Chapter 27: Archives

Chapter 27: Archives

They rose and headed up to the door. Before Yeo could even to go knock, it swung open to reveal a woman wearing a stained apron. Her hair was pulled back behind her head in a bun and her hands were covered in flower.

A small boy peeked out from behind her. The woman gently peeled him off, staining his shirt with flower, and gestured for him to leave.

Go play with your toys, Abe. I have visitors.

The boy darted off to the left and she brushed her hands off on her apron as best as she could. My apologies. Youre the Shikari team, yes? I wasnt expecting you so early. We only put in the request a day ago.

We are. Are you Mrs. Smit, then? Bella asked.

The woman nodded absentmindedly. Just Maria, please. Ive got something a little time sensitive going please, come in and excuse the mess. Ill answer any questions you may have.

They followed her in and passed through the living room on their way into he kitchen. A wooden table had been set with five plates, and two of the chairs at the table were raised. The walls of the house were plain, but there were several wooden swords and other weapons lying around on the ground.

Once they got to the kitchen which was fairly spacious Maria set about to kneading a ball of dough on the counter. What can I answer for you?

We were wondering if you could tell us anything about the incident with the Lesser Imp, Bella said. Weve already spoken to Nathaniel, but the job says you co-requested this.

I did, Maria replied, not stopping her work. My son claimed to be attacked by an Imp a few days ago. I must admit, I didnt believe him at first. He has a bit of an active imagination, so when he first told me he was attacked, Im ashamed to say that I didnt believe him. He was unwounded, you see. But, when Nathaniel reported that his Scorchhound was also attacked

He wasnt hurt? Bella asked, surprised. Lesser Imps arent that weak. Does your son have any training?

None, unless you count playing with his brother, Maria said with a laugh.

Would we be able to speak with your son? Yeo asked. And where did this happen?

In the park, Maria said. And yes you just saw him a few moments ago. Ill be present for any communication, though. Hes still young, and I wont allow you to scare him.

We wont do anything of the sort, Chance promised.

Abe, come to the kitchen for a moment! There are some Shikari here that want to talk to you! Maria called.

A few moments passed before the excited patter of feet announced Abes presence. The boy skidded into the kitchen, clutching a wooden sword in his hands as he stared at them with wide eyes.

I knew you were Shikari!

Calm down, Abe, Maria said. Theyve got some questions about the monster you saw.

The Imp, Abe said, nodding and giving them a gap-toothed grin. I know what it is!

How did it attack you? Bella asked. Where was it? An average imp is considerably faster than a human, which means its very unlikely that someone your age would be able to escape, unless you managed to lose it somehow.

Abe stared at her, and it was pretty clear that her words had gone right over the boys head. Chance squatted so that he was closer to the boys eye level.

You saw it in the park, right? Chance asked.

Yeah. Abe nodded. At night.

Could you tell me how it attacked? Do you remember?

Abe nodded again and slashed his sword through the air, as if slaying an invisible Imp. It tried to kill me.

If you were a Shikari, what would you have done to defeat it?

Abe considered the question with a very serious expression. Well, I woulda had to catch it.The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.

Oh? Why? Wasnt it chasing you? Yeo asked.

Dunch? Yeo suggested. They both gave him a confused glance and he rolled his eyes. Dinner-lunch. Dunch.

That works for me, Chance said. Itll kill some time at least. Maybe something inspirational will strike us while were eating.

The group left the Graywall district. Just a few streets down, the faint sound of live music greeted them. A deep, thrumming bass echoed out from a warmly lit road that ended in a cul-de-sac. Strings crisscrossed above it, glowing paper lanterns suspended from them bobbing gently in the wind.

Wooden shop stalls lined the walls, inviting scents rising up from them and mixing in the air into a mishmash of warm cinnamon, honey, and freshly baked bread. The center of the alley was chock full of tables, with chairs distributed amongst them. Dozens of people sat around, eating and talking loudly.

Now this is more like it, Yeo said. It reminds me a lot of Ruddbrook, actually. Like the festivals we had. Oh, look at that!

Yeo darted over to a shopfront and they followed after him, stepping carefully around people sitting at tables to avoid disturbing them. In the few seconds it took them to catch up with him, Yeo had already bought a large loaf of glistening flatbread, stuffed full of meats and cheese. He took a huge bite out of it and juice dribbled down his chin.

Get a napkin, Bella said with a grimace.

Yeo procured one from within his other hand and wiped his face off. I notice a lack of food in your hands.

The sign on the cart was written, unsurprisingly, in a language that Chance couldnt understand. He sighed.

I really need to spend some time figuring out how to read the stuff here. Im starting to feel like Im an illiterate moron.

Could I get the same thing he got? And how much was it? Chance asked, nodding to Yeo. The street vendor quickly assembled everything, packing the warm bread full of stuffing before handing it to Chance, holding up two fingers. He paid the man, then walked over to Yeo, who had claimed a table for them.

Bella joined them a few moments later, also carrying the exact same meal. Yeo cocked an eyebrow at them and finished chewing before he spoke. Really? You both copied me?

I didnt want to choose something random, Chance replied before taking a large bite. He let out a content sigh and slid back in his chair. Oh, thats good.

Dont talk with your mouth full, Bella admonished through a mouthful of her own food.

None of them pointed out the hypocrisy of that statement. They ate for several minutes, and Chance was more than happy to sit in silence and soak in the ambiance. This area of Gleam was so vibrant and energetic it was hard to believe it was only a short walk from the drab streets of Graywall.

You know, something just doesnt sit quite right with me, Bella said, wiping her mouth with a napkin. Somehow, shed managed to finish before both of the boys, despite starting well after them.

With the Lesser Imp? It does seem a bit strange, Yeo agreed. But I dont know what. I dont know much about them.

I wouldnt call myself an expert in them either, Bella said. But it just doesnt make sense. Why wouldnt the Imp attack a boy when it went after a monster?

Maybe because the kid wasnt a threat? Chance asked. Are monsters smart enough to care about that?

Some are, Bella said pensively. But I dont think Imps were all that clever. Not Lesser ones, anyway. Also, dont you think Maria seemed a little off?

What do you mean?

She said she was doing something time sensitive, but she was waiting for us at the door, Bella said. Not to mention her time sensitive thing was kneading dough. I dont think it matters if you wait a little longer before kneading something.

Huh. Thats a good point. I didnt think about that, Yeo said. I think we just dont have enough information to work with. We need to know more about our target.

Is there a library or something we could visit? Chance asked, setting the remains of his meal down. Or maybe someone who knows a lot about monsters?

There are Hunter Archives, Bella mused. We could go to one of those, but they usually only have basic information about most monsters. Thats still better than nothing, though. Good idea, Chance.

Do you know where the nearest one is? Yeo asked. Ive heard of them, but Ive never been to one myself.

Im not sure if its the nearest, but I know where one is, Bella, rising from the table. Dont get your hopes too high, though. Theyre a lot less impressive than what youre probably picturing.

Chance took one last bite of his meal, stuffing the rest of it into his mouth and doing his best chipmunk impression as he balled up the napkin that had been holding it and threw it into a trash bin.

Lead on, Yeo said with a grandiose gesture. Our castle awaits.