A Short Tale of Khimisset; Murder Means Money.

[Siopilos]

A Short Tale of Khimisset; Murder is Money.




//A Murder in Crux | Rank 1, Rank 2, Rank 3//

[Siopilos]

Chapter 1.1
Yes, a mercenary is always for hire.

It could be said that Khimisset had a soft heart. In fact, he went out his way to help old ladies cross the street and graciously took compensation for his efforts after. His life was a mix of odds and ends otherwise. Some days he spent running from higher authority and other days were chances to sit back and relax. He had no where to be and no sure future to save for, so he lived day to day.

So it came to no surprise that Khi received a note on his door one morning after hearing a knock. It was tacked haphazardly onto the worn, wooden surface with a rusty nail and appeared to be written on the back of a crumpled up receipt.

Khi plucked the note off his door and studied it. “Dr. Ansel dead,” it read. "Carcanet of Zohar. $5000 before midnight.” and it was signed -Z in a flourish of pompous penmanship. He frowned. Five grand was no short amount of money for anything, and some fool was willing to pay a small fortune for whatever it was. By the looks of it, the late doctor must have kicked the bucket sometime in the night and he was to retrieve said object before the city guards came running.

The merc thought about it. The money wasn’t an issue, but magical objects tended to be tricky. They were warded or spelled or were possessed by some angry spirit or lock. The last time Khi stole a magical object, he had a rather nasty habit of truth telling for months. And by the looks of it, this so called Carcanet was probably within the same category.

Khi flipped the note over and sighed. It read “Extra $3000 for cause of death.”

He quickly packed his bag, which was light and relatively small. It had seen better days, but it still carried a few first aid concoctions and wards for tight situations. The rogue pulled on some gloves and tied his hair back, smoothing it away from his face. He grabbed his dual swords from under the pillow, strapping them securely in place. A few more daggers were added to complete the set.

Armed, Khi looked back at his comfortable bed longingly and then looked at the door. "Damn this job and its payment perks,” he mumbled and closed the door firmly shut.

-----

Khi mentally checked of his list of 'to-visit' places as he deftly slid through an open balcony of a mutli-story house. Did he say house? It was more like an estate judging by the opulent decorations and fancy drapes. While there were plenty of windows, he noticed how very little light came through. He wasn't sure what or who he was going to run into so he drew out a dagger. A short walk down a corridor he heard a trilling laugh. Aha! So she was here. Sheathing his weapon, stepped from the shadows and-

"HALT." A scratchy voice commanded. "Step away from the door. Now."

"Geeze, okay. Yes sir." Khi mocked. He eyed his adversary with a wary glance. It was a big guy covered from head to... well, tail in green-black scales. The guard had mismatched eyes that gave him shivers but it was toned down by the crown of plumage sprouting from his reptilian head. "And I thought I was ugly."

"What business do you have sneaking into m'Lady's house?" Those hateful eyes narrowed.

Khi smirked. "I have business to discuss. So you don't have to worry. I'll be a good boy." It only seemed to anger the guard further. In fact, Khi lost his amusement right when he saw the look; something akin to slow death and much bloodshed. "Look, I just need to talk with Dezh. She's got some info and I-"

"Love, it's quite alright. He's not here to cause trouble." A husky voice purred. Khi grinned while the ugly-as-hell guard frowned even more severely. Who cared! Because he was secretly grateful he didn't have to fight the Djet. He was sly and cunning, but it was unlikely he'd win a fight against someone who was more than double his size. Khi sauntered into the room in which he heard the familiar feminine voice and found a rather comfortable spot. He landed on the expensive rug and cushions with a audible thump. He watched the other sphinx with mild curiosity; she was exquisite; horns, flowers, piercings and jewels everywhere paired with captivating white eyes. A pet snake in the color of oil slithered around her back as she exhaled a few puffs of smoke in his general direction.

