Chapter 55: - Interrogation
It didn't matter who they were, or what they did to help, but one after another, each and every Hunter within the Post's building rushed to help.
One by one, different pairs of hands clutched onto the dying girl, and carried her over to a nearby bar table, laying her body down on her back, allowing for everyone witnessing the event to see just how far the poison had spread.
At the front of it all, Randolph was clutching dozens and dozens of different bottles along with other Hunters who pitched in their own.
"The good thing is this looks like the poison came from the gash in her leg. It will buy us enough time to treat her before it gets to her heart."
Randolph gave out orders, telling others to pitch in any vials they had spare.
In response, dozens more gave out different colored vials, each with a different pattern of words labeling them.
Randolph took each and every vial, glancing at the colored contents within, before placing them down at the girls side.
Her labored breathing filled the air, as the sounds of rushing men and women carrying wet towels rushed to her side.
In the midst of it all, Lia stood watching, waiting for a sign that the girl would be alright.
Her face was covered in blood, as were several other parts of her body, parts where the daggers of those goblins cut deep.
The blood was wiped away, and small parts of her torn clothing was pulled back to reveal a snaking black color, coursing along her veins.
Randolph cursed, his voice growing serious.
"Sh*t! It's already reached her stomach - quickly, find which vial will work!"
In the scurrying of bodies, Carlena approached Lia and her party. Rian was seated against the bar, a drink in his hands, forced by several Hunters who told him he needed rest.
Lukali looked worried, his face showing how grim the appearance of the girl truly looked.
"Come with me. Let them handle this."
Carlena grabbed Lia's arm, dragging her along to a room on the other side of the building, her grip strong but not dangerous. It was stern - serious, as was her face.
"Wait, what are they doing? I thought there would be an antidote. What's with all those bottles for-"
"Shh!"
Carlena whirled around, her finger against her mouth urging Lia to be quiet.
"They need to focus right now, otherwise that girl will die. Different goblins carry different poisons, just like humans do. Right now they need to figure out what poison was used. But to do that they need to first see its effects before they can be sure. One wrong move, and they can risk being too late, or giving her something that could make it worse."
Urging Lia on, Carlena turned to see Lia's face grim with worry. Quickly consoling the girl, they headed off to the room.
"Don't worry, she should be fine soon. You did right by bringing her here. A normal guard post would have just administered any antidote they had on them."
Opening the door, Lia was met with a fairly large sized room. Bookshelves lined the walls and a large fireplace sat on the other side of the room, across from the door.
"Sit."
Carlena said, motioning to one of the chairs standing next to the fire, their shadows reaching to the door and encasing the two in darkness.
As Lia sat, Carlena told her she would be back, closing the door behind her as she left.
There Lia sat, watching the fire as the flames licked against the wood, crackling and sizzling away at the coals.
'Cain?'
While she was sitting there, Lia tried to make contact with Cain, the same way she always did.
'...'
However, no response came.
'Cain.'
'...'
'Damn it Cain. Answer me please.'
'...'
Again she heard nothing. But before her hopes began dwindling, a voice rang out like a drum in the silence.
'...Lia?'
'Cain!'
'....Lia, heed my words.'
'What?'
'Don't come back.'
And with that, she felt him disappear, his voice vanishing in the silence that ensued.
All of a sudden, Lia felt a chill creep down her spine. It was a bone chilling cold that she knew the name of, but was too prideful to admit it.
Pride? No, it was her weakness that kept her from admitting it.
Fear.
The works and wonders they could play on the mind, when such a mind was set to silence, alone with its own thoughts.
The cold she felt was something she had not felt in weeks. It was the warm feeling that Cain's presence gave her, the feeling of security he offered, and the feeling of protection she felt when he was there.
It had been weeks since she had her mind to herself. Alone, left to think its own thoughts for a change, and not bend to the will of another consciousness.
It felt…foreign.
