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Noxumbra Files

Case 5: Ancient Stalker

Part 1

By XP Author

"Focus." Tag has his hands out in front of him, palms facing forward. "Concentrate." He had his eyes closed, trying to 'feel' around him for... he wasn't entirely sure. He thought he felt the air in front of his palms growing warmer, but it might have been his imagination. He still tried to fixate on that, maybe making it grow hotter. "Focus your mind on-"

He sighed and dropped his hands. "You know, this would be a lot easier if you didn't keep repeating the word focus in my ear." He turned and put his hands on his hips, giving an annoyed look down at the mouse standing beside him.

Rachel gave a smirk up at him. "Sorry. I've never tried to teach someone before." The two were alone in one of the base's firing ranges. The place was rarely used, so it was the ideal place to do this.

He took a breath to calm himself down. "Yeah... and I know I'm probably not the ideal student." Tag had decided after his encounters with many different beasts that had nearly killed him, he should learn how to fight using more than just his gun. He was a pretty good shot, but bullets didn't affect a lot of the kinds of monsters he was sent out to find. So he had come to Rachel to ask her to see if he could use magic. It had been two weeks, and he couldn't produce so much as a puff of smoke.

She shrugged. "You're alright. We just need to find what your talent is in."

He shook his head slowly. "I'm not sure I have any talent to begin with." He reached up to flick one of his long, droopy ears back over his shoulder again, letting it dangle down his back like normal. "I thought, since my mother has magic, maybe I do, too. I guess not. Just got my visions."

The mouse was about to reach out to touch his arm to reassure him, but halted when he mentioned visions. She let her hand fall away. "I'm still pretty new to this compared to a lot of mages, so I can't say I know everything there is about magic. You still might be able to use it. We can keep trying."

The jerboa nodded slowly. "I supposed, but I feel like I'm just wasting your time with this."

She suddenly laughed, something he heard very rarely from her. "I have a lot of time to waste, Tag. Doing this at least beats sitting in my cell all day."

He blinked. "I thought they let you out and gave you a room."

She shrugged, waving her hand dismissively. "Just because it doesn't have bars and chains doesn't mean it's not still a cell. I know where I stand here. It's fine. I accept it." The grey-furred mouse had only recently come to Noxumbra, through some rather extreme circumstances. After her sister was murdered by a mage, she found and killed the killer using magic of her own. She then turned herself in. Tag had seen how much the murder had affected her, despite her stone-faced attitude, and suggested she join the group. She had accepted. She was to be kept under watch at all times, and could not leave without an escort. In the time she had been here, she had been a model inmate. "At least they're not making me wear that orange jumpsuit anymore."

Tag still frowned. "Well, you've been nothing but helpful to me so far, so thank you for trying at least." He looked at his hands. "I just don't think I have the magic gene."

The mouse shook her head. "Don't give up yet. We might still find something. Maybe you're just not suited to aggressive magic."

"If that's true, it kind of defeats the purpose of this whole endeavor." He sighed. "Let's just face it, I don't have the feeling or nature for magic. The right..." He motioned in the air, trying to think of the right word. "...I don't have the right... spark." He snapped his fingers. The moment he did, one of the lights above him exploded, sending sparks and bits of glass raining down upon the two rodents. He flinched and immediately grabbed her without thinking, using his much taller body to protect her from the debris while pulling her away.

The two looked up at the broken light fixture, a few wires dangling down from it and fizzling. "That... could have been a coincidence..."

Rachel nodded slowly. "It might have been... but it might not." She glanced down at his hand, which was still holding her bare forearm. "You're touching me."

He flinched his hand back. "Sorry! I didn't mean to grab you like that!"

She shook her head. "No. I appreciate that you did... but... you touched me. Isn't that how your visions work?"

He looked at his hand. "You're right..." He reached out again. "May I?" She nodded. He touched her arm with his fingers again. His mind flashed with a few small visions, mostly mundane things from the last few days. Her reading a book from the library, him coming to ask her to train him, their attempts and failures. She liked spending time with him. He was a bit awkward, but in a cute way. Though he was also overly serious, and could stand to lighten up a little. It ended with the light exploding and her realizing he touched her arm.

