Grimoire

“I forgot how annoying it is to travel in the city,” Espoir yawned as he walked through the busy streets of Arkham. Amid carriages and the occasional automobile, Aria did her best to keep up with Espoir through the bustling streets. Now that she was in the heart of her enemy's homeland, she was naturally on guard by the droves of people. Despite this, her eyes wandered around the scenery. Arkham was much different than she had imagined.

Arkham was the largest city in the nation, serving as the main hub for manufacturing and trade. The city's population naturally reflected this, with around ten to twelve million people living in the city. With a combination of countless stone buildings and factories, the city was a crux in the nation’s infrastructure. To the north, a large landmass floated in the clouds. Despite being miles away, a towering structure seemed to touch the heavens as it overlooked the city of Arkham.

That must be the Citadel. Aria thought to herself. While Arkham was the population center, the Citadel served as the heart of Albion's military. The area was said to be where most of the noble families and magic users for the country lived. Additionally, the citadel housed the continent's most prestigious military academy for magic.

“My friend isn’t very far." Espoir said, noticing that Aria was struggling with the crowded streets. "I also have an apartment nearby, depending on how long we need to stay in the city,” After walking a few blocks, Espoir suddenly stopped. In front of them was a dark wooden with red trim around the edges. The store front had a sign that read: Roxy’s Books. Through the glass windows, the stores lights were on with a bright red OPEN sign on the door. “Hopefully, she isn’t too annoying today.”

As he opened the door, they were greeted by rows of dark wood bookshelves lining the two-story shop. A small walkway overlooked the first floor, with rows of shelves along the edge of the second floor. Dark oak covered the store's floor, while a series of decorative light fixtures kept the store dimly lit. On the right side of the store, between two tall bookshelves, was a sitting area with a brick fireplace and a crimson carpet along with some chairs and an end table. At the back of the room was a green wooden counter with a door behind it.

"Welcome!” a woman with dark brown hair greeted them. Her sapphire blue eyes narrowed at the door. Her expression quickly turned sour as Espoir waved at her, entering the store with a grin.

“Hey Roxy!” Espoir called out.

SMASH!

A thick book slammed Espoir in the face, knocking him onto the floor. The title was World Atlas. As he landed on his rear, Espoir could see a very unhappy woman glaring at him from across the shop. Roxanne was a woman in her early twenties. She had hip-length brown hair tied in a long ponytail. Her side locks were a lighter shade of brown and draped down to her chin. She wore a black short-sleeve dress with a red colored corset that accented her figure. Alongside it were red-black lace gloves going up her arms. Around her neck was a red carnation pattern with see-through fabric going down the front. Her hair was tied back with a purple flower-shaped hair tie.

“I told you that I work during the day, so why the hell are you in my shop?! You could have phoned that you were dropping by, there are payphones all over Albion so why didn't you try calling once to let me know you were coming? I assume you know how to use one,” she yelled. “You know I don’t sell information during the day. Are you trying to get the military at my front door?”

Rubbing his forehead, Espoir slowly recovered from her attack. “Do you always greet your customers like this?” he asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose to verify it wasn't broken.

“No, I greet annoying freeloaders like that.” She clarified.

“This coming from the woman who gets all the credit for my grimoire,” Espoir shot back before diving to avoid an even bigger book. He rolled into a crouching position as Roxy prepared another volley. “I’m here on business!” The next book collided with a light-grey barrier he quickly threw up. Espoir sighed as he ran his hands through his black-red hair. “It’s kind of urgent…” Roxy glared at Espoir as he raised his hands in surrender, he subtly gestured towards the front door. Standing in the doorway, Aria watched the scene unfold with a confused expression.

Roxy finally noticed her and promptly yanked Espoir over the counter, just out of Aria’s earshot. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, you know that? Dropping by unannounced just to show off to your girlfriend! Then again, you were always clueless with people, so it makes sense you wouldn’t know basic etiquette.” Roxy slumped against the counter in disappointment. “I refuse to accept that you’ve started dating while I haven’t had a boyfriend in over a month!”

“With your personality, I can see why.” Espoir said bluntly before wincing from the subsequent shin-kick.

“She’s really pretty too...” Roxy sobbed into her arms. “There's no way this real. Did you use that grimoire of yours to trick her or something? It might be some kind of Spell that makes her believe you’re someone else... No, that can’t be right, you still have your terrible personality. I have the patience of a saint, and I barely tolerate you. Maybe this is one of your pranks and you got yourself a high-class escort or something…”

Breaking his wrist away from her grip, Espoir took a small step back. “Okay one: We aren’t dating. Hell we barely know each other! We met only a few days ago while I was investigating the grimoire user in Ashmore. You know, the grimoire user in the area YOU told me about. Two: Do you think that lowly of me that I'd pay someone to be around me?”

