The Man In The Brown Coat

"May I know if you have the authorization to view such information?" The scribe asked us. Valeria thought for a second, and then pulled out a ring from her pocket.

The ring was one belonging to the Heraklean royal guard. This ring has one of the highest levels of recognition in the kingdom, as it is only given to those who are deemed powerful by the ruler themselves and appointed as their personal guard.

The scribe took one look at the ring, nodded, and gestured toward a series of chairs nearby. "Please, have a seat. I'll need some information from you to retrieve the records. Do you two need any refreshments in the meantime?"

Valeria and I took a seat, and the scribe handed us a parchment and quill. He proceeded to ask us a series of questions—names, birthplaces, approximate ages—as he jotted down our responses. Once satisfied, he took the parchment and chanted a soft incantation, causing the ink to glow momentarily before fading.

"Thank you," he said with a polite smile. "The records you're seeking should be ready in just a moment."

As we waited, Valeria and I exchanged excited whispers. "Can you believe we're actually here, Ed? This place is like a treasure trove of knowledge."

I nodded in agreement, my eyes wandering over the shelves filled with centuries of history. "Yeah, right?"

She then tapped my shoulder playfully "What do you think of this place? This looks like your dream come true?"

I didn't say anything. She looked at me for a couple seconds, awaiting a reply, but seeing the lack of one, she got frustrated.

"You're not gonna answer me?" She asked in a coy manner, looking at me with her arms crossed and pouting.

"No." I said, with a smug look on my face.

"Aww, you're no fun." Valeria said, sounding slightly dejected.

"Remember, we can have the fun after, not now." I told her as the scribe returned with a heavy book, its leather cover embossed with intricate patterns. He gently placed it on the desk and opened it, revealing pages upon pages of neatly written entries. The inscribed text on the book cover read "Ge," which implied that it held the records for all the names that started with Ge."

"Here you go," he said. "You'll find the information you're looking for within this volume. Please feel free to take your time, and if you need anything else, I'll be right around the corner."

Valeria and I exchanged a look of anticipation before leaning over the book. The entries were meticulously organized, each page containing records of individuals' comings and goings from the kingdom. The names were listed alphabetically, accompanied by their race, class, and a brief description of their visit.

We carefully flipped through the pages, searching for the name "Gelidra." It didn't take long before Valeria's sharp eyes spotted it.

"Is this the one?" she exclaimed, pointing at the entry. Gelidra, the Elven sorceress, entered the kingdom two weeks ago via the Southern Gate."

"Most probably." 

I scanned the description, noting the details of her visit. "It looks like she mentioned being a scholar researching ancient magical artifacts."

Valeria grinned. "She certainly knows how to keep up appearances. What would you disguise as if you wanted to kidnap an important person Ed?"

I looked at the final entry, and what I saw I did not like.

The last record of them at the port of Maris along the Eldoria River was this morning. "So they left on a ferry somewhere?" I asked Valeria, pointing to the last entry in Gelidra's log.

"It seems like we would have to go down to Maris ourselves to find out where they went, so our next order of business is there." She responded with a very serious look on her face.

I still had one lingering question in my mind, and I intended to find out the root cause. I stood up, went to the desk of the scribe again, and requested another volume.

"Dear sir, would it trouble you to bring me the volume of people whose names start with "is"?

Sure, sir, please give me a moment while I grab the information you have requested." I anxiously waited as the Scribe disappeared again, back into the room titled "Records". After waiting for what felt like an eternity, he finally came back out with another similarly heavy book.

He handed the book over to me, and I headed back to where Valeria was sitting to peruse the book. She looked up at me coming back and then tilted her head in curiosity. "What is that for?"

"There's something I have to check along with the verification of Gelidra too." I told her as I placed the book on the table.

Valeria saw the "is" inscribed on the top and instantly understood what I meant. "You want to check if Gelidra and her comrades made it out with our queen?"

"Yes." I replied, my hands frantically turning the pages of the book as I started to search for Isabelle's name.

I sat and read page after page after page, but to no avail. Isabelle's name wasn't in the book.

In frustration, I slammed the book on the table. "Dammit, why is it not there?"

In my mind, if her name wasn't on the list there, it meant only one thing. She had been killed. But if they wanted to kill her, why would they kidnap her alive? Won't killing her that night be an easier and simpler endeavor to accomplish?

"I mean, she's the queen, it doesn't make sense to make the queen's movement public you know, a ruler whose movements are public is someone basically asking to get assassinated." Valeria said, trying to comfort me.

I couldn't help but nod along in agreement. What she said suit the situation perfectly, and the reasoning was also sound.

Did they want something from her specifically before killing her, and they have already acquired it and determined that she is no longer of use to the group?

I then suddenly noticed an enigmatic figure standing at the end of the corridor on the right, in a trench coat and concealed in the shadows. That man just caught my eye for some reason.

As I turned and made eye contact with the mysterious figure, Valeria suddenly rushed forward. "To your left!" I immediately dodged left as I saw a barrage of slashes hit and destroy the floor underneath my feet. Valeria had stopped the attack on her, her sword already drawn.

I didn't hear or see the attack coming. Just what kind of monster is that man? And how did Valeria manage to detect that?

"Impressive that you managed to dodge it. I really commend your senses Valeria, and Ed, your reflexes are really good."

I was taken aback that this man knew my name and let out a nervous chuckle. "Oh, you must be mistaken; I'm definitely not Eduardo Herakles." I sized up the mysterious man before me, and my observations made him out to be someone who was in his mid- to late twenties, and he had a strange aura about him.

"Care to tell me who you are?" I asked him, curious to see what he would talk about.

"Oh, that wouldn't be that great now, would it?" The man replied with a smirk on his face.

He was wearing a beige suit and a brown trench coat that complemented it very well, and a pair of worn, big leather boots styled his legs. The entire outfit was topped with a hat that covered just the top part of his face with the way he was wearing it.

I braced myself and started to walk in the man's direction. I want to know why he knew my name.

"It is troublesome that you managed to detect my attack just now, but that's good!" Saying that, he took a ready stance, awaiting a response.

"This is going to be a pain in the ass." Valeria grumbled from behind.