Once more, all mammals of the house were gathering on the table to eat dinner. Another menu was offer to the presents, with special options for the carnivores, and they all ate.
They talked to each other as they ate, with Josh talking to his siblings, Gazelle talking to Tyson and her manager, Nick talking to Judy, and the couples talking to their pairs.
However, a few of the presents were not much into talking. Those would be Yahya and Adrian.
Nick cast a glance at the two horses as he and Judy talked and ate.
They probably are still digesting what they heard. Nick thought. And probably hoping that the thing won' go off inside of the house.
Nick could still remember how they both got after he, Judy, Benji and Josh all explained to them in details about the MTC. Judy had been against it at first, but Yahya had been quite insistent into knowing details, with his son following suite. It was particularly effective when Yahya said that he could get them to tell him by calling Bogo directly and having a talk with him, but he preferred not to use his connections with two fellow cops, unlike his son.
Nick was the one who convinced Judy to tell them, as he knew very well that, if they didn't, Yahya would make good to his words and make the needed calls to make Bogo order them both to share information with him. Judy ended up conceding, and they both told them about their own investigation.
They told them about the MTC, how they contacted a mage gang called "Black Vipers" and arranged for them to attack the mall to distract the enforcers so they would have a chance to have their package back and, of course, they told them about the package itself.
At least, what they knew about it.
By the time they finished explaining, Yahya had a very serious expression on his face.
Following this, and Josh Clawhauser confirming what they said about the MTC and the Black Vipers, as well as about him having the package and brought it to the mansion to protect it, Yahya put himself to work.
First of all, he asked Josh to let him see the "package", and the cheetah, after a few traded words, conceded in letting the horse see it. The rest of the present mammals came along, as they all wanted to see this package. Nick and Judy wanted to see it to confirm it was the thing.
Yep, it was it. Glowing and everything.
Josh kept it in a locked plastic box inside one of the drawers of his room (which was in certain disarray, as neither the servants nor Josh himself cleaned it after Josh's little "party" with his four new friends), and everyone looked at it as the muscular cheetah showed them the thing.
"It's so... pretty." Legoshi said, and he almost looked like he was going to reach out for it, when Josh closed and locked the box once more. Yahya asked a few more questions about the package, its nature and original purpose on the Fangtropolis' ritual. Josh answered, but he was rather cryptic and dodgy, and he didn't really said anything other than what the cops had already said.
"And it is really that dangerous?" Adrian demanded, looking at the cheetah. "How dare you bring something like that into my house!" He looked about to go on a tirade, but Yahya was quick to cut him off and remain objective.
Josh assured him that, even though the object (which he still didn't said directly what it was, other than saying that it was a fragment of something else) was currently active, it was definitely not dangerous. It would not just start reacting out of nowhere and, even if it did, there would be no chances of it generating anything even close to the level of what happened in Fangtropolis.
Yahya seemed to take his word, but made sure to iterate to him how that object was the cheetah's responsibility, and that if it brought trouble, or harm, to anyone on that house, Josh would be held personally responsible. Josh heard it all, and accepted naturally, saying that he wouldn't expect it any other way.
Adrian wanted to take the thing to a safe and lock it there with armed guard, but Josh assured him that there was no need.
"I can protect it very well." Josh said to them, "Thank you for the offer, though."
The horses still were interested on the package; even after the muscular cheetah convinced them the package was safe and that they should not worry about that. Adrian seemed to be worried that the MTC or the Black Vipers could come and try to get their package back again. After all, they had prepared for a whole mall to be take hostage only to serve as distraction. What would they do to his mansion and the ones inside? He was making sure to tell Ogami and Horne to reinforce security, and warned them that they better not make any mistake this time.
Yahya, on his end, was equally worried with security. However, he had other worries in mind as well. He started making calls to some of his subordinates back on the Beastar Corps, sharing new information with them related to the investigation of the mall. They've been investigating since the day after the attack, and they never knew anything about the MTC or the Black Vipers. This was very frustrating to the horse, and he wanted to make up for the lost time, and ordered investigations on the subjects of those two groups. In particular, he told them to investigate Marble Trading Company, including the warehouses where they stored the golems. Of course, Yahya knew that they probably would not do massive breakthroughs on it, once they, unlike the ZPD, didn't had enforcers on their side.
It made Yahya wish he could hire one.
After this, the rest of the day proceeded rather normally, at least for the guests. Now there they were again, gathered to have dinner together before the guests would resume their game.
Chandler and the rest of the guests didn't really knew what had happened. Marcy knew, for her siblings (mostly Josh) shared it with her. She didn't seemed much worried thought, much like Josh, and she simply was like "really? How interesting" as she took in the news from her younger siblings.
Horne and Ogami were eating, and they seemed somewhat tired. Adrian had made the two work hard on reinforcing the protections they placed around the house, and he made it clear that if they failed again there would be repercussions. It seemed to be enough to get the two to work on improving the protections around the house. Nick and Judy had not seen the two during the rest of the afternoon, and assumed that they had spent it making the area around the house safer.
The dinner proceeded quite normally, until everyone had ate dessert and Chandler excused himself and his guests to return to their game.
Once they moved into another room, where everyone was seat in comfortable chairs, with Chandler standing on the center of the room, and they were ready to get a go at the next challenged of the Murder Mystery Game:
"Riddles?" Euphemia asked, looking at her brother with a raised eyebrow. "The next challenge is a game of riddles?"
"Sure is." Chandler said, looking at his sister, and pulling a waddle of papers from his pocket, and holding them in place. "In order to access this challenge's clue, you need to answer the riddles that I'll be asking to you."
"Oh, it will be like the quiz we did?" Ogami asked, looking at the horse, who continued to explain:
"Not really. Those are actual riddles. Got them all from the internet." Chandler said, "Each one of you will be given five riddles. If you get three of the right, then you pass, and you qualify to get the clue."
"Sounds simple enough." Horne said, reclining on the chair. "So, let's go for it."
"Alright then." Chandler said, turning to Ben, who was sitting right by Josh's side.
"Ben and Josh, you two guessed the fastest on the previous challenge. Which one of you would like to go first?"
