The story has elements of both Dark War storyline and DemonxBunny's Masters of the Multiverse, so all credit goes to both Impact Wrestling and DemonxBunny. I do not own the characters, only the OCs. The story is entirely fictional.
Characters may look and act different than they do in real life. This was done intentionally, and things will change over time in this story, so please be patient.
Rating: M, for violence, coarse language, and mature themes/events that will appear throughout this story. Remember, this is Femslash, so if that's not your thing, you may not like this story.
Pairings: Allie/Rosemary (DemonxBunny), others over time.
Aftermath of the Dark War Chapter 40: Investigation by Jurassicfatt
Rosemary's Pov, Omni Sports Tournament, Promenade, Afternoon
It's been 3 days since my date with Allie. Just got myself a water for the heat. Had to skip mid-meal again, given work at the Tournament has been piling up. As the event draws to a close, spectators are coming in to watch the more 'bloodthirsty events' of the final days. And as some athletes begin to leave, many of the guards are needed to escort them and their trophies out, to ensure no theft takes place. That means I have to fill in for them. At this point, assassin-on-guard basically means 'do everything because we're under-staffed'. Guarding the Colosseum in the morning, running to check on the worker tents, and then hightailing it back. Then rinse and repeat for the afternoon games. I usually end up skipping mid-meal. I eat with Allie in the afternoon, then go back to do my final shift, which always ends later than it should. By the time my shift is over, I just want to curl up in bed and pass out for the night.
Allie's been really supportive. I make sure to get her a coffee every morning, and she always has dinner plated for us, so we can eat together. I tell her I can do it myself, but she said she doesn't mind. She always cuddles up close when I come back, too. This morning I was told she had to go meet with the hostess Vivian this afternoon. Rebel is going with her. I know Rebel still feels bad for not stopping the guards from arresting Allie. Allie told her that she shouldn't, emphasizing that what had happened was completely out of her control. She then asked if Rebel was feeling okay after that hit from Officer Tertax. She even offered to bake her something once we go back to Kaduran. She really is so sweet. When we get back to Kaduran, I'll make sure our second date is something special. Maybe I'll-
"Assassin, you are needed at the worker tents." a gray demon with blue eyes and pointy ears tells me. Never fails. Finishing my water, I go with the soldier all the way to a guard station tent, a gold flag draped over the top to distinguish it. All the demon soldiers at this event look quite similar. Most of them are green or gray with pointy ears, and have different eye colors. Supposedly there is a territory that the Brokers, the same group of benevolent Warlord demons that Vivian is with, manage. That's where most of the guards come from, meaning that they've lived all their lives seeing the Brokers as their heads of government. Might be why they do things by the book. Or try to, considering most of them keep relying on me to do their jobs. And assholes like Tertax exist everywhere. Asking for entry, I hear someone break the seal and I walk into the tent. I see Orelios standing at a desk, a pile of scrolls in front of him. He pays no attention to them, staring only at his atlas. A few guards also surround the table.
"Officer Orelios. It's good to see you." One of the few guards here who knows what he's doing and actually puts a lot of effort in. And I haven't forgotten that he defended Allie's innocence a few days back. "I haven't seen you for a while now. You summoned me?"
"Hello assassin Rosemary. Yes, not since your companion Allie was accused. Keeril made sure I was stuck on desk duty, after going to the hostess Vivian for Tertax's breach of conduct. However, it seems to have been a blessing in disguise."
"Really? How so?"
"A concerning situation has arisen. As you know, all athletic medals, title belts and other trophies, as well as ticket sales, are held in specially marked containers, and carried by guards to designated locations."
"Of course. I see them being moved almost every day."
"Well, four large containers are missing. Enough to carry at least dozens of trophies each. I've triple checked to ensure I haven't made an error, and had these guards look it over. It's confirmed."
"What's in them?" I ask.
