Eldritch Guidance-Chapter 114 – Pattern of Behavior

Alan: "The... leader... of Rattle Bone!" his voice broke through the tense air, rising to a near shout as all the color drained from his face.

Alan’s mind reeled, struggling to process the sheer weight of what he’d just heard. Of all the worst-case scenarios he could have envisioned, this was beyond even his darkest imaginings. Never in a thousand years did he think that the leader of one of the three most powerful and malevolent cults in existence would somehow be tangled in this nightmare.

It defied logic, every shred of reason, yet as Alan recalled his research on Rattle Bone, he knew this cult thrived on chaos and unpredictability. Their actions rarely made sense, at least not by conventional reasoning. And yet, even with that knowledge, the idea of Jafar being taken by someone as twisted and dangerous as Vince Neeves was beyond comprehension. It was the stuff of nightmares—no, something worse.

After Rell’s grim revelation, the group fell into an oppressive silence. The weight of the situation seemed to press down on everyone until Mike forced himself to speak, his tone trembling with urgency.

Mike: “We... we need to get the archmages involved,” he said, his voice breaking slightly before he steadied himself. “Or someone high up in the Mage Suppression Force. Vince Neeves is said to have magical abilities equivalent to an archmage. He’s not someone we can handle ourselves.”

Joe gave a grim nod.

Joe: “The university will likely assist, but we have to find them first. If that lunatic really sees this as a game, Jafar and Sandra are alive—for now. We’ve got three days.”

Officer: “That’s assuming he keeps his word and doesn’t hurt them before then,” the officer interjected, his voice calm but his words cutting through the air like a dagger.

Joe’s head snapped toward the officer, his eyes narrowing into a sharp glare that made the man falter and step back in confusion. But Joe’s anger wasn’t entirely for the officer—it was for what his careless comment had done. His gaze shifted to Alan, whose face was pale as a sheet, his features frozen in a mask of growing despair. The officer’s thoughtless words had only fueled Alan’s downward spiral.

Joe: “Enough,” he said firmly, his voice low but commanding. “We’re not here to speculate on what he might or might not do. We’re here to bring them back. Focus.” His eyes bore into the officer, who nodded sheepishly before stepping away.

Rell: “Something... feels off,” Rell said, his brow furrowed as he mulled over the situation.

Joe turned to him, his voice tinged with urgency.

Joe: “Do you know something? Anything that could help us?”

Rell hesitated for a moment before answering.

Rell: “When I was still a student at Grayscale College, I took a criminology class on black mages. Vince Neeves was one of the primary case studies. From what I know about him, this doesn’t fit his pattern at all.”

Joe leaned in, his interest piqued.

Joe: “Can you explain? I only know about him from wanted posters and the rumors that go with them.”

Rell: “Vince Neeves is a man who thrives on spectacle,” Rell began, his tone heavy. “He doesn’t just commit atrocities; he turns them into theater. In the town of St. Mary, he skinned a man alive and hanged him in front of the town hall while the victim was still breathing. When people tried to save him, a spell hidden on Vince’s victim detonated, spreading a deadly poison that killed and maimed even more people. In the days following—”

Joe: “Stop,” Joe interrupted, raising a hand. His eyes flicked to Alan, whose pallor and tense posture betrayed his growing distress. “We don’t need a full list of his crimes. We already know he’s a monster. Just stick to what’s relevant to the situation.”

Rell nodded, casting a wary glance at Alan before continuing.

Rell: “Right. Based on the note we received, it looks like Vince set Jixi up to appear as though he’d committed suicide. If Jixi got Danny to perform the slime summoning ritual, then Vince must’ve killed Jixi afterward.”

Joe folded his arms, his expression grim.

Joe: “That’s what it seems like so far.”

Rell: “But that doesn’t make sense,” Rell countered. “It’s not Vince’s style. He doesn’t operate in the shadows like this. He’s the type to flaunt his crimes. He literally brands his victims with his initials to ensure everyone knows he’s responsible.”

Joe: “So, you’re saying this setup and these notes don’t align with his usual behavior?” Joe asked.

Rell: “Exactly. And it’s not just that,” Rell continued, his voice gaining conviction. “Vince has no regard for life—none. If this really were him, he wouldn’t have used sleeping gas at the Archive. He would’ve used poison, killing everyone inside without a second thought.”

At this, Victoria shuddered visibly, the thought of such a fate clearly unsettling her.

Rell: “And then there’s the matter of the security footage,” he added. “The officer said it was all destroyed. If it were Vince, he wouldn’t bother. He’d love for there to be footage of his actions. He thrives on attention, so destroying evidence doesn’t fit his modus operandi at all.”

Joe’s eyes narrowed.

Joe: “So, what are you suggesting?”

Rell took a deep breath before replying.

Rell: “I’m saying the person who left that note wasn’t Vince Neeves. It’s more likely someone using his name to throw us off—someone trying to cover their tracks by pinning this on him.”

Mike: “And it would be easy to pin this on Vince, given how infamous he is,” he said, his voice grim. “But who else could pull all this off?”

Joe folded his arms, his face tightening as he slipped into deep contemplation. “If it’s not Vince, then who? Whoever orchestrated this had to act fast. It happened just after we uncovered Jixi’s hideout, which suggests either the police or the enforcer’s side might’ve been compromised. Someone tipped them off. But even then, how did they manage to infiltrate the Archive and pull off a chemical attack? To pull something like this off, they’d need intimate knowledge of the building’s layout—especially the location of the main ventilation system. Who could possibly fit that profile?”

Joe’s mind churned with possibilities, and unbidden, his thoughts wandered to Sorin’s associates. Most had been accounted for—either captured or killed. But what if someone had slipped through the cracks? What if someone was trying to silence anyone connected to the group? Or, worse, what if this was bigger than Sorin?

If an insane cultist was involved, applying rationality to their actions would be futile. Cultists operated outside the bounds of logic, driven by fanatical beliefs rather than reason. The thought unsettled him, making the puzzle even more complex.

Suddenly, a memory surfaced in Joe’s mind, as clear as if it had just happened. The words of Sandra, the head librarian, echoed in his thoughts:

“Firstly, as none of you have access to level four, I am required to remain in this room with you at all times. Secondly, any notes you take, I have to look over before you leave with them.”

Her voice played over and over, pulling Joe toward a realization he’d overlooked. The Archive’s strict rules and procedures were designed to protect its secrets and safeguard against intrusions.

And then, like a bolt of lightning, a new question struck him—one he should have asked long ago, but had somehow failed to consider until now. It cut through the noise of speculation, burning in his mind with urgent clarity.

Joe turned sharply toward Victoria, his eyes narrowing as a sudden thought took hold.

Joe: "Victoria," he began, his voice calm but probing, "you mentioned that assistant professors could check books out under the name of the professor they were working under, right?"

She blinked, still somewhat dazed from the lingering effects of the gas, and nodded hesitantly.

Victoria: "Yeah… it was a mistake on our part. One we were working to correct moving forward."

Joe pressed on, his tone becoming more insistent.

Joe: "Does that same logic apply to access levels? Could someone with a lower access level use a higher-ranking professor’s credentials to gain entry to restricted materials?"

Victoria tilted her head, her brow furrowing.

Victoria: "Excuse me?"

Joe: "I’m asking if access levels can be shared," Joe clarified. "For example, if I checked out a restricted book under Archmage Dakka’s name, would I be allowed to actually read it if I didn’t have the proper access level myself?"

Victoria shook her head firmly, some of her usual composure returning.

Victoria: "No, absolutely not. Access levels are issued and monitored by the state. They’re tied to an individual and can’t be shared, borrowed, or transferred like that. Not even archmages can bypass that rule."

Joe turned abruptly to Rell, his intensity making everyone in the room sit up straighter.

Joe: "Rell, did Jixi have access to Level Four?"

Rell looked startled, caught off guard by the sudden question.

Rell: "Um… I don’t think so. Probably not. He wasn’t that high up. At most, he might’ve had Level Two access."

Joe: “That means… she lied,” he mumbled.

Joe’s expression shifted, his lips curling into a triumphant smirk.

Joe: "That’s it!"

Mike frowned, confused.

Mike: "What are you going on about, Joe?"

Joe raised a hand to quiet him, his eyes gleaming with clarity as pieces of the puzzle clicked into place.

Joe: "Jixi checked out books related to the Consuming Ooze cult," Joe began, his tone measured but firm, "but those books are Level Four—restricted, just like all the other ones we looked at. Yet, according to the registry, there’s a note saying he reserved a private reading room to study one of those books himself."

Rell's eyes narrowed.

Rell: "Wait a second. That means he couldn’t have actually read that book. He’d need someone with the appropriate access level with him."

Joe: "Exactly," Joe said, nodding. "And according to that note, there’s no mention of Sorin being in the room with him. The registry only lists Jixi as present." freewebnøvel.coɱ

Dan’s brow furrowed in confusion.

Dan: "How is that even possible?"

Joe's gaze swept the room, landing heavily on each of them before he delivered his verdict.

Joe: "The person we need to be asking that question to is the same person who put that note in the registry themselves. The same person who is, conveniently, missing: Sandra."

A wave of shock rippled through the group, expressions shifting from confusion to disbelief as Joe's implication sank in. Dan was the first to voice the collective unease, his voice shaking.

