"It is his son," The elf confirmed flatly, then resumed her words in a rather mocking tone. "The man had it hard he almost looked like a decrepit old man."

"Heh... Officials said he'd been evacuated following the attempt on his father's life. Pretty good excuse if you ask me." the fox sneered. "So, are we going to investigate that as well? I'll be honest, boss, I don't have much intel beyond the tittle-tattle in a speakeasy."

The elf just shrugged. "We are rescuing him as well."

"What?! For real? How?"

"You heard that right. We are not alone on this. Don't worry"

That was all Jazdia could afford to disclose. Keito meanwhile took his time to mingle with the rest of the team, exchanging greetings and other pleasantries before reporting his assessment to her again. Mostly concerning their background. Some were solid, while others sounded grossly exaggerated.

"Why didn't you ask them yourself?" the elf chuckled, answering Kaito's concern with another question that sounded more like an announcement instead of whispering.

Keito tilted his head and took a glance at them."Nah, if you trust them, then we're good... Anyway, the assassination attempt is the talk of the town at the moment. Lots of people are saying that Meche is behind it. Or at least that the assassins that got killed came from Meche. That seems to be public knowledge. What is more interesting is that some say a noble house from Kindeance is involved as well. Nobody is saying names or pointing fingers to a specific house. Trying to figure out the source of that rumor but no luck yet on that part.”

His report about the citizenship of the assassin sounded... strange. If they were professional, there was no way they could be easily identified even in death. Brainwashed Mecheans? Could be, although professional assassins with more patriotic background and willing to be a martyr was not unheard of.

The rumor about a certain noble house taking advantage of the ensuing chaos was a rather common story. Almost like a natural occurrence in every kingdom and era. That was why nobody had a solid pointer on it, because everyone, to some extent, would be willing to see the king lose his influence so they can strengthen their own. Fredricus might have noticed this, but no details were spared for her to salvage, not even when she shuffled the documents on his table.

****

As they approached the public park, Jazdia could not shake off the feeling that someone was tailing them. She gandered at numerous high rises and activated her eyes. Nothing.

She shifted her attention to the street, eyes still glowing in violet, but not for long, as everything seemed normal. Another false positive. Years of retirement had made her quite sloppy. Or perhaps it was hunger that made her jittery. She peeled the leaf wrappings and helped herself to the rice roll this Chounan guy gave them earlier.

The streets were not as bustling as they usually were, but surely weren’t deserted either, despite the apparent feelings of bewilderment that struck the entire populace five days ago, and the streets now adorned with several checkpoints and outposts, people were moving on with their lives. Street vendors peddling their wares, a father bringing his daughter for a walk, and a couple of youngsters could be seen sitting together on a bench under the tree, enjoying the warm summer as if the world belongs to them alone.

Somehow reminded her of the old days with Faldiar, and it felt like a lifetime ago.
___

Separating the public park from the more gloomy part of itself was a high metal fence with sharpened ends. Old and sinister, probably erected in the same year when this city had its first foundation built. The cemetery ground was flanked by a large chapel building with high eaves on the right, and a fortified wall separating it from the Royal Palace complex on the left. Occupying the grassy plot of land were a dozen graves, each built grandly like twelve monuments guarding a very sacred entrance.

And indeed, at the end of the paved path that divided this memorial park was a lavish mausoleum with a marble door. Two guards could be seen guarding the entrance, and four more were stationed near the chapel. A bit too much for a graveyard, but not every graveyard was the place where a king was nearly murdered.

One of the guards, wielding a polearm approached them. “Who goes there? This place is off-limits for the civilian!”

“Don’t worry.” Jazdia greeted the guard with a smile. Then turned to introduce her companions. “We are here by the order of Madame Matilda, we are private investigators, you see. These are my assistants, Mr. Keito, Mr. Chounan, and Miss Yvonne.”

The guard scowled, then looked at every one of them. Chounan seemed to be the person he observed the most. “Oh yeah? Then where is Madame Matilda?”

“Madame Matilda is on an important mission,” Jazdia answered dryly. “Whatever it is, it should be no concern of us, freelancers. I know you understand.”

Jazdia was a terrible liar. But all she said so far was the truth it was easy to deliver them convincingly. That was also why when the same guard asked for relevant documentation to prove the legality of their activity, her expression turned sour, and she cursed under her breath at how guards these days had become bureaucratically smarter.

"I need to see the seal."

The seal. The only document in her possession that has Fredricus' seal on it was her procurement contract. It contained sensitive details that Jazdia wouldn't be willing to disclose even if ordered by Fredricus himself. She eyed the guard, he was a reasonably young man, loyal to a fault. It wasn't clear to what extent Fredricus would want the abduction of the prince to become known, and if Keito's intel was any indication, Jazdia see no reason to share any information with this low-ranking grunt.

“It is confidential. I don't think you have the authority to question our assignment. Move aside!”

her curt answer caused the guard to look at them even more suspiciously. But instead of apprehending the feisty elf in front of him, he rolled his eyes and plunged the tip of the hilt of his spear into the ground.

“Give it a rest madam. I know you and yous ain't ordinary folks, but the orders are orders. I shall not let you in until I heard it from Madame Matilda herself.”

The guard didn't look like he would budge any time now. Jazdia was clearly unfit for negotiation and letting her talk for more might invite unnecessary attention. The other guards at the chapel were starting to take notice, some were on their way here.

