After an hour or two of sleep, Taleandril woke me up, signaling me to come to the main hall for some sort of council. I had enough time to put on my Dark Brotherhood armor before heading to the meeting.
My companions were gathered in a circle around Vincente, who began speaking as I arrived.
- "Well, during your night off, I managed to gather some information about what's happening in Anvil. Remus Philidas, that famous Breton merchant, has written a book revealing nearly everything about us. I don't know where he got his information; some of it is inaccurate, but there are truths mixed in."
The vampire observed a moment of silence.
"Killing him won't solve anything; it would only bring our existence into the open. At this point, I've been upset, but I've come up with an interesting and viable idea. Philidas mental health has been questioned multiple times by the authorities in Anvil. It seems he had visions of ghosts and specters in his youth, following the mysterious disappearance of his elder brother. And between us, who would take seriously a book written by a madman? His credibility would diminish significantly, though it requires us to act unusually."
Vincente paused and looked at each of us, as if judging our capabilities.
"Marie Antoinetta, you'll take care of the printer, convince him to halt publication using your charm. The printer is married; he won't dare speak of you to investigators".
Antonetta rubbed her hands together; her way of doing things seemed to involve using her charms.
"Taleandril and Ocheeva, my sisters, you must remove all the already sold books from circulation. According to my sources, there have only been around thirty sold so far. I have the list of buyers; it shouldn't be too difficult. Here, I must disappoint you – murder is also prohibited. It would confirm our existence, whereas a simple theft would be blamed on the Gray Fox's guild."
Then he looked at Gro, trying to find a task suitable for him, and spoke.
"You, my brother, go to the tavern and start a general fight by provoking some sailors. The guards will be occupied, and it will give our sisters a chance to act. Don't kill anyone and make it look like you're defending against attackers."
Vincente smiled at me, revealing his developed fangs.
"And finally, you, my brother, I immediately thought of you and your illusion talents, given your skill at intimidating the deputy prefect. How about taking on the role of a vengeful ghost?"
I would never tire of doing what I do.
As everyone prepared since sunrise, I sought additional information and advice from my companions. Vincente is always a reliable source of guidance in such moments.
"What else can you tell me about Philidas Remus... Well, he's a night owl and usually wakes around noon. He's very superstitious and believes in silly things like 'the number thirteen is unlucky'... Oh, and he lives alone. I believe that covers it."
I asked Vincente for more details about the ghosts he claimed to have seen in his youth and the death of his older brother.
"It's a very strange story indeed. After coming of age, Remus Philidas realized that his elder brother, Ramos Philidas, would inherit the family fortune. A few days after his birthday, Ramos's body was found dead in the middle of Anvil, without a single physical injury. Shortly after this incident, Remus's father and mother also lost their lives. Following that, Remus would cry that he saw ghosts, corpses, and the like. He received treatment, and then he started trading and writing books. That's all I can tell you."
The murder aspect of the story puzzled me.
"Listen, my brother, it wouldn't surprise me if the Dark Brotherhood itself had something to do with it, but it's in the past. Focus on our present, my friend."
After thanking Vincente, I approached Taleandril, who was the last one yet to depart.
-"I'm in a hurry, my brother. I need to head to Anvil quickly, and... An useful item, you say? I don't have much that would help you... wait a moment."
She rummaged through her belongings and came back with two needles and a round bomb-like object.
"I couldn't do more... The greenish needle contains drugged poison that slows down the victim's brain and increases their imagination significantly. I believe you'll know how to make use of it... The second one is a concentrated pure Hist sap."
I found it hard to believe. Hist sap was one of the most powerful drugs on the market. Ocheeva once told me that the Blackwood Company would feed it to their men before going on missions, turning them into overpowered and uncontrollable beasts. There was no way I would touch it.