"Dezh..." He let her name linger. "You always have impeccable timing. Just as beautiful as always."

Dezhati - that was her name - rolled her eyes and batted her eyelashes for effect. "Oh you flatter me too much, love. But I'll take it." She gave a saucy wink. "But you don't come here just to chat. That I know. What do you want, my dear?"

---

Khimisset rubbed the back of his neck. He liked Dezh, a lot. Nothing romantically of course, but he could listen to her talk for hours. Upon hearing her comment he realized that she was right about him. He felt bad. Really. Okay, sort of. "I needed some information on the late Doctor. The one that kicked the bucket, oh, last night?" He clarified. "No idea who the doc was or what he was like. I just got a job to locate some necklace, but I thought it would be easier to learn more about him before I super sleuth through his home."

The dancer raised an eyebrow. "And what is it in for me, Love?"

"I figured as much. I can't offer money because that's mine. But I'll take a trip to Greece after this. Sniff the air, look around. Yeah?"

Dezh's gaze immediately sharpened on the merc. She was quiet for a moment, contemplating on Khi's offer. He knew she would cave; because what he was offering was no small price. "Yes, yes. You and I are going to have sit down and talk soon. Fine. You have yourself a deal, love." She took a long drag of her hookah and flew it out slowly. "So what do you want to know?"

Wasting no time, Khi jumped right to it. "This Doctor... who did he surround himself with? Was he social?"

"Mmmm, dear Ansel was an interesting man. He was very nice and very attentive towards his patients. I don't know if he's had many deaths since he started practicing years ago. So naturally people and Sphinxes alike started to believe they could just absorb his energy to stave off illness. It was the dumbest thing I had heard of in a long time, but each to their own I guess." She shrugged. "He was very popular. Ran with the high society crowd and the regular peasants too. Charming, but very ambitious."

Khi nodded for her to go on. "He had a wife. She was beautiful, but a small thing. Ah, ex-wife now. Poor girl spent some time after the disastrous wedding saying dear Ansel was crazy. Mad. Not that it was apparent on the surface though. Something about how he was spending too much money at periods of time and gone for too many nights. He was secretive and recited a lot of poetry in the last few months. Like a bad omen." Dezh huffed. "If it were me, I would have had none of it. But the girl had enough and left for other lands far from here after awhile."

"What were his hobbies?"

"Oh the usual. Some sports, some arts. Reading was a big thing for Ansel. He accumulated a whole library of herb lore as well as quite a few manuscripts on legends and tales. The last I saw him he spent quite some time at the trade fairs when some of the caravans arrived. They may be beggars, but they do have some interesting things."


The mercenary just nodded, lost in thought. So the old fart must have found something and developed an unhealthy obsession with that necklace. It was probably encased in layers of curses and spells, sucking the doctor and before he knew it - dead. Khimisset shook his head and sighed. He still had to go after this dumb necklace. At least he was more prepared than Ansel was, or at least he hoped.

"Thanks Dezh. I'll see myself out." He got up and moved towards the window, pulling back some thick velvet curtains to allow more sunlight to stream in. The air outside was already getting hot and muggy. The heat would slow the authorities down because no one wanted to be out in this sun, he mused, but it would slow him down as well. No way around it; he would just have to be there before them without dying from heat exhaustion first.


"Khimisset." The merc turned around. "The wife said she figured the poems were of a foreign language, because it sounded beautiful but wrong. Like a bad omen. So please be careful, love."

He nodded and winked at Dezh before he leapt from the window and onto the streets.

[Siopilos]

Chapter 1.2
Geeze, and this guy was a Doctor?

Khimisset sometimes (on the occasions when he felt pensive) wondered what life would be like it he hadn't deserted his post as a Palace guard. He had to admit he missed some of the perks; the luxury of food, a place to sleep and nary a look of fear when he showed up at some tavern. Not that he exuded much of a menacing "kill-you-now" aura; that just sort of cramped his style. But everyone was afraid when the elite guards came questioning and any help freely given meant treason...

