nonanonymous

An Odd Couple Chp 2

Oct 21st, 2016
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  1. City hall was garishly decorated for the festival, with vines of floral arrangements slinking on its marble white columns and balconies. Where there weren’t flowers, there were paintings of pastoral and wild landscapes. Asta’s car pulled up to the parking lot and the two detectives entered.
  2.  
  3. The interior was a feverish chaos as administrators rushed here and there, papers strewn about on the wooden tables and walls. It was clear that the death of Noah Mason had made the jobs of the festival coordinators exponentially harder. Asta and Aidan carefully wove their way through the constant stream of government workers to the mayor’s office.
  4.  
  5. After Aidan knocked on the door, a woman opened it. Her skin wasn’t merely pale, it was bone white. Her waist long hair was similarly colorless and her eyes a dull grey. Stranger still was her dress, which reached all the way to the floor and was being blown by some unfelt wind. Her clothes seemed to become a part of her body at some points, accentuating her curves.
  6.  
  7. “I am sorry, the mayor is currently preoccupied with other matters.” The woman said politely. “If you have business with him, I will be happy to tell him later.”
  8.  
  9. “Our apologies, fair servant, but we have dire need of the mayor.” Aidan said.
  10.  
  11. “Sorry to come unannounced.” Asta said as she moved in front of Aidan, stopping him from saying anything else. “Asta Dolfori, city police. This is Aidan Thalia. We’re investigating a case regarding the death of Noah Mason. The mayor contacted the police department about thirty minutes ago.”
  12.  
  13. “Did he now?” the woman looked confused. “Well, come in then, I suppose.”
  14.  
  15. The two detectives entered to see the wizened mayor hunched over in his office chair, hands covering his face, muttering something to himself.
  16.  
  17. “You must forgive him, he and Noah were close friends, and recent events have been rather shocking to him.” The woman calmly said. “We can talk in the conference room next door, I apologize for not bringing refreshments. But first, allow me to introduce myself. I am Lika Cross, assistant and wife to Mayor Cross.” She said as she curtsied.
  18.  
  19. ----------
  20.  
  21. The three of them went through another door in the mayor’s office and sat close together at the circular conference table. The afternoon sun was shining through the window behind Lika, surrounding her with a warm orange light that gave her a regal aura.
  22.  
  23. “I presume you already know about Noah’s dark secret?” Lika asked gravely.
  24.  
  25. Asta nodded. “The police certainly don’t. But Internal Affairs does.”
  26.  
  27. “So that’s how it is. I trust your partner is equally informed.” Lika said as she faced Aidan, who smiled and nodded.
  28.  
  29. “Good. Truth be told, I did not believe him to be capable of such things until I saw his basement with my own eyes. Although he was very far from lichdom with his amateurish methods.”
  30.  
  31. “Really? Is our matron an expert on such matters?” Aidan casually asked.
  32.  
  33. “I have had my fair share of history with the more…taboo…arts. I remember when the Sanguine Cabal was a peaceful activist group, all those decades ago. Although I highly doubt the history of academic squabbles is particularly interesting.”
  34.  
  35. “Fallen heroes?” Aidan asked as he raised one of his eyebrows. “Please, do continue. Our own fallen needs information for her profiling.”
  36.  
  37. “I highly doubt the cabal you know now represents their founders’ vision. But I digress,” the spectral matron said with a wistful look, “do you why a person would use blood magic in the first place?”
  38.  
  39. “I assume anyone studying magic has the same reason,” Asta chimed in. “Power. For whatever purpose.”
  40.  
  41. “That is one part of it. Yes.” Lika said.
  42.  
  43. “If they are as ancient as you say they are,” Aidan began, “I would hypothesize that they formed some time before the Kheprite Revolution. My modern mythology is rather lacking, but I can at least remember the summation of the past century or so. I’d much rather hear pre-Apocalypse tales myself, no matter how much they’ve been revised over the millennia. I’ve been involved in quite a few stage productions myself.”
  44.  
  45. “Oh my, well that certainly explains your peculiarity.” Lika said, pleasantly surprised. “It’s rare to see mages trained traditionally anymore. All these new students seem to prefer staring at textbooks and sitting in classrooms and staying indoors all day rather than performing mythological plays and travelling in theatre troupes and admiring nature. Although no one ever comes out of those bands completely sane. If you could indulge an old woman in her nostalgia for a moment, what troupe did you study in?”
  46.  
  47. “To play devil’s advocate madam, I did start off in a university and it was a fine experience in its own right. That being said, I was eventually recruited by the Lagorio Troupe.”
  48.  
  49. “Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a while. I remember attending their rendition of The Fall of Haven years ago with my husband. Quite the moving performance. But I see our third wheel here isn’t interested in discussing the fine arts.”
  50.  
  51. “I wouldn’t mind this discussion in another, more peaceful context.” Asta said diplomatically. “But as it stands, we don’t have the leisure of idle chatter.”
  52.  
  53. “You’re right, we should move on. Perhaps we can talk later, Mister Thalia.” Lika apologetically said. “Where were we? Ah right, Aidan suggested that the cabal was formed before the Kheprite Revolution thirty years ago, and he is correct. You both seem rather young, so you probably don’t know how ubiquitous contemporary magic is. This would have been unthinkable decades ago, had the merchants from across the sea not reached our shores.”
  54.  
  55. “A daring tale that one.” Aidan commented as he leaned back in his chair. “Sailors blown off course, braving the mythic leviathans of the deep and the harsh weather of the Meridiac Ocean. Bringing to us the Khepris and triggering a magical revolution. The stuff of legends. They’re quite the household names even today.”
