Burned Bridges

When Sheriff Wallack first awoke the day after his fight with Jabez, he made a huge mess of his sleeping quarters. So enraged, so humiliated. He couldn’t stand the idea that some nobody could get the best of him. Sure, he wasn’t all that hurt compared to his comrades – many of which were dead – but that only added further insult. He couldn’t even say he gave it his all. He was injured just enough to be at risk, and his reinforcements grabbed him before things turned dire. Ozahl told him it would be all right, that he would take care of the matter himself, but then...

“What? You found Ozahl’s body?!” Wallack stared down the guard. “What do you mean you found his body? How is he...”

“I’m sorry, sir. There’s nothing we can do,” the guard lowered his head.

Wallack turned around and punched the wall. “Yes there is.”

That’s when the call was first put out. Wallack was willing to offer a reward for any information on Jabez, no matter how trivial or insignificant. Naturally, this led to a few swindlers trying to make easy money, but they were thrown out almost as quickly as they came. Some of the people who did prove useful, however, ended up being criminals themselves.

“Hmph. Wasn’t expecting to see your face here. What do you want?” asked Wallack.

“Oh, not much...” said the back-alley merchant. “I heard there was a reward for information on a certain newcomer. I’m willing to part with this information if I’m promised my safety.”

Wallack glared at the dirty man. “I see how it is. Well you’ll have your safety. If what you tell us incriminates you, we’ll look the other way for now. We have a wolf to catch, after all. I can’t be bothered with every little rat in the city.”

“Wonderful,” the merchant smiled. “Then here’s what I know.” The merchant talked of his dealings with Jabez, how the man went out of his way to deal with less than scrupulous folk and acquire certain tools. “I assumed he was just a poor fool hoping to get into a life of thievery, but after seeing what he did at the local slave house, I realize I was mistaken.”

“So that’s how he did it... You thought you’d make some easy coin with a nobody, only for it to spiral into this whole mess.”

Wallack was frustrated, but the information was still helpful. It proved Jabez was working with other criminals to get things done. He probably thought the merchant’s illegal dealings would keep him quiet around guards. Jabez was wrong, of course, but only because he didn’t understand how Wallack did things around Felstat. The sheriff didn’t care how he got things done either.

The next person who came forward was an enchanter who ran a magical goods store in the city. He dealt in things like scrolls, magical tools, arcane focuses (wands especially), and even a little alchemy.

“He was one of my best customers,” the enchanter nodded. “I thought he was a bit strange for never haggling with me, but I just thought he was desperate. Only now do I realize what he’d do with those scrolls.”

“Not like we can see the future,” Wallack scratched at his beard. “Well, I suppose some can, but those mages are few and far between. Did he ever mention what he was going to use the scrolls on, even in passing?”

“Only that they were for his job. I recognized he was from the Company of the Spade at the time, so I thought the scrolls were being used for mercenary work.”

“What was your impression of him whenever he did business with you?”

“Hmm... He was very quiet. Only said what he needed to. Had kind of a distance in his eyes. Now that I think about it, he did always seem a little off. Maybe I should have turned him away when I had the chance.”

“Like I said, it’s not your fault,” Wallack put a reassuring hand on the enchanter’s shoulder. “The smith is not to blame for who his sword is pointed at. You’re just a toolmaker, and tools can be used to help just as much as they can be used to harm.”

The enchanter nodded along, still frowning. “All right. Thank you, Wallack.”

The sheriff went through a few other interviews, but no one had truly concrete information on Jabez other than he preferred buying consumables rather than investing in more permanent enchantments. On top of all this, evidence suggested that Jabez had put his plans into motion far earlier than Wallack anticipated.

Dammit... I knew we should have kept that bastard on a tighter leash. That outsider had it out for us the moment he stepped foot in our city. Wait... Outsider... That’s right. Ozahl mentioned something about him supposedly being from another realm. I didn’t put much stock in it, but if Ozahl could tell he was unusual, then others could too.

Wallack had put a lot of thought into how he’d find Jabez after he was long gone. Bounties were posted, but not a single mercenary or bounty hunter had reached out to him since. Wallack even hired the Company of the Spade, but they hadn’t turned up anything either – and not for lack of trying, given the number of settlements they had visited and questioned. The only thing they learned was that people were disappearing along the main road to the capital, but they couldn’t prove who was doing it. Could be Jabez, could be bandits, or it could even be monsters.

Wallack also contracted some mages for scrying. The magic allowed a mage to focus on something related to the target, such as a bit of hair, a vial of blood, or a former belonging. By doing so, a mage could trace the movement of their target. But... It was a well-known magic. Those who were familiar enough with scrying could defend against it. And since Jabez was allied with the Hidden Grove, a group that’s evaded capture for years, it was no surprise the mages Wallack hired couldn’t find anything. He might as well be a ghost. But... If Jabez had an unusual magical aura, one that a skilled mage could tell apart from others if they got close enough, then it wouldn’t matter what illusions or scrying protection Jabez used.

