Olget the Kutaen

*This story contains violence and police brutality and mentions the drug trade and sex work*

“No Constable ain't you listenin’ I'm not sayin’ I killed the gnome all i did was find ‘im” Olget said exasperation clear in his voice “can't you tell that's right ‘anded claw mark and everyone knows I'm left ‘anded ain't I.” Olget was what was known around the city of Helins as a Kutaen which just meant that one of his parents had been from one of the many feline species that call Helins their home while the other was not, in Olget case his father had been a Panterrace, a jaguar like creature that stood some five foot off the ground and typically approached eleven feet in length, who bite could reduce stone to gravel and their claws iron armour like it was butter, Olget mother on the other hand was a goblin who had been born with the most brilliant blue hair anyone in the city had ever seen the same shade of blue that Olget fur was. Being a Kutaen or a hybrid as someone in polite conversation would call him Olget was one of only a small number of bipedal feline folk in the city who while usually not as long as their feline parent were still larger than most of the inhabitants of the city with Olget being on the smaller side for a hybrid at only seven foot and two inches. Olget was stood in the police station for the south eastern district of the city, located on the intersection od Orc and 13th , it was a relatively new addition to the district as part of the lord-high mayor’s urban redevelopment plans and thus the gentrification process had begun with the police station, a hospital, numerous cafes and something called a McDonalds staffed by creatures that called themselves Hue-men which didn't make sense in Olget’s mind as they all various shades of peach and thus should be called the Shademen. Constable Richard Longstaff was another one of these Hue-men from what Olget knew about these hue-men he was what the average male of their species looked like except for the dark brown walrus moustache he sported .

“I didn't say you kill ‘em did I” the constable replied “alls I said was we’d like you to come in to the back and answer a few questions namely why did you drag the body all the way ‘ere” the constable got up from his chair and came around his desk to stand next to Olget and the body of what appeared to be another new species to the city as Olget had never seen anyone or anything like it. The creature was a large bipedal with mottled grey skin that clung to their body so tightly you could make out where each muscle started and stopped underneath it, they also had a large horn protruding from their forehead, pointed ears that jutted out parallel to the ground and claws that were easily over a foot long.

“Well I couldn't just leave ‘im in the middle of the street now could I what would the children say if they seen it”

“That's fair” Constable Richard said as he moved over to a door on the left hand side of the building opening it slightly and poking his head through the doorway “ Oi William there’s a body here come get it will ya.” He closed the crossing back across the lobby to open a door on the opposite side of the room. “Sorry mate I didn’t get your name.”

“Olget” Olget replied, still standing next to the body.

“Constable Richard Longstaff at your service” Richard said, extending his hand for Olget to shake which he did. “Now Olget do you mind taking a seat in there,we aint arresting you but we need to know what you seen. Would you like a spot of tea”

“Do you have any camomile?” Olget asked as he made his way towards the room.

“Sorry mate we ‘ave black or earl gr--” The far door was flung open with a crash as it hit the wall as a man who looked identical to Constable Richard came into the lobby. The newcomer wheeled a large table that looked to be made of iron.

“BY THE LORD TAYLOR” the man whom Olget assumed was Wlliam exclaimed “ ‘e’s a biggun aint he give us a ‘and with ‘im will you Rich”

“Sorry Will mate I’ve got a witness to question” replied Richard not even trying to conceal his grin as he came back towards Olget ushering him inside the room and closing the door behind them. The room was a small room with a dark oaken floor that met red brick at the walls. In the middle of the room was a pale wooden table with three chairs one on one side of the table facing the other two. “Just take a seat there Olget mate and we’ll get started.” Richard pointed to the lone seat as he sat down in one of the two opposite chairs and produced a small notepad and one of the new lead pencils that the alchemist guild had recently developed. Olget eyed the chair nervously as he wasn't sure if it would be able to support his weight but as he pulled it out he could tell it was solidly made and could probably handle the weight of a troll.

Sitting down Olget started telling his tale. “So I was walkin’ down Brina Street next to Lone’s canal and --”

“ Is Lone’s the canal that smells of wet feet or hot manure” interjected Richard

“Manure, anyway walkin’ down Brina and I ‘ear shoutin’ so naturally as you do I go runnin’ towards it because someone could be in trouble. So I go runnin’ passed a few streets but when I gets to Acger’s I can pinpoint the build it’s that lilac building in between the miller’s and the old tanner’s buildin’ kinda witha little alley in front of it. Do you know the buildin’ I’m on about?

