Several disappearances and unexplained events have been registered shorty after the commercialization of an ancient statue linked to some legends from a mysterious place called "Reich der Finsternis" in eastern Germany, there is no know route leadin...
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Story of a crime
Due to Bernard's condition, Chris offered him a chair so he could rest, while the others remained standing. After a few seconds, during which Ulrich organized the information, Nick approached the group to hand over what seemed to be a summary of his work. He was about to leave, but Ulrich caught his attention.
"Hey Nick, if you haven't noticed, we've got company. Mind introducing yourself?"
With a sigh that betrayed his irritation, Nick complied. "Well, I'm Officer Nick Deisler," he began without much enthusiasm. "Been with this force for a little over eight months. A deserter. Twenty-eight years old... and I guess the rest doesn't matter."
The way he spoke and abruptly ended the conversation made Liz realize it was best to leave him alone. Still, the fact that he called himself a deserter piqued her curiosity. What kind of people were they working with?
"A pleasure, Nick," Bernard complimented, trying to break the ice. Nick didn't seem to hear him.
"You can keep calling me Agent Deisler, if you don't mind," he replied coldly, turning his back to leave.
Liz thought his attitude was overbearing and unfriendly, completely different from the rest of the commando team she had met so far. But she decided not to dwell on it. They had to focus on piecing together the puzzle: the dark blood, the cadaverous appearance of the villagers, the man who called himself "Holzmann's Executioner," and his role in the village. What intrigued her most, though, was the looting story involving American mercenaries—she hoped there was no connection to the U.S. citizens who had gone missing in the area.
Before the discussion began, Liz approached Max, feeling disgusted and resentful. She looked at him with annoyance, placing her hands on her hips.
"Well, I think it's about time you explain yourself," she scolded, not caring for his attitude.
Liz knew Max didn't respect anyone but Commander Williams, another member of their institution, who didn't inspire much confidence due to alleged corruption scandals. Still, she wasn't in the habit of verbally attacking him as she had done with Nick, Bernard, and sometimes even Chris. Yet their leader remained silent, looking away in irritation.
"We'll explain everything over here," Ulrich called out, inviting everyone to the table. Liz left Max alone and joined the group.
"First of all, I'd like to apologize for what happened with your leader," Ulrich began, "but it's natural that Nick and the other officers mistook him for another mercenary. From what we were told, he was digging a grave and had some rather compromising material on him."
Among the items Nick had handed Ulrich was a scroll with the famous silver statue of the queen illustrated on it. It was placed next to a photo of the missing original that Liz had heard of, but there were noticeable differences. The 16th-century illustration depicted the statue with several lavish ornaments not seen in the photo, including a golden crown, a ring on her right hand holding a golden chalice, and in her other hand, a silver tray with three stones of different colors: green, red, and blue. To everyone's surprise, Ulrich was now removing one of those items from an evidence bag. It was a blue stone, resembling sapphire, identical to the one in the illustration.