---

Solomon only stared at Henri as his fist flew inches from him. Solomon knew that his sudden appearance could garner a reaction, but the state his hand was in was not that of any human he knew. Was this man an artificer of some kind? The idea of personal augmentation with magical devices was not unheard of, but it was generally impractical. Actually, there was more to Henri than just his hand. This was the first time he had seen him so close. It was slight, but the sheen of his skin and the lines along his cheeks looked very inorganic. This was more than the work of an artificer, if not a being following orders, than Henri was a soul combined with the body of a golem. Solomon could not prove it, but Henri showed some of the signs. Solomon had spent some time studying the possibility as one method for immortality. Solomon ultimately decided against furthering his research into it, thinking it would make him too disconnected.

Solomon’s eyes drifted back to the others as he continued his greeting to Matilda and Cedar with a new awareness of Henri. Solomon could appreciate another looking into ways of extending their life, and thought nothing more of it. He was a personable fellow, and even acquired seeds and a barrel for Cedar. Matilda didn’t seem too enthused about it one way or the other. Her face was focused, and she seemed eager to get going. Cedar, on the other hand, looked at the group with both wide eyed marvel and caution. He lightened up once the seeds and barrel were presented. Cedar wandered away just out of sight probably to try out his new seeds. Solomon chuckled. The desires of druids was not one Solomon was well antiquated with.

“So, my factitious friend, what seeds have you gifted him?” asked Solomon. Even had Henri answered, it was clear by the bears excitement that something wonderful must of grown. The sound of slurping juice and fruits cracking open was not discreet. Part of the woodwork that made the stable and fence creaked as the vines gripped along them for stability. Solomon wandered over just in time to see Cedar bite into a green vegetable. Looking at the multitude along the ground, it appeared to be a cucumber. The adjacent wall was covered in passion fruit. For a test grow, he had enough harvest to feed a family trough the season. Cedar seemed engrossed as he plucked another cucumber. Solomon wandered back to the group, leaving Cedar to enjoy himself. His large body must demand plenty of food.

“The seeds were acceptable from what I could see.” said Solomon. Not long after making his comment, Cedar came into view again. He had the barrel on his shoulder, his head moving back and forth, air quickly coming and going through his large nostrils. He was smelling for something. “If you are looking for a well, it is at the other end of the stables.”

A huge gloved hand signals a "thumb's up" just before the huge snuffing nose disappears from sight behind that side of the stable, followed by shuffling footsteps, as Cedar, unperturbed, sauntered back into view.

"thanks feller!" he beams, before crossing to the indicated position, setting the barrel down, then hauling up the bucket.

"'Ere's produce ov'r dere if'n ya wannit.."

The bear-man looks troubled for a moment, realizing he had left the food on the other side, while he busied himself with filling the barrel.

"Think they'd care if'n I'd stealed some o' da grain from this 'ere stable?" he mused out loud, with water splashing near his feet. The notion of giving himself a wash right then an there also crossed his mind, but he reminded himself that they were kinda in a hurry.

"You may take just a few. The horses still need to eat." Henri comes into view, donning on his chest some kind of kite shield that's taking a meticulous duration to fully form. Around one-third of it is still missing, gradually being filled with red-hot iron flowing from Henri's body. There are no etchings or carvings on it that serve a design-like purpose, as he thought it might be easier to break if he did.

The amount of fruit Cedrick just produced would give the stableworkers a delightful surprise once they come back. Henri raises his hand. "I'll have to pass, I don't really eat." Full-stop. What a weird thing to say. Then again, Henri wasn't really secretive about his circumstance. No one just cared to ask him directly.

"Well. If everyone's done with their preparations, let's head to the forest."

Matilda made her way over to the stables, only making brief greetings and small talk with the people in the village. Told the commoners that she wanted her to fix their mess, she would get a guard to help them. She did not have the time to try and solve every petty squabble in the city. She had much more important matters to attend to. Not wanting to waste any more time, she jogged over toward the stables. Quickly arriving at the stables, speaking with the owner about where her steed was located. She knew where the hunting grounds were, she had been there multiple times with the prince and others in the court. Having gone many times as a child with her adopted father. As she headed inside the stables to retrieve her horse, she noticed an older man petting her steed. At first, she was hesitant, thinking that this man was going to steal her horse. But on closer inspection, it was her adopted father. “Papa? I thought you were working at the bakery today?”

The older man smiled walking over towards Matilda, “I have Janus taking over the shop, I just wanted to say goodbye and good luck.” The sentiment was greatly appreciated by the orc." “Thank you, papa. Although I should have joined the prince during the hunt, then none of this would have happened.” This expression of doubt was met by her adopted father rubbing her back.

“Mattie, you should not doubt yourself for such things. You will be able to find the prince, you have friends who are willing to help you.” Motioning with a nod towards Cedar, Henri, and Solomon. Matilda nodded her head with a smile. “Your right, I believe that Qunmir will bless our group with good luck to find the prince.” Once again her adopted father patted her on the back, “That’s the spirit. Now go and may Qunmir bless you.” Hugged her adopted father before quickly letting go.

And with that Matilda left the stables with her horse. Looking over at the group assuming the others were ready to leave. “Let’s go.” She said getting on her horse and started riding off towards the hunting grounds. There was not a lot of conversation between the four of them, Matilda was mostly silent during the trip. The group soon arrived at the royal hunting ground, the surrounding area was eerily quiet. There was a dense forest surrounding them, with thick tall grass leading into the forest. There were a few openings among the trees of the forest, leading to the eerie darkness of the forest. The wind was chilling to the bone, something that Matilda and perhaps Cedar could feel.

The site in the forest was a semi-permanent camp in a slight clearing where sunlight fell for a good part of the day, banishing much of the murky gloom. There several guards in light armor and Kindeance’s emblem awaited, generally resting and taking a break. A man jogged out as the party approached, saluting in recognition at Matilda’s figure.

