Raising Wonders

Chapter 14: Pressure (Part 2)

"Haaa," Mask sighed. "This night has gone too long."

"You're telling me, I was meant to be asleep," the Handler sighed as well. "I'm raising the job cost with upper management for this one. The report alone is going to be as thick as crag's underbelly."

"Well better that I stumble on that poisoning plan now then tomorrow morning right?"

"True, it would have been much harder to tidy up. Chloe was spot on with his Titles, this guy truly is as dirty as they come."

"The question is, what do we do with him now?" Mask poked the tied up man who was trying to scream through the cloth that bound him.

In the same office that Katlia had been in only several hours before, the Handler and Mask stood above the rotund man. Sir Kafka continued to struggle in vain, any sound that would have come out of him fading before it even reached their ears.

"Depends, do you think he's been cursed like the City Lord was?" the Handler looked at him with a condescending pity.

"Probably," Mask poked him again. "You want to do the questioning or should I?"

"You can take this one. This body of mine is running low."

"Fair enough," Mask ripped off the cloth stuffed in his mouth, undoing the spell silencing him.

"You vile miscreants! You think you'll get away with this? I'll have you gutted and-." His words cut short as Mask slapped him across the face.

"Speak out of turn and I'm using the knife next," the dark eyes of his white mask seemed to grow.

The shifting eyes broke into Kafka's conscience, a cold fear shredded down his spine. He nodded stiffly.

"Good," Mask pulled a chair and sat in front of the tied man. "I'll be clear with this, where is the dungeon core?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," the classic line was spoken and clearly a lie as the man's eyes swam in circles.

Mask took out his knife, "Care to try answer that again?"

"It's-," Kafka panicked. "It's not something I can say."

"I see," Mask leaned back. "Then nod for yes and shake for no. Is the thing I'm looking for beneath the city?"

The tied man nodded.

"If I follow the path from your basement will I reach it?"

Kafka shook his head, "It's more complicated."

"Then do you have a map?"

He gulped and nodded, eyes pointing to his desk. The Handler moved toward it and began to pull it apart.

"This it?" she held up a smooth spherical crystal.

Kafka again nodded.

The Handler focused on the crystal. It began to vibrate and from it a blue light shone pointing a thin line downwards and towards the residential district. "This isn't exactly the most accurate guide, but I guess for dungeons you can't do too much better."

"A-are we done?" Kafka asked, a tenuous relief budding in his eyes. "I-I can't tell you anymore. If I do-." He shut his mouth.

"For what we need to do, yes," Mask smiled, but the expression grew cold quickly. The depiction from his mask trembled. "Your plan to poison innocent people however, that's far from over. I wonder just how much dirt we could gouge out of the filth here?"