"SqueekSqueekSqueek."
"Understood." Said Marla as she switched off her radio.
Bernie gave her a blank look. Marla signed and rolled her eyes.
"He said that the suspect, Hugh 'The Blade', owns the entire fifth floor." She said indicating to floor above from their position in the stairwell. "He's mixed up in some pretty shady dealings so we have to expect... 'Resistance'."
"Do you think he would flee from the scene of a crime and hide in his own apartment? That seems a little... Well, dumb."
"I don't think he's here. But we need information." She nodded as she took out both her Varistas.
Bernie grimaced and activated his Flame Visit.
"Size matters huh? Over-compensating for something?"
"Well you would know..."
"I certainly would." She said smiling as she ruffled his hair.
Her expression became serious as she slowly ascended the remaining stairs, Bernie in tow. The corridor was poorly lit and seemed to have a grimy feel to the walls, like an illusion of squalor, but Hugh was very successful at what he did for a living and Marla knew that nothing could be trusted.
"Up there!" Whispered Bernie.
Marla froze as her eyes rose to see what it was. Some kind box was suspended from the ceiling above. Marla looked down at her foot and notice it was hovering over a patch of floor that was slightly darker that the rest, in the poor light the difference was almost imperceptible. She skirted around it while pointing out its location to the RAmar behind her.
-----
"Are you alright?" Marla asked Bernie as she pulled him out of the pit.
"Yeah, the crocodiles let go after I shot them a few times."
-----
After much screaming and leaping and shooting, the two RAngers finally made it to the end of the corridor, but were now confronted with the choice of three doors.
"This is the place." Said Marla.
"How can you be so sure?"
She indicated the sign taped to the one of the doors.
You are not dead... Yet.
"Time to take advantage of HCIU privileges..." She said grinning.
With a loud crash, she kicked the door in. It swung open gently on its buckled hinges as she aimed her guns into the dark interior.
"HCIU! Open the door!"
"Aren't you supposed to say... Never mind. I'll take point." Said Bernie leading the way. "It's quiet... Too quieeeeeeeeeeeeeettttttttttttttttttttttttttt!"
The lights came on suddenly and for a moment Bernie wondered why Marla was standing on the ceiling which in turn was rocking back and forth.
"Watch out for the rope trap." She said casually as she walked into the apartment. "So this is what a cold-blooded assassin's apparent looks like? I never expected so much..."
"Colour?" Bernie finished.
The room was spacious and well lit, though weapons and 'trophies' lined the walls, the decoration was rather brightly in tone. Vases of flowers dotted the place, each one carefully arranged and loving placed on lace doilies.
"This place gives me the creeps. We should get outta here now." Said Bernie as he gradually swung to a halt.
"Not till I've found what I'm looking for... There!"
Bernie attempted to twist to see what had caught her attention, but all he succeeded in doing was making himself spin. Marla meanwhile stepped into the next room where a pedestal stood illuminated by a single shaft of sunlight. On top of the plinth of the pedestal lay a quiver filled with arrows. From behind her there was a loud thump and a low moan. Ignoring the distraction she approached the quiver carefully.
"Careful. This seems too easy." Bernie cautioned her.
"I know."
She stopped and looked around. Spotting a potted plant in the far corner she took some soil and placed it in a handkerchief. Returning to the pedestal she examined the quiver and its contents from every angle before removing a small amount of material from the handkerchief. Then, with one swift motion, she snatched up an arrow as she placed the dirt-filled handkerchief upon the quiver simultaneously.
"You're right, that was too easy..."
Their fears were answered when the room began trembling like in the thrall of some kind of earthquake.
"Let's get out of here." Said Marla.
She need not have bothered, Bernie bolting for the door before she even began speaking.
"Whatever happened to ladies first?" She shouted after him.
"Uh... I'm hurrying to open the door for you!"
Marla shrieked and ran crouched over as poison darts began to fire out of unseen holes in the walls. Both of them spilled out into the corridor breathing hard.
"Close call!" Said Marla relieved.
Her expression turned to one of alarm as the trembling transformed into a rumbling that seemed to be getting closer.
"It sounds like its coming from behind this door." Said Bernie as he opened the far end door.
They were confronted with the sight of a large stone boulder rolling towards them gaining speed as it did so.
"And now... We run." He said.
-----
"Was it worth the trip?" Asked Bernie
Marla said nothing but merely stared at the two arrows she held in her hands. She turned to face him.
"What do you see?"
"I see two identical arrows."
"To the untrained eye maybe, but this arrow was made with wood from the deciduous red plains oak, a tree found back on Coral. But this one... This one was made from wood of the red, fungus-bearing accada tree. A tree native exclusively to Ragol." She said triumphantly.
"So what are you saying? That someone wanted us to think that this Hugh guy did it?"
"Unless... That's what Hugh wanted us to think."
"Please don't start that sort of thing. My head has done enough spinning today already."
"The pieces are falling into place. Let's go."
"Go? Go where? I've been running all day and I haven't gotten a decent night's rest yet." He watched Marla jog back in the direction of the Hunters Guild. "I'm a support RAmar! You hear me? That means I stand there and support people. It DOES NOT mean I run back and forth across the city meeting lunatics."