Kerii walked out of Inspector Nilan's office, feeling both relieved and confused at the same time. The man did not fight her when she was chasing him. He fled. He had no idea she was following him until she moved to a new position to better see the strange potion he was pouring out of that vial. There was still some residue on the bottle when she handed it to Inspector Nilan. If all went well, it should be enough for the scientists to analyze. The elf was almost certain that the potion the hooded figure had poured into the ground was at least partially responsible for the plants' strange behaviors. She couldn't imagine that the small amount of liquid could seriously be at total fault. If it was, Kerii was both terrified and impressed at the same time. She wished that her magic was that potent. Many mages did. Of course, she wouldn't choose it to poison the entire forest and drive animals insane. That not only went against every belief she possessed as a Wood Elf, but it went against her basic morals as well. It would be to no surprise to anyone that Kerii, if she had such amazing magic, would use it to become a better healer and ameliorate the lives of those around her. It would certainly make her father proud, but she would never do it solely to impress him. She would do it because that is what she thought was right.

The elf walked over to a bench and sat down. She crossed her legs and leaned forward. Her chin rested in the palm of her hands and her eyebrows knit together and her emerald eyes narrowed as she went deep into thought. Lamia Scale was her home, and it has been for several years. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like if she did anything else. To make her father happy, she did end up studying medicine while trying to regain her memories. It was fun learning about anatomy and how the body functioned. Her thirst for answers never seemed to be quenched. For every new thing she discovered, she had a dozen of questions resulting from it. It was a fascinating time of science in the mage's life, but that was all that it was. Just a period in time. A fragment where she slowed down her pace and did not take as many quests as she did when she was actively in Lamia Scale. Kerii missed parts of those times, but she wouldn't trade it for the life she has now. She was a mage. A healer. She climbed the ranks and was titled "Lamia Scale's Draken." Needless to say, she was not the same person she was before. Kerii went through a rough spot with Ëala and amnesia, but if anything it just made her stronger. At the time, she believed that she was through the thick of it. If she could deal with the mess with Carnil and the rest of the Tathvirs, she could handle anything, especially the task at hand.

WC: 518/3000

To be fair, Kerii really didn't have a specific "task" she had to accomplish. Not yet, at least, though she certainly figured that one would be coming rather soon. She apprehended the man in the hood. She handed in the vial, but she knew that was not all. It couldn't be. There were simply way too many questions and shockingly few answers. The man Kerii caught was only a small part of it. She was confident in her belief at this point. There was no doubt that this hooded figure was only a part of something far greater, and more sinister.

There was no use lingering around for something to arise. As much as the elf wanted to know what was going on and what sort of information Inspector Nilan was able to pry out of their culprit, there was simply nothing she could do. Her work was done for the day and she would have to respect Nilan's wishes. If the man had wanted her to stay to make sure that everything went smoothly, then he would say so. If he was nervous about the magic or any items the perpetrator possessed, then he would ask Kerii for assistance. Neither of these were what was going on though, so she would just have to await in impatience for another letter to arrive.

Kerii let out a sigh as she returned to her dormitory. She needed to clear her mind of everything that was going on. The elf drew a warm bath thinking it would surely calm her thoughts. She sank into it and took a deep breath in and out. The light steam that arose felt nice against her face and completely relaxed her. As she closed her eyes, all her troubles seemed to melt away. No more plants, no more culprits, and no more sickness. She stayed in the bath until the water began to lose its heat. Stepping out, she got dressed into some lounge clothes and hung around her home for the rest of the day reading a novel until night fell. Kerii rested her head on the pillow, and before long, she had drifted off to sleep.

If the elf had a dream, she did not remember it. What she did remember waking up to was yet another knock at the door. She sat up and glanced over at her door to see a letter was slipped through her door. Fearing that it was bad news from Inspector Nilan, she scrambled over to read it. When she read its contents, she was shocked. The man she had captured somehow committed suicide while in custody. How such a thing happened while being handcuffed, Kerii did not know. The letter didn't specify any details, but it already sounded off. Inspector Nilan was requesting her presence at his office yet again. Perhaps it was to investigate this suicide, to look for any tracings of magic, but maybe it was for something entirely different. Regardless, it was something that could not wait. She would leave for his office immediately.