Before Lia could think deeper on this feeling, the door to the room opened, bathing her in a rich candle light.
Closing the door behind him, Randolph entered the room, his steps quiet, yet in the silence, rang like a beating drum to music.
Sitting down across from her, his face was dirty and covered in grime. Sweat was stained against his shirt, and all at once, Lia knew how long it had been since she left the hall.
Taking a deep breath, Randolph spoke, his voice stoic and unmoving.
"Three hours. We kept her alive for three hours with that poison inside her. When we did find the antidote, we didn't know if she would survive or not."
Gripping her pants, her fingers digging into her skin, Lia waited, thinking the worst had come to pass.
However, she was thankfully proven wrong.
"But, she survived in the end. She just needs some rest."
Like a breath of fresh cold air, all the stress and anxiety faded from Lia, the breath she held in her lungs came out in one heave of air.
"That's good."
She said aloud, while on the inside she was still somewhat struggling.
'Three hours. I was here for three hours and I didn't even know.'
As if reading her thoughts, Randolph reassured her, his voice lifting some of the overwhelming seriousness it carried.
"Sometimes when people see something like that, they lose themselves in their own mind. It's why Carlena brought you here, so you would be alone in your own thoughts, kept from the stress of the situation."
"What about Lukali and Rain? Why did they stay out there?"
Nodding his head, Randolph understood where she was coming from.
"Rian is older, and from the looks of it, has experience in seeing this type of thing. While your other friend - Lukali seemed more trusting in our capabilities."
Hearing his explanation, Lia cursed herself for having momentarily forgotten what Rian had been through in the mines, as well as Lukali's experience from his father in things like this.
'They've both probably seen more of this than I thought.'
Randolph continued staring at her, his face very serious, as Lia looked to the ground in some newly found shame.
"At first, I thought you would be fine. Given your past - or at least from what I heard from Rian, you should have been fine. Is there something wrong that you're not telling me?"
Gulping down a mouth full of saliva, Lia's mind drifted back to the dead bodies on the road, their corpses flailed around, blood gushing from their wounds.
Even the one Hunter, who had been torn apart, did not seem to phase her at that time.
'Why was I so calm? Why was I so…inhuman…'
Then it hit her. The only inhuman person she knew more than herself when she thought back to those memories.
"Cain."
"Hm?"
Raising his head, Randolph was surprised to hear a name rather than a simple explanation.
"Cain was my summons. He stayed behind to watch over the bodies of those who were killed. I guess you could say he keeps me calm."
Nodding his head, Randolph understood well what Lia was saying.
"A friend like that can offer security in the darker times of life. I understand your troubles but…"
His eyes narrowed, and his face hardened. All of a sudden, he became even more stern than he was before, which Lia thought was impossible.
"...I need you to tell me what happened out there. The girl could only say so much, other than the location of her fallen."
"The bodies, are they-"
"Yes. I sent someone out to go and fetch them a while ago. Your summons should be coming in with them, so don't worry."
"Oh…good…"
"...Lia, I need to know. What happened -"
"Ten goblins."
Stopping him mid sentence, Lia spoke with a grim voice, her mind somewhat shell shocked by the memories that were flooding her brain.
Memories that did not used to phase her, yet they're effect was felt as clear as day now.
"We heard a scream, and we came upon that girl - her party dead. She was surrounded by ten goblins, so we caught them by surprise."
Shaking his head, Randolph knew this was not enough information to tell him why an entire party of five newbie Hunters were wiped out by a mere ten goblins. And from what the girl had told him, they hadn't killed a single one.
While goblins were strong within caves and abandoned fortresses, they certainly didn't pose a threat to five newbie Hunters. Especially out in the open.
Unlike normal people, Hunters had to go through extensive training just to earn their Hunting license, and be allowed by the Post to go out on Hunts. The only exception was Lia's group, which had written proof of past experiences - and with a Rank C spider's den no less.