The two brothers shared a look. Josh shrugged, and this seemed to be enough for Ben to assume that he would be the first. Soon, Chandler was asking him the first riddle:
"I speak without a mouth. I hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with the wind. What am I?" Chandler asked, and started the three minutes that Ben would have to guess what it was. The cheetah immediately put himself to think.
Speak with no mouth. The thing that came to Ben's mind was a radio, but did the mic in it counted as a mouth? And there was the fact that it heard with no ears, and it had no body.
Speak with no mouth. Speak with no mouth.
What spoke with no mouth?
It also heard with no ears. It had no body. Could it be a ghost? It could be. But it didn't seemed right.
"One minute to go, Ben." Chandler said, and Ben continued to think.
Speak with no mouth. Speak with no mouth. Somehow Ben thought this could be the more important part.
"Thirty seconds." Chandler said, and Ben continued to think.
Speak with no mouth. Speak with no mouth. Ben felt like this was the more important part of the riddle. At least the one that kept echoing on his head... wait!
Ben's eyes widened, and he looked up at Chandler and said:
"An echo!"
"Correct." Chandler said, looking at Ben with a smile, and Ben smiled back.
"Well done, Ben." Josh said, patting his twin's back, and Marcy and Gabe were smiling at the cheetah as well. Even Gabe was smiling at Ben, as he was once more a watcher on the game.
"Okay, second riddle." Josh said. "I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I?"
This one Ben was not capable of answering. The time ended, and Chandler revealed that the answer was "a map". Then they went for the next riddle:
"If you say my name, I am no longer here. What am I?"
"The silence." Ben said, making that his second correct guess.
"First you eat me, then you get eaten. What am I?" Chanlder asked.
"Uhhh..." Ben tried to guess, but this one was too hard.
"A fishhook, Ben." Gabe said, "Okay, get ready for the last one." He said, and prepared to say the final riddle for the cheetah.
"I belong to you, but everyone else uses me. What am I?" Chandler asked, Ben thought for a while, and he tried:
"My... my name?"
Chandler looked at him.
"Ben." He said, and opened a smile. "You just qualified for the next clue."
"Yes!" Ben celebrated, and so did Gabe, and Chandler was already passing to Josh, who was sitting right by his side. This way, he went among the guests clockwise, and each one of them got asked five riddles (or less, in case they got the three needed to qualify before the fifth riddle) to see which one of them would qualify for the clue.
Now, for the final person:
"Okay, third riddle, Effie." Chandler said, looking at his sister, who looked back at him with an indifferent, but polite, interest. "You measure my life in hours, and I serve you by expiring. I'm quick when I'm thin and slow when I'm fat. The wind is my enemy. What am I?"
Euphemia silently reflected on it for nearly twenty seconds, before she answered:
"A candle."
"Correct." Chandler said. "And the three right in a row. Congrats, sis."
Euphemia simply nodded at her younger brother, and then Chandler summed it up:
"Okay, so Ben, Josh, Marcy, Ogami, Hannah, Wilde and Effie all got it right. You all guys get to know the clue. Everyone else, please, wait on the other room."
With this, Judy, Gazelle, Tyson, Charles and Horne left. Judy was upset for having got those riddles wrong. In her defense, they were quite hard. Horne, on his end, just asked Ogami to "tell him the clue later" before calmly walking out, going right behind Charles, who grumbled as he walked outside.
"Is it just me, or has our dear Charles not won a single challenge yet?" Nick asked to Hannah, who shrugged back.
"Okay now." Chandler said to the guests. "Congratulations to all of you who passed this challenge. And your prize is..."
He pulled out a single card from within his clothes.
"This." He said, and started reading from the paper:
"To travel far and long, I serve your need.
Through deserts and mountains, I help you with your deed.
Tough and hard, metal is what I was once made of.
If I am made for you, I might just fit like a glove.
In time of travel and battle, I was a need and even an armament.
In the time of peace and comfort, I serve for status and as a statement.
I was made to protect, my duty is to be on the ground.
Depending on my purpose and making, I can even silence the sound.
I support someone big, as they run, sprint, stomp and slam.
Put owner and object together now, can you tell me who I am?"
Everyone looked at the horse as he finished readying from the paper, and looked around at the winners.
"Okay, that's a thinker..." Ben said, putting himself to think about it.
"So, the next clue is another riddle?" Marcy asked.
"That's right." Chandler confirmed, looking at her with a smile.
"What is the answer?" Ogami asked, looking at the horse. "Oh, we have to guess it?"
"How does that fit on the mystery?" Gabe, who had remained in the room after the ones who lost left.
"Okay, yes, you have to guess yourselves what it means." Chandler said, looking at the wolf, and he then looked at the deer. "And how it fits in the mystery, is for the players to figure out."
Everyone nodded at this, and Ben was still looking as if he was trying to figure out the answer.
"Okay, so what about we meet up with the rest of the guests, huh?" Chandler said, and they did. Everyone else was on the other room, waiting for them.
As soon as they met, Ogami started to whisper about the clue to Horne, and the hybrid heard about it.
"A riddle, huh?" Horne said, smirking. "Well, that's interesting."
Ben also shared the riddle with Gazelle and Tyson, and they both nodded at it. Charles also asked his wife about the riddle, and she just told him.
"Okay, everyone knows the clue now?" Chandler said, not seeming upset that the winners were sharing the clue so readily with the others. After all, he told them that they could, right? Even though it kind of defeated the purpose of the challenges...
"So, we better get going. He is probably waiting for us now."
The guests looked among themselves.
"I'm sorry, who is waiting for us?" Judy asked, looking at the horse.
"The judge for the next challenge." Chandler said, "So, let's not leave him waiting, right?"
With this, Chandler started to guide his guests in direction to a room where the judge of their next challenge waited.
At the subway, the train just arrived at the station and everyone spilled out. Most of them were mammals who finished their job late and were now returning to their home. Among them, a certain wolf was in a rush to get back home, where his dear wife was surely expecting for him.
Eliot Fanghanel felt a bit bad for ending his shift without making any progress on the investigation. However, that was quickly overshadowed by the knowledge that his wife was waiting for him back home and that she would surely welcome him with open arms. The mere thought of hugging and kissing his dear Pumpkin after a long day of work was enough to make Eliot's tail wag really fast.
