AN: Another eventful week T.T Hope you enjoy reading and do let me know what you think!
Chapter 5:
Drayce had always wanted to visit the museum, being a treasure hunter and all. It was just a shame about the circumstances. Still, it was a great excuse for him to poke his nose around and maybe check out the little nook and crannies that the public never saw.
Of course, the mission came first. And it was indeed an intriguing one.
Stepping out of the carriage, Drayce immediately noted the myriad of guards that were loitering around the grounds of a tall, grey-stoned building. The structure itself appeared sturdy; four stories tall with stained glass windows adorning the second floor. The entrance was a set of swinging wooden doors, of which were wide open. And a top of the stone steps that led from the courtyard to the terrace was a figure dressed top to toe in black armour.
And Drayce immediately recognised him.
"Hey, Egar," Drayce greeted as he climbed the steps. "You in on this, too?"
Egar turned in his direction, and though a large black helmet sat atop of his head, it felt as though the man had his full gaze upon him. "Ah, Drayce. I assume Prince Ramus sent you?"
"That's right." He patted his chest pocket. "Have his signature on a permit and all. He wants me to focus in on this cauldron. You here to investigate the robbery?"
"Indeed," Egar replied as he folded his bulky arms across his chest. He didn't ask to see the permit, however. "From what I have seen, this is not something those bandits are capable of."
Not the bandits? Hopefully that was true. Drayce did not want to have to deal with that Keane…jerk so soon. He'd like to never deal with him again, honestly. There was something, no everything about him that made Drayce's skin crawl.
"I'll have guards keep patrolling the area," Egar continued as he stepped to the side, opening the way to the gallery of the museum. "Head on in and start your work. At least Ramus sent someone capable."
Drayce blinked. Had he heard right? Was that a compliment from the ol' guildmaster himself? Well, he had better ensure that he did a good job!
The chaos of the theft still lingered inside the museum, which was hardly a surprise. A small band of guards were dotted throughout the visitors' foyer. An earthlain with short brown hair, of which he was constantly running his hands through, paced back and forth on a short path in the centre of the gallery. He was dressed simply and appeared to be just a few years older than Drayce himself.
As he turned to continue his pacing, he lifted his gaze idly in Drayce's direction. And did a double take.
"Are you from the Council Hall?" the man asked as he hurried toward him.
"That's right." Drayce pulled out the permit from his jacket. "Here on the behalf of Prince Ramus."
The man, who had quite vivid green eyes only regarded the permit for just a moment before he sighed in sheer relief. And quickly returned to raking his fingers skittishly through his hair. "Oh, thank goodness. I'm Finan, the curator of this museum. This whole day has been one trauma after the other, it seems. And I've only been on the job for five days…"
Drayce hid a wince. Wow, just five days and he endured a brazen robbery. Though, he could empathise with the guy. There was nothing quite like the feeling of bewilderment after being thrown into the deep end, as it were.
"The name's Drayce. I'm here to help in the investigation of the cauldron. But I'm more than willing to help you in any way possible. Can you walk me through what happened?"
"Yes, yes, of course," Finan immediately replied and motioned to his left. "This way. It's close to the foyer."
Not waiting for a response, Finan spun on his heel took off at a fast pace. Clearly frazzled by the previous series of events. Drayce had to all but break out into a jog to keep up with the other man. He thought nothing of his actions, however.
Instead of leading the way further into the museum, where the artifacts and antiques would be on full display, Finan led him through a few narrowed hallways. Those he assumed that were used by staff members only.
They soon reached an innoxious side room. Plain and simple; had it not been the two guards stood on either side of the open door, he would have bypassed it.
Finan stepped past the two, and into the centre of the room, a room that had a few broken furniture scattered about to indicate a violent struggle or event. Drayce paused by the threshold to simply regard the room, noting once more that it appeared ordinary and plain. The broken furniture was that of a wooden table and a few chairs.
It was hardly a room that a band of thieves would have targeted on a whim.
Yet, it wasn't the ordinance of the room that had his attention. It was the large hole in the wall. About seven foot in height, and five in width. Perhaps that size of a closet. From the field of debris of broken stone littered amongst the broken furniture, some kind of explosive was definitely used.
