《Small Medium at Large》 The Gilded Coins of Berda 01 ¡°Sir, we¡¯ve just got word of a prospective case sent by one of Baron merchants.¡± ¡°Of course we did, just my luck.¡± ¡°Should I get Investigator Vett on it, sir?¡± ¡°No good, I just sent Vett out on a 2-week investigation.¡± ¡°Ah, then Investigator Lockheart?¡± ¡°Berda would have my hide if I got him involved.¡± ¡°Are you going to be handling this yourself, sir? We¡¯re short staffed as it is.¡± ¡°No, no, my wife would kill me if I took a case. I¡­hm, I have an idea.¡± -A conversation between Investigator Rayn Barnaby and Chief Investigator Clark Nopaly
¡°Ugh.¡± Waking up was a bitch and a half, only made worse by the pangs of headache knocking on my skull¡¯s backdoor. What the fuck had Coco dragged my sorry ass out to yesterday? ¡®Don¡¯t act like you don¡¯t enjoy it, Molly. It¡¯s unprofessional.¡¯ I opened my eyes a crack so I could roll them. Coco¡¯s high-pitched, irreverent voice really wasn¡¯t the balm my aching mind and body had been looking for. And the lilting tone she said the word ¡®unprofessional¡¯ with was really the nail on the head regarding her feelings on the matter. ¡®Don¡¯t worry, girlie, she didn¡¯t do anything I¡¯d regret.¡¯ Yeah, Frank, that certainly relieved any worries I had. As my spirits chuckled at my poor morning, I rolled over and flinched as I felt something else in bed with me. My hand sluggishly felt up the large, gangly object, trying to dissect the details of what random piece of shit Coco had fallen asleep with last night. It felt kind of¡­fleshy? And then it, no, she moaned and I was filled with shame, not helped by the sudden laughter from the fucking peanut gallery. I jumped up, barely managing to not fall off my cramped bed, ¡°Oh, uh¡­shit.¡± ¡®Do ya like her, Molly?¡¯ ¡®Her¡¯ was a larger woman, all muscles and curves. Tanned skin that seemed to bask in the sunlight from the lone stray window my apartment had and dark red hair that came down to her shoulders. Before I could deal with the rush of blood flooding my cheeks, and Coco¡¯s stupidity, the woman began to stir and groan, my touch having woken her up. ¡°Ah, good morning, dear!¡± The woman flexed as she leaned up, her entire body rippling with muscles that I really hadn¡¯t understood the complexity until exactly that moment. ¡®Yeah, Coco definitely didn¡¯t do anything I¡¯d regret.¡¯ I blinked, trying to get my mind back on straight, ¡°Ah, good morning.¡± She opened her brilliant blue eyes to look at me, tilting her head, ¡°Shall we start the morning correctly, dear?¡± She let the rest of the covers fall from her form and I became distinctly aware that Coco hadn¡¯t exactly worn clothes to bed last night. I took a step back, ¡°Ok, uh, no. I¡¯m going to put on clothes and make breakfast. You can¡­¡± Leave? Go away? Go find some other stranger to call ¡®dear¡¯ in that really undeserved, warm way? ¡®Nooo! Don¡¯t be mean to Zarna! She¡¯s great!¡¯ I flinched at Coco¡¯s screech. How had she gotten so close to someone a single night, anyway? ¡®You don¡¯t understand the closeness that comes from a night of shared drinking. Also¡­have you seen how tall she is?¡¯ ¡°Molly, are you ok? You seem disturbed, dear.¡± Knocked out of my thoughts, I stared at the abs standing in front of me and slowly bent my head back to meet Zarna¡¯s gaze, ¡°Holy shit, you¡¯re tall.¡± ¡®Right!?¡¯ ¡®Eh, she¡¯s fine, but I like ¡®em short.¡¯ Zarna smiled toothily, ¡°Yes, I believe you said something like that last night.¡± She was a good two heads taller than me, which was crazy, but I shook it off quickly. If I let myself get wow¡¯d by everyone who could plop their chin on top of my head, I was gonna have problems. ¡°Ok,¡± I held up a hand, ¡°First, you need clothes, uh, this¡­ok, second, I am not the same girl you¡­shared a bed with last night.¡± Zarna stroked her chin, looking faintly amused, ¡°Interesting notion, do you know where this girl ran off to?¡± Yeah, she¡¯s inching her way back to a lonely afterlife. ¡®Hey!¡¯ Groaning, I motioned her to follow me, ¡°Look, just put some clothes on and I¡¯ll explain.¡± As Zarna¡¯s amusement was mixed thoroughly with a cup of confusion, she began to pick apart the mounds of clothes left lying around my cramped bedroom. Whatever wouldn¡¯t fit her, she threw at me. Except, of course, for the oversized shirt that distinctly smelled like her and was obviously not mine. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The large woman blushed, ¡°Please?¡± ¡®Do it! Yes, yes!¡¯ I grumbled and put on the shirt, ignoring how warm and comfortable it was, before heading to the kitchen to start the day off with how every day should start off. With coffee.
