Chapter 102: Chapter 102 - Vermin Masters, Part 4
Frey was certain that guilt was written plainly on his face, and that Osval was going to call the guards and have him thrown into the dungeons.
"For the ratfolks."
Hearing that, Frey let out a long, loud sigh of relief.
"I see that you are frightened, Mr. Frey."
"Oh yeah?" Frey mustered up the ragged prudence of him. "I mean...: and isn't it logical?"
"Yes. It's a terrifying thought, right? I'll tell you something else. Fritz Helstaff was no ordinary servant of the duke. He was the head of the secret police of his highness. We think he must have uncovered some ratfolk plot, and was murdered for it."
"If you used the expression 'become a part of' instead of 'discover', I would have no choice but to agree with you." Frey thought.
"What makes you think that?" he asked instead.
"In the burned remains of his house we found the skeleton of a creature that was not human. We suspect that it is some monster conjured up by the ratfolks to assassinate Helstaff. He had to wrestle with and kill him, before dying of his injuries. The house probably caught fire during the fighting."
"Go on."
"What is quite interesting is that shortly after that there was an attempt on the life of his partner. As far as I know, you and your companion, Elysia, are the only two people who have claimed to have seen the ratfolk at the time. Perhaps the attack was an attempt they made to cover his tracks."
"I think I understand what you mean."
"There are other things that you may not be aware of, Mr. Frey, and I will tell you now just so that you fully realize the gravity of the situation. It may be that he has heard that a fire broke out in the College of Alchemists."
"Yes."
"What you may not know is that that fire was also the work of the ratfolks. I assure you, Mr. Frey, it is nothing to justify smiling. In a sense, the gods were against these devilish wererats. It seems there was some kind of accident, because at the scene we found a lot of ratfolk corpses."
"Why haven't I heard more about this matter?" Frey asked.
"I would have heard more if his highness had not seen fit to avoid panic, and there would certainly be panic if the mob discovered that our city is besieged by ratfolks!"
Frey was stunned. After the numerous attempts he had made to get someone to take the ratfolk threat seriously, he found that someone was trying to convince him of that very thing! He didn't know if he should laugh or get angry. He decided to play the role that was expected of him because, on second thought, he realized that displaying more knowledge than Osval thought he possessed could easily prove dangerous.
"I'm not kidding, Mr. Frey. Since you and Elysia reported groups of Ratfolk warriors in the sewers, there have been other sightings, and even skirmishes. And the wererat gangs have even looted our docks overnight, stealing food and even a load of grain. I tell him we are under siege."
"Siege? Isn't that a bit of a strong word? Where are the armies, the war machines, the hordes of ratmen?
"These are strong words, Mr. Frey, and the truth is that the situation justifies them. The head of the secret police has been assassinated; some citizens, attacked; a great arsenal, destroyed…and now the threat of the plague."
"Me…"
"Now, Mr. Frey, I know you take this seriously. I know you are aware that ratfolks exist. We have a mutual acquaintance who has told me about all the actions you have taken in this matter."
"An acquaintance in common?"
Osval took out a scented pomace similar to the one hanging from Frey's neck, brought it up to his nose, and took a deep breath before placing it back on the desk.
"I refer, of course, to the new star of Bergheim, Dr. Niccolev. She told me about her visit to the cemetery and what she found there. Remember that she treated the wounds of her lover."
"How do you know Doctor Niccolev?" Frey asked to buy some time.
"As a patient. She is the new doctor of many noble families. Since I arrived in the city, I have achieved things that not even the most powerful priests or magicians are capable of achieving; she was able to stop the plague."
"But…"
"I see you are a very perceptive and insightful gentleman. I suspect that for a man of his resources it doesn't have to be difficult."
Frey had been about to ask "why did Niccolev tell him all that?" although he decided to shut his mouth and see what coldly intelligent explanation that cold and intelligent man gave him.
"I am only telling you this because the situation is truly desperate, Mr. Frey, and we are in dire need of your help."
"The situation has to be really desperate." Frey thought. "if you need my help; Especially when I don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about."