Wallack would have to find someone with magical talent who wasn’t already tied down to a lord or other nobleman, someone who would be comfortable traveling great distances, and someone who – if push came to shove – could defend themselves against a man like Jabez. Ozahl had faced Jabez and ended up crushed under a pile of bodies. Now, Wallack wasn’t an expert on magic, but he knew Ozahl, and Ozahl was no pushover. Just based on how his own fight with Jabez went, he should have never been able to take down such a legendary figure... Which just proved how crafty he was. That meant only someone as equally crafty could get the job done. Wallack knew of a mage who fit all of these criteria, but... He was still hesitant.

Every time I’ve had to deal with that man, he’s made absurd requests for payment that was nearly impossible to fulfill. Knowing him, he’ll ask for something else that’s equally headache-inducing, but...

Wallack stared at the crystal ball on the table in front of him, weighing the pros and cons. If the circumstances were different, he’d try to figure something else out. A group of lesser mages could coordinate and get the upper hand on someone like Jabez, but he had underestimated the man before, and that led to Ozahl’s death. He had to take this matter as seriously as he could. So, as irritating as it was, he finally activated the crystal ball and reached out to the Church in the province of Ulfrank. Soon enough, a priest’s face appeared in the crystal ball.

“Sheriff Wallack? It’s been some time. Is there a problem? You never contact me unless there is,” said the priest.

“Is Hito available for a job? I need his... Skills again. It’s urgent. There’s a madman on the loose who’s been evading our scryers and-”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Wallack, but Hito isn’t here right now.”

“He’s not?”

“No. He left some days ago saying he had sniffed out trouble to the west and... Oh. I understand now.” The priest smiled. “You’ll probably be seeing him shortly.”

Wallack went pale in the face. Oh no, he thought. His worst fears were confirmed when he heard a knock on the door from one of his guards.

“Sir? There’s someone at the front gate that wishes to speak with you.”

“Does he have blue hair and a cape?”

“W-why yes he does, sir. Should I let him in?”

Wallack deactivated the crystal ball and walked out of his private chamber, stepping past the guard. “Given how that man behaves, he’s probably inside the castle already.”

“Sir?! Shouldn’t we stop him?”

Wallack sighed. “No need. He’s... A special exception.”

Seconds later, a nearby door burst open and an average-sized man walked in saying, “Ohayou, Wallack-sama!”

Wallack’s left eye twitched just hearing that strange greeting again. “Good morning to you too, Inspector Hito.”

This particular man always stood out like a sore thumb to Wallack. While not remarkable in height or build, he had light blue hair, piercing yellow eyes, and was a little on the pale side. He dressed in very fine clothes more suitable for a noble than a priest, including a white cape, black leather gloves, and knee-high black boots. He also sported a white staff with a circular top that held a floating blue gem stone. He was the finest inspector the Church of the Twin Suns had to offer. He was also the only inspector the Church had to offer, because Hito was the only one who insisted on the title. It was just as well, he did do a lot of inspecting. A uniquely talented and annoying figure, he nonetheless always got the job done.

“So! I couldn’t help but notice these bounties in the city. Will this one be my target?” asked Hito, holding a flier.

“Yes,” Wallack nodded. “But he’s allied himself with a formidable force. You’ll be joining the Company of the Spade in this mission. They should be more than ample backup for you.”

“Backup? Oh you...” Hito giggled. “But you know, this does make things nice and simple. They can worry about the fighting while I do the inspecting! Consider it done. I’ll have your man behind bars before next holiday.”

“You’ll do it? Good, good,” Wallack breathed a sigh of relief. “Although... We haven’t discussed what your payment will be this time.”

“My payment? Hmm. Well I was going to do this for free since it sounded like so much fun, buuuuut if you insist, I would like... Five rainbow carp.”

“Five?! There have only been six sightings of those things in the entire world!!”

“Well there you go! You’ll have one left to spare!”

“We don’t have the resources to track down fish of such rarity, let alone five of them!”

“Hmm, no good, huh? Then how about twenty silver manes?”

“Twenty?!”

“Okay fine, fifteen. My final offer!”

Wallack felt ready to snap, but he knew it was the stress and leg injury talking. Hito could get the job done, so Wallack took a deep breath, exhaled, and said, “Fine. Fifteen silver manes. We’ll try to have it ready before your return.”

“Splendid! I’m off to go meet the Spade or whatever, then! Say-o-nar-a~!”

Then he was gone.

“Sir?” the nearby guard asked. “What... Was all that about?”

Wallack sighed. “That was what we like to call an eccentric. Despite his unusual behavior, I’ve worked with him before. No amount of magic can fend off his pursuit forever. With Hito tracking down Jabez, he’s as good as ours. And once that monster is captured and dealt with, we can rest easy.” Then Wallack’s shoulders sank thinking about all the hunting he’d have to get done. “I just hope Captain Bowen has an easier time with him than... Dammit! I got so caught up in things I forgot to write my letter to Bowen!”

Then came another knock on the door.

“Oh Wallaaaaack~!”

“I’m working on it!!”