WC: 518+510=1028/3000

Just like the day before, Kerii didn't bother dressing up nicely before heading out. Though she was still more than merely presentable, she did not look as neat or professional as she would any other day. There was a dead person though. Despite what Inspector Nilan said, it appearing to be a suicide, Kerii thought otherwise. He neglected to give her any details, leaving her mind to wander and her imagination come up with several scenarios. While being held for questioning, there was little one could do to commit suicide. They did not have access to tools or even little items they could manufacture weapons out of. Kerii supposed that it was possible to bang their head against the corner of a table or bed, suffering brain damage and blood loss. If this man was so terrified that he would reveal something that he committed suicide though, Kerii and Inspector Nilan had a much larger problem on their hands than they originally suspected.

The curious elf found herself walking down Acacia Road, the same street that Inspector Nilan had his office on. She came up to it and walked in. He was pacing back and forth. A look of concern and deep thought was worn on his face. He didn't even seem to notice when Kerii walked in. She cleared her throat to get his attention. The man looked up, a surprised look on his face. "Kerii! Thank you for coming. There's so much we need to talk about. Here, take a seat." Inspector Nilan gestured to one of the seats in front of his desk, and he sat down in his own. Kerii followed suit and didn't waste any time to figure out what was going on. "You said the man I captured committed suicide?" She folded her arms across her chest and arched an eyebrow. "Yes, there seems to have been trauma to his head, though the autopsy report will confirm what his cause of death was," he explained. Kerii nodded her head in understanding. The cause of death could have been what she originally suspected, but then again Inspector Nilan's diction could suggest otherwise. It could be that he did not want to confirm nor deny any possibility, but it made the elf more than a little skeptical. "Why do you think he would do such a thing?" It wasn't as if the hooded man seemed to be depressed or in an altered state of mind. He only seemed annoyed and regretful that he had been captured, but to Kerii's question Nilan only shrugged. "I truthfully do not know. He seemed to have a sound mind to me, but he could have feelings of guilt." Having said that rather vaguely, Kerii asked Inspector Nilan to elaborate. "I was able to get him to reveal the location of his hideout. I was hoping to get some more information out of him before requesting your assistance, but I'm afraid this was all I was able to gather." He passed her a slip of paper with the man's address on it.

WC: 1028+511=1539/3000

Kerii took the piece of paper and looked it over. The address was not one that was very close by, but at least a good ten minute walk. "This is on the very outskirts of Orchidia," she said in a rather unsurprised tone. While most of Orchidia's business happened near the center, where things were less broken and plants were not as overgrown, there were still areas of Orchidia where this was not the case. Towards the outskirts, it was not uncommon to find abandoned buildings being crowded and damaged by moss, vines, and mold that found itself right at home. Very few people lived in the outskirts for that very reason, but there were a few habitable homes. While she didn't expect the now deceased man to have ever lived there, it would doubtlessly work for a good hideout.

"What do you want me to do? Is there anything else he mentioned in his hideout?" Kerii asked, to which Inspector Nilan shook his head. "No, he only mentioned his place, but I'm sure there is some valuable information there. Anything that looks suspicious, bring it back to me." The elf folded her arms across her chest and nodded her head. That was doable. "Alright," she responded. With that said, she exited Inspector Nilan's office and began making her way over to Orchidia's outskirts.

It always amazed the elf how vastly different the buildings were in the centre of Orchidia compared to the outer parts. Yes, there were still plants flourishing all over, but combined with the workmanship and design of the newer buildings, it didn't look so bad. When many people first enter Orchidia though, they are met with a hodgepodge of crumbling buildings which are largely uninhabitable. As you go closer to the centre, buildings start to appear better maintained, but they still would not be the best to live in; however, people with not as much money are able to make due in them. If Orchidia gained more money and funding, she was sure that those homes would start to become more developed, and the same would happen to the other parts of her town as well. It would take time, but eventually the outermost parts of the town would look more like the centre.

As Kerii walked towards the address listed on the piece of paper, she could see those very changes in the architecture of her town. Even the overall style of buildings had notable differences, leading to the assumption that many buildings were torn down and rebuilt, rather than being touched up or had additions build onto them. Eventually, Kerii came across the culprit's home. It looked like the rest of the buildings surrounding it, save for a few less plants here and there. It looked slightly more taken care of on the outside, but not so much that someone would become suspicious of it. If Kerii was walking by, she certainly wouldn't assume that it was a hideout, but its address indeed matched the one she held in her hand.