“The brothel” Richard said casually as if the existence of a brothel in the middle of a residential area was a given. ”Was there people still shoutin’ when you got there”

“No I heard the shoutin’ stop when i was makin’ my way up the street and when i got there the body was laying in the alley”

“And ‘ow was ‘e lyin’ was ‘e face up, face down feet pointed towards you or feet pointed away”

“He was lyin’ face down with blood sorta poolin’ underneath and his head was pointin’ towards the lilac buildin’. ”

“Interestin’ was there much glass and blood where you found ‘im?”

Olget started to get a little nervous he was not expecting so many questions he was expecting that he could just report the murder and in line with the city’s new crackdown he would be given the reward of ten gold pieces for help with a murder but no he was being interrogated over the death of a Kead Elf when everyone who lived in the slums knew that they ran the drug trade from the shadows.

“Well Mr Olget” Constable Richard said, cutting through Olget’s train of thought “was there much glass and blood at the crime scene.”

“There was a bit” Olget started as he began tapping his claws on the table, “yeah there was quite a lot of blood but not too much glass.”

The door to the lobby opened and in walked the other police man whom Olget had very briefly met in the lobby, he took a seat next to Constable Richard. Constable Richard slid his notepad across to his colleague who began reading the word Olget watched as his eyes travelled over the page the atmosphere in the room grew more tense in the silence. Before the newcomer broke the silence.

“Allow me to introduce myself” he began “I am Constable William Longstaff and as you can surmise from our appearances me and my colleague here are twins. Now I have a few questions of my own Olget. If you don’t mind once we get to the bottom of this you’ll be free to leave. Is that all right with you?”

“S-s-sure” Olget stammered out “ and the reward money”

“We’ll make sure you are fairly compensated,” Willam said, producing his own notebook and pencil. Something about this man had set Olget’s fur on end. “Now you can answer these questions in any order. Olget okay. One where do you live, two are you married, three what do you currently do for work and for whom, four do you know what species that man was and lastly was he dead when you found him”

The barrage of questions had caught Olget off guard; he paused for a moment to try and think of a response and in what order to answer them. “ ‘e was dead when I found ‘im” Olget started “currently I live over on Endrick Way, I’m not married, I work down at the docks for mister Ighictch and I have no clue as to what that man is”

Constable William stared at Olget for a long minute letting the words he spoke hang in the air, a toothy grin spreading across his face . “Mr Olget, can I advise you that lying to the police in order to slow or prevent us from solving a murder in an offense punishable by a fine and one-tenth a person's expected lifespan in a jail cell and I know you just lied so would you like to try again.”

“Okay officer I’m sorry I believe that ‘e was a Kead Elf” Olget replied.

“And the other lies”

“What other lies officer?” Olget question genuinely curious as everything else he said was true.

“There is a woman in my lobby claiming to be your wife and that you live on the north side of the city over on Shall Street”

“No officer, I'm not married and I live by myself on Endrick.”

“You live by yourself?” Constable Richard questioned “where are your parents”

“Dead officers, they died last winter,” Olget replied.

“Interesting so you have no one and you live in the slums?” Constable Richard asked.

“Yes sir I’m all al--” Olget began before he was cut off, a needle thin spike cutting through his throat. Olget could feel the blood leaking from his through the hole in his neck, following the spike back it appeared as though Constable William had changed his fingers into a spike.

“See brother I told you police work would pay dividend two we have two meals” Constable William said as Olget clamped his hands over his neck to stop his blood following out as he lay on the cold ground.

“We might want to keep the Kead intact for now and make a trip to the brothel and see if we can get an extra meal or two out of it” Richard replied.

“You don’t think he did it then” William said, gesturing at Olget.

“Does it matter?”

“Okay but you can carry him this one to the basement by yourself”

“Fine but wait for me to go get our next meal” Richard said, rising to his feet walking around the table to where Olget was laying. Olget looked at the man one last time before two spikes pierced his eyes killing him instantly.

The End?