Shasa had collected information from the customers of the tavern and the members of the cartel who had stood guard outside the tavern. Lith had heard the whistle, but back then he still believed he was dealing with humans. By the time he had captured the Emperor Beasts inside the Roaring Lion, the lookouts had already escaped. "A short woman projecting hard-light constructs and a tall man who handled Falgard like a pup?" Kugoh had listened solely to the first part of the story and didn’t like its implications already. "Yeah, and that’s for starters." Shasa nodded. "According to the witnesses, that same Knight Guard broke into the office alone, and less than a minute later, our associates gave up on life in unison. "After that, a river of acid flowed through what was left of the office’s door but the Constable took care of it with a dimensional spell." "One against six yet this guy needed but one minute to make our brothers and sisters so desperate that not one of them believed they had a chance of escape." The leader scratched the thick beard on his chin. "How many people do we know who can do something like that?" "In the Awakened Council? More than I can count." Sasha shrugged. "But none of those pompous old farts would bother wearing a disguise, let alone get involved with a minor issue like organized crime. "On top of that, when Humina tried to escape by flight, our sentinels report she was taken down by something black, with no smell, and large membranous wings before she had the time to conjure a Warp Steps." "So the Roaring Lion was really surrounded. The Constable wasn’t just bluffing her way." Kugoh steepled his fingers. "Yeah, but the other weird thing is that no one was seen leaving the scene after the raid." Shasa pointed out. "According to our contacts in the army, no reinforcements were required and the guards surveilling the Association reported that only a few foreigners came through the Gate today." "Gods above, why?" Kugoh raised his arms to the ceiling, receiving no answer. "This can only mean one thing. Verhen." "That’s the worst case scenario, yes." Shasa nodded. "But maybe it’s just the cream of the crop of the royal forces. After all, Manohar knew Light Mastery and so does Quylla Ernas. The man was indeed strong but we have no idea what happened inside the office." "May the gods listen to your words." Kugoh sighed. "If it’s him, we’ll have to abandon everything and run." "We can’t do that!" Fury turned Shasa’s eyes yellow and his aquiline nose into a sharp beak. "We are so close to our goal and so many of us died tonight. Are we really going to give up because of one man? Continue reading at freewebnovel "What about those less lucky than us? How can you ask them to get away from this with nothing after all the hard work they put into this operation?" "I’d rather live in dishonor than die honorably, Sasha." Kugoh replied. "Besides, you and I have already gotten what we wanted. Why risk everything?" "For our clans!" The old man’s arms turned thicker and muscular while his hands extended into talons. "You know all too well we can’t pass our gift. We have no fucking clue how we got it in the first place." "Indeed, but now I have almost two thousand years to find a solution instead of less than two hundred and so do you." Kugoh leaned forward, his face shifting into a feline snout. "Besides, we still have to confirm whether this guy is Verhen or not. "If he’s just a man or an Emperor Beast, we have the means to get rid of him and the shortie. Do we have his smell?" "Yes." Shasa reverted to his human features as he calmed down. "The scouts memorized his scent on the scene and saw the direction he moved after he left." "What about the witnesses?" "First-time clients we let them go." Shasa replied. "Regulars have been captured and delivered to the basements as test subjects. There’s no telling what they might have seen or heard in the Roaring Lion during the past few months. "I made sure we captured them before the Constable could interrogate them." "Good. Let’s not leave loose ends." Kugoh went back to looking like an unremarkable man. "Send out our best strike team after those annoying Constables. Warn them the target might be Verhen and give them the best weapons we’ve synthesized. "Even if our assassins fail, they’ll force our enemy to reveal his cards and then we can plan our next move accordingly." "What if it’s Verhen?" Shasa asked. "Then I pack my stuff and run." Kugoh said without a hint of shame. "I suggest you do the same." *** ’Should we tell the Royals what we have discovered?’ Solus asked as she and Lith Warped back to the safe house. ’And tell them our enemies might hold the secret of Awakening?’ Lith replied with a scoff. ’I don’t want anyone to resume Hatorne’s work. I trust the current Royals, but what about those who’ll come after them? ’What if Sylpha decides to keep the research for herself and uses it to prolong Meron’s life? What if Tyris kills them both and blames it on us? After all, if she wanted the Royals to know the secret of Awakening, she would have taught them herself.’ ’I guess you are right.’ She sighed. Lith reported to the King the information Zoreth had shared with him and her thoughts on the matter but made no mention of the hidden potential of the anti-mana toxin that he had discovered during Kandria’s plague. "Your observations are brilliant and on point, Magus Verhen." Sylpha nodded. "You are indeed the right man for this task. Your sources have provided us with vital information and precious insight into our enemies. "I agree with your source’s observations. Something doesn’t add up. Emperor Beasts have never shown interest in Alchemy nor did they ever form a cartel. There’s a piece of this puzzle we are still missing. ’And I’ll do everything I can to keep things that way.’ Lith inwardly replied. "Thanks, Your Majesty. Any news of the autopsy report?" He actually said. "I have it right here." The Queen waved a thin stack of papers in front of the projector. "For the full panel of analysis and the coroner’s in-depth observations, it will take another couple of hours but the preliminary reports tell us already quite a story." No one wondered how the reports could be already available less than an hour after the corpses had been brough in. One couldn’t rush machines but when the name on the bottom of the request was the Royals’, the Alchemists always found a way. "According to the autopsy, your healing spells are very good, Great Mage Verhen. So good that they killed your prisoners." "What?" Solus blinked several times in disbelief. "I killed them? It’s not possible. They were healthy and I treated the poison. The only way healing magic can kill people is by consumption but that’s a mistake only a rookie Healer would make. "On top of that, the patient needs to be in a critical state already or they just get hungry."