17 A Mystic Investigation (2/2)
”Huh... As expected.” Dante muttered as he analyzed the crime scene, crouching to inspect the body and not let any detail slip past. ”What do you think, Garett?”
Dante showed his interest in training the recruit by asking the questions, even if he already had a clear image of the scene in his mind, the act of a teacher asking its student always forced the latter into reflection.
”Err... The usage of the ancient language proves our earlier speculations, as there are not many people nowadays who know the language of carnage, even if our language mostly evolved from it.” Garett first looked at the wall, doing his utmost to ignore the corpse's presence right at his feet. ”The fresh blood also reveals that the killer knew that we would come to investigate after what happened yesterday, and so he used the opportunity to convey a message.”
Dante nodded without saying anything as if waiting for the recruit to continue his analysis. His hands searched the body's clothes, inspecting the pockets and searching for the cause of death or anything related to a killer modus operandi.
”Repossession... that means they believe I have something that should belong to them. Maybe they believe to have righteousness on their side, as it is a case of taking back what was theirs in the first place.” Garett concluded, understanding completely what they wanted to repossess. ” About the corpse... I believe it used to be this apartment's tenant, as it's easier to occupy the place after killing him.”
Just because Garett lived at the building doesn't mean he knew every other people living here. In fact, he barely ever met the landlord.
”You've never met him?” Dante nonetheless asked as he finished to rummage throughout the deceased's pockets.
”No, sir. I Don't know many people who live here.”
”His name was Norton Spritow. A weird name, born at the Primos Republic, should have followed on the immigration trends arrived at Luxia a couple of decades ago.” Dante presented the man's papers, the documents were stained with blood but, luckily, were legible. ”We also can't rule that he had some involvement in this. It could be as you said, and he was only an innocent passerby, but experience tells people are generally not killed without reason.”
He stood up while shaking his hands, as to shake any dirtiness that could have been contracted.
”I'll confirm this man's identity. Garett, you should return downstairs and look for anything at your place. And Alice, you should go to the cathedral and report the findings to Father Charles.” Dante ordered the duo while keeping his composure, not a single second to be wasted. ”He'll notify the other teams and expand our search through the vicinity. I don't think the culprits have gone far, as they still want to 'repossess' something.”
”Yes, sir!” Alice nodded and left in a hurry, never questioning the captain's orders.
”Don't worry, Garett. With me still in the building, no one will be daring enough to attack you.” The captain comforted him. Throughout the investigation, the captain never asked what the scholars wanted to repossess.
Why? Does he believe I don't have the thing they want? That's very possible; after Father Charles used that chalice to inspect me - the hunters believe in that chalice blindly, huh... Garett arrived at a rudimentary conclusion after thinking for a bit, before nodding and reeding the captain's orders.
After Garett left, the captain's eyes sharpened considerably. Dante steadily walked around the apartment while closing every curtain that could be used to watch what was happening on the insides.
After ascertaining that there was no way to be observed from the outside, Dante slowly took off his gloves and left them over the room's desk, his actions measured and trained.
He then closed the entrance door before slowly walking to the side of the corpse again.
”I hate my job.” He muttered to himself while closing his eyes and somehow extended his consciousness to encompass the corpse.
”My lady, my eyes are your eyes. The mist is all-encompassing and always present; please allow your humble servant the usage of your domain, as it is his duty to maintain order among your believers.”
The prayer echoed through the room, and a thin curtain of mist started to separate from the walls to concentrate on the spot right above the bloated corpse.
After concentrating in one spot, as if the mists decided on a suitable course of action, they slowly turned into strings that attached themselves to Dante's limps, connecting him to the corpse on the ground.
”Here it comes...” He complained as a flood of sensations overcame him. The impression of being in a constant state of suffocation was ever-present, just as if he was the corpse itself!
The mists connected the past and the present, creating a special circumstance where the corpse as in a suspended state of life!
The corpse then rigidly and unnaturally climbed from its eternal slumber. What is dead should never rise again, but that was not the case among Marked!
Dante felt a strong connection to the undead; his lifeforce was sustaining the animated state of the corpse!
”Your name was Norton, right?” Dante started a conversation with the animated corpse, the misty strings that were attached to the unnatural monstrosity controlled every part of the thing's body!
One strand of mist connected directly to the insides of the thing's mouth, while another was attached to the lip's exterior. And with great effort, Dante used the goddess's domain to control the undead, finally eliciting response from it!
”Yes, Norton was how I used to be called.”