The God of Jesters
Chapter 718 - 11.04.4 The wood piece.

Chapter 718: 11.04.4 The wood piece.

The idea was simple, but executing it was going to be an issue. Darde barely knew the kitchen boy’s background, making predicting the route he would take harder.

Nor could he directly follow him from the shop, considering there were just too many eyes. So a simpler method needs to be used. Darde did just that.

He sent one of the officers in casual clothes and simple makeup to change the facial structure outside for a bit. Being mortal, there was little chance that the mage in the restaurant would have bothered with taking any names or traces of the officers, and if the distance was right enough, barely there would be anyone asking questions.

Which worked like a charm, with one officer in one direction, and Darde himself on the other one. Both of them waited for a bit.

By night, when the activity in the street was increasing by a second as the slave merchants opened their night market. Darde noticed a small matchstick in his hand cracking. ’The other one?’ He gestured to the officer who was with him and walked to the other side using a tangent path and speeding up in between to corner the kitchen boy in time.

Which they achieved easily, but the boy remained ignorant that his path was cut from both sides. "Go," Darde ordered, causing one of the officers to walk up ahead and then accidentally collide with the kitchen boy, who fell but didn’t dare to curse at all, suppressing his voice.

’Those eyes.’ They were fearful, there was frustration and anger that had been suppressed by some kind of fear.

He got up, apologizing to the officer who accepted the apology and offered the boy some food. Which he obviously denied.

Living in this city and working for shady people although only for a few months had made the boy aware of one thing. ’Don’t solicit with anyone other than your boss.’ But, once the boy got surrounded by the other officer carrying a little knife with him, the boy shut up and was forced to follow into a corner where Darde waited for him. "Wonderful. I appreciate your work today... I would speak about the bonus from the chief after everything is done." Darde spoke, exposing the fact that he worked for the police.

Which didn’t make the heart of the boy any calmer, instead it started to throb in panic. Fearing what might happen. "Please sir, I don’t know why you called me... I just work in the kitchen," he spoke, panic showing on his face. Those tired eyes, those trembling hands, and that feet that seemed ready to run, but lacking any strength of conviction to make such a move.

It can be seen that this boy might have aged years in the months he worked in that restaurant, making one wonder what kind of torture he must have had to endure. ’Or the things he saw.’ The answer was around the corner, Darde just needed to ask about it.

"Don’t delay it... just answer our question and go your merry way... you might earn some money this way as well." Darde spoke, showing a bunch of notes from his pockets, that did little to relieve the stress the boy felt.

"Speak in simple words, what happened around a month ago in the street next to the restaurant? Who died, how many died, and what the reason of death was, all details to me."

"I... I didn’t see a thing."

"I know you never did see a thing, if you did, you would obviously be under some sort of contract, which I believe you are not, meaning you were able to fool them into thinking you are ignorant of it all... but, I can see it. The lies you carry. Speak now, what was it?" The boy turned silent.

Truth be told, he really never did see a thing, all he remembered were cries and gasps of horror from the streets before like the young coward he was, hid at the end of the kitchen hoping to survive whatever happened.

But nothing did come inside. The incident lasted for mere seconds before everything calmed down. But the boy hadn’t moved; he stayed in the kitchen fridge for a while.

It’s probably why he heard something from the clean-up crew that arrived in a few hours at most.

"What to do with the body... looking at it gives me a headache."

"Melting it is not an option, burn it, burn it as fast as you can."

"The smell will obviously attract knowing parties, it will be an issue if they see it."

"No one will catch on, just chop him up and use him as firewood, do it fast before the corruption in it spreads further." The voices were light, there was a sense of fear and foreboding in them. This spread to the kitchen boy, who after hearing all of this witnessed another scene.

"The Majority of the staff was put under restrictions... but I escaped it by sheer luck." These were his thoughts and beliefs till now, but the fear of being caught, the fear of being exposed kept repeating in his head.

And now.

A police officer he never once saw before came looking for answers. ’Why me?’ he wondered, not knowing if it was his bad luck or he had already been exposed. This might be the test of the restaurant owner if the boy will squeal or not.

But Darde didn’t play these kinds of games, the muddled head of the boy that was filled with random thoughts needed to be brought to stability, which is why using his thumb, Darde stabbed it into the boy’s ribcage, causing immense pain that the boy could barely voice out. "I don’t wish to be exposed, nor do you... if I injure any part of you that is exposed, they will ask questions and with your mentality, you will be exposed pretty easily by then."

"So don’t make me... first is your rib, then your fingers, and that will be enough." Darde placed more pressure on the thumb, causing the boy to squeal like a pig, before he let it go and said, "Now, answer... "

"You..." The boy wanted to curse. But he knew he couldn’t keep hiding it. So he told everything he recalls from the day. "The wood?... a person or a wood?..." Darde was surprised by the story, something did happen and this something entered the territory of the occult as he had expected. ’Mental pollution from the wood alone... unseen forces are involved.’ The rats that killed the beggar, were probably driven by someone who wished to keep things quiet.

’Wait.’ He looked around and took a sigh of relief when not seeing any rats around. ’Guess they have not put this boy in their eyes. But that won’t be true for long.’

"The wood you spoke of, it was used in the kitchen as firewood?..."

"I... I don’t know..." The boy spoke, his voice low and his mental fluctuations singing the tune of a liar.

"Do you still have that piece of wood, or should I say the body on you?" At this question, the boy’s face turned feverish, not daring to look straight. Which was all that Darde needed. "If you wish for a peaceful life, give it to me."

*****

Darde looked at the piece of small splintered wood, that appeared to be burnt on all corners. But the obvious energy that it exuded was hard to hide.

And next to him was the boy, barely awake at this moment in time, as multiple bruises had appeared in many parts of his body. "I suggest that you leave this city... someone had already died a brutal death due to the incident that day, if you are exposed, one can wonder what else will happen to you." Darde made a suggestion to the boy who had hoped to sell this piece of wondrous wood when things calmed down for a hefty amount of money. But it would seem his hopes were dashed to pieces due to finding himself in the way of a mystic.

’It smells wonderful.’ Darde spoke, his eyes darting around the corner for a while and then leaving the place. "Don’t take my words lightly, leave as soon as possible." He suggested again, looking toward the boy and then leaving him alone.

Darde was never a good guy himself, cruelty was second nature to him, and if it was for his family’s safety, he was ready to go so far that one might not even fathom it.

There was a certain madness to his cruelty that barely anyone knew. However, this madness was in truth perfectly curated and calculated methods, all in an effort to break his victim’s will. Which he did just now.

The only thing that actually limited him was his personal strength, for Darde knew, that if he had the strength, things would be so much easier.

’This wood caused that cruel death.’ He wondered, looking at it as if looking at a piece of jade. ’The essence remains in it... a hint of life and psychic fluctuations, it really was a living being once.’ As for who, that mattered not.

At least not for now. ’It’s a tad bit foolish, but let’s get it checked.

Those were his thoughts when the sound of a bullet rang and exploded Darde’s ears. "Hah..." His movements were sound, his positioning even better, he took cover from the angle the bullet came, but before could do much or call for support that was only a few steps away from him, another bullet came and directly hit him in the thigh. "Both angles covered... A team of experts." From the gunshot sound that came after the delay and the angle, it was easy to understand the distance of the perpetrator.

’600 meters in the least... but how this is a city area, everything is covered by buildings.’ Something was odd.