Emma arrived at a shop, some ways out in the city, nearest to the docks. Tierre's Mechanical Emporium. She stared at the sign for a minute before entering, scanning the shop for her Uncle, who, when a bell set by the doorway rang, revealed themselves. Goggles are set atop his head, and an apron wrapped around his body.
Tierre was significantly taller than his niece, sporting similarly darker hair and hazel eyes, and, on top of that, just like her, freckles dotted his face. Aside from that, he also sported a relatively thick beard. His eyes were half-lidded as he watched Emma walk to the back of the shop, slumping into one of the many varieties of chairs they had set about.
"Welcome back," Tierre spoke, watching Emma. "How was your 'adventuring' life...?"
"It's... stressful... scary... and it hurts so fuckin' bad..."
"Mhm..." He crossed over to one of the many workbenches he had, examining a cylinder mechanism. "Yeah... does that mean you quit? You realize how shitty this sort of work is...? Or...?"
"Or...?"
"Are you addicted?"
Emma is quiet for a moment before meeting her Uncle's gaze, proceeding to smile as she said, "I think I'm addicted."
There was a moment of silence before he mumbled, "You really are like me."
***
"Oh, shit... we're level 3." Emma absentmindedly brought it up, staring listlessly at a bizarre device cupped within her palm, her body lying out on a nearby bench opposite to Dahlia, sitting right across from her.
"Oh wow..." Dahlia stared at a similar device in her hand, wide-eyed. "Yeah, we are... I have been feeling stronger but... welp..."
"Honestly, you're insane, Dahlia."
A flash of confusion on Dahlia's face.
"Insanely strong."
"Uh... thanks."
"Do you train often?"
Dahlia scoffed. "Yeah, all the time. It's all I do aside from cooking and hanging out with you."
Emma lifted herself a little to get a better look at her friend. "Could you include me sometime?"
Dahlia's brows raised. "You... want to work out? Train?"
Emma nodded hesitantly. "Y-Yeah... like... my body isn't terrible or anythin', but... I dunno, gettin' a bit stronger would help, no?" She scratched the back of her head. "I just kinda feel like I've been lacking a little."
"No, not at all, you've been great!"
"No, Rider has been great, but... I can only get some good shit in once in a while, y'know...? I need somethin' more. I dunno..."
"Well... wanting to get stronger is never a bad thing, just... never thought you'd care all that much, but... I'm all for it!"
"Good to know." Emma sighed. "Oh, also, can you give me your axe?"
"Uh... why?"
"I wanna upgrade it, if you don't mind."
"Oh!? Really!?"
"Yeah? We're gonna need some upgrades soon as well if the potential of more Vamps like the guy from before emerges, y'know?"
"Okay, yeah! I'll hand it over later, okay?"
"Okay."
"Are you gonna get an upgrade too?"
Emma scoffed. "Of course, I have a lot of shit in motion~!"
"Anyway, wanna go try training... now?"
Emma blinked. "Uh... do I have a choice...?"
"No, you did ask me after all, so...!" Dahlia crossed over to Emma, picking her up, causing the young woman to stiffen like a statue before being placed back on her feet. "Alright, let-- Do you have any... work out gear or...?"
Emma shook her head.
"It's better to have clothes ready for that. Do you have anything loose? Something you wouldn't care if it got dirty, or sweaty?"
"Uh... y-yeah?"
"Alright! Go get some workout clothes on and head to the gym, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am."
After getting ready, tying up her hair, and wearing something "loose", she went straight to the Academy's gymnasium, bag thrown around her shoulders, sheepishly approaching this nigh alien environment to the young Emma. She scanned the massive open space of the building, and an expression of moderate concern showed clearly on her brow.
Jror'an noticed the uncharacteristically smaller girl attempting to enter a space of sweat and muscle, crossing over to her. "Yo, name?"
"Huh?"
"Who are you looking for?"
"I-I uh... actually, I-I came here to train with someone..."
"So... technically, I was right? What's your name?"
"E-Emma."
Jror'an sighed. "Okay, who are you looking for?"
"D-Dahlia."
"Oh! You're from her party, right?"
"Y-Yes."
"Alright, you can find her over there."
