Interlude V

  Crime Scene Reconstruction

  (Anastasia Bloom)

  If Anastasia had to use two words to describe the process that the Minister of Intelligence’s approach to investigating an active breach, the terms would have to be Slow and Methodical.

  The entire process took hours. Anastasia watched as the Minister Goffard first started at the rift then using his own version of Holy detection, he followed the Death Eater’s trail with amazing clarity. Following the path up and over the nearby hill, through the myriad of dead trees and towards area where the Death Eater clearly clawed at the ground.

  From there, he found the footprints of the Necrotin assassin, the same one that had tried to kill Anastasia’s apprentice, back before she had fully taken on the mantle of being her apprentice. In a way, Anastasia had to thank the assassin, first for not being able to stay and watch her target die, and second for putting her apprentice in position to want to learn about gaining a new class.

  In hindsight, the assassin trying and failing to eliminate her foster child turned apprentice was the best thing that happened to Anastasia in a long time. For it finally gave her someone that she could pass down her knowledge to. Anastasia had waited generations for someone to fit her lofty ideals and criteria for an Apprentice, and as of now, the only perceived draw back that the candidate has is her Mediocre Magical Potential. Which last time she checked, her Apprentice still had a long way to go as she had only used four of her thirteen Skill slots, all of which went towards not just Healing Skills but counted as maxed out Class Skills as well.

  In the old country her ratings for Healing attuned Life magic, Holy, and Earth would have been highly clamored for. Particularly from a bloodline as powerful and far reaching as the DiVoratore, yet she had managed to swindle her from that same Bloodline for coppers compared to the gold she was acquiring. Even now, close to a week later she still felt thrilled from the impact of that deal. In her mind she saved so much, that she felt she could splurge on the finest training. Calling in favors from everyone, only to find that most were willing to work with her for free.

  Even the miserly Sal was willing to pay to ensure that Anastasia’s apprentice came back each night. This only further proved that Anastasia was correct in her assessments and evaluations to go all in on her apprentice. Not that she had many chances left, for even with all the advancements that a Unique Class could get you, it could only prolong your life by so much. Particularly when you had gone through as much as Lieutenant General Anastasia Bloom had. Even now she could feel the lingering effects of a lifetime of fighting against the corruption, and creatures of the dark taking a toll on her body.

  One last Apprentice, someone worthy. Someone who will have all the advantages I wish I had when I first started. That way, they could avoid the troubles that are now plaguing me. This was the thought that Anastasia had as she watched Goffard go around the crime scene, backtracking and finding new paths to follow. The fact that he was now following a human, or possibly multiple human footprints was obvious as these didn’t glow or react violently to his Holy attuned Skills. Instead, they just seemed to radiate a cold purple aura, signifying that they were Necromantically tainted in some way, but not fully possessed by the dark.

  Finally, after a few hours of mapping out paths and taking solidified samples and foot imprints, Goffard came over and stood before the Anastasia and Third Prince Theo Fiammata. There was a faint look of question in his eyes as he looked first to Anastasia and then reluctantly to the Third Prince, the person who he originally arrived with. The same person that he would presumably return home with.

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  “Speak,” Theo demanded, there was a brief hesitation as Goffard, looked first towards Anastasia who gave a slight nod of her head for the man to continue. It seemed that even though the two were no longer in the same chain of command, Goffard still held the mostly retired Lt. General in high regard.

  “It would appear that the reports of multiple Necrotin sightings and rituals were not only correct, but have now since been confirmed,” Goffard began.

  “Ohh.” At Goffard’s proclamation the band of royal guards all took in deep breaths as this meant that things were about to get good.

  “We have confirmed ritual stones being placed to summon Shadow spirits that would be used to anchor rift points on the ground,” Goffard said, pointing to the very stone that Anastasia’s own apprentice single handedly destroyed, a feat that even now brought a faint thrill of satisfaction to Anastasia’s lips.

