"Did I now? my imagination isn't as wild as yours." Sneered Ayemon.
"Suit yourself. You must've already told him about the test. Don't bother denying. I know you did." Hissed Falcc.
"Just give me the badge, Falcc. I don't need to prove anything to you." Demanded Ayemon.
Falcc unwillingly produced a badge from his pocket and gave it to Ayemon.
Ayemon and Aldrich walked out of the room and turned many hallways, thankfully there were many signs with pointed arrows that helped navigate directions. Ayemon gave Aldrich the badge while they walked.
"This is your identifying badge wear it when you come to the academy, don't lose it. If you do. It will be troublesome."
Aldrich got a clear look at the badge and it was green jade colored and it had the word Crest inscribed into it with a fancy font.
Aldrich wished more places would implement such a helpful method like the pointed arrows. That way the troublesome hallways and corridors wouldn't waste people's time.
Ayemon stopped and pointed at the door of a room that read: Records and Student Relations.
"Go in there and ask about Adera. I'll wait for you here. Take this, show any employee you talk to both of these badges when you ask about her."
The second badge was white and also had the word Crest inscribed into it.
"Is this your personal badge?" Aldrich wondered.
"Mine? No, stop asking so many questions and get going. We don't have time."
"What's the hurry?"
Ayemon just stared at him silently.
Aldrich swallow his questions and entered the room, the smell of tobacco marked this room and fresh smoke lingered in the air. There were many desks and many people working on paperwork.
Aldrich approached one of the workers there and asked, "excuse me, I'm here to ask about a student."
"Are you a student here?"
"I am"
"Show me your badge."
Aldrich put his own badge on the table. The clerk wasn't very enthusiastic.
"What do you want?" He asked dismissively.
"It's about a student called Adera Elton. I want to know which classes she's taking and when."
"Why should I tell you? Are you family? What is the nature of your inquiry?"
"No I'm a friend."
"I can't disclose such information carelessly. It's against our privacy policy."
After saying that the clerk ignored Aldrich and turned back to the paperwork on the table.
Having no choice Aldrich placed the second badge on the table. The clerk shot to his feet and his voice cracked as he talked.
"I'm sorry sir, that was impolite of me. Was it Adera Elton? Just a moment."
The clerk went on to violently open several drawers and searched through tons of paperwork with great speed. The clerk was sweating bullets as he flipped from one folder to another.
Finally the clerk came back to the desk and looked at Aldrich hesitantly.
"Adera Elton from Wakefield, a third year. Seventeen years old."
Aldrich beamed despite himself, "that is correct, that's her."
"Well, eh, I can give you her schedule, sir, if you want..." the clerk mumbled uncertainly.
Aldrich was growing frustrated with the slow clerk, "yes, that's what I came here for, just give it to me and we're done."
"I certainly can," the clerk coughed, "it's just, student Adera has been absent for the whole year. She hadn't attended a single class since the beginning of the year."
"What?" Aldrich blurted the question dumbly, in disbelief. "Did she graduate?" He asked hopefully.
"No, she hasn't been reported as a graduate..."
Aldrich decided to use the temporary authority that he now seemed to possess, He raised his voice angrily. It was easy because the anger was not an act, "Are you sure?! You're not lying to me are you?!"
"Higk! N-no sir, I wouldn't dare. It's the truth."
"What else can you tell me about her? give me her address."
"No! I can't, that's impossible."
"I think you can. I insist."
"Sir please I don't have the authority to do something like that, I'll get fired."
"Just give me the address, nobody has to know about this."
"I-I can't." The clerk swallowed seeing Aldrich's darkening face and whispered, "But I can tell you that she lived in the girls dorm, ask about her there it shouldn't be hard to find her room number."
Aldrich collected the badges and promptly left the room, outside he found Ayemon and he told him about his findings. They both were in agreement that it was better to go ask about her right away.
The carriage trip was short, the girls dorm consisted of two buildings, unfortunately Aldrich was in no state to appreciate the architecture at the moment.
They stopped by the first building and asked for the bookkeeper. The bookkeeper was an old woman who kept the girls in line with the curfew and stopped them from trashing the rooms.
This time Aldrich didn't play around, he immediately took out both badges and the woman got to work. The old woman didn't say much, she handed him the record book and he found Adera's name after a few minutes of searching.
Her room was number thirty three. And Adera never informed the dorm that she was taking a break or anything similar.
'Wait didn't Krynt complain that Adera didn't send a letter in a year? Oh, no. I have a bad feeling about this.'
At the time he was in the midst of a ferocious confrontation with the nightmare specter and didn't pay much attention to that conversation.
Indeed, it was just a passing comment as ordinary as can be. But now the matter has started to unfold in an unexpected manner.
Suddenly he noticed that Adera had a roommate, a girl named Sidney. The girl happened to be still living in that same room.
Aldrich immediately made his way to the third floor and knocked on the room number thirty three.
After three knocks a voice behind the door asked.
"Who's there?"
"Hi, I'm Aldrich. I'm Adera's friend can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Adera's friend?.... I guess you can come in."
She opened the door, she was short girl with long brown hair and eyes, very Vorianeen. She had small freckles on her cheeks and nose.
Aldrich stepped into the room and looked around. It was a simple room with one cupboard and two beds and two tables.
"Are you here to take her things?" Sidney asked, seemingly, expectant.
"What? No. I want to know where she is. You're her roommate you must know where she is."
"You're not here to take her things? How would I know where she went off to? I haven't seen nor heard from her in a year. One day she just stopped showing up."
"Do you have any idea where she might have gone? Some where she wanted to go to? Anything important she said before she disappeared." Aldrich pleaded.
"I already told you, I have no idea. Are you a city watchman? We weren't that close. She just dropped off."
"Can't you think of anything? Something unusual maybe? You'd better think hard here. I don't want to throw you in a cell for not cooperating." Aldrich ignored her question and put a stern tone in his voice, that seemed to answer her question.
Sidney looked into his eyes for a moment and she looked in deep thought. She bit her lips before she talked.
After a long excruciating moment she spoke, "I don't know if this counts as something unusual but, in the last few weeks before she vanished her grades took a dive and she seemed... absentminded. She started missing classes quite a while before she disappeared, that's all I know, I don't know anything else."
"Thank you, that helps."
"Whatever. Listen did she, I mean Adera get into something bad? You know, did she get mixed up in something?"
"Do you have something in mind?" Aldrich asked keenly.
"N-no, not particularly. I'm just guessing you know. Strange thing, to just abandon the Crest academy and just leave. Who would waste such an opportunity?"
"Anyway thank you for the help. If we have anymore questions I'll come see you again."
Aldrich went out and closed the door after himself. He was going down the stairs when he heard a shout behind him.
"Aren't you going to take her things?!!"
Aldrich knew that he lacked experience and time, Ayemon was wise and knowledgeable he might have a good idea.
"It's them right? They're behind this. They kidnapped her... or killed her." Aldrich stated his own thoughts first. The words came out clear, cold and to the point.
Words alone could hardly describe the rage he felt at this moment. It was always a possibility but, subconsciously he had told himself that it was going to be fine. Even after Krynt and Ayemon had already warned him beforehand.
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