"This is the part that is confusing us: nothing. The trophies meant to be inside them were found not far from the tent where all the containers are prepared."
"So, you called me over here to investigate a few misplaced containers? When did they go missing?"
"Three days ago, just as more spectators have been arriving. And trust me, this is more concerning than it seems."
"Look, it could be that somebody misplaced them by accident. With all these athletes coming and going, I can even imagine that someone must have forgotten to report them in the records."
"Assassin Rosemary, the official records state that the items are still present." Orelios tells me, as he moves closer to show me his atlas. Sure enough, it says all containers are accounted for.
"Is it possible that they were miscounted?"
"I thought of that, but given the importance of the event, hostess Vivian the 16th specifically instituted procedures to ensure that the containers were counted six times a day. At night, they are counted twice by three different guards. Even if someone miscounted once, the others present are there to make sure that all are accounted for. If not, they have to inform Sergeant Keeril, advisor Mervin, or the hostess directly, of the missing cases."
"Are you suggesting that someone purposefully took the containers and altered the records, to make sure no one found out?"
"I'm fairly certain. I had these men count them four times, and then I went down and counted for myself. Four are missing." he tells me.
"How much weight can they carry?"
"About 15 trophies, so 93 kilos each." Orelios explains, before his green ears twitch to the sound of footsteps.
"Officer Orelios! Officer Orelios!" a woman screams. Orelios breaks the seal, and a female soldier with red skin and spikes runs in. "Officer Orelios, I must speak with you!"
"What is it, soldier?" he asks her.
"There's been a murder!"
"What? Where?"
"At one of the guard stations near the vendor tents. To the East side. Three dead, sir!"
"Show me, now!" Following his lead, Officer Orelios orders the soldier and two other guards to accompany us, while another three watch over his tent. We quickly make our way to the area. Three guards are stationed outside. The guard station, a brown tent with rectangular wooden support columns, comes into view. No one is permitted to enter besides us, and nearly all the vendors have moved their tents away from the scene. One guard patrol circles around, while two stand firmly at the entrance with their spears in an X formation, blocking it. When we arrive, the soldiers bring their weapons to their sides and acknowledge Orelios by clasping their arms to their chests. He does the same, then motions us to follow him.
Walking into the station, I detect a faint hint of smoke in the air. On the floor are three dead guards. One guard, a blue skinned demon with bushy eyebrows, has multiple stab wounds in his stomach, his guts spilling out. His spear has been knocked a few feet away from him. The other two guards, both Realmers, also have wounds. The first one, a pale woman, has slashes across her arms and chest, her sword still grasped in hand. The second, a smaller man with tan skin, has a slit throat, but no stab wounds. His weapon is still sheathed. "By the Guild, what happened? Who murdered these guards?" Orelios questions, staring at the scene with his yellow eyes.
"We don't know sir. A vendor found them earlier this morning, and supposedly he reported it. We just got word of it now."
"What do you mean he reported it this morning? When?"
"The vendor said he reported it around 9."
"It's nearly 1:30! Who was in charge of this section?!"
"They were." She points to the three dead soldiers. I bend down, taking a look at the bodies.
"Orelios, do you see this?" I point to the male Realmer's wounds. "The woman has her sword drawn, and she has cuts across her arms, suggesting she must have been fighting. This guard, however, still has his weapon in its sheath. That, coupled with the fact that his throat is slit, and the body is positioned face down. It looks like he was killed from behind."
"Hm. That makes sense. If the other two saw someone kill their comrade, they would have defended themselves and attempted to apprehend them. Given that they both have slashes across their armour and bodies, the other two must have died fighting."
"Officer, Assassin, have you seen the summoning cauldron?" the female soldier chimes in. We shake our heads no. "Come with me. You need to see this." I stand up and the two of us follow the soldier, walking over to the aforementioned item. The smell of smoke becoming stronger the closer we get to it. The cauldron is toppled over, and burnt at the top, as if it was lit on fire around the rim. The water has soaked into the carpeting, emitting Squish sounds as we step on it. "What could have caused the cauldron to set fire?"