Emma looked over to where the massive man in front of her pointed, and all Emma could do was stand there in shock and awe. Honestly, in all of Emma's life, this was the only time she had borne witness to this many half-naked bodies, but the one she didn't expect to see the most of today, of all days, was Dahlia herself.
The large woman lifted weights that nearly matched her in size, her hair pulled back to reveal her eternally stern expression, now marred by a diagonal scar running up from her nose and brow. She now wore only a sports bra and spats, exposing her lightly scarred, muscled body.
Emma stood there, wide-eyed, watching sweat roll off her friend's back. Dahlia huffed, setting down her equipment just as she noticed Emma. "Oh, hey!" Dahlia's sharp gaze met Emma's, brow eternally knitted. "I'm glad you're here."
Emma's eyes couldn't stay in one place, virtually stunned by the sight.
Dahlia passed a glance to her instructor, then back at Emma. "U-Uh... you okay... Emma?"
Say something, you moron! You gotta say something! What should I even say!? Should I compliment her!? Do something, idiot! "Uh..." Emma blinked, "Yeah..." FUCK!
"Alright! Well, first things first, when it comes to physical training, is stretches!"
"Oh! Easy~!" Emma laughed.
After doing their basic warm-ups, the next step was, "First, let's start working on our endurance!"
"So... like...?"
"We'll be jogging around the track a few times, then start having you move onto weights!"
"Alright."
Emma followed Dahlia outside, who threw on a shirt for their jogging expedition. Once they started, Emma seemed to have adapted to the situation quickly, managing to catch up with her larger compatriot. "Oh? You're doing very well!"
"I guess that's what happens when most of your days are holding and transporting heavy ass tech. Typical inventor shenanigans-- we don't have assistants or anything, and my Uncle made it a point to do carry shit on your own ."
"That definitely does help, but your build is also surprisingly nice."
Emma came to this wearing a skin-tight black shirt and yoga pants, which showed a bit of her figure which showed an impressive amount of muscle definition, despite her, well, lack of strength. "Is it?"
"Yeah, you have a decent bit of muscle."
"Eh~! It's cause of a good metabolism... and physical labor, but that's a separate thing."
"I dunno how much your metabolism falls into this?"
"I have abs!" Emma exclaimed smugly.
"Really now?"
"I'm not lying! It's the most surprising feature about me."
"Completely unrelated..." Dahlia blinked, looking at Emma as they ran. "Y-Your hair... It's different."
"Hm, how?" Rather than Emma's typical darker hair color, it looked more auburn than anything, emitting a faint red glow in the sun's light.
"Your hair... it's... redder?"
Emma's eyes widen for a moment. "Oh?" She paused, "I guess the dye is wearing out."
"Dye?"
"W-Well... I dyed my hair a lot when I was younger cause I wanted to look more like my Uncle... a bit weird, I know, but..."
"Wait, then what's your actual hair color?"
"It's sort of a fiery red... way different from Tierre's. His hair is practically jet black, so... I dunno... I just wanted to be more like him, and it sorta stuck."
Dahlia watched Emma for a moment. "You... Uh... I don't think you should dye it from now on."
"Hm? Why?"
"I dunno... I think it could be a good change of pace for you, plus... your hair looks really pretty right now... it could be nice seeing it in its full luster, y'know?"
Emma stared at Dahlia for a moment before looking away. "I-I'll consider it." Emma sighed. "Surprised that you were so up front about that."
"I just think it would be nice. And... well... thinking about it, I think you'd look pretty."
Emma's eyes flickered over at Dahlia repeatedly for a moment, astonished by the sudden compliment. "R-Right, yeah... I'll probably not dye it again then..."
One lap went by, another lap came, continuing until they reached five laps in total. Emma was rendered exhausted, as Dahlia seemed relatively unfazed by how long they had been running. Finally, once they stopped, Emma gasped for air.
Dahlia smiled, turning to look at her. "Alright, we'll be moving onto weight lifting!"
"H-Huh...?"
Somewhere else, within Meliana's dorm, her face is lit up by the screen of a computer, with the periodic clicking filling the room's silence, eyes half-lidded from exhaustion. After a moment, she grabbed a nearby energy drink to keep herself awake.
