Arcana X 2nd Assignment: Bitter Suites to Succubi Chapter 11!!

“So, it is true.” Tremont is beside himself. He reflects of the explanation he was just told by Ecks, Willow and Elanohr. Ecks and Willow have come to Tulpaar Village on the request of a letter that was sent to Arcana Kingdom from Tulpex. They met Elanohr along the way and decided to help with finding his missing niece and her friend. Tremont lifts his head and looks over at a picture on the end table of him with Elga as children. He was a giant of child back then. He reaches a burly hand over and plucks it up. Holding it gingerly in his hand, his mind flickers through the happy times they have had. He can hear her distinctive laugh, see the bright smile on her face, smell her delicious cooking. Tremont traces her face on the picture. For a moment, he can almost feel her touch. Elanohr comforts him. “She’s really gone,” he says with a quivering chin. Elanohr grimly nods her head. Tremont sighs heavily. He doesn’t want to believe that his sister Elga has truly ended her own life. However, he cannot deny her hanging body in the kitchen. Seeing Elga in that state set off Tremont’s natural instincts and he lashed out accordingly. Now that he has settled down, his head is much clearer. Looking at Elanohr, he regrets raising his voice at the one true friend Elga has. “I’m sorry, Elanohr. I didn’t mean to come at you like that,” Tremont says.
“You only did what came naturally to you as Elga’s brother,” Elanohr responded kindly.
Tremont smiles. Elanohr always knows how to calm his temper. However, she is not the only one he unleashed his anger upon. “I owe the two of you an apology as well,” he says to Ecks and Willow. Tremont then says to Willow, “Especially you. When I heard that you were Arcana Knights, I just pushed my morals aside.”
“No big deal,” said Ecks.
“We’re used to it,” adds Willow.
Tremont had told them the story about a friend of his who was captured and executed by Arcana Knights years ago for a crime he did not commit. It was a case of mistaken identity because he resembled a wanted murder who abducted and killed women. Tremont even went to Arcana Kingdom to fight for his friend’s freedom but was abruptly turned away and nearly arrested himself. It was only after the real criminal was captured that an apology came from the White Sage who had no knowledge of his friend’s imprisonment and execution. He even assured Tremont that the knights responsible were permanently relieved of their duty. Still, this was not enough to quell his resentment towards anyone affiliated with Arcana Kingdom. Time, patience and Elga helped ease this ire. Willow and Ecks are unfamiliar with the incident. Their focus is the matter at hand now.
“Tremont, we are going to find out what happened to your niece and Aerith. To do that, we’re going to need your help,” Ecks says.
“Yeah, what do you need?” Tremont replies.
“First of all, how was Elga before Larissa disappeared.”
“A little over two weeks ago was the unfortunate anniversary of the tragedy at the Great Forge. It was also the day that my brother-in-law Benton left his family. He could get over the fact that Gaston’s death was unpreventable. Elga seemed alright and moving forward with her and Larissa running the merchant cart with Elanohr and Aerith. But…” Tremont trails off with a distant look in his eyes. After a long pause, he continues, “recently, I noticed that she has been participating less and less with the cart. And there have been times that Larissa has come to my house crying after Elga lashed at her. I should’ve known. I should’ve known that she had taken up drinking ale again.” Willow asks if Elga drank often. “Only when something upsets her. But when I asked, Elga told me that everything was fine. She’s my sister. She wouldn’t lie to me. Anyway, I asked her again. There was an argument and that was the last time I saw.”
“When did this happen?” Ecks asked.
“A little more than a week ago,” Tremont tells him.
Elanohr reacts and Ecks calls it out. “Elanohr, the last time you saw Elga was three days ago when your daughters disappeared, correct?” he asks her.
“Yes, it was,” Elanohr says, sounding confused.
“Wait, you saw Elga three days ago? But how? No one’s seen her in over a week,” Tremont responded shockingly.
“No one?”
“No. Milla asked me about Elga. The same goes for Tarja, Natalie, Ophelia, even Serena when she came looking for flowers for her cart,” Tremont tells Elanohr. Elanohr looked distantly. She couldn’t believe that no one but her has seen Elga in more than a week’s time. She is certain that she spoke to Elga three days ago. If what Tremont said is true, then whom did she speak to the night Aerith and Larissa disappeared.