"More than likely a dark magic spell. Get the sorcerer Cal."
"Already summoned a few minutes ago." Orelios nods his head, staring at the item.
The cauldron's rim is a thick black color, bringing that harsh burning smell to my nose, as I bend down to take a closer look. Looking at the spilled contents, I notice something. Going closer to the ground, I see some dried water spots. They are rather small, but noticeable if you look closely. Looking a few feet away, I see similar ones. I stand up, following the trail until they end. The spots lead from the cauldron directly to the bodies, and then the entrance. "I found something. It looks like someone was in the cauldron."
"What?" the two ask me. I show them the trail, Orelios putting a hand to his chin.
"Water spots. Probably footprints. Dried. I have a theory of what might have happened."
"Go on, then." Orelios answers.
"Someone was in the cauldron. Must have been in there before the guards walked in. They snuck up behind the first guard and killed him. The others must have heard him dying, so they went on the offensive. The killer, who or whatever they are, then somehow took them out. Given how precise the cut was, it must have been a smaller weapon. Maybe a dagger." I tell them.
"Assassin, this is a guard outpost. There's no way someone could have hidden themselves in the cauldron without somebody noticing." the female soldier puts forth.
"It seems highly unlikely, but the trail is there. It could be water left from a shoe, but it is so minute it is difficult to tell. And that doesn't explain why the cauldron's rim itself is burnt like this. What kind of spell could burn a summoning cauldron so heavily without other items getting damaged by it? This is quite confusing." Orelios responds. Just then, Cal walks in.
"Cal." I call, waving. He nods and walks over to us.
"Sorcerer, some of the guards discovered these bodies a short while ago. Assassin Rosemary believes someone may have been hiding inside the cauldron. The cauldron was knocked over and the top is burnt, possibly by a dark magic spell. Can you identify if that is the case?"
Cal puts his hand forwards. "I will see what I can do." He begins casting light around, his hands glowing white as he scans the cauldron and its immediate surroundings.
We walk back over to the bodies, analyzing them. The blue demon guard has six gashes across the chest, with distinctive ridges. "Assassin, if the killer used a small weapon to kill the other guard, how come this one is cut open?" the female soldier asks.
I look around, trying to find the appropriate weapon. I see the sword on the ground with the other soldier. A simple short sword with a blue handle and ridged tip. Not wanting to move the body, I notice the female soldier has one on her belt. I grab the hilt and try to pull it out from the sheath.
"Hey, what are you-"
"Wait." Orelios says, his yellow eyes narrowed and staring at me. The female soldier allows me to take the weapon. I go outside, grab a piece of wood left by a vendor, and slash across the front of it. The diagonal mark has two ridges, distinguishing the cut from a normal sword. I walk back into the tent, bringing the item near the body of the blue demon guard. Sure enough, the two cuts, both on the body and the wooden item, are nearly identical when put side by side.
"Whoever killed these guards used this type of sword, given the distinct shape of the cuts." I say, giving the sword back to the soldier. Orelios stays silent, looking between the two, but the female guard speaks up.
"But all their weapons are accounted for!"
"Exactly. Look at where the bodies are positioned. Right by the entrance. The other guard is nearly 6 feet from there, and his sword is still in its sheath. The bodies weren't moved, or we would have seen blood trails. Even if the killer had silently killed the first guard, there's no way they could have taken on both guards with just a dagger. The killer may have stolen a guard sword from somewhere else and fought them, but it seems more likely that-"
"They had help. Possibly from another guard or someone with access to a guard's weapon." Orelios finishes for me, putting a hand to his head, before grabbing his atlas. "I must check for every guard posted near the area during the early shift. If the bodies were found this morning, but went unreported, I need to know who was on shift between 7 and 11 am."
