3 Disappearances

"Eleven disappearances in two weeks! Eleven!"

Blackriver city was divided into distinct sectors. The commercial sector had many shops selling various everyday products.

For the needs of the adventurers, it was possible for them to go to the industrial district, which juxtaposed the commercial district.

The residential district was the largest of all the areas. It occupied the entire area bordering the city.

On the other side of the city there was the military district. This military quarter was divided into two distinct parts: the police section, which ensured security in the city, and the military section, which consisted of the royal guard, part of the country's army and some volunteers.

At the moment, there was panic in the police building.

"Inspector!"

"Tell me! How could eleven adventurers disappear without leaving a single trace? We don't even have a single suspect!"

All the agents looked down, not knowing how to react. No matter how hard they looked for the reason why these adventurers were disappearing, they couldn't figure out the reason.

At that time, the Skymoon Kingdom was in the midst of a war with its neighbour, the Brightwood Empire. In these troubled times, the slightest reinforcement was of great help.

It was not uncommon for adventurers to disappear, but this case was rather unique. No witnesses, no suspects, eleven victims. All experienced adventurers.

Losing eleven experienced people, and especially powerful adventurers, even for Blackriver City this was a big blow.

For them, the culprit had to be found quickly, before the impact was totally irreversible.

Although not all adventurers fought on the front lines, they were able to quickly recover many resources, which allowed for increased war efforts and the deployment of more troops and resources.

Suddenly, a young man burst into the meeting room.

"Inspector, urgent message."

"What's going on?"

"Two new adventurers are missing! A young woman and a young man!"

"Really? Do we have any more informations?"

"Yes sir. They were both in the same group, along with a third person. The latter survived."

A broad smile came over the inspector's face.

"Somebody finds this person! Let's interview this person and get as much information as we can out of her."

The entire police station was set in motion. Although it was mostly, if not almost entirely, composed of NPCs, they possessed a much higher intelligence than the secondary NPCs like Emilia.

It wasn't long before they found Iris lounging on the terrace of a café.

...

"Hello, ma'am. My name is Bernard, I'm a detective at the Blackriver City Police Department, and this is Leo, my subordinate."

"Nice to meet you."

"Hello, to what do I owe this visit?"

"We are currently working on a very specific case, the recurring disappearance of adventurers. Apparently, you were in contact with the last two victims."

The inspector held out two files, which Iris grabbed.

"Lena and Nick. Indeed, I was with them for a few days. They truly are gone, then?"

"Indeed, we would like to know if you have, by any chance, any information as to what may have become of them?"

"They're dead."

"Dead? What do you mean by 'dead'?"

"They died in the dragon's cave."

"The dragon's cave? But who would be crazy enough to go there?"

"They were seeking to fulfill a quest."

"A quest? No one in this town would ask anyone to enter that cave. Everyone knows it's madness!"

"I think they pissed off the client; they weren't listening, so she gave them false information."

"This is a serious offence, punishable by death! Why did this person do such a crazy thing?"

"I don't know, I'm not really the person to ask. But I think she was tired of the adventurers looking down on her, so she got her revenge."

"And who on earth is this person?"

"Emilia, the master alchemist of Blackriver City."

After this revelation, Bernard was shocked. He had not expected that the much loved and talented Emilia, who ran a modest shop at the end of a small alley, could have become a horrible murderer.

"Leo, let's go. "

"Where are we going then, sir?"

"What do you think? Let's go see Emilia!"

Leo swallowed. He hoped that things would go their way. If Emilia decided to attack them, he wasn't sure if they could win, even with two against one. One should never underestimate an alchemist, let alone one of Emilia's caliber.

"What are you waiting for Leo, hurry up! Stop daydreaming."

"Yes, sir!"

...

"Hello, welcome to Emilia's Herbalist shop!"

"Hello, Emilia."

The inspector entered the shop, looking stern. Above all, he remained on his guard: who knows what Emilia was capable of doing?

Emilia, for her part, was surprised by this visit. She had not expected to welcome the main inspector of the city's police offices.

"What can I do for you?"

"Emilia, we're here about the adventurers who have recently been disappearing one by one."

Emilia began to panic inside.

"What can I do for you?"

The inspector continued:

"Emilia, according to some witnesses, you were the cause, for two proven cases, you sent them straight to their deaths by directing them inside the dragon's cave."

"Wouldn't that be a case of atony?"

It was too much for Emilia. Caught between her remorse and her satisfaction she could not stand herself anymore. Finally, the weight of guilt got the better of her, and she burst into tears.

"Emilia... So, it's really you who's behind these disappearances?"

"Adventurers... Stupid... Arrogant... I just... Wanted to... Get revenge... Show them... That I exist..."

"And so, to make them understand that, you killed them? Granted most adventurers are eventually reborn with memories of their previous lives, but still!"

"I... do not regret... Anything… Yet... So much remorse... But... They deserved..."

"Emilia, do you understand what you are saying? Do you understand the gravity of what you are saying?"

"No... They... Deserved..."

The inspector sighed. The adventurers, Emilia... The losses were great for Blackriver City. For the entire Skymoon Kingdom, even.

"Emilia, you see me compelled to place you under arrest for the murder of two adventurers, and eleven missing."

Emilia took a step back.

"No... I don't... Want to be... Locked up... I... Will keep... My freedom... Even if... It means... Having to kill you all..."

Emilia conjured two potions. One allowed her to improve her physical strength, the other her speed. Finally, she applied a last lotion on her hands. This lotion increased her physical resistances.

Quickly after preparing herself, she took a small stone out of her pocket and whispered a few words, before dropping the stone.

The moment the stone hit the ground, the earth began to shake. A small crack appeared, growing larger as the eye could see.

Out of the crack appeared something shapeless. For someone who would take a good look at it, it was clear that it was an arm. Then the rest of the body came out.

"A golem..."

"Inspector, what do we do?"

"We must stop her. Let's fight."

Bernard took a fighting position, and invoked a large sword. He charged directly towards the golem that Emilia had just invoked.

Leo took a step back and summoned a staff. Quickly, he was covered by a violent electric aura, which did not seem to affect him.

"Emilia, surrender! You cannot defeat us!"

"That's... What we... Will see..."

The Inspector winced a little, but continued his charge towards the golem.

With a quick strike coupled with unique footwork, he managed to get closer to the golem while dodging the few blows that the latter tried to hit him.

Unfortunately for him, although his strike did hit the golem, it did absolutely nothing for him.

In all this chaos, the shop had long since disappeared, obliterated by the golem's extremely ferocious attacks.

"Leo, we can't defeat the golem, focus on Emilia."

"Yes, Inspector!"

Unfortunately, Emilia had planned everything. She climbed on the shoulders of her golem, which created a strange shield of earth around her.

Although this shield seemed fragile, it made Leo's magic completely ineffective against the non-conductive material.

"Shit!"

In front of their impotence, Emilia decided to flee. Indeed, although she was certainly able to win against her enemies, everything could change if reinforcements came to support them.

Instead of wasting her time in a futile fight, she decided to flee the city.

Although the golems were massive, they were not slow either, as long as they stayed on a surface made of earth or rock.

In order to ensure her retreat, she ordered the golem to enclose them in rock barriers. Although these barriers were not as strong as they looked, they were capable of holding people of Bernard's caliber for several dozen seconds.

Thus Emilia left, without forgetting to look one last time at this city where she had lived so many years.