Zarna, for all of her strength and height, could pull off adorably confused with ease. Not that I was particularly interested, of course. ¡®Hah, yeah right.¡¯ Ignoring Coco, I coughed, ¡°Ok, so, let me figure out how to start all of this off, ok? Ok.¡± I¡¯d said ¡®ok¡¯ way too many times in the last half-hour. I wanted to take my nervous tick out back and shoot it. With some scrambled eggs and some dried meat for breakfast, I¡¯d done my best to be a good host, even if I hadn¡¯t exactly intended to be one. Which kind of hurt, honestly, because I¡¯m pretty sure I was down to my last few silvers. ¡®Yeah, uh, you might want to find a job soon! Sorry!¡¯ Oh yeah, Coco had gone out last night. I didn¡¯t dare check my savings. I refocused on the woman in front of me inhaling breakfast, ¡°Ok, hey, uh, Zarna? So here¡¯s the deal.¡± She looked up at me, chewing a bit of meat. ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m not the girl from last night,¡± It was always hard trying to figure out the explanation for this, ¡°Basically, last night was a side-effect of my Class.¡± She swallowed, ¡°Your Class? You said your Class was Potion Hound last night.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t my Class. That¡¯s¡­Coco¡¯s Class.¡± ¡°Coco?¡± ¡°The different girl.¡± ¡°That looked exactly like you?¡± I got the feeling that I was losing Zarna. I hesitated, before nodding, ¡°Yeah, basically. I¡¯m a Medium, a Rare Class. Basically, I get help from spirits I''ve, uh, bonded with and they get to...be alive again for a while, sometimes.¡± It was the simplest version I had been able to grind this explanation down to. Somehow, giving it to a pretty girl was a lot more difficult than it was to give to guards holding me for a bar fight. ¡®That Hitch guy absolutely fucking deserved the beating I gave him and you know it.¡¯ I did not, in fact, know it, Frank. I didn¡¯t know anything my spirits got up to except when the consequences crashed through my window. Whether he deserved it or not, Hitch had cost me a fortune in replacing that window. Zarna stroked her chin, ¡°That sounds like a difficult Class, Molly. So, the girl I met last night¡­¡± ¡°One of my spirits, Coco the Potion Hound.¡± ¡®Hey Zarna! I love you!¡¯ ¡°She says hello.¡± Zarna smiled, looking pleasantly surprised, before taking a sip of her coffee, ¡°Hello Coco! Well, I was not expecting this after last night! Do you have other spirits?¡± I blushed, ¡°Uh, a guy named Frank?¡± Was this happening? I¡¯d been interrogated a lot, but I¡¯d never felt this warm and pleasant during one. Most people would be a lot more frustrated right now, well, uh, from my experience at least. The whole ¡®spirit¡¯ explanation fell flat for most people who wanted to know why I¡¯d done something crazy or obscene. At least my Spirit Debt was out now. I think Frank still had some debt over me, but he saved his for nights out with his old buddies. A lot more predictable for my schedule than Coco ever let herself be. ¡®Predictable is boring! You need some spice in your life! Like Zarna!¡¯ Said spice stroked her chin, ¡°Amazing. Stratum is certainly an interesting city!¡± ¡°Oh? You¡¯re new here?¡± I took a second look at her clothing and it seemed local at least. At least from the same area? Zarna gave a short nod, ¡°Yes, well, I received a job offer after some time on the road. It required me to settle down for the time being.¡± A traveler? Looking at how built she was, I assumed she was used to more mercenary work. A long-term job offer ruled out a former organization, most likely at least. Was her Class centered around combat? I couldn¡¯t imagine her having something like Farm Girl or Money Bags. She quirked an eyebrow, ¡°You have a curious gaze, Molly.¡± Coughing, forcing myself to stop analyzing the poor woman, I waved my hands, ¡°Uh, ok, sorry. I just, ok, well¡­I was just, uh, curious about your Class, what kind of work brought you here.¡± Zarna¡¯s amused expression only grew, ¡°Ah, Molly, quite the question! Still, I don¡¯t mind sharing, well, sharing again.¡± Damnit Coco! ¡®You never asked!¡¯ ¡°My Class is Behemoth, a Rare Class like yours.