Chapter 32: Chapter 30 – Bigger Fish

"We've lost contact, you say?" Says a middle-aged man in thick, heavy robes, sat in a fancy leather armchair. He leaned his head on his arm which was propped up on the arm of the chair, gazing at another, younger man that looked homeless. The hobo looked anxious with the cloaked man's response, and was kneeling with his gaze pointed at the ground.

Hobo: "I-I'm sorry sir. We haven't gotten any reports from the lab in the outer ring since yesterday. We sent someone out  today but we haven't heard back from them yet..."

Cloaked man: "...Strange. I doubt they would've turned rogue. The guards wouldn't have any idea either. Perhaps Nitre got too cocky with the experiments. Find out what happened, dismissed."

The cloaked man gently waved his hand dismissively and the homeless man took his leave with a respectful nod. The hobo let out a heavy sigh once leaving the room, and started to leave the underground structure they were in. He walked through tight corridors that occasionally split off in other directions, with doors lining the halls sparsely.

Eventually he reached a set of stairs and made his way up into what seemed to be a normal storefront, one that sold accessories to hunters. Just yesterday a pair of young girls came through and purchased a dimensional bag. The store was just a cover obviously, as under this plot was an abandoned cellar project that the branch HQ of the Alchemists were stationed in. This was frontier branch 3, newly based when the southeastern frontier was established.

The man left the storefront and casually walked through the streets, loosely heading in the direction of the lab they had lost contact with. This lab was made with the goal of expanding stable monster forces, so it consumed a lot of resources often.

He was just about to reach the site when- WHAM! he collapsed to the floor, unconscious, with a young girl standing over him, holding a rope tied to a sack filled with stone.

~~×~~×~~

Myself and christy returned to the inn yesterday to rest and clean up, but this morning I departed while she was still asleep. It was time to gather information on these Alchemists of the Deep, and I could do that better if Christy wasn't here. I decided to return to the warehouse I wiped out yesterday, but upon arriving I found a man that looked like a rogue or assassin dressed in dark clothing entering the empty warehouse.

Guess they sent someone to check in, that was faster than I expected. I waited outside and concealed my presence. Soon after the rogue burst out running from the entrance, but I reacted quickly and shot out my grapple sickle, which hit him square in the lower back and tied up his legs, making him trip as he let out a yell.

I approached calmly without retracting the chord. "Now now, It's still early. Let's not make so much noise." He looked back at me and I could feel hatred from his eyes as I stood over him and stomped his head. The force instantly knocked him out, but I decided to stomp again to crush his head. Then I retracted the grapple sickle, which ripped his body from the waist down to shreds.

This guy was likely the first scout. Perhaps the lab here needed to report in yesterday and because they missed the report time, someone higher up sent out a scout. But now someone else would need to investigate, so if I'm lucky, they'd send someone more knowledgeable. Then I can find out the main HQ and crush them.

And just as I hoped, a suspicious person appeared. I used my old rope-sack bludgeon and cracked him over the head, instantly sending him to dreamtown. Then I dragged him into the now-abandoned warehouse and dumped water over him after a bit to force him awake.

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It worked, fortunately, and he snapped awake with a gasp. I took a seat a few feet away from the man bound to the side of a cage, and began my interrogation.

Iris: "Hello there, old man. Welcome back to the waking world. Would you like to tell me about who you're working for?"

(Not) Old hobo: "Old...? No, nevermind, who...? I- I was just taking my morning walk! Anyway, come on and let me go!"

Iris: "Wrong answer, I know you're with those alchemist fucks. If you tell me I'll go easy on you. Unlike that guy over there." I said, nodding behind him in the cage. He had an angry and confused expression before hesitantly looking behind him. The color drained from his face when he saw the mutilated body of the boss guy I dragged up from downstairs before the interrogation.

Hobo: "T-that's... Oh god... W-what'd you do- No, wait, Don't hurt me please! Let me go! I don't know any-"

I sighed loudly, cutting him off and expressing severe disappointment. "Now, now, I already know from your magical signature that you're related. I can see it, you know? Magic affiliated with them. So just open up and you can get off scott-free!" I said with a very aloof tone and opening up my arms welcomingly at the end. 

It may break my usual character, but it'd be best to put on an act. And I couldn't see anything like that, but this area was completely deserted so no one ever came through here. And it was easy to see his interest in the warehouse.

He was starting to look fearful and was breathing heavily as he looked around. There were plenty of shadowy shapes among the many cages in the building, but they were only filled with garbage. To him though, it may have looked like corpses in the cage, as he was further rattled.

Hobo: "F-fine... There's a shop... Close to crafter's street... It sells accessories for hunters there... There's an entrance in the back that goes down... Thats where my boss is... Please just spare my life..."

Iris: "See! Wasn't that so easy?" I stood up bouncily with a smile while looking down at him. "Don't worry, I keep my promises, I'll go easy~" I said, unsheathing my blade

Hobo: "W-wait, what're- You said you'd spare me!" he shouted, trying to back up against the bars.

Iris: "Hmm~ I said I'd go easy on you though? So you'll have a quick death without pain. Ain't that a lot better than going out like him?" I pointed the tip of my blade inside the cage at the corpse once more. He looked to slowly accept my words in his heart, going limp and starting to sob.

I had no sympathy for those that take the lives of others and disgrace those same lives, however. I plunged my blade into his skull and snuffed out his life with ease. I pulled it out and wiped the blood clean off before sheathing my blade and heading out. Now it was time to check out this hideout.