Finding Officer Amstel

Strolling into Hargeon Town at sunset, Victoria made her way to the docks to chat up the local homeless population. She wore a gray jacket with a blue t-shirt underneath and a black skirt with white tennis shoes. In her jacket pocket was the job notice. She was here to investigate the disappearance of a Hargeon Town officer named Klaas Amstel. He was last seen in a local restaurant, but the notice did not specify which one, so it was time to hit the streets for a lead.

Spotting a middle-aged homeless man in a tattered green coat with faded brown pants and black shoes rubbing his hands together, he was a slim, balding man who looked tired, hungry, and just plain worn down by his lifestyle. Victoria approached him anyway. She knew what it was like to be down and just about out.

"Hey there. How's it going?" Victoria asked him. He looked up and nodded at her.

"It can be worse, kid. It's cold, but at least I can always take shelter in the alleyways." He commented.

"Kinda reminds me of Capital Crocus." Victoria commiserated. He raised an eyebrow.

"You lived on the streets of Capital Crocus? How'd that go?" He asked.

"One word. BAD. Police worried more about us inconveniencing the rich than trying to help us, food hard to find, and not much honest work to come by. Don't let the glitz and glamor fool you, Mister. It sucks." Victoria told him bluntly. The man laughed.

"Yeah, I know the feeling, kid. I've been on these streets for twenty years. It's a rough life. By the way, the name's Phil." He said to her.

"Say, you're not from the police are you?" Phil asked suspiciously.

"No. I'm from the guild Black Rose. I was hired to look for an officer who went missing. His name's Klaas Amstel." Victoria told Phil. Phil relaxed just a little. He was still tense.

"Yeah, I know him. He's a straight arrow and treats us fair. He doesn't bully us like the other officers. He's repeatedly turned down five-figure bribes, which is why he went missing. Least that's what I heard." Phil started. He then looked around nervously. Victoria knew why he did that. He had likely overheard something he was never meant to hear and was afraid of reprisal. Since he was homeless and had no family, no one would care if he "disappeared."

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"What restaurant did Officer Amstel go to?" Victoria asked Phil the unavoidable question. Phil remained silent. He had good reason to not say anything, but Victoria needed the information. She needed something to sweeten the deal.

"Look. I just want to know where the officer was last seen. You don't have to go with me. In fact, I want you to get somewhere safe." Victoria said to him. Phil hesitated and took a deep breath. He looked reluctant, but he spoke anyway.

"You're pretty brave, kid. Check out The Feasting Bear. It's a restaurant near Lamia Scale's guild hall. I can't tell you any more than that because I promised my source that I'd keep quiet." Phil informed her. Victoria wanted to know more, but she had to be satisfied with what she was given. The restaurant's name and location was at least enough to get her search going.

"Thanks Phil." Victoria thanked him. She had magic and guild backing to protect her. Phil had nothing and no one to help him. She knew the big risk he was taking just by talking to her.

"I'd better get going. I'm gonna go into hiding until the heat dies down. I have some friends who owe me a few favors, so I'm staying with them. I hope I'll see you later, kid." Phil said before walking deep into the shadowy alley and vanishing. Victoria listened until his echoing footsteps faded away. Phil had done his part. Now it was up to her to find Officer Amstel and bring him out of the predicament he had gotten into.

-Hargeon Town, outside The Feasting Bear-

After a fifteen-minute walk, Victoria found herself facing a small restaurant with a wooden sign above the entrance. It was a white sign with golden letters that read "THE FEASTING BEAR" and featured a brown bear holding a fork and knife in its front paws while sitting at a table loaded with fish, pork, and steak. The restaurant certainly knew how to make an eye-catching sign. Victoria took a deep breath and went inside. She was possibly walking into a trap, but there was no choice... Officer Amstel was depending on her.

