บท 166: Dog-Solid

Ralf nods, "That's what I thought. So, what are we doing now? I would accompany you to Grimpt's estate, but I suggest leaving Tiffania here... She is not yet ready for true live combat." he remarks, getting a short glare from Tiffania before she drops it and lets out a sigh.

Michael shakes his head however, "No, I'll go alone and deal with it, you stay here and protect her in case another situation of guards checking rooms comes around. It happened in Londinium, it'll probably happen again."

Ralf agrees, not really having a reason to press since Michael could more than handle himself, especially in covert operations.

Michael walks over to the window and checks outside, noting that the sun was slowly beginning to set. Around now was a good time to leave, so he'd do just that. "Alright, tell me what you know about Grimpt and I'll get on with it."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tiffania and Ralf watch as Michael turns invisible and hops out the window. The former with her hand clenched around the enchanted broach since she'd not found the chance to gift it to him...

Ralf looks over with the sides of his lips upturned, "Did you wish to keep it for yourself then?"

Tiffania blushes and shakes her head, "No, it's just that everyone is so serious, it didn't feel like the right time to give it to him..." she mutters, feeling a flare of anxiety at the thought of something going wrong at the Grimpt estate. What if her broach would have helped him? Had her shyness inadvertently harmed Michael? Should she try and follow him to make sure he gets it?-

*Thud*

Ralf lightly chops the top of Tiffania's head as she starts overthinking things, steam would've been streaming from her ears if such a thing was possible. "Calm down, you can give it to him when he returns. And yes, he will return." he says, feeling as if he had to say this to her every time Michael went out on his own.

"I know, I know. I still can't help but be worried though." she admits and Ralf shakes his head.

"I am still unable to tell if you two are partners or not... You sleep together, worry overmuch about each other like a married couple..." he gestures at the Arcane Ring on her finger, "You even possess a ring from him." he says, causing Tiffania to get redder and redder the more he lists.

"Mou! Stop!" she pushes him, feeling as if her heart was about to explode, "L-let's just start meditating again... Please?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commander Nicholas Grimpt's estate is located in the North-Eastern section of Tristania, an area with which one wouldn't be wrong in calling it both luxurious and abandoned. The reason for this is quite simple, many of the nobles and merchants who'd lived here had either left to support Princess Henrietta, or had been drafted by King Gramont on his rather foolish assault on the Tristain Academy.

Now, usually this would leave the place swarming with beggars and other not-so-well-off people. But the presence of Nicholas Grimpt himself had forced away any attempting to seek help or protection during this slowly escalating war. As it wasn't uncommon for a lone beggar, or even a group of people to be picked up and dragged into Nicholas Grimpt's estate.

The estate itself was a large three-story mansion with tall sharp metal gates surrounding it, the outskirts were manned with many guards, and the interior of the gates was liberally filled with vicious hounds that Nicholas Grimpt had reared himself, and were thus far more vicious than what any regular hound master would be willing to sell.

The regular guardsman aren't a problem for Michael to skirt around, as the estate lacked the protections that the palace had which negated his invisibility. But the hounds certainly halted his progress considerably... After all, he had no method of removing his scent, and while Riki's training had made his footsteps and movements all but silent, dogs were one of the beasts that would fare the best in actually hearing him.

Michael looks through the bars of the gates with a frown, watching the small army of dogs tear apart a cow's carcass that the guards had thrown at them. They were like piranha's with legs and less mercy, and he swore he just saw one tear another's tail off and eat it, without the victim even noticing... Yeah, he wasn't going to get involved with those things.

Fortunately, this feeding frenzy granted him ample opportunity to sneak around the ravenous creatures, hopping over the fence at the opposite end of the property and climbing into the building via a window that he jimmied open with his hook knife.

Strangely though, inside the place was almost completely silent. He couldn't even hear the dogs outside once the window had closed, making him feel like he was in some kind of murder mystery game...

"And the murderer is... Grimpt... How surprising." he mutters to himself as he begins sneaking through the place. Michael doesn't immediately start ascending however, instead looking around for any indication of a basement. After all, a psychopath without a murder basement is just a violent weirdo without class.

Thirty minutes later, Michael finds a hatch leading to the basement inside a closet, a good hiding spot if someone didn't know what they were looking for.

He leans down and lifts the heavy metal hatch, and as soon as he opens it...

"AAAGHK! PLEASE SIR, STOP!" the voice of an older gentleman begs, the sound of slicing flesh echoing from the basement.

"You're one of them aren't you! Aren't you! Admit it!" another voice, presumably Grimpt shouts in response, clearly out of his mind.

But, there was also a third person. Crying and sniffling like a child as this all occurs, "I'm not meant to be used like this!!!! P-put me down rIIGHT NOW" the voice demands but ends up squealing the last part as Grimpt presumably attacks his prisoner again.