Almost two weeks ago, the party had a conversation with the school's Principal, soon after their last quest, mainly to provide protective custody to the girl they had managed to find, who they later discovered was Kalliopi Malis, which is what she called herself; however, there was no record of her existence anywhere in Agnesta.
Alastro scratched his brow with one of his pens. "Well... you guys have gone through a lot lately, and honestly, you've delayed your expulsion significantly! You need to find one or two more party members! I will say, though." He scanned the party, "To put it in simpler terms... You all look utterly ragged! You all look like shit!"
His sudden cursing was like a flashbang for the party, all of them flabbergasted by his matter-of-fact way of speaking.
"You all need a rest! You've been through hell with only a week break in between-- fighting a Vampire is no joke!" He sighed, a legitimate worried expression on his face. "Take... uh... Actually, I'm forcing you! You all need to take a three-week break!"
A sigh of relief escaped Emma's lips, but Meliana seemed more than displeased, raising a hand. "But... what about the missing people, sir?"
"You can still investigate it! But I'm banning you from endangering yourselves any further, you all understand!?"
Emma looked to Meliana, barely awake. "I... I get that you're worried, Meli, but we really need a break."
"It's not like you all can't do anything at all! Plus, with situations like these, with organizations that are so careful-- according to your evidence--" He pointed at Meliana. "At times like these, it's just the better option to lay off, make them overconfident! Constantly attacking them like this will have 'em close up like a turtle... then... what will you all do once they turn the tables, right? You've seen how strong they can get. I want to ask for caution, that is all."
Emma nodded, leaving before Meliana could say anything else, Dahlia following behind her.
In the present, Meliana thinks back to this moment, mumbling to herself. "Three weeks..." She sighed, "There has to be a lead somewhere..."
Meliana licked her teeth, pushing through the documents she had stolen from the mine. After a moment of sifting, she landed on a document related to the pieces of armor that they found back during the last quest.
"Solumni?" She whispered to herself before looking back at her computer, typing a name into the search bar. "Solumni Holdings? Seems to be a packaging agency of sorts... Where do they distribute more often...?"
After some more searching, a description of the agency was found. "An anonymous delivery agency." Most likely a dead end, but maybe there's more to it —next up is how far back the creation date was —maybe there's a lead there?
And there it is —a recently established company, which means there's a possibility of tracking down where they deliver the most. Even if it's anonymous, they'd inevitably have something. It might take hours, days, or even more, but eventually, Meliana knew she'd find something.
All an organization like this could do was make it hard enough for those tracking a lead to give up before it began, but Meliana wasn't a normal person; they were a Rogue, for God's sake.
The Meliana had a thought, Are there any associated organizations with this Solumni Group? Another random thought, completely knocking Meliana off this train of thought. What about the missing people at the Academy as of late? Where have they been going? They've been seen going somewhere at a specific time just before they've gone missing. Suuma Alarie, Kydra Newsom... Would Tymera fit into this?
Meliana audibly sighed. We know that Tymera left for the lead I found and never came back —where, exactly? I couldn't find anything at the mines, and no Clerics found any evidence of a soul or body that would belong to Tymera —surely they'd be able to find it by now if she were dead?
She thought harder and harder, trying to remember anything about those missing cases, seeing if there was anything to grasp onto here. "But they didn't go missing immediately, there was a pattern... so why now...? Where did they go?"
Meliana proceeded to look for any associated organizations of Solumni—search, after search. Almost twenty different results came up, not giving the answers she needed, until finally she landed on an obscure club that resides on Mars; from what she could tell, they were closely associated due to their very public partnership, on the club's part.
"Club Renegade, an underground club made for Outcasts, and Adventurers..." Meliana shrugged. "That's something, I suppose." There are screenshots. Goblins, Halflings, Bugbears, no discrimination in the slightest. It accepts anyone and everyone. "Sounds nice... but what's the catch?" Unless there isn't?
She examined the images closely, hoping to find anything amongst them that might give it away. The photos were clearly taken during the busiest hours of the day to show all the people who appeared to be happy going there —a typical advertising stunt.
It was only then that she zoomed in on the eyes of some of the people working there. Red, not like Dahlia, no —Red with slits like a cat's eye; a bunch of the workers had them. Vampires... those were definitely Vampires.