”Hail, Dame Matilda! I’ve been expecting your arrival.”

The young man is Squire Anderson, Matilda’s own squire that she picked a few years ago. Matilda got off her horse with a loud thud, that shook the ground around her. “Anderson, do you have anything to report about your findings?” She had hoped that Anderson and the other guards may have found something that was missed in the initial investigation.

” Unfortunately not much, ma’am. It’s evident that the perpetrators went off in one direction at first, but they scattered at some point and much later some of the trails just faded. Intentionally erased. My trackers are making progress, but there’s only so many of them but a lot of ground to cover.”

Looking annoyed at both Anderson and the guards around him, she had hoped that would have found some useful information. “I need you to guide us to the site of the kidnapping, I assume my team members want to know more about what happened as well.” She turned her head towards the others, assuming they wanted to know as much as Matilda on what was going on.

Anderson took a glance at the motley crew, nodding without any unnecessary comment. ”Very well. How much am I allowed to disclose?” The crew on site was on a need-to-know basis, and they weren’t informed of what exactly transpired. Matching the story would be prudent to avoid unnecessary rumours from spreading.

“You are allowed to fully disclose the information, these men can be trusted.” Matilda shook her head.

”Understood.” Confirmed the squire, before turning his full attention to the investigation party. ”I shall lead you to the site. In the meantime, ask away gentlemen.”

Henri, visibly exhausted and hunched over, tapped his shoes, sizzling from the friction of skating towards this area for two straight hours to match the pace of Matilda and Solomon's horses. This man-bear with his size was expected to keep up even without a horse. Bears really are something.

He placed this newly forged iron kite shield at his back. Lacking the skill nor passion for art that he once had, it's fully undecorated, but maybe that's for the best.

He raised a hand at this opportunity to ask questions. "Are there any items left over by the Young Master? Anything that would have a scent. Cedrick," he referred to the man-bear whose name he still wrongly assumes, "how good is your sense of smell as a bear?"

[NPC Post]

"Ah, of course. Just a moment." Anderson paused, took a look at the biped bear, and nodded in understanding before disappearing into one of the tent. He returned not long after with a wooden box, revealing a leather-bound notebook inside. Henri may recognize it as one of the prince's notebook used in his study. "From what I've been informed, the prince have been using this book for months at least. We've deployed bloodhounds, but they got confused when the assailants split up. One of it found his highness' left boot ditched under a bush several miles away."

---

Once the bear had found his water, Solomon noticed Matilda speaking with someone. The stables didn’t appear to be as unmanned as it initially appeared. She seemed comfortable around him, and her eagerness to leave was calmed, if only for the moment. It was this that probably prevented any backlash from the three of them spending time dealing with water and produce. When she was done speaking with the elder, she returned to her sharp demeanor as soon they were underway. She mounted a horse, Henri chose to skate, and Cedar was forced to run, too big for any horse to carry. As for Solomon, he took one of the horses on standby, choosing one he was sure wasn’t privately owned. Time was of the essence, and he didn’t have the luxury of searching for a stable hand to commence in some kind of transaction.

After a bit of time traveling, the forest in which the prince had been taken came into view. The path towards it was clear and group had made great time in arriving. As brush increased and the shadows washed over them, a small campsite or some other set up came into view. Set up in a clearing surrounded by trees. Matilda dismounted while one of the occupants of the site ran up to meet her. Clearly they were expected. The people of this camp were probably the only other people outside of the initial group called to meet the king that knows of the kidnapping. These people must be of great standing with his highness, or perhaps just the one who had come to greet them.

One of the guards returned with a box, a possession of the prince. A note book. They also mentioned a boot that was discovered off one of the trails. It would take a good amount of planning to kidnap the prince, but even their escape and red herrings against blood hounds was well thought out. As his two companions worked with the notebook, Solomon turned to Anderson.

“The prince did not go on this trip alone. What of those men who would have been his entourage? I do not imagine the prince was taken without some resistance. Before he was absconded, do you have the story as to what transpired?”

Cedar looked at the notebook, then crouched down and bent over slightly (He dared not simply bend over with the barrel on his back; doing so would have likely made him come all the way forward on top of the poor man) while gripping his staff for support, then snuffed in several long, slow drags through his nose.

The prince was a cleanly sort; traces of a quality soap were present where the prince's clothing had come into contact with the book. Hints of oak gall ink.. old food and beverage spills on the binder... but the scent of the prince was apparent. Young. Not yet into manhood.

Holding that scent in his mind, he surveyed the scene.

There were bootprints and horse hoof marks all over the place, along with several sets of old wagon tracks. The boot prints were a motley assortment of styles, shapes, and sizes, indicating a diverse group of people had been there. Some were heavily indented, suggesting they had been moving a heavy burden. The grass was flattened in some places, indicative of a large body being there, then drug. The blood in the grass suggested "horses".

There were dog tracks as well-- Not surprising that they had used dogs.

"Can I sees the dogs a minute?" he asked the man who had been identified as "Anderson". Cedar wasn't sure if that was his first name, or his last name. Not that it mattered-- He didn't have a last name himself, or at least, his dad insisted it was not important-- that was a thing that people living in towns and cities used to not end up marrying their cousins. Cedar didn't really need one-- everyone already KNEW who's kid he was. He just wasn't entirely sure if he should just call the man "Anderson", or "Mister Anderson"-- He pushed the foible aside.

The man looked at him very confused for a moment--

"Why do you want to see the dogs?" he asked, very confused.

It never ceased to amaze Cedar how it was that people always underestimated what animals knew or understood. They always seemed to think of animals as "mindless things" that you just cajole into doing stuff for you, and not as intelligent beings that have their own perspective of things that is just different from those of people-- and how people never seem to be bothered to find this out, even when its pointed out to them. Sometimes repeatedly.

Instead, he just gruffed out a weary sigh before answering.

"I want's ta ask em some questions-- I cain't ask em any questions, if'n I caint see em, now can I?" he responded matter-of-factly. It simply astounded him how completely clueless about this people tended to be. Well-- most people. His dad didn't seem to have this issue at all-- in fact, it's how him and his mom had gotten together---....

'enough of that' he thought to himself.

"Please, jus git em o'er here, and let me talks at em. Ya dont gotta understand how dis works-- and asides, I couldn't explain it if I tried-- just bear wit' me here, aright?"

This 'Anderson' fellow gave Cedar a cross between a "do you think I'm an idiot?", and a "what's your game, bear-man?" look, before putting his fingers slowly to his lips, then letting out a piercing whistle. In moments, several large hounds bounded up, slobbering and panting excitedly by the man's boots. His eyes never left Cedars.

"Thank ya kindly sir!" Cedar drawled amusedly, before patting the man on the shoulder, then sitting down on the ground with a thud near the dogs, who looked at him worriedly and incredulously.

"I's allright fellers-- I aint gunna bite ya..." he drawled, while doing the "trick" he had learned from his dad doing it with him, when he was a tiny cub. He made eye contact with the first of the dogs, and somewhere in the back of his mind, 'contact' was made. An awareness of the animal's thoughts, feelings, and sensory experience washed through that part of his mind, visceral and profound. Wariness tinged with excitement gave way to sudden panic and fear, at the returned sensations and feelings bleeding the other way, as the dog realized "it was not alone."

It was always this way, Cedar had come to learn, when making initial contact with an animal. Not having a conception of complex speech, above maybe associating certain sounds with certain actions-- like the man's whistle, which the dog had associated with praise, pets, or food--- they had no idea how to react, or comprehend the sudden realization that other beings had minds just like theirs, or even more complicated than theirs. That was a terrifying and alien experience for them, and it needed to be addressed gently and carefully.

Almost with practiced and effortless self control, the man-bear radiated a concept of being completely safe, harmless, and 'just different', and 'more like you than he is', but 'still friendly like him.'-- referring to the man named Anderson that the dog was now trying to hide behind.

The man seemed to react to the dog's sudden change in demeanor, ready to demand to know what Cedar was doing to his dog, but he raised a paw at the man, and gently gruffed--

"S'ok-- It's just scary for em the firs' time's all..."

"What's scary? What are you doing to Brutus?" the man insisted, sounding heated.

"Tryin' ta have a conversation with 'im-- Like I said, it's scary the firs' time havin' somembody in ya head as aint yaself-- he scared shitless-- but i's aright, I aint' gunna hurt im none..."

The other dogs looked at him and 'brutus' in confusion, continuing to pant and wag their tails at Anderson expectantly. The man calmed them by patting their heads, then rubbing Brutus behind his ears.

Cedar could feel the dog calming under his master's touch. The dog genuinely trusted the man implicitly, and he got the impression that the man was truly a good man to his animals-- even if he did not really understand them like he should. The dog's mind seemed to ease up from absolute terror to curiosity, as its head filled with all kinds of curious thoughts relating to its revelation-- could cedar understand it's master? What was that like? Were people good to him? and a raft of others.

He did his best to address them, and to interpret the exchange he and Anderson were having into the form of simplistic concepts that could be conveyed-- before conveying the reason he was there, and why he had asked his master to call him. Slowly, some conception of understanding clicked into place, and the dog recounted his experiences with sniffing out the trail.

His human had shown him an item-- like he always did when he wanted something that smelled like it found-- (which Cedar recognized as the same notebook-- with the same smell the dog was remembering, which the dog was excited to share a conception of experience about with him). He had sniffed around, and found lots of tracks where the scent had been drug through.

...

One by one, Cedar "Interviewed" the dogs, each reacting scared then looking at the others as it realized why the other dogs had been startled suddenly when it had been their turn before-- as the whole process was repeated-- Introductions-- attestations of non-hostility and friendliness-- attempts to convey conceptions of intent and meaning, and the profoundness of growing understanding and enlightenment glimmering behind otherwise innocent eyes, followed by recollections of the past day's events.

There had been 3 paths that the attackers had taken, each with about 2 attackers each-- Cedar did his best to catalogue the wandering and disjointed recollection of the dogs with his own initial quick look of the scene. There had been horses in both groups, and the dogs had found several dead ones-- others had run off into the woods, and had not come back. The humans weren't interested in the strange men, or the horses-- only the smell on the notebook-- They had found a boot-- and had gotten a yummy slab of beef for it. They were very proud of themselves, and happy to have helped their human. He was very nice.

He broke contact with the last one, then stood up, as the dogs looked expectantly at Anderson.

"They says there was about 6 or so of em. An' horses. Said some o' em had run off, and not come back- other's 's dun been killed when they found em-- I sees ya's had people here cleanin up--- gunna make this harder. Thankya for yer time Mr Anderson. Ya got good boys there. They really like ya."

"Some of them had run off? Who do you mean?" asked the man, still incredulous of Cedar's supposed "interview".

"The horses silly!" gruffed Cedar incredulously, before shuffling over to the scene, and going his own sniffing. His nose was better than the dog's were, by a fair amount, but at least he had some idea now of what was new, and what was not, and what he should be smelling for.

The prince and 3 others were apparently initially on horseback, but were attacked...