[Word Count: 364] [Total Word Count: 768/1,000]

Victoria entered The Feasting Bear and found it to be a quiet restaurant with a few lingering locals inside. They were cleaning up after a busy day of serving customers and trying to get the few remaining locals to leave the bar. It was set up almost like the Silver Moon Inn, but on a smaller and less luxurious scale. The restaurant had the character of a working-class establishment and the smell to match... the bar smelled like spilled alcohol and sweat.

The brunette sauntered up to the bar and engaged the balding and burly bartender in conversation.

"Bar's closed. If you wanna drink, go somewhere else. I don't have time for bums." The middle-aged man brusquely snapped. She did not like his attitude, but she put up with it. She had a job to do.

"I don't want a drink. I want information." Victoria replied.

"About what?" He asked.

"Officer Amstel. I've been sent to look for him." Victoria stated. The man's eyes narrowed.

"What for?" He asked brusquely.

"He's gone missing. He was last seen here. I've been sent to find him." Victoria answered. The man clenched his teeth, then reached across the counter and grabbed her by the collar. Victoria panicked.

"What kinda place do you take this for? I don't want any trouble!" He bellowed in her face.

"Just tell me where to find him and I'll leave you alone." She answered calmly, wiping off the saliva that had been sprayed in her face. He glared at her for a moment. If looks could kill, Victoria would already be dead. He then let her go.

"Reggie, take over the bar. I'm gonna teach this nosy brat a lesson in manners!" The man shouted before picking up a baseball bat from behind the bar. He grabbed Victoria by the collar and dragged her outside. What had she gotten herself into?

-Behind The Feasting Bear-

"I'm gonna teach you a lesson!" The bartender threatened while slapping the bat into the palm of his hand. Victoria raised her hands in an "I don't want trouble" gesture.

"Look, Mister. There's no need for this. Just tell mEEEEEEE-!" Victoria was cut off as he swung at her head. She ducked just in time. The sprigs of hair that always stood up were hit... she was lucky that her skull had not been shattered.

"You come into my place of business asking about something you shouldn't be sticking your nose into!" He shouted, the veins on his neck sticking out. He took a downward swing that almost hit her shoulder. Then he kicked her in the stomach.

While she doubled over, he grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head back. He leaned over to her right ear.

"Listen, kid. I'm being watched. My family's been threatened. I can't tell you by who, but if you're serious about finding Amstel, just listen to me." He whispered. Then he hit her in the stomach with the end of the bat. Victoria fell to her knees.

"LISTEN TO ME!" He yelled before kicking her in the backside. She was starting to put two and two together. He was beating her to protect his family. He knelt next to her and grabbed her hair again.

"Look behind a tavern called The Galloping Mare. There's a rundown apartment there. He's being kept on the top floor." He whispered again. Then a fist to the back of her head knocked her completely down. To finish the charade, he hit her on the backside three times with the wooden bat.

"AND STAY OUT OF MY BUSINESS!" He roared before kicking her in the side and walking away. Victoria moaned. She knew why he had beaten her, but he may have overdone it. She was really hurting.

[Word Count: 629] [Total Word Count: 1,397/1,000]

-Inside the rundown apartment, behind The Galloping Mare-

After a painful search, Victoria had found and entered the rundown apartment behind the tavern called The Galloping Mare. Like the bartender had said, it was rundown and abandoned. It reminded her of her "home" in Capital Crocus, only that it had not even underwent basic maintenance.

She shut the iron door behind her and made her way into the building. It had bare concrete floors without carpet and the wallpaper had long been peeled away. The bare walls were littered with grafitti and she thought she had spotted dried human blood along the hallway. It looked like someone had been dragged through the place. She equipped her shotgun and kept going.

Victoria reached the end of the hallway and gently opened the door. She ascended the stairs as quietly as she could until she reached the top. She walked slowly down an empty hallway until she came across a door that had an ominous bloodstain on it. It looked like someone's face had been slammed into it. She gently opened the door and peeked inside.

