Chapter 45 – Investigation Skills

The Sea Sword took five days to get to the port that we needed to reach. Over those five days, I had recovered more and more. Mousethief had given me a wink, while Southpaw had praised my tenacity to overcome my weakness. I was just grateful that the rocking water wasn’t trying to murder me through stomach distress. I was even able to keep food down, which was important for me getting my strength back and being ready for this mission.

Crescent City was a bit inland. Hoping into the van, Screws drove us right off the dock and out onto the highway, obeying the traffic laws. “We could get there much faster-

“No!” Southpaw and Screws said at the same time.

“Mean,” Mousethief pouted.

“I like living,” Southpaw countered. “You drive like an elder snake is chasing after you.”

“If there was an elder snake, I would out race it, and wouldn’t drive so safely,” Mousethief muttered. I didn’t want to know. If what he had done before was considered safe, I was honestly scared of what unsafe driving was.

“You can take a backseat on this mission, Mousethief. This is for Mittens to clear her investigation requirement,” Southpaw said.

“I got it, don’t worry. I will sit around and take a nap,” Mousethief said. Southpaw sighed and rolled his eyes.

We drove towards Crescent City while I focused on my breathing to banish the lingering traces of stomach unrest from the boat. I needed to focus and do well on this next mission, so I would be named a full-fledged Assassin.

Driving into the city, we quickly made our way to the local police station. Different cities either called them the guard, or the police. I wasn’t sure why there was a difference, but it was something that just was. Screws showed his ID and paperwork to the officer at the entrance as we pulled in.

We got out. I wasn’t wearing my usual sweater over my sports ware. Instead, I was in a tailored suit. It was a bit loose, since it hadn’t been specifically tailored for me. Southpaw was in a similar suit, neither of us wore ties. Only a dark jacket over a dress shirt and dress pants.

I got behind Screws with Southpaw as we made our way into the station. The police officers all giving us looks as Screws just barreled his way through any opposition to reach the lead detective in the case. We were brought to a conference room where a map had been set up and reports were all over the conference room table.

“Thank you Detective Glintpaw,” Screws thanked the otter in charge of the investigation.

“Hmm, what organization did you say you were from?” he asked.

“Division Eight of the Covenant Church,” Screws said while the Detective gave Southpaws and me a long look.

“Unusual guards you have,” he added.

“Bigger targets,” Screws said, and the Detective shook his head.

“Alright, we are looking at a string of murders at these four locations. The heart of the creature was removed at each one. Two mice, a vole, and an otter. Lots of blood, but no paw prints, or tracks. No smells were picked up across scenes either, but there was the lingering trace of Scent Block.”

I listened intently as the Detective laid out his information. “Nothing linking the victims either,” he replied. I was looking through the reports along with Southpaw while Screws kept talking to the Detective.

“Any illegal substances?” Screws asked.

“Only one of the mice had any nip on them. But it wasn’t much. The other three were clean. Nothing in their blood either.” I didn’t know what I was looking for, but focused on trying to understand the pattern. What was the point? Why were creatures being killed in these locations?

‘Avatar,’ I called out and Mes appeared.

‘Oh, so you need some help?’ They asked and I nodded minutely as I kept looking through the reports as Screws kept talking with the Detective.

‘Yes, please. I am good at killing, but not any of this. I think it is a serial killer like Fenrir, eating the hearts for some reason, but that is a just a guess.’

‘Hmm, oh, how interesting. Alright, I can help you out. It will spoil this mystery,’ Mes said.

‘Spoil away. I never liked mysteries,’ I replied.

‘It is an ethereal beast. A very small one trying to survive and regain physical form. The hearts tend to be a locus of energy for creatures such as yourself. Not the brain. Consuming the hearts allows them to empower themselves and prevent their energy from dispersing.’

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

‘Great, so where are they?’ I asked.

‘Well it is complicated. You will have to draw it out. The attacks are clustered close together. So, it probably somewhere near there. But it will remain hidden until just before it attacks. Your coated claws should be able to hurt it, since they can interact with energy.’

‘Any advice for luring it out?’ I asked.

‘Nope. Not with your skills. This is monster that is good at hiding. In time it will move on after getting enough strength. I suspect two more deaths and it will disappear completely,’ Mes said.

“Thanks Detective, can you give us a few minutes,” Screws said. Now I had another headache to deal with. How to explain what was happening without revealing Mes. Ethereal beasts weren’t on the list of things we dealt with. There was no explanation for my knowledge.

“Alright, don’t make a mess,” Detective Glintpaw said and left the conference room while giving us all a look, shutting the door.