He snuffed at the ground near the obvious horse prints coming from the direction of the city, tracing them to the first signs of boot prints beside them... An older man. A younger man... An older still and grizzled man (judging from the scent), who walked more lightly, even when hitting the ground... and the young prince, who had jumped down suddenly....

He kept sniffing and looking through the tracks.

The younger man had been the first to come off his horse, and it had not been gently. There was blood on the ground, near a body shaped imprint.

"Regulus was found there." Anderson quipped. Cedar nodded, then continued his sniffing and investigation of the site.

"Man got shot offn' 'is horse. Hit bad-- Neck I think. Lotsa blood. Poor fella."

Just a half pace ahead, the older gentlemen had reeled his horse around sharply. Cedar made note of the direction the horse had been turned. "Regulus"'s horse had bolted, and ran into the underbrush, but cedar was not certain if it had continued running or not.

The prince's horse, (as he surmised later), had reared a little, and dislodged the unwary and inexperienced prince. Cedar could smell him in the butt-shaped imprint in the grass of the clearing. There was no blood.

"Prince fell offn' 'is horse here..." cedar muttered, while continuing his investigations. "Landed square on 'is butt."

The horse's tracks suggested it had only sidestepped a bit, and in the general direction of the assailants. Blood and a horse shaped body print that somewhat overlapped the 'crawl marks' the prince had left, suggested the horse had been hit with arrows, and then fell over onto the prince, where he had been pinned. The prince must have had some scrapes, as the dirt smelled a bit too strongly of the prince than would otherwise be expected from that-- but no indication of serious injury. Probably scraped and bruised though.

"Horse got hit-- Prince was a crawlin' thisa way... Horse fell right on topa 'im...."

"And Gregor and Abbott?" asked Anderson, almost bemusedly-- clearly a question he already knew the answer to.

Cedar resumed his investigation, head down-- investigating the tracks of the older man's horse. It had about-turned hard after trying to rear, then taken several steps back.

"Ol' man rounded--- ... ... I think he may've made some shots? Horse steppin' funny..." He looked up and in the direction the man's horse had been facing. There were arrows lodged in a tree trunk a fair ways distant-- He looked back the other way, and saw several more, with different colored fletchings, lodged in the trees behind. "Yuupp... Pop shots at each 'oer.. Huh... Aint ne'er seen fletchin's that color afore..."

His dad had always used white goose quills to make fletchings, with dark tail or wing feathers for the cock feather. These were a strange shade of tawny brown, with a white cock feature. It probably meant nothing, but it did suggest somebody had sourced arrows from an unusual source of feathers. It probably meant nothing-- but it did serve to help identify who had been shooting and where at least.

"Get on with it bear---" grumbled Anderson.

"Aint no need ta be rude---" grumbled Cedar back at the man.

The old man's horse veered to the right sharply, then tore up the ground in an explosive start.

"Ol' man took off atta way--- Prolly tryin ta get a be'er angle..."

"Our trackers suggest the same event-- We found him about 20 paces further afield, full of those brown arrows."

He sat up on his heels, and leaned on his staff, snuffing at the air-- Yeah-- there was a pool of the old man's blood in that general direction.

".Yeah-- I's smells it.." While he was up like that, he snuffed for the last one-- this "abbot" or whoever. He caught the scent further into the tree line. The grizzled old one. He had dismounted quickly, then apparently slapped the horse on the ass to get it clear, judging from how its prints tore off into the underbush. He had taken refuge behind a tree for cover. Arrows studded it and the ground like quills. There was a bloody stain against the tree in the shape of a hand print. There was a trail leading into the brush deeper in. "Oldest feller went off in there-- Hit good."

"We found him, alive, but out cold and bleeding, a good ways in. Had crawled into the crotch of an old tree where the rain had washed it out some. We think the abductors left him for dead. He was hit in the thigh, but it had missed his vital."

"Good ta hear... Wiley ol' fart..." mused Cedar, moving from where the prince's party had been, to where the abductors had entered the fray. "I'll tell him you said that... When he recovers. He bled out a lot before we got to him."

The bandits had come straight in, stopped just short of the clearing, and had dismounted mostly together, then taken up positions around the clearing to set up a kill box. It was very much arranged-- groups of 2, with a 3 way pincer.

they had come in from the north east, circled around to the west, spreading out as they did so. They had NOT seen fit to tie their mounts though. Several horse tracks took off like bats out of hell in random directions. Boot prints had tried to follow, but given up pursuit, before converging on the prince's position.

There was human blood from at least 2 people that weren't in the prince's entourage-- One was just minor--Probably scratched up from tree limbs while trying to gain position after being shot at, the other maybe hit in a shoulder.

The trails diverged, some trying to seek after the spooked horses a ways, then giving up, but it was hard to be sure. It was a messed up scene with additional boot prints, and strangers that had been there to reclaim bodies, and drag them to where the carts had obviously been parked later.

"I needs ta ask the locals---" Cedar gruffed-- then just stood up and marched straight to the picket line where the guard's horses were tied, flipped open a saddle bag after snuffing at the air a moment, untieing the strap on one, rifling around inside with a displeased looking horse threatening to kick him for entering its personal space (and daring to smell like a bear) before extracting a handful of mixed grain intended for the guard's mounts.

The guards just looked at him with raised eyebrows, but didn't stop him, as he strode to the center of the clearing, before stopping, leaning on his staff, and then looking about in the trees.