And then there was the rogue mercenary life. A man for hire for any sum of money, but these days he was a lot pickier. Luck of the draw, he guessed, because he did a damn fine job getting stuff done for the few and far in between with deep pockets.

Khi shrugged to himself. "Eh, I got other things to worry about." He mumbled under his breath.

The city of Akhet had long melted away ever since he stepped through the newly minted portal. A sort of queasy-cramping feeling manifested in his abdomen; a feeling he managed to shake off but it was a bugger. Unlike the Egyptian streets, Lamoria was dark. It was uncertain whether it was dusk or sunset, but the sky was pretty dark with fat grey clouds hanging overhead. The merc frowned. Rain was so bad for investigations for a multitude of obvious reasons, but he supposed it would do a good job hiding his scent from the hounds.

Men and women milled the streets in finery. Velvet, silks and tight garments - it was a wonder that anyone could move let alone breath. Everyone whispered and looked; obviously aware of Khimisset. He was a stranger in a strange land and so he dismissed them. It was such a stark contrast to the other inhabitants of Lamoria though. The beggars were paled and haggard. He watched them openly as some hid in street corners and the others followed some rich individuals around with rapt attention. One went so far as to offer his mistress-

Huh.

Alrighty then. THAT didn't happen in Ahket.

Khimisset shook his head and moved right along.

He had planned on waiting until it got closer to nightfall to visit the Doctor's home, but he decided earlier scouting would be beneficial. Not only was authority slow to come by and investigate, the heat was barely anything in the Lamorian night. Talk about a time difference. The merc noticed the gothic architecture that surrounded him. Where Akhet was rough mud and brick buildings, this city was swanky with its never ending arches and colorful stained glass. On the surface, it looked like a shallow city.

Khimisset traveled at his own pace for a long while. At some point, he made it out of the cosmopolitan city into the outskirts of the woods. There he followed down a well warn path taken by humans, Sphinxes, and horses a like judging by the prints in the mud. It was dark and more than eerie - certainly not his cup of tea. He bit his bottom lip and toyed with his ring nervously until he spied a house at the end of the road.

Did he say house? He meant mansion.

Geeze, the old Doc must have been rolling in it because Khimisset swore his jaw fell to the ground. He must have had lots of adoring patients and an equal amount of jealous friends. Every where the merc looked, the home was freshly maintained. Everything screamed money. But Khimiss found all of this unsettling by the lack of noise or movement. In fact, the air smelled a little stagnant as if this home existed in a vacuum.


----


The mercenary rapt is paws on the door. One knock. Two knocks. "Hello!" he sang. Nothing. He sighed. Some B & E it was then.

Khi circled to the back of the house, trying to find any clues of secret passage ways. He had never seen houses built as such, but he figured if you had money you had enough secrets to warrant extra escape routes. He happened upon the entrance to a cellar, the double doors shut together with a chain and lock. He grinned - oh this was going to be easy. A few deft flick of his paws and he heard a satisfying click. Once opened, the merc peered down the dark walkway with curiosity. He typically didn't do dark paths well (the memory of one particular dungeon crawl experience was enough, thank you), but maybe he was feeling more bold than usual.

With a glowing witch light, Khimisset descended down the stairs into a dusty old stairwell. The stone illuminated stone walls in various states of dilapidation, proven by the fact how some of it crumpled by his light prodding.

At the end of the passage, he suddenly found himself opening a door to the kitchen. It was charming, he admitted, with it's ceramic walls and squeaky clean white tiles. An overhead rack hung pots above a stove, while a large wood-top island table bragged a selection of fruits and snacks. Really, it was quite homey if you ignored the fact that the fruit was rotting. And the dead body in the corner.

Well then.