All Meliana needed to do was find something, anything that could've led these people to this club. Why did they go there? As was said, they didn't go missing immediately, and from what she could recall, they had only gone missing two or three weeks after they had been frequenting wherever they had been going. She suspects the club, but she needs evidence.
She bit her thumbnail, a pointed expression on her face as she stared at her computer screen. "I need to see if they left anything in their rooms." Tymera's room is the first place I should look... mierda, I should've checked that way before today!
Meliana threw herself out of her seat, putting on her gear and heading out to her party member's room. The dorms are set on a hill, beside the Academy, almost trumping said Academy in size, which meant that Meliana is forced to spend a few minutes walking across the Academy to get to her friend's room.
Once she arrived, she made sure to obscure her face, picking the lock to the door with ease. After she slipped inside, she immediately began rummaging through any paper that could be scattered about, the living room, bedroom, and all.
The majority of what she could find were missing homework assignments, but by pure luck, her eyes locked onto a small bin set beside Tymera's desk. Looking inside, only scraps remained, but atop the pile, along with various chip packets or candy wrappers, was a singular card, a sort of business card.
Meliana got a hold of the card, rubbing her thumb across the paper, feeling the imprinted letters. An abandoned arcade some ways into the northernmost section of Mars. It seemed to have been an old business card associated with that in particular.
Now, all Meliana had to do was check whether the other missing students had received the same card.
For now, Meliana was forced to retreat and stay low. She didn't want to get caught breaking into dorms just yet.
Meliana retreated for the day, now moving on to her next order of business, the AV club room.
She scuttled across campus to the Club, which was situated at the school's front gate. Meliana knocked on the door, waiting for a response. Soon, a small Tengu man opens the door. "Does... does you need something?"
The man's broken command momentarily put off Meliana. "Oh... uh... I'm a student investigating the circumstances surrounding the disappearances of various other students at the Academy. I wanted to have a look at our security to establish a connection between the cases."
The Tengu nodded. "Yes, good... I will grab the president!" They hopped back into their club room. "Boss!"
From the back, a halfling, smaller than both the Tengu and the Kobold, Meliana, revealed themselves.
"We have a lizard girl looking for kidnapped persons!"
"H-Huh? Another person?" The AV club president crossed over to the clubroom door. "Oh! Goodness! H-Hello, how may I help you, madam~!"
Meliana's expression flickered with a momentary disgust. "I'm looking into the missing persons case. Can I take a look at your cameras?"
"Right, right! I overheard you speaking to Greg. You are welcome to," He scampered over to a wall of screens, hopping up to a keyboard. "Alright, who are you looking for?"
"First, could you get me footage of those we know are presently missing? So, Kydra, and Suuma Alarie."
"Isn't Suuma that blind womanizer girl?" He began typing, "It'll take a minute for them to show up."
"Suuma was a womanizer?"
"Yeah, from what I remember, she became notorious for flirting with any girl she could get her hands on."
"Quite the... rumor savvy hafling, aren't you?"
"It's... uh..." They chuckled. "Kinda our job, so... y'know? It sometimes provides context for actions and such, and sometimes even goes so far as to exonerate some people! Or... y'know... assist in prosecution."
"Just... a tad atypical for a hafling, no?"
"Well, it's quite atypical that you aren't tinkering with something, but I don't say anything about that!"
Meliana chuckled.
"Oop, we got the footage."
Meliana kept the card on hand as the footage played out before her. Kydra; their leaves were considerably less frequent than Suuma's, who, after this, is shown leaving much more frequently at around the same time. 5:30 pm to be exact.
Of course, the shared time when they finally leave the Academy was that exact time as well, almost as if they were meeting someone. They wouldn't need to consistently leave at that time if it were simply "they're going to a club", so maybe there is some frequent meeting in place that forces them to be timely?
"Could you give me any footage of Tymera Guitierrez? Specifically, whenever she was last spotted."
"Tymera...? The delinquent?"
"Yeah, got a problem with her?"
"No, no! Not at all, just... curious... uh... yeah, we can pull up her footage, it'll take a bit longer than the others though since the AI has to sort of sort it all... find the specific point wherein she left and didn't come back... stuff like that!"
"Right..."
A few more minutes pass until finally, the footage appears on screen, and just as expