Mathews tried to process what Theron meant. Monsters? What did he mean by monsters?
"Are you talking about Nightspawn?" Mathew asked out loud. Ophelia rolled her eyes at him.
"No Dread, not Nightspawn. I had thought you would know that as you are a monster yourself." Mathew could only sigh in response.
Fortunately, Argus was there to save his sanity:
"Most Nightspawn cannot take on the form of humans," He explained, "and even the ones that can would be found out immediately"
"Why is that?" Mathew asked. Theron patted his knee loudly to interject.
"Because Nightspawn don't have the brains to act human," Theron said. "They're really just beasts, no different from standard magical creatures." Argus nodded at the words.
"With that said," Argus said, "What are the details of the bounty? I assume we require evidence before capturing the suspects."
Mathew folded his arms. They hadn't even answered his question… He didn't want to interject, though, so he resigned himself to sitting quietly, hoping the conversation would naturally provide insight.
"That's the tough bit," Theron admitted, "This bounty is based on an anonymous tip that these two individuals are suspected of being monsters. In order to collect the bounty, someone would have to investigate the targets, find proof of their… background… and then turn them in to me."
"Perfect." Ophelia said, holding out her hand, "Hand over the contract."
"Sorry miss, like I said before, I can't give it to you."
"Why not?" Ophelia was clenching her fists.
"Because I already gave it away. A couple of local bounty hunters took it. Guys from Elysium. Probably investigating already."
Mathew connected the dots. It was probably the man from the saloon. He had a partner then?
"What about the first bounty?" Argus asked, "You said it was a joke?"
Theron chuckled and pointed his thumb over his shoulder. On the wall, there was a wanted poster, with reward money in the 8 figures. Mathew didn't know the conversion rate of money in this land, but he assumed it was an exorbitant amount.
On the poster was the sketch of a man with a sharp jawline and narrowed features. He was fairly attractive for a drawing, with long hair that fell past his shoulders, and the collar of a white shirt that seemed a few centuries too advanced for what Mathew had seen of this world so far.
"I see," Argus said, smiling. "That is rather amusing. I assume it is a requirement in this land for all outposts to hold this bounty?"
Theron nodded, then shook his head with another laugh.
"Like anyone would ever be able to catch Morgan."
"Who?" Mathew asked, and everyone in the room looked at him with varying levels of disbelief. Ophelia was the first to speak:
"Dread, I did not contract you for your intelligence, but your ignorance is truly boundless." Mathew looked at Ophelia, unable to glare with his metal face, but wishing he could.
Argus came to his rescue again: "Henry Morgan, or 'Black Sails' Morgan, is a feared pirate captain around the world. Catching him would be a tall order for most kingdoms, much less three individuals."
"And he's a ruthless bastard," Theron cut in, "He has a fleet of two hundred ships sailing under him called the 'Red Fleet'. Probably the most powerful pirate this world has ever known."
Something tickled the back of Mathew's mind. Something was familiar about the names that were being said. He had never heard of any 'Henry Morgan' or 'Red Fleet', but they seemed like words that belonged to another time… or maybe even another world.
"It is settled then." Ophelia suddenly said, holding her head high, as if trying to look down on the conversation. The group regarded her. She pointed a finger at Theron as she continued:
"Cut us in on the bounty for the two monsters. We will finish within the day."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because my retainer is one of the greatest swordsmen alive."
Theron looked from Ophelia to Argus, and then his eyebrows shot up. "You said your name was Argus? That Argus? Guardian of Valor and wielder of Trajectory's Divergence?"
Argus simply nodded in response. Ophelia placed a hand on her chest and continued:
"Let us see these creatures, and they will certainly be revealed to us. I have no doubt they can be persuaded if we ask politely."
"I… See. Fine then. You have a deal. This has to be done quickly, though, or I will rely on the bounty hunters."
"That is fine, but you are accompanying us there. Lead us to where they are."
"But I haven't even given you the details…" Ophelia gestured toward the door.
"Inform us on the way then."
Theron shrugged and then noticed the young Stringa returning from the back room.
"Stringa," He said, "Go back in there and grab me the fireflight feather. I'm heading out."
…..
Mathew, Argus, and Ophelia walked through town, weaving through people as Theron both guided the way and gave them the rundown of their mission.
"Towards the Northern part of town, there lives an old priest who takes care of a shrine to Purity. His name is Damon"
"A priest in this town worships an Elysium God?" Ophelia asked, her tone sharp.
"The kingdom of Doria doesn't have a standard religion, so the people kind of just worship whatever." Argus turned sideways to allow a mother and her two kids to pass by.
Mathew wanted to ask what an 'Elysium God' was, but having Ophelia talk down to him was a hassle, so he held back.
"Are you saying the priest is the monster?" He asked instead.
"No. The priest has two daughters, barely adults. They help him around the house and are a part of the community."
"The daughters are our targets." Ophelia asserted. Theron nodded, and they arrived at a corner of town where the houses were farther apart.
"He claims they are his daughters, but he's never had a wife. Everyone knows they don't share his blood… I always knew something was off about them. The anonymous tip was just confirmation"
The group came to a stop at a humble structure. Wild flowers grew around it: An unusual sight in the lands of Doria, with what Mathew had seen.
A small wooden building the size of a shed sat on the property as well. Most likely the shrine.
"Knock on the door," Ophelia ordered Theron. He shot her a look, but complied. The sound of his fist on wood echoed in the empty yard around them.
"So, how do you plan to get the truth out of them?" Theron asked. Ophelia held out her hand, a silvery blade phasing into reality.
"As I said before, we ask them politely."
"I'm sure you will," Theron said. No one had come to the door, so he knocked again.
After a minute or so of silence, Theron glanced over his shoulder. Ophelia narrowed her eyes.
"Step back." She said, and Theron moved away from the door.
Ophelia dropped her blade, and it vanished before hitting the ground, before quickly being replaced by her golden vambraces as she summoned them. She strode up to the door and wound up her back muscles, then pushed.
The sound of splintering wood was followed by the door falling inward.
"I guess that's one way of getting in…" Mathew muttered, then winced, but Ophelia didn't seem to hear.
"Let me go in first," Said Theron, "I might need to… apologize or something." Ophelia snorted, and Argus maintained a neutral expression.
The four entered the house with Theron in the lead.
"Damon, are you here? We were at the door, but might have knocked too hard…" He went stiff as they entered the main room. Ophelia and Argus stopped behind him, and Mathew heard Ophelia let out a soft breath.
He stood on his tiptoes to see what had shocked her, and was met by a macabre sight:
In the center of the room ahead lay two bloody corpses.