Chapter 9: Circle of the Mad Magician

9. Dragon age comes out tomorrow :)

Chapter 9: The Circle of the Mad Magician

                It took a few days, but we managed to track down where Joseph St-Pierre was. Antigone invited me to stay at her place and hold the meeting with the three of us there. Apparently we all have history with each other, and while Antigone remains silent on her what history is with the Detective, I assume it isn’t the type that will make this relationship between the three of us any better. Antigone lives in Surrey in the Whalley area, which is pretty much like the ghetto. She rents out a basement and has cardboard plastered all over the window to block out the sun. The inside of the basement looks like it hasn’t been cleaned for months and looks inviting to rats. I don’t really complain though, the couch she found in the alleyway when she moved in here is still a better sleep than the cot back in the tavern.

                Antigone and I didn’t talk much to each other since I’ve arrived. I didn’t tell her anything that has happened in the Lost Realms after she left to prepare this world for my father, only that he’s been dealt with. Antigone also hasn’t been upright on her hand in everything yet, saying she wants to think about it before committing. Personally I think she wants to feel in charge of the situation because the way I figured it she could’ve killed me in my sleep. This is also why I’m sure she’s ready to help me destroy the last of whatever Yosho has planned.

                Knocking at the door near midnight on a Wednesday night. Antigone and I are both sitting in the living room watching television. I managed to catch up on the few shows I watched but it feels like forever since I’ve last seen them. Neither of us go up to answer the door. Knock Knock Knock.

                “I think the Detective is here.” I said to Antigone. She shrugs.

                “He’s your guest.” She replied.

                I roll my eyes and get up. I walk across the living room to where the door is and open it. Dressed in black dress pants and a collared shirt the French Canadian detective is leaning against the door.

                “About time you contacted me. I was getting worried I made the wrong decision about you. Then you go and shack up with this woman.” He commented. I gesture for him to come inside.

                “She isn’t my first choice. Things didn’t go well with the mom.” I confessed.

                “I know, went to the house the next day. She lied at first saying she didn’t know you were back. You have an interesting family when it comes to keeping secrets.” Joseph comments. Joseph looks on the ground and notices it probably hasn’t been vacuumed or swept in a month.  He decides to keep his shoes on and walks to the front room where Antigone is sitting in a chair watching TV. Joseph has the courage to stand in front of it while I take a seat on the couch I’ve been sleeping on.

                “Alright, both of you called me over here. What’s so important?” Joseph asked.

                “So your Circle of the Mad Magician cult you’ve been researching. Turns out Antigone is part of it, and she wants to help bring it down. However, it’s a global thing not just here and we need to shut it all down.” I say flat out, putting everything on the table between the three of us. Detective Pierre rolled his eyes looking at Antigone.

                “Why is it everything I do in Vancouver revolves around you? First the homicides on Granville and now this? Seriously. I should put you down.” Detective Pierre didn’t sound too happy when he spoke to Antigone. Antigone yawned.

                “If it wasn’t for me those cases would never be solved. Besides, I’ve been good since I last saw your girlfriend.” Antigone commented. Watching these two is like watching a fight develop in front of you. It’s odd, but fascinating and you don’t necessary wanted to stop it. Detective Pierre looked pissed off.

                “Tell me what you guys know and where to find them and I’ll look into it.” Detective Pierre suggested.

                “I need to come with you.” I spoke up. I would like to go with him, just to ensure that the task is done. It’s important that we shut these people down before they bring this world into the Lost Realm for Atrocious to feed on.

                “Well, that’s great. But what exactly is this cult doing?” The detective asked me.

                “It’s trying to pull something from the realm I went to, into this realm. However what they’re doing more specifically is creating a hole in between our universes. They’ve already made a hole big enough for people to go into, so what happens when they make a large hole than that? It’s like two planets colliding, one survives or none of them survive. We need to stop it from happening.” I explained the best I could. The Detective is suspicious, with good reason to be. When I first told him what happened to me on the other world I left out a lot of detail.

                “Okay fine let’s go.” He commented, heading towards the door. Antigone lazily got up from her seat and I followed.

                “So… When I arrived you had a scythe you took from me. It’s important I get it back…” I commented. I needed the scythe back, I need Cressidra back.

                “We’ll talk about that after we shut this circle down.” The detective commented.

                We left Antigone’s basement suite. The neighborhood Antigone lived in wasn’t the nicest. Shoes are draped over the power lines signaling a drug dealer is in the neighborhood, young adults sitting outside of houses late at night, and kids are seen publically drinking at night in parks. Detective Pierre drove his unmarked police car to the house, which couldn’t be more obvious that he’s an officer of the RCMP. People are looking at us across the street walking to the car.

                “My place better not be broken into tonight because a pig stopped by.” Antigone commented to both of us as we entered Detective Pierre’s car. Neither of us said anything. The car is a white, plane looking and has the police cage in the two backseats. Antigone and I sat in the back.

                “It’s in the warehouse district in Port Coquitlam.” Antigone commented. Port Coquitlam is where I grew up, it’s near the school where I was taken from, and it makes sense for the cult to take advantages where these incursions or portals have been opening up taking people.

                “Hmm, it seems like the Circle is using previous incursion sites to open up the rift.” I commented. I already know a few more locations where a few more of these cults can be found around the world, based on my conversations with Winston.

