Triiffic-Soul: Can I Be In Control?-Chapter 193 – Trouble

Chapter 193 – Trouble

Neither Luna nor Syrus was going to deny Eva’s surge in energy, and since it was a topic they were already exploring, they sure had no reason to resist their current direction.

After their talk with Havier, Eva was determined to find any medical journal that had survived from those times, and since she had lived in the city, a few places came to her mind.

The general libraries were a place she checked but didn’t have much hope for, and to her credit, she was right. The books they had on the matter looked to be new additions made by people researching the past rather than historic records. The references mentioned in the book only referred to people’s recaps of the events.

There were some nuggets she mentally wrote down since she figured they could be useful. Another location that could possibly hold old records was the academies. They taught but also were research labs. Syrus suggested disguising as a student with a different form and exploring, which Eva wasn’t against the idea, but the last option was what she felt had the highest likelihood of keeping the records.

Moving through the streets, they found themselves on the west side of the city, in front of one large building.

The large stone brick structure known as the Record Vault. One of the central monuments to the city, similar to the centre clock tower, the twisty fortress was said to be one of the original structures of the country. The original place that was defended before the large city walls were built. Three storeys tall meant it was one of the tallest buildings in the city, but the central clock tower still stood taller.

[A fortress that was made into a storage facility. Far from the first time that has happened.] (Syrus)

[It is an efficient use of space.] (Luna)

[I’ve been inside the building a few times. Mostly during my school years, afterwards I never really had the time to visit.] (Eva)

[Any fond moments?] (Syrus)

[I mean, it is a lovely place with a lot of books, so positive already. Though I don’t have any specific fond moments as you say, I just enjoyed my time there during the short visits.] (Eva)

Entering the large building, it was quiet. There were a few people around, but they were mostly workers. There were a few other guests, but based on the atmosphere, this number of people flowing was usual.

[It sure is quiet.] (Syrus)

[If you need general information, then there are plenty of easy places where it can be accessed, and if you are looking for specialised information, a research lab is a better source.] (Eva)

[By logic, going to an academy seems like the better option.] (Syrus)

[But their sources usually come from here, and this doesn’t require breaking the law to get the information.] (Eva)

[Too bad.] (Syrus)

[Only you would be upset about not breaking the law.] (Luna)

[Even though I prefer to follow the law rather than break it, it would be a fun operation. Disguising and stealth have been fun, and I wouldn't mind doing that a little bit more.] (Syrus)

[Breaking and entering to quietly breaking and entering. What a massive change.] Luna sarcastically said.

The building, in many ways, was more a museum than a library, and unlike a library, most of the records were stored in boxes that had to be sorted through. Usually, a request was made ahead of time, but there was nothing stopping regular people from looking. There were guards around who checked if someone was going to vandalise or steal, so major trouble only happened occasionally.

Luna felt the system was way too lax, even with said measures. Eva didn’t see as much of a problem with it, as many records kept here had duplicates stored elsewhere. Syrus leaned more with Luna on this, as she understood that even if there were copies, the original works held value as historic pieces.

[The floors are thick.] Syrus noted.

[They do appear to be made out of large stones.] (Luna)

[Not exactly, perhaps two big stones with some supports between.] Syrus tapped the ground with her foot. [There is a hollow space beneath that. It’s likely to be small, but it certainly exists.]

[Would that be for defensive purposes or structural?] (Eva)

[For a place like this? Likely the latter. Fortresses tend to have many secrets that can help with defending or escaping.] (Luna)

Talking to some staff, Anlesa found that the boxes where medical records were kept were on the first floor. When they entered the room, the number of boxes was staggering.

[I feel like we made a mistake somewhere.] (Syrus)

[Not necessarily…] (Eva)

Eva began looking for the boxes that were dated thirty years ago. After thirty minutes, she still hadn’t found the correct box.

[There is still a lot of room on this floor…] Eva said, full of hope.

Moving between the next storage room, they walked down the hallway that contained shelves and cupboards that held many items from the country's past. A lot of simple things, from letters and coins to broken locks from battles in the early years.

When they were moving, Syrus took control of the body from Eva, who immediately backed off from Syrus’s forceful switch.