A man with a bruised face and a tattered police uniform was sitting in a chair with his hands tied behind his back. However, he did not respond to her arrival at all. Was he already dead? Victoria put away the shotgun and brought out her magic knife. She began cutting at his ropes and eventually freed him. She lifted him up, which finally roused him into action.

He punched her in the face and kept punching. What was his problem?

"HEY! STOP IT! I'M NOT YOUR ENEMY!" She shouted while blocking his punches. She had to dodge and weave to avoid taking hits, but he just kept swinging.

"STOP ALREADY! I'M HERE TO HELP!" Victoria shouted indignantly. The blows kept slamming into her arms. She really did not want to punch a police officer... that would ruin the whole point of the job. However, she was starting to get pissed. This was not in the job description.

"ENOUGH! ENOUGH ALREADY, AMSTEL!" Victoria yelled before grabbing his fist. The man struggled to pull it away.

"LISTEN TO ME, AMSTEL! I'M FROM BLACK ROSE! I'M HERE TO HELP!" She ranted. The man stopped in place. Victoria released his hand.

"You know my name? You... you're not from the Anlecottis?" He asked.

"No. I'm here to rescue you." Victoria repeated before handing him the job notice. The young man read it and sighed with relief. Victoria herself relaxed. He had a black eye and bruises about his face. His mouth had dried blood in both corners.

"Sorry about that, kid. I've been stuck here for three days. I thought you were one of the Anlecottis sent here to finish me off." Officer Amstel apologized.

"My higher-ups are on the take, kid. They've been bought with Anlecotti money. The Anlecottis have been making moves on the underground, buying a lot of muscle from street gangs and buying police officers." He began explaining.

"I was sent to investigate the syndicate's activities, but I was really sent into a trap in The Feasting Bear. I was ambushed and beaten up by six Anlecotti thugs. It was like they knew I was coming... someone on the force must have tipped them off." He continued as he looked around for something. He looked through cabinets and in drawers until he found a small black notebook. He raised it in triumph.

"I'm surprised they didn't destroy it. They probably didn't think I'd get away. Now let's go before they show up to finish the job." He suggested before quickly walking away. Victoria hastened to keep up. For a guy who was badly beaten and held in captivity for three days, Officer Amstel sure was fast.

-Outside Hargeon Town-

The pair paused just outside Hargeon Town. They had undertaken a perilous walk from the apartment to the town limits, but nothing had happened. It seemed like the syndicate was setting up an ambush.

"I'm getting outta here, kid. I'm going to Capital Crocus to some Rune Knight pals of mine. I'm taking my evidence to them. You'd better lay low for awhile. But I want to ask you a favor." Amstel said while glancing around.

"What... what is it?" Victoria asked. She too was getting nervous. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"I want you to incapacitate the police chief of Hargeon Town. He knows where the syndicate is. But be careful. He's been bought with syndicate money and has corrupt officers for protection." Officer Amstel warned her.

"Do you want me to start now?" Victoria asked him.

"No, kid, not tonight. Just get outta here. They've got eyes and ears everywhere and once they notice I'm gone they'll be walking the streets looking for you. Dirty cops, syndicate thugs, the works. Wait for awhile and let the heat die down, then come back." The officer counseled. He had a good point. It was better to lie low for awhile and let the syndicate chase shadows.

"All right. I'm getting out of here. Good luck." Victoria wished the officer.

"Good luck to you too. And thanks for saving me." Officer Amstel replied before quickly walking away. Victoria watched him disappear down the road, then decided to take a different way home to Rose Garden. She did not want to run the risk of syndicate muscle catching both of them and making the rescue all for nothing. She would take the long way home, a way that was not on the main roads.

Taking a deep breath, Victoria began the long, slow road home. She really wanted a drink right now. She would make one when she got to the Silver Moon Inn.

[Word Count: 960] [Total Word Count: 2,357/1,000]