  56.  
  57. “Indeed. Before they arrived, mana was very hard to collect. If you wished to pursue the natural magical arts of earth, wind, air, and fire, you had to establish covenants with spirits, fickle as they are, or find ley lines and foci in the natural world and draw power from them.”
  58.  
  59. “And I guess if you wanted to pursue the miraculous arts of demonic and angelic magic back then, you had to be genetically predisposed to them.” Asta added as she took out a notepad. “Even today, castes in the Holy Occidial Empire are determined by who can use the most holy magic. Angels, that is, angelic monsters, are of course naturally far superior to humans in that regard.”
  60.  
  61. “Magic in the hands of the elite, brought to the common man through innovation and technological progress. That’s what I can remember, but I’ve never once heard of blood magic ever being practiced in a legitimate academic community.” Aidan said.
  62.  
  63. “It was a brief moment, lost to the annals of time. Perhaps out of shame or guilt or merely because bigger things were happening on the continent. Before Kheprite, many less potent monsters and humans were out of luck when it came to magic.” Lika began, a sad smile creeping on her face. “Against the genetically ‘pure’ and the aristocrats that owned land with mana-infused territory, there was little they--we could do to match against our so-called betters.”
  64.  
  65. “So, in our cleverness and perhaps desperation, we turned inwards. To the one source of magic that can made from nothing. Natural and miraculous mana cannot be created on their own, they are all transformed from the same, infinite source. The soul. Spirit energy. Life force. Whatever you want to call it. The spiritual arts. Without the inefficiency of transformation or the need to find or be born with sources of power, we could finally stand as equals.” Lika paused for a moment, sighing deeply.
  66.  
  67. “Those days seem so innocent now. The Sanguine Cabal with our blood magic, the Sacred Consorts with their sexual magic, and countless more. We always used volunteers or ourselves. We didn’t retaliate. Not with force or violence or petty revenge. We let our successes speak for us. We simply wanted to take charge of our own fate.”
  68.  
  69. “So what went wrong?” Asta asked while quickly jotting down notes.
  70.  
  71. “After news of our success spread throughout the magic community, more and more people became interested in blood magic. Our supply of blood was then quickly dwarfed by our demand, but at the same time we had vowed to never turn anyone away, to not become elitist like those we opposed. That one principle became the dividing line between us all.”
  72.  
  73. “Were you one of the conscientious objectors?” Aidan asked while staring raptly at Lika.
  74.  
  75. “No.” Lika remorsefully said as she shook her head. “I was barely an adult back then, and I still had some youthful rebelliousness to work through. I chose to ignore the more dubious methods my peers used to harvest blood. All for the sake of the cabal. Then the Kheprite Revolution happened. Household appliances, trains, even power plants that once ran on oil and coal were retrofitted in the span of weeks. Mages that slept in the woods to regain natural mana soon began buying Kheprite at stores instead. In the wake of a new source of clean, renewable, cheap energy, there was no need for extensive blood magic anymore. That was when I and many of the other founders finally left.”
  76.  
  77. “Group taking an ideological shift after founders leave.” Asta mumbled to herself. “Can’t begin to count how many gangs had that scenario as their start.”
  78.  
  79. “I do not know who today’s members are, but I believe that they are the indirect result of our openness. We saw it coming, people who wanted power by any means necessary. If only we had rejected them, but we had become prideful when novices started turning to us for guidance. The older ones that remained probably cling to the old values, in their own twisted way.” Lika continued as Asta continued writing in her notepad. “The young ones, I don’t know what to expect. Some might have principles, skewed as they are, and some might just want the easiest way to obtain power, regardless of what happens to their fellow man.”
  80.  
  81. Lika rubbed her eyes. She looked tired but also relieved. “I should thank you two for tolerating an old hag as she confesses her past sins. And for me being a terrible host.”
  82.  
  83. Aidan raised a hand in objection. “Think nothing of it. It’s always fitting to listen to people who have lived history. These are turbulent times. The Industrial Revolution a century ago, the return of magic and monsters in the Resurgence shortly after, the formation of the Empire and the fall of the Dominion of Man, then the Kheprite Revolution, the Sinstran Revolution. The world is moving faster than we can write. And stories are our only way to link us to the forgotten past.”
  84.  
  85. “I suppose I will take that as consolation.” Lika said as she chuckled. The air of the room slightly lightening after Aidan finished talking. “Well, you two were hoping for a more solid trail from the mayor, and I apologize for not being able to give you one. But, I do know that Noah often invited some of the younger employees and their friends out to drink at a certain gentlemen’s club, The Seared Wings. Perhaps you could find something there.”
  86.  
  87. “And off to the testosterone-fueled paradise we go.” Aidan jokingly said as he stood up and left. Asta put away her notepad and was ready to follow him had Lika not stopped her.
  88.  
  89. “Hold on for a moment, Miss Dolfori. I have a petty indulgence that I hope to fulfill.”
  90.  
  91. “I can’t imagine what you would want with me.” Asta said as she stopped and turned to face the specter again.
  92.  
  93. “I confessed my sins, but I do wonder about yours.” Asta bristled and stared warily at the ghost. “You seem to be haunted by your own regrets, you wear it openly on your face. Like a shell-shocked soldier. You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to, I know we’re still strangers. But I’m a nosy person, and I hate to see other people weighed down by their regrets.”
  94.  