- "I know what you're thinking, my brother... But it's not the refined and enhanced version of sap that the Blackwood Company takes. In this pure form, it will greatly enhance your mental capabilities, intelligence, deductions, and magic for a limited time, after which you will probably collapse from fatigue."
I smiled at him, and if that was the case, it suited me perfectly. But the strange bomb still remained.
"It's a decomposition bomb, designed for large bases. It mainly consists of solance, agrimony, and daesmodium root. It explodes silently, and the gas spreads through the air. Anything non-organic in contact with the gas becomes rough and decayed... Of course, a simple rub will reveal that nothing has happened, but the effect is still very impressive on a weak mind. With that said, I wish you good luck, my brother."
I began to leave, but in Vincente's room, I saw an object that could help me.
"Do you want a bottle of human blood? Why, my brother? Well... I suppose you can take it."
Finally, I set out on my journey, leaving my bow and dagger at the sanctuary. Taking them would have been too tempting. My journey to Anvil went smoothly, and I stopped at an inn called 'La Mauvaise Chance' or something like that, to have breakfast. There was an old man there who, upon seeing me, screamed and locked himself in the cellar. His name was Rofiu... Well, it wasn't important.
Upon arriving in town, I saw guards running towards the docks, where a terrible fight had apparently broken out between an aggressive sailor and a poor orc who was just eating his meal. Where is the world heading?
It was around eleven o'clock, and Remus' house was isolated, with no torches burning inside. I slipped through the entrance window, closed and locked all the shutters and doors, making sure everything was secure.
The house was small, with one floor, a living room with a fireplace, a rather luxurious bathroom with a bathtub and a set of mirrors that already gave me plenty of ideas, and of course, his bedroom. Taleandril's bomb should cover all the rooms except the bathroom. I closed the door, and I ignited the sphere, which emitted a very discreet noise and opened, releasing a thin, bluish smoke. Upon contact with this substance, the walls appeared to decay and decompose. Even if it was just a thin layer of mold, it would be more than enough.
Then I went into Remus' bedroom; he was deeply asleep and seemed very depressed. He had consumed skooma the previous night and apparently cried while looking at a family album. This would make the drugged poison even more effective.
After lightly touching the artificial decay on the album, I learned more than I needed to. Then I injected the poison into Remus; when I woke him up, the game would begin.
But I knew I would have to remain invisible for a long time, and it was likely that my mental health would be severely damaged because of it. I held my breath and stabbed the hist sap needle into my arm.
And suddenly, I felt invincible.
My brain was working so fast that everything around me seemed to move in slow motion. Ideas rushed through my mind at lightning speed; I understood everything and considered every possibility.
Using telekinesis, I shattered the clock's dial in the bedroom to make it make noise and get stuck at thirteen. The noise woke Remus.
-"Oh, cough... is someone there?!"
No one answered him; he tried to get up, but the drugged poison made him fall. He tried to focus his vision, but he couldn't.
"What is this..."
Remus looked around in horror; everything seemed to have aged hundreds of years, and a foul smell emanated from the house. He attempted to walk around to explore what was now his home.
A whisper echoed softly in the house like a gust of wind.
-"Rere..."
Remus suddenly stood still, putting his hand in front of his mouth as if trying not to vomit. The effects of the skooma combined with the poison were bizarre.
"Rere..."
-"WHO'S THERE, AND HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NICKNAME?"
Remus felt a cold hand caress his cheek; he unsheathed his sword and turned around, but there was no one there.
"I'm not afraid, show yourself!" he exclaimed.
The bedroom door creaked and slammed shut, causing Remus to panic. He rushed towards the exit, but an unknown force kept it open.
"Tell me who you are, or you'll regret it..." he stammered.
Suddenly, the mirror in the room shattered as if someone had struck it. As if by magic, the pages of an album began to flip open, stopping at a specific photo of Remus and his brother. A chilling sight greeted him – where Ramos Philidas' face should have been, there was now a stain of blood.