“Ohhh.” Roxy had realized she had the wrong idea. Sucker-punching Espoir in the gut, Roxy swiftly returned to the blue-haired girl still standing by the door. “Espoir probably didn’t tell you but I own this little shop.” Roxy extended her hand with a warm smile. "I’m Roxy, pleased to meet ya!"

“...Aria,” she said lamely.

“That’s horrible." Roxy had a serious expression as they explained the circumstances that led them here, from her time in the war to being forced to be a prisoner of a grimoire user.

"I’m sorry you went through all that.” Roxy said, feeling sympathy for the swordswoman. “It’s awful, but not uncommon for soldiers to go through what you did. Still, Nobody deserves to experience that, especially someone so young.”

Aria nodded before drinking from a teacup. Roxy had made Espoir prepare the tea for them. “I assume you told her about what I do, right?” Espoir shrugged as he tilted back in his chair. “I assumed you'd prefer to feed your ego.”

Roxy attempted to kick his chair over, but Espoir rolled over the back and landed before retaking his seat. “Anyway, outside of running this little bookstore, I sell other goods. Mostly stuff the military doesn’t want regular folks to get their hands on.” Walking behind her counter, Roxy pulled out a red leather briefcase. Opening it up, different powders of chroma were aligned in a color scale. “Outside of arms and chroma powder, I also sell information. Which is what I assume you came for.”

Espoir nodded. “Besides the usual grimoire user's and Eldritch activity I get from you, I wanted to know if you could try and find anything about Aria’s family.” While her bookstore appeared normal, Roxy had a reputation for being one of the best information brokers in the nation. Espoir figured if anyone could get them a lead, it was her.

“Last I heard, my mother and sisters were fleeing east of Easenna. But that was well over a year ago,” Aria said. She hadn’t heard anything since then. Aria had attempted to keep in contact while in the military, but the trail ran cold once the government was toppled. The last time she saw them was at her dad's funeral. "They never mentioned which country they were fleeing towards in their letters, likely out of fear of them being intercepted." Roxy sighed as she put away her case.

“That might be a bit difficult then. While I can get information from anywhere, I can’t guarantee it’ll be fast. Plus, news travels. If people start hearing that a Corvo family member is active or searching for this information, they’ll connect the dots. Someone as high profile as you would have the military looking for this info too. Worst yet, if they somehow find out about your family before you do...”

Aria had prepared for the possibility that they might not find anything quickly. It was still a demoralizing feeling. Glancing at the former-soldier, Roxy could see that she didn't hide her emotions very well. “But I’ll do what I can! Who knows, there might be some kind of lead or trail that I can dig up. I'm amazing at keeping the military off my back!” Roxy said with a reassuring grin.

“How much is that going to cost, anyway?” Espoir asked. Whether it was labor or money, there had to be some kind of exchange. Information this classified would take a significant amount of effort and money for Roxy to fund. Especially if they're doing it under the radar. The brown-haired woman hummed in thought before shrugging. “No price. I’m doing it for free.”

“I-I can’t accept that!” Aria protested, slamming her hands onto the table. “Doing something that might jeopardize your life. I should offer something in exchange.” Even if she was an associate of Espoir’s, Aria couldn’t expect a stranger to do all that for someone like her, especially if it put her life at risk.

Roxy laughed kindly at her, surprised she’d object to not having to pay money. Most clients would kill to have that offered by her. “I’m doing it because I want to! With all due respect, I don't think I can ask you to give me anything anyway given your situation."

Aria slumped back in her seat as Roxy drank from her cup. The bookkeeper looked up at the ceiling. "I guess some people here might be prejudiced against you because of the war, but I don't really care about Albion enough to hate someone just because our government says we should. I do benefit from being in this country, but knowing they’ve ruined both you and your people’s lives forever is upsetting. I suppose using some of my time and resources to help someone like you isn’t the worst thing, right?”

“You never offer me free info,” Espoir mumbled.

“Because, unlike you, Aria is actually pleasant to be around!” Roxy snapped.

“Hag.”

“Don’t you have school? You can barely write as it is. I’ve seen your handwriting. Five-year-olds write better than you, Espoir! You know that’s why I never let him work the front end, Aria? Customers can’t understand the receipts he writes!”

Espoir rolled his eyes. “I write perfectly fine! That old woman didn’t bring her reading glasses. This is why you never have a man for longer than a month, right? They start using their brains instead of their eyes.” Roxy started trying to hit Espoir with a nearby book, only to find him swiftly dodging her strikes. Aria watched the two bicker; strangely, it reminded her of her own siblings. It was a nostalgic feeling she’d forgotten over the years.

“Anyway, it’ll take me a few days to get any new information for you, Espoir. I’ve been a little busy.” Espoir cocked an eyebrow. Roxy was rarely preoccupied like that. “Something happen?” he asked.

“Yeah, some creep has been killing night workers from the slums down by the ironworks,” she explained.

