Wednesday Afternoon October 2nd, 2240. Mapleflake Village-City.
Mapleflake Village was a lot less advanced compared to the last Village-City they inhabited. The buildings were largely collections of massive cabins with architecture obviously guided by nature element users and likely witches who hexed seeds. The streets were ice-crusted dirt pathways for the most part and the population was largely made up of laborers.
It made Claude think of back home. SkyHaven. With its apartment complexes of sanded stone and street dancers that argued with laborers about any and everything.
It wasn't as drowned in snow.
And everyone didn't wear of mask of horror that tightened around their heads everytime they gazed beyond their village walls—
"[So, do you know how Enforcer's work?]" Arne asked, "[I figured now is a good time to ask since we're about a block away from the precinct.]" Arne said.
"I do. They're modeled after an Old World guild known as the Police Force. They uphold the law and protect civilians from both Monster and Man." Claude replied.
"[Wow. It's almost like you read that straight out of a book.]"
"I did. Like seven years ago." Claude replied as he kept his head down while Frosty— in Enforcer form held his hands behind his back and walked him down the dirt street.
"[Lupines as they age gain photographic memory, you know?]" Arne said seriously.
"That's a blessing."
"[It comes with a curse.]" Arne said quickly.
"What?"
Arne didn't answer.
They reached the precinct. It was a tall stone block with barred windows, archers watching from the rooftops and parked warhorses and dogs on kennels.
They were barking madly. Until the winds blew Claude and Frosty's scent their way.
The silence allowed Claude and Frosty to hear inside of the building.
Light chatter. People paced at the back of the building and hurled drunken curses.
"The holding cells at the back end aren't too full."
"[Naturally.]" Arne commented.
"Ohhhoho got a new one? He looks fairly expensive." One of the passing Enforcer's said. He was short and wide in build with a bald head stuffed into a fur hat.
"[Alright SLAVE-master, what the bloody hell is this rhetoric?]" Arne asked in an appalled tone.
"Let me guess, he's in for murder? Raiding adjacent? Tangent's are in low flow around here this year and it's making folks desperate. More money for us, though." The Enforcer said as he entered the building and held the door open for them to follow.
"[Oh…. So that's what he meant.]"
Claude whistled and took a step. Frosty pushed him forward.
Claude could feel his anxiety rising bit by bit. Every smell birthed new questions and worries. Every sight of movement and new phenomena did the same.
"Easy, buddy. You're doing great." Claude spoke calm words into their bond, sending forced mental imagery of the forest circle on a cool afternoon. Lightning bugs bit at the shadows and rich night winds spun the leaves.
Frosty exhaled behind him as they entered the Mapleflake Enforcement Precinct.
Just like outside, the inside walls were stone and not much else. Office cubicles occupied the left side while a glass wall split the right into a dozen cells. Runes glowed on the surface. Above the cubicles, wanted posters, village laws, phone numbers and allied forces like the Detection Corps were stuck to the wall on flyers.
"Go ahead and leave him to rot in processing." The Enforcer pointed at the glass cells. "I don't want another Fire-tornado melting the detainees in the cells out back. Exhaust him."
Claude clicked his teeth and turned his head towards the glass cells.
Frosty pushed Claude towards the cells.
Thankfully, the enforcer opened the door for them in all his eagerness.
Not so thankfully, Frosty walked inside the glass cell with him.
"Mike— the hell are you doing?"
Claude turned around and whispered, "Get out, man!"
Frosty backed out of the cell and the other Enforcer shut the door.
"Strip."
"What?" Claude said on reflex.
"Take off your armor, you lanky bastard." The Enforcer said, "Mike may be silent today, but his temper is anything but."
"[Oh we know.]" Arne said.
Claude got to work undoing his armor as he popped the clasps and undid the belts.
All the while the Enforcer watched. "Document those scars. We might need to psyche eval this one." He whispered to Frosty as he eyeballed Claude's scarred arms and chest.
Frosty growled.
The man stepped aside with a raised brow.
"[So, what's your plan now that you're in a cell. I assume these runes interrupt magic. Or reflect it.]"
"I didn't think they'd have that kind of tech in here." Claude replied.
"[Me neither. This village's infrastructure would suggest they can't even afford half of the attack-dogs they own.]"
"I'll test my limits—"
Deeper inside the precinct, someone yelled and an explosive pop went off.
