- Investigation

Chapter 17

'What do you believe to be causing this?' The Barrghest asks Aurelius as the pair pass down the hall and towards the staircase, heading down towards the first floor.

'It doesn't sound like a mage, most necromancers I know keep their undead close by and in great numbers. Given the missing persons and appearance of the zombies after the incidents, I suspect that we have a creature feeding on people.' Aurelius muses in response over the open mind link as the pair reaches the precipice of the second-floor landing before shifting and heading down another flight.

The Barrghest glances down the corridors on the floors, the uniform shape seeming overly peculiar to him. The stone made sense to him, as some of the goblins from his younger days would hold up in caves, though the illumination seemed to be because the majority of the denizens here could not see in total darkness, or at the very least that is what he presumed.

'Let us find out where the fliers for the missing persons are located, and then head to the closest point of the incident.' Aurelius communicates as he leads them down to the first floor and towards the eastern exit to the structure.

Light spills in from a few open holes in the walls, what most architects tend to call windows. The Barrghest had learned of this in one of the numerous books that Aurelius had read over the past few years. Though the light did not seem to be following the typical pattern that he had learned from back home.

'What is going on with the light in this place?' The Barrghests asks as Aurelius stops at a large board with numerous sheets of parchment nailed to it. He looks over at the board and discovers a variety of written languages, the few he is capable of identifying are Elven, Common but with a strange local dialect as some of the letters are either missing or in the wrong place, and under-speech.

'Seeing as to how there is no natural light in this realm, they have enchanted lightning that simulates a natural daylight cycle. We are transitioning into the late afternoon cycle, as the lights have begun dimming.' Aurelius explains to the Barrghest as he pulls two posters from the board which is written in common-speech.

'It looks like one of the elders of this place has been abducted as well.' The Barrghest says as he examines the paper with an image of a well-dressed man and a large sum listed on the page.

'One of the citizens from the upper class has gone missing and they are offering a reward for information and bringing him home alive.' Aurelius explains, then draws the Barrghests attention to the other image. This one contained a female that is wearing goggles and looks as if she has just crawled out of a furnace. 'The other is a woman from the market district, a metal-smith.'

'Do you believe these humans have an impact on the case we have taken up?' The Barrghest asks quizically.

'Indeed. The earliest report is that of the bartender, which is located in the market district. The second case is that of the woman from the red light district, which is located near the slums. Two of the missing persons turned zombie was detailed to be encountered in the slums, and the third from the market district. Given the locations of these missing people, it looks as if they are moving around the city.' Aurelius explains, motioning for the Barrghest to follow him outside.

Out in the street once more the pair can see that the crystals all around proving that lights have indeed been dimming. The Barrghest takes a keen curiosity to a large one that is embedded in the side of the structure labeled town hall. 'At some point, will you show me details for the process of enchanting crystals in such a manner? Magic has far more uses than I had originally anticipated.'

'I can certainly look into setting up lessons for that once this curse has been ridden.' Aurelius replies, taking a map out from his pocket and then proceeding to mark a few places on it with a quill. 'We can check in with the family of the missing metalsmith and investigate the scene where the zombie was located in the market before heading to the slums. The sooner we get our feet wet the sooner we should be able to solve this mystery.'

The duo makes their way through the streets, heading towards the market district. From where they came from, it was east. The town hall seems to be located near the southern gate to the inner sanctuary of the citadel, and scattered around the inner sanctuary are the outer districts, the market being on the east side. North is the low-income houses, typically referred to as the slums. To the west is another market district, that is rumored to be where any illicit deals can be made. To the south are more expensive structures. typically referred to as the nobles' quarters.

The transition from the noble district to the market is subtle but obvious to anyone paying attention. Regal decorations give way to functional installations, as those residing within the market couldn't afford to waste space with something that didn't suit their needs.

Aurelius and the barrghest make their way down a few crowded streets, finally comming to rest at shop decorated with wreath, flowers, and candels. Before either one of them could even take a guess, the large poster of the missing woman answered most of their questions. All that remained was to get inside and see what help the family could provide.

Their presence unsettled those inside the shop, a few were clearly still in mourning, while another moved to the front of the shop with a wide smile. "How can we be of service today?" A man covered in metal filings and grime asked as cheerfully as he could.

"We are here to ask about the missing person." Aurelius says, choosing his words closely, as he does not wish to further deepen the wounds this family is clearly dealing with.

"Our dear Adelle, yes. We should speak of this outside as to not upset her parents." The man explains before ushering them out of the shop. "She has been missing for the past three days, and the patrols are about top give up searching. They are saying that it is unlilely to find her alive at this point, and her family have not taken the news well. Do you have information that might give us a bit of hope?" He asks with clear desperation in his voice.

"I wish we did. Any details you could provide about the abduction would assist us greatly in tracking down whoever might have done this." Aurelius replies, silently wishing he could use some of the spells he had access too without jeapordizing his life.

"There isn't much to go off. She was working late, and the next morning she was simply gone. There were no signs of struggle. It's as if she simply vanished into thin air." The man replied exasperated.

"Would you mind letting us examine the scene of her disappearance then?" Aurelius replies.

"If you think it would truly assist in locating Adelle, then I will consent and show you the shop." The man relents and motions for them to follow him around the rear of the structure to a workshop. He props the doors open for them before waving them inside. "This is where she was last seen. Any insight you can provide will be worth more than any amount of coin at this point."

Aurelius steps inside the worshop, hopeful that he will be able to unconver something with his current limitations.