Khimiss almost gagged at the sight, not to mention the slight smell coming from it. Surely it was recently dead? Ew. He shivered and took a good long look at the body. It was a young woman; probably in her early twenties. She was blonde with a pale complexion and a bit thin, which was only more pronounced in her death. The merc frowned. She was clearly bruised from head to tail, but she looked peaceful. There was no other signs of struggle and no blood. He almost expected a vampire attack but it didn't look right. "Hmmm," he mumbled. "No time to dwell on it."

So Dezh had said the late Doctor had spent a lot of time in his library and wondered if he was one those people who chose to hide rare artifacts in books. Cliched, but at least he would have an idea of where to start searching.

The library was... messy. Books were strewn across the mahogany desk haphazardly and many were open. Many of them talked about certain plants for healing and creating energy binds. What that was, he really had no idea. Some books talked about various poisonous flora and their immediate or long lasting effects. Khimisset even spied one book that seemed to be made of some Western legends, particularly in the form of a children's book. Very, very odd, the merc decided.

If Doctor Ansel was looking for the necklace, than the stories made sense. But why the doc would have tons of books about certain herb lore was beyond him. Maybe it was light and sporadic bed time reading?

Maybe old Doctor was evil and wanted to kill off all his patients with a fit of rage.

Khimisset snorted. It was worth a thought, but most likely not plausible.

Before he turned to leave, a few pieces of paper caught his eye. They were literally nailed to the wall in sheets. Each contained some funky illustrations of circles and weird bug eyed creatures. Scrawled on the sides were notes in terrible handwriting. Khimiss leaned forward to get a better read, making out words like "hell" and "offering" but most of it was futile to make out.

"Dammit." He huffed. Even if it was gibberish, they looked like antique notes. Maybe he could sell it on the market... and so the mercenary grabbed the pages and stuffed them into his bag.

-------

Khimisset left the library with a feeling of anxiety and trepidation. This house was big and just too damn freaky. It was new enough to inspire awe, but old enough to make him feel like the spirits of the dead were breathing down his neck. More than once he found his skin crawl at the creek of the floor. He needed to focus on what he was paid to do and leave, because he hated that feeling of being watched. Call it being paranoid, but it was definitely a trait bred from his life in the Royal Guard and life on the run.

Creeek!

Heart racing and jumping around, Khimiss surveyed the hallway he had just entered. It was long and dark even when he held up his witch light. "Not this again. Nope. Nada. Not having it," he muttered as he backed peddled down the hall. Nothing was going to scare him if he could stop. "Nope. Nope." He was now in what appeared to be the living room. Paintings and portraits decorated the space on hideous floral wallpaper. There was a big beautiful persian rug with a suspicious dark stain marring the beautiful patterns, but it wasn't anything the merc wanted to look at too closely. The leather sofas looked well taken care, even comfortable in their austere apperance, if you overlooked the fact there were large gouges in them.

"I wouldn't be here if I were you, Sir." A trilling voice said.

"HOLY F---" Khi exclaimed, yanking out his swords and whirling around to find... to find a girl? A GIRL! "You're a girl!" This was followed by a trail of extremely creative expletives that would melt the ears off of his mother had she heard him just now.

[Siopilos]

Chapter 1.3
Crazy kids these days...

When Khimisset was a cub, he practically worshipped his mother. A mama's boy, he was. He couldn't help it being raised in a single parent household when his father left them early on. He really just wanted to make her proud of the young man he would become. He never claimed to be smart but he was daring, and in his mind that equaled heroic. And what was more heroic then jumping on the opportunity to give back to her? What could he possibly do?

Well it was quite simple. Khimisset had snuck into a fancy-pants rich guy's home and took his Miss' solid gold necklace. They didn't need it, he reasoned, because they had so much wealth already. There were so many pieces of shiny jewelry that they would hardly notice one missing and if they say him they would have thought him a cute child. Until they catch him putting his paws into the drawer.