A hooded figure with a poison-covered dagger emerged from a cupboard with their blade aimed directly at the red-haired girl.

Stepping back and kicking them back. “An assassin? Seriously, heh.” Syrus laughed cockily into the hallway.

A hunter overestimating themselves in human combat; it wouldn’t be the first time that happened—

In a flash, the assassin's dagger slipped past Syrus’s neck as she dipped in closer and gripped their shoulder, cracking both with a forceful grab, creating double loud cracks. Kneeing the individual upwards, then slamming them into the ground.

—Today wasn’t one of those times.

“Next.” Nothing happened.

“I said next.”

Silence replied.

“Don’t think you are sneaky,” Syrus complained and walked further into the hallway. Was it a bluff? Thought the other individuals were hidden beneath the surface.

“If you are going to try to sneakily kill someone.” In a sudden motion, Syrus slammed her strengthened arm into the stone pathway and pulled up by the neck a second hidden figure. “Learn to stop breathing.”

The body’s bones rattled as they were slammed into the stone wall.

“Do you want to come out as well?”

[Up, out of the building, wire Eva.] (Syrus)

[On it.] (Eva)

Syrus pulled on the folded cloak on their shoulder, which undid the strap, which caused it to unfold and cover their body. She pulled the hood of the recently bought cloak over her head. Wearing their dark brown cloak, they jumped out of the window of the building and, with Eva’s wire, launched to the top floor. There was no one in sight besides one more hooded figure.

Flames covered Syrus’s fist. They had a dagger on their person, but they hadn’t pulled it out. They were waiting for what actions the group of assassins were going to take.

In a moment, the figure ran towards Syrus, and as Syrus was ready to counter, the person threw a smoke bomb onto the ground. Such actions wouldn’t bother Syrus if they followed through with the attack, but instead, they retreated. Syrus ran forward as she heard the person’s footsteps move towards the edge of the building.

Leaping off the building with a large burst of energy, they flew over multiple buildings. From the near-zero reaction on the ground, no one really noticed. There wasn’t a sound with a burst of energy, and there was no reason for anyone to look that far up. There were a few who were confused, and Anlesa could see someone tap the person besides them.

Syrus knew she could catch up, but it would be very loud.

[Crap.] (Syrus)

[What’s happening?] (Luna)

[Reinforcements downstairs, though, that might not be an accurate term, but backup came to bring the assassins away, and it looks like the guards are moving through due to the disturbance.] (Syrus)

Syrus focused her hearing and found something of interest. [One of the assassins has gone through a hatch on the first floor within the empty well.]

[You say we follow?] (Eva)

[Yes, we lost the chance to get anything from the first assault.] Syrus regretted not dragging one of the bastards with her. [Not to mention, it appears to be a secret passage that people don’t know about, so it is perfect for our escape as well.]

Jumping from the top floor into the well went surprisingly well. The number of windows that face the central open area was minimal and likely designed on purpose, which was to Anlesa's advantage, as people hadn’t reached the roof yet to see her escape.

Sliding down the well, she came across the stone wall that could be pushed open. The only lock was the strength to push it open. Closing it behind her, they immediately ran into the issue of a long, cramped tunnel.

[Well, this may not have been one of my brightest ideas.] (Syrus)

[It hasn’t lost its shine yet.] (Luna)

Moving through the underground passageway, they eventually found themselves at the clock tower. Looking through the cracks of the floor, they could see the first floor of the building below them.

[Well, that was unexpected.] (Syrus)

[We have to be careful of guards…] (Luna)

[Don’t worry too much; the only ones I hear are the ones standing outside. Looks like they stop people from coming in, but don’t patrol the inside besides the first floor.] (Syrus)

The ladder they climbed actually led them to the second floor; hidden within one of the internal pillars of the tower was the concealed ladder.

[Well… I doubt we will find anything useful here.] (Luna)

[True, but it has to be worth exploring this place.] (Syrus)

[For what?] (Luna)

[The thrill.] (Syrus)

[...] Luna sighed. [Sure, let’s go explore.]

[I wonder what the type of the tower is like…] (Eva)

[That’s the spirit.] (Syrus)