Oh, how he wished to be home to see his dear wife. To hug her and pull her in a long kiss. To eat the delicious food she certainly had ready just for him. To tell her everything about his day and about the case they were investigating now... Oh, wait, he could not tell her about the case. It was still an investigation in progress... But wait, couldn't she help them? As a mage, she could certainly give them a good help... But wait, what if the enforcers had a problem with him having told her about the case and ask for her help without consulting them first? They could make a scene because of it... But Eliot felt bad about hiding things from her... But Chief Bogo gave him an ear chewing for speaking about cases with his wife when he heard it from Ellie...
Man, thinking was tiring sometimes!
Sighing, Eliot pulled his phone from his pocket and looked into it. He could see a picture of his wife. Gosh, Chloe looked so beautiful with that blue dress. It was on a celebration of their marriage anniversary, and she looked so lovely with it. It matched her eyes so well. Gosh, her eyes were so beautiful.
She was so beautiful.
Eliot's tail wagged harder, and he sped up his pace, wanting to get home as soon as possible, so he could take his wife on his arms, kiss her, and then take her to the bedroom to-
"Hey, you!"
That voice suddenly called Eliot out of his reverie, and made him look in the direction from which the voice came, to see a mammal walking on his direction.
Eliot looked at the mammal coming on his direction. He wore a black jacket with a hoodie, which was pull over his head, and a pair of long indigo pants. He approached the wolf, letting him look at his canine face.
"Fanghanel, right?" The hyena asked to the wolf, who looked back at him.
"Yes, why?" Eliot said, and the hyena said:
"Come with me."
"Where?" Eliot asked.
"There." The hyena said, pointing to an area covered in shadows.
"Why?"
"Because there no one will see us together." The hyena said. Eliot looked at the hyena for a few moments with a raised eyebrow. He seemed that he was trying to figure out the hyena. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.
"Oh!" Eliot said, "Sorry dude, I'm married."
"What?" The hyena said, looking at the wolf, who continued:
"Also, I'm straight. Well, at least I consider myself straight. Honestly, I never thought too hard on it. I know I like girls, though. My wife more than any other."
The hyena looked at him.
"What? No!"
"Yes, it's true." Eliot said, "I only dated girls my whole life. I never actually felt attracted to guys."
The hyena face-palmed, dragging his face across his features. He then said, exasperated:
"Just come with me." He said.
"I can't." Eliot said, "I told you. I'm married!"
"It's about your investigation!" The hyena whispered in frustration at the wolf. This caused Eliot to stop and look at him.
"Follow. Me. Now." The hyena said, clearly tired of this, and this time Eliot actually followed the hyena.
Once in there, they were away from the eyes of anyone who could be looking at them. It was a corner far from the main traffic of pedestrians and dark, so they could do things without worrying about someone walking on them or seeing them.
"It is really something about my investigation?" Eliot asked, looking at the hyena, who had pulled back his hoodie, revealing his face with brown fear and a black mane, with a single scar running on his forehead. "It is not for another thing, is it? Because I must warm you, I'm a cop and trained in combat!"
"Will you cut that out!?" The hyena said, getting fed up with the wolf and his antics. "I'm here because I want to give you something." The hyena pulled the backpack off his back and unzipped it. He pulled what seemed to be a thick file from the backpack, and handed it to the wolf.
"What is this?" Eliot said, taking the big file.
"The information that partner of yours asked for." The hyena said, and there was a hint of anger as he said that. Eliot blinked and looked at him.
"Oh!" Eliot said, as he finally got it. "You're Gerald's contact, aren't you?"
The wolf said it rather loudly, making the hyena look to the sides, as if he was worried that someone could ben eavesdropping. He then looked back at the wolf.
"That panther said he wanted the information as fast as possible, and that this would be the last favor he'd ever ask me." The hyena said, looking back at the wolf. "Tell him I'm holding him on to that promise."
"And you got it so fast?" Eliot asked, looking at the file. "Is everything in here? The name of the owner of the storehouse too?"
"All in there." The hyena said, looking at him, and looking to the sides as well. "Just as requested."
"Wow, that's great!" Eliot said, "And it's literally only been hours since Gerald went to talk to you! That's impressive!"
"I will be in trouble if anyone find out I got that." The hyena said, still looking to the sides, as if he was afraid that someone would come at any moment. Eliot looked at him.
"That will really help our investigation." Eliot said, seeming not noticing how the hyena was nervous. "Thanks a lot dude! Gerald will be happy too! I'm glad he has friends in the right places."
The hyena stopped, and then looked at the wolf.
"Friends?" The hyena said, looking at the wolf. "Are you kidding me?"
Eliot looked at the hyena in surprise, and the other mammal scoffed.
"Look, I don't know what that thing told you, but I'm no friends with it." The hyena said, looking at the wolf with a serious expression. "I only did it because I owned your partner something and doing this would makes us even for good."
"I wanted to give it that on the first chance I got, but since you are his partner, I'm given it to you so I don't have to face that thing personally!" The hyena continued, looking at Eliot. "Now all our businesses are over and I owe nothing more to that failed experiment! Be sure to tell it that, and to stay away from me from now on!"
With this, the hyena left, leaving behind the wolf who was holding the files and looking at his departing form.
Eliot looked as the hyena hurriedly went away and blend into the crowd until he was completely out of sight. Eliot seemed like he had almost forgotten about the file that he now held on his paws.
"Failed experiment?" Eliot said, looking at the direction where the hyena went, before he seemed to finally remember the files on his paws, and looked at it.
Soon, Eliot was walking back to his home like he had been. He was still looking at the files, but he was not very much thinking on them, as much as he was thinking on what he heard from the hyena.
What did he meant by "failed experiment"? Eliot thought as he walked in direction to his house. And why was he referred to Gerald as "it" instead of "he"?
Eliot nearly bumped into a few mammals on his way as he reflected on the words of that hyena about his partner, and wondered just what they could truly mean.
Eliot was nearly at his house, when he finally opened the files and flipped through them.