  95. Asta’s face hardened into absolute stoicism as she turned to leave. “Before I came to this country, I was a soldier in the Imperial Army assigned to the western frontier. That alone should tell you the things I’ve seen and done.” Asta rigidly marched out the door and rejoined Aidan who looked somewhat concerned, and the two of them went off to follow their new lead.
  96.  
  97. ----------
  98.  
  99. Miltia winced as she blocked a baseball bat. This was going poorly. It was now nine-on-one as the augmented thugs and mage assaulted her. Scales all over her body were peeled off or chipped from the fighting, revealing the raw red flesh underneath. In desperation she jumped backwards and stretched her wings out, relieved that whatever magic had been imbued in the thugs did not enhance their bullets as well. She glided back to the main entrance and perched herself on one of the conjured rock walls before facing Pendleton.
  100.  
  101. “We’ve got a problem,” Miltia said in between pants. “Blood mage. Augmentation magic. They’re going to charge us soon.”
  102.  
  103. “Alright.” Pendleton stoically responded. “Carson, Morrel, Johnson. You’re our first line of defense. Stun them and try to take some of them alive. Richards, Perault. You and I are gonna light up anyone who gets too close. On my signal, unload everything you’ve got, I don’t care if it kills them. Kid, you-“
  104.  
  105. “I’m going back in.” Miltia interrupted. “So long as that blood mage is around, these guys aren’t going down. Keep the goons tied up, and I’ll take care of our friend.” After saying this, she jumped up to the roof of the warehouse entrance and climbed inside.
  106.  
  107. The officers focused their attention back to the warehouse interior, where they saw four thugs charging at them with various melee weapons. One of the thugs stepped over a trap. A gust of wind strong enough to blow a man off his feet shot out, but the thug was barely staggered by it. The officers used this opening to fire, magical projectiles riddling his body and sapping his strength. After several volleys, he finally collapsed.
  108.  
  109. Far behind the charge, the mage pulled out another blood bag, ready to heal the fallen assailant. Before he could finish, Miltia leapt from the rafters and dove feet first at him. He put his arms up to shield him, forcing Miltia to springboard off of him. She looked back momentarily to find all the thugs busy with the cops, leaving the mage alone. She raised her fists and charged at him.
  110.  
  111. “That one with the crowbar!” Pendleton commanded. “Shoot him! Now!” As he said this, a human with a machine pistol and a lamia with a rifle opened fire at their target, their guns barking in unison. The thug was unfazed by the hail of fire he was receiving. Even after rifle bullets shattered his hip, he continued crawling forwards with vicious determination, streaking the ground behind him with blood that seemed to boil. Pendleton aimed his revolver at the man’s head and pulled the trigger, halting his advance.
  112.  
  113. The remaining two were undeterred by the failures of their compatriots and continued pressing forwards despite the fire coming their way, eventually reaching the barricades. One of them raised a pipe high above his head before slamming it down on an officer who reflexively raised his right arm. A sickening crack filled the air as the officer fell to the floor clutching his arm and screaming in pain.
  114.  
  115. The officer’s assailant was soon tackled by an elf who stabbed three hypodermic needles into the attacker’s neck before he finally passed out. “I’ve used holy magic before, and this is just unreal.” The elf mumbled to herself as she inspected her comrade’s injury. “Johnson’s down, bastard broke his shooting arm. He’s not fighting anytime soon.”
  116.  
  117. As the lamia began constricting the last thug, he quickly pulled back his baseball bat and swung it straight into the side of her head. She winced and clutched her head, dropping her rifle and loosening her coils. The thug’s freedom was short lived as Pendleton grabbed him and threw him to the side before shooting him directly in the face, causing him to fall backwards.
  118.  
  119. “Shit. That seemed really bad. You all right, Perault?” Pendleton asked.
  120.  
  121. The lamia shook her head before wincing again. “Nope. I think I felt my brain bouncing in my skull. And now I’m seeing double. Don’t count on me shooting straight anymore.”
  122.  
  123. “Right. Damn it. Morrel,” Pendleton said as he looked at the elf. “Take Johnson and Perault back to the cars and patch ‘em up. Carson, how long until the reinforcements get here?”
  124.  
  125. Carson seemed shaken, and as he radioed in, he looked ready to panic. “They say they still have ten minutes before they get here.”
  126.  
  127. “Ten minutes!?” Pendleton shouted as he picked up the lamia’s discarded rifle. “We won’t last two at this rate!”
  128.  
  129. “Hey! We’ve got a problem here.” The third officer said as he loaded a new magazine into his machine pistol.
  130.  
  131. “Be more specific, Richards! What could go wrong n-Oh fuck me, I was wondering why they weren’t shooting at us.” Pendleton cursed as he looked inside the warehouse. What was once an empty interior was now filled with brown rocks jutting out of the floor, mirroring the barricades near the entrance. The three remaining officers ducked as the four thugs began firing wildly at them.
  132.  
  133. “Can’t really do anything at this range!” Richards warned as one of his bursts winged one of the thugs in the arm. The injured crook ignored his wounds and continued to fire.
  134.  
  135. “We can’t let them escape the warehouse, not while we have injuries.” Pendleton commanded. “That kid better take care of that wizard soon.” He desperately muttered to himself before he blindly shot from behind cover.
  136.  
  137. ----------
  138.  
  139. Miltia backed up as she blocked another punch from the mage. His remaining henchmen seemed more preoccupied with the police, but that didn’t make her job any easier. His spells also didn’t seem to be fading away anytime soon, putting her on the defensive, even with her magically toughened body and natural strength. She jumped up and flew into the rafters again. Between the setting sun and the lack of lighting or windows, she was near invisible up there.
