLain climbing the stairs. "Ah! Miss McLain, you decided to come along" Mortimer greeted warmly, striding towards her "It is lovely to see you again" he said with a hand extended for a handshake. Just as he was doing so, he spotted a pair of individuals out of the corner of his eye who he did not recognise. He would have to speak with them later, but for now he just kept an eye on them.

Jebediah & Mira - Gallahowe Manor
The cook furrowed his eyebrows and waved his spatula-arm at the pair "Hmph! Out! Do not come back!" the cook yelled, gesturing towards the stairs leading further into the manor. Upstairs lead into the ground floor of the manor, which was populated by a variety of engineers and aristocrats. In the lobby, stood Lunaji Gallahowe and the girl she had been speaking with, along with several strange individuals from a variety of ethnicities and backgrounds. Through it all, several red-waistcoated clockwork butlers moved, serving hors d'oeuvres.

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While Kara was rambling about legions of evil, Dylan grabbed his hat and refilled his flask with Vernonwood Whiskey. He was listening to their conversation with half an ear, picking up on anything interesting.
"Yeah, chit-chat is over. Let's go" Dylan responded, leading the way out of the front door. They would be walking to his destination, it wasn't too far and Dylan was too cheap to hire a carriage this late into the evening. As they walked, a thought occured to Dylan "What happened with that constable you tailed, Kara? Did you find anything useful?" Dylan asked casually. He vaguely remembered something from Jebediah's report "From what I heard about that interrogation, he seemed like a prick"

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Having concluded her investigation, Lynda looked for the others. After peeking through about seven rooms, she finally came across the large form of Aspire standing in Harbrook's bedroom.
"Ah, Aspire, find anything useful?" Lynda asked inquisitively
"No" Aspire stated. The maidservant glared at him slightly. Lynda raised an eyebrow but didn't question.
"Damn. Okay, let's find Ulrich, I think he went to the study"
"I concur" Aspire rumbled, before falling in behind Lynda. Together they made their way to the study, where Lynda caught the tail end of Ulrich's inquiry
"Funny you ask that Ulrich" she interjected "Miss Harbrook did have a very bizarre meeting with Lord Gallahowe recently. I'll explain soon, but first, what did you find?"

Jebediah & Mira - Gallahowe Manor
"What?" came a bellowing voice from behind a kitchen counter, with a thick Calamaran accent. "Who are you? What are you doing in my kitchen?" the voice came from a bald portly man with tanned skin and a thin mustache. One of his arms was a clockwork augment that seemed to have many utensils built into it; including a spatula, a soup ladle, and an assortment of knives. He seemed to be in charge of the kitchen, and was currently stirring a spiced fish soup that smelled delicious.

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"It's not shopping if you didn't buy it" Dylan muttered. He was interrupted from saying any more by the sudden arrival of a very strange man. He gave the red-haired shirtless figure a glance, then gave Kara a look, with a raised eyebrow "And you may not be the only eye-candy around here" He then turned back to Lucian, with an appraising and thorough gaze. Leaning back against the wall, Dylan listened to the man, and tried to work out some more details than the vague explanation he gave. He could smell the alcohol on the man, which exacerbated the rugged appearance. But bar-room brawlers could certainly not afford a pair of longswords. Or a mechanical eye. No, this was not a poor man, and his athletic physique portrayed a history of combat. Not a soldier though, dual wielding was not a military tactic. He seemed more like a traveler, or a mercenary, but not part of a professional guild. More independent. Either way, he was certain that this was definitely a man who could hit things. "We're meeting up with an informant of mine, and might come across some trouble. They're located in a questionable area of the city, you know the Fisheries?" Dylan explained, no longer staring quite so intently at Lucian. The Fisheries was a well known district of the city, it was so named because it was located right at the waterfront, and it was home to a large portion of Erradan's working class population. It was also claimed by several gangs, most notably the Black Dragon Brotherhood, a notorious criminal syndicate with a fearsome reputation. "If you're curious, I can explain why we're doing this on the way"

Ulrich - Harbrook Manor
"Um... I'm not sure sir" The servant responded warily. He seemed put off by the large assault rifle grafted onto Ulrich's arm. "She has been quite busy over the last few days, trying to organise her plans. I think she wrote that this morning, and planned to send it this evening if the Grand Minister didn't agree to her suggestions at the meeting today" As he said this, he seemed to become very worried. "I don't... I heard what happened. I don't know why she would... What will happen to us if Lady Harbrook is arrested? We didn't do anything I swear!"