He pulled his hand away, rubbing the side of his head. "Well, I don't think I broke my touch, but that was pretty mild compared to what I normally experience..." He chose to ignore that she thought he was cute. For now. Though he still couldn't resist the urge to tease her a little. "You really think I'm overly serious?"

She almost flinched when he asked, letting out a surprised squeak. "Ah! M-maybe... you can stand to lighten up a little?" She laughed awkwardly at being called out. Clearing her throat, she tried to steer the conversation back to the training. She took a slight step to the side, away from the light, looking back up at it. "Anyway, you should try again. See if you can't make more than a light explode. Maybe electricity is your thing. I've never seen it myself... then again, I've never seen anyone that gets visions like you do, either. So maybe you're just different in this, too."

He nodded, moving over to another one of the tables for the range. "Sure. Why not?" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He held his hand out, trying to concentrate on... electricity? Sparks? Lightning? Electrons? He was not sure what he should focus on. He decided to just think of static. That zap that happens when it's dry out. The uncomfortable crackle as fur stands up on all ends. The snap when you touch something metal or another person.

On a whim, he snapped his fingers again. A spark ignited, striking the metal table in front of him, leaving it crackling for a second. He flinched back, but smiled, even let out a slight laugh. "Holy shit!"

The mouse beamed, elated he actually could do it. "Yes!" She suddenly gave him a hug around his middle. "See! I knew you could do it!" She realized what she was doing when he cleared his throat. She flinched back. "Ah... sorry! Got caught up in the moment!"

He nodded. "It's okay. No headache this time." He gave her a smile, letting her regain her composure as he looked at his hand again. For a moment, he felt a tingle in his fingers, his fur standing on end, but settling back in place quickly. He then looked at the table. There was barely a mark where the spark had struck. Hardly a devastating attack. "Not sure how useful that is. And aiming is... I dunno. I was trying to hit the target..."

Rachel nodded slowly. "Everyone's a bit awkward their first time." He gave her a wry grin, and she rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean!" She got a thought, and the next words out of her mouth before she could stop herself. "Or can you even do that with how your visions work?" She squeaked in surprise as soon as she heard herself.

He coughed. "THAT is a conversation I'm not having!" Though he did give her a slight smirk. "Yet." She only blushed more, but did at least manage a slight giggle. He glanced at the clock on the wall, seeing it was well past nightfall. "We should be heading out anyway, before someone gets the idea that you've gone and run away." He hadn't exactly told anyone about the training lessons. He was not sure why... Maybe he was worried about them thinking he was encroaching on their territory? Not like everyone here could even use magic, or that anyone had some monopoly on it. He knew he was being silly.

She nodded with a sigh. "Yeah. I'm getting pretty hungry, anyway." She started to the door. "Hey, I know this place in town, serves a pretty good meal. It's called the mess hall. You wanna join me for dinner?"

He smirked. "Sure. Lead the way." He couldn't resist. "I'll try to not be so overly serious while we eat." He could not help but smile as he heard another embarrassed squeak from her.

* * *

Tag rode the elevator down to HQ. He had gotten a message from his mother to come ASAP. Apparently some big case had come up, but she was light on details... as always. As soon as the doors opened, he stepped out, and almost right into the tanooki waiting on the other side in the main lobby. He managed to catch himself before bowling the poor man over, stepping to the side quickly. "OH! Sorry about that, Hinumaru!"

The short man laughed. "It's okay. I was a bit close." He was about to move into the elevator, but stopped. "Oh! While I have you. How has that new gun I made for you been working out?"

Tag smiled. "It's taking me a little bit to get used to it. It's both lighter and heavier than I expected... Pretty different from my revolver." After the fight with the lamia, Tag had been looking for all sorts of ways to keep up if and when a fight broke out with more monstrous individuals, not just trying to unlock his magical potential. Especially as it became clear he would need years more training before he could wield the magic effectively.

Hinumaru nodded. "Yeah, well, due to the unique ammunition, and to keep any polymer from melting under your particular uses, I compensated for it using titanium. So it's a lot more metal than your average 9mm, but still lighter than a revolver. But also significantly more durable." The tanooki caught himself before he started going too technical, a bad habit of his. He was, quite literally, a wizard with technology and crafting, using magic to create all kinds of tech. He cleared his throat. "You will need to clean it more often than a typical 9mm, though. But since you're used to maintaining a revolver, you should be okay. Just keep using the gun oil I made for you, and you should be okay."

