"Nolan City has certainly been attracting a lot of strange people lately."
This was Jenkins's sole observation about the stranger. He had no time to worry about whether the young man walking ahead of them was a threat; the A-12-02-3320 incident was his top priority.
Jenkins's eyes were still highly reliable. Under Lucal's guidance, they had inspected 131 bodies temporarily stored inside the building. Of course, Lucal wasn't permitted to observe while the three of them conducted their 'examination.' Since they failed to find their target, they had no choice but to return to the church for the next possible location.
Throughout the day, Jenkins's search had taken him from Nolan Public Hospital No. 3 to a temporary morgue at a suburban police station, then to the home of a murdered family in a small town outside the city, and finally all the way to the western mountains, where he'd spotted an ancient dragon from a distance.
"Wait, what did you just say?"
The sun was setting as the disheveled trio hopped down from their carriage, ready to receive their next assignment. Thanks to Jenkins's healing abilities, none of them were actually injured. However, his Breath of Healing could mend flesh, not restore torn and tattered clothing.
"None of us expected it," one of them said. "We'd just crested the mountain pass when we saw the dragon resting on a plateau below."
Captain Bincy recounted, his voice still tinged with fear. The tips of his hair were scorched black, something Jenkins's power couldn't fix.
"By the Sage, just looking at it made it hard to breathe. It noticed us, but it only yawned, let out a puff of fire, and then flew off into the distance."
"And then? Did you fight it?"
Miss Bevanna pressed.
"No, it just flew off without giving us a second thought. Otherwise, I doubt you'd be able to recognize us right now."
Chocolate, who had been lounging nearby, let out a yawn. The cat hadn't accompanied Jenkins today, staying instead with Miss Bevanna. It had spent a lazy day, occasionally trotting over to inspect the Fantasy Flower seeds.
When Jenkins had returned earlier, he'd even seen Miss Bevanna preparing a porcelain dish with a small strawberry shortcake for the cat. All in all, it was living a life of comfort.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Jenkins began planning his next move. Once he returned, he needed to find a way to get a message to the ladies in Ruen, letting them know he'd be occupied this evening. The only complication was his scheduled trade for the wood heart with Miss Silver Flute tonight, which made things a bit tricky.
Captain Bincy already had the next address. He was currently listening to another team that had just arrived, who were reporting a lead on a vampire they'd encountered during their own mission.
Miss Bevanna had to deal with the dragon; the appearance of such a ferocious creature so close to the city was an extremely dangerous development. Chocolate, who had been lazing on the windowsill next to a flowerpot and gazing out at the thick fog, noticed the room was quickly emptying. With a flick of its ears, the cat sprang to its feet, leaped from the sill to the sofa, then down to the floor, and trotted over to Jenkins, rubbing against his heel.
When Jenkins glanced down, the cat looked up, meeting his gaze with its large, beautiful eyes.
"You want to come with me, don't you?"
he asked in a low voice.
Jenkins took that as a yes. He bent down, scooped up the cat, and turned to Captain Bincy.
"Excuse me, sir, may I bring him along? I promise, Chocolate won't be any trouble."
The cat's intelligence was well-known throughout the church.
Perhaps to ensure they'd be back in time for dinner, their next destination was within the city limits. To be precise, they were to enter the sewers in search of a vagrant's corpse—not an uncommon discovery in the subterranean tunnels.
Nolan City's sewer system was a sprawling, chaotic maze, the result of several mayors' haphazard directives during periods of urban renewal.
The tunnels had been dug and rebuilt multiple times, with some sections even connecting to old mining shafts. As a result, not even the current city hall possessed a complete map of the network.
However, Jenkins and his companions didn't need to venture into the deepest sections—areas even maintenance crews avoided. Following the results of a divination, they entered the underground through a manhole inside a warehouse in the Docklands.
This stretch of the tunnel was surprisingly free of any strong odor. The sound of their boots echoed off the stone, carrying far down the pipe.
Mr. Benz used one of his abilities to muffle their footsteps for safety. After Jenkins summoned a sphere of starlight to illuminate their path, Captain Bincy activated a power of his own, shielding the light from escaping their immediate vicinity, effectively rendering them invisible.
They navigated the darkness for about ten minutes before rounding a corner and spotting the faint, yellow flicker of candlelight ahead.
The sight immediately filled them with suspicion. There were no direct exits to the surface in this section of the sewers. Not even a vagrant seeking shelter from the cold would choose this place to rest.
Jenkins blinked, grateful for the darkness that concealed his expression. His companions would have surely noticed his shock.
Just ahead, his Eye of Reality perceived three distinct auras. One, a black aura, was unmistakably in the shape of a human body. The candle itself glowed with a red aura, indicating it was a Series B Extraordinary item. The person holding the candle, however, was a humanoid figure enveloped in a blue aura.
"A human infected by a vampire? What's one doing down here?"
The three of them halted instantly. Captain Bincy raised a finger to his lips, gesturing for silence.
Amid a faint rustling sound, the candlelight receded into the distance, the prone corpse being dragged along with it. Updates are released by NoveI(F)ire.net
"Should we follow? I think I heard something being dragged away!"
In truth, Jenkins hadn't heard a thing.
Mr. Benz's hearing was genuinely exceptional.
They waited until the candlelight vanished around the bend before advancing. Ignoring the filth, Captain Bincy got down on the ground and quickly found distinct drag marks. Based on the impressions, the object had most likely been a dead body.
This confirmed the deduction Jenkins had made from the shape of the aura.
Now they faced a choice. They could stick to their original course, but they would likely lose the trail of the mysterious figure. Or they could give chase, but if the body being dragged wasn't their target, they would be wasting precious time.