¡± She didn¡¯t go into detail about what kind of work that Class had gotten her involved in, but I wasn¡¯t going to pry. Because, uh, wow. Behemoth wasn¡¯t a huge deal, ok, well, it was a ¡®huge¡¯ deal, but it wasn¡¯t exceptional. It, uh, just made a lot of sense. I took another look at Zarna¡¯s stature. Yeah, it made a lot of sense. ¡°So, Molly, what kind of work are you involved in?¡± Zarna had finished her breakfast by this point and I was pretty sure I noticed her nabbing some of my bacon. I, uh, was fine with that. Waking up with a stranger in my bed had kicked my appetite to the curb. I scratched the back of my head, feeling the tangles of the unruly mop that grew on my head, ¡°I¡­¡± I stopped. What did I even do these days? Odd jobs, finding lost cats, scrounging for money on the street and trying to keep this dingy apartment clean. Fuck, Frank brought in more money from his poker nights than I was right now. I shrugged, ¡°Ok, well, uh, I guess I don¡¯t do anything right now. I was, uh, employed a while back but they¡­thought I should find a different profession.¡± That was a nice way of putting it. Could I really blame them? I felt my spirits trying to comfort me, which was ironic seeing that they hadn¡¯t exactly helped me keep my job. ¡°Oh Molly,¡± The sympathy in Zarna¡¯s voice stung, ¡°I''m sorry to hear that.¡± I shrugged. I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to spill everything I had to this woman I had just met, but I wasn¡¯t exactly flush with friends. Honestly, it was nice just having someone in my apartment, even if the circumstances were embarrassing as fuck. ¡°It was a month or so ago, nothing serious. I, uh, just jumping from job to job, handling little issues the best I can.¡± My companion nodded, but before she could say anything else, I heard a knock on my door that rattled it against the weak wooden frame it was set in. ¡°Molly! There¡¯s a letter for ya!¡± I sent an apologetic look to the poor woman who¡¯d had the politeness to sit down and listen to my shitty sob story before I rushed over to the door, anxiety building up in my chest. ¡®It wasn¡¯t me! I didn¡¯t do anything!¡¯ ¡®Maybe Evante finally sent that money he owes me?¡¯ I really hoped it was the latter, I¡¯d already dealt with one of Coco¡¯s shenanigans today, I didn¡¯t have it in me to handle another one! Opening the door, I looked up at my landlord, ¡°Uh, a letter?¡± Nikos Calverd was a bastard, but he was efficient and didn¡¯t waste a second handing me the letter, ¡°Came in last night, from the Continental Investigator Agency.¡± I stared down at the letter, the lip emblazoned with the telltale golden eye symbol of the CIA. I looked up to ask Nikos a question, but he was already down the hall delivering the rest of the morning mail. I gazed back down at the letter. ¡®Open it! Maybe they remembered how cool you are!¡¯ ¡®Or maybe a late bill from some of the shit we broke?¡¯ ¡°Molly?¡± Zarna¡¯s voice cut through the clamor of my spirits and the daze that I¡¯d settled into seeing my old organization¡¯s symbol. I opened the letter, ignoring Zarna for the moment, and read through the first few lines of the official looking notice. My gasp was echoed by my spirits, each of us entirely taken off guard. Zarna¡¯s warm hand fell on my shoulder gently, ¡°Molly, is everything ok?¡± I looked up at the kind giantess that had somehow become the only person, outside of the dead people in my brain, to share the news with. ¡°I¡­I have a job!¡± The Gilded Coins of Berda 02 Dear Melinda Joiner, Although it was decided that your time with the Continental Investigator Agency had come to an end after the debacles spawned from your unique circumstances, I believe you hold unique insights into specific matters. If you have the time, I¡¯d hope to refer a case to your independent practice regarding a recent theft reported by Baron Garretti Berda and his recently wedded wife, Baroness Fiona Berda. The Baron wishes to speak in private at the Berda Estate regarding the matter, so unfortunately I do not have further details to include. If you have not the time, feel free to disregard this letter, however, I am eager to see what results you come across. Signed, Chief Investigator Clark Nopaly -A recent letter sent to the abode of Molly Joiner, ex-investigator of the Continental Investigator Agency.
I glanced up from the letter up at the large, golden gate in front of me. The stylized initials of the Berda Family were familiar, something anyone in this part of the city would recognize. Zarna had business elsewhere, although she¡¯d offered to join me. I, uh, didn¡¯t think I needed her? Something about the offer was nice, but I had only met the woman that morning. That really wasn¡¯t a good foundation for a working relationship. ¡®It¡¯s a good basis for a different kind of relationship though!¡¯ Shut up! Regardless, I was excited to finally have a chance to investigate something again. A real mystery! Solving a theft was a good way to get back into the saddle and it paid really well. The only, uh, problem was¡­ ¡°So, uh, how do I get inside?¡± There weren¡¯t any guards around to open up the gates, protective runes to swear a sacred oath to, or really much of anything to go off on for a method of entry. ¡®Those vines look climbable. To our left.¡¯ I looked over at the patch of greenery twisting around the gilded iron fence of the Berda estate, long thick vines that had crawled around and between the sections of the outer perimeter of the grounds, ¡°Oh, good eyes, Frank.¡± ¡®What can I say? I know what and what not to climb.¡¯ I took a step over to the vines when I realized what I was doing, ¡°Wait, fuck, I can¡¯t just break into my employer¡¯s estate, Frank!¡± ¡®Maybe it¡¯s a test? Make sure you''re the real deal?¡¯ ¡°I doubt that,¡± I took another step towards the vines, my curiosity tugging my gaze towards them. It was actually a little odd for the vines to be this unruly around a noble estate, but some went for that kind of aesthetic. ¡°Uh, ma¡¯am?¡± I shot up to my feet, ¡°Ok!¡± Blinking, I silently looked over at an older looking man on the other side of the gate, dressed in an efficient, black vest fitted over a silken white shirt. I noticed he had a very nice pair of pants too, a lot of pockets that seamlessly blended in with the rest of the material to give the illusion of a sleek dress pants. And he was looking at me with his heavy white eyebrows furrowed in no small amount of suspicion as he, likewise, took in my appearance. I nonchalantly dusted at my arm, trying to give my best smile. I¡¯d come dressed up in my old CIA uniform. They, well, they had never asked me to give it back after the first time they asked, so it¡¯d been gathering dust for the last few months. Of course, I¡¯d cut off the CIA patches, uh, which were illegal to wear if you weren¡¯t a member. ¡®We look hot!¡¯ It made me look professional, I thought in protest. Even if it was a size too big for me, something that the agency had planned to fix before my, uh, parting. ¡°-here? Ma¡¯am? Ma¡¯am!¡± I blinked, ¡°Ok, uh, sorry. What?¡± The man was frowning now, ¡°Do you have business with the Baron, ma¡¯am? We¡¯re quite busy and we aren¡¯t accepting unscheduled guests at this time.¡± ¡®Ooh, I like his stern older man vibes.¡¯ ¡®Any vibes you don¡¯t like, Coco?¡¯ ¡®Yeah, greasy hobo vibes, Frank.¡¯ I swallowed, ¡°Uh, I¡¯m Molly Joiner?¡± The older man sniffed, readjusting his vest, ¡°Was that a question? Are you uncertain about who you are?¡± Well, I was getting a tad uncertain about where I was. No, no, this was important! I just had to take a deep breath and remember why I was here. To solve a mystery! I coughed, ¡°I¡¯m Molly Joiner, the independent investigator the Baron¡¯s case got referred to by the CIA.¡± He took me in for a moment, before he nodded, ¡°Yes, we were informed you¡¯d be of some help. Please, allow me to open the gate and I¡¯ll escort you to the Baron.¡± ¡®He can escort me anywhere!¡¯ I ignored my most salacious spirit and took a deep breath as the butler, I assumed, opened up the gate for me. It was time to solve a mystery.
Or answer a thousand questions. ¡°And what exactly is your Class, Investigator Joiner?¡± Benjamin Abert, the butler, had questioned my attire and my pedigree long before he actually got my Class. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Exhausted, I blew a messy bang out of my face and kept my answer short, ¡°Medium. Level 37.¡± I wasn¡¯t happy that he¡¯d made a big deal about poking around in my background. ¡°I see. And how will such a Class aid in my employer¡¯s interests?¡± ¡®Holy shit, I¡¯m this close to tagging in and punching this guy.¡¯ Please don¡¯t, I really needed this job. Annoyingly invasive butler or not. ¡°Well, Iunno,¡± I eventually shrugged, ¡°I wasn¡¯t exactly clued in to what actually happened except that it involved a theft.¡± We¡¯d been walking through the empty yard for a while now, mostly at Benjamin¡¯s snail pace. It had to be intentional with all these pointed and insulting questions he was throwing my way. Even Coco had lost interest in his ¡®stern older man vibes¡¯ eventually. The butler sniffed, sounding faintly amused, ¡°We are keeping the situation very private, not even the other employees, even myself, have been allowed to leave until the matter has been settled to keep news from spreading.