The tall jerboa nodded. "I have been. No issues with jamming or anything. It's... startlingly accurate. Though like I said, still learning to not compensate for the recoil. And with how much the magazine holds, I feel like I turned on cheat codes for infinite ammo." He chuckled. "It's rather like firing an airsoft pistol."

"Not too far off, actually. Just with more potentially lethal ammunition." He pointed up at Tag. "So be sure to keep practicing proper gun safety!" Tag just laughed, nodding. "Oh, speaking of ammunition. I have left you a box with 50 preloaded magazines in it. Also some more oil for you. Just ask Ceril in the workshop for it. It should be right behind the desk with your name on it. It should be more than enough to last you until I get back."

"50!? Yeah, that will last me for weeks, even with all the practicing." He only then noticed that the Tanooki had a rather full looking duffel with him. "You're going somewhere?"

Hinumaru nodded. "Yup! I'm headed out of the city for a little while. Out of the country, actually. I got an outside job that needs my special skills. Friend called in a favor I owe her. I'll be gone for a few weeks." He hefted the bag. "So if you do need more of the ammo or oil, let Ceril know. He can make it for you, but it'll take a bit longer."

Tag nodded slowly. "I will. Thanks." He hit the elevator button for the man, the doors opened again. "Enjoy your trip."

The tanooki nodded as he stepped inside. "I will. Good luck with whatever's going on. Sounds like you'll be just as busy."

Before Tag could ask if the man knew anything about why he was called in, the doors started to close. Shrugging, he turned to head into the HQ itself, musing aloud. "Guess I'll go ask 'The Director' about it... directly." He chuckled at his own bad joke. With a final wave as the elevator doors closed, he stepped into the hall and made his way toward his mother's office at the far end. As he got closer, he saw a very annoyed looking Ginny. The rat was leaning against the wall next to the door, her arms crossed, tapping her foot impatiently.

Before he could say anything, she scowled in his general direction. "You're late." There was a bitter edge to her voice, lacking her usual bounciness. She turned and walked through the door, leaving him in the hallway.

"Good morning to you, too." He just shook his head as he followed, not bothering to ask who put a burr up her ass today. His mother sat behind her desk, looking up from her computer as they entered. "Good morning, Director."

"Good morning, Victor." She gave a polite smile, but he could see the strain around her eyes. Something was going on.

"So what's the situation that has everyone on edge?"

The older jerboa let out a sigh, dropping the polite smile in favor of a worried frown. "A big target has shown their face. Someone this organization... and I... have been looking for for a very long time."

He nodded, crossing his legs as he sat. "So what monster am I tasked with finding this time? Basilisk? Gorgon? Runaway demon?"

Beatrice just gave him a flat look. "A vampire."

He blinked, then just started to chuckle. "Wait, really? A vampire? Scared of the sun, 'I vant to suck your blud' vampire? Do we get standard issue stakes for this? Are they a bat, too?"

His mother was not amused by his jokes. "Need I remind you that your own partner is an undead rat, Victor?"

He glanced at Ginny, who was still looking as annoyed as she tapped her foot on the ground. "Fair point... sorry." He looked back to his mother. "I'm going to guess this isn't some normal vampire?"

"It isn't." She replied. "But we should wait for the third person to get here before I tell you more so you are all on the same page."

"Third person?"

"Yes. This is a very large threat, so I'm assigning you some extra... firepower." As if on cue, the door to the office opened. "Good timing."

Tag turned to see who was coming in, and his face brightened up. Rachel smiled as she stepped in, dressed in a Noxumbra uniform, though devoid of any markings. "Hey." She looked a little awkward as she stepped into the room fully. She was about to walk behind Ginny, but flinched at the glare she got, so instead moved to stand on the other side of Tag. "Uh... I guess I should say... reporting for duty?"

Tag blinked. "Wait..."

Beatrice nodded to him. "Yes. I'm clearing her for field duty... with an escort. That would be you two. I'm assigning her to your team for the duration of this case. As vampires are vulnerable to magic, she will be an asset to this assignment." She smirked just slightly. "And maybe you can learn a few more things from watching her in the field."