After a moment's scrutiny, Cedar found what he was looking for. Usually, birds like to make their homes in 'forest edges' like this, because there was ready access to the insects and understory plants that grew there-- both important sources of food. High in the crook of a forked tree limb, he spotted the nest of a greater tit. A tiny little bird that would be dwarfed by just about anyone's hand, and would be tiny in comparison to one of his own, with yellow, black and white feathers, giving a splash of yellow over the breast, white along the chest and shoulder, and a black 'cap'. They liked to eat bugs and seeds, and would surely like what he had to offer, clutched in his hand. The female was sitting on her eggs, and was doing everything possible to evade being noticed by the highly disturbing assemblage of scary dogs and terrifying humans milling about. She almost bolted out of her nest in panic when the tall Man-Bear suddenly manifested his thoughts in her already fearful mind, but instinct had her just flatten down in her nest, and not move-- terrified in panic.

Cedar could feel her heart pounding in her breast, and the all consuming terror of having be discovered. Visions of being eaten, her eggs sucked empty, and other terrible things flashed through his mind, and it was all he could do to counter each one in turn-- leaving just him, and the frightened little bird alone, on a sunny summer afternoon amid the familiar forest gloom.

Minutes later, the bear waddled into the center of the clearing, scattered the seeds, then sat down cross legged--- before a menagerie of seed crops grew from the soil and welcomed the sun-- A motley assortment of grain ears sprouting, then turning color in the sun as they ripened, then bent over.

He stood up, and nodded silently at the tree, then returned to the group.

"The local o'r there says that the dumb-ass bandit's horses went thatta way--- Thatta way-- Thattaway-- and Thattay." Said Cedar, as he pointed in the directions he had gleaned from the 'witness'. "She REAL eager for us to git the hell outta her yard though. Lef' 'er a real nice gift though. She seems thankful-- but won' come down tills we all leaves. Says the dipshits went off on foot thatta way."

"I dont see any 'locals'... " gruffed Anderson.

"The bird silly! THE BIRD! She sawed everthung!" wheezed Cedar, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.

".... and she saw the prince?" asked Anderson incredulously. "Is he alright?"

"Hell if she know--- SHE A BIRD!" retorted Cedar, as if the man had asked the stupidest question ever. "She ain't not human doctor!"

Cedar shook his head, and tried to brush aside the absurdity of the man's question while making a deep sigh.

"'At said, she seen'd em grab up the kid, and gunny sack im-- Left a boot in the mud there un'er is horse as they'd shot. Bonked 'im on the head, and trundled off atta way-- mores or less. They splitted up a bit as ta conceal their movements, but they's bled on stuffs. I kin smell em."

[NPC Post]

"Thank you for the confirmation, Ser Cedrick. The trackers surmised as much." Anderson nodded, completely oblivious that the bear's name he heard was completely mistaken from the beginning. He now more-or-less had better trust on the investigators if one of them can do the work of several trackers and bloodhounds by himself, and even asking the local wildlife for assistance no matter how unreliable the critters were. He turns to Solomon's cloaked figure, slightly hoping that the man can further shed light on the way-too-well-planned debacle. "It is as surmised, the prince and his escort was ambushed. Of the three escorts, two were slain here and the last one is still unconscious by last report. The assailants are well prepared."

He paused, before adding.

"Way too well prepared, in fact. The prince's schedule is not something widely known even among the castle staff."

Kaito chuckled as he watched Jazdia’s futile attempt to get past the guard. She tried to boss him around in her usual stern manner but the man was having none of it. It was clear that he took his position as royal guard very seriously and that he would not bulge in the face of the fiery elf. Jazdia certainly had her skill set but for this kind of task she was less suited. Getting past the guard would require someone with charm, social intellect and being good at telling lies.

Quickly the fox nudged the elf aside and gave her the most disappointing look he could muster. “No! That is not how you talk to an honored knight, tasked with protecting our glorious king, miss Jazdia!” Spoke Kaito in a belittling tone as he pretended to be angry at her.

Quickly Kaito turned towards the guard and made a deep bow while infusing his words with his charm magic that would make him more susceptible to his suggestions. “No need to get agitated. My deepest apologies sir for the behavior of my partner. She spoke out of turn.” Kaito moved closer to the man and whispered “A new gal, got the job just yesterday. She’s tagging along so that she can learn the ropes. She’s got a pretty face and all but no skill. You know how that goes when old men are in charge, right?”

Kaito extended his hand and spoke swiftly. “Geito Brown, chronicler of the Helvetian Daily Horn. We would like to hear the great tale of how our glorious king Fredericus and his royal guards gallantly fended off the ambush, publish it for all of Rascade to read and document this tale for the annals of history. I am sure that just this tale will cement the legacy of King Fredericus and his brave knights for all of eternity.”

‘Geito Brown’ paused a bit as he looked at the guard before placing his hand on his shoulder, lowering his tone and letting his bewitching words sink deeper into the guard’s consciousness. “Perhaps you were there my friend and could give us a first hand account of the events? I can already see the headline ‘King Fredericus and you fend off the Mechian attack and save Kindeance from peril. That does have a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

The fox paused and smiled. “Perhaps we can help each other out here like friends do. I can put out a good word for you and the boys. Make them part of the publication and get the story of their great deeds out. You and your pals certainly deserve some of the spotlight, don't you think? All you have to do is let us in so that we can get the details right. That way we all win. Sounds like a plan, don't you think?”

An unusual fletching, huh... Henri pulled one of the brown-feathered arrows and placed it in his left arm after breaking it in half due to its length. He exhaled, as he metal-sensed the rest of the arrows. "These are just regular arrowheads..." Nothing traceable about them except these feathers.