"This is, well, was where the Cauldron was kept." Finan motioned for the literal hole in the wall. "This room was simply a tearoom for the staff. We had no idea that the room was here."
Well, he was afraid to say that someone clearly did. But for now, he needed to focus on finding information on the artifact that had been stolen.
Cautious of the other objects within the room, Drayce approached the secret room. Thankfully there was a lantern to light the dark interior. Yet, the place that held the cauldron was rather unassuming as well. Again, simply the size of a closet. However, the walls were lined with ancient symbols and letterings.
Nothing else. No signs of any windows or previous openings. From all appearances, the room had been purposely sealed away with ancient writings and then bricked up.
Drayce cautiously stepped into the room and turned his attention toward the etchings on the walls. "These look like Celestian sealing sigils."
It was hard to tell. They were faded and worn. Clearly decades old. Centuries even. And it was undeniably hidden on purpose. So…who could have known of its presence? And was the length of time since it was sealed away the reason why they chose to stage the theft today?
Most importantly, what was actually stolen?
Shashi would be able to tell how old the sigils were. Best wait for him to inspect the place before he allowed his mind to wander any further down that path.
"I take it no one employed here knew of this hidden room?" Drayce asked, stepping away from site of the theft.
Finan shook his head. "No. No one currently working here. I've been working here for twenty years, but only recently became curator."
"Did something happen to the previous curator?"
Finan began the process of raking his hand through his hair again. Clearly a nervous tic for him. "Ah, he was fired for misconduct. I don't know all the details, but his parting from the museum was…controversial, to say the least."
It could just be a bunch of office gossip. But there could be some merit to them. The previous curator had to be placed on the suspect list. Honestly, though, he couldn't rule out anyone who worked or had worked at the museum, either.
"Mind if I look around the museum? And maybe talk to some of the staff?"
"Of course. Feel free. If you have any questions, just ask." And then he was out of the room. Likely heading toward the foyer to return to his pacing.
Drayce took a moment to regard the room once more. If anyone had been in the break area at the time of the robbery, it was certain to be terrifying. Traumatic, even. So, he couldn't find fault in Finan's actions.
With a shake of his head, Drayce turned and moved out of the room. From the state of the robbery site, he couldn't rule out the possibility that another theft had taken place elsewhere within the museum. The hidden cauldron was more than likely the main object of the thieves' attention.
There was just…something that didn't sit right with Drayce.
The room was a mess, to put it lightly. The damage done to the wall indicated a violent robbery. And yet, despite the mess, it was clear that the knew exactly where the sealed room was. Other than that great big hole, the wall around it was otherwise untouched.
How could they have known exactly where to target?
The heist…must have taken months to plan.
With another shake of his head to clear his thoughts, Drayce realised that he had made his way into an open chamber that appeared to be an art gallery. Other than the paintings lining the walls, it was empty.
Just as he mused about which of the three doors that led into the gallery, something caught his attention. And he found himself venturing closer.
A large painting was situated isolated on a wall. Golden frame, the paint faded and peeling in some places. And upon the canvas, in elegant and frightening detail, was a black unearthly creature in the form of a bird, a raven made from thick smoke and shadows. In the colours of dark black and differing shades of grey. Simple, dark colours. Yet, so vivid. Each stroke careful and methodical. Each wisp of shadows trying, almost desperately, to convey the mystique of the being present.
There was just a single drop of red within the entire canvas. Where the eye was likely to be.
A simple red dot. Yet…the singular eye was so piercing.
It almost felt as if it was alive.
It took some energy for Drayce to tear his gaze away from the mysterious entity. He dropped his gaze down, immediately spying a plague situated beneath the painting.
Ravenous Devourer of Evil Souls.
That was Ravenous? A prediction of it, at least.
Wow. He couldn't even begin to imagine what he would feel if he ever saw Ravenous with his own two eyes. If the portrait was accurate, it was truly frightening. No wonder necromancers feared and revered it.
"I'm telling you, it's the legendary Blood Cauldron, I know it!"
A loud, gruff voice shouting with conviction startled Drayce out of his trance-like state and he jumped. He immediately turned in the direction of the voice, and took note that Finan had stalked into the gallery with a clearly older man trailing behind him. The way that Finan was rubbing his temples, rather than him raking his hand through his hair, indicated to Drayce it was the older man that had shouted moments ago.
