Orian and Chrome landed at the ambush site a moment later.
A carriage was standing at the side of the road with one of it's wheels ripped off. The horses that originally pulled the carriage laid dead on the ground badly burned a short distance away.
It was clear that there was heavy fighting in the area, but apart from the animals, no bodies could be found, neither from the attackers nor the Phoenix guards.
"Look around for anything that explains where the prisoners might have been taken or who is responsible. " Ordered Eternus.
Eveyone split off and began to look around the area. Orian decided to inspect the dead animals first.
At first glance, it didn't give a lot of information, but as Orian touched the corpse he noticed a lack of something.
Order flame weapons released a strange black oil when fired that coated their enemies before rapidly igniting.
This sticky oil made it very difficult to put out the fires once it coats someone. Even if the oil burned out, there were usually still small traces of it on the bodies, and yet these animals had none.
"They weren't killed by The Order's flame weapons!!" Exclaimed Orian.
"I suspected as much!!" Stated Eternus.
"A pyromancer then?" Asked Orian.
"Or a dragon..." stated one of the Phoenix Guard .
"There are no dragons living in the area and although The Order does use mages in their forces, there are no Pyromancers at the refinery.
Considering what they are working with, a stray spark could blow up the entire outpost so Pyromancers are forbidden from entering. " Explained Eternus.
"So... seems you were right... someone else is responsible for this..." stated Orian.
"And they're going through a lot of trouble to frame the Order for it." Finished Eternus.
"Sir!!!" Called one of the guards.
Everyone looked up and saw two men approaching them with their arms raised in surrender.
One of the men was a dark skinned man with short black hair that was tied into a series of dreadlocks.
A short black beard grew from his chin and he was wearing a hooded dust brown robe with arcane symbols stitched into them.
The other was a light skinned man in laminar armor with a chain skirt covering his lower body and a round helm on his head, a large metal warhammer was hanging from his belt.
The Phoenixes quickly surrounded the newcomers and Eternus stepped forward to address them with Orian and Chrome on either side.
"Easy there, friend. We mean you no harm!!" Said the Dark skinned man.
"You are interupted an investigation into a crime, sir! I suggest that you two move on and forget what you saw!" Stated Eternus.
"I'm afraid we cannot do that!! We are here to investigate the scene as well." Stated the light skinned man.
"This has nothing to do with you!! I suggest you move on!!" Exclaimed Eternus.
"I'm afraid it does!! We're the ones your sister was supposed to meet with!" Explained the dark skinned man.
Eternus immediately went on guard.
"Then I suggest you two explain yourselves quickly!" Said Eternus.
The dark skinned man bowed his head.
"My name is Akechi, this is Emiir. We're both from the Djinni Conclave. " introduced the dark skinned man.
Recognition appeared on Orian's face.
"My father told me about you!! You competed against him in the Arcadian Arena!! He didn't mention anything about you being Djinn though?" Stated Orian.
"I'd be concerned if he did! I didn't reveal my true origin to him at the time, nor did he reveal himself to me!" Stated Akechi.
"You were supposed to have information for my sister about our missing people? Why do I have a feeling that information was what got her kidnapped!" Stated Eternus.
"We spoke to her about a certain fugitive who's a considerable concern for the Djinni. He's the one that is responsible for your people's disappearance.
He's been working with the Mythril clan dwarves for quite some time." Explained Akechi.
"What do the dwarves have to do with this?" Asked Eternus.
"Haven't you figured it out yet? They're the ones harvesting your kind?!" Stated Emiir.
"..."
The Phoenix prince was absolutely speechless.
"Those are some pretty serious accusations!! Do you have proof?"
"Of course! We know where your people are being held! Our original proposal to your sister was that we assault the prison together.
She said that she needed to discuss this with her mother. Now that you're here, I see no reason for us not to continue with the original plan."
Eternus stepped closer and placed a sword on the Djinn's neck.
"Mark my words well!! If you're lying to me, I will take your head! Where are they being held!"
"Not so fast, Phoenix... there is the matter of our compensation for the information..."
"Don't test me, Djinn..." stated Eternus.
"The price is simple, at the prison there's a fugitive that is advising the dwarves. Our price is that he be handed over to us, no questions and no fuss."
"If he's responsible for this atrocity on my kind! Then he will be punished by OUR laws not yours!!" Bellowed Eternus.
"I understand why you feel that way... but he has information that my people need... the price for our help is that he is taken alive and handed to us for interrogation.
If it's justice you seek, then you need not worry, he will be dealt with once we have what we need." Stated Emiir.
The Phoenix prince sighed and put away his sword as he considered the proposal.
Chrome and Orian came over to advise him.
"What do you think?" Asked Chrome.
"I know a cover up when I see one. I'm pretty sure the Djinn is afraid of the information he holds and they're trying to silence him." Stated Eternus.
"Can we trust them?" Asked Orian.
"Trust a Djinn? Not likely! But I see no other alternative! We currently have no leads and time is of the essence. " stated Eternus
He turned back to the waiting Djinni.
"All right Emiir... we have a deal... the fugitive is yours if you help us free our people..." stated Eternus.