"Since Miss Niccolev installed her office and she began to use unique techniques to diagnose and heal the sick. The duke ordered that she should be placed under strict surveillance and investigation, all this with a noble objective; Of course. After learning that she did not use evil techniques or black magic, she decided that Dr. Niccolev was a lost beacon of hope. After that, a surveillance was kept from a distance to make sure that she did not try anything strange, one night we realized that you, along with your partner, entered the doctor's residence as if you had just left a battlefield. This caused the members of the Order of the Triangle to panic." Saying this, she made a special variation of the Sign of the Triumvirate over his heart, reversing the normal order from left to right and from center to top. "Have you heard of us?"
"It's some kind of secret society, I guess." Frey guessed. It wasn't hard to guess. There were many strange secret societies that had their own signs and passwords.
"Correct. It is an order of men sworn to protect our civilization from the threat of dark powers. We share many goals and much ancient knowledge. The law enforcement officers who were guarding Miss di L'Orme noticed that you, along with Elysia, shared a kind of friendly relationship with Lady di L'Orme."
"Yes, it could be. But what does all this have to do with ratfolks?"
"Simple" beginning Osval "If we piece together his role as an adventurer, his unconventional activities, his relationship with an extremely talented and outstanding individual, along with his unusually powerful equipment; leaves us members with only one guess.
"And that would be?" Frey suddenly tensed, if they had discovered his facade and found out about the existence of the castle, he had to make sure that this information did not get very far.
"You, like myself, and Lady di L'Orme; we are members of secret societies that have the same goal."
"Hmm…!"
"We know that you are not a wandering adventurer. You are a shadow vigilante, a dark hero."
"Uhh!"
"Much like us, you dedicated your life to fighting the forces of corruption wherever you found them."
"I do not belong to any order."
"I can understand your denying that particular, Mr. Frey. You surely belong to many orders that have a much stricter oath of secrecy than ours. I will not insist on that point."
"Better this way." Frey thought. "If not, you would discover how deep my ignorance is."
Osval paused for a moment, then seemed to change the subject.
"We can assume that you possess a great deal of knowledge. Just like Lady Niccolev."
"Only a little."
"It may be that the little you know is really a lot, Mr. Frey. Tell me about that strange ratfolk who writes you letters of warning. Do you know him personally?
Wow, Frey thought. "So that's where I wanted to go with all this talk about secret societies and serious threats. It is an attempt to obtain accurate information." He realized that the agents of the order had informed Osval of the deliveries of the letters, so he understood that there was no point in hiding anything in relation to the letter.
"I have never seen it." Frey replied sincerely. "In truth, I have no idea why he has chosen me to communicate these things."
"No, I am convinced that he has chosen you. Why?"
"Maybe because I know how to read."
"Can you read ratfolk runes?"
"No, but I can read common."
"So the letters were drafted in common?" Osval looked stunned.
"Of course. How else was I going to read them?
"Do you have those letters here?"
"No, they vanished in a puff of smoke within five seconds of reading them." Frey replied wryly, and was about to add that he didn't usually carry letters with him, but Osval interrupted him.
"Truly powerful sorcery! Mr. Frey, you must understand one thing. I have assumed the responsibilities of Fritz Helstaff. The security of this great city is in my hands. If that ratfolk were to contact you again, well, he must inform me immediately."
"Nothing will please me more." Frey replied frankly.
"No, please take me seriously, Mr. Frey. I have the impression that he knows more than he is willing to tell me right now. It's fair. We all have to have our little secrets, but I must insist that you notify me. I don't want any more midnight raids on the graveyard. I know you are a brave and resourceful man, but these matters are best dealt with by the authorities."
"I completely agree."
"Okay, Mr. Frey. Don't try to fool me on this. My arm is very long."
"I wouldn't even dream of doing something like that; you have my word."
"I'm glad. In that case, you are free to leave. Just remember…"
"Don't worry, Mr. Osval yerónimo. You can be sure that I will inform you as soon as I know anything about the ratfolks' plans." retorted Frey, who fervently hoped, against all hope, that he would never get his hands on such information again.
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