¡± That explained how empty everything was. I¡¯d thought I¡¯d see a gardener around or something, some kind of groundskeeper. Hell, I was pretty sure the Berda had small homes for some of their trusted employees and their families. Were they keeping all the kids inside? I scratched my head, ¡°Ok, well, when I get a better idea of the situation, I¡¯ll be able to let you know how I can help, ok?¡± ¡°I¡¯d thought you experienced enough to have an understanding of your own general capabilities, but if not, then yes, we shall wait until you are informed of the situation.¡± I felt like I was back in the academy, ¡°Ok.¡± Eventually, we made it to the entrance to the main household of the estate, a large two-wing abode that towered upward about two stories from my estimate. However, while I¡¯d seen a glimpse of the household from the gate, I could pick out a few new details. One of the large front windows, with tinted green glass, had been shattered outward, the scatterings of glass still glinting in the sun amongst the grass. I stopped upon noticing it, tilting my head, ¡°Uh, ok?¡± ¡°Yes, unfortunately I can¡¯t have the groundskeepers clean that until the situation is resolved.¡± Ok, good, this was a part of everything. I mean, I¡¯d thought it was, but assuming things was a dangerous hobby that I tried to indulge in moderation. ¡®Looks like someone beat a hasty retreat.¡¯ I stepped a little closer, examining the shattered panes of glass. They were really well made, some high quality glass you only see in places like this. Some of the shattered remains looked a little odd though, darkened and scorched by a fire. ¡°Come along, investigator, there will be time to evaluate the premises after meeting with the Baron.¡± ¡°Oh, uh, ok,¡± I cursed my tongue as I made to follow. My nerves were really beginning to get to me and, well, I really couldn¡¯t mess this up. This was my chance to¡­well, actually do something? Maybe if I did a good enough job, the CIA would take me back? ¡®Yeah! That¡¯s the spirit! We¡¯ll get our job back in no time!¡¯ I smiled despite my growing worry over that little hope. I¡¯d learned a long time ago it was better to deal with the now then hold out hope for the later. ¡°Welcome, Miss Joiner,¡± Benjamin opened up one of the large wooden double doors of the main entrance, ¡°To the magnificent Berda household.¡± Dusting at my clothes, I swallowed down the hard lump in my throat and stepped inside.
If you¡¯ve seen one gaudy mansion, you¡¯ve basically seen them all. They all tried to be different, tried to spice it up with some unique reference to some ancient heritage, hell, some of them even managed to get me to double-take, but¡­ The Berda household wasn¡¯t really one of them? I mean, ok, the welcoming room was large and opulent, with beautiful checkered marble floors and a mahogany staircase that fancily winded up to the second floor of the abode, but it was still just the standard noble aesthetic that had been popular for far too long. ¡°Uh, nice house,¡± I wasn¡¯t feeling like getting into a deep discussion with the family butler about how standard their house was. ¡°Of course. Here,¡± My thoughts were brought up short as he pulled a cup of amber liquid and offered it to me politely, ¡°A drink to enjoy as I go to alert Baron Berda of your arrival.¡± I took the drink, taking a sip as he walked up the stairs and disappeared from sight. I had been feeling a bit parched and this drink, well, it was really nice. Not quite wine, but still kind of grape-y? It had a nice rich smell, like the scent equivalent to holding a hefty bar of gold in my hand. ¡®Oooh, I want more! Let¡¯s go raid the cellar!¡¯ ¡°Yeah, I probably shouldn¡¯t do that, Coco,¡± I took another sip as I began to walk around the welcoming room, ¡°Still, while the butler is away, the investigator shall play.¡± There were plenty of portraits lining the walls depicting the members of the Berda household, from past and future. I wasn¡¯t a historian, but I recognized Thomask Berda, the first patriarch of the family. He¡¯d been one of the founders of Stratum, alongside the other heads of the royal families, possessed with the same desire to create a prosperous, independent city away from the wars of greater nations. In the stories I¡¯d heard, he was the economic powerhouse of the families, a great wealth that had barely waned as it trickled down to his descendants. Beautifully tended brown hair that curled at the bangs, barely concealing the sharp glint of intelligence in the green eyes of the historical figure. They said he could appraise the value of any soul he met eyes with, something I wasn¡¯t going to contest. Classes could get weird in the upper levels. ¡®I can¡¯t wait until we get weird!