"We don't know that!" Finan all but hissed through gritted teeth at the other man. "We can't jump to conclusions."
"Conclusions?" The older man scoffed. "I know it's the legendary cauldron. What else could it be?"
"Literally anything!"
From what little of the conversation he heard, it was safe to say that Drayce's interest had been piqued. Best go over and see if he could subtly work his way into the discussion.
"Finan? Everything all right?" Drayce asked.
Finan snapped his head up, himself startled. He soon relaxed, however, and a frown tugged at his lips. For only a moment, though. Soon a polite, but clearly strained smile replaced. "Let me introduce you to Terence. He's an old hand here at the museum."
Drayce allowed his gaze to flicker over Finan's shoulder, immediately catching the other's attention. "Ah, nice to meet you. I can't help but overhear your conversation. What's this Blood Cauldron you speak of?"
"I'm so glad someone finally asked!" Terence practically beamed with absolute delight and wasted no time launching himself into an explanation. "It dates back all the way to the times of the Legendary War. A necromancer, one that reportedly worked alongside the ruthless Despot himself. The Blood Cauldron was an occult tool used by the necromancer, allowing for them to use forbidden blood and bone magic to bring forth endless armies of the undead."
Hmm, something within that sounded familiar to Drayce.
"Oh, but those soldiers were unable to speak, for they were forbidden to speak of the realm of the afterlife. Only the dead and necromancers know of what lays beyond the physical realm, after all."
Now that was completely new to him. Was…was that one of the reasons why Zohar didn't want to talk about necromancy with him?
Undaunted, Terence continued. "Oh, and legends say that if the necromancer had not been slayed, the Despot may have very well won that war!"
That…was a terrifying thought, honestly. Yet, Terence seemed almost…excited about the prospect. That was actually quite chilling.
"Not only that, but through use of said forbidden skills and the cauldron, they creature a new form of wraiths; wendigos!"
Wendigos?
"What did you say?"
Drayce jumped and immediately spun around. The voice was familiar, as were the four figures that stood several feet away. The sharp tone of Shashi's voice and the scowl on his face was most startling.
"Whoa, you guys startled me. You ok, Shashi?"
Uncharacteristically, Shashi ignored him and marched straight up to Terence. "That cauldron that was stolen. Do you truly believe it was the Blood Cauldron?"
Terence was less than thrilled by Shashi's appearance and questioning. "Inspect the chamber yourself. Look at the sigils."
Shashi actually glared at Terence, his stare lingering for a moment before he spun around to face Finan. "Show me the site."
Openly intimidated by the sigil expert, Finan wisely kept his mouth shut and nodded his head. Without a word, he led the way, in a fashion similar to how he had done with Drayce. Shashi was able to keep up the pace, however, and Kamali moved to follow his clearly irate brother. Unlike how Drayce felt regarding Shashi's strange behaviour, Kamali appeared understanding and empathic.
The three soon moved out of their line of sight, and Terence sniffed contemptibly before he wandered off. Drayce turned his attention to Blayke and Ashton, finding the former rightly confused, while the latter had his lips pressed together in a sign of frustration.
"What the hell was that about?" Blayke asked, making no attempt to hide his confusion.
Good question. Drayce had never seen Shashi react in such a way before. All because of that word.
"Ash?"
Ashton took a moment to glance in the direction where the brothers had disappeared in before he turned his gaze back to Drayce. He then made a motion with his head, urging him to follow. "I'll explain on the way to the site."
Drayce immediately hurried to stay by Ashton's side, his curiosity just itching to be sedated. "It's that word that triggered him, wasn't it? Wendigo. What is it?"
"An ancient shamanic belief, though the origin and appearance of said beings differ between tribes," Ashton thankfully began to explain, both frank and earnest with his words. "The most popular consensus is that Shamans believe that if a corpse is removed from their burial site, or their remains is disrespected or desecrated, then the physical remains take on a vengeful conscious. They're not the wraiths you know of. They're puppets, in layman's terms."
