Things couldn't have taken a worse turn. Despite knowing she was still around, Dante failed to account for her presence.
Flare. One of Eidolon's Enhanced Individuals. A so-called hero meant to act as an advertisement for the megacorporation. Someone like that had their eyes on him this entire time.
Panic struck Dante like a truck and for a moment it appeared as if he had been exposed. Thankfully he was able to keep his composure and through a short conversation, he learned that the hero barely knew a fraction of the truth.
"You seriously need to work on your disguise." He said then turned to leave. Of course, the red-haired girl wasn't going to just let that happen.
"Wait!" She rushed to follow him. "Tell me what happened in there!"
"Leave me alone, lady," Dante replied. "The last thing I want is to be involved with your kind."
"Dozens of people were inside that place." He said. "Why not ask them?"
"You were the last one to come out!"
"I told you I don't want to be involved with your kind."
"What do you mean?" She caught up to him and glared from his side. "What did I ever do to you?"
Stopping, Dante turned to her and glared back.
"I said I don't want to be involved with you." He said between clenched teeth. "How about you take the hint and fuck off?"
Ignoring her stunned reaction, Dante went on his way. He wanted to get as far away from her as he could, and the sooner he did that the less likely her backers would bother looking into him.
Getting involved with heroes when he has yet to master the relic was a bad idea. He had planned on lying low until he got enough bionics to extend the time limit on Volcan's armors, but if he were to get caught before then, his goals would once again be out of his reach.
As he continued to walk, Dante noticed the sound of footsteps that didn't belong to him.
'She's still following us, huh?'
Volcan summoned a small map. On it were two dots, one blue and the other green, both moving in the same direction with only a short distance between them.
[Should I change her designation to a hostile entity?] Volcan asked.
'... no...' Dante sighed. 'Let's just hope she gets tired of this by the time we reach the station...'
In a way, Dante was impressed. The girl was clearly from the richer parts of the city so he didn't expect her to last long in the streets of a place such as Factory Town. Be it the polluted air, the dirty roads, or the rude locals, there were plenty of things a pampered rich lady wouldn't be able to handle, even if she could create flames with a snap of her fingers.
After taking a turn around the block, Dante found himself walking toward the crowd that gathered around the rubble left where the Den once stood. People were already digging through it trying to find survivors. Dante considered waiting till Jason was pulled out, but that was bound to take a while seeing as the hulking man was buried under the weight of the entire building.
"Hey, did you hear?" Someone whispered. "They say it was an EI who did this."
"You serious?" Another responded. "What kind of bionics did he have?"
"Not that kind of EI, you idiot!"
'Volcan, can you focus on those two?'
Though he wanted to eavesdrop on the conversation, Dante knew that stopping would have exposed him.
A second after Volcan replied, the surrounding chatter seemed to die down leaving only the voices of the two young men Dante mentioned.
"They say it gives you powers just like those heroes they keep showing on the news!"
"Nah, it can't be that simple..."
"Simple? Who said it was simple!? That thing probably costs a fortune!"
"Then what the hell are you getting excited about? You can barely pay your rent!"
"C'mon! How can you be so chill about it? If it's out there we might-"
"Yeah yeah, keep dreaming."
Something about the conversation sounded familiar as if he had heard it before. Nevertheless, Dante couldn't put his fingers on it.
[I have sorted through some other conversations from the surroundings.] Volcan said. [It seems that many suspect that the culprit behind the incident had consumed a drug named "Catalyst"]
No sooner had the AI said the word than a light flashed at the depth of Dante's mind.
"Hey Gaspard, you think it's real?"
"They say no smoke without a fire, but... I doubt it exists..."
"Why not? Those villains they keep talking about have to get their powers from somewhere."
"I doubt Eidolon is crazy enough to create both the heroes and villains so... maybe someone else figured out?"
Dante's pupils constricted. A sudden nausea overwhelmed him, causing his head to throb, and the pain left by Type 3-2 became far more prominent than before.
The word slipped out without his notice. The sounds around him continued to fade and even his mind gradually went silent, leaving him with the violent beating of his distressed heart until-
Unbeknownst to him, Dante had been leaning forward with a hand on his mouth as if he was about to vomit. When he glanced beside him, he saw the red-haired girl reaching out toward him. For a moment he imagined that she was concerned by the sudden change in his state until she heard the word come out of his mouth, causing her expression to warp with surprise.
"Didn't I tell you... to leave me alone?" Dante quickly straightened himself. "The fuck is wrong with you?"
"Wha-what's wrong with me?" Her eyes went wide. "What's wrong with you!? Why are you so rude to me?"
Several heads turned in the girl's direction, though she paid them no mind. Dante's anger welled up fast and he almost argued back. The last thing he wanted was to draw more attention to himself, however, so he managed to hold back at the last second.
Glancing around him, Dante searched his mind for a solution to his current predicament. In the end, he concluded that the annoying rich girl probably wouldn't leave him alone unless she got what she wanted. That's why, after much deliberation, he grabbed her by the arm.
"Come with me," Dante said as he dragged her away from the crowd.