  140.  
  141. “You’re not making this easy are you?” The mage calmly said as he scanned the roof. He opened one hand and extended it upwards, an orb of white light appearing and flying into the roof. Miltia’s shadow flickered briefly before darting off and the mage launched a gust of wind, hoping to dislodge her. When she didn’t drop, he began scanning for her shadow again. His search was soon interrupted as he felt something clamp down on the back of his head. A split second later, he slammed face first into the concrete floor, Miltia on top of him. She managed to stomp on his head twice, red sparks of magic flying here and there, before he pushed himself up.
  142.  
  143. “Bitch.” He growled out as he removed his shattered mask. It no longer glowed, and the mage had a bloody gash from the top of his forehead to the middle of his nose. His blood had a dim glow to it but didn’t boil like the thugs’ did. His visage twisted into an angry glare and he sprinted towards her.
  144.  
  145. Surprised by the sudden swiftness of her opponent, Miltia extended her right hand, talons extended, before haphazardly swinging it to the side of her. While this move stopped her from accidently killing her target, it also unbalanced her, allowing the mage to hit her between the shoulder blades and push her to the ground. Before he could do any more damage, the wyvern swept one of her legs to the side and knocked him to the ground as well. She exploded upwards and bolted away, past the collapsed wall of the foreman’s office and then a corner. Then she waited.
  146.  
  147. “Running away?” The mage shouted, having been emboldened by Miltia’s retreat. There was a mix of madness and cockiness in his eyes. “We can’t have that.” He pursued her with predatory glee. Just as he rounded a corner, he saw something flash out of the corner of his eye. A green light turned red and an arc of electricity shot into him. He remained standing thanks to his augmentation spell, but after the lightning had run its course he felt weaker, his magic drained away from him. His confusion was soon interrupted as he felt a hand close around his neck.
  148.  
  149. “There we go, back down to human.” Miltia hissed as she lifted him up. Although her voice was barely above a whisper, it was enough to take the confidence the mage had previously felt and turn it all into panic and fear. She slammed him into the wall, the concussive force knocking him out instantly, and dragged him back towards the main entrance. Without the aid of blood magic, the thugs that were previously undefeated began to waver. They all backed away from the barricades they erected, staggering like a pack of drunkards for a brief moment before collapsing to the ground.
  150.  
  151. “Did we do it?” Pendleton asked as he peaked out from behind a barricade. “Whew. I’ll be damned, kid. Just in time. That could have ended poorly. Hey! Morrel, Johnson, Perault! We won! Now let’s secure these bastards and-what is going on? Morrel, get over here and tell me what the fuck is happening.” Pendleton commanded as he stared at the thug Officer Morrel had previously sedated. In contrast to his peaceful slumber moments before, the still unconscious man was now alternating between fits of violent coughing and vomiting.
  152.  
  153. The elf rushed over and began to inspect the man. “Overdose? It took three times the dosage just to take him out unless…The magic must have worn off, so now he’s crashing back down to human levels of tolerance.” Morrel stated. “If that’s true, then…Richards, there should be detox in the first aid kit of the police cars. Pendleton, better call for ambulances. Carson, help me inspect the suspects inside the warehouse. If they all just passed out, they might need medical attention ASAP.”
  154.  
  155. Carson and Morrel entered the warehouse just as Miltia left with the blood mage in tow behind her. “That was rough, this guy was no joke. Watch him for me, I’ve got a radio call to make.” She dropped him near the barricade next to Pendleton and Richards before walking a short distance away.
  156.  
  157. “Asta, it’s Miltia. The lead was actually solid, we managed to capture a blood mage. Yeah, the guy was well trained, pretty likely he’s a member of the cabal. No, still no clue why he was there in the first place, but he’ll talk, I’ll make sure of that. No, it wasn’t clean. From what I’ve seen, they managed to severely injure two officers. Don’t worry, they don’t look like they’re in critical condition, a broken arm and a head injury I think. Myself? I took one hell of beating. Gonna feel it tomorrow, but it shouldn’t be too bad. A gentlemen’s club? I’ll sit out, I should probably get my injuries looked at. Right, see you tonight.”
  158.  
  159. Inside the warehouse the elf was inspecting the unconscious crooks as the rookie stood near. “Weak pulse, fast breathing, cold extremities. All symptoms point to blood loss and circulatory shock. One faces immediate risk of exsanguination, two more in critical condition, one at low risk.” Morrel said with a clinical tone. “Is this a side effect of blood magic? Never really faced it before this, just heard the rumors.”
  160.  
  161. “Potentially,” Carson said as he placed his hand underneath his chin, “if you were to use their blood as a fuel source. When the others shot them, it seemed like their blood was boiling. I’ve read that most blood mages use external sources for mana, but I suppose our suspect didn’t care much for hired goons.”
  162.  
  163. “Despicable.” Morrel spat out. “If you know any healing magic, use it. Won’t take the place of a blood transfusion, but we need to keep these sods alive long enough to get them real treatment.” After saying that, the elf’s hands glowed white as she hovered them over the unconscious men. Their extremities began warming up again as conjured blood starting filling their veins, although the elf was visibly strained from having to use so much magic. Carson did the same, although far slower and more insecurely than Morrel. By the time additional police officers and paramedics arrived, one man had died from overdose and another from blood loss. The four survivors were placed on stretchers and lifted into the ambulances, along with officers Johnson and Perault.
  164.  
