"Axien! I'm really sorry about this!"
After witnessing the murder that took place in the streets that connected the Middle Core and Inner Ring together, I grabbed both the girls and led them straight to the cafe where I had promised to meet Anya and her friend.
To my surprise, upon arrival, Anya was the only one here. She adjusted her glasses while twirling the end of her ponytail.
"Seriously, I told her to follow me here, but then she said something had suddenly come up and ran off. She'd tell me that she'd be back, but something feels strange about the people out here." Anya's gaze then turned towards the girls on either side of me.
Rinne, who still had the tattered cloak tightly held on her, was looking around. Her hands were resting on a small pouch on her body, which, by the size, I assume is where she placed her daggers. She was wearing the gloves I had made for her, though, given the lack of training she has, I doubt it would help.
Sara, on the other hand, hasn't taken her eyes off the floor since we left the crime scene. She acted this way back in the maintenance shaft under City Hall. I wonder if that woman reminded her of her mother.
"Is something wrong?" Anya asked, her brown eyes now looking in my direction.
"…Nothing." If she hasn't heard anything yet, there was no need to tell her. She probably wouldn't believe me if I mentioned the void spawn that was killed out in the open.
Up until now, the public only knew of void spawns thanks to the myths. All they knew was that an insane cult worships a cosmic deity that rivals the goddess. But now, with a real void spawn sighting confirmed by several onlookers, what will they think now?
Fear spreads faster than steam, after all.
"Hey!" Behind us were a pair of steps rushing, as fast as they could. I turned to find a woman panting heavily.
She was dressed in a heavy coat that hid pretty much her entire upper body, with a blue skirt that came down to her knees. Her green eyes locked onto Anya, and she quickly moved towards her.
Each step sent ripples through her golden hair.
Each step sent a strange feeling down my spine.
As she walked past me, there was a slash on her back. One could say that it could have been a snag from broken pipes, but here in the Inner Ring, that was not a problem. It wasn't a tear caused by a knife either. The marks, I recognize them from anywhere.
This woman encountered a void spawn.
Was she a fixer? I couldn't see anywhere she could have hidden a weapon. From how she moved, it didn't seem like she had anything weighing her down either. I glanced down at Rinne, her scarlet eyes narrowed sharply.
"Yes," Anya said, "This is the man looking into the disappearance of one of the girls who worked with you."
I cocked my head at Anya's lie. If this was the story we were going with, a heads-up would have been nice. I swear this woman lives to the beat of her own drum.
"That is correct, Miss Anya," I said politely, resulting in a snicker from Anya. With all that happened and this, I could feel a blood vessel about to burst. "If you please," I held out my hand to a nearby table.
"R-right." The woman made her way there, leaving me with Anya and the girls.
"Take them and get yourself something nice. It's on me." I said to Anya.
She hesitated, taking the time to look between her friend and me. It was not hard to tell that she wanted to be a part of the conversation, but I would not allow that to happen.
As long as this uneasiness fills my body, there isn't a chance I'll let her or the girls next to her. Those marks, I have never seen a civilian walk around with a wound inflicted by a void spawn.
No, it wasn't a wound as there was no blood; hell, not even her skin was showing. Just a deep gash through her clothing that was stopped by the thick layer of clothes she was wearing.
"…Okay," Anya finally spoke as she took the girls from me. She found a spot on the opposite side of the cafe, far enough not to be in the way, but still within sight.
I took a seat across from Anya's friend and introduced myself with the best professional voice I could come up with.
"I am Axien from a Lower Core office, and you are?"
"The Lower Core!?" She looked at me with widened eyes before giggling to herself. "You look far too handsome to be from the Lower Core, but given the weapon on your back and the bandage around your eye, I suppose you are telling the truth. I'm Celia, it's nice to meet you."
She seems normal…
"Your coworkers, can you tell me everything that happened to them?"
"You're serious, aren't you?" She smiled. "But I really don't know too much. Everything seemed to be fine with them, but one day they just suddenly vanished…"
She continued to go on and on about how her coworkers were disappearing one by one without a trace. It would be foolish to brush this off as it has nothing to do with the current case, but Anya's little lie has a small merit to it.
Those who had gone missing were young, unmarried women. There was a chance this could be related, but at the same time, this could also be a red herring used by the mastermind. It would make sense to have the girls under his thumb to have a story at the ready. A gap in memories was far too suspicious.
I wonder…
"Hey!" I called out to the waitress, who seemed to be in a bit of a frenzy. She quickly rushed over, bowing her head politely.
"I'm sorry for the wait; I truly am. But I am one person at the moment; something bad happened to our other waiters between the crossing of the Middle Core and Middle Inner Ring."
I heard Celia hold her breath. I turned my head to eye her in the corner of my eye as I spoke to the waitress.
"Yes, I could have a coffee and a glass of water?" After I ordered, Celia got what she wanted. Though hesitant at first, I then told her it was my treat after calling her here so suddenly.
Despite being in such a rush, the waitress served us our drinks faster than I expected.
"So, how is life being a fixer?" Celia said as she picked up her drink. She ordered something complex, but at the end of it all, it seemed to just be a coffee.