What happened after was montage of scenes best described as shocking (he got caught), panicked (they called the guards and Khimiss jumped out the window), painful (he broke his arm), and humiliating (his mom was so disappointed when they guards turned him in). Kids are bat-freak crazy. If he could go back in time his adult self would have advised his kid self to not rob a two story house next time.

"Language, sir." She said.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!!?"

"Says the man who broke into my house."

What? "YOUR HOUSE?"

"Would you please stop yelling? Yessir, this is my house. Well, I'm one of the servants here. It was my Master's house." She mused. "But please, calm down."

"CALM D- girl, do you realize this place is a mess. A mess!! Oh don't mind the DEAD BODY in the kitchen!" Okay, Khimiss was just about losing it. He tended to make rash decisions in his panicked moments. Being okay was far from his mind. "I could have chopped you into bits!"

She sighed dramatically. "But you didn't. And I'm aware of the dead body. That was my cousin Tilly. She was our cook and for a very young girl she was really good." The girl frowned. "Are you here to steal our stuff?"

Oh gods. This girl was girl was a piece of work. Yes, of course, let me talk to strangers in a dead man's home. What could go wrong? They probably came for some tea. Dead bodies of my family? I guess it could have been worse. I could be the dead one! Khimisset rolled his eyes and put away his blades. "I've been here for awhile. There's nothing really to steal." The lie rolled easily off his tongue; it was only a half lie and half truth. She didn't need to know the details. "I'm here to figure out why Mr. Doctor died. Called it some investigating work for the uh, concerned family." He suddenly narrowed his eyes at her. "Why are you here? This home is a mess. You should have left little girl."

She huffed. "My name isn't 'little girl.' I'm Gemma and I love this place. Master Ansel was estranged at the best of times but the people here were my family. I won't just leave them to deal with whatever is here. I could never leave." Greaaaat, he thought. "And I want to find out what's going on. To make sure people like you don't take advantage of the situation. I'll have my eyes of you."

"Er, that wont be necessary, Gemma. I can play detective on my own."

"Then I insist. I'll help you! I know everything here." Oh do you now, little girl? He glared at her. She was short, but she really wasn't little - at least not in age. She was just young and perhaps only a few years younger than himself. Her antlers made her look funny and so did the dark makeup under her eyes, but he supposed it was just one of those phases that one never got over.

Khimisset shrugged. "Suit yourself."


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

Khimiss paced back and forth. "So you're telling me that all those rumors about Dr. Ansel were true? I have it from a very good source that he was crazy, but I didn't think it was actually... well, real." He chewed on his lip rings in deep thought. Gemma had made herself comfortable near the stained rug that was still by far questionable. He raised his eyebrows, "You're not grossed out by blood?"

"It is true. He always had the fascination with old books. We never talked about it any outsiders in respect to his privacy but... I guess it doesn't matter now?" A look of hurt and anguish passed over her face, breaking off eye contact. Khi wondered if they really did care for the old man. "Not really." Gemma continued, glancing at the said spot. "I've been around the kitchen enough. Plus, it's Lamoria, Sir. If blood made you uncomfortable I would suggest you not mingle with its residence."

"Don't have to worry about that. I've have enough of these freaks." He mumbled and shook his head. "And I'll be out of your hair soon. I need clues. I was in Doc's library earlier which yielded some fascinating information, but I'm afraid it doesn't help me much. Is there anyone alive here except for you? Any strange activity lately?"

Gemma tapped on her chin, lost in thought. "Most of everyone went back to their families when the Master died. I suppose it was the last straw after the Misses left. Lots of people thought he was being week, but I told them to shush - it's not their business" She said angrily. Mmmm, must have touched a nerve on that girl. He understood the need for privacy but it wasn't paying him much at this rate. "And then they left! To leave us when we were alone and unprotected! When I see them again, I'm going to wrap my paws around them and kill them myself!" She exclaimed as she ripped into the carpet. Okaaaay. Whatever this girl was or is, she most definitely had some anger issues. And killing people? It made Khimiss immediately suspicious of her. Why did she stay behind? Loyalty couldn't mean that much.