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Kara was a refreshing conversationalist, at the least. He still wasn't sure what to think about her. Dylan found himself drawn towards people who broke the mould, people who didn't follow the herd. For this reason, although Mira was a very nice, polite woman... Dylan would probably prefer to spend time with Kara. Even when she was being difficult. Especially then.
"I don't have many admirable qualities" Dylan stated with a smirk "And I wasn't threatening you by the way, I was being honest. Bad things tend to happen to people around me. Probably should have mentioned that in the job description" Dylan shrugged. Not afraid of death, eh? Dylan noted that, but hoped it wouldn't be proven. After Kara's next statement, Dylan let out a sincere laugh, rarely seen from him "Ha! That is a distressing, though intriguing, image" Dylan looked towards the stairs and decided he couldn't be bothered to go up. Instead he just tilted his head upwards "Whoever's up there, come down" Dylan shouted.

Ulrich - Harbrook Manor
A servant reluctantly guided the augmented constable to the office of Lilian Harbrook. The room was large, with a wide window that faced out over the gardens and the city of Erradan. Many pantings and ornaments adorned the room, and a pair of cats were basking in the fading sunlight. A writing desk had a few documents neatly piled up on one side, mostly boring legislative texts. Most notably, in the centre of the desk was an unsent letter.

- Grand Minister Elizabeth Draycaster
I am irritated by your consistent objections, all I want is to cease the unorganised chaos in the immigration records. I know you are considering my suggestion of enforcing background checks on immigrants coming in from certain areas, but I wish to go deeper than that. I want a complete census taken of all Hirokiri immigrants currently working in the city, for all we know there could be criminals, or worse, hiding among us!
Did you know that the latest graduate from the Steiner Institute was a Hirokiri man? And they know nothing about him! I am not comfortable with such an unknown individual working among the nation's doctors! He was sponsored in by the Gallahowes, and I have since had a meeting with Lord Gallahowe and this protege of his. This doctor unsettled me deeply, there was something very disturbing in his eyes.
Gallahowe's fondness for his foreign wife makes him blind to this issue, but hopefully you will see sense. We need to order in records from Aram'Kai and Varawyn, I want ALL the Hirokiri immigrants in sensitive positions to be thoroughly checked for illicit activity. Including Lunaji Gallahowe!
-Lilian Harbrook

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The servants were not particularly helpful. Most of them were quite clueless on the political language used during Lilian and Mortimer's meeting, but they at least could describe the people who had attended.
"Lord Gallahowe brought along this... stranger. A doctor, by the looks. But he was... well he was Hirokiri I think"
"You think?" Lynda raised an eyebrow
"He had tanned skin, but blonde hair. And his eyes were bright red. It was right strange" A young maidservant explained
"I don't suppose you caught his name?" Lynda asked curiously. The servants looked at each other, thinking desperately
"Var... something?"
"No, it started with a Z, I'm sure"
"Confusing name, I remember that much"
Lynda sighed, this wasn't turning out to be promising.
"He was a good doctor though, cleaned up Miss Harbrook's head wound very tidily" a butler said. Lynda, startled, sat up and looked at them inquisitively
"Excuse me?"
"Oh, yes we should have said. After the meeting Miss Harbrook slipped and hit her head on the sideboard over there" she pointed to the sharp wooden corner of a chest of drawers, which still bore a faint few flecks of blood.
"Was it a bad injury?"
"Well she seemed to be thinking straight, but there was just a lot of blood" a maid said, looking distressed at the memory "Right mess to clean up"
"And this... doctor... he helped out?"
"Well yes, he had to. Steiner's Vow. He stitched up the cut and cleaned away the blood, and by the end of it she looked fine. Lord Gallahowe stayed behind to make sure she was safe, he's so gallant" the maid explained, looking wistful during the last part. Lynda frowned but didn't comment. She continued the questioning for a while, but didn't discover anything else that was much use. Still, there was some useful information here.

