Chapter 77 - Report to the Chief

”Stay here for now.” Finn said to Edwin as he pushed open the door to their first destination. It was a small space that consisted only of a main room, an office and a storage room. There was only a single window next to the door, but it was covered in paper allowing only a small amount of light to penetrate into the space.

This office was located in the industrial district in the northwestern side of the city. Around them were a number of low, wood-frame buildings with peeling, faded paint. These were offices and warehouses that belonged to various shipping companies and trades.

Finn shut the door behind them and led Edwin into the office. The room was small and square and had only a single bare desk and accompanying chair shoved in the corner. There were numerous unlabeled wooden boxes that were stacked upon each other, filled with various papers. 

“This is a space owned by my mentor.” Finn said, “It’s rarely used, even by him. I remember there being some candles here - yes, here they are.”

He opened one of the boxes and found a collection of candles, “Are these suitable?”

“Yes.” Edwin said, picking one up, “These will be fine.”

“In that case, you can stay here while I go report to the station.” Finn nodded, “How long will your ritual take?”

“I’m not sure... I remember my master mentioning before that the ceremony would take a few hours, but the letter doesn’t really tell me much.”

“Based on the state of the city, things might be a bit complicated at the station. I’ll definitely be gone for a few hours at least. If things are really bad, I might even not be back until late in the evening.” Finn said, “For the time being stay here, don’t leave this place until I return.”

“Okay.” Edwin said.

“Lock the door behind me.” Finn said.

He turned and left, pausing on the other side of the door until he heard the latch close. Finn and Edwin had long said their thanks and goodbyes to Franz, the driver from Mist Valley, when they reached the town. Since time was of the essence, Finn hired a proper carriage and asked him to wait around the corner. He walked down the block to where the hired carriage was waiting for him and hopped in.

“Central police station.” He said.

The driver nodded and took off down the street.

The carriage shook and jostled as it passed over a number of iron tracks. At the western edge of the district was the rail yard, where coal-burning trains were constantly shipping goods in and out of the city. The railroad was the heart of Noga’s economic power, serving the major cities across the northern side of the continent, though due to the marshy terrain to the south that prevented construction of the railroad, horse-drawn caravans were still extremely common. 

Adjacent to the rail yard district was Ashtown, a compact, dirty district of the city full of low income housing. Though the curtains of the carriage were drawn shut, Finn could tell that the streets were crowded since the cart kept stopping and he could hear the driver yelling for people to get out of the way. They also had to make many detours to avoid roads that were completely blocked off by vines.

Finn peeked out through the space between the curtain and window, looking out onto the street. The scene was similar to the situation he had seen on the way through Noga to the rail yard - Large, thick vines protruded out of the ground and out of buildings, coiling up lamp posts and walls. All around were men with axes and saws, hacking away at the vines and hauling them away. There were carts being pulled around covered in tarps, gathering the bodies of the many people that had died over the course of the previous night to take them to the cemeteries.

The north and east sides of the city had been hit the hardest, while the neighborhoods across the river seemed to have been mostly spared. In other words, the poor populations were hit with tragedy while the rich neighborhoods on the south side of the city were barely affected at all. Finn’s grey eyes were cold, his lips terse as he ruminated on this fact. 

It seemed that some people were simply predestined for hardship and tragedy.

The carriage jostled about as the dirt road changed into cobblestone and they passed under the archway of a tall stone gate. The gate, which was constructed of a marbled stone, was one of many that were connected by a wall called the ‘Ring’. This wall marked the limits of the central districts of the city. In the era of the Five Kings, this wall served as one of the main defenses of the city. However now, it was simply part of the culture and aesthetic of Noga. It wasn’t even contiguous, as various sections of the wall had either been dismantled completely, or gutted and modified to serve as shops and living spaces.

Inside the Ring there was still plenty of damage to the roads, and many buildings suddenly had a new green wall covered in vines and leaves. The tree-lined boulevards were brighter and greener, and flowers were blossoming, giving a vibrant feeling to the city, although the plants were a bit too wild and disorderly. Even so, the greenery might have been rejuvenating if not for the general atmosphere of the citizens. Numerous crowds lined up outside of the various government buildings. Officers could be seen directing the crowds and offering assistance to those in need. Numerous government workers in suits with coloured arm bands managed queues, answering questions and distributing pamphlets.

As they approached the massive, blocky building with stone pillars that was the Central Noga Police Station, Finn saw that the entire street was packed with crowds of people streaming in and out of the building or waiting for their turn to enter. Finn directed the driver to stop a block away and walked the rest of the way on foot. 

He entered the station through one of the secured back entrances and climbed the stairs to the offices on the second floor.

“Finn!” Anne, the plump secretary for his department, greeted him as he walked through the door, “Where have you been? Didn’t you get the all-hands call this morning? The Chief has been looking for you!”

“I’ve been busy as well.” Finn said coolly, “Don’t worry, I’m here to report to the Chief what I’ve discovered.”