It seemed to be some detailed information. The kind Eliot should read when he was focusing, instead of trying to figure out what that panther meant when called Gerald a "failed experiment". Still, Eliot was able to catch up the general of what was write on those files, like information on the storehouse and on a filed request to use it for "unlabeled cargo". Strange thing to say on what seemed to be an official document...
Eliot flipped another sheet of paper as he studied the file, looking at the next page. As he did, he stopped dead on his tracks, his eyes widening as he looked at the other sheet of paper.
"By my ancestor's fangs!" Eliot said, as all of sudden the hyena's words were completely forgot, pushed aside by the sudden information his mind just processed.
Eliot had stopped right on the doorstep of his house, and he immediately reached out for his phone inside his pocket. He pulled it out and immediately started typing on the screen while he tried to hold into the file so they would not fall. He nearly let it fall, but was able to recover as he finished dialing and took his phone to his ear.
"Pick up. Pick up. Pick up." Eliot said, as he heard the sound of the phone calling on the other end. After nearly two minutes:
You called Gerald Clawford. I cannot answer. Please, leave a message.
"Oy! Gerald!" Eliot said, as he held the now-closed file on one paw and the other one was fishing for his keys on his pocket while he held the phone between his head and shoulder. "I just spoke to that hyena! You know, that contact you said you had but didn't wanted to tell me details about even though I asked!"
Eliot got his keys, and placed them on the keyhole to unlock it.
"He got a file with him! He gave it to me and said some weird things about you! Anyway, I was looking through it and I just... saw..."
Eliot's voice suddenly got lost.
He had come home many times ever since he first bought it for him and his dear Pumpkin to live in. It was no different from most houses. At least, the ones you often saw on television and movies. Eliot was never rich, like Chloe's family, so he could not buy her a huge house like the one she used to live, but he had enough money to buy a decent-sized house for them to live together.
Normally, when he arrived home, the house was tidy and clean and he could smell the scent of dinner. Of course, Eliot never asked Chloe to stay at home and become a homemaker, but his wife decided for herself to take care of the house and support her cop husband, and they both found out that it worked for the two of them. It stablished a routine the two had gotten used to.
That was why Eliot was shocked to come home and not find it clean and tidy like usual, but trashed.
He was so surprised that he forgot about the phone, and relaxed his head enough that the phone dropped to the ground. Eliot walked into the house, taking on how trashed the place looked.
There were cracks and holes on the walls, and some of the furniture was broken. Pictures were out of the walls and fallen into the ground, their frames shattered and the pieces scattered around, along with the remains of their vases. The TV was bust, fallen to the ground and its screen shattered.
The house looked like it had been place to a fight. A big one.
"Chloe?" Eliot said, looking around the house. "Pumpkin? Chloe!?" He called again, growing more and more alarmed the more he looked around and saw signs of battle all around the house. The bookshelves had been completely take down, with books spilling all over the ground. The cracks on the wall were bigger in there, looking like they were somewhat burned. The couch looked like it had been set on fire. All of that was pointing out to a violent brawl that took place on the house.
"CHLOE!?" Eliot cried out. He was about to dash into the house and look into every single room of it, when his ears picked a sound coming from inside, from the bedroom.
"Chloe?" Eliot said, and he looked in that direction, and he saw a figure walking to him. He could tell it was a thylacine, and he immediately felt relief wash up to him.
"Oh, Pumpkin! I'm so glad you-" Eliot started saying, but stopped as soon as he caught up the scent coming from the figure. His smile disappeared. This one... was not Chloe. Didn't smelled like her. Smelled like thylacine, but definitely not like Chloe. Was a male. He was...
"You have finally arrived." The thylacine said, walking out of the darkness. He had a smile on his white-furred muzzle as he looked at the wolf, walking to him with confident steps. "Took your time, didn't you? Was starting to get bored. Do you keep your wife waiting so long for you every night? Alone? Not very considerate with someone you claim to love so much."
He was wearing a white shirt and a coat, and a pair of long social pants, all of it looking to be of quality. However, he wore the same necklace made of teeth around his neck that he had when he met Eliot days ago.
Eliot definitely was not happy for finding Chloe's ex-fiancé on his house on the current circumstances.
"Anyway, I'm glad you have arrived." Koby said as he looked at the wolf. "Now we can finally have the conversation I wanted to have with you."
"What are you doing in my house?" Eliot asked, looking at him with a glare. "How did you got in? Where's Chloe?"
"Okay, you have many questions, but I appreciate if you can save them for another time." The male thylacine said to the wolf, as he walked, he and the wolf were now circling each other. "Right now you need to hear what I have to say."
"What I want to hear now is where Chloe is!" Eliot said, looking at him. "Tell me where she is! Right now!"
"Okay, I have the feeling you are not willing to listen to me." Koby said, looking at the wolf. "I think you should. Believe me, it would be the best, not only for you, but for your wife as well."
Eliot glared at him, his lips curling in a snarl as he looked at the thylacine.
"Where is my wife!?" Eliot demanded, looking at the thylacine. "Where is she, Tasman!?"
The thylacine stopped, looking at the wolf with surprise.
"I didn't told you my surname." The thylacine said, looking at the wolf with a curious expression. "Did Chloe tell you that?"
Eliot growled at him, and then he tossed the file he had on the table right by his side. It slid across the table until it stopped next to the other male, who looked at it with a raised eyebrow. He looked at the wolf, and then at the file once more.
Casually, the thylacine opened the file with a single paw and looked through the papers in it. He seemed to be quite surprised for seeing the kinds of information on those papers. He got particularly interested on the sheet of paper that contained his picture, as well as information on him, including his full name. The name he worked so hard to keep in secret in most of the properties he owned. Including the storehouses he had acquired on the Canal District a few months previous.
Koby Tasman. "K.T."
"Where did you get this?" Koby Tasman said, looking at the wolf with a serious expression. Eliot looked back at the thylacine with growing ferocity.
"Where is Chloe?" Eliot asked.
"Has anyone else seen this?" Tasman asked, gesturing to the file and all the papers in it. "Does anyone else knows?"
"Knows what?" Eliot asked, looking at him. "That you work for the MTC?"
The thylacine looked at him, and said:
"You have no idea what you are getting yourself into. You never did. From the very moment you decided to get involved with Chloe Dapperclaw."