I reached for my water, served in a glass cup. We're in public, so I can't fully confirm if she has that gash over her chest, but if what happened with Kelly was treated universally between all the victims, then she shouldn't be able to perceive blood.
Once she closes her eyes to drink, I'll break the glass cup with my hands.
Or, that's what I thought I'd do. The cafe grew quiet, and I could feel several fearful stares aimed at me. The moment I heard footsteps approaching, it was too late.
"Don't move."
A cold barrel was pressed to the back of my head. I stopped, released the glass cup, and lowered my hand onto the table. Without turning my head, I looked toward Celia. She was frightened by a little red laser point between her eyes.
This man was not alone; somewhere outside, he had help.
"What do you want with me—NGH!"
The man behind slammed his weapon into my head. A sharp pain followed as the weapon on my back was ripped off me.
"You're a fixer, right?" The man tossed a photograph onto the table. It was a picture of a very familiar woman—Kelly.
"I'm not a bloodhound—NGH!" I felt another blow to the back of the head. Something warm and wet trickled down my neck and into my clothes.
"You've got jokes, don't cha?" He pressed the barrel deep into the wound he had just given me. It stung, stung like hell, but there were far worse things than my own pain at the moment.
"…Axien…one…out…side…" There was a voice so faint that I hardly managed to hear it over my own heartbeat, but I knew who it was. The table where the girls sat was just in view. Rinne, hiding her face in her cloak, spoke to me from afar.
While that was helpful, Sara seemed to have snapped. She was reaching for her launcher with rage in her eyes. Anya was trying her hardest to hold Sara back, but she was losing that fight.
"If you don't tell me where this chick is, I'll make sure your lady here eats it."
"What?" I said, keeping my eyes fixed on Rinne. With everything going on, I cannot move, so I have no choice but to rely on her to be my eyes. "Can you not hear? I am not a bloodhound."
"Listen here!" The man came into view, slamming his hand onto the table while his gun stayed trained on me. "You look like a fixer who knows his way around the city. So, you will come with us; otherwise, you're dead."
This man was dressed similarly to the men who assaulted Sara's mother. Knowing this, something inside me twisted. I felt unease rather than fear. There was no point in fearing for my life from a man of his level, but what he had on him was far worse.
"What the hell?" They stepped back, "You are no fun." He clicked his tongue. As he did, I noticed that the laser that was pointed at Celia's face had disappeared, and I immediately turned my attention toward Rinne. Her eyes were widened, and her jaw was agape.
Something happened to the sniper; I smiled. But I still needed to do something about this gun fixed onto me.
It doesn't matter how fast I am; a single bullet is still enough to send me to hell.
"Well, I guess you'll do." The man said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small box.
An artifact!
"I wanted to test this on some people, and luckily, here…" He looked around the room. "…Several fresh-bodied people just willing to have their blood spilled."
He opened the box; a purple light bathed the area. I rushed forward, picking up a small knife from the table, and attempted to stab the man.
"You're fast!" He stopped my attack with one arm. An arm that was no longer human. "But not fast enough!" He parried me and pushed me to the side, and shot at me. He missed, sending three bullets into the ground.
He was breathing heavily, the arm that belonged to a void spawn slowly encroaching on his flesh. His eyes were unsteady, the light seeming to be fading away.
"This…wasn't…" Then his body was consumed. His limbs expanded until they burst, sending chunks of blood and flesh everywhere.
Screaming ruptured, and everyone who was once scared rushed out of the cafe, all but the girls. Rinne ran up to me, a dagger ready in her hand. Anya grabbed Celia's hand to pull her to the back, where Sara was, holding her launcher.
In the place of the man was a creature. An otherworldly body with purple eyes that shone like the universe. I reached to my side and pulled out my pistol.
Now that the civilians are gone, I can attack freely.
I aimed my sights at the creature's head as it opened its mouth. A long tongue shot out, searching around for the head of the man it had just spawned from.
Five shots roared out. Each blasting a hole into its head. It fell onto the floor, its body twitching in pain. I grabbed my Gearsaw that the man threw aside and held it up above my head, the blade side facing the creature. With a glint of light, I sliced through the remains of the creature's head.
"Was that…" Rinne ran up to me.
"A baby void spawn," I answered. "They are effectively harmless as long as you kill them as soon as they hatch."
I turned towards the artifact the man had used. That man didn't instantly transform. For a moment, even as brief as it was, he was in control.
"Mister Axien?" Celia's voice rang out. I turned to face her. "Do you know about those creatures of darkness?" She said, "Are you also a follower?"
Her expression grew rather grim, and she stumbled back. Anya tried to stop her, but she slapped her hand away.
"Y-you're with them." She said, "I-I knew I shouldn't have come here!"
Celia turned her back and ran as fast as she could.
"Celia, wait!" Anya rushed after her.
"Damn it!" I put my pistol back into its place and gripped my sword as tightly as I could. "Rinne, either follow or stay. Whatever you choose, do not leave Sara alone." I ran out, following the faint sounds of the women's steps.
As I ran, I noticed a strange blue light coming from atop one of the buildings. On the ledge was a priestess holding a blade made of steel and crystal. It's beautiful design stained by a crimson liquid.
As I ran past, I heard her voice in a low murmur. "Don't fail the goddess."