Throughout this walk, he couldn't find anything else even with his metal-sense and thirty-foot perception. Anderson and the men under him must've already swept this place several times over. One could wonder what Matilda was thinking of when he recommended Henri to help in the matter of procuring evidence; he was pretty sure he submitted his application as a combatant and some sort of backup blacksmith for their equipment...

The fox paused and smiled. “Perhaps we can help each other out here like friends do. I can put out a good word for you and the boys. Make them part of the publication and get the story of their great deeds out. You and your pals certainly deserve some of the spotlight, don't you think? All you have to do is let us in so that we can get the details right. That way we all win. Sounds like a plan, don't you think?”

The guard shook his head, feeling a surge of recollection as the man Geito introduced himself and stated his business. Suddenly he felt he had seen this man before, but couldn't point where and when exactly. Before he realized it, his expression softened, and every word this Gaito uttered sounded reasonable, trustworthy, and... lucrative.

Surely there was no harm in letting a few newsmakers have a look around, wasn't it?

"Mr Geito, I really want to help but. Orders are orders, you see. Constable Delving will not tolerate any breach of rules."

He glanced at the approaching guard. Then back at the group, particularly at the elf, who was now sidelined and steaming hot. It was an entertaining sight to behold.

He bite his lips and continued. "Let's help each other yeah? How about you show me any form of identification? So I can put your name on the record. Then I can let you and your friends in."

He waved at his friends and shouted. "It's all right, they are just tourist!"

---

Solomon raised an eyebrow, not that anyone could accurately see it. Anderson mentioned that the Princes schedule was only know by a select few of castle staff. That potentially narrowed the list of informants the assassins could be using, bring them close to finding the culprit. Not only that, but if they had the prince’s schedule, that would also explain the King’s and how coordinated the attack was. Solomon pondered the information more. At least six assailants fleeing in four directions, leaving false tags to throw off search dogs.

“The coordination between both attacks is too wall calculated. I suspect that someone who works directly with the prince, or someone who works in close association is your traitor. While you may have come to that conclusion, the information must have been accurate until the event itself. This person of interest may still be at the castle, and if not those who left would be worth questioning.” said Solomon. While at the moment, he could not contribute much, he contemplated whether it was time to call upon those who were more skilled in this area. At the least he could do another sweep of the area from a more birds eye view which might reveal something. It was unfortunate that the dead had been taken away, otherwise Solomon could have asked them what happened directly.

“Cedar. It might not be conventional, yet I witnessed you speak with the dogs and birds. I have a question for you. If you would speak with one of the horses who was intimately involved with the conflict, would that enlighten us to any new information?”

Kaito smiled at the guard as everything was going according to plan. Just like most other humans, the man in front of him was an easy prey for the kitsune’s magic. It was a mild nuisance that he was still demanding some form of identification but that was something kaito could easily fix with his illusion magic.

“Wonderful. It is always great when friends are helping each other out.” Spoke the fox while grabbing a piece of illusionary parchment from one of the pockets of his coat. With a swift move of his hand he rolled the piece down, showing his ‘Geito Brown’ name, some text about being licensed by the royal court to gather and record news and some official looking seal. Of Course when someone would study the seal he would find that there were a lot of details off. That is why Kaito only showed the illusion for a split second. Just enough time to get the general details but not long enough to study them up close. “I’m sure this will do.”

The guard took a quick look and nodded “I’m looking forward to the story mister Brown”

Kaito turned towards his companions and noticed the fury in Jazdia’s eyes. The fox might have pushed it a bit to far with the notion that she got the job due to her pretty face. However now was not the time to comtemplate about that. The truth was that they didn’t have all day. Eventually the charm effect on the guard will wear off and he might realize that ‘Geito Brown’ had done some funky business. It was better to wrap things up in the cemetery before that would happen. “Chop chop people. The news doesn’t write themself and there are deadlines to be made you know.” commanded Kaito as he spurred the party on.

Quickly Kaito walked past the guard with the rest in tow. When he was sure that there was enough distance between the group and the guards he turned towards the elf. “We're in, so what’s the plan Jaz?”

There should be some kind of magical bullshit at work here, because the guardsman's vigilance was slipping like a pebble rolling downhill. And the fact that she couldn't remember any sort of credentials given to the fox, yet there he went flashing one like it's the most natural thing in the world. Yvonne kept with the party, the corner of her lips twitching as she had to hold back a cackle. Why, Sparky was practically smoldering there. She's looking forward to the time they're leaving the premise later. "Geito" squirming and weaseling out of the hole he dug himself should be an entertaining sight.

"Good luck, mate." She patted the aforementioned fox's shoulder, flashing a brief grin. Then back to the job. "How long do we have?"

“We're in, so what’s the plan Jaz?”

Plan? Oh, she had a lot of plans alright! Strangling this Fox demon and carving the word Civet on his forehead using a flaming arrow was totally not one of them, honest!

Maintaining enough dignity to not hiss, she answered. "Why, of course, mister Geito,"

Despite the apparent sarcasm, that pseudonym irked her more than it should Jazdia had to fight the impulse to incinerate the document along with the fox youkai in front of her. "Why don't we start with keeping up with the deception?" beseeched Jazdia in a calm tone, yet her mannerism suggested she was about to feed Kaito the documents she was now giving. "Go get your story from those soldiers and compare their testimony with the report."

Then, without any threat or violent misconduct, she left, walking down the path leading to the mausoleum. As much as she hated it when the guard leered at her no thanks to Kaito's unnecessary remark, she had to keep it cool. It was all just a part of the job, nothing personal. There would be plenty of chances to get even with that crafty fox. Just wait...

"How long do we have?" asked the Rosenving daughter as she catched up with Jazdia.

