Chương 67: Persons Investigations Update

"Alright, I should make a few things clear." Evel addressed the four workers ahead of him.

"First, your debts have officially been transferred to me. I have no intention of ever forcing you to pay them back, but you're free to do so for your own peace of mind." It was a big gamble for him to pay off their debts right away rather than make sure they were fit to work, but the bigger gamble was to wait around and do nothing. How many weeks or months would be lost due to his employees not being able to give it their all? More importantly, Agent was willing to pay, so in a sense, it was free.

"Someone's finally talking!" The bald-headed Toan cheered. Evel nodded. He was being followed, and didn't want to leave the wrong impression. When Avid told him that Redigo had already created a file on him, he realized he had underestimated just how vigilant the group was. Less than a few days after he arrived, they'd already identified him as a person of interest and collected some information on him.

Undoubtedly, it was a major mistake on his part in not recognizing the danger, and he wouldn't make such a mistake twice. Along his path, he had laid out a series of mirror shards, and to keep them as unassuming as possible, he laid them all face down. It was for that reason he needed Eth active. With the freedom to adjust the mirrors as needed from a distance, it didn't take long to catch his two pursuers. That's when he decided to pivot to the Mayor.

The more connected and possibly dangerous he looked, the safer he would be—at least against drastic actions. At least, when he was on the run, he never even approached anyone who could possibly be important. When he arrived, he approached the Mayor to talk about two things. First, he rejected the job offer.

Then, he informed the white-haired powerhouse about his plans for the circus, extending him an invitation for the first showing in Upper Ichoris — the next part of the circus's journey if he wanted better information. The Mayor seemed uninterested, but agreed nonetheless. The only thing of note he took interest in was if Evel planned on continuing the showings in the slums, to which Evel immediately confirmed. Not to mention that form on Prachar's finances…

I wasn't able to get a good look, but it was definitely something major based on their reactions. How much that risk would pay off, he would have to wait until he could inform the Agent about it. Snapping back to reality, he continued, "Second, I'll ask you guys to keep your voices quiet for now." The four shared looks and then looked back at him.

"Just in case there are others snooping around, I don't want anything to be revealed. The bigger the surprise this event is, the more successful it'll be." He lied. It was probably just paranoia, but there was a good chance his pursuers were still around. Unless they had a relevant ability, at least he could make their jobs a little harder.

"So this is our new workplace?" The brunette girl, who looked to be in her thirties, Yuna, asked.

"Yes. He began the tour.

"Over there we have the changing rooms. Basic costumes are here. We'll need more, but we'd need to find someone skilled at that sort of thing first. Until then, we'll make do with what we have." He pointed at the walls and roof.

"It's all pretty flimsy, but it should be able to handle most weather, unless things get really bad." They walked to the end of the circus, his four employees following closely like ducklings.

"This is where we'll do performances."

"What will it be called?" Clara asked excitedly.

"It?"

"This place, like the business's name." Evel froze.

"The…" His four employees looked at him expectantly.

"…Circus?" Internally, he facepalmed.

"Yes, of course. What's the circus called, though?" Clara pushed. Evel cleared his throat.

"That… will be the first task I give you four. I want you each to think of possible names in the coming days." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Clara, Toan, and Mateo all nodded, filled with energy. Only Yuna stared at him through narrowed eyes. He avoided eye contact and pointed to the flat table.

"Next, I'll give you guys a taste of what a circus is all about. Clara, could you lie flat on the table?" She blinked a few times, stunned, then slowly complied. She placed her back on the table and lay flat across. Evel whispered to her some basic instructions. She let out a soft gasp before enthusiastically nodding.

"Toan, could you pass me that saw over there?"

"As long as you don't saw her in half." He awkwardly chucked the blade as he passed it to him.

"That's exactly what I'll do." Evel smiled, placing a box over Clara which covered her up but maintained a small slit to fix the blade. Toan froze. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His head slowly turned to Mateo, his eyes darting between his friend and the magician with the saw. He stepped back, his face pale as the ash that swallowed the slums.

"W-was-th-this a tr-trap?" His words slurred into each other, and his face paled. Mateo tried to comfort him, "No, no, j–""Our friendship? All a lie?" Toan interrupted, his eyes watery. Beside him, Yuna sighed.

"If he was gonna mutilate us, why would he pay off our debts first?" Toan looked at her, then at Mateo and Evel.