Ecks, seeing the confliction in Elanohr’s face, asks Willow to keep an eye on them. He stands and walks out to the kitchen. He looks up at Elga’s lifeless body hanging from the ceiling. Now that the initial shock is over, he can focus more clearly. Ecks carefully scans the kitchen, taking notice of the empty sink. He then spies the pot resting on the stove. The remnants of the last meal cooked in it remained. Ecks walks over to it. There, he sees something odd. There is a piece of something that had yet to rot while everything else has. He then turns his attention to the table. There is a plate of decayed food on it. More accurately, half the food is decayed. Taking up a nearby fork, Ecks sifts through the compost. He finds several pieces of mushroom that are just beginning to rot. His investigation leads to the refrigerator. The pungent smell of rotted meat and spoiled milk hits him. Again, he finds more partially rotted mushrooms amongst the festering heap. After checking all the cabinets which were stocked with non-perishable items, Ecks investigates on last thing—Elga’s corpse. Pulling out a chair, the young Knight of Arcana steps up onto the table. He examines her carefully, making sure to not miss any specific details. Ecks leaves the kitchen once he is done.
Tremont and Elanohr hadn’t noticed that Ecks had left until they saw him return from the kitchen. Elanohr asks him if he found anything. Ecks answers with the question, “Did Elga have a fondness for Magdolia Mushrooms?”
Elanohr and Tremont are struck by the sudden inquiry. They stay silent for a moment before answering. “Yes, she did,” Elanohr says.
“Elga always cooked with them. She liked the sweet taste and used them in a lot of her meals,” Tremont adds. Curious but confused, he then asks, “But I don’t get it. What do Magdolia Mushrooms have to do with my sister’s death?”
“Not much. But they do confirm one thing,” Ecks said.
“What?” says Elanohr.
“Tremont’s story checks out. Elga has been dead for nearly two weeks,” Ecks tells them.
The news shocks both Tremont and Elanohr, more so Elanohr who has said to have seen Elga three days ago. Rocked with confusion and disbelief, Elanohr asks, “How can you be certain?”
Ecks shows them the Magdolia Mushroom he took from the fridge. “All of the food in Elga’s refrigerator is spoiled except for these mushrooms.”
Tremont suggests that the cold of the refrigerator kept them fresh. Ecks denounces it. “Perhaps but the plate of rotted food I found had these mushrooms on it and they are in the same state,” he says.
“What are you trying to say?” asks Elanohr.
“Magdolia Mushrooms retain their freshness for over two weeks even when cooked. The mushroom Ecks is holding has just begun to rot,” Willow explained. She then adds, “However, that is not the only thing. Elanohr, you said that Elga tended to her plants every day, correct?”
“Yes, she did,” Elanohr responded.
“When we came to this house, I noticed that garden and the plants hanging from the porch. That amount of defoliation doesn’t happen in three days’ time. Those plants weren’t tended to for weeks,” Willow pauses, watching the shock wash over Elanohr who stares to the ground in disbelief. She can tell that Elanohr is having a hard time processing this information. But if the truth behind Elga’s death is to be found then Elanohr must hear the truth about Elga’s death. Willow continues, “Then there is the home itself. If Elga tended to her home as much as her garden, then this place should be immaculate. But look at the disarray. A well-kept home doesn’t accumulate this much dust in three days’ time even though this is a blacksmith village.”
It is then that Tremont and Elanohr carefully look around Elga’s home. She was an amazing homemaker and very meticulous. If even a picture seemed out of frame, she would spot and correct the matter immediately. Willow’s assumption is correct. With the carpet of dust on the furniture, the spider webs draping the corners and smell of rotting food, no one has tended this house for days.
Ecks waits. There is more to his discovery in the kitchen, however. They will have time to grieve but he must bring them closure first. “Tremont. Elanohr. There is one more thing,” he starts. They listen carefully to what he is about to tell them. “While I was in the kitchen, I examined Elga’s corpse. There’s no easy way to say this but the state of decay suggests that her body has been hanging there for more than two weeks. That is slightly above the time frame you gave us, Tremont.”
“But that’s not possible! It was but ten days ago when I saw my sister last,” Tremont protested.
“And I believe you,” Ecks says to him, holding out a hand to calm him. “Something odd is happening in Tulpaar and we’re going to find out what. Willow and I are not leaving until we do. In the meantime, you two should go home while we talk with the people who last saw Elga alive. We’ll get back to you when we found something tangible.”
Elanohr nods. “Perhaps you’re right. Thank you.”
“We are still going to find what we can about Aerith and Larissa. We are going to find them,” Willow says to Elanohr and Tremont.
“I appreciate it. If anything, Larissa should know about her mother,” says Tremont.
Willow nods in agreement. She then says to Ecks, “Speaking of which, we should probably get Elga down.”
No sooner than she finished her sentence that a loud crash came from the kitchen, startling and horrifying everyone. After a brief moment, Ecks breaks the silence. “I think we’re good,” he says with his usual cynicism.
“Uh, yeah. We should probably….um,” Willow said awkwardly.
“I’ll…take Elanohr to my place,” says Tremont.
“I going to go with Tremont,” Elanohr added with an uneasy tone.
Just as everyone stands to leave, another loud thud is heard from the kitchen. They all quickly exit Elga’s home on that note.