“So, Mittens, what do think?” Southpaw asked me. I considered this question carefully and I knew it was a test. Why couldn’t this job just be killing things? At least I had a time to work backwards from the correct answer to get there.

“The killer is in the area, since the attacks are grouped together. The fact there are no witnesses means they strike targets that are alone. Since no unusual creatures were scene, they are good at stealth. The area has been checked extensively, which means they may have unnatural means of hiding. The attacks also happened at night. I would find a creature and use them as bait. A criminal that we can force to walk between two points in that industrial district,” I replied.

“Hmm, interesting approach. Also, risky. If the killer suspects something, they will go into hiding,” Southpaw said. “Good observation about the location and the lack of witnesses. A bit of a stretch about the unnatural means of hiding and the police checking the surroundings carefully. Their diligence can vary, so I would be hesitant to put too much faith in that. What do you think is happening here?”

“It isn’t something natural. Removing hearts like this, without tracks, or scent, points to something much worse in my opinion,” I replied. Southpaw was silent as he looked at me.

“That is a very bold guess. Unknown occurrences are a very rare fourth category for situations like these. I don’t normally consider it, since it is impossible to prove and often just a clever serial killer or an uncommon creature.”

There was a stretch of silence as I wasn’t sure how to respond. “I don’t think it is an uncommon creature or a serial killer. If it is something unnatural, then using bait is the only way to go,” I explained. Southpaw looked at the map and then back at me.

“Alright. Since you seem confident, you can handle your plan of bait and take the lead. If it doesn’t work, then I will be taking over,” Southpaw replied. He clearly thought I was wrong, but with Mes on my side, it wasn’t even a question in my mind.

What would have had us chasing our tails for days, could be resolved in a day instead. Once the plan was set, we left the police station, leaving behind Detective Glintpaw. It was easy enough to find a nip dealer, knock the sheep out, and then leave them in one of the alleys where the attacks happened.

Consulting with Mes, we waited up on a nearby roof top overlooking the alley and waited as it got darker. Southpaw was skeptical the entire time, but I had confidence. Mes also stayed out to keep an eye on things as well.

There had been a bit of hesitance, but eventually declared it to be okay if they stayed out in their Avatar state. Strictly speaking they weren’t allowed to help me like this, but pointing something out that was within my range of observation was technically okay. That was the best kind of okay, since it was allowed.

There would be a very short time period in which to act. As the monster came into the physical world. Looking down at the sheep from a four-story building, both Southpaw and I were quiet. Screws had handled blocking off any police coming to check on the downed sheep for the night. Mousethief had disappeared to run a few errands for me and Southpaw didn’t seem to care. Mes was casually floating around being bored while we waited.

I didn’t like this kind of job. I liked just killing things. The investigation part of being an assassin was exhausting. I couldn’t stretch since I had to keep watch constantly on the sheep in the alley. I couldn’t very well not be looking and tell Southpaw that Mes was keeping an eye on things.

Honestly, I couldn’t wait to be off on my own. With Mousethief knowing about Mes, we could all work together to move as quickly as possible from mission to mission. Just go right for the Apostates and murder them all. With whatever skills Mousethief had to sniff out trouble, I would throw myself at mission after mission.

That was the fastest way to get better and get more skills. The real challenge would be when Mousethief left once I had earned enough, but if I was making lots of credits, he might stay around longer to get even more before retiring. At least that was my hope. Also, it would take time for his island to be built to his standards.

I just had to get enough skills that I could find trouble easily on my own once he left. That wouldn’t be for a bit, and improving my combat and survival skills was more important. Purge Poison needed its level increased, which meant purchasing poison.

That was where Mousethief was right now. Getting poison, so I could train up my skill. If I was going to be fighting Apostates and the Snake Ancestral Spirit, I needed that skill to be a high level and possibly purchase the next tier at a discount once it was maxed out.

With how much the Ancestral Snake Spirit had been worth, I wanted to go find an Apostate and beat them up to summon it down to earn more EXP. Since I got EXP from the rat I had killed and the Ancestral Spirit together. My tail swished slightly at the thought of getting lots of EXP.

‘Heads up. A disturbance is approaching. Get ready,’ Mes said while looking pointedly in one direction. It was nighttime, but the city lights gave a soft glow to the alley.

“Get ready,” I whispered quietly. Southpaw gave me a look, but then nodded. He pulled out two daggers made of celestial ore as we both looked down into the dark alley. Mes casually pointed in a direction, and I thought there was a flicker in the air.

The more I stared the clearer the image became. It was some sort of floating tentacle monster, with a circular maw filled with teeth. “Back me up,” I whispered and went over the side of the four-story building into the alley.