  165. “That could have gone better.” Richards plainly said as he helped put the blood mage into the back of a police car.
  166.  
  167. “Yeah, no shit, dumbass. Four dead, remaining four wounded, and two officers out of commission. Don’t fucking tell me it could have gone better.” Pendleton hostilely replied. “You boys the ones assigned to this car? Good. Make sure this son of a bitch gets delivered. He’s got a lot to answer for.”
  168.  
  169. “All criminals accounted for. Clean up crew taking care of the rest. Runes set to deplete within the hour. Dead bagged and tagged. We’re done here.” Morrel reported. “But with our partners out of commission, Richards and I need new orders. Have any of you been contacted by the chief or Lieutenant Ashworth?”
  170.  
  171. “Yeah. LT called a while back,” Pendleton answered, “wanted you two to return the squad cars and wait at the station for any new situations. Hey, kid. What are you going to do? Gonna get your wounds checked out?”
  172.  
  173. Miltia nodded. Stretching every now and again. “It’s starting to hurt a bit more now that the adrenaline’s worn off. I should check to make sure I don’t have any fractures or whatever. I need magic to accelerate scale regrowth too. I’ll hitch a ride in one of the ambulances, don’t worry about me.”
  174.  
  175. “Alright, kid, safe travels. Once all this is over, we should share a round of drinks and swap stories.”
  176.  
  177. Miltia nodded and climbed into one of the emptier ambulances alongside the more stable suspect. Due to her massive stature and wingspan, the paramedics requested that she remain still and not assist in stabilization efforts.
  178.  
  179. ----------
  180.  
  181. “Tis only 7, and yet the club is already alive.” Aidan commented as they drove to The Seared Wings’ parking lot. Sure enough, there was a constant stream of people entering and exiting. The club was a humble brick and mortar establishment on the outside, but the music, lights, and cheers on the inside leaked out through the opened glass doors. Bouncers were working at a feverish pace, patting people down as fast as they could. The majority of the customers seemed to be men, although there was no shortage of women, human and monster, in the lineup as well.
  182.  
  183. “Probably a lot of lost souls looking for a date during the festival.” Asta answered as she parked her new undercover car. She was ready to leave her weapons inside the compartments before Aidan grabbed her hand to stop her.
  184.  
  185. “Wait, fair fallen. I’m a far better field agent for this operation.”
  186.  
  187. “Hmm. You might be right, if someone in there is related to the cabal, they might be targeting young men. Alright, here take this,” Asta said as she gave him a small black device the size of a poker chip, “it’s a bug. I should be able to hear everything nearby. If you need assistance, tell me your location and I’ll be right there.”
  188.  
  189. “Very well, the safe word is, I don’t know, ‘taxman’s dues.’” Aidan said as he handed her an engraved dagger and plain handgun. “These won’t pass those steadfast watchers, no matter how suave I am or how swift they are. Do not fret, I still have a few tricks left up my sleeve. Now, I bid you adieu.”
  190.  
  191. After being checked by the bouncers, Aidan entered The Seared Wings alone. While the club exterior gave the impression of class and traditionalism, the interior was a different story. Magical lights radiating mana throughout the air in every color of the rainbow. Dancers, waitresses, and escorts of every race tended the booths and tables and bars. On the center stage was a group of assorted orcs playing bleeding-edge new music. As Aidan remembered, this new genre from the Dominion of Man used external machinery to modify regular instruments. To the sides were runways where various women strutted about. A blue-feathered harpy and gunmetal grey automaton were currently dancing rather suggestively, to the whooping and hollering of their audience who were more than happy to throw money their way. Occasionally, Aidan saw customers discretely slip wads of money into girls’ outfits, and the two would then go off into a side corridor. Every now and then he also saw some non-employee girls try to seduce the men left over.
  192.  
  193. “Bartender,” Aidan said plainly as he sat on a stool in one of the various circular bars, “I’ll take…let’s see…this one. Nothing too strong yet, the night’s still young.”
  194.  
  195. “The whiskey? Fine choice.” Replied a human girl with long black hair and a pale complexion. She was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt covered by an apron. “Drinking alone on the festival? Forgive me if I’m being rude, but having trouble in paradise?”
  196.  
  197. “I had intentions to drink with my superior, but the Fates have robbed us of him.” Aidan lied. “So, instead of drinking with him, I now drink in his honor.”
  198.  
  199. “Right before the festival? That’s gotta hurt.” The girl smiled sympathetically. “So where’d you work?”
  200.  
  201. “I had just recently gotten a job at city hall, as a civil servant underneath the tutelage of one Noah Mason. His illustrious history was one thing that attracted me to the job. He was planning on taking me and a few other boys out to here for the festival, but it seems destiny has other plans for me.”
  202.  
  203. “Mister Mason, huh? Swell guy. Came around here a lot. Always brought his underlings too, made for more than a few good times here. Hey, since you’re government, want to know something?” The bartender asked while looking conspiratorially at Aidan.
  204.  
  205. “I’ve got nothing to lose. Go ahead.”
  206.  
  207. “I’m Anastasia. Anastasia Cross.” She said in a low voice. “I haven’t been at my parent’s workplace in a while, but I figured I’d introduce myself. I hope you stay around, even after Mister Mason’s death.”
  208.  
  209. “Now that you mention it, you do have your mother’s face. And part of her complexion, minus the etherealness. But what would the mayor’s daughter be doing in a place like this?”
  210.  
