NOVEL FROG Chapter 72: Lab
Since I was the most durable I took the lead. The door simply led to a rather wide corridor which was surprisingly dark. I wondered if my magic disabled the lights by accident. Or maybe there was simply a switch we did not know about. At least it should help us stay hidden.
“Lilastheria, you have been here before. Where can we find the research data? We would like to destroy that. And any samples they keep. Afterwards we will free any prisoners or research subjects.”
“I never had access to any data. Beira does have an office here which might hold the information you seek. I can also show you to the lab area. Keep in mind that she could have expanded since then. My information is old.”
“Let’s start with her office then.”
We took a few turns and went down one level. The whole place looked deserted. It was evening, so maybe everyone was done for the day? Would a secret lab have normal office hours? Who knew?
Lilastheria led us to a more ornate door. It even had gold accents. Apparently even a secret lab needed some bling. Of course the decorations helped to mask the functioning runes. Beira had additional security in her office which was unsurprising.
“Um, do we know if Beira is here?” Lucy asked. “I mean, the corridors are all dark but that does not guarantee that the office is empty. What if she stays late to work?”
“I did not think of that…” I admitted. “Maybe we should have checked her schedule or lured her away to make sure. But it’s too late now.”
I used Devour Magic once again. At some point I might have to be more conservative with my 9th circle slots but I still had six remaining for today. I wanted to have at least three left if it came to a fight. The dark smoke greedily ate the wards leaving a mundane door. There was not even a physical lock.
The room we entered was lavishly decorated. Artwork covered the walls and even the ceiling. The walls were smooth and painted. The only thing missing was natural light. Although the giant crystal at the ceiling might have provided that. I had a feeling my spell ate any enchantment on it though. I had only targeted the door but the spell might have affected the whole room. Ooops?
There was a big desk in the centre with a few drawers. A large and comfy chair was behind it. There was a bookcase on the left wall and two doors were visible at the back. One led to a splendid marble bathroom with a tub and shower, the other led to a sitting room with a nice liquor cabinet. I suspected the office in the front was for more formal business deals and the back room was used to impress guests and entertain friends.
“Let’s look around and…” I looked at my paws. “Ok, Lilastheria looks around and we keep watch.”
“I will just take everything from that bookshelf.” Lucy said while pointing at it with a paw. “I cant open anything without hands but I can put it into my storage just fine.”
“I suppose that works. Actually, you are on to something. Let’s loot everything.” I decided. The desk, the chair, the liquor cabinet, even the artwork. Lucy wanted to just take the books but I took the entire bookshelf. Maybe my old video game tendencies resurfaced. Of course I would not be able to just sell the stuff, it was evidence that would tie me to the break in after all. But with a magical storage device I could just keep it hidden for as long as I liked. And it would surely annoy Beira.
Lilastheria just stared as I cleaned out the place. I suppose my storage might be a lot bigger than what most people had. Soon we were standing in an empty room. Unfortunately we did not find a hidden safe. So we moved on to the lab area. Lilastheria led us down another floor and we found ourselves in front of a sturdy metal door. I did not see any magic on it. I mentally steeled myself for the horrors we might find. Then we entered.
The lab area seemed fairly large. There were multiple workstations with cauldrons and other alchemical supplies. I could see bottles and all sorts of different glassware. There were also two large empty desks with some surgical equipment nearby. I was still busy looking around the room when the lights came on. I tensed but technically we were still invisible. Maybe whoever entered would not see us?
The door at the back opened and Beira walked in, flanked by two knights in black plate armour. They both carried halberds.
Beira looked around the room and sneered. “Show yourselves you inquisition bastards! I knew you would come sniffing around.”
What?