¡¯ ¡°We¡¯re already weird, ok?¡± I lightly nudged a few books aside and looked behind a few pieces of furniture, ¡°Everything¡¯s so clean in here. No dust at all.¡± ¡°Ah, thank you, Investigator Joiner. I¡¯ll let the staff know.¡± I definitely didn¡¯t jump at the voice, but I definitely whipped my head up to the top of the stairs where a very familiar man was staring down at me with an amused smile. The same brown hair, the same intelligent eyes, if his chin wasn¡¯t slightly pointier and his eyes weren¡¯t blue, he¡¯d be a convincing stand-in for Thomask Berda himself. Benjamin stood beside him, looking down on me with far less pleasantness in his gaze, ¡°Introducing Garretti Berda, the patriarch of the household, to his honored guest, Investigator Melinda Joiner.¡± I coughed, ¡°Uh, ok, well, Molly is fine, my Lord.¡± The Baron descended down the stairs, every inch closer revealing more and more about the man. He dressed nicely, with deep black robes with golden trim, and he walked with practiced ease. I had little doubt that he was a high Level, probably with some sort of social Class. Stepping off the stairs, the Baron gave an easy smile, ¡°Well, Melinda, we thank you for coming here on such short notice. This is a very private affair and I hope you haven¡¯t felt too estranged.¡± ¡®Oh shit, this guy¡¯s a dick.¡¯ ¡®All nobles are dicks! Even the ladies!¡¯ I was of the same mind, honestly. I really didn¡¯t like being called Melinda, ¡°Well, uh, ok. It hasn¡¯t been a problem, I guess? So, I¡¯m here now, what¡¯s the problem?¡± Because the sooner I solved this mystery, the sooner I could get out of here. Although, I really didn¡¯t want to rush my first real investigation after so long. It¡¯d be kind of like rushing a fine drink of wine! Or, uh, something like that. I didn¡¯t want to sound like an alcoholic. ¡°Of course,¡± Baron Berda motioned me to follow, turning and letting his robe billow behind him as he began to make his way up the stairs, ¡°Come, come. This is no place for my sordid tale.¡± ¡®I know a good place for that sordid tail.¡¯ Blushing, I followed the Baron up the stairs into the second story of his massive home, having to take two steps to match the Baron¡¯s gait as he led me to his personal office. The door swung loosely on its hinges and the Baron carefully opened it up for me. Stepping inside his office, I knew something was horribly, horribly wrong. Stacks of books burnt, portraits toppled, various antiques shattered on the ground, and in the center of the mess, almost left perfectly pristine from the chaos around it, ten shimmering golden coins in a nice stack on the floor. The Baron spoke in a hushed, serious tone, ¡°An attempt at theft was had, investigator. One that everyone on my property is a suspect in.¡± The Gilded Coins of Berda 03 ¡°Lord Berda, Investigator Melinda Joiner has arrived.¡± ¡°Ah good, it was quite brave of Nopaly to send one of his rejects. Learn anything?¡± ¡°She was honest about her Class and Level, my Lord. She is a Level 37 Medium, through-and-through.¡± ¡°Grand. Anything else?¡± ¡°Nothing of note. Although, she strikes me as inexperienced.¡± ¡°Well then, let¡¯s not keep the rookie investigator waiting.¡± -A conversation between Baron Garretti Berda and Butler Benjamin Abert moments before meeting Molly Joiner.
There was a lot to take in here, but before I could get a head of myself, I needed the full picture from the Baron, ¡°Ok, uh, what¡¯s the story here?¡± ¡°Ah, the story. What a fine question!¡± The Baron waltzed in by me, gesturing out to his office, ¡°Late last night, my wife and I were awoken by a large crash and the smell of smoke. Rushing out, my wife went to the guards downstairs while I rushed to the office.¡± He crept through the rubble, carefully stepping around the stacked coins, ¡°I found the door¡¯s locks destroyed, the whole office on fire, and amidst all the chaos, the Coins of Berda scattered across the floor.¡± I pointed at the coins, ¡°They¡¯re stacked now.¡± ¡°Astute observation, investigator. I can see why Nopaly spoke so highly of you.¡± ¡®I¡¯m gonna punch him.¡¯ Don¡¯t. ¡®Then you should punch him.¡¯ Even worse. It was one thing to have a side-effect of a Class be the motivator for a crime, there was a certain amount of legal defense for that. If I just did it by my own free will and hand, well, I¡¯d be fucked. ¡®I return to my first argument.¡¯ I ignored Frank, tilting my head at the coins, ¡°Ok, so, why? And, uh, what are the Coins of Berda?¡± The Baron sniffed, suddenly striking a pose and pointing to the sky, ¡°The Coins of Berda are an ancient relic! One that has been in my family since Thomask¡¯s great brilliance tilled the soil our prosperity now grows!¡± ¡®He has to have practiced that in the mirror, right?¡¯ ¡®Nah, if he had, he¡¯d have noticed how stupid he looks!¡¯ ¡°So, uh, did you stack them or something?