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"You're probably right" Dylan said with a shrug, eating some more of the chocolate bar "But nobody would rob this place, it's so disorganised that they'd have trouble finding anything of value" Dylan stated, gesturing to a cupboard which contained; tinned tomatoes, an old newspaper, some butter, and a loaded pistol. As Kara walked away, trying to be snide, Dylan rolled his eyes "There are 7,200,000 people in this city actually, and we're only looking for someone from Hirokir. There are only about 20,000 Hirokiri immigrants here" Dylan stated "I stole some records from the census office last month, if you're wondering how I know this". Dylan did not comment on her adorableness, but raised an eyebrow.
"So did you get the rest of your friends killed?"
"Ha" Dylan stated, humorlessly "Keep up this sass and I'll get you killed too. Your spare friend may be useful, as long as he only hits the people we tell him to"

Gallahowe Manor - Mirela
Lunaji gave Mirela a sideways glance, an amused smile on her face "If you say so dear, but I've always preferred to see things in action than to talk about them" The lady then listened to Mirela's babbling, nodding with interest. The two women were let past the clockwork steward without hesitation, and found themselves in the lobby of Gallahowe manor.
An exquisitely modern home, the mansion was built of large rooms with floors of treated wood, and lightbulbs inset into the ceiling in a patterned manner. The house was incredibly efficiently designed, yet also incredibly asymmetrical. In the lobby, several corridors lead off to other rooms, and some guests were already gathering. Notably, a member of the ministry, in an elegant suit, was speaking with a grease-stained middle-class mechanic, wearing workman's clothes an assortment of different tools in his mess of pockets. An off-duty member of the constabulary gratefully took a glass of sparkling wine from one of the many clockwork butlers that weaved their way through the house. In a workshop-looking room, two thin men in glasses were excitedly discussing a set of blueprints. In the corner of the lobby a dark-skinned man in a long black trench coat was idly tinkering with his steel hands, and had a complicated looking weapon at his hip, which occasionally sparked with electricity.
"As you can see, the lure of science attracts individuals from all walks of life, and Mortimer is hospitable to all of them. If you wish to speak to the man himself, he'll be upstairs"

Gallahowe Manor - Jebediah and Mira
Searching around the house, you head down a set of steps leading into the alley by the side of the manor. This leads you to a servant entrance that looks like it leads into a basement.

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The walls of the Haytham's investigations building were not particularly soundproof. There was definitely more than one voice coming from Kara's room. One of them was Kara, the other one... who knew? Hopefully nobody dangerous, but that was probably an issue for later. It wasn't Dylan's business if she had a man over, he didn't own the building he just paid the rent. Something about "responsibility" floated by in Dylan's head, but he ignored it.
"Do you talk to yourself often? Or is it because you really wanted me to be home?" Kara announced her presence with a yell.
"I'm a detective, I can tell when someone is in my own home" he responded, mouth full of chocolate. "And yes, I do talk to myself often, because as far as I can tell, I'm the only one who listens to me". Dylan noticed Kara eyeing up the chocolate, and swiftly held it above his head in an outstretched arm as she reached for it, using his height as an advantage. Still holding the chocolate, Dylan moved on
"So one of my rules is that you should never bother to find out what someone else already knows. We need to look for a single person in this whole city, and all we know about them is their race, and the fact that they may or may not have something to do with Lord Gallahowe. You know, the guy who makes the lightbulbs run" Dylan explained "Luckily I know some people who know many things, but they're located in the worst part of the city, so try not to look too... murderable"

Gallahowe Manor - Mirela
"A pleasure to meet you too Ms McLain, and don't call it a meeting, dear, that makes it sound so dreafully boring" Lunaji walked to the side of Mirela and gestured for them both to walk together towards the manor "No, no, think of it like a party, of like-minded individuals. And don't worry too much about your clothes or manners, this is gathering of people who care about machines and industry, not aristocratic grace" Lunaji spotted nearby two people in suits, though she couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, they did look a little suspicious. Nevertheless she carried on, and didn't at all pause in her conversing with the younger woman "Mortimer told me about your little bird, marvelous device I must say. Flight is always a tricky thing to achieve, especially on such a small scale. I look forward to the day somebody creates a way for humans to fly, without the use of planes or airships"