“How do you know it wasn’t just three women being killed by coincidence?” Espoir asked. His usual playful demeanor turned serious. Espoir knew that a night worker dying wasn’t uncommon for the area; women who worked the corners tended to disappear because of jealous clients, gangs, spouses, or just general misfortune. For Roxy to be spending time on that must mean something new happened since he left.

“Bastard started leaving their bodies cut up and mutilated for all to see. The police are calling him ‘Jacque The Slasher.’ I heard he named himself that in a letter, but who knows if that’s true... I’m surprised you didn’t hear about it. You typically stick your nose into everything weird,” Roxy said as Espoir hummed in thought, ignoring the backhanded compliment. He started pacing back and forth. “Are the police doing anything about it?”

Roxy raised an eyebrow at Espoir’s supposed interest. “For their PR, they say they’ve started looking into it. In reality, they probably couldn’t care less about what happens in these parts of the city. The only reason they acknowledge it at all is that the bodies keep ending up in the richer areas of Arkham. Rich people hate having reality on their doorstep.”

Pulling his coat over himself, Espoir slammed his hand on the table. “I’ll catch The Slasher, then.” Both girls looked at the Silver Grimoire in confusion.

“You? How could you possibly find him? You didn’t even know he existed five minutes ago!”

“I’ll figure it out.” He grinned. “Actually, I think Aria might be perfect for this.”

“Me? What could I do?” The blue-haired girl looked at him, confused. Aria's mood quickly darkened as she realized what he meant. “If you’re suggesting using me to lure him out…” She said lowly. A light blue aura coated her hand.

“Huh?” Espoir blinked several times before realizing what Aria thought he meant. “N-no, of course not! I meant that you’d be better at getting information from the women in the area. They’d probably be more open to talking with another woman about this, rather than if I tried. They’re probably on edge with everything, so a strange man asking them questions would undoubtedly scare them. Did you think I was going to suggest using you as bait or something?”

An awkward silence filled the room as it dawned on Aria that she had completely misunderstood what he meant. She had assumed he wanted her to dress like one of the night workers to catch him...

...

Aria's face turned red as she sank into her hood in embarrassment. The silence was soon filled with the sound of Roxy laughing hysterically. “You really need to learn to talk to women better, Espoir,” Roxy teased, tears brimming her eyes.

"You're not helping." He mumbled.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Aria said quietly. She felt stupid.

Espoir had a board with red yarn spread across it. On it were photographs of five women over a map of the city. Aria had just returned to his apartment. “So, five women in total have been killed, and their wounds match those claimed by the Slasher.” Over the past three months, they have been killed and turned up. It only recently got attention as the police brought the information to light.

“According to the women I talked to, the street always had problems,” Aria said, pulling out a notebook from her skirt pocket. “They weren’t exactly cooperative, but one of the girls, Elizabeth Floyd, apparently had an argument with her boyfriend beforehand. According to one of the other girls, he had some connections to a local gang.”

Espoir thought about it but shook his head. “Nah, I don’t think a gang would systematically kill these women on a routine. Most gang related stuff are heat of the moment or business related. Plus identifying themself to the police would be counter productive for an illegal group like that. There’s a reason beyond that. Why five over three months… Why not more or why not less?” Espoir's first assumption was that the killer wanted to space out the murders to avoid getting caught. But if that were the case, why make a public display? The timing felt like a pattern but also made no sense to him. Espoir looked at the newspaper reports Roxy had given them. He felt like there was a clue in them.

“The deaths all either took place during the first week of the month or the last. The dates vary: April 2nd, May 3rd, June 3rd. Even the later dates are never the same: March 25th, April 23rd, June 16th. So far, this month has been the only one without a death.”

Aria looked at the timeline Espoir had made. While the early-month deaths made sense, the latter ones seemed sporadic. Looking at the calendar again, Aria noticed that the dates resembled a lunar calendar. “Why would a killer use the moon to time his murders?” Aria wondered. Espoir’s eyes perked up at the observation. “Hmm?”

“Oh, I noticed that the deaths matched a full and new moon schedule,” Aria said, showing him the lunar schedule on the calendar. “I don’t know if it means anything, though.”

Espoir shook his head and smiled. “No, that’s perfect! I think I’ve been thinking about this all wrong. I’ve been assuming the person doing this was a normal person…” Espoir paced back and forth as he thought about this information. “The killer is on a set schedule. What if he’s required to kill according to the moon’s phases? Like he has a spell condition or a grimoire that requires him to kill during specific lunar phases. The dates would make sense.”

Aria’s eyes narrowed. “You think it’s a condition?”

“It would make sense. I doubt he's a werewolf, however, since he kills on both full and new moons. Speaking of that, when’s the next full moon?” Espoir asked. If they could plan around it, they might be able to catch the killer in the act. There was also a decent reward from the police department, although that was unrelated to why Espoir wanted to do it.

“July 30th, so three days from now,” Aria answered.