"It's just a magic trick," Mateo comforted.

"He showed me some crazy, unbelievable stuff with his cards earlier, just trust him." Toan's breathing slowed, and he weakly nodded. Still, he took another step toward the entrance, or in his case, a possible exit. Evel met Clara's eyes, confirming she had completed his instructions. This trick required the assistant to wiggle their entire body up into the upper half of the box, as fake shoes stuck out.

Unfortunately, they didn't quite have the proper set, so he simply covered up the spot where her feet were supposed to stick out completely. With his little provocation, Clara had been given more than enough time to fulfill her purpose despite her lack of experience. Evel raised the saw high above his head, opening his eyes wide and with a toothy, confident grin. Toan took another step back. Then, he fully swung down, slotting the saw directly in the slit between the two boxes.

Clara let out a piercing, blood-curdling scream that rang out from the tent. Evel flinched. He hadn't even told her to do that, but the scream felt so genuine it caught him off guard. Toan immediately began running away, wasting no time for words, and Mateo quickly grabbed on to him.

"Just give him a second." Then, he split the table, showing that she really was cut in two as gore and guts – red paint and props–spilled out.

"For my next trick, I'll stitch her back together." Persons Investigations Update Name: Eth Location: Marketplace, Lower-Ichoris Author of update: Graham Date: Friday, 19/6/164 This report is a follow-up to the previous report made on the person "Eth." Two days ago, my partner, Blake and I had collaboratively investigated a new person of interest, Eth.

After many rounds of interviews with the people of the slums and the workers of Ichoris, we were able to put together a comprehensive overview of all the information that was available at the time. This report is a follow-up in reference to new information that has appeared. Below is a timeline of events detailing the new individual and all that we had learned on this day. 1: 35 The person of interest arrived at Redigo headquarters, looking to purchase some of the workers from the mine.

He made a total of four purchases for Mateo, Yuna, Toan, and Clara for a total of 1235 Riak. We have confirmed this as a legitimate purchase, and Yara has gone through and completed the order. The individual arrived with an active aura, claiming that they were training, and left shortly after. We followed him for a while, and he kept his ability active while far from the building, so we believe this claim to be true. 2: 05 The individual made their way to the northernmost point and had a meeting with the Mayor.

The specifics of the discussions could not be pertained; however, the discussion lasted for over 10 minutes. Undoubtedly, this individual has at least some sort of connection to Mayor Magnus. 2: 45 The individual arrived at the mines to pick up the four workers previously mentioned. We remained at a safe distance and were unable to hear the specifics of their discussions. The group looked fairly exhausted, but it's reasonable to write this off as the effect of Slack Stone.

3: 05 The individual, along with the four workers, arrived at some large tent-like space near the marketplace. With its bright, yellow and red colours, it stands out from the area significantly. To this hour, neither of us are sure exactly what it represents or is used for. 3: 10 One of the females released a loud, pained scream from indoors. From the gap at the entrance, a young bald man was seen trying to escape, but another worker held him down and pulled him back deeper.

3: 25 An older woman was seen taking aim at the individual of interest with a bow and arrow. The individual caught the shot in his mouth and shattered the arrow into many pieces. More sounds of violence could be heard, but the specifics were difficult to make out. 4: 00 - 7: 00 Much the same. Frequent movement, screaming. It remained difficult to understand the full context. 7: 10 All five individuals exited the building.

The young woman was seen with large quantities of blood and gore on her clothes, but her expression remained that of a satisfied individual. The five entered a nearby shop, presumably ate, then all went their separate ways. Blake and myself attempted to follow the individual a lot closer; however, we were interrupted by the late guards, who told us we were not allowed to pass for a few minutes.

We believe that Eth had come to realize we were watching him within the three hours of activity and sent the message as a warning not to look deeper. We ended our pursuit there. Conclusion: We believe Eth is a well-connected individual who should not be provoked unless absolutely necessary. Inside this tent, it appears he partakes in some unsavoury practices of gore and combat, and we also believe the four workers have been disillusioned into enjoying the torture.

Alternatively, they may have been practicing for some sort of play or show, yet the scream sounded genuine, and that wouldn't explain the other feats, such as the arrow biting and the bloodied saw. However, as there is no victim nor complaint, there is no justification for further investigation. Additionally, this is not a man who we can provoke lightly, so my recommendation is to close the investigation until further activity.