From his observations and some brief exchanges with the carriage driver, Finn had a good idea of what happened overnight. A giant monster had appeared on the outskirts of the city, and the city was overrun by people who grew vines and eyeballs out of their bodies. The military had defeated the monster while the police had done their best to quell the chaos.

Finn walked down the hallway, entering the Chief’s office just as another officer was leaving. The portly chief looked exhausted, but focused as he glanced up at Finn briefly before his eyes returned to his desk.

“Close the door and take a seat.” Chief Luan said as he scribbled notes down on a paper in front of him. His thin hair was unkempt and he had deep bags under his eyes. Behind his thin spectacles his eyes were exhausted. He had clearly been on duty for the entire night and morning, without any rest.

Finn complied and walked forward, dropping the branded leather wristband on the table before taking a seat on the other side of the Chief’s desk.

The old man adjusted his spectacles as he peered at the wristband while still writing. His brows furrowed as he said, “Where did you find this?”

“In the Monastery.” Finn said, “It belonged to one of their long-term guests.”

Chief Luan set down his pen as he reached over and picked up the wristband, running his fingers along the ring of thorns emblem. “So, you suspect that the monks are working with the cult?”

Finn nodded.

Chief Luan looked up at Finn, his expression stern as they locked eyes. He seemed to be deep in thought as he didn’t speak for a full minute. Finn returned the gaze with a calm, patient attitude, waiting for the Chief to speak first.

“You are well acquainted with Chief Yun, am I right?” Chief Luan asked, with an unusual weight to his voice. This was the first time the Chief had asked Finn about anything other than work. Finn wasn’t even aware that Chief Luan knew about his connection to Chief Yun, he’d never been very public about it.

“Yes sir. My father and Chief Yun worked together over a decade ago.” Finn said, “Chief Yun has been a mentor for me throughout my life.”

“Perhaps this is why you were nominated then...” Chief Luan quietly mused to himself. 

Finn didn't know what Chief Luan was talking about, so he waited for his supervisor to continue. All he could gather was that this was something directly to do with Chief Yun. Perhaps he was working on an important case? Had he asked for Finn's help directly?

“The exact details of the situation are classified. I tell you this in order to properly stress the importance of what I am going to tell you next.” The Chief rotated the branded wristband in his hands as he carefully chose his next words. “The situation in Noga has become extremely dangerous, and so the Chiefs have been tasked with nominating members from their department to form a specific task force.”

“Based on various factors, I have decided to appoint you.” Chief Luan said, “I cannot tell you what this position will specifically entail. If you refuse, you will not be able to tell anyone that I spoke to you about this topic. If you accept, your new position will be one of utmost secrecy.”

“I cannot tell you any more, but you must make this choice now. I believe you are sharp enough to fill in the details.” Chief Luan concluded quietly.

“I’ll do it.” Finn said, without hesitation.

He didn’t know exactly what the work would entail, but it was highly probable that it would be something to do with the Marked Devout, who were clearly responsible for the previous night’s events. A special task force was the perfect opportunity to show his strength as an officer. Even if it required overtime in addition to his regular duties in the Missing Persons department, Finn would be a fool not to jump at this opportunity. 

“Go up to room 413 on the fourth floor. They will be waiting for you there.” Chief Luan said. He paused, then set down the wristband with a sigh. “I was afraid that this would happen.”

“You suspected that the cult and the monastery were working together?” Finn asked, ready to play to the Chief’s ego.

“The possibility crossed my mind, though I thought it was unlikely. But that isn’t what I’m talking about.” Chief Luan shook his head, his lips curving in something that was neither a grin nor a frown, “When you came to me with your theory of the missing cases being connected to the monastery, I thought to myself - If this boy really is right and there’s something wrong with the monks, I won’t be able to keep him in my department anymore.”

Finn blinked and hesitated for a moment. Did he hear the Chief right? It sounded like this wasn’t going to be a part time position at all, but a full blown permanent transfer. The chair screeched against the floor as he stood up suddenly and sharply saluted to the Chief. “Sir!”

“I would have liked to keep you in my team for a long time.” Chief Luan said, “No other recruit was ever as good at filing paperwork as you. You cleared out so many months of backlog, I was thinking I might even able to fire some of our clerks.”

“Sir!” Finn kept his eyes forward as he stood in the salute, keeping his expression as serious as he could. “Sorry to disappoint you, sir!”

The Chief waved his hand gruffly as he picked his pen up and adjusted the papers on his desk. “Take the wristband with you. You can report your findings to your new superior. You’re dismissed. Now get out of here.”

After receiving the leather accessory from the Chief, Finn sharply turned and left the room after a final salute. He walked out of the office with as much professional composure as he could manage, even saying a brief, vague goodbye to Anne.

As soon as he was out of the department, though, a wide grin bloomed on his face. A giddy excitement bubbled up inside him as he couldn’t help but dash for the stairs to the fourth floor.