WC: 1539+507=2046/3000

Kerii turned the doorknob, but much to her surprise, it was not locked. Perhaps buildings at this time were not equipped with locks, but it was also possible that the hooded man might not have expected anyone to discover it, so he may not have locked it in the first place. After all, not many people ventured into these buildings just for fun. She supposed that some teenagers might, but they really only did so if there was some sort of lore or haunting connected to it, which Kerii assumed the man's place did not. Either way, it was a bad move having an unprotected hideout like that.

Upon entering, Kerii could see that it was rather run down, but it did not look nearly as bad as it did on the outside. If he was the only person utilizing it, it could actually be considered to be somewhat comfortable. As it was poorly insulated without some kind of fireplace of furnace, the Draken couldn't see him actually living in it. She doubted that running water was even supplied to these buildings either. Spending a few hours at this place though would be fine though. There was just enough furniture to suffice this man's needs, but at the same time, Kerii had a feeling that this was not all there was. She could not genuinely see someone having only that much space for such a large operation. The business with all the plants being poisoned and animals turning savage, it was just too big of an issue in Orchidia for this one post to be responsible for it all. There may have been more locations that Inspector Nilan did not know of. This may have been the only one that the hooded figure told him about, or even knew of to begin with.

Figuring that she would just have to make due with what she was presented with, the elf ventured into the building, making sure to close the door behind her. It was not much warmer on the inside, but it was better than being out in the frigid air. There were various objects scattered about. Some of them looked ordinary and benign, while others looked like they served some sort of purpose. She put those into her bag, along with a few other pieces of paper that also looked as if they contained bits of valuable information. Some parts were blacked out, which drew her to the conclusion that it was of importance. Upon reading over the paper, however, not much of the content would be of use without the blacked out portions. She figured Inspector Nilan would still like it though. Having searched most of the hideout, Kerii didn't think she would be finding many more pieces of evidence for Nilan to use. Just as she was about to call it a day though, she noticed something with the bookshelf. She hadn't noticed it before, but something about it was slightly off. She walked over and looked at it closer. Suddenly, everything seemed to make sense.

WC: 2046+509=2555/3000

The floor at the foot of the bookshelf was scuffed up, but only to a certain point. There was also a slight gap. There was no light coming from it, but it definitely led somewhere. It became clear that this was no ordinary bookshelf, but a sliding one. Kerii smiled and shook her head. If someone wanted to make a secret door, they should do it with something a little less cliché. She pushed the shelf to the side to reveal a staircase leading into the basement. It looked as if this house was already built with one, but the original door for it was ripped off its hinges and replaced with this bookshelf.

Kerii made her descent down the stairs. It was rather dark, but not so dark that she couldn't see anything. The hallway looked rather long though. The hooded man must have known though, for there was an oil lamp resting on a rudimentary shelf next to her. She took it and lit the lamp before continuing in her search. The long passageway eventually spilled out into a small room with nothing but a table, a desk, and various items resting upon them. What was even more curious were the black cloaks with strange symbols sewn into them. As she looked closer to them, an uneasy feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. She doubted that this man would have so many of the same cloak all to himself. They were likely for other people, almost as if he was part of an organization... or a cult. Why cult members would want to grow deadly and poisonous plants throughout Orchidia went over her head. She saw absolutely no gain from it, other than for the sick pleasure of causing chaos. There were people that evil in the world, but it still boggled the elf's mind how people could genuinely be that sadistic.

Aside from the robes, there were other things that warranted investigation. More papers with more blacked out names were resting on the table and desk. After picking those up and putting them in her bag, the elf found a letter. The envelope was already opened, but the letter was still inside. She picked it up and read its contents. It seemed to be addressed to the culprit, but signed by who Kerii assumed to be the cult leader. There was to be a meeting in Era soon. Above everything she collected that day, she knew that Inspector Nilan would definitely want to see the letter and the cloaks. She gathered those and hurried out of the hideout, and over to Nilan's office. There, she handed him all the evidence she thought was relevant. He was quite impressed with her work and concurred with Kerii's belief in that they were now dealing with an occult of sorts. "I will get other people on this immediately and request your assistance if necessary. Here is your reward." He gave her a rather large sum of Jewels in comparison to the other times she did a request for him. The elf thanked Nilan, and proceeded to return home, wondering what else could be in store.

WC: 2555+527=3082/3000