140 Playing Both Sides

It was a dark chamber with no source of illumination and an atmosphere of dread lingering. The stench of blood and the disgusting of what seemed to be the mix of human urine and feces filled the air while a faint crying was heard in the distance. The suffocating aura in the room was enough to make a strong man feel weak in his knees.

"Master, what are you going to do with the man that Morbid brought you?"

A man clad in a robe that covered his whole body asked curiously. His black robe blended very well with the pitch-blackness of the room. His voice sounded passionate despite his mysterious appearance.

There was another hooded man sitting at the desk near the entrance to the room. He seemed to be reading a book that looked ancient in complete darkness. The man didn't respond to the question right away, but instead, continued reading some more until he finished the part that he was on. Once he was done, he turned to the other figure who was standing next to the desk and spoke.

"I am going to turn him into a useful servant for us," he said in a calm and wise voice, "However, I can't seem to find the appropriate ritual," he added with a slight disappointment in his tone.

The hood that covered the standing man's head concealed his expression, but it seemed that was concerned about his master.

"Master Tenebrosity, I'm sure you will find it soon!" he said encouragingly.

Tenebrosity's let out a slight chuckle. He appeared to have been amused by the other person's remark.

"Your enthusiasm is amusing. I am also sure that I will find it soon, but we're in no hurry. The Dullahan should be strong enough by now and it will be sufficient for the time being," he replied. Although his expression couldn't be seen, he seemed to be smiling, judging from his voice.

Suddenly, there was a sound coming from another room. It was like holes being dug out and things came crawling out of them. There was also the sound of liquid dripping slowly and then solidifying in a squirming blob.

"That must be Morbid, Fright, and Fear. Go see them; I'll continue with my research here," commanded Tenebrosity.

"Yes, master," replied the other person with a firm nod.

He left the pitch-black chamber and walked down the corridor to another room that had a long stone table in the middle. The room was illuminated by torches hung on the wall that seemed to have been burning eternally. There were a total of fifteen chairs and currently, there were three figures sitting on three of them.

The three people who just came were all wearing black robes that covered their faces entirely. The loose-fitting robe also made it difficult to judge their genders and build based on their figures

"Dread, where is Mister Tenebrosity?" asked one of the three people. The voice belonged to a woman and there it sounded somewhat frightening to listen to.

"Master is still busy with his research. He wants to turn the guy Morbid brought into a servant," he explained.

"He can do something like that?" asked the person sitting across from Dread.

"Yes, but he needs to find the appropriate ritual first. So why have you three come back here?" asked Dread.

"We're discussing Morbid's plan to trap the Shroud, or at least his divinator friend," replied the woman.

"What plan, Morbid? And What divinator?" asked Dread curiously.

He leaned back in his chair and turned his head to Morbid, who was sitting the farthest from him on the opposite side.

"Ahem,"

Morbid cleared his throat and then started speaking.

"It's better if you hear out from Fear and Fright first how they came to the reasoning about the existence of the divinator," he said shortly.

After saying that, Fright began explaining how he came to the conclusion that the Shroud they were looking for was possibly also a Fire Divinator. If he was not, then he must have a divinator partner. The two of them then discussed the finding with Morbid, who came up with the plan to trap the divinator.

"That is clever of you," said Dread in admiration.

Fright nodded.

"So, what is the plan?" asked Dread to Morbid.

Morbid crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair.

"It's actually a plan I've been preparing for something else, but I modified it a little to catch our enemy. The guy has been spreading rumors about a rival company in the dark since last month, but now I'm using him as bait by making him come out to the light. The owner of the rival company would surely want to find the truth by hiring an investigator," he explained lengthly.

"How did you know the owner wouldn't go to the Police right away?" asked Dread.

"Because the guy still holds his old company's secrets. They will be brought to light if the Police were to investigate directly," answered Morbid.

Now, the woman became curious and asked a question.

"But how are you sure that the person he hired would be our divinator?"

Morbid let out a chuckle.

"I am not sure; it's a gamble. If the investigator he hired knows that the target has gone missing, then he is most likely a divinator. I had him apply for a one-week off from work, so to normal people, he is just on a vacation with his family," he paused.

"And besides, I have planted another trap inside the guy's house. If he is a divinator, he will understand the content. But if he is just a normal person, then the letter will make no sense."

The other three were left speechless.

"Wow. Are all politicians good at plotting like you?" said Dread in awe.

"Not all of them, but most are snakes wearing human skins. That's why we need to cleanse this place and allow the Pale Lord to descend," replied Morbid solemnly.

The other three went quiet as if praying.

"So, where will our divinator show up?" asked Fright finally.

"At my company. And if our conjecture is right, he will show up as the target's wife," replied Morbid, "And he should have the excuse of searching 'her husband's' desk for something important that he left behind," he added.

Dread seemed to be confused for a second by the statement, then he remembered that one of their members who had got killed was Shade who was in contract with Cunningness and Transformation. He then changed the question that he was about to ask.

"Why not as the target himself?" asked Dread curiously.

"Because he knows that the target is missing and whoever is responsible is in the company. If he shows up as him, he will be walking right into the tiger's den. Isn't that right?" replied Fright.

"That would be correct," replied Morbid.