Dan: "Are you… accusing Sandra of…"

Joe nodded slowly, his voice steady and sure.

Joe: "Think about it. Sandra knows the Archive like the back of her hand. She would know exactly where the main ventilation system is to release a chemical attack like this."

Alan chimed in hesitantly, as if the realization had just struck him.

Alan: "And she told me once she was skilled in alchemy. She could have easily created the sleeping agent herself."

Victoria, sitting nearby, bristled at the accusations.

Victoria: "That’s preposterous! Sandra has been a librarian here for years. Are you seriously suggesting that the person who was kidnapped might have been responsible for this attack?" she said, pushing through her haze to defend Sandra.

Joe’s gaze hardened.

Joe: "Then explain to me how Jixi was allowed to access Level Four materials in the first place. It was Sandra who made that note in the registry. She admitted as much to my face. And think about this—what if Jixi never even read those Consuming Ooze books? Sandra, as a head librarian, could have accessed them herself without raising suspicion."

Mike's eyes widened as the pieces began to fit together.

Mike: "You’re saying Sandra might have been the one who studied the ritual, then passed it on to Danny?"

Joe nodded grimly.

Joe: "It’s a possibility we can’t afford to overlook," Joe said, his voice heavy with conviction. "Sandra’s position gave her both the knowledge and the access to pull something like this off. And her disappearance? It doesn’t just make her a victim—it opens the very real possibility that she’s the kidnapper herself."

A tense silence followed before Dan finally broke it, his voice filled with confusion.

Dan: "But why? Why would she do something like this?"

Joe crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing as he mulled over the question.

Joe: "I can’t say for certain, not yet. But from the start, I’ve had this nagging suspicion that this entire mess is about one of Sorin’s associates taking out the others to cover their tracks—to bury their involvement. Sandra might have been more tied to Sorin in ways she didn’t lead on. Sorin would personally go to her when he wanted to check something out of the archive”

Victoria: “It’s still preposterous,” Victoria argued, her tone firm. “Sandra has handled countless requests from Grayscale professors like Sorin. It was part of her job.”

Joe nodded, his expression calm but unwavering.

Joe: “True, her interactions with him don’t prove anything on their own. But when you add the other circumstantial evidence, it still points to her as a key figure in all of this.”

Victoria crossed her arms, reluctant but aware she couldn’t refute his logic entirely.

Mike: “Whether she’s a victim, an accomplice, or both, I suppose you’re right—we need to find her and uncover the truth.”

Joe: “Agreed,” Joe said firmly. “We should start by checking her home. Where does she live?”

Victoria hesitated before answering, her voice soft with lingering doubt.

Victoria: “She lives somewhere on Takva Street.”

Mike raised an eyebrow.

Mike: “Takva Street? We literally just came from there.”

Joe: “How convenient. Jixi’s body was found on that street, and Sandra also lives in that area.”

Alan’s voice cut in, filled with a mix of hope and urgency.

Alan: “Do you think Jafar might be at her house somewhere?”

Joe shook his head.

Joe: “I doubt it. But we might find clues that point us to where they went. It’s the best lead we’ve got right now.”

Alan nodded, the desperation in his face replaced by a determined glint.

Alan: “Okay. While you’re checking that out, there’s something else I want to investigate. I think it could help us.”

Joe’s gaze locked onto Alan, studying him carefully. He recognized the fire in the young enforcer’s eyes—a drive born of purpose and resolve. Whatever despair had consumed Alan earlier had given way to something more powerful. Joe had seen that look before, and he knew it well. It was the fierce determination to protect what mattered most.

Joe: “All right,” Joe said with a slight nod. “Do what you need to. But don’t do anything reckless, Alan.”

Alan: “I won’t,” he promised, already moving with renewed focus. Joe watched him go, feeling a glimmer of hope. The team was shaken, but not broken, and they still had time to turn this around.

As Alan bolted out of the Arcanium Archive, his mind raced with a plan. It wasn’t perfect—it was barely even a plan—but it was the only lead he had. Desperation clawed at him, driving him forward. He couldn’t afford to waste time. Jafar’s life hung in the balance, and Alan refused to sit idly by.

He knew exactly where he needed to go and who he needed to see. It wasn’t someone he particularly wanted to approach, especially after their last encounter. But this wasn’t about pride or fear; it was about saving his friend. If it meant humbling himself, even groveling on his knees to plead for help, so be it.

There was no room for hesitation or second-guessing. Alan’s determination solidified with each step, his boots striking the cobblestones with purpose. For Jafar’s sake, he would do whatever it took.

Read latest chapters at f(r)eewebnov𝒆l Only