He flinched. "You know about my training?"

The older woman let out a soft chuckle. "You haven't exactly been subtle with it. And did you really think I wouldn't hear about your requisitioning a specialized firearm?"

It was Rachel's turn to look confused. "Specialized firearm?"

Ginny let out a dramatic sigh. "I'm sure he can tell you _all_about it later. Can we please continue with the briefing?"

Everyone looked at her for a moment, but Beatrice did nod. "Yes, we should continue." After tapping a few buttons on her keyboard, she turned the monitor around. It was a selfie, with a pair of high school age looking girls sitting and smiling and having a good time. Tag recognized where they were, an upscale restaurant in uptown Alta Ferro. "This was brought to our attention late last night by our research team."

He tilted his head. "We have a research team watching high school girls...?"

"No. They watch social media for anything that might stand out. And the girls aren't what are the problem here." She tapped a button, and the image zoomed in on the crowd behind them, specifically that of a white wolf. "He is the problem. This is Inam Zilei. A vampire that has crossed paths with Noxumbra many times in the past. I even tried to hunt him myself back in the day. He is very good at slipping away and hiding in plain sight."

Rachel tilted her head. "This was taken yesterday?"

The director nodded. "Yes. Last night."

Tag spoke up. "I know this place. It's a fancy place uptown called La Plat d'Or. It means 'The Dish of Gold' in French... or something like that. Very expensive food that never leaves you satisfied. It's more sauce than substance most of the time. Though their desserts are quite good, especially the Fraisier Cake... basically a fancy strawberry shortcake." Everyone looked at him. "What? I've followed a lot of people taking their mistresses out on dates to the place doing my PI thing. A lot of people leave crumbs on their shirts. You get a... taste for things after a while being a shirt." he winced. "Trust me, with all the other things that end up on them, you focus on the good food part more than the rest." Rachel grimaced at that thought.

Beatrice steered the conversation back to the point at hand. "Yes, well... in that case, if Inam is within the city and walking around so casually, he must have already established himself somewhere. That is as good a place as any to start looking."

"Good idea. But what exactly are we looking for?" He asked. "And just why is he so dangerous? What do we have to look OUT for...?"

She nodded again. "Good questions. Like I said, he has probably already established himself in the city. That means he has other vampires, probably younglings, but may be some elders. Likely also has thralls, those unturned but under his influence. As for why he is dangerous... he is old. Older than myself. Older than even Genevieve." She motioned to Ginny.

Rachel blinked. "Genevieve?"

Ginny narrowed her eyes at the mouse. " Don't... call me that."

"Okay..."

Beatrice continued. "As a vampire gets older, they get more powerful. Stronger, faster, more capable with their abilities, namely mind control. They also start to lose vulnerabilities. Sunlight will burn younglings to ash, but after a decade, it will burn and weaken them, but is no longer fatal unless exposed for a long time. After a century, it will be uncomfortable, like a bad sunburn, but nothing more. After several centuries, he can walk around in the day without much issue. Even young vampires can move with incredible speed, and punch through brick as if it were paper. A vampire of his age is on a whole other level from that."

He grunted. "So just as dangerous as Ginny, but with even less morals, and an army of lesser but still dangerous people at his beck and call?" Ginny gave him a glare, but then just nodded as she couldn't really deny the comparison.

She nodded. "That's about right. And we cannot let a nest of vampires fester and grow within the city. Alta Ferro is already home to enough dangerous mundane people that prey on the innocent and unaware. This city would be a buffet for vampires. Their only saving grace is they do not wish to be seen, and with technology, it makes it harder for them to move. So at least that will slow them down... in theory... but we still need to cut this problem out before its roots grow any deeper."

Rachel spoke up. "So, if he is as dangerous as you say... why are you only sending us? Why not send out a ton of teams against this guy?"

Tag nodded slowly. "That's..." He thought about it. "No, I know why. You said he's a slippery one. If all of Noxumbra were to mobilize at once, he would simply disappear again. Even if they found his nest or whatever, the big guy himself would be in the wind."

His mother smiled. "That's exactly correct. Noxumbra may not be known to the vast majority of people, but the supernatural community is well aware of us."