"Where. Is. Chloe!?" Eliot said, now really starting to lose his calm. Meanwhile, the thylacine looked back at him with indifference. "What have you done to her!? I swear on my ancestors' fangs that if you hurt her...!"
"She is fine." Tasman said, looking at the wolf as he said that. "She put quite a struggle, as you can clearly see." He gestured at the trashed house around them. "But in the end she didn't got more than a bruised shoulder. She is fine." He looked at the wolf. "For now."
The way the male thylacine said that, as well as the underlying notion that he had, indeed, attacked and hurt Chloe, was what it took to make Eliot fly completely into anger. He growled loudly as he charged at the thylacine.
"Where is she!?" Eliot said, grabbing him by the shirt and putting his own snarling face inches apart from Tasman's. "Tell me right now or I will- gah!"
Eliot's threat was cut short when Tasman grabbed his wrists and squeezed them hard enough to make the wolf let go. As Eliot squirmed from the pain, Tasman put his foot out, kicking Eliot in the stomach and sending him reeling back. Eliot groaned as he rushed to all fours, and he growled at Tasman, who was looking back at him with a serious expression.
"Now." Tasman said, "Let's talk."
Eliot wasn't willing to talk, though. He attacked. The wolf charged on all fours at the thylacine, and jumped in his direction. Tasman looked at him as he advanced. His circuits activated, sending magical energy to his paw. Increasing both strength and speed of the reflexes.
Eliot barely saw the paw coming; the backhand hit his jaw so hard that he was send flying, smashing into another piece of furniture, breaking it with the impact.
Eliot groaned, his face aching. He could feel the metallic taste of his own blood on his tongue.
His head was spinning, but Eliot still struggled to get up, spitting his blood, and looking at Tasman's direction, only to find him right in front of him.
Eliot didn't even saw the foot coming, until it collided with his chest and pressed him hard against the ground. Eliot tried to get up, to push the foot out of his chest, only to find out that it would be easier to try bending a steel bar with his bare paws.
Tasman looked down at the wolf, keeping his foot on his chest, sending magical energy to the appendage through his circuits to increase the conceptual weight and resistance of his foot, making the wolf feel like there was a boulder resting on his chest.
Still, Eliot was keen on getting up again, as he continued to squirm and to grasp on the ankle of the foot on his chest.
"Will you hear me out?" Tasman said to him, looking down at the wolf, who snarled at him, prompting the thylacine to press his foot even harder on the wolf's chest. "And quit struggling uselessly like that. Is disgraceful."
Eliot's answer was to struggle doubly as hard. He even started trying to claw and bite at the foot, only to find out that Tasman was also using magical energy to toughen his skin enough that his claws and teeth posed no threat to it.
"You're quite pitiful." Tasman said, looking down at the wolf. "Honestly, what Chloe ever saw on you goes beyond me. It is actually quite sad that she actually chose you over the world of magecraft."
"Is that why you came here?" Eliot asked, looking up at the thylacine stepping on his chest with a freakishly heavy foot. "You plan to take her back? And now you are going to beat me up for having taken her?"
Tasman looked down at him, and he chuckled.
"Nah, I have a wife now. I'm not interested in having Chloe. Even though she is cute."
Eliot snarled at him, squirming more against him, but not succeeding in getting loose from Tasman in the slightest.
"I also don't have any intention of punishing you for having seduced her into giving up magecraft for you." Tasman said, "I'm actually kind of impressed that you did so."
"Like I told you before, I got over it long ago." Tasman continued looking down at the wolf. "I don't hold any grudge."
Eliot looked up at him, and then the thylacine continued:
"Still, I have to say... when I think that she gave up marrying me to marry you." He said, looking at the wolf in the eyes. "When I think that I, Koby Tasman, of the Tasman clan, have been ditched in favor of a mundane..."
His foot pressed harder, making Eliot wheeze and gasp.
"I really can't help but feel insulted."
He was smirking at the wolf, who looked back at him with ferocity.
"But, no. Me being here has nothing to do with you and Chloe eloping together." He said.
"Then why are you here?" Eliot demanded, still furious at the male thylacine for knowing he had attacked Chloe.
"Because I need your help." Tasman said, looking at him. Eliot looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, I need the help of a mundane. I'm humble enough to admit it."
"Why would I help a guy who broke into my house and attacked my wife while I was out!?" Eliot demanded, to which Koby Tasman said:
"Because I have your wife." Eliot looked back at him with wide eyes. "And if you don't help me, it will be really bad for her."
"YOU BASTARD!" Eliot said, grasping and hitting the leg stepping on him. "You better not dare to touch my Pumpkin! If you lay a finger on a single fur of her body I will- ACK!" Eliot's threats were cut short when the thylacine pressed his foot hard on the wolf's chest, causing the pressure to be so great that there was a risk of Eliot's whole chest collapsing. Still, that was not going to happen.
That was not what Koby Tasman wanted.
He needed this wolf alive.
For now.
"You'll what?" Tasman asked, looking down on him. "What will the mammal who can't even lay a single finger on me in battle do to me?"
Eliot said nothing. He was too winded to do so with the foot pressing so hard on his chest. He looked back at the thylacine as he continued:
"Admit it, Fanghanel. You can't do anything against me." Tasman said "You are nothing more than a mundane. You can't fight me. You can't threaten me. Dammit, you couldn't even notice the bounded field I placed around your house to muffle all sounds coming from inside so the neighbors would not hear anything! And I didn't even put that much effort in it! A skilled mage would surely have noticed it, but you were completely clueless, weren't you?"
Eliot continued to look back at him, breathing heavily to try breathing with that heavy foot on his chest.
"Chloe didn't noticed when I erected the field as well." The male thylacine said, "She didn't noticed until I was into her house and she knew something was wrong. And I was told that she had a good training to be a decent mage. Guess she let herself go after running off with you. That's what happen with quitters, I suppose."
He sighed.
"Still, I need your help right now." The thylacine said, looking at the wolf. "Also, I'd like to clarify an important thing..."
He looked Eliot in the eyes.