"Ramos... is that you? Are you still here? You know I had nothing to do with it, absolutely nothing! I've already exorcised you! Go back to oblivion!" Remus pleaded.
Words written in blood appeared on the rest of the mirror: 'LIAR.'
In a fit of frustration, Remus struck the door, which suddenly seemed to unlock. He rushed out, closed the door behind him, and caught his breath.
"Ramos, forgive me, leave me be! Please..." he implored.
As he paused, he noticed bloodied footprints leading towards the bathroom. The house remained shrouded in near darkness.
Taking a deep breath, he lit a chair leg as a makeshift torch, drew his sword, and barged into the bathroom, screaming, "Is anyone there? Show yourself!"
However, to his relief, he found the room empty. Remus slumped against the edge of the bathtub, considering giving up drinking altogether.
After a minute of trying to calm his nerves, he got up and approached the mirror. He adjusted his appearance and forced a smile, but the flickering flame from the makeshift torch occasionally cast a distorted reflection. Suddenly, Remus leaped back in fear, as for a brief moment in the reflection, there was a pale figure with red eyes and long white hair. He dropped the torch, and crouched in a corner like a frightened child.
"Forgive me, Ramos... I... I needed the inheritance so badly... I didn't want them to kill you, just to scare you..."
There was a sound of broken glass, and Remus felt warm droplets falling on him as all the blinds abruptly opened, revealing a horrifying scene: The bathroom was covered in blood, and something was writing on the mirror with blood.
'LIAR'.
The bathroom tiles started trembling, and the slabs tore away from the walls, swirling around Remus as the word 'LIAR' appeared everywhere. Remus screamed like a slaughtered pig, desperately swinging at the air and the walls, hoping to touch the ghost of his murdered brother. Then, in a deranged state, he began throwing fireballs all around, setting the house ablaze like a matchstick.
"Go back to Oblivion, you monster!" he shouted.
Three guards passing by witnessed the disturbing scene and rushed over to him.
-"Mr. Philidas, by the Nine, are you mad?!" one guard exclaimed.
Remus tried to calm himself, but he appeared hysterical.
-"I'm not crazy! I saw him! Ramos' specter! He wants to kill me, can't you hear me? Protect me! Help!" Remus pleaded.
The guards exchanged worried glances.
-"Calm down, Mr. Philidas. Are you out of your mind?" another guard asked.
In a sudden fit of rage, Remus lunged at one of the guards.
-"I'm NOT CRAZY! YOU ARE! YOU'RE IN LEAGUE WITH THE DARK BROTHERHOOD!" he yelled.
Seeing that Remus had lost his sanity, the other two guards struck him with their weapons, and he collapsed to the ground, powerless.
"You... you have to believe me... you..." Remus muttered.
-"Yes, yes, Mr. P., just like the last time. The gentleman in white will give you a little treatment, and you'll be fine, alright?" one of the guards responded.
-"He's completely insane, he's done for," said the other guard.
As Remus stood up and screamed at the guards that he wasn't crazy, that he didn't want to be drugged all day and beaten, he was abruptly silenced when one of the guards shot an arrow into his throat, ending his cries.
-"Nice shot, Max."
-"We'll tell the chief it was in self-defense."
-"Shall we go to the tavern?"
-"Anyway, this whole story is a bunch of nonsense. A secret brotherhood of murderers never discovered all this time? Considering the author's mental state, it's understandable... There's nothing to see here, citizen. Go somewhere else if you're looking for a place to rest, head to the inn."
I thanked the guard for his kindness and patience, watching them leave while laughing and dragging Remus Philidas' lifeless body. The fire continued to consume the evidence that could have led them back to me. The hist's effects had worn off completely, and I was suffering terribly from pushing my mental abilities to the limit. Nevertheless, I managed to walk towards the city's exit and into the forest. After an hour of walking, blood had trickled from my eyes, and I collapsed in front of a house in the middle of nowhere.