20 Interrogation.

Markus.

Markus listened as the heavy doors shut behind him, closing as though of their own volition and in a manner that was decidedly on the cusp of concerning.

Far be it from him to overanalyse a potential trap where he was locked in a room with two high-level and possibly hostile individuals given his newfound treason, but the concussion really was starting to make him want to vomit.

Maybe it was all in his head?

Maybe he was about to be hauled off to the dungeons!

Either way, it was getting harder and harder to actually care…

As if to accentuate this point, the young man scarcely noticed as he was led to a rather comfortable sofa and directed to sit, a firm and very insistent hand pressing him down by the shoulder.

Honestly?

While Markus might like to imagine he was maintaining, the reality was that he was already slumped, eyes lidded as his world spun, hoping against hope that he wasn't about to ralph all over the pristine and, no doubt, horrendously expensive carpet.

Blessedly, soon after, a ruby-red vial found its way to his fingers, the mage needing little coaxing into accepting its blissful healing as he upended it, guzzling greedily and feeling the miserable slamming in his head finally subside.

His headache lessened to a point where he could actually think again…

Wonderful, beautiful, alchemical soothing.

However, when he looked up, he noticed that neither of the older men had bothered joining him on the luxurious furniture.

Instead, Thorbin delivered the scroll to a nearby desk that sat in the corner of the room while the Captain merely waited whilst standing, his hand resting upon the wooden backing of a padded chair, waiting in silence.

"The report, as I'm sure you're aware, is somewhat—frustratingly thin," Thorbin declared, returning after tucking the parchment away and, this time, taking a seat opposite Markus as he smiled.

His thin lips formed an equally thin display of warmth that seemed as displeased as it was a clear attempt to put him at ease, poor as it was.

If anything, the man looked to be entirely displeased, and Markus could only hope his ire had more to do with the situation than the young man himself.

"However, in the interest of public safety, I am going to have to insist that you subject yourself to an increased degree of scrutiny," So saying, the dapper gentleman retrieved a dull ring from his pockets, proffering it towards Markus, who eyed it with intense uncertainty.

It was undoubtedly a magical artifact; however, as to what kind it was, it could be anyone's guess.

It certainly wasn't of the sort that was mass-produced for bureaucratic purposes, as it lacked any of the familiar ‘maker’s marks’ that companies so often stamped their work with.

Thus, the young mage was immediately wary of it.

Everyone learned the dangers of placing unknown magical items on one's person without understanding what they did.

And the chain that had been forced upon himself notwithstanding, Markus was not in the habit of breaking a ‘core rule’ of adventuring.

While an identification skill or scroll could, at times, fill in for true divination, it was common practice to hold off on using strange and potentially dangerous artifacts one found in a dungeon until a proper expert could examine them.

As it happened, his hesitation was not to go unnoticed as the guildmaster grinned, an amused gleam filling his gaze.

"Ah, but you are a responsible young man, aren't you? Very good, it is poor practice to simply take upon oneself foreign magical implements. But you needed to worry, lad. That ring isn't anything particularly special.

“It will analyze you for any pesky lingering spell-works that afflict the mind. Thus, so long as you are not present beneath the guise of a mind-mage that would have you play turncoat, you should have nothing to fear."

Oh, was that it?

He’d—well, sort of expected something a little more heavy-handed.

Maybe a true-truth ring which was sort of like an expensive and juiced-up truth-sayer orb. O-or, perhaps a band of command which would then force him to do exactly as the guildmaster asked, right up to the point of providing an accurate accounting to the best of his abilities, willing or otherwise.

At once, Markus felt an enormous pressure abate from his chest, the young man taking in a long breath as he readied himself for what came next.

Nodding, all the while noting how carefully the guard captain was watching him, Markus accepted the inconspicuous ring and easily slipped it on a finger.

The odd metal seemed to shift to accommodate his digit's thinner size, snuggly wrapping and tightening itself around his flesh before an odd stinging sensation ran up his spinal column.

There was a slight flicker of concern that ran through his mind, specifically regarding the possibility that the Guildmaster was being disingenuous with his explanations, but even if he had, Markus possessed little choice in the direction his life was currently taking.

Had he chosen to decline to wear the ring, he had no doubt that the man looming at his side would have taken him straight into his custody.

From there, it was only a matter of time before the torturers got their spindly fingers on his comparatively delicate person to do all manner of unpleasant things to his delicate flesh.

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Nobody disregarded the threat of mind control once its ugly head had reared itself amidst suspicions. Not unless you wanted to end up as some morally compromised mage's puppet for the rest of your days.

Yet, for all his apprehension and fears, that slight prickle was all that transpired, the three men each seeming to wait with a sort of expectant hush as the moments shifted to minutes within the quiet sitting room.

"Well," Thorbin announced, his expression softening. "That rules out that. He's not under a nefarious spell to hide secrets from us, thank the gods."

"Which will be my cue to depart." The Captain announced, his posture never shifting from that high-strung and wound anticipation. "I assume you'll fill me in on anything of importance you discover if the lad even knows that much in the first place?"

"Of course, Lord Korr, and feel free to stop by again, I do enjoy sharing a cup of tea between old friends."

The Captain nodded, sparing a final glance for Markus, then marched from the room, his every step deliberate and without wasted movement, exiting from the chamber without another word.

"Now, if you would be so kind as to return my ring? I would deeply enjoy hearing your account of what happened."

Markus inclined his chin, removing the Guild-master's artifact and depositing it within the older man's outstretched hand.

Then, he took a breath, reminding himself of the tale he wanted to spin before affecting a truly exhausted countenance that wasn't at all an act.

"Everything was—normal through the majority of our inspection…" He began, closing his eyes as if to relive memories that were difficult to recall. "We were just preparing ourselves to confront Grom when—chaos…"

"An interesting choice of words…" Thorbin commented, one of his thick and bushy brows rising on his forehead.

"But accurate," the mage assured, nodding as he continued. "Hueburt, our fighter, alerted us that something was wrong. Yet, before I could even wrap my head around what was happening, Lisa, our rogue, was dead. Huebert had been tossed aside, burning alive in the bonfire, and, shortly after, everything went dark…"

"But the report plainly states that you saw the deaths of your companions, or was that a mistake?"

"I did; Liasa lost part of her head, Hueburt burned alive, and, despite the darkness, Alicia was dragged by the hair and murdered as she begged for mercy."

"Murdered?"

"I do believe that was the case," Markus whispered, a bead of sweat forming on his brow as he danced around the delicate realities of what had really happened. "The person who did the deed was somehow hiding their true abilities, inspection didn't properly work. But Alicia got the worst of it by far, she wasn't tortured, but her demise almost felt—personal…"

"So you're giving credence to the rumor that a ‘serial killer’ is loose in the dungeon?"

"I am." Markus agreed, voice nearly horse, "I don't know what I saw, and I understand it even less. I've no idea why I was spared other than some insane reasoning in that I made the killer—well, I made the killer laugh, sir…"

"With a joke?" Thorbin pressed, his head tilting to the side with immense confusion.

"I—no… I believe it was rather my ineptitude, actually…"

The older man’s face twitched at that, a small breath pulling through his teeth, though he hid most of his apologetic cringe unless one was looking for it.

His features shifted ever so softly as he released a sigh and cleared his throat louder than was needed, as if to push away the awkward tension that filled the air.

"Oftentimes, those with psychopathic tendencies enjoy playing with their victims. Personally? I wouldn't take whatever was said to heart, young Markus. By all accounts, you are a bright and intelligent young man who has, through luck and tenacity, survived a terrible ordeal that I would not wish upon anyone.

“Moreover, what you have brought with you is invaluable information. Even if you do not recall much, I am of the inclination to believe you, regardless of the unfortunate lack of details.

Truthfully, it fits with my own personal suspicions on the matter. And rest assured, if there is a high-level killer hiding themselves and preying on our city’s youths, I will find them and bring the perpetrator to justice.”

For a moment, the room was quiet, Markus merely trying his best to remain calm as his rapidly racing heart threatened to explode from his chest!

So close, he was so close to pulling it off!

All he needed to do was maintain and avoid fucking this all up…

“Yet," Thorbin breathed, now leaning back in his chair and allowing the silence to break, "based on your claim, I'm afraid that any information as to the killer's appearance or abilities will be purposefully misleading…”

“I-it will?”

“Of course. I wouldn't expect a good lad like yourself to understand the darker schemes of such ‘creatures’ that name themselves human, yet I have lived a very long time, and experience is more often than not the best resource we have.

“No, just the understanding that there is a murderer shall be enough for me to work with, no point in letting ourselves be drawn into some Machiavellian ‘game’ of cat and mouse. You don't catch fish by swimming after all, you do so with tools designed to hook them!

“All the same, the fact that we have an individual who can travel between the shards of a dungeon is equally more information than the murderer likely knows he’s allowed us.”

"Is it even possible to break into another group's delve?" Markus demanded, pushing a degree of frustration and anger into his tone that merely earned him a dark grimace.

"Your latest experience is all the proof you require in that regard, is it not? However, beyond that, I will simply say that magic is a force of nature in itself. There are many restricted arts that are not public knowledge, which allow for individuals to perform feats that oftentimes seem as arcane to us as a simple cantrip might to a child.

“The world is vast and filled with mysteries, dear boy. However, that does not mean we are without our own tricks. Now that I have a modicum of evidence that something nefarious is transpiring within the dungeon beyond simple reports of vanishing delvers, I can bring to bear the full might of the city's college to assist me in rooting out this villain!

“It will take time,” Thorbin allowed, his mustache twitching as though he were earnestly annoyed by the prospect, “as all such endeavors do, but I hope very soon we might bring them before the emperor's magistrates! Until then…" The guild master continued, rising and indicating he should follow, "I would suggest you take some time to recover and rest.

“Avoid the dungeon." He commanded, a hand pushing gently at the small of Markus's back as he was led to the room's exit, "Try and recuperate. You'll be relieved of any guild duties and expectations until you're ready to return to them, and I will ensure you are provided with a private room to do so. I suspect it shall not be difficult to find you should I require any additional words with you in the future, yes?"

"O-of course, Guildmaster…"

"There's a good lad."

Then, after opening the doors and peering towards his secretary, the man made his wishes known, departing back into his parlor as Markus was left standing there, feeling the world finally lift from his shoulders…