"Did his family want to seek revenge at all? I can't imagine if they would like to have lost face in a such a scandal."

Gemma sighed. "I'm not sure, Sir. They were affluent but not old money. When they were over for their annual visits, they were nice."

"Nice? That's all? Any kill-you-dead or watch-your-back attitudes?"

Her eyes widen. "Oh no! Definitely not, sir! No one of that status would want to dirty their hands with such thoughts."

Well, that didn't help at all. Khimisset was low on leads. At this point he probably could go visit her family to check things out but it was a bit of a trek across creepy town. But what choice did he have? When silence fell upon the room, Khimiss decided that eating might help his troubles. It may have been quiet, but his thoughts and questions echoed off the walls. He pulled out a bag of dehydrated meats. They were delicious and some of the best cuts that money could buy. He smiled thoughtfully. There were some serious perks being Dezh's favorite dashing rogue.

He pulled the string tie when a note fell out. Huh. Picking it up for inspection there was an address on one side scribbled in neat calligraphy while back had a short note: "Say hello for me! -Dezh" Khimisset couldn't help it, he was dumbfounded. Talk about the luck! Gleefully, he turned to Gemma "I think I know where we're going next. Pack a bag, you're leading me there."

"Oh! I like trips. And I can show you all these neat places" She put her paws together thoughtfully. "Are you going to eat that jerky?"

"No, you can't have any if that's what you're asking. It's mine." He sniffled.

Gemma rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. I'll lead the way."


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


"Here we are, Sir!" Gemma said. Above them loomed a sign done in exquisite typography that read 'Truth and Mystics: Beyond the Veil'. Below it a door made of dark cherry wood polished and set between dark windows so tinted it was hard to make out the contents of the building.

Khimisset raised a brow, "Are you sure? This is hokey. You've got to admit is sounds cheese. And I know Dezh kept some strange company but I never thought she'd be superstitious." They both look at the sign again. "Eh, yeah okay. After you my dear."

He pushed open the door and peeked inside. The walls were covered in a dark burgundy wallpaper with a dark cherry furniture strewn about under dim lamps casting dark shadows in every corner. He snorted. If it got any darker than this he might as well pull out the violin for some equally depressing theme music. "Sir, look at all of this." Gemma breathed, getting closer to the shelves. Aligned all around them were gems, jars and boxes of different sizes and shapes. Some of it glittered, some of it swirled, and he cursed under his breath when he thought he saw something move. Ew. Ew ew ew ew!

"I would bid you a warm welcome, but I dislike ill manners." A deep, velvety voice intoned behind them. Khimisset turned to see who was behind him and wasn't at all surprised to find a finely bedecked red lady. She had a long snake like body coiled tight and her face look positively threatening. Yup. He definitely saw Dezh getting it on with that despite her freakish vampire fangs.

"Hey there. We were just looking around. Dezh says 'hi' and 'please don't eat them.' Well, you can eat her, but spare me." He jerked his chin towards a protesting Gemma. "Hey! That's not what the note said!!"

"Mhmmm."

"You're going to wish you didn't say that you big-"

"HUSH. You two are giving me indigestion with all that bickering." Her fangs flashed and she hissed. "And I detest anyone who disturbs me after dinner. Customers or no."

Khimisset put his paws up in surrender. "Hey, I'm just here for answers. Dezh sent me along here for some help and I am no position to be picky, although I will admit I am surprised she'd send me to..." He trailed off.

"Channary."

"Yes that. What kind of name is that anyways? It's unpronounceable if someone looked it up in writing- HEY!" Gemma had stopped on his tail and shot his a glare. Right, he had to play nice. Gemma huffed and picked up where her gracious detective lacked.