¡± ¡°No,¡± The Baron shook his head, ¡°The Coins of Berda are separate coins, but are just part of a greater whole that desires to be whole.¡± I smiled and nodded, trying to hide how little that had helped. ¡°Ugh, they are drawn to each other and stack themselves. Understand now? It was Thomask Berda¡¯s Class Artifact, the epitome of his gift with currency and value.¡± Ok, finally, I understood. Skills that allowed people to craft magical items and machines were one thing, but a Class Artifact was another. Only those who¡¯ve reached Level 100 are able to even begin to work towards such an achievement, and it isn¡¯t exactly easy then if the legends are to be believed. Still, it made me wonder who exactly had the cojones to try and go for a royal family¡¯s most cherished Class Artifact. I nodded, ¡°So, is that it? Did you see the culprit?¡± Benjamin spoke up, ¡°The mistress of the house, Lady Berda, spotted the miscreant as they dove out of the window and into the yard beyond. She attempted to apprehend them, but they escaped.¡± So, they try to steal something, fail, burn everything down, and then get attacked on the way out, but manage to leave with their life? I examined some of the crisp remains of the surrounding books, ¡°And even if I figure out who did it, uh, this thief is probably out of the city by now, yeah?¡± The Baron stepped in, shaking his head, ¡°Moments after I saw the coins scattered, I acted quickly. I activated ancient barriers around the estate, stopping anyone from exiting by any means, be they mundane or supernatural.¡± Ancient protections, huh? The thief must not have known about them if they thought they could get away. Sniffing of the piles of ash, I frowned, ¡°So they¡¯re still here.¡± ¡°Indubitably.¡± ¡°Beyond the obvious,¡± Because really, any Class Artifact would fetch an insane price on the markets, legal avenues or otherwise, ¡°Why would someone want to steal these Coins of Berda?¡± Baron Gerretti shrugged, ¡°Politics? Another royal family wanting to rub it in my face, it certainly sounds like something a Clarota would love to do. It was doomed to failure, however.¡± I raised an eyebrow, ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Because, the Coins of Berda possess a number of unique capabilities, one of which acts as an anti-theft mechanism. Anyone not of the Berda family attempting to take ownership of the coins are simply unable to have them on their person, no matter how tight the grip or quality of the bag.¡± The Baron seemed to smile, as if pleased that his ancestor¡¯s artifact had the opportunity to thwart a would-be thief. ¡°I don¡¯t even deign to lock them up, the effect is so strong.¡± Well, he was certainly confident. Still, I was a tad confused. Why would a thief want to burn everything up? Even without the coins, there were certainly valuable books and artifacts around that could be stolen! Why just destroy them? And what about that loud crash that woke the Baron and his wife up? At this point, Benjamin spoke up again, ¡°We¡¯ve already made a list of suspects with their Class and Level clearly stated. Skills they possess are also listed, as I have such things documented.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He pulled out a stack of documents, handing them over as I took out my clipboard and began to skim through the details. There were over thirty servants that regularly worked at the estate, not to mention the fifteen royal guards that regularly rotated out. Reading through the names, I peered up at him, ¡°And, uh, your Class and Level?¡± The butler sniffed, ¡°All possible suspects are listed there, Investigator Joiner.¡± ¡°Ok, uh, that didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± Did he really think because he was the head butler I wasn¡¯t going to suspect him? ¡®It¡¯s the exact opposite!¡¯ ¡®I hope it¡¯s him. And the Baron.¡¯ ¡°Miss Joiner,¡± The Baron laid a soft hand on my clipboard, ¡°Neither Benjamin nor my wife are to be considered suspects in this matter. Benjamin was the one who fetched the guards and my wife was clearly not involved.¡± I hated when taller people stared down at me like they knew better than I did. Height should have never become equated with authority, in my opinion. ¡°Well, uh, ok,¡± I managed to mutter under his gaze, retreating down to the list of names, ¡°I just, uh¡­ok, I¡¯m gonna need to speak with your wife, at least¡­you know, as a witness? Ok?¡± The Baron¡¯s gaze softened, smiling, ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re up to the task, Investigator Joiner. I¡¯ll let my wife know you wish to speak with her, although she is still calming down from last night¡¯s events. Feel free to examine the rest of the estate as you wish, Benjamin can fetch any suspect you wish to speak to.¡± ¡°Uh, thanks.¡± ¡®Prick!¡¯ I left the room before my spirits decided to make their issues with the Baron known using my mouth.
