Chapter 51 – Investigations
Deadly silence hung over the barren land, charred to crisp as if a huge fire destroyed everything that once grew here. The only difference was that there was no soot or ashes. Cracked earth was painted black gave off a feeling of darkness and something sinister. No living creatures dared come into this place. Even the silent whisper of the tree leaves that broke the tranquility of the dim forest around this place seemed to not want to come here. Gentle wind that shrugged the leaves in the forest around this place seemed cold and malign when it flew above this land.
Shadows of trees that circled that barren land suddenly congested together and darkened as if creating a dark material. Out of the shadow-like material a human figure dressed fully in black stepped out onto the cracked dark earth.
This figure walked over the barren land more silent than the gentle wind that blew from the forest. Every step this person took was as light as if it was a weightless shadow moving over the earth. After walking for some time toward the center of this dark, sinister land, the person in black kneeled and touched the ruined earth with its open palm.
Shadows from all around the forest started to stream toward that hand as snakes. They congested around the palm making it look as if that person stood in the large dark pond made of shadows. Once the pond grew to the size of a few meters around the dark figure, the surface of the pond started to tremble as if a ripple on the water, waves made of shadow started to spread around it. Out of the waves dark things started materializing growing out of black pond as if mushrooms. Soon these shadowy objects started to become more apparent, turning into some figures. A few moments later these black figures turned into a wolf pack and a human figure standing in its center, surrounded by the wolves from all sides. There were no colors to them, no face on the person that stood there. All of it looked like a hologram made of shadows.
A moment later the human-like shadow figure roared in the voiceless scream and a wave of blackness spread around it hitting a wolf pack on its way.
After that wave hit the black wolves made of darkness they rushed at the figure of the largest wolf that stood with its giant size above all other wolves as if a mother over cubs. The shadows then congested into one mass and there was no discernible picture that could be figured from this mass of blackness as all the wolves in this illusion were the same tint of black. After that the huge mass of shadows dispersed in different directions leaving only the figure of a huge black wolf laying on the black pond surface.
The shadowy illusion started to waver the next moment and figures made of black material started to disperse. The person in black kneeling in the center of the shadowy hologram humphed exhaling deeply and whispered something.
Soon the illusion returned to its best clarity again.
The human-like figure moved toward that laying wolf, taking out an object that looked like a knife and swung it at the shadowy wolf making it disappear and disperse. Illusions started to waver again and the dark person tsked with annoyance.
Whispering some more and putting a second hand on the ground, a person in black clothes managed to stabilize the shadows around her and saw how black figure spread some black wave from itself again. This one was concentrated on one spot instead of dispersing around it and out of that energy a figure of a huge black wolf appeared. Identical to the one that dispersed in that very spot just a moment ago. The next moment her shadowy illusion shattered and dispersed. In a second shadows around her turn transparent and disappeared back to where they came from.
"How may we help you shadow lady." Said the voice from behind the person dressed in black that stood up scanning with her eyes all around her.
Ten beautiful ladies with barely any clothes on them stood around her. Everyone had a different flower in their hair, that was barely visible in the darkness that spread around an evening forest.
"I am here on behalf of my lady." Said the woman's voice from behind the black cloth that covered most of the dark person's face.
"I know who you represent. What I want to know is, what is your business in our domain?"
"I came here for an investigation of a certain event on the order from my lady. I have no business with the Dryad family itself."
"You are waltzing into our garden as if into your own house and disregard my attempts to stop your activity twice. Yet you dare spout nonsense of not having anything to do with our family?"
"I have no idea why, lady Dryad would stop me from using my skill. As I know the labyrinth is a place free for hunting and visiting. Have I been mistaken, lady Dryad."
"Labyrinth is indeed open for hunting, this place however is blocked for visits at the moment. I would ask you to leave immediately."
"Why is the Dryad family trying to hide the events of what transpired here?"
"This event has been concluded and needs no further discussion. Now you will leave!" Said Dryad and the eyes of the ten dryads around her started to shine with a green light from within.
"I understand. No need to be so angry. I will leave immediately, lady Dryad." Said the black person showing her hand in a pacifying gesture. Then slowly walked out of the dryad's encirclement and walked away keeping an eye on them at all times.
When a woman dressed in black clothes reached the forest she quickly disappeared in the shadows.
"She investigated quite a lot until we could finally stop her skill. Is it smart to let her go?" Said one of the dryads.
"She saw only what she knew from the get go. The events here have been noticed by the Holy Lady without doubt. What she didn't learn is how this event ended. That is the main thing we have to prevent her from finding out. So it would not be smart to agitate the Holy Lady because of this. However they might try to investigate again. Until this place starts to regrow and restores, making her magic lose its effect here, we must be on guard at all times." Said Dryad, who spoke to the shadow person.
*****
"Undead?" Asked the girl sitting on the bed in the well furnished hotel room.
"Most likely." Answered another woman taking off her black dress. "I could not figure out enough until they closed in on me and finally broke off my skill. But what I managed to see very much tells it. The wolf died dispersing its shadow image, yet then resurrected back to life."
"I don't understand. Undead are the biggest enemy of the Dryad family. The blight of life force that they represent. Why would they be covering it up?"