  211. “Ha. I get all that a lot. Tell you the truth, the job’s more for fun than anything else. Now as to my relation to my mother,” Anastasia said as she refilled Aidan’s shot glass, “You know how it goes, in this day and age millennia of interbreeding with dormant monster genes mean everyone has the weirdest kids.”
  212.  
  213. “Isn’t that the truth!” Aidan said as he let out a throaty chuckle. “I grew up at a border town. And I remember once, the local ant colony once gave birth to a clutch of arachnids instead. Or that time a slime was born to a human. Unpredictable times we live in.”
  214.  
  215. “You can say that again. So, what’re your plans for tonight, um…”
  216.  
  217. “Aramis.” Aidan lied. “Well, seeing as my compatriots have left me to dry, I suppose I’ll have to look for love without brothers-in-arms. But first, to Noah Mason. Rest in peace, old man.” He said as he raised his shot glass and downed it entirely.
  218.  
  219. “Here’s to you, you old codger.” Anastasia playfully said as she took a swig from the whiskey bottle. “So, got any interests in mind. I know some of the girls here, maybe I can hook you up.
  220.  
  221. “Washboard.” Aidan confidently said.
  222.  
  223. Anastasia chuckled. “Chest or stomach?”
  224.  
  225. “Both. Also, tall.”
  226.  
  227. “Oh, into tomboys are you?” Anastasia asked as she raised an eyebrow.
  228.  
  229. Aidan shrugged. “Opposites attract.”
  230.  
  231. “Well, you’re plumb out of luck on that front, Aramis. The only girl I know like that already has a boyfriend.”
  232.  
  233. “Better luck next time.” Aidan said with feigned disappointment as he downed another shot of whiskey. His words were starting to become a bit slurred, although that was also just an act. “How about people the old man knew. Perhaps that can lead me to victory.”
  234.  
  235. Anastasia’s eyes lit up. “Oh. I think I know someone. Not to your specifications, mind you. She’s just finished her shift, but I can go to the break room and call her out if you want.”
  236.  
  237. “Go right ahead. Not like I have anything else happening tonight. Should we meet here?”
  238.  
  239. “Nah, I’ve got more customers to go through. You can meet off near the side rooms.”
  240.  
  241. “Understood.” Aidan said with faux enthusiasm as he jumped out of his stool and dropped a small stack of bills on the table.
  242.  
  243. ----------
  244.  
  245. Aidan was leaning near the entrance to one of the many side corridors, watching couples flit in and out. He heard doors open and shut every now and then but did not hear anything else, so he assumed the rooms must have been soundproofed. After a short wait, he saw someone walking directly towards him. She had horns like a goat that curled backwards into a spiral, unlike Miltia’s which jutted straight up. Her legs were also much like that of a goat, ending in hooves, and her hair and fur were colored like wine. Her black dress shirt was unbuttoned to the bottom of her ribs, exposing her cleavage and part of her bra, and she had a lustful smile on her face. In her hand was a brown metal container.
  246.  
  247. “So you’re the guy Ana was telling me about. Aramis right?” She said flirtatiously as she looked up and down Aidan’s body, her eyes hungry with desire. “Not bad. Not bad at all.”
  248.  
  249. “Hahaha. Well, I try.” Aidan sheepishly said as he adjusted his collar, making sure the bug was turned on. “I suppose you’re a satyr yes? Well, why don’t we take one of the private rooms here, in corridor B, and you can show me what you know.”
  250.  
  251. “Oddly specific,” the satyr replied, looking confused as she and Aidan walked down the corridor, “but you already seem a bit drunk, so I’ll just ignore it. Name’s Selene by the way. Alright, room B16 is open, you first.”
  252.  
  253. “B16 you say?” Aidan said in an oddly loud and clear voice. “Very well, I will accompany you to room B16, right next to the side exit connecting to the alley.”
  254.  
  255. “You know, you really are odd. You sound like an undercover cop, but you seem way too stupid to be one.” Selene said with a smirk on her face. She sat down on the couch and opened her container, pulling out a bottle of wine. “Might just be the booze, but I like it, it’s quite the novelty. If you get even drunker, I wonder what else you’ll say.”
  256.  
  257. “Only time will tell. As well as alcohol.” Aidan joked as he covertly unlocked the door before shutting it. “Are there glasses in here? Oh good, there are. Now let’s get to it.” Aidan said as Selene poured wine into his glass.
  258.  
  259. “Straight to the action, good. I like that in a man. So, do you have any plans for the festival?” She asked as she moved closer to Aidan, their legs barely touching.
  260.  
  261. “I haven’t found a date yet, so that’s kind of my first goal.” Aidan answered as he sipped his wine. “After that, well, I don’t know. I’ll have to leave it to the Fates really. What about you? Do you have any plans?”
  262.  
  263. “Well, me and the girls used to hang out together and tried to get boys to bring back home, but today’s circumstances have put a hold on that plan.” Selene replied with a more somber face as she stared into her glass. “For the most part, it only really netted a few one night stands or the occasional boyfriend, only rarely did we find someone we actually ended up loving.”
  264.  
  265. “I see. If it’s not too bold, might I ask what circumstances prevent you from doing this?”
  266.  
  267. “Well, every once in a while, some of the workers from city hall would come over for a round of drinks. But, the main organizer, Noah Mason, got shot last night. So, yeah, no workers coming and well, Noah was a pretty well-known regular here.”
  268.  
  269. “That’s quite the coincidence, I actually came here because the late Mister Mason invited me to. I actually just recently started working as a civil servant.”
  270.  
