{-Casrane-}

They’d all rested for a while, visited Haksima, and eventually found themselves listening to a story Cahacu had to tell.

“I told the guy that he couldn’t stay here if he kept that chicken around with him all the time,” she said, muffling her laughter. “And you know what that genius decided to do instead? Buy a top hat and hide the chicken in it. The chicken kept clucking underneath it but he pretended like he didn’t hear anything. Eventually I let him in anyway, but made it clear that he knew it was only because he made my day.”

Any further conversation that might have stemmed from the conversation was stopped when Casrane noticed Shemle reemerging. “Did you figure anything out?”

He nodded. “I may have a lead on who the next victim is going to be. With any luck, it’s the right person and we’ll be able to track them back to the base.”

“We should get going, then,” the Lord decided. “The sooner we clear this up, the better it is for everyone.”

“You made sure you had everything you needed?” Shemle prompted. “Remember, there’s no turning back once we get started.”

“We’ve got everything,” Casrane confirmed.

When Shemle gestured for them to follow him, she still spared a moment to wave Cahacu goodbye.

He guided them through the streets of Anthalas City, muttering greetings to the people that acknowledged them along the way. There still weren’t many that came out, though there were still much more than there had been when they arrived. Shemle made it clear, however, that he had a job to do, and even simply giving them reassurances was not a part of that job.

“This is the place,” he announced. They’d wandered into an alleyway that gave them the perfect view of a library. “Presumably, whoever’s doing all of this should show up soon. Find a place to stay out of sight—we want them to keep the guards lowered.”

He showed them how to get up on a rooftop, a place where they could comfortably keep an eye on the section of the alley.

The Lady, as quietly as she could, asked, “How did you figure out that this is where they’re going to go next?”

“Well, I can’t be sure for certain,” he remarked. “But I looked at everyone else that had gone missing so far and tried to figure out if there were any qualities they shared. When I worked it all out, their next target seemed pretty clear; Isralla, this place’s proprietor.”

He motioned for them all to stay silent when they heard a rustling. Two people in cloaks came out, walking through rather casually for being the people they were looking for… in fact, there was something inhuman about them. Casrane knew they weren’t really who they were supposed to find but had no power to fight it when Shemle gave the signal to fight them.

The four of them dropped down in front of the cloaked figures to begin the fight. With them together, though, it didn’t take long to defeat the cloaked figures.

Shemle walked up to one of them and pulled the hood down. What stared back at him was a normal monster; he tore away the cloak completely to reveal it just to be a trick. He’d done a good job at looking surprised. “Wait, but if they’re not the ones we’re looking for, then where—”

Casrane saw glimpses of figures running off into a different alley. “They’re over there!”

Their chase was a short one, however tiring it became. They’d weaved through the streets of Anthalas City until they stood just outside of the edge of town. Despite nearly catching up to them before and the open plains, the figures had disappeared completely.

“They couldn’t have gone too far,” the Lord pointed out. “If we keep moving, we might be able to find some clues to where they went.”

“It’s as good of a chance as any,” Shemle agreed. “I said we’d solve this. We’re not going to stop until we’re done.”

Casrane made sure to keep an eye out for anything odd, but she never saw anything. She knew there wouldn’t be; the only reason she did was that she wasn’t quite sure what would happen if she had to explain it all to them now. Telling them they were a part of a game was one thing. Telling them exactly how it was supposed to go was another entirely.

What began as a dedicated search turned into wandering until they eventually found a campsite.

“We should rest here for a little while,” the Lady offered. “Maybe we’ll have better luck trying to look for them in the morning.”

“At any rate, we’re not going to be able to get anything more done now,” the Lord sighed.

Casrane joined them, doing what little she needed to start the fire. “Things are kind of getting serious, but… I think that just means we could all use a breather.” She’d only have so much time to be with them; she needed to make every moment of it count in order for it all to work. “Where I’m from, we’d play all sorts of games to lighten the mood. But it doesn’t really seem like anything that I know you’re familiar with. So, let’s start with any games that you might know.”

“We didn’t really play games,” the Lord remarked with a shrug. “At least none of the kind that you’ve shown us so far.”

“Duuzlo had a couple, but they all needed special pieces and he only took them out around guests,” the Lady said.

Shemle’s interest in her comment was a subdued one. “You know Duuzlo?”

“Everyone does,” the Lord replied. “Practically everyone knows the priests in Nafrius that help preserve Emmyth’s memory.”

“Personally, I mean. You know him personally?”

“We’re from Nafrius. Of course we do.”

“I don’t suppose I’m any closer to learning your real names, am I?”

Casrane, realizing this was her time to step in, decided, “If none of you have any ideas, I’ll just show you how to play another game from where I’m from. Then we can all get some rest and be ready to tackle whatever we face tomorrow.”

…

She’d actually gone off for a while after they all went to sleep. Not like any of them noticed—there wasn’t a game without her, so all it seemed like to them was that she’s simply fallen asleep like the rest of them. Still, someone was missing from the group when she returned.

“Where’s Shemle?” she questioned, glancing at the Lord and Lady. “Do either of you know where he went?”

“He said he was going to try to find some clues while he waited,” the Lord responded. “He should be back soon.”

“I don’t think he’s very happy,” the Lady mumbled. “He didn’t join in last night. He’d listened but he never wanted to do any of it himself…”

Before too much more time could be spent on the topic, however, Shemle reappeared in the camp. “I think I found another lead.” He gestured for them all to follow him.

He guided them through the plains to an out-of-place tree. He bent down and began running his hand along the trunk. “I was wandering around and I saw markings here. Someone used this to go somewhere and they used it recently.”

Now that he said it, Casrane was able to see the spots too; though it was subtle enough that she doubted anyone who wasn’t really desperate would even acknowledge them without previous knowledge. Shemle messed around near the trunk for a little longer before a groaning sound of gears greeted them. He stepped back just as the trunk moved aside to reveal an opening.

He took the lead down, giving them no other choice but to follow him. He’d taken a conveniently-placed torch to help them see as they walked down the stairs.

For a while, there wasn’t any noise aside from their own echoes. But that changed when another light began to emerge at the end of the stairs. A mumbling could be heard, a mix of distress and simple conversation hoping to bide the time. By the time they’d gotten there, they already knew what they had found.

Sure, it was only a handful of people and clearly not everyone, but there were missing people down here. They’d stopped whatever else they were talking about to acknowledge the visitors, some smiling while others let out mutterings of victory. None of them were very loud, however.

“We’ve come to bring you back to town,” Shemle announced. His voice was quiet, too—they didn’t know who else might be down here.

Casrane, the Lord, and the Lady all wandered up to help untie them. When they’d finished, an older one asked, “Have you already gotten to the others?”

“You’re the first ones we’ve found,” Casrane replied, shaking her head. “Do you know where they might be?”

“I don’t know for certain, but… those people were always mentioning a specific location. I’ve been there a couple of times myself, so I know where they were talking about. It might not have anything to do with the case, but if those guys were talking about it, then it likely isn’t anything good.”

“Can you show us?”

“I’ll mark the location on your map for you.”