"What did you write in the letter anyway?" asked Fright.

Morbid let out yet another chuckle.

"I wrote this: 'Mr. de Witt movement has become more suspicious lately. I'm sending my wife and daughter away for their safety. I've also left a detailed recount of our interaction locked away in my desk at the office. In case I go missing, please use it to bring the man to justice and to protect my family, and search for me on Grotemarktstraat," he said meaningfully.

Fright crossed his arms.

"That sounds like what someone cornered would write. You are scary," he said.

Morbid laughed.

"Of course there is no such thing as evidence against me. The man has been dancing in my palm the whole time. Although, him sending his wife and daughter away is out of my expectation," he replied proudly.

"Then let's go to your company right now and wait for our friend," said Fear sinisterly.

"You guys go. I need to stay here to help Master with his research," said Dread.

All four of them stood up and two holes were dug in the ground behind Fear's and Fright's chairs. Two giant worms with mouths full of sharp teeth surfaced and swallowed both of them whole. Meanwhile, Morbid turned into a puddle of blood and seeped through the floor before disappearing completely.

...

At four in the afternoon, the sounds of a Police siren were blaring in the big street of Bloemstraat. There were many curious passersby who stopped to see what was happening despite the noise. Two Police Sergeants wearing blue coats got out of the motor carriage and looked at the company building in front of them with the name 'De Adviseur'.

"Brief me about this case again, please Paars," said the female sergeant with purple hair. Her green eyes were looking curiously at the building.

"We're here to find a missing person," replied the man with blonde hair and blue eyes. His coat was buttoned to cover what he was wearing-- or not wearing underneath.

"I get that much, but why does it involve us Kleurs? If it's only a missing person, the normal Police can handle it," responded the woman.

"Alright, I'll tell you from the very beginning. Earlier this afternoon, Frits Melchers, the owner of a rival company, came to the Police station with a man named Konrad Dykman; the latter works here in this company in front of us. Frits said Konrad had been slandering his company, causing him a huge loss. Konrad himself pleaded guilty to the accusation at the station. We have an officer as a witness," he paused.

"And then?"

"And then, he asked to go to the toilet first and... he just disappeared! Even Rood, who happened to be in the toilet at that time, didn't see the man escaping. Rood told the officer to go find me and then asked me to use divination. That's when I found out that divination targeting Konrad is being interfered with. There must be a Contractbound involved in all of this," explained Paars.

"Why didn't Rood take over the case himself? And why did he ask to specifically find you and not Oranje?" asked the woman.

"He is on another case, so he can't handle this one, and I was the only one with divination at the office at that time," replied Paars, "Why do you sound annoyed, Wit?"

Wit frowned and crossed her arms.

"Because this is just a missing person case. There won't be any fighting and it's boring," she said.

Paars raised his eyebrows.

"I'm sure there will be a fight once we find the mastermind behind the missing guy," he said shortly.

"So why are we here at his workplace instead of his house? Shouldn't we try his house first to find him?" asked Wit curiously.

"Geel and Bruin are going there now, so we're in charge of the company. It might also be related to the missing people cases; that's why they are sending four members of Kleurs to investigate," explained Paars.

"That brute will just destroy the house instead of finding clues," said Wit mockingly.

Paars didn't respond.

"Let's go now. We have wasted too much time," he said finally.

The two Police Sergeants entered the company through the rotating glass door at the entrance. They showed their badges to the receptionist and were shown the location of Konrad Dykman's office, which was on the fifth floor. The two of them took the elevator and arrived on the fifth floor not long after.

Once the door was open, they took a step out and found themselves in a white corridor with a lot of rooms on both sides. According to the receptionist, the man's office should be on the left side at the end of the corridor.

"Wait. That's..." said Paars as he stopped. He also gestured at Wit to stop.

"Isn't that Zeger de Witt? The politician? Why is he here?" said Wit.

Paars squinted his eyes to see better.

"Yes, that's definitely him. He is the owner of this company, but there should be no reason for him to be here personally; not to mention he is standing near the missing person's office," said Paars.

"Do you know who the other two people are?" asked Wit.

She was looking at the man and woman standing next to Zeger de Witt. The man's red hair was tied in a bun and his face was full of freckles. The woman's long black hair was let loose and the plain white dress she was wearing made it apparent that she wasn't a worker there.

The three people at the end of the corridor seemed surprised to see two Police Sergeants coming here.

Paars and Wit continued walking and when they were close enough, he greeted the man with intimidating eyes.

"Good afternoon, Mr. de Witt. it's unexpected to see you here," said Paars.

"Why are the Police here?" asked Zeger condescendingly.

"We're here for one of your employees that has gone missing. He is currently a wanted man," replied Paars with an authoritative tone.

"Then it is not our business. Let's go," said Zeger to the other two.

Zeger de Witt and the other two people started walking away from the spot without even paying the officers a glance.

"Please don't leave the building. We might have questions we need to ask you!" shouted Paars.

The man didn't respond and just kept walking away. They took the elevator and quickly disappeared from their sight.

"Who does he think he is?" said Wit in annoyance.

"He is the owner of this place, that's who," said Paars, "Let's just investigate the office first. I have a feeling that man is involved in all this."