  271. Selene perked up immediately and nudged even closer to Aidan, the side of her breast pressing against his arm. “You did? I knew Ana was holding something from me. Huh, maybe this is destiny. You know, my house isn’t far from here, Aramis. Maybe we should find somewhere more private.” She said sultrily.
  272.  
  273. “I really shouldn’t. I want to, but you know, you have to pay the taxman’s dues, and I really need this job. But…” Aidan trailed off as Selene was practically leaning against him now, her face mere inches away from his. “…perhaps this one exception would be fine.”
  274.  
  275. “Terrific!” Selene exclaimed as she hoisted herself and Aidan up and to the door, not once letting him get farther. “My apartment is at the Penn Street Estates, so it’s not far from here, come on, we can leave using the side exit.”
  276.  
  277. ----------
  278.  
  279. “Apartment 615? So you have quite the view of the city right?” Aidan said loudly as Asta listened in through her earpiece. She had suspicions about Selene. The Penn Street Estates was built in the nicer part of town, far too nice for a bartender to live in. That being said, she couldn’t rule out the possibility that Selene was just Old Money. After she drove ahead of Aidan and Selene, she flew up and perched herself on the balcony just above 615’s balcony. With her wings hidden away, she looked like an ordinary woman. Or a secret angel from the stories her pastor used to tell her when she was a child.
  280.  
  281. She blocked those memories from her mind, there was no time to reminisce in the middle of a mission. She waited and listened, taking a seat in a recliner and making sure the owner wasn’t home. When it sounded like Aidan and Selene had reached the apartment, she stood up and put one foot atop the balcony railing, ready to mobilize when Aidan needed help.
  282.  
  283. “I told you, I’ve got a great view from up here, why don’t you go take a look while I dig up some of my more expensive drinks.” Asta heard Selene say. When Aidan went to the balcony, he immediately looked upwards and winked at Asta, who was disturbed that he was so perceptive despite his usual demeanor indicating otherwise. She once again had to purge those distracting thoughts from her mind and refocus, peering down to see Aidan leaning against the railing, back facing the room.
  284.  
  285. As Selene exited to join him, Aidan immediately turned around and swatted a syringe out of her hands. “Come now, you alcoholic atrocity, I may enjoy a good drink, but I never indulge in other substances.” She looked bewildered for a moment before attempting to grapple him to the ground. Her attack was soon interrupted as a shafts of white light were shot into her, causing her to collapse onto the ground. In the air next to the balcony was Asta, wings unfurled and mana pistol in hand.
  286.  
  287. “Thanks for the opening.” Asta said calmly as she flew onto the balcony and entered the apartment. “Drag her inside and keep her occupied while I look around.”
  288.  
  289. As Asta searched the apartment, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, for satyrs at least. The refrigerator was stocked to the brim with alcohol and occasionally food, most of the papers she kept lying around were related to various drinks or parties, and she apparently kept a makeshift distiller in her bathroom. No sign of blood or blood extraction equipment, so she could just be a run of the mill rapist. Inside Selene’s bedroom was an open safe that contained an assortment of drugs. Sedatives, aphrodisiacs, paralytics, hypnotics, she had everything it took to knock a man out. More importantly, however, was a ledger that contained the names of various men who disappeared, the places Selene had dropped them off, and how much money she received. There was no doubt, she was a trafficker, just like Mason was. In fact, it was highly probable the two of them worked in tandem.
  290.  
  291. ----------
  292.  
  293. “What the hell are you doing, Aramis?” Selene asked angrily. “Untie me! What’s going on?!”
  294.  
  295. “Oh, it seems our host has awoken.” Aidan replied apathetically. “We have suspicions that you were up to something, so we are now investigating your domicile.”
  296.  
  297. “Who are we? Police? Do you have a warrant? This is unlawful detention.”
  298.  
  299. “We’re not police, we don’t need a warrant.” Asta said coldly as she entered the room. It was a partial lie, they had reasonable suspicion anyways, but she needed to intimidate the suspect. When Selene saw she was carrying her ledger, her eyes widened in panic.
  300.  
  301. “Well, your reaction says everything we need to know.” Aidan said as he leaned back in a recliner.
  302.  
  303. “Look, you won’t get anything from me alright. I’m just a messenger, I don’t know what they do. I didn’t even know they killed them before the reports came in. I mean, when I did know I was too far in and I won’t be betraying the cabal because I don’t want to end up like the boys.” Selene continued to desperately babble before Asta stood in front of her and conjured a spear of blinding white light. When Selene saw it, her panic grew to abject terror as she went silent.
  304.  
  305. “That got you to shut up.” Asta hissed cruelly as she kept her spear pointed at the satyr’s heart. “Now tell us, are there any meetings happening soon?”
  306.  
  307. “Yes, my friend, a slime, she, uh, she should be bringing a guy she’s caught and raped for the past week to an alleyway behind the Seared Wings tomorrow. Please don’t kill me.”
  308.  
  309. “Good girl.” Asta said with a sadistic smile on her face. She ended her spell and the spear faded away. “So whose jurisdiction does she fall under?” she asked as she turned to Aidan.
  310.  
  311. “My superiors are not interested in small anchovies like this, they want the sharks, the bigwigs.” Aidan replied. “I suppose you can keep her.”
  312.  
  313. “But. But. I told you what you wanted to know.” Selene protested.
  314.  
  315. “And you know our faces, can’t have a liability on such a sensitive case.” Asta said as she glared at the satyr. “And you’ve still got more to tell us. Don’t worry, we won’t cause unnecessary harm to you, should you cooperate.” She had put a large amount of emphasis on the word ‘unnecessary,’ making the satyr even more scared.
