Chapter Text
This case is a strange one. Originally, they were hoping for Phoenix to take this on before I took over the call. I demanded to know more about what they were needing help with. After they explained I refused to let Phoenix take this on, he convinced me to take it in his place. Next thing I know I am on a flight halfway around the world. Something just feels so wrong about all of this considering how little I actually managed to get out. As soon as I landed, I was escorted to a town a bit from the main city.
“Sorry for calling you out here on short notice, though we were expecting someone else. I take it you have some experience with the supernatural?” The man who made the call asked. My experience on the subject is very limited. The only time I personally dealt with it was when Phoenix wanted me to handle the investigation at Hazakura Temple.
“Only a little, though it is nothing like what you described. Not even my husband has dealt with this kind of stuff.” I responded. The man furrowed his brows and nodded to someone nearby. Another young man stepped up, holding his hand out. I briefly shook his hand, still unsure of what I had gotten myself into.
The man seemed like some kind of researcher, though it was only just a guess. “I am a scholar who has been studying the beings that are often referred to as the Ancients. The runes tell of their arrival in just a few days; I need your help to find the clues to stop that from happening.” The man said without giving me a name to connect him to. At this time, I guess that is not important enough given the situation. Honestly the situation just sounded absurd, though he looked completely serious about this.
“That does little to explain anything. What does this have to do with me. If you have truly studied it surely you can handle it yourself.” I said tempted to go back the way I came. That seemed to upset the man as he got in my face.
He threw his hand out, motioning to the rest of the town. “Look around you. This place has already fallen and it will only spread the longer this takes. The runes and Ancients change every time. I will not deal with a guess this time if I fail to gather the right information.” He said his patience already wearing thin. I looked around like he said to find the town mostly abandoned. The few people I did see were not quite right and I was unable to find the words to describe it. Seeing my continued confusion, he handed me his notebook which was opened to a page describing a ritual and information that was required. I have to admit that there might be some merit to all of this.
I could tell that there was still something he was not mentioning. “I can tell that this is not everything I should know. What is that thing?” I asked knowing that things like this are never that easy to pull off.
Seemingly satisfied that I am taking things seriously he let his guard down slightly. “In relation to what you see here the arrival is also one of many things that predate the Ancients breaking through the barrier. The mere knowledge of the invasion brings forth monsters from which you will need to defend yourself. That book contains the information I have observed about them. Most clues will be found in abandoned buildings which these things primarily reside in.” He explained. Looks like I made the right call to come myself. Still, I have to imagine that there are better people out there than a couple of random attorneys. Flipping through the book many of the monsters were very humanlike. Well, it is a good thing Gumshoe insisted I take those classes in order to defend myself. As much as I wanted to deny it the man presented too much evidence to dismiss this whole ordeal.
“So, what is the plan here? I am not going to be investigating anything until we come up with some kind of plan even if it likely to go wrong.” I asked. Once again, I was given something that should help out. It was a phone that, besides texting and calling, only contained a map of the town with different color markings. Towns that were circled in red were ones that had fallen completely, does not mean that there is not information to be found. Those marked with a green dot were safe for the time being and acted as restocking and rest points.
“I already wrote down what I discovered here before you arrived. We each will take care of half of the towns if possible. Be careful of any texts or calls you may receive, managed to modify it to alert you of safe calls. The thing is more just keep being added making it difficult, unless you want to deal with the consequences, I would advise you to avoid unconfirmed calls. When you get to a safe town give me a call to go over any new information we find. Make sure you get to Stonehenge with at least five hours to spare so we can get deep enough to perform the proper ritual.” The man responded. He really has been through this a lot to the point he kept making it a little easier each time. I agreed to handle the western towns with a fairly straight shot to the final destination.
With that I took off in the car that was left for me. The car itself was very well stocked with various medical supplies and a gun with a decent bit of additional ammo. The first place I stopped at seemed to be on the verge of collapse, though the people who remained were doing fine. They told me about an old house that had been left to rot for a while.
Just standing outside the house made me feel nervous. Steeling my nerves I stepped inside. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust as the scent of iron clung to the air. Maybe the dead can give some kind of information if I am unable to find any documents. As I explored, I found strange runes drawn on the walls, should probably ask about that later. Even the few bodies I found gave little in terms of information, at least I have yet to see any monsters. After a while I managed to fine a note with what I think is the name of a rune and that the being associated with it is not trying to invade the world. As soon as I got it I had to run and dared not to look back to keep myself stable as long as possible.
Returning to town I got a call confirmed to be from that scholar. “I assume you were doing some exploring. I tried to call earlier but was unable to get through. During my initial investigation I discovered that the EU rune is marked with the color red. Mark it on the chart when you have a chance.” He said when I answered the call.
“I discovered that the being associated with that rune is not invading. By the way what is up with the runes drawn all over the place?” I asked.
The other side was quiet as he tried to figure out what to say. “Just think of them as territory markers. They like to claim various places as their own. We should get going again, I got some requests to take care of.” The man said before hanging up. This made my head hurt, though I am glad that Phoenix is not doing this. He may be lucky, but I do not think he could keep it together long enough. I left the town and headed out once again. These long drives are making me see things I swear. No that is just my imagination, just do not look at anything.
It was dark out by the time I reached my next destination. This time the place had already fallen. It did not take long to end up inside an office building. My luck was not on my side this time around as I had to fight my way through. I just need to find that document and get out of here. As soon as I found the document I was forced on the run again as a being stronger than the others appeared. I need to be more careful if I ever want to make it out of this mess.