The Enforcer beside Frosty drew his sword and shield that popped out of his gauntlet with a metallic gear-shift, "Gods be damned! Another detainee looking for war! I'll get him back in the glass. You watch this one."
He took off.
"... that was—"
"[Too perfect.]" Arne thought as Claude peeled off his shirt.
"Ok Frosty, you know why we're here, don't you?"
Frosty nodded.
"I need you to find the criminal records. It should be a book or file cabinet. Likely in a documents room. I'll watch where you go and whistle when you're going in the right direction. I'll get you more elk steak if you get it—"
Frosty grinned.
"[How terrifying.]"
"Alright. Let's try it."
Claude shut his eyes and felt for Frosty's mental link connecting the two as one mind. He could see it in his minds eye.
His own mental threading that he used to reach out to many beasts of the wild sat in a firm tie with Frosty's.
Green flowy and electrical essence-wire tied to blue fiery wild-chord. The tie at the center was a cyan knot of many fabrics and visual memories shared between them.
Claude delved into I—
The runes radiated and spit fiery bolts at Claude.
The first blast hit him square in the chest and sent him flying into the back glass wall.
It was there that he learned the back wall was electrified. By more runes.
The shock grabbed his spine with thunderous fingers and shook him apart from his nervous system.
He screamed from the unique pain before faceplanting.
[80% HP Remaining…]
Frosty snarled and charged the glass door, thrashing and punching the glass. Slowly, his form lost hold. Fur spread across his pale skinnned hands. His brow ridge thickened and his muscles expanded.
Claude help up a hand, "Frosty wait! It's ok."
Frosty did not wait.
To Frosty, it was far from ok.
Claude forced himself up, twitching from the after effects from the shock-wall. Spirals of black steam rose from the wound in his chest.
Frosty let of snarls and whines as he reached for the handle, slowly remembering his aposable digits.
"Hey! Hey." Claude held up a hand. "Stop."
Frosty saw reason— if only slightly, as he backed off the door and paced.
Then the front door opened again.
Frosty spun around.
"Easy…." Claude hissed urgently.
Frosty calmed with an agitated snort as the Enforcer entered.
At least that's who they assumed was entering.
But the individual wasn't wearing armor.
She wore a black silk dress that hugged her lanky frame and sat well with her tan skin. Over her shoulders and down her back, some white- furred beast-hide was made into a cloak.
Despite her performative appearance, she wasn't exactly sexy. Her nose was too long and wide on her face. Her eyes were farther apart than normal— and she bore scars.
She smiled and batted her long lashes all the same when she saw Claude.
"[Embra Starr.]"
"What the hell did you do after breakfast?" Embra asked as she sauntered into the room.
She stopped only to look the Enforcer— that was Frosty, up and down before approaching Claude and asking, "Where's your silent twin?"
"What are you doing here?" Claude didn't like it. Her presence, her calm nature as if a small scale prison break wasn't just happening. The fact that she'd watched them before as well.
"Small village. The odds are in my favor. I could be here for sugar. Or anything sweet really." She ogled Claude's body.
Claude's face twisted up in irritated confusion, "You're like a bad caricature of how witches are in books."
"Wha—" Embra stepped back with flushed cheeks, "You're talking nonsense."
"Uh-huh. Go away." Claude grew impatient.
"Heroes don't listen to criminals." Embra replied as she collected herself.
Frosty sniffed in her direction.
Embra side eyed him, "Where's your brother?"
Claude eyeballed her, "Go. Away."
Embra stepped closer, close enough to touch the glass wall.
Frosty growled—
"No!" Claude snapped.
Embra and Frosty faced him.
Embra raised an eyebrow, "You're being really unruly for someone at my mercy."
"If you say another word, you're gonna embarass yourself agai—"
Embra pressed a single finger to the glass wall and the runes came back to life with even more intensity.
"Then I'll let my work speak for m—"
Frosty grabbed Embra by the back of her head and smashed her into the glass wall.
"Don't speak at all. You're annoying." Claude replied to Embra as he stood up to face her. "Frosty, knock her—"
He stopped as he found Embra— with her face smushed against the glass and nose bleeding. She smiled. "Who the hell is Frosty?"
"[Persistent little shite.]"
"….What do you want?" Claude asked.
"You know what I want. You still think I'm embarassing myself?" Embra asked.
Claude hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Yea. Frosty, knock her out—"
"Wait! Wait…. Ok. I'm sorry. Just wait." Embra said.