  316.  
  317. Asta hoisted the satyr over her shoulder and flew out through the balcony. Aidan, after stealing some of the more expensive wines from Selene’s refrigerator, went down the elevator to join the other two in Asta’s car.
  318.  
  319. “That was a rather interesting spell you used. I’ve heard of something like that once. That lance.” Aidan begin as Asta looked angrily at him. “The Executioner’s Spear, they call it. Much like demonic steel, it attacks the soul. But instead of corroding a soul, it destroys it. No afterlife, no ‘self’ anymore, the soul just fades away into nothingness. It’s not just killing, it’s annihilation. And there are only two kinds of people in the world who know how to do it. Imperial knights from the Order of the Shroud and the Order of the Setting Sun.”
  320.  
  321. “Aidan, I’m only telling you this once,” Asta sternly interrupted, “if you want to keep living, drop. This. Now.”
  322.  
  323. Aidan remained silent for the rest of the ride afterwards, and Selene was too terrified to speak. Asta focused on the road with a look of fury and perhaps some regret, if Aidan had to guess. After looking away from Asta, he sighed. “Huh, you’re just like her.” He thought to himself. “But still, when I left something felt off in that room. Someone else was watching us. Scrying perhaps, or some hidden familiar I didn’t see. Perhaps a rune or an electronic bug. But the big question is who?” The three of them drove not to the police station, but to the law firm that secretly housed the local Internal Affairs branch.
  324.  
  325. ----------
  326.  
  327. A succubus was inspecting the warehouse, although the signs of fighting had long since been cleaned up. There was a massive hole in the foreman’s office and there were signs of rune usage, but the blood and bodies had all been removed. The guards the police had stationed seem to be both new and uninterested in maintaining vigilance. The succubus sneaked near a back entrance of the warehouse and pulled out a large grey box, which she opened. She extended an antenna and turned some knobs before putting an earpiece into her right ear.
  328.  
  329. “Anne. Sleeper Gamma here.” She calmly whispered. “Then increase your volume, this is too important to wait. Stop worrying about the police, they aren’t nearly as close as you think they are. Okay, fine, the majority aren’t. Considering that we managed to injure two of their veterans with a local street gang and one of our own I’d say they’d be hard-pressed to keep fighting. Shame that guy got arrested though, we lost our plant in the police a while back so he’s screwed.”
  330.  
  331. “Yeah, I agree.” She continued. “If that wyvern wasn’t there, they’d all be dead by now. Which brings me to my next point. The police, they have help. One of their detectives is working with that wyvern and another. Human man. Red hair. Suit. Wyvern is a Ranger, guy’s a diplomat. No, I’m too low on the totem pole in the consulate to know who is and isn’t a spy, but he might be, he’s too good to just be a diplomat. How do I know? I just saw him take down one of our traffickers through a scrying rune. The satyr, she was ready to drug him when he turned around and countered her.”
  332.  
  333. “That’s not all though, that detective of theirs, that fallen Valkyrie. She managed to conjure an Executioner’s Spear, so she’s probably an ex-Imperial knight. Watch yourself, if she’s fallen, then she probably has knowledge of both holy and demonic magic. Staying here? We’ve stirred up the hornet’s nest, both the Sinstran Kingdom and the Cognos Magocracy are sending agents against us. No, I don’t care if this city is a major part of our operations, we have to leave now.”
  334.  
  335. “Alright, let me convince you. Our other trafficker, Noah, I found something about his killer. Looking at the methods used and by sweet-talking the other consulate employees, I think we’re being hunted by Jester. Yes! Jester! You intend to take them on? Are you insane?! Jester answers directly to the queen! They’ll kill us all! Jester isn’t exactly known for mercy!” The succubus said, not realizing that her voice was getting louder.
  336.  
  337. “Hey! Who’s there?” a policeman said as he shined his flashlight at the succubus. “Miss, this is restricted property, you cannot be here. Put your hands in the air.”
  338.  
  339. The succubus removed her earpiece and stood up. She put one hand in the air but used another to pull out a blood bag from inside her jacket. “Hey, what are you doing? Stop that or I’ll shoot.” The policeman fearfully said, his gun was shaking.
  340.  
  341. Just as she was about to cast a spell, she felt a sharp pain in her chest and the hand holding the bag. Panicked, she looked down and saw what looked like a curved blade jutting out from where her heart was, having pierced her chest, the bag, and her hand. When the blade was removed, viscous liquid spilled everywhere as she rapidly lost consciousness.
  342.  
  343. When the succubus dropped on the floor, the figure that killed her stood straight up, easily dwarfing the cop who was now backing up. The policeman couldn’t see any features, as the figure was raining a rain poncho to cover their immense form. On the figures face was a porcelain white mask with glowing bright green eyes and a smiling mouth shaped like a jack-o-lantern. The magical light of the mask reflected off of the figure’s horns, which jutted upwards. After looking at the dying succubus again the figure turned around and started to walk away.
  344.  
  345. “S-stop!” The cop said as he began to fire his gun. The few bolts of magical frost that hit seemed to have no effects, merely causing the figure to flinch every once in a while before they disappeared into the night.
  346.  
  347. The cop pursued, but couldn’t find the mysterious killer anywhere. Instead, he saw a wyvern with red scales and bandages swoop down in front of him. “Miltiada Stigand, Ranger and police attaché.” She said swiftly. “I heard gunshots here, is everything alright?”
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