"I don't work for the MTC." Tasman said, in all seriousness, "I am one of them. A member. Not merely a hired paw. There is a huge difference. I am actually quite influent among them. They respect me a lot. Just like they respected my father and my grandfather, who were also members while they were alive."
"As a member, I have some responsibilities. Like fixing up the mistakes that some idiot made when carrying on an important assignment." Tasman said, with seriousness and a hint of annoyance. "This is where you come in."
"I'm not sure if you are aware, but a while ago, some of your friends have taken a thing that belongs to the MTC." Tasman said to him. "You see, I could easily get it back myself, but if I did there would be a lot of attention and they would find out that I'm a member of the MTC. Not that I'm ashamed or anything, but one of the reasons why I can be so useful for the MTC is that no one knows I'm one of them. So, I can't really go after the package myself. So, you will be getting it for me."
"You are a cop, and the enforcers are working with the ZPD. This can work in my favor." Tasman said, "You will use your connection to the ZPD to find our package, take it, and them bring it to me. How you will do it, is your problem."
Eliot looked up at him, snarling. Tasman continued:
"I'm not unreasonable, though. I know that asking a mundane to take something from the enforcers all by himself may be asking too much. So, I'm willing to help you."
The thylacine put a paw on his pocket, and pulled out something. It was a cell phone.
"I believe you mundanes call this a 'burner phone'." Tasman said, "We'll be contacting each other through this. If you have difficulty, give me a call, and I'll see what I can do to help you. Also, I'll be contacting you through this to know how the mission is going."
Eliot looked at the phone, and then back at the thylacine's eyes. He still could not talk with the foot pressed on his chest, but the look on his eyes said everything.
"You will do this for me." Tasman said, "Not only that, but you will not let anyone know what you are doing. And you won't let them know about me as well. Like I said, no one can know I am member of the MTC. You will get my package back and you will bring it to me, and you'll do it by the midnight of the 31st."
Tasman leaned over, getting closer to Eliot's face.
"You will do it for Chloe. If you fail to bring me back my package on time, she dies."
Eliot's eyes widened, and Tasman continued:
"You try telling anyone what is happening, she dies." Tasman said, "You tell anyone about me, she dies. You try to trick me, pass me behind, or get the best of me in anyway and, guess what, she dies!"
Eliot said nothing, and only looked back at the thylacine stepping on his chest.
"You succeed on the mission." Tasman said, "You succeed into bringing me back the package on time and without anyone figuring out what you are doing and why, and you have my word that I won't lay a single finger on Chloe."
Eliot continued to glare at him, and he said:
"I'll be keeping an eye on you and following your progress. So, for Chloe's sake, don't do anything stupid, okay?"
Eliot glared, curling his lips and snarling at him. The thylacine was unimpressed.
"I hope this means yes." He said.
The last thing Eliot saw before falling to unconsciousness was a fist coming towards his face.
"-and, when he woke up, the giant snake was swallowing him alive!" Charles said, with his arms up in a dramatic way.
Everyone looked at him, some with raised eyebrows and some with blank stares.
"Giant snake?" Nick asked. "What giant snake?" The horse looked at him.
"The one of the game room." He said, talking as if the fox was forgetting something important.
"What game room?" Josh asked, and Charles looked at the cheetah. The horse then looked around, and saw that everyone was looking at him.
"Didn't I told about the game room?" Charles said, looking around.
"Pretty sure you didn't." Josh said, still looking at the horse with crossed arms.
"Dammit, I must have skipped this part." Charles said, and he looked around. "Okay, let me start over."
As one, the circle groaned.
"Dude, this is, like, the seventh time you ask to start over." Nick said to him.
"Eighth." Marcy said, "Don't forget the time he asked a break to go to bathroom and forgot in which part he was."
"Hey, it's been a long time since I last heard that story!" Charles said, "I just forget some parts. But when I tell the whole story it will be worth it. Trust me, it will give you nightmares for weeks!"
Horne chuckled at this.
"What, it will!" Charles said.
"Sorry Charles, but I don't think clowns dressed as ballerinas are scary." Hannah said, looking at the horse.
"Depends on the clown." Nick said, and that was when Chandler said:
"Okay, I think that's the end of it, Charles."
"What? Wait!" Charles said, looking at his brother-in-law. "I'm not done with my story yet!"
"You have repeated the story from the beginning eight times now." Chandler said, "I'd say that this is enough now. There are still two more mammals to tell their stories before the night ends. So, what do you think, Mister Hornwick?"
The person Chandler had talked with, a burly bison with a scar over the side of his muzzle and wearing the uniform of the mansion's security, pondered over it.
"I give him a three." The bison said.
"Three!?" Charles said, sounding nearly outraged.
"And only because you were very persistent with that story of yours." Hornwick said, looking at the horse with a serious expression. "Seriously, you said that it was 'the scariest story you ever heard', and I didn't thought it was scary at all."
"Oh, come on! It was scarier than the story the bunny told about the killer carrot!" Charles said, referring to the story Judy told about a carrot that ate bunnies.
For this was the challenge they were currently playing: a contest to see who told the scariest terror story.
This was another Halloween classic. For what was Halloween without a good dose of terror? Chandler even put some effort into setting the right ambiance. All of the lights of the room were off, and even the curtains of the windows were drawn, to cast the room into darkness. The only illumination came from the candles placed on the circle formed by all participants, casting an eerie darkness on the place that went perfect with horror stories.
It did helped for the fact that the contestants were alone on the room. Only they, Chandler, Gabe, and the judge.
Connor Hornwick was kind enough to accept when Chandler asked him to be the judge on the scary stories. His role was to hear the stories the participants told and rank them from one to ten based on how scary he thought the story was. The ones who would have access the clue would be the ones who scored seven or more with their stories.
Chandler could have been the judge himself, but Chandler was not sure if he could have been an impartial judge, since his girlfriend was one of the participants. Hannah scored 7.5 with her story, by the way, about a creature that stole faces from mammals.
Judy scored a 5.4 with her story of the carnivore carrot, while Nick scored a solid eight with his story about the abusive mother who killed her daughter and was then haunt by her corpse, which she hid in the basement.