​

"A search of the bedroom could prove useful" Lynda noted, in response to Ulrich and Aspire "But I am curious about this meeting she had with Lord Gallahowe. If there was any foul play, it's likely to have happened during that interaction" Lynda turned to the servant once again "Lady Harbrook is not married, but she has a brother, correct? Where is he?"
"Lord Harbrook is currently working in Santropico" The servant explained "He has been there three weeks, and was away during the meeting"
"I see" Lynda stated, with narrowed eyes. Lynda suspected that the lord was on vacation with work as an excuse, Santropico was lovely this time of year. The sun, the sand, the clear air. Internally Lynda sighed and wished that she too was on a tropical island somewhere, but the thought was only fleeting and she quickly returned to business. "Aspire, Haltzenor, if you wish to investigate, do so at your leisure. I'm going to see what I can find out about this meeting, you can join if you wish" Lynda was then guided into a sitting room, where she promptly took a seat and took out a notepad and pen. A cluster of nervous servants were gathered for her to talk to.
"Right then..."

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Thorvald had been expecting the witcher to use his signs at some point, and was anticipating a blast of fire at any point. Instead, the man protected himself in a shield. He was obviously choosing to be defensive, interesting. Around the ship, a few crewmen yelled, but nobody immediately got involved. The boy's knee came up, once again hitting his chainmail, but causing him to let go. He took a single step back, then pulled out his battleaxe. Above, black clouds roiled, anticipating a strike at any point. With his battleaxe out, Thorvald swung twice in a wide arc, testing the boy, and anticipating a counter-attack. Maybe he would try to run? Thorvald hated when they ran.
Suddenly a new voice interjected. Thorvald was too well trained for this to significantly distract him, but it was an annoyance. Thorvald let out a yell and gestured in that direction, not looking away from Aaron. The air around Thorvald's hand crackled and became superheated, as a blinding flash of lightning streaked from it, through the air, heading towards where the newcomer stood. Hopefully that would scare him away.

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Once out of sight of the sergeant, Dylan took a swig of his whisky flask. "How should I know?" Dylan responded to Mira "I live life with the expectation that people will never act as expected" He walked casually across the bridge that lead out of the ministry, and threw the butt of his cigarette into the moat. The Royal guards glared at him, but Dylan barely seemed to notice. "Let's get back to the base and hope that it hasn't fallen apart in our absence"

Time passes.
As the hours go by, the sun retreats to the horizon, sending golden rays through pillars of smoke spewed from the factories. An orange hue is cast across the city as the day begins to surrender to the night. The canals glitter with reflected sunlight, and several trains pass by over this time, lazily making their way across the tracks that span over the city. The hustle and bustle of the afternoon is replaced by the ponderous ambiance of early evening. The night life has not quite begun, yet restaurants and taverns are open and flowing with customers. Yet behind this tranquil facade, in the alleyways and back streets sinister figures shuffle and talk in hushed tones. Intimidating thugs brandish weapons brazenly, greedy crime lords count their illegal goods, and clandestine silhouettes prowl across the rooftops.

Electric lighting blares out of every window at Gallahowe manor, and gentle ambiance can be heard within. Guests arrive, none of them particularly notable, but most of them sporting augments of some kind. A clockwork golem steward stands by the door, ensuring that everybody coming in is expressly invited to this exclusive event. Situated within the industrial district of the city, the elegant mansion is quite a juxtaposition when compared to the large imposing factories behind it.

The Harbrook Manor is quite different. Subdued and almost empty-seeming, the residents within anxiously await information regarding their lady. The manor and its well-groomed gardens sits by the riverside on the western part of the city, along with many other wealthy mansions. Its archaic architecture presents a fairytale image, yet today everything seems on edge.

But before we get to those places, we'll have to visit somewhere much less resplendent. As always, sitting forlorn by the riverside, Haytham's Investigations suicidally contemplates its own existence, as each creak of the ancient building foreshadows its inevitable collapse.

6 PM​

With an exhausted sigh, Dylan pushed open the creaky door of his agency building, with Zephyr in tow. Chucking his hat at the hat-stand, he moved on to the kitchen. "Kara? Are you here?" he shouted out to the building in general. "If you're not here, you're gonna miss out on visiting my super secret information contacts" as he yelled, he grabbed a chocolate bar from the shelf and began to eat it. Dinner was served.