The suspect list was, while quite thorough, not giving me a lot. I¡¯d spent the last few hours going through the documents, trying to piece together the circumstances with the Classes I had on hand. From what I understood, there was a single thief, but that didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t have accomplices. Honestly, it felt unlikely that they didn¡¯t. Why would you rob a royal family without some sort of team? As Benjamin described, while the ancient barrier currently keeping everyone inside was a closely held secret and barely used, this being the first circumstance requiring it in 50 years, the perimeter of the estate was closely patrolled by royal guards. And you didn¡¯t become a royal guard by having Classes that let thieves slip in easily. ¡®A solo job is riskier, but comes with a bigger payout, kid.¡¯ I blew a stray bang out of my face, ¡°Yeah, yeah, but none of these servants have any Classes that I could see helping them get away with this. Most of them are barely over Level 20!¡± On average, they all had Classes like Maid, Chef, Servant, or, in one particular oddity, a Cleansweeper, an Uncommon Class. While interesting, the Skills that they had didn¡¯t lend to thievery or getting away with it. ¡®Well, you don¡¯t need a Class to be good at something. How many investigators actually have the Detective Class?¡¯ I shrugged, ¡°Iunno, but they¡¯re the ones that get all the promotions.¡± ¡®We kinda got promoted!¡¯ ¡°Getting fired isn¡¯t a promotion, Coco.¡± Sometimes I wondered when Coco¡¯s optimism would start peeling away at reality. ¡®Ugh, I hate peeling! Potatoes are yummy, but cleaning them? Disgusting!¡¯ I should get some potatoes on the way home. It¡¯d been a while since I¡¯d cooked instead of grabbing something from one of the street vendors. ¡®Aye, that¡¯s the spirit. Look at you, getting back in the saddle.¡¯ I blushed, throwing myself back into the case, ¡°Ok, so, uh, yeah, the only one that really stands out is this guy, Peter Till, a Level 26 Gardener.¡± ¡®Why¡¯s he standing out?¡¯ ¡°Those vines we noticed at the front gate,¡± I tapped at one of Peter¡¯s listed Skills , ¡°He would have been the one to make them so thick.¡± ¡®And climbable.¡¯ I nodded, ¡°Not saying he¡¯s our prime suspect, but after going through everybody else, he¡¯s our best lead.¡± ¡°Investigator Joiner?¡± Benjamin¡¯s voice cut through my reasoning. I looked up, having been sat in one of the comfortable private rooms as I went over the suspects, ¡°Ah, um, yes?¡± The older man sniffed, ¡°Lady Berda will see you now.¡± I nodded, ¡°Good, uh, great. I¡¯ll go, uh, see her?¡± ¡°Upstairs, the right hallway, third door to your left. Do try your best not to get lost.¡± He said it like he expected exactly that. Well, I wasn¡¯t great at directions, but I had some mighty fine helpers to make sure I didn¡¯t lose my way. ¡®Did he say the third or fourth door?¡¯ ¡®We should go down the left hallway!¡¯ Nevermind. Standing up, I held out a list of names to Benjamin, ¡°If you could, uh, get these witnesses ready to talk, I¡¯d appreciate that. A few of the guards on the scene and Peter Till, the gardener.¡± While I was somewhat worried about Benjamin, a suspect in the case regardless of the Baron¡¯s wishes, fetching other witnesses, it was a worry that couldn¡¯t bear fruit. I couldn¡¯t find them without help and the Baron, the one man I actually didn¡¯t suspect right now, had retreated to his wife¡¯s side. Benjamin looked at the list, before nodding, ¡°Of course, investigator. I¡¯ll get right on that.¡± Opening the door for me, I gave him a nod before setting off to find the fifth, uh, no¡­fuck. Well, I knew it was the hallway on the right, at least. ¡®Wasn¡¯t it the left?¡¯ I prayed to the heavens it wasn¡¯t.
After knocking on the door of an empty, but huge bathroom, I awkwardly made my way to the next door over and gave it a heavy, polite knock, ¡°Uh, Lady Berda? It¡¯s Investigator Joiner.¡± ¡®If this one is a bathroom too, can we go? ¡®Cause we definitely need to go.¡¯ While I agreed that a bathroom break would be nice, that juice from earlier was tickling in my bladder, I couldn¡¯t just¡­go into the Baron¡¯s bathroom, could I? ¡®Why not?¡¯ Silence met my knock. Maybe this was really another bathroom? No, that didn¡¯t make sense. Why would a noble have two bathrooms right next to each other? I tried the door handle, the door giving way and I peeked inside. I¡¯d been given permission to go through the estate as I wished, but that didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t hesitant to abuse such a privilege. And yet, this room was worth it. A grand bedroom with four large windows spilling light into the entire room. Through the wispy curtains, I could see the beginnings of a balcony, but the finery of the decor wasn¡¯t what drew my steps. ¡®Well I''ll be damned, is that¡­?¡¯ ¡®It is! It¡¯s-!¡¯ ¡°A spirit,¡± The building excitement in my chest bubbled over into my words, my fists tight as I took in the sight before me, my pinging. A beautiful woman, her long transparent hair flowing down to the floor behind her with just enough color in it for me to peg her as a brunette. She was staring off into the windows, not having noticed me yet, and that was perhaps for the best. An active spirit, while valuable to someone with a Class like mine, could be dangerous. And yet, I couldn¡¯t stop myself from taking the risk, ¡°Excuse me?¡± The spirit tensed, as much as a spectral being could, and turned towards me, ¡°Oh ho, a servant who can see me? What business do you have with this Lady Berda?¡± ¡®She¡¯s so pretty!¡¯ I coughed, ¡°Uh, well, ma¡¯am, I¡¯m Investigator Joiner. I¡¯ve come to figure out who tried to steal from the Berda family. Would you¡­be willing to answer a few questions?¡± The spirit smirked, ¡°I¡¯m sure I have time to spare.¡± I took a deep breath, mentally thanking , and tried to convince myself that speaking to a dead relative was a good enough excuse to keep the still-living Lady Berda waiting.