Cass's blood was boiling; and yet, he could do nothing. Not only because of Linas's status. Even worse, he was also a 6th tier Blessed. And from what he'd heard, one that's quite formidable.
"Hey, bud. Thanks for keeping her safe for me."
He threw some money on the table in front of Cass and smiled. He'd never done anything overt to make Cass hate him. Then again, the way Tindra acted every time he arrived and for the hour or so after he left was more than enough. As far as Cass knew, he'd never hurt her during their sessions and he always paid above and beyond. Still, she never spoke a word about him to anyone, as if he'd never been there. Cass respected her decision and didn't ask.
Looks like the celebration's over.
Cass entered the cellar beneath the Dogace Doxy. He had convinced Tindra to convert it into a training room for him. After he'd thwarted a couple rough customers' advances on the girls, it was rather easy. The space was around 20 meters long and 15 wide. It had been dusty and barren; now it was full of piecemeal training equipment Cass had managed to scrounge up. It seemed like a pipe dream, but he still hadn't forgotten his revenge. His hatred for Cadeyrn was just as intense as it had ever been. In fact, the longer he was away from Misha the more he seethed. He always brought that anger to the surface when he trained. A few hours later, drenched in sweat, Cass emerged with a sour look on his face. It was part of his routine. The major downside of his Dead trait was that he never grew stronger. His technique and battle acumen could, but the amount of Blessed (Cursed?) energy he had remained exactly the same. He still hadn't accepted it.
Maybe the fog would be a better target. Betraying me or denying me my revenge…which is the bigger sin? Why not both?
He entered the main bar area of the Dogface Doxy. Daniella was the only girl remaining in the dimly lit space. When Cass first met her, he would've described her as a small, plain girl with wavy, pale blonde hair and unremarkable bluish grey eyes. However, as his sensibilities adjusted to the real world, he could tell that she was pretty…very pretty, he might even say. She was around his age, so her unchosen profession hadn't taken its toll on her yet.
"Is Tindra still in the back?"
She jumped at his voice.
"O-oh! Yes, she is!"
Cass frowned.
"Still?"
"Don't worry…You-know-who already left. She's back there with Detective Karsten."
She wiped the table with her rag so hard and fast it squeaked.
"What!? Him too?"
"Not like that! Apparently, some more girls went missing down by the docks."
Missing people weren't uncommon in the slums. For enough to disappear that the law would get involved…Cass's stomach knotted.
"You girls better not leave the building unaccompanied then. I can get you guys' groceries and the like."
She stared at him, unmoving.
"Are you really not sleeping with any of the girls?"
Cass stumbled.
"Where did that come from!? No!"
"Why are you so concerned about us?"
He couldn't outright say that losing his job could mean losing his life. Explaining that would expose more than he'd care to. He could lie and say he cared…but that would be ridiculous. Ever since leaving the trial, Cass had erected a wall around his heart. He hadn't formed a single attachment and planned to keep it that way. The thought of what ill begotten fate was in store for any of the girls who went missing…Didn't bother him even a little.
Nope, not one bit. Not at all.
Cass fiddled with his hands during his pause.
"Simple, I don't wanna lose my job. My ass is on the line here and you lot acting like reckless fools…It'd be a pain to find new work and all."
She blinked.
"That makes sense."
She bought it.
Cass was rather impressed with himself. Daniella was always a bit of an odd one. Well…it wasn't like Cass had a large pool of people he knew to reference. But compared to the other girls at the Doxy, she dressed very modestly in her old-fashioned blue dress and hardly ever spoke to customers. She continued
"Ah, Tindra probably forgot, Rudy stopped by and dropped off the documents you wanted."
"Finally. I paid for those last month."
"It was tough for him to get. Please cut him some slack."
"Yeah, I get it."
Cass couldn't exactly go very far, so Rudy was his personal delivery guy…for a fee. Cass had taken a recent interest in the war between humanity and the demons. Particularly, in a small remote outpost and a certain observation facility. He hadn't learned much, so he wasn't getting his hopes up with these new documents. He had verified two things he was curious about: First off, Captain Stanev had died at that outpost. In the same way? He couldn't be sure, though he suspected not. The second thing was that indeed…Ariayah, daughter of the Great Demon House Eisheth had been captured and executed. Flipping through the documents, Cass got a nice photo of her freshly severed head next to her crumpled body. His anger churned in his gut. She was his first friend after all.
I wonder if someone brought her any pudding before she was killed?
"I'll keep you posted."
Detective Karsten emerged from Tindra's quarters. Cass eyed him up, looking for obvious signs.
Hmm, I guess they were just talking.
Detective Karsten looked haggard. He wasn't much older than Tindra, but he also wasn't Blessed, so he looked like her father. His messy gray hair and the bags under his dark brown eyes indicated he hadn't slept in quite some time. His large, tan overcoat was covered in fine, black mana dust. Signs of the slums. Tindra's voice boomed.
"Cass, let's go! We're headin' to the docks!"
Karsten sighed.
"Now hold on-"
"I'm goin' for a walk! Dani, lock the place down after we leave."
Cass could only obey.
Being at the docks made Cass nervous. Not because it was a dump even by slum standards, but the machines that kept the fog out of the city were almost useless here. That was true for a lot of the slums, actually. The fog not only manifested horrid creatures, even worse, now that Cass was Blessed, it could snatch him up yet again.
One of the perks of being Blessed: A front row seat to the fog's history lessons!
Cass had dismissed the idea of the fog taking the missing girls. Even the most desperate among them would seek shelter when it rolled in. So that left the most likely answer: A man-made tragedy. Tindra had brought him along, and She only did that when she wanted to shake some answers out of people. She rarely left the Dogface Doxy, so when she did, Cass knew it was serious. When she didn't tell him, he'd have to catch up and sneak behind her the entire time to avoid dying. Outside his host's range, he estimated he had a couple hours at most. 100 meters was around the limit. As he approached it, a slight ill feeling overtook him. As soon as he broke the perimeter it was agony.
Glad she's a homebody.
They spent hours canvassing the dock's inhabitants and workers. Sometimes with her charm and wit, and other times with her fists. Cass followed and kept lookout. The rows of buildings, along with shipping containers created a maze to be contended with. Decades old lamp posts tried in vain to stave off the murky blue, moonlit night with a sickly yellow glow. The sun had long since fallen but her passion hadn't wavered a bit.
"Pah! What's a skag like ye doin' 'round 'ere!? Scarin' off customers!"
Dhall's gruff voice echoed through the old, broken shipping containers and open warehouse interiors. He was bulky and a good bit taller than Cass. His bald head had rudimentary runes etched along the surface. His skin looked dark, but Cass suspected it was from soot rather than its natural color. Tindra sneered.
"Get lost, Dhall. Or I'll send your head through another steel wall. Maybe this time it'll jump start that useless mush between your ears."
Dhall grinned.
"Always luv an excuse ta knock ya 'round, bint."
His gaggle of mooks surrounded Cass and Tindra. In a flash, Dhall and Tindra locked in a clinch and the dock shuddered. His men made a beeline for Cass.
These idiots never learn. Maybe they're into it.
Cass's time in the red light district had changed his way of thinking for the worse...He went to dodge an incoming punch. It tore through the air much faster than he anticipated, barely missing his chin.
Uh oh, that's not good.