"There seems to be something deeper in that event. Something that happened later. I bet dryads met that person and had a showdown. It is what happened after that they want to hush. However, now they are on alert. I doubt we will manage to get any more info from there. What's on your side?"
"Well, nothing very useful, however I learned something very interesting. Have you ever heard of the poison slime?"
"Poison slime? No. Doesn't ring a bell." Said the woman that returned from the investigation inside the Great Tree Labyrinth.
"So here's the story…" said the girl that investigated the guild telling what she learned from peeping at the guild manager.
******
The sound of the magic calling device sounded in the room filled with the schemes and figures of the devices and magic circles so much that they spilled to the floor.
Every surface of the large room with multiple work tables was filled to the brim with all kinds of things and papers, making it look like chaos after an explosion. Yet this was the usual state of this room.
Strangely, only one place had all the things cleared around it. It was a spot around the large intricate device with a magic crystal embedded into it that shone and gave off the sound.
"Yes!" Said annoyed men's voice after hitting a magic circle on that device and picking up one part of it to his ear
"No!" He said a bit later after hearing some voice from the part he put to his ear. "No, I don't!" With every reply he made, he looked more and more annoyed.
"Yes, I will find out. Yes. First thing as I get the info. Yes! Good bye!" Said the man and slammed the circle on the device again while throwing down the part that he was listening to. Just as the part hit the table, the calling device started to sound again.
"AAAAAARGH!" Screamed the man with anger and swiped off everything that was left on the table to the floor, except for the calling device itself.
"YES!" He said angrily when he picked up the part of it to the ear again. "NO. I. DO. NOT. KNOW. ANYTHING. ABOUT. POISON SLIMES!" Said the man seething with anger and then slammed the calling device again, throwing down the listening part.
Then he left the room walking out of it just to hear a new sound of the device calling. He slammed the door shut to not hear that sound from the hall anymore and walked through the halls.
"Ah Magister Eliot, you are just in time." Said an aged man with a silver beard sitting behind the massive wooden table when the angry man entered his office without knocking. "I was about to send after you. You see I was…"
"Slimes! Poison slimes! Yes I know. No, I don't know about them! Never heard of them. Don't know where to get them! Any more questions? May I now request to shut down the line to the calling device inside my workshop? I could not work the whole morning!"
"Magister Eliot. I understand your concern. However this is not the time for you to sink into your research. Right now we have a very important task."
"I DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THEM! Why does everyone want to ask me about them?"
"Well this is a huge problem magister Eliot, because I was just contacted by the Crown Chancellory demanding information on it immediately."
"What? Even the Royal family went crazy today?"
"Magister Eliot! I would ask you to choose words wisely!" Said an aged man behind the desk.
*Huuuu.
Breathe out the angry man dropping into the leather couch in the office.
"Forgive me Grand Magister. I spoke without thinking. I was agitated by the endless calls since the very morning. Someone even sent a messenger to me early in the morning actually waking me up. Waking me up! Sir, you know how early I wake up!"
"I understand Magister Eliot. However this is a very important matter. Put away all your research for now and compile a report for the Crown Chancellory. Here let this be a starting point for you." Said Grand Magister of the Royal School of Magic handing him a few papers.
"What is this?" Asked Magister Eliot, taking the papers and turning them in hand to read.
"Yesterday's report from an adventurers guild. A great disaster hit one of the kingdom's towns yesterday. A whole village has been lost. It seems the criminals used the monster bait to call up a stampede in an attempt to kill the adventurers sent to recapture the village from the criminals hands."
"I see, this is indeed an unfortunate event. What does it have to do with slimes."
"Yes look at the last page please. The one where they explain how they survived." Said Grand Magister.
"Ate the poison absorbing slime that could prevent being poisoned in the cloud of unknown poison fumes that standard antidote had no effect against? Is this a joke?" Asked Magister Eliot.
"Unfortunately, it's not. This is the report that the main adventurers guild office has presented to the Crown Chancellory in regards to the events that has transpired there." Answered the Grand magister.
"Adventurers Guild Grand Master answers with his head for the report to the Crown. False report is a suicide for him and his whole family. Which makes this only more serious, as we have…NO GOD DAMN IDEA WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS POISON SLIME!" Screamed Grand Magister slamming the table while seething with anger. "Where the hell did it come from? How did they get it? We don't know anything and Crown Chancellory not explicitly accusing us of incompetence!"
"I understand." Said Magister Eliot straightening in the chair after hearing Grand Magister's outburst. "I will do some research immediately. However…"
"Yes?"
"Grand Magister, if this slime has such a magical effect as described, then it raises a question. Can it absorb poisons in the potions? If yes this is a national treasure of the level to bring us war with countries that might covet it."
"Yes. And Crown Chancellory is aware of this."
"We must secure the source immediately."
"The crown has sent the investigators, late at night to the Greenville town. A-class adventurers guild was dispatched from a nearby town to Greenville last evening as I was informed. Adventurers guild was ordered to secure the source too."
"I see. I would like to meet that Tamer. It could very well be that it is slime made with his unique skill."
"Investigators will bring him here. Your task is to find out whether it is possible for other tamers to create something similar. Find the best tamers and do research on this."
"I understand!" Said Magister Eliot exiting the office.