Frosty snarled.
"No time." Claude replied.
"Yes there is— I put the other Enforcer on duty here to sleep. And the rest of them are on patrol chasing….. false reports."
Claude raised an eyebrow. "That explosion was you?"
"Yes." Embra replied, "And that whooping Mike the Enforcer caught in the tavern bathroom was you?….. or your brother… who has a dog name for some reason?"
"I'm not answering your questions." Claude replied.
"That was an answer." Embra replied.
"Fuck." Claude thought.
"You didn't commit a crime." Embra said suddenly, "Your brothers some sort of illusion mage I guess? Didn't think that due to his muscular build. But he's clearly working some sort of mirage here. And you're using that to break into a Precinct. For what? I can help you."
"Why?" Claude asked.
"Because... that's what heroes do." Embra replied. Her eyes were suddenly cavernous vortexes of fire that spoke volumes to the burn of her own desires.
"[That was supposed to be corny.]"
Claude didn't budge.
Embra took a deep breath. The blue veins in her neck extended up past her chin and to her lips that turned blue.
She blew Fire-frost winds across the glass and the runes sprinkled off the surface like snow. But also like ash.
Claude let his aura coat his claws.
No rune flares. No Fire-bolts.
Claude slashed through the door and stepped out of the cell with no shirt and a spear in hand.
"I don't know what to make of her." Claude thought.
"[Then don't. She seems to be in the process of doing that herself still.]"
Frosty let her go and approached Claude, sniffing his face and chest.
"I'm good." Claude said as he adressed Embra. "Where can I find criminal records dating back years?"
Embra shrugged, "I don't work here, man."
Claude deflated. "You're….."
"What?"
Claude turned around and headed deeper into the precinct. "Come on Frosty."
Embra followed after them. "If we were to follow the layout of the building, all information and data based documents would be on the left side. You know…. Away from the cells."
Claude casually turned and entered the left side hallway.
It was a small building. He reached a room labeled the Lawbreaker's Compendium with a steel door.
He eyed the locked knob.
"Here." Embra said from behind.
Frosty took the keys with his teeth.
They all watched in horror with Embra laying a hand over her mouth.
Claude sullenly took the keys from the man's mouth and unlocked the door.
Embra dropped her hand, "So, uhh…—"
"Shut-up." Claude said as he eyeballed the room. "Arne, please help me."
"[Look for any name variants of John Bergeron. Names are personal— they're the label of our being. Anyone looking for an alias that lasts will want one close to their own name to maintain some semblance of their true identity.]"
Claude began thumbing through the shelves of files.
"Jeffery Belch... Jonathan Burk….. Jethrow Black….. Jaden Bertholme…"
"Wow I'm in here. Shameful." Embra said as she pulled a file from the top shelf. The paper froze and then burst into ash, "…..I was framed by witch-hunter bigots. Anyway."
Claude continued searching until—
"[Stop! Stop!]" Arne yelled.
Claude froze on a file titled, "James Bargeron. Raider Adjacent Armory-Theft. Sentence of twelve years partiallly served. Early release granted in a trade of weapons parts and schematics."
"[Our guy sold weapons and blueprints to the Frostborn Guild, didn't he?]"
"Yea." Claude said.
"[Keep reading.]"
Claude did.
"Connected arrests made for Siku Slaughter, Kallukho Claw, Qajaq Ryder and Ivalu Bounty. All members of a well established Raiding Crew known as the Nujaliki— specializing in large scale heists and manhunts that then become ransoms."
"[So you know what names to get next.]"
Claude's brain was on the verge of steaming—
"R….y…. That's a weird place to be alphabetically…. Oh, found it!" Embra turned away from the shelves across from Claude and handed a stack of files to Frosty, casually offering the papers to his mouth. "Here you go."
Frosty took them and handed the files to Claude.
It was everyone he just read about.
"You were whispering…." Embra said.
"...Thanks."
"You're welcome." Embra replied before looking down at the stack of files he held, "So that's why you're here? You're hunting Raiders?"
"I'm avenging a friend."
"I'm sorry for your loss." Embra replied.
"She's not dead. Just….."
"Above it?" Embra asked.
"What?" Claude replied quickly.
An awkward silence spread.
"Anyway, I have to go. Don't follow us."
Embra stepped aside as Claude left the file room.
"Oh sure. Just leave me with the mess." Embra yelled after him.
"Payback for stalking." Claude replied on the way out.