"We're here about Master Ansel's death, madame. He... he meant a lot to us and we just want to find answers. We're hoping you could help us?" Gemma's lip quivered a little and Khi had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. "There's been a lot of unexplained things happening."

The djet was quiet for awhile before uncoiling. She motioned for them to follow as she made her way towards the back of the shop and pulled out a, wait for it... crystal ball. Yeah, Khimisset thought it was ridiculous too but he bit his tongue. Channary swirled her nails around it and whispered unintelligent words, staring into the depths of nothing. "As a seer I'm able to glimpse into different things. They're not always clear but at times they will yield the precise amount of information." She went silent for awhile and then said, "I will do this as a favor to Dezh, but you tell her our debts have been settled. Unless she wishes to visit me again; I would not protest too much." The seer smirked.

"So what do you see?" Khi asked.

"Mmmmm. Something dark and very hungry. Anger... fear. Vengeful and almost... mad. But intelligent, mmm, yes strange." She cleared her throat.

Uh... "That's it? That's all you can get me?" Khimisset frowned. What a load of bulls-

"Yes. You best take care to stay alive otherwise the next time we cross paths you rogue, I will bleed you dry. Your friend, ah yes, he'd pay handsomely to know where you sleep at night." At that, Khimisset paled. Channary hissed and narrowed her blood red eyes. Obviously they had overstayed their welcome and it was time to go. Cryptic as her words were, it helped a little. At least now he knew it was a WHO to look for rather than a what. It was one step closer to finding that necklace and it would help him deal with the obstacles ahead. He thanked Channary with a nod and booked it out of the seer's shop, dragging Gemma along and feeling like he narrowly escaped his past.

It was time to move it along.

[Siopilos]

Chapter 1.4
Old and Shady are terrible qualities

There was a time when Khimisset was more into academics. He thought he wanted to be the next Plato or Aristotle, spewing out spectacular nonsense that seemed to captivate thousands. It was like a sophisticated method of brainwashing the masses without having to resort to tedious torture protocols. And as a plus he would be famous! Wanted! Adored!

But it turned out the academia was only filled with old farts with patronizing stares who doled out mountains of homework. Sometimes he would have to read several books in one night. In ONE NIGHT! Khi was somewhat smart but he rarely felt comfortable sitting for so long (being young and beautiful could only last so long). But he tried because it would have made his mother proud only to fall short. It seemed like no matter how hard he tried it was just never good enough for these people. Khimisset wanted to do it right by his book, despite the rumors of the "extra credit" opportunities. Ick. No thanks.

So he eschewed higher education and decided to join the army. And that was only the beginning of what many considered the end.

Khimisset found himself pacing around the streets of Lamoria while Gemma sat watching him warily. He sighed and looked up above and saw the sky fading from black to blue. It was almost morning and he felt like had been chasing ghosts for weeks, though only a day had passed.

"Old and strange... angry... maybe he had a patient? An arch nemesis doctor? Any visitors... perhaps of the lady kind?" Khi huffed and rubbed his eyes; he was really tired. He envied the way Gemma was so unhurried though he couldn't really be sure with those dark circles under her eyes.

Gemma tapped her paws on the side-walk in thought. "No everyone loved him. He was a really great guy and everyone who met him would say the same thing..." Suddenly her eyes went wide. "No wait! I almost forgot about him!"

"Him who?"

"There was an old friend of Master Ansel's. They studied together during their doctorate years. He's super smart and it's been so long!" Gemma was getting excited.

"And? Can I get a name?" Irritation spiked his voice, but Gemma hardly seemed to notice.

"It was Master Carmien. He works as the curator for the history and culture museum downtown. I didn't pay him much attention when he came over because you know servants aren't to meddle in their patron's affairs." Gemma nodded. "But the girls were whispering that Master Carmien wanted, no NEEDED, money! He had some plans explaining that it would make them very powerful men."

[Siopilos]

Chapter 1.5
And they wonder why she dumped me.