7 PM​

Gallahowe Manor - Mirela
Standing outside, or on her way to, Gallahowe's manor house, Mirela found herself meeting someone new. "Oh, you must be Mirela" a smooth and accented voice called out. The stranger was a dark-skinned woman with pure white hair, wearing quite elegant noblewoman's clothes in colours of deep maroon and black. Her most startling features were the beautifully intricate white tattoos that snaked across her bare arms, and the cybernetic mechanism around one of her eyes which clearly indicated her improved vision. "Mortimer told me about you, and I hoped you'd come along, you see there are very rarely any other women at these events. Oh forgive me my manners, I am Lady Lunaji Gallahowe. Mortimer's wife" the woman's exotic voice sounded like chocolate lathered over caramel, and she moved with the poise and grace of a bred noblewoman, despite her foreign nature.

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Lynda had parked the police car by the roadside, so she, Ulrich and Aspire had to walk along the long driveway that meandered through the grounds to Harbrook mansion. It was a beautiful house that definitely evoked the style of the age of legends, but Lynda had little time to appreciate architecture today
Jebediah's report from the Ministry was certainly worrying, and further confirmed their theories that a forbidden magic Hirokiri plot was to blame for all this. But Mortimer Gallahowe at the head of it? Lynda had always found the man a little suspicious; she didn't like the ridiculous amount of metal he willingly placed into his body, and the way he showed up out of nowhere after his parents death and inherited their business seemed a little convenient. But she couldn't fault his effectiveness; under his rule, the power company had granted a huge percentage of the city access to electricity, whereas before him only the wealthy had been able to power their homes. He was already one of the wealthiest people in the city, she simply couldn't imagine him risking everything on such an audacious power play. And what did their argument hinge on, the fact that he had visited Harbrook and had Hirokiri working for him? It seemed like weak evidence. Nevertheless, hopefully they'd discover more here.
Knock knock knock knock. Lynda rapped out a rhythm quickly against the door to Harbrook Manor when they arrived. A moment later a servant answered.
"...yes?"
"Lynda Rochester of the Eredan Constabulary" she quickly explained, holding up her badge "These are my colleagues; Ulrich Haltzenor and Aspire. we're here to talk about the events at the ministry earlier today"
"...well I..."
"We have a permit"
"...very well" the three of them were reluctantly let into the mansion.

​

Thorvald narrowed his eyes at Aaron as the boy looked around. He hoped the boy wouldn't do anything stupi- that was when he was headbutted in the gut. Although he grunted in surprise, the thick chainmail Thorvald wore protected him from the damage. In an instant, the boy was trying to follow up the move, but Thorvald was an incredibly experienced fighter. He caught the boys hands as they reached up to throttle him with chains. For a moment they struggled together. Thorvald was a tough and hardened Skelligan warrior, but this boy had the mutations of the witchers. As if in response to his disgruntled state, the wind began to howl. Small sparks of electricity began to fly off Thorvald's hands, as he built up a lightning charge...

​

The mystery man smiled and raised an eyebrow "Oh of course. I must be looking for the other Zephyr Siegend. The one who looks exactly like you, and works for a completely different freelance detective agency" He chuckled slightly, before looking towards the ministry building. So many guards. Although he had the authority to stride in there, he didn't want to tip off to anyone that his group were looking into this "It's fine. I might visit your office later. If you can call that deathtrap an office" he said to Zephyr nonchalantly. He didn't blame the boy for being on guard, he was loyal. That was good, but not particularly helpful right now. It didn't matter anyway, he'd just have to find another way to approach the elusive detective. With a simple nod of the head, the man disappeared back into the crowd and made his way away from the plaza. He moved with such natural stealth that trailing him would be almost impossible. Eventually he reached a black carriage, and hopped inside it. He didn't have to tell the driver where to go.
Along the journey, he pulled out his handheld radio. A static noise was emitted from the machine for a few seconds as the man pushed various buttons, until suddenly it played back something. The radio was no simple communication device, it was a very advanced piece of technology, when configured the right way, it could record noises that were picked up by a different radio within range. The man smiled smugly as he played back the recording from the Royal Guard radios inside the Ministry, which had picked up on the whole conversation between Dylan Haytham, Mirabelle Autumnfield and Jebediah Crowne. The man's face fell, as he dicovered that much of their coversing had been done via note-passing. "Well now, that's just rude" he muttered to himself. Nevertheless, they said enough to give the man a decent overview of the situation, which made him frown even further.
When the recording was over, he fiddled once more with the buttons, and found the frequency he needed. A voice answered on the other side.
"Valerie here"
"Mum, it's Keeran. We've got a problem..."