Have a look at my fantasy story “Arcana X: Gunslinger Swordsman!”
Chapter1- Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Chapter2- Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Chapter3-
Chapter4-
Chapter5- Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Chapter6-

Arcana X 2nd Assignment: Chapter 9 Pt.1
Arcana X 2nd Assignment: Chapter 9 Pt.2
Arcana X 2nd Assignment: Chapter 10

Find out how Yugi came to the world of Beyblade with the links below!!
Yu-Gi-Oh X Beyblade Ch.1 Pt.1
Yu-Gi-Oh X Beyblade Ch.1 Pt.2
Yu-Gi-Oh X Beyblade Ch.1 Pt.3
Yu-Gi-Oh X Beyblade Ch.1 Pt.4
Yu-Gi-Oh X Beyblade Ch.1 Pt.5
Yu-Gi-Oh X Beyblade Ch.2
Yu-Gi-Oh X Beyblade Ch.3
Yu-Gi-Oh X Beyblade Ch.4
Yu-Gi-Oh X Beyblade Chapter 4 Pt.2
Yu-Gi-Oh X Beyblade Chapter 4 Pt.3
Yu-Gi-Oh X Beyblade Chapter 5
Yu-Gi-Oh X Beyblade Chapter 6 pt.1
Yu-Gi-Oh X Beyblade Chapter 6 Pt.2
Yu-Gi-Oh X Beyblade Chapter 6 Pt.3
Yu-Gi-Oh X Beyblade Chapter 6 Pt.4
Yu-Gi-Oh X Beyblade Chapter 6 Pt.5
Yu-Gi-Oh X Beyblade Chapter 6 Pt 6
Yu-Gi-Oh X Beyblade Chapter 6 Pt.7

Check out my other fan fiction!!
See the Witch dance with the Devil in “Dante vs Bayonetta!!”

See who is the angriest in “Fury Rages On-Kratos vs. Asura!”
Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3
Chapter4
Chapter5
Chapter6
Chapter7
Chapter8
Chapter9
Chapter10
Chapter11
Chapter12
Chapter13