  “As reported, the stone and rift have been dealt with, but not before at least one Death Eater emerged from the rift,” Goffard continued.

  “At least one?” Third prince Theo asked, a note of concern in his voice.

  “Yes, we have one for certain, but there are also multiple footprints from at least a week ago. Meaning that either one Death Eater came, then left then came back again. Or that a Death Eater has been loose in the city for a week, and now a second one is also at large.” Goffard offered and paused, seeing if that was enough to answer the question. After a long enough pause, it was clear that this was both enough for Goffard to have answered the initial question and also an offer for him to continue with his findings.

  “This appears to be the area where multiple necromantic crime events have occurred. We have one count for the stones, two counts of darker summoning rituals drawing creatures through the rifts. Then at least one confirmed Necrotin attack, where two Necrotin Fireballs were fired. The first a glancing shot, with the second being a blast at point blank range. Honestly, we should be looking for a body given how close the attack was, an attack so potent that the attacker chose to walk off and leave the victim suffering in agony before their death. But there is an issue with this,” Goffard declared.

  “An issue?” Third Prince Theo parroted back.

  “Yes, there is no body, nor any signs of bones or clothing being left. Meaning that the body could have been possessed.” Goffard declared.

  “Possessed?” Theo asked, cutting off Anastasia before she could interject and clarify.

  “Yes, the Necrotin summoner also summoned and paved the way for lesser spirits to be called through the rift. It is possible that a powerful enough spirit could have clawed their way into controlling a body that was intact enough.” Goffard began, and finally Anastasia had heard enough and jumped in before any further bad deductions could be made.

  “That didn’t happen,” Anastasia cut in, her voice terse but not shouting. “That victim of the Necrotin Assassin was my Apprentice, as per my original report earlier in the week. She clearly survived and made a full recovery.”

  Hearing this, Goffard’s eyes went wide as he nodded. “Yes, I did notice a third and fourth set of footprints, so those are yours?”

  “Mine and Markan’s,” Anastasia noted, and then pointed first down to her footprints that were by her, and towards one left by Markan shortly after he left the portal.

  “Okay, I will compare these,” Goffard declared, going over to Anastasia’s footprint and solidifying a mold and making a quick comparison. Then doing the same for Markan’s footprint, where he seemed to make the same conclusion. “Yes, I think this will eliminate the larger conspiracy I that I was fearing.”

  With that comment everyone seemed to relax a bit, before Goffard rose up to his full height and let out his last and final thought.

  “That just leaves us with one, possibly two concerns,” Goffard admitted.

  “What are these concerns of your?” Theo asked.

  “This time, when the Death Eater left the rift, it followed our lone conspirator out towards the edge of the park,” Goffard stated as he pointed off in the direction of the park’s main entrance. “The Death Eater was able to walk freely in all the lands that were corrupted, which made tracking its movements easier. Then once it got to the edge, towards a part where the land had not been fully corrupted, that is when the Death Eater entered the shadow of the Necrotin conspirator and left.”

  “You’re saying the Death Eater was willingly let into the Necrotin’s shadow?” Third Prince Theo asked.

  “Yes, there are scorch marks where it first made contact with the uncorrupted ground, then they disappear a moment later with telltale signs of increased death energy signifying a power used. Then all traces of the Death Eater disappear, this all occurred earlier this morning likely just before sunrise.” Goffard laid out the facts clearly and methodically. As he did, a faint feeling of pride filled Anastasia, knowing that the tall confidant man before him started off a lot less certain and made many analytical leaps without proper evidence to support what he knew to be correct. Seeing his progress now, Anastasia knew he had turned out to be all right. With that Third Prince Theo Fiammata nodded approvingly.

  “Very good work,” Theo declared, and seemed to be content with that. Yet, Anastasia could not let this all end there. Especially not with the information he had provided earlier, which was why she chose this moment to interject herself once more.

  “So, we have confirmed there is at least one, now walk us through your evidence that there was a second Death Eater that arrived earlier?”