The mouse hummed. "I guess that's true... I'd heard of you guys long before you picked me up."

Tag leaned forward a little. "So, what's our goal here? Are we just going to track him down and let another team go in and handle it, or are we to engage if we find them?"

Beatrice shook her head. "That is up to you to decide based on the situation. Do your best to track them down, report back if you can, and you can wait for backup or go in yourselves. I would recommend waiting for backup if you can, but be ready for a fight either way."

"Okay. So, what can we use against them? I'm guessing your standard lead bullet isn't going to slow a vampire down much."

She smiled. "You would be surprised. Even a vampire has trouble shrugging off a hole in their skull. Though that would only work on the young ones. Beyond that, fire is exceedingly effective. Sunlight will only hurt the young vampires, and merely weaken older ones. It will do nothing to Inam himself. They are also vulnerable to divine abilities... though the only person we have here capable of any of those is Doctor Sarah, and she is not a combatant." That made sense. The angel had told him she was, very literally, incapable of doing harm. "That said, forget what you may have read about holy symbols or garlic, those are just myths. It is not unheard of for vampires to pose as priests in churches, preying on any that think they may be safe." She smirked. "Ramming something through their heart will still do the trick, though. Doesn't have to be a wooden stake. Any old rod will get the job done. It should also go without saying, but don't let them bite you."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I don't plan on being drained of my vital fluids." He paused a moment. "Hypothetically, if one should... would we have to be worried about... turning? How does that work?"

She shook her head. "No. There is a ceremony to turn someone. It involves sharing blood and bonding souls. It's not something that can be done by accident."

"Good to know." He looked at Rachel, then at Ginny. "I've got nothing else to ask. You two?" Rachel shook her head. Ginny just grunted. "Guess not." He slapped his hands on the arms of the chair and swiftly got to his feet. "Well. We should probably get out there and start looking. We'll start at La Plat d'Or and see if we can't pick up a trail from there. Hopefully this nest or whatever isn't too far from there."

Beatrice nodded. "Good luck. And..." her expression softened, if just a little. "Come back safe." He smiled at his mother and nodded.

Once the three were in the hall, Rachel turned to him. "Hey, I'll meet you topside. I'm going to go see if they have any plain clothes I can wear. Something that doesn't scream 'cop' y'know?" He nodded and she gave him a smile, then was off down the hall.

When he turned, he saw Ginny stomping off toward the elevator. He quickly caught up. "Hey. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Her reply was terse, making it blatantly obvious she was anything but 'fine.'

He reached out to grab her arm to stop her. "Hey..." he flinched his hand away when she rounded on him. "Sorry. But you're obviously upset about something. What's up?" She frowned but remained quiet, crossing her arms. "C'mon. I'm your partner. I might not be able to get a vision from you, but I know you pretty well by now.

She frowned somehow harder. "You don't know me that well."

He could probably make an argument about that. Instead, he said, "You're definitely not acting like your usual bubbly, flippant self. What's wrong?"

She looked past him, back down the hall they had come from. Finally, she let out a heavy sigh. "Nothing. I'm just... Feeling my age, I guess." She shook her head. "I'm also not a big fan of new people. Especially ones that..." Her voice trailed off.

"That... what? Killed someone? You've done that WAY more often than she has. Possibly more than anyone else here."

He got another glare, but she still nodded. "Yeah... fine." She took a deep breath and let it out. "I'm fine. I'm just a little... agitated. Don't worry about it. Once we track this old bloodsucker down, I'll be fine to help put him down." She turned and headed to the elevator again. "I'll see you topside."

He watched her walk away, not for a second believing that she was 'fine' at all. There was something going on. Something involving Rachel. A thought struck him. Was she... jealous? He was not sure how to process that. It's not like he was dating either of them. Though the thought had crossed his mind for... both of them, much as he did not want to admit it to himself. Though he suspected there was something more. He had seen jealousy enough times to recognize it, and while... for some reason... that was part of it, there was something more bothering her. Something she wasn't willing to talk about yet. He would just give her time. Hopefully she would open up. He suspected a revenant with an emotional issue was probably more dangerous to the city than a whole hoard of old vampires.

* * *