Blade West: Book 1

Chapter 20: The Coliseum

I searched for the words to say, but I was struggling to find them. "A murder?" I asked His Majesty. "Yes. It is an dejected event. But we have reason to believe that this was meticulously calculated, and may not be the last one if we do not succeed in stopping the malefactor." "Wait....you guys don't know who did it? Aren't you like? Super powerful or something?"

"We are powerful, Blade, but we are not all-knowing. If we're not there, or someone doesn't tell us, we don't know about it, just like you. That's part of the superiority of being able to take on a human appearance : we're able to go places inconspicuously. This expose was brought to us this morning before the sun even had a chance to smile, and we have not gone to personally uncover the details as of it. The Penumbra are actively on this case. They have already interviewed the family of the victim, the neighbors, and taken photos of the scene." 

"Who was the victim? And where, and how did it happen?"

"Here's what we know so far. The victim was Angler Rodgers. Angler has been a citizen since his birth and was 34 years of age at the time of his death. His talent was Pyromancy, and he is home was on the outskirts of the city near the water. He has his wife and 2 kids that survive him. His death happened at his home during the nighttime hours - the agents have reason to believe somewhere between 2 and 3am. It was staged so well that his family initially thought that Angler had passed away in his sleep. However, Angler was a man of routine. He went on runs 3 times a week, consumed protein like a mad man, and even hosted Zumba classes in the city. A man that fit and healthy does not simply pass away randomly in their hours of rest. When the Penumbra arrived, they stated that he had actually been murdered due to the autopsy done on his heart. His heart had appeared to have been burned - charred even. His chest muscles were fine, and there weren't any strained arteries or veins in him, but his heart was black. So burnt that at the slightest touch or breeze caused pieces to crumble. A person's heart doesn't do that on its own. Even with the magical atmosphere here in Aveila, nothing would make a person's heart by itself burn to ashes. Which, by default, leads to the conclusion that this was an intentional act of a someone, or something, of malice."

"Wow...Hazel do you have any thoughts?" I said turning my attention to her.

Her posture didn't shift. "I do not. However, I do know that at this time, we lack intel into the situation. If I, or you, were to swarm that area, it would draw attention to the incident and right now that's the last thing we need. If we had a mass murderer on the loose with no clue or who it is or where they could be, and most importantly, no action plan, the city would be in an uproar. Murders and grave misconducts don't happen here." She responded, finally opening her eyes at that last sentence.

"I respect that. So do we have an action plan?"

"Yes." Her Majesty spoke up. "Hazel and yourself will continue to the tournament today, as we will. We will continue as usual until more detail arises, but until then, it is imperative that you keep your eyes and ears open for any suspiciousness around you. We do not know the person's, or thing's, motives, but I think we can all agree that this will not be its last target. We have protection over this city from external forces, but we can't protect it from internal malice. Please keep your eyes and ears open."

"That is right. As she said, suspect anything that seems off. I don't expect to see any mischief at our tournament today, but that is yet to be seen. And as for you, my chosen one, are you prepared to see the kingdom in action?" 

I stuttered a little bit, but I said, "I am."

"I am aware that you have seen Ven and Ace's abilities, even your own, but today will show you our kingdom's powers. Things will get out of hand because this is the opportunity to gain status. To gain reputation, as as you younger people would say, clout.  But that means you, as a chosen leader of this city, will have to also bring it. Many will be looking to you, and by default, me  as to why you were chosen. But eventually, they will come to see why. (He winked at me when he said that). Do your best out there. And Hazel?"