The elf stopped at the tile that had a faint yellowish stain, taking her time to kneel before answering the question. "Until that guard realizes we are pulling the wool over his eyes. Probably will take a while."

She stroked the powdery compound, it smelled like sulfur, and there were some metal fragments residing in the withering grass. The casing of a smoke grenade? Quite a high-quality one it seemed. Bandits usually encase them with buffalo skin, and they didn't produce smoke in the intensity enough to make trained royal guards break their formation.

According to the report, after an assailant had his head split open by Matilda and the other killed by Fredricus himself, their priority was to quickly evacuate the king out of the smoke screen. The third assassin tried to shoot the escaping monarch with a poisonous arrow, but Matilda deflected it with her shield. It seemed the orc woman wasn't so slouchy she lunged at the ranged assassin at neck-breaking speed and literally broke his neck, face and all against the nearest vertical surface she could find. A nasty blood stain on the chapel wall confirmed this account.

Jazdia briefly activated her eyes. "Miss Rosenving, would you mind to look at the hedge near the tree?"

Chōnan decided to be an eye for the approaching guards and other people that may suspected them when they get caught. He activate the ki-sensing that widen the range of his awareness and will detect anyone on his range. Not being awakened with ki, people and other living that have life energy won't feel his detection. He will warn the party when someone is suspected to be coming in their place.

In meantime. He looked on the things that Jazdia's inspecting with. He believes that it is smoke bomb as he also been using the kind of it when he was on past adventures. The casing seems unfamiliarfrom the way he use, local product nor even Kindereance's armory. It's either a customized from different kingdom or supplied by it disposal.

Kaito could see the fury in Jazdia’s eyes. The kitsune had managed to get under her skin once again. Usually that would result in a lot of scolding or some other furious reaction of the elf but not this time. Apart from a bit of sarcasm as she directed him to interview the guards, she kept her cool remarkably well. Much to the disappointment of the fox. However he was sure that Jazdia would exact retribution on a more appropriate time. She was a professional after all and would not attract unwanted attention with shenanigans.

Kaito stared at the elf as she turned around and walked away, contemplating the fact of how much their personalities differ. Jazdia always seemed super serious and hyper focussed on the task at hand while the kitsune took life less seriously and breezed through it with witty remarks, often childish and sometimes crude humor and an attitude that does not seem to care about the consequences of his actions. And yet Kaito found himself staring at the back of the elf as she pretty much ditched him the moment they entered the cemetery.

The fox watched how Yvonne followed Yazdia and Chounan retreated himself to keep watch. Apparently his companions would leave all the talking up to him. Luckily for Kaito that task was right up his alley.

Quickly he approached the guard that was moving towards him and introduced himself with a small bow. “Greetings sir, I am Geito Brown. Chronicler of the Helvetian Daily Horn. We’re here to document the heroic defense of our king for the annals of history and of course the population of Rascade. Could you tell me the details of the cowardly attack on our king? Like how many assailants there where and where they sprung their ambush from?”

One of the guards snorted. "Nay, twasn't me. They put me on the south gate that day."

He beckoned to the younger guards next to him, who, in Keito's judgment had a rather unassuming look; he was no taller than him, with a physique so average he looked like an armored scarecrow. He wore a non-standard oversized helmet with a loose visor, causing it to fall and covered his face as he walked.

"Aye, right away sir."

And without further ado, he testified. "I was in charge of keepin' the crowd off the fence sir, it wasn't that much that day, so we had it easy, twas always easy. His majesty was on his way to give a speech and we had a few wee crowds inside the fences as well, part of the holy congregation, but surely there were ordinary folks as well. The ceremony always opens for the public."

He tapped his helmet and corrected his visor. "So we ain't suspected a thing that day, until we saw three men jumped from the crowd, brandishing sword and dagger. Death to the marauder king! they cried. I's a good soldier so I rushed into the fray, swords in me hand."

"So what about the crowds?" Asked Keito. "Weren't you supposed to keep them out?"

"Yes. But folks scattered about as soon as the swords started clanging' and bolts and whatnot flyin'. I was the closest with the Majesty and besides, I've got friends in the back. The only thing on me mind was bringing His Majesty to safety.

"And killing His Majesty's pursuer?"

"If I could, but alas when I got there, the three Mecheans were dead, one killed by His Majesty's sword, and Madame Matilda was busy pummelling the archer. There was an explosion, and yellow smoke afterward. We were confused, but Madame Matilda got His Majesty escorted back to the Palace immediately. Then when I swung me sword against empty air I heard someone shouting: By the Blessing of the Ouroboros! We have reclaimed what is ours! and after that, there was a blinding flash and those basterds were gone in thin air."

"I see. How many of them that was escaped?"

The guard paused. He straightened his posture and then spoke with a defensive pride.

"Damn if I know, sir, If they ran through the fence we could'a seen 'em. Or if they climb the monastery, our watchers would ave shoot em. The smoke was thick and putrid a dragon could’ve taken a stroll there and I might not’a see it. They say it was two. And there were like, four dead bodies not including our lads which I recalled was three, taking arrows to protect His Majesty. Bless their souls dyin' in a great service like that. Please write that in your pamphlet or whatever."

"I quickly joined the other guards, thinking we might av missed them passing through the fence, so we scoured Rascade to every blade of grass, and twas to no avail. Some of my superiors were disciplined afte that futile search and a few more were demoted. Now here we are, guarding this place as a reminder and punishment."

The guard sighed, waiting for Mister Geito to finish his scribbles before giving a closing statement.

"That's all I know, sir. You can ask others the same questions and get the same answers. Not a great story if ye ask me."