                “Yes, it’s easier to exploit and widen a hole between the universes rather than make one.” Antigone commented. Detective Pierre is lost, he may know faith based magic but he didn’t understand the time and space variety. I’m assuming that’s how he calmed my demonic-self down was through his faith.

                The drive to the warehouse isn’t as eventful as I thought it would be. Detective Pierre didn’t talk much, and Antigone didn’t feel like antagonizing him, and I have nothing to say to neither of them. The three of us seemed to be in an unlikely team up with each other.

                The warehouse district of Port Coquitlam is a small one, only about three or four blocks wide with a dozen warehouses. Most of the warehouses are for furniture companies that have show stores throughout Vancouver. The one Antigone takes us to is Euro-Kitchen, a warehouse that builds European modern kitchen cabinets. The parking lot we pull into is shared amongst three warehouses, so it’s as big as a strip mall. There are about a half-dozen cars parked over by Euro-Kitchen, so we park furthest away from it towards one of the other warehouses so we don’t arouse suspicion.

                “Did you guys catch anyone guarding the door?” Joseph asked while he turns the car off. Antigone shrugs.

                “There’s no guards here. Why would we have someone at the door in the middle of nowhere at a legitimate business.” She asked.

                “So is the company involved in this or just the workers?” Joseph responded.

                “Just the workers, we move ever few months. We do it so we can help widen the tear in the bleed between universes and to keep things mobile and undetected.” Antigone answers back. I’m already getting out of the car, shutting the door behind me. Detective Pierre is next to come out and Antigone last.

                “So what’s the game plan here Detective.” I asked.

                “What do you mean, this was your guy’s idea.” Detective replied. I looked around at Antigone and back to the detective.

                “No, I meant… What’s the plan. Antigone and I were probably just going to kill them.” I confessed. I had no plan on saving any of the people who worked with my father in the building, Antigone included. Detective Pierre looked at me as if I was serious, but he couldn’t tell. We walked towards the building.

                “Front door is unlocked. Let me go in there first and I’ll make sure it’s clear for you two.” She mentions, walking through the front door. Detective Pierre didn’t object to this so I stayed outside with him while she did what she needs to do.

                “So, how do you two know each other?” I asked the Detective. He didn’t seem to be in a talking mood.

                “I was going to ask you the same thing.” He replied. We stayed silent until Antigone walked out.

                “Ok, all of them are taken care of. One is tied up to a chair if you boy shave any questions.” She said, heading back towards the car.

                “Wait, hold up. What did you do to the rest?” The Detective said, Antigone turned around and burped into her hand.

                “Sorry, I was a little peckish. Talk to him, find out what he knows. Then do what you want with him. I already know where the other ones on this world are, but I’m assuming the good detective would like to verify the information I’m going to give him.” Antigone smiled.

                  Walking through the warehouse show room, Detective Pierre weren’t confident in knowing what we were walking into. For all we know Cressidra is planning to betray us. The amount of trust the Detective has in the Vampire is limited, as he is reaching for his side arm while walking through the show room. After clearing the showroom portion of the place, we walked into the Warehouse portion of it. The warehouse is a large room enough to fit in stock, assembly line, and a bay for trucks to park and load. Joseph and I didn’t know what we were walking into until we managed to get halfway inside.

            The Warehouse isn’t properly lit, lights weren’t on so the Detective pulled out his phone for light. Flashing it around a few times around the warehouse we started hearing muffled screams. We walk towards the screams, over by the loading bay. The loading bay is near the far end of the warehouse, we had to pass the assembly line which stretches across most of the warehouse. The loading bay at night is simply a wide space, but during work hours it will be filled with product to be loaded into the trucks. However tonight? Crowded with bodies. Detective Pierre is the first to notice blood splatter leading up to the massive stack of bodies Cressidra left behind.

            “Jesus…” Detective Pierre spoke. The bodies are roughly stacked together, piling only a few feet high. About half a dozen bodies. Around the bodies are fallen candles, not lit anymore. Circles drawn in blood can be seen around where the bodies have been laying along with diamonds and crystals all smashed to the ground.

            “Help me.” A voice cried out. Detective Pierre and I looked around and noticed a few cabinets have fallen over, trapping a body underneath.  

            “Thought she said that she tied someone up?” The Detective commented.

            I didn’t answer him back. Walking to the fallen person I started lifting the cabinets off of her. A woman in her fifties is lying underneath the rubble of cabinets, numerous broken bones and all she can stutter out is a moan of pain with the occasional help me thrown in it. I look to the Detective, he seems annoyed.

            “How am I going to write this one up?” He asked. Again I shrugged. I kneeled down checking on the elderly woman. Her eyes closes and she passes out, still breathing.

            “You better call it in. I think she’s going to die…” I mentioned. Standing back up I head towards the exit.

            “Where you going?” Detective Pierre asked.

            “You got your answer to your question. I’m going outside. It’s easier to explain without me here.” I commented.

            Antigone waited for me outside, leaning against the Detective’s hidden police car. She smiles seeing me.

            “Well, did you like my work? I mean it’s no you… but I like to think that I can slaughter something.” She casually mentioned as if destruction and death is flirting for her. I leaned next to her, looking at the dark moon sky.

            “You didn’t have to kill the woman.”

            “She’s not dead yet. I’m just hoping she passes.” She commented.

            “How come?” I asked.

            “Cause I’ve done some bad stuff, the cop can only tolerate so much.” Antigone says.

            A few minutes later Detective Pierre walks out telling us to scatter because the police are coming. We go back to Antigone’s house and sleep the day away.