I feel an arm grab my shoulder and turn me around. It's Cal. "Cal? What happened? You find something?"
Cal is sweating slightly, and he is fidgeting. "Assassin, I believe someone used a dark magic incantation on this cauldron to bring someone out of it!"
"What? From where?"
"I can't tell. I have never seen this kind of incantation. But I recognize the signature." My heart stops for a moment, his words sinking in. Suddenly, another soldier comes into the tent.
"Officer Orelios, we have another three guard stations attacked! And another five guards are dead!"
"What? Lock down the areas! I want every guard post reporting to me at once! And show me!" he barks, exiting the tent. I grab Cal by the arms, my grip firm.
"Cal, where do you recognize the signature from?"
"From when I scanned Allie the other day. After the tri-sports event." he writes.
"A-Are you certain?" he nods, his face grave. No… I turn around, running out of the tent and towards my own. Cal follows behind me. I rip through the entrance and start calling out. "Allie?! Bunny, where are you? Allie?" Nothing. I look all over, but can't find her. Ok, think. The guards said she was meeting with Vivian this afternoon. Maybe she finished and went back to Rebel's tent. Good thing is that Vivian's tent is not that far off, should we need to check there. Grabbing my sword and hook and chain, I quickly make my way over there. I call out for Allie and Rebel. The seal doesn't activate at all. With no one answering, I take my sword out and strike the entrance, Cal using his magic to help. Finally cutting at the bonds, Cal and I tear a whole through and get inside. Nobody.
"Have you found her?" Cal asks.
"No. I know she was called to meet with Vivian. But the guards who told me that said it wouldn't take that long."
"Rosemary, perhaps we should meet back with Officer Orelios. He should have a record of her whereabouts exactly." I feel stupid for not even asking that. As we leave Rebel's tent, we see smoke coming from the guard station area. Cal and I turn to each other, before bolting back to Orelios' tent, the sound of metal clashes and screams getting louder every few steps. We run towards the sounds. On our way there, a huge group of workers runs into us, nearly knocking us over. They tell us some of the guards are fighting each other, and point behind them. We quickly make our way to the soldier tent and witness guards fighting outside. Some soldiers lay dead or dying on the floor, while others clash swords and tackle each other to the ground. Bolts fly from a soldier wielding a crossbow. Three tents are on fire, smoke filling the air.
"Argh! Get off of me!" a soldier screams out, before another one stabs a blade into his stomach. He drops to the ground, blood leaking onto the sands below. I can hear Orelios inside the tent.
"What is the matter with you, soldier? Stop this! Stand down!"
"I will help these ones. Go inside and help Officer Orelios!" Cal writes, before casting both hands in white magical energy and running at the frenzied scene.
I go towards the entrance of the tent, the seal activating and blocking me from entering.
"Orelios, break the seal!" I yell. Orelios' strained voice comes through, and I burst into the tent. Blood is everywhere. One of the guards is on the floor, his hands and breastplate bloody, as he clutches his side. The female guard from earlier is dead, blood running down her neck and chest, as she lies on her left side near Orelios' desk. Orelios is fending off two guards, one with a spear and another with a sword. He kicks the first away, before blocking the second one's sword strike. The spearman gets up. I throw my hook at his body. It stabs into him, and I pull him away from the officer. He drops his spear from the force of the pull, falling to the ground. He gets up, pulls his sword out and runs full force at me. I dodge his attack, then disarm him, smashing the sword out of his hand with my own. He tries to grab my sword, but I kick him in the head. He topples over, the hook going deeper into his body. "It's over!" I yell. I'd rather not kill him, but I'm not sure if he'll give me a choice. The soldier gets up and tears the hook out from his chest, the blood going down onto his breastplate. He grabs the sword from the ground, and limps his way over to me, but I cut off his head before he makes it close. Orelios continues to clash with the other one.