Ben told a story about a man who was so hooked on eating sweets that he ate them until he turned into a living sweet himself. Hornwick gave him a four, for it was "unsettling, but silly". Josh told a story about a thing called "the Cow Head", a horror story about a horror story, said to be so scary that anyone who heard the story would literally die of fright. It received a 7.4. Then Marcy told a story she swore was real, about a necromancer who used the corpses of an entire village to create a patchwork abomination that ultimately killed him and prompted the association to chase it down and capture it. She got a solid seven for it.
"She only did because she said the story was real." Charles mumbled to his wife.
Then it was Tyson's turn, and he told a story about "staying after school", with a very creepy twist of the haunted kind. He got a 6.8 for that one. Just a little more and he would have passed. Gazelle, on her end, passed, with a surprisingly creepy and terrifying story regarding "the Chupacabra", an old legend of her mother's homeland. She scored a 7.4.
Then it was Euphemia's turn to tell as a story. It involved an expedition to Monte Everest. One that ended with all members being taken by an unseen force until only one of them remained and came back to tell the story. Now, the story in itself was unnerving, but the fact that Euphemia knew how to tell a story helped her score the highest score until that point of the game: 9.8
"That story was scary." Hornwick said, looking like he was truly impressed with the story. Then it was Charles' turn, and he just scored a three, despite not having even finished the story.
"Okay, your turn, Horne." Chandler said, turning to the hybrid, who looked at everyone around, looking at him.
A smirk played on his lips.
"-but no one came to help the poor boy. Just like no one heard his final scream other than the ones on that room." Horne finished. His voice, normally goofy, had a shadowy and heavy tone, which perfectly matched the macabre smirk on his face and the shine on his eyes. "Poor Jimmy. He came home way too late. Still, he was on time to join his family for dinner. A dinner from which he would never leave. The. End."
Everyone stared at the hybrid. Many of them had wide eyes as they looked at the guy. Judy was scooting really close to Nick, just as Gazelle was a bit closer to Tyson, as he stood by her side. Despite being comforting the females, Nick and Tyson were clearly impress by the story as well. Everyone clearly was.
Not only it was scary, but there was also a very good dose of horror and revulsion involved in the story. Enough to make them feel really scared by it.
"That... was not scary at all." Charles said, trying to act brave, but clearly failing in it. "I-it is not a real story, is it?"
Of course, there were clear supernatural elements on the story, but still, ever since the supernatural was confirm to exist, it was not unreasonable to ask if a horror story a mage just told was real...
Horne only looked back at the horse, and chuckled eerily.
A while of silence followed this, and eventually Chandler broke it:
"Soooo, how much did he scored, Hornwick?"
The bison looked at the young Manechester, and then he said:
"I say he scored a ten with this story. It was really creepy."
"I'm glad you think so." The hybrid said, still using that shadowy tone and with his voice with a strange, ominous sweetness that was as creepy as the story he just told.
Are all hybrids this creepy? Charles thought, as he looked at the hybrid, who looked at the wolf standing by his side.
"Okay, Legoshi." He said, looking at his friend. "Your turn."
The wolf, who also seemed to be reeling from the story his friend had just told, blinked and then looked around. All eyes were on him now, all expecting to hear something from him.
"O-oh..." Legoshi said, looking around at the others. "I-I... well... I..." It was obvious that the wolf was struggling to find words now. Maybe to remember a story that was worth telling.
Everyone waited, seeing the wolf try to find words.
"Today, if possible, Ogami." Charles said, rather rudely, at the wolf. This prompted Horne to glare at him, and caused the wolf to become seemingly even more nervous.
Legoshi desperately tried to find a story to share. He even knew a few horror stories, but he could not remember any right now. Not with all those eyes on him.
"You can take your time." Chandler said to the wolf, who looked back at him.
"But don't take too long." Charles said to him.
"You are not in any position to tell someone else not to take long." Josh said to the horse, who looked back at him.
"Come, Legoshi." Horne said, placing a hoof on his shoulder. "You know some really scary stories. Just tell one of them."
Legoshi still could not remember a good story to tell. He still found it hard to focus with those eyes on him. Man, he really didn't like being the center of attention...
"Try to remember a good one." Hannah said, looking at him. "You can tell one about anything. You can tell a story about ghosts. About vampires. About ghouls."
"Or you can tell a real story." Marcy offered. "Like the one I told. I mean, since you guys are freelancers, I bet you have run into some scary stuff now and then that you call tell us about. As long as it doesn't gets you into trouble..."
For a moment, Marcy and Horne locked eyes, both looking intently at each other.
Everyone looked at the two, save for Legoshi, who seemed to still be thinking.
His face relaxed.
"Once upon a time..." the wolf said, causing all eyes to turn to him.
"There was a puppy..." Legoshi continued, "Who lived with his family. They didn't had much money, but they were happy. And they all loved each other."
Everyone looked at the wolf. All of then silent. Some of them felt a kind of anticipation, for that was exactly how Horne's story had begun.
"On that day... the puppy had brought home flowers he found." Legoshi continued. "Lunch was going to be ready soon. But, before eating, the puppy had to do something... He walked down the hallway, and stopped before a hole."
"He looked at the hole, knowing she was there. He told her about his day, and showed the flowers he picked. He held them before the hole. Her claw came out. Her whole arm had scales. Her scales were pretty, and shone like jewels on the light. She took the flowers, and her arm retreated back into the hole."
"'They are very pretty, sweetheart'. She said, 'I love them'. The puppy's tail wagged. She sounded so happy. Had he done it? Would she come out today?"
"But, she didn't came out... She only put her arm out of the hole again, and pat his head, and she said: 'Could you bring me some more food today? I've been so hungry lately...' the puppy's ears dropped. She was not coming out. He said he would bring her more food, and went to have lunch."
Everyone was silent as they heard to the wolf, who continued the story in a neutral tone.
"Later on, the puppy was drawing. He made a drawing of himself with her. They were walking together in a field. Both smiling. He wished he could see her smile, but he could not see her past the hole. It was too dark inside. He finished the drawing. It was pretty. Maybe it would make her come out."