​

Unable to stand the negative energy in the tunnel, Dylan climbed the ladder, making his way out. He nodded as Mira and Jebediah made their comments, but was concentrating on working out information in the back of his mind. Forbidden mage, Hirokiri, related to Lord Mortimer Gallahowe possibly. He zoned back into the conversation as he heard Jebediah making an offering. Ignoring the proffered hand, Dylan scrambled out and gave the sergeant a distrustful look. He paused, then turned to Mira. And back to Jebediah. "...Fffffine" he spat as if the words were repulsive to say. "7 PM, Gallahowe Manor. I won't be there, I have other sources I need to consult" Dylan said, striding past them both and pulling out a cigarette. "Come on Mira, let's get back to the Tower" he said this last part mostly for the benefit of the Royal Guards, he was certain the sergeant wasn't convinced about their disguise.

​

Thorvald gave a grunt and rolled his eyes "I'll be sure ta tell yer new owners how sassy ye are" he said bitterly, as he grabbed Aaron and hauled him to his feet. He lead the boy out onto the deck of the ship, bedraggled and manacled. On the small jetty stood a man wreathed in dark robes. Though it was difficult to see, he carried a sword at his hip. "last chance to talk back to me, any witty words to say, boy?" Thorvald narrowed his eyes at the young witcher. They were almost alone on the deck of the ship, only a few crewmen busy tying rigging and doing other nautically-appropriate jobs. And then there was the robed man on the land, his features hidden and remaining silent for now, fingers steepled in front of him.

​

Dylan, seeing the stuck trapdoor, looked around the room for some kind of heavy object. There were a couple of options, or maybe he could use the sergeant's sword to lever it open. The sword was enchanted, it was hardly likely to break- Dylan suddenly heard a crash from behind him. Turning slowly, he witnessed the hatch broken in, and Jebediah grimacing. He acknowledged this with a raised eyebrow, and joined the others at the edge of the trap door. As Mira asked him a for a light, he shrugged and shook his head. He wasn't expecting to have to bring along a freaking lantern, and he could hardly afford an electric torch. A few moments after Mira had begun to climb down, he realised that he had a lighter. Oh well. Dylan looked at the sergeant with a hint of suspicion, then began to climb down wordlessly. As he climbed down, Mirabelle informed them of what she'd found. It was quite disturbing, and he found himself seeing strange glimpses of red energy, a sign of forbidden magic, to Dylan's eyes only. As he reached the bottom and turned around, he found his mind assaulted with waves of red energy, and stumbled "Sh*t!" he exclaimed, clutching his head. Why was this happening to him? He'd never experienced this kind of reaction to magic before. He grumbled and risked a glance to the ritual. It truly was quite gruesome, but it wasn't as bad as the nauseating swirls of red energy that seemed to make Dylan want to vomit. "Ok. I think we can finally definitely say for sure... this is magical. It's also evil as a demon setting a kitten orphanage on fire" Dylan walked past the ritual circle, trying not to look at it. "And I assume this tunnel goes somewhere, which is probably the same way the mage came in. We must be on a level with the canals... if someone knew about this tunnel, it can't be difficult to get from a canal boat to here"

​

Lynda nodded, the mansion sounded like a good idea, although she suspected that Ulrich didn't wish to dig through medical records. "Right, I'll get on that. We should be able to get there later tonight" she explained "Until then, you have some paperwork to catch up on" Lynda smiled and walked out, almost having forgotten her bad meeting with the Lord-Marshall. Right, time to find where miss Harbrook lived...

​

There were some times when the man wanted to be noticed. At socialite parties, where whisky flowed like water, and he could catch the eye of a wealthy businesswoman. The following morning he'd usually end up stealing all the things he needed, and then disappear without even saying his name. However, this was not one of those times. Although it could be, he noticed a few very attractive women in the crowd. But the kind of person he didn't want noticing him was that kid who worked for Dylan Haytham. With a sigh, the man turned and walked towards the younger man, though he can't have been that much younger. The man himself was only 21, yet he had the look of a person who had a lot of experiences for his age, and his muscled physique made him look slightly older.
"Hey kiddo" he greeted, removing his sunglasses and producing a charming smile "I'm looking for your boss. Have you got any idea where he is?"