"Why are you doing this?" he asks, clashing his blade with the other soldier's and pushing it to the side. The soldier pushes forward, trying to stagger Orelios as he slices at his bracers. He pushes back, swords moving at a frenzied pace as Orelios knocks the sword down and shoves the soldier to the floor. Orelios kicks the sword away from him. The soldier scoots away, as Orelios points his sword at the soldier's face. "You are beaten." He tries to run, but I wrap my chain around his body, and he collapses in a heap onto the floor. He struggles against the bonds. Orelios walks up to me, putting a hand to my shoulder. "Thank you, assassin." He looks down at the soldier. "Traitor! You betrayed your oath. You swore to uphold the Tournament's rules as written by the Brokers and hostess Vivian the 16th. Why?"
The soldier spits at him, continuing to struggle against my chain. I turn to Orelios.
"Officer Orelios, I need your help. Allie and my cousin are missing, and I need to know where her and Vivian planned to meet today." I plead to him.
"I will help you, but my men require-" The seal activates. Orelios and I ready our weapons. I peek behind the entrance flap and see Cal. Once the seal is removed, he walks in.
"Officer, your men outside are safe. Healers have arrived. I've helped those I could and dealt with the others. I had no choice but to kill them." Cal writes, then bends down with a healer to aid the wounded soldier. Two guards walk in, brandishing spears. I unwrap my chain from the traitor's body and the two grab him, tying his hands behind his back and escorting him outside. "What happened in the time that we were gone?"
"I went to check the other guards who had been killed, and saw three more summoning cauldrons with their rims burnt. I told my men to hold a perimeter, then made my way back to my tent to see if I could find Sergeant Keeril and advisor Mervin. Once I made my way over there, I heard a commotion. Six guards were in front of the tent, and Tertax was leading another ten towards it. I knew something was off the minute I saw him. They told me they were assigned command of the main guard station, and that I had to report to the Sergeant for further instructions. I told them I needed some of the scrolls I had left inside. Tertax said they did not matter, as Sergeant Keeril was awaiting my arrival. I informed him that the scrolls I had were requested by hostess Vivian, and then asked again if I could retrieve them. Tertax let us through. Once we were inside, I saw that the scrolls had been torn apart and burnt. In seconds, they drew on us, killing one of my men. I heard the others fighting outside and demanded what Tertax was doing. Tertax said I had betrayed the oath, and he and his men fought with soldier Kulix and I. We defended ourselves, and I cut his face. Tertax left, telling his men to 'deal with us.' Kulix was injured, and I continued to hold off the other two until you arrived."
"Orelios, I believe a Warlord demon may be at the Tournament. I need to find Allie! It's an emergency!"
"A Warlord?! Give me a second. I will find your companion." Orelios pulls out his atlas, checking through. "This-This doesn't make any sense!"
"What is it?"
"You told me that Allie and hostess Vivian were meeting today. The records show that Allie was to be escorted to the observatory in the North. But hostess Vivian is currently speaking at the Colosseum in front of the spectators! She told us this morning she needed some men to help carry her sedan, and she's still there. Someone must have changed these too!"
"Are you certain Allie's there? Who has the authority to override the records on Vivian?"
"Sh-he's there-e *cough*!" says the wounded guard Kulix, the healer grabbing his arm to support him as he sits up. "I s-s-saw her with the blue haired girl this mor-rning, ah, being escorted by Keeril-l and his men *cough*. They were head-ded Nort-th."
"Keeril. I can't believe it. My own commanding officer betrayed the Brokers." Orelios remarks, before swearing in the Ancient Tongues. I attach my hook and chain to my back, and turn to Orelios.
"Lock down the Tournament! Inform the visitors to stay in the Colosseum or tents, and tell Vivian the 16th we have a Warlord at the event! Cal, with me!" I yell, leaving the tent and sprinting as fast as I can with Cal to the observatory. A million thoughts are running through my head, but I need to focus on getting there. Please, let me be fast enough to get to Allie!
To be continued!