Ancient shamanic belief…
Shamans had their own unique beliefs and legends, yet they were secretive. Almost protective of their beliefs. Drayce knew of only a handful of brounii myths and legends. He did know, however, of the shamanic belief that if the name of an evil entity was uttered, it would draw said entity onto oneself.
That was why they never stated the name of anything they deemed 'evil'.
It was likely the same with celestians. And necromancers.
"It was believed that in the final throes of the Legendary War, the Despot had an army of skeletons at his command. That is, of course, just speculation and war stories," Ashton finished.
Yet, it was a belief held by Terence, too. And likely many others.
He felt a knot form in his stomach at the notion. He hoped that those who believed didn't also hold the belief that the ending of the war was 'unfortunate'.
Drayce shook his head to clear it and took on the task of leading Ashton and Blayke to the room where the robbery took place. He thanked his inner compass as he led the way through a couple of narrow, winding corridors. They soon reached the room, and quickly bypass the guards that continued to stand watch.
The room was occupied by only Shashi and Kamali, the two brothers solemnly inspecting the now exposed sealed room. From the way that Shashi stood – back tense and shoulders rigid – he wasn't pleased by what he had discovered.
"Shashi?" Drayce asked gently.
"It's the Blood Cauldron." Shashi's voice was terse. Cold even.
And Drayce winced. He didn't need to ask if he was sure. There was absolutely no doubt in his voice. "You know what that is?"
"Yes. This is…troubling."
Yes, there was little doubt about that.
"What of these…beings?" Drayce knew he had to be mindful about his words now. "Can the Blood Cauldron truly create them?"
Shashi uttered a sigh, allowing for a moment for the tension to fall away from his shoulders. "From what legend states; yes. They are not like wraiths. They are made of flesh and bone. Made of those who have already departed. They hunger for mortal flesh. It fuels them. To create them…"
Drayce felt a lump lodge in his throat. "That's…one of the rules of necromancy, isn't it?"
Shashi nodded his head slowly. "Indeed."
For some reason, the vision of Ravenous' painting flashed through Drayce's mind. He soon shook his head, however, his attention focusing back to the task at hand; the cauldron. "The creation of those entities; that must be the reason why the cauldron was stolen."
"That's the only conclusion." Shashi paused suddenly, his eyes widening a mere fraction. "Does that mean…that there is someone who already knows how to create these unworldly puppets?"
Drayce felt a chill race down his spine. That had to be it. Someone would have had to know not only of the cauldron's location and what it was, but how to use it. Only a necromancer has the ability to summon the dead. Only a necromancer could use the cauldron.
A necromancer that was disrespectful to the laws of necromancy.
"Brother, I sense mana," Kamali revealed suddenly. "I think there is something else hidden here."
"Show me," Shashi immediately insisted.
Drayce left the brothers to continue their inspection. They were quite desperate to know more, to find out the slightest bit of information. And Drayce was, too. But he would only get in the way, and it was clear, beyond all doubt, that Shashi knew the situation (or rather possible situation) better than he did.
Instead, Drayce stepped back and turned his attention toward Ashton. "Ash? If a celestian necromancer had used the cauldron to summon these entities, does that mean he had a shaman companion?"
"Probably," Ashton replied simply. "Despot had his fair share of generals, like the Legendary Dragoon."
So…could that mean that a shaman was involved in their current situation, too?
The silence that had fallen over the room was promptly broken by a sudden chorus of raised voices just outside. Instinctively, Drayce felt himself tense as he immediately hurried to the window with Blayke right with him. He paused only a second to fling open the window and he rested his hands on the sill to lean out.
"What was that?" Drayce asked, directed to no one in particular as he realised that the voices were that of shouts and shrieks of surprise and fear. Not a good combination!
"I don't know," Blayke uttered. "But I don't like it."
The sounds were greatly concerning as they appeared to be originating from the entrance of the museum. Where guildmaster Egar was situated. He knew that Egar was capable of handling the situation if it was just a bunch of rowdy spectators or bandits. But after what he just learnt from Shashi, after learning about the Blood Cauldron and the potential it had to summon and create wendigos, he had to go and see what was going on.
"Ash, stay here with the brothers," Drayce instructed as he pushed away from the window. "Blayke and I will head outside. I doubt it's those thieves, but something is going on."
And that something felt so very wrong…