"The puppy went to her hole, and talked to her. He showed the drawing. Her scaly claw came out of the hole, and held the drawing, taking it inside the hole with herself. He heard a sound. A sad sound. Was she sad? Did he made her sad? Had he done something wrong? But she talked again. 'It is very beautiful, darling. I love it.' Her scaly arm came out once more. She patted his head with her claw. This caused his tail to wag. 'Could you bring me more food during dinner?' She asked again, 'I'm still so hungry...' And with this, her claw retreated back into the hole. Her voice sounded weak. Maybe she was really hungry. He would bring her as much food as he could..."
"That night, the puppy was tossing and turning on his bed. He was having a bad dream. Very bad. About mean mammals and about dark places. He whimpered. He was scared. He was afraid. Then, he felt it..."
Everyone looked intently at the wolf, none of them daring to interrupt.
"Arms. Around him. The puppy's eyes widened. He didn't moved. He didn't even dared to breathe. Until he heard the voice. 'Don't worry, sweetie.' The voice said, as sweet and kind as it always was when she talked to him. 'I'm here for you, and I'll keep the bad dreams away.'"
"It was her! She came out! She finally came out! The puppy smiled. He smiled as he got comfy. Her arms were around him, pulling him close. Her scaly arms held him so tenderly, and being in them made him feel safe. The wolf relaxed on her arms. He didn't felt scared anymore. He wasn't scared, because he knew she was there. He knew she would protect him. He knew she would be there for him now. For she had finally come out. But..."
The wolf paused, and for a moment, it nearly looked as if he was trying to remember. Then, he continued:
"The young wolf woke up with the sunrays on his face. He woke up. He reached out for her arms, expecting them to still be hold him... but they weren't."
"The puppy got up, and looked around. She was not there."
"Was it all a dream? Had she never really been there? Had she never came out?"
"No. She was there. He knew because her smell was still there. And her scales... the puppy saw scales on his bed. Three of them. They were small, but they were there. He found them and held them on his paw. They glowed like small jewels on the light. Those were her scales. He had no doubt about it. They smelled just like her. She had come out, and she had been on his bedroom at night. But then, where was she? Had she gone back inside?"
"The puppy came out of bed. Still in his pajamas, he ran to the hole. He stood before it, and called for her. She didn't answered. He tried calling her again, louder, for maybe she was sleeping. But, she didn't answered. He kept calling her. But she didn't answered. He was getting worried. He called her louder, getting closer to the hole. Close enough to look inside."
"It was empty... just... empty... She was not there anymore."
A pause, and the wolf said:
"She was... gone."
For a long moment, no one said anything. They just looked at the wolf. Legoshi finally looked up, seeing everyone looking at him.
"Oh... t-the end."
No one said anything. They just continued to look at him.
"That wasn't that scary." Charles said, looking at the wolf. Then he asked:
"That's also not a real story, is it?"
"4.6." Hornwick said, making the eyes shift from the wolf to him. "Not the scariest horror story, but an interesting concept. I kind of like it."
"Me too." Judy said, looking at the wolf "It is a really nice story. To have the monster be nice instead of dangerous."
Legoshi looked at her.
"What? Monster?"
"Okay, so this means we are done, right?" Horne said, "Legoshi, you wait out there, I'll catch up with you in a few."
With this, Chandler told the ones who failed to wait outside. This left Nick, Josh, Marcy, Gazelle, Hannah, Euphemia and Horne on the room with Chandler and Hornwick. Gabe had gone out with Benjamin.
"Okay, guys. Congratulations to all of you for winning." Chandler said to the seven mammals who won that round. "You all have gained access to the clue. Which is... Mr. Hornwick's testimony."
Chandler gestured to the bison standing by his side, and everyone looked at him.
"Testimony?" Hannah asked, "What, is he a witness?"
"In a way." Chandler said, "Mr. Hornwick, could you please tell them?"
"Oh, yeah. That what you told me to say, right?" The bison asked, and then proceeded to say:
"Okay, it was past 6:30 P.M when I was walking back to my station. That's when I saw Miss Gazelle there." He gestured of the popstar. "Walking out of the bar, and looking quite angry at something. I didn't wanted to intrude on her business, so I left her be. It were three minutes later, at 6:45 exactly, when I saw someone else walking out of the bar. This blackbuck. Blackson, right?" He looked at Chandler, and the horse nodded, prompting the bison to continue.
"So, he was rubbing his neck, and said something about the house needing to be fumigated." The bison said, "I was just going my way when the guy sees me and tells me that I better find the bug that just bit him and crush it. The guy just says that, and he walks out of the bar to do something else, all the while he keeps rubbing his neck."
"So, that's it." Hornwick said, and looked at Chandler, "Can I go back to work now?"
"Sure can." Chandler said, "Thanks a lot, Hornwick."
With this, the bison left, leaving the guests to reflect on what they had just heard. Some didn't understood what was the relevance of this to the clue. Others, like Nick, were able to get what the clue was about.
The bug that carried the curse.
They had just been give the information of when and where the bug stung him and put the curse on the blackbuck.
With this clue, they just needed to know who was the closest to the bar during that time to know which one of them were the main suspects.
Of course, this also meant that Gazelle was immediately a suspect, once she was in the immediate vicinity of the blackbuck on the moment he was stung. In fact, some discreetly looked at the popstar.
After this, they reunited with the rest of their friends.
"Okay, unfortunately, this challenge lasted longer than I expected." Chandler said.
"Thanks a lot, Charles." Josh said, causing the other horse to glare at him. Chandler continued:
"So, I'll have to end our game for today. The next challenge is quite a big one, and it is important. So, we better do it tomorrow. Everyone, have a good night."
With this, the group broke, with everyone going on with their own things. Some already formed pairs, as Nick reunited with Judy and Tyson reunited with Gazelle.
While Horne...
"Legoshi." The hybrid said, making the wolf stop and look at him. The hybrid had a serious expression on his face, and his voice was not goofy sounding, like it usually was.
"You okay?" He asked, and the wolf seemed lost for a moment, before realizing what the hybrid was referring to.
"Oh." Legoshi said, looking down for a moment, before looking back at the hybrid. "Yeah, I am."
"You sure?" The hybrid asked, and the wolf nodded and said again, this time with a bit more confidence.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Horne looked at him for a few moments, and he nodded, before the two continued their way.