The whole thing somewhat baffled him, as he just could not put his mind on why these Hunters had died so easily.
"What about the girl? If you found her, then she would have been dead by now given how fast the poison was working. How did you manage that?"
Half smiling, Lia blurted out a half hearted explanation, her mind somewhat elsewhere.
"Cain…he healed her, but he couldn't remove the poison. So he sent us back here with her, looking for treatment."
"So he's a healer then…?"
Stroking his beard, Randolph was lost in his own thoughts.
'If he's a healer, he won't last long against those goblins, even if he is a summons. He should return soon.'
As he was about to ask Lia for more, knowing the importance of this information, a scream from the hall interrupted him.
"NOOOO!"
Instantly, Lia was up, her face filled with fear over the scream, but Randolph was quick to react.
"Sit down. I'll explain."
Hesitating for a moment, Lia obeyed, sitting herself down once more in the grand chair across from Randolph.
It was a few minutes before he spoke, the sounds of sobbing could be heard on the other side of the door.
"...You no doubt recognized the group of Hunters who died?"
Slowly nodding her head, Lia confirmed it.
"There was a face. And the girl, they were the two people the receptionist made an exception for, but denied us the notice."
Nodding his head , Randolph continued explaining.
"Those two were Beck's brother and his friends. That's why Beck made an exception for him, though he was trained, he might have been refused by anyone else at the desk."
Taking a moment for these words to sink in, he continued, his voice distant.
"...Beck was just delivered the news that her brother died."
"Oh…I see."
Her voice was grim, and soon after ceased all together.
She didn't like Beck for how she treated them, but Lia knew that she didn't deserve this.
"...So what now?"
Taking in a deep sigh, Randolph thought for a moment.
"Well…I suppose when the men come back with their bodies - and you summons, we'll all try and get some sleep."
Lia didn't know what time it was, but seeing as Randolph was not going to set out immediately to Hunt whatever had killed those Hunters, she knew it must be quite late.
As if reading her mind, Randolph explained himself.
"With these creatures, it's best to hit them during the day, when most of them will be asleep. At night, we lose our advantage, and it would be no better than stepping foot in a cave."
"I see…"
Some part of Lia was almost relieved she wouldn't have to go out there and witness more of those things killing people, but there was another part of her that was louder. Its voice was firmer, more stone willed.
'Kill them.'
Rage.
She was rightfully angry to see those dead bodies, and much more so to know that whatever had killed them, had not been those ten, but something else.
But nonetheless, she agreed with Randolph, knowing the man was probably just as angry with those creatures as she was.
Knowing this, she kept her pent up frustration hidden, and let it burn within, waiting for the time when she could let it free.
"Come morning, we'll set out at first dawn. If you would like to join us then-"
"Yes."
Her answer was instant, even before Randolph could finish.
"Alright. Then I'll see you in the morning."
As he got up, Lia stood as well, shaking the man's hand and thanking him for what he could do for the girl.
Before he could respond however, the door to the room burst open, and a middle aged man stood there, his breath rampant and dry.
Seeing this, Randolph explained to the man.
"Good gods man! What happened?!"
Through labored breathing the man spoke, as the eyes from the hall were all on him, his voice carrying weight in the silence outside.
"The…b-bodies…they…they're…"
"Spit it out man! What's the matter?"
The man didn't answer, he just continued breathing heavily.
'He must have traveled a long way. But for what?'
Their answer came soon enough.
"The bodies sir…you need to come see them."
"Are they outside?"
"No, in…the woods."
"Well why the devil didn't you bring them?!"
Huffing in breath, the man didn't avoid his gaze, and stared on with stern eyes.
"You. Need. To. Come. See."
Catching the meaning and fear in his words, Randolph became more understanding, knowing that there must be something that he was afraid of to make him run all the way back here, and act so rashly.
"Now?"
He asked.
"Now."
The answer came.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone