"A lich, you say..."
Gregory nodded,
Umbra raised a brow,
"What makes you think that? Isn't this just ordinary Divination?"
Gregory pursed his lips.
Glancing down at the burnt out candles, he shook his head,
"This spell was made to trace the origin of the identified strain of mana with absolute precision. What I found had the rather distinct signature of a higher undead, the most likely one being a lich."
Umbra frowned, "Something like that seems quite risky, doesn't it?"
Gregory nodded, "It is. But if you put up certain limiters, the danger should fall significantly."
Richard smiled wryly,
'He's figured it out already? The day hasn't even come to an end.'
"How he knows doesn't matter. The longer we delay, the higher the chance of another innocent life falling victim to these abominations."
Richard nodded,
"Even if there is a lich, it isn't our battle to fight. I will inform Leon of his troubles. In the meantime, the rest of us will be headed for the coven."
He reached out his arm to Gregory,
"You did well."
Gregory's eyes lit up as he took the hand.
Pulling him up, Richard dusted his hands as he walked out of the building and into the streets.
He was, however, forced to stop in his tracks.
A huge, burly figure stood in his path.
The others slowly walked out of the building a moment later.
Richard raised a brow as he glanced up at the large individual standing right in front of him.
'This situation...'
The huge man flashed a sinister grin. Seeing his huge yellowing teeth made Richard remember the face of a rather ugly imp he had once killed.
He tilted his head a bit.
Behind the large man was an entire posse of thugs, all of them lustfully eyeing the two girls behind him.
"You come to our turf without a heads up or a greeting. Don't you think that is a bit disrespectful?" The large man said with a sneer.
Richard calmly raised a brow,
"I'm sorry, do I know you?"
He wasn't feigning ignorance too. He had absolutely no idea who this ugly behemoth was.
The large thug's face fell.
One of the smaller things behind him took reached behind his waistband as he took a step forward. The sharp glint of a knife could be seen despite the darkness of the storm descending.
"Listen here, punk—"
Richard sighed to himself,
'We don't have time for this...'
One of the things he truly did hate in this world was an inconvenience.
It was troublesome and could ruin the rest of the day if not handled properly.
Dipping his hands into his pockets, he pulled a charm out as he took a step back.
He put on a friendly smile as he waved the paper charm on front of the burly thug,
"Tell me, do you know what this is?"
The thug sneered, "What are you, some kind of voodoo lunatic? Well, it doesn't matter. I'm only interested in those girls. The rest of you can fuck off."
Richard sighed sadly and shook his head,
"Wrong answer."
A spark danced across his fingertips.
The charm was set ablaze.
Dropping the charm to the ground, Richard took a step back.
A sadistic gleam flashed across Richard's eyes.
Sensing something was off, the thug took a step back to retreat. But it was too late.
The moment the burning charm hit the ground, it disappeared.
Simultaneously, all the thugs in front of them disappeared as well.
A silent wind blew past them.
"That was..." Gregory muttered.
Celine's eyes narrowed,
"What the hell was that?"
Richard chuckled, "Just a little trick I play some times. Don't worry. I didn't kill them or send them to hell or anything like that..."
Gregory walked forward and examined the area in front of them where the group of thugs had been only seconds ago,
"A transfer spell? Those usually take some time to cast, don't they?"
Richard shrugged, "Don't think about it too much. Come, let's go..."
***
The state of the slums kept getting worse the further in they drove.
"This place is more crowded than the last place. Are you sure this is it?" Celine said with a frown.
Gregory nodded, "I am certain. Although I also think this is strange."
He turned to Richard,
"What do you think?"
Driving carefully down a fairly crowded street despite the incessant rain, Richard shrugged,
"Maybe the ghouls simply can't resist the scent of human flesh? That would explain why there are so many casualties."
Vagabond frowned,
"Or it could be that it is all just a coincidence."
Richard shrugged, "Either way, we will find out soon enough."
Finding an empty parking lot, he drove in and parked his car.
Getting out, he noticed the rain didn't seem intent on stopping any time soon.
He shivered lightly, feeling a bit miserable.
His mood was killed.
With a dark expression, he gestured for Gregory to lead the way.
They walked a bit, their attires and posturing attracting more than a few gazes, curious and otherwise.
Eventually, Gregory stopped in front of a bar.
Richard raised a brow,
"You sure this is the place?"
Gregory nodded slowly, rain dripping from the edge of his hood.
"I'm certain. The tail-end of thread leads here."
Richard exhaled deeply.
A soft mist escaped from his lips.
It really was cold out here.
The bar looked like it had survived a war or two. The neon sign hanging above it blinked erratically, the letters spelling "The Tankard" flickering like a dying heartbeat.
The windows were opaque with grime, and the wooden door looked swollen from years of moisture and abuse.
Umbra tilted her head.
"A bunch of ghouls hiding out in a bar? Doesn't that seem a bit... Theatrical?"
Richard shrugged, "Maybe."
He approached the door and laid a hand on it.
'I can't sense any magic. No traps as well.'
Gregory frowned.
They both exchanged a look.
'Suspicious...'
It seemed there were in the right spot after all.
He pushed the door open.
A wave of warm air saturated with the odor of sweat, cheap alcohol, and damp wood washed over them.
Like every low end bar with cheap booze and whores standing in the front to catch their next victim, the lighting was low with heavy shadows seated in the corners.
Patrons, criminals and regular poor drunkards alike littered the booths and tables, a mix of tired faces and broken souls nursing cheap drinks and tired lives.
None of them looked particularly suspicious.
Which made it worse.
Celine leaned in, her voice a whisper.
"This many people… won't there be casualties of something happens?"
"We'll think of something when the time comes." He whispered back.
They entered together, drawing more than a few gazes
A man in the corner, his face lost behind a cloud of cigarette smoke, squinted at them. A waitress glanced their way before scurrying off. A group of thugs loudly playing cards, a thick cloud of smoke and alcohol hanging over their table also stared in their direction.
The bartender, a wiry man with thick arms and a shaved head, met Richard's gaze and nodded once before returning to polishing a glass.
Ignoring all else, Cain walked forward before taking one of the empty seats at the bar.
"Evening."
The bartender gave him another nod,
"What would you like?"
Richard smiled,
"Surprise us."
The bartender raised a brow, glancing over the group
"Is that so..."
Richard nodded,
"While you mix the drinks, why don't we have a little chat?"
The bartender said nothing...
Taking this as a sign to proceed, Richard cleared his throat,
"Have you heard anything about recent disappearances or deaths here in the slums?"
The bartender snorted then spoke in a gruff voice,
"People die and disappear everyday in the slums. What's new?"
His eyes narrowed as he stared at their group intensely,
"You all don't seem to be from around here."
Richard shrugged, "We aren't. But please refrain from asking any more questions."
The bartender chuckled, "Sure thing, man."
There was a momentary lull...
"Alright, here you go."
The dim lights in the bar flickered on and off for a split second.
Richard's eyes narrowed.
"Thanks." He said as he slowly picked the drink up.
He paused for a moment,
"You know, although they have lived for thousands of years, creatures of the abyss are rather sloppy. Maybe it is because they have lived for so long that they become rather negligent after a while."
Richard glanced up at the bartender's face. He didn't seem surprised at all, wearing a calm look as he wiped down glasses with a rag.
Richard glanced to his sides.
Sensing something was off, Celine's expression changed.
Tilting her head slightly, she noticed that most of the patrons in the bar were currently staring at them intensely.
Their eyes were so wide open, it seemed as though their eyeballs would pop right out of their sockets at any point.
"Richard..." She said in a lowered tone.
Richard chuckled,
"This is quite the interesting situation we have found ourselves in, isn't it?"
With a light thud, th bartender placed the rag and glass in his hand down,
He paused for a moment before asking,
"How were they negligent?"
Richard chuckled, "Getting curious, are we?"
The bartender nodded calmly.
Richard sighed. He glanced at Vagabond who seemed ready to act at any moment. Vagabond stared back at him. He seems to hesitate for a moment before dropping back to his seat with a confused expression.
Celine glanced at him with a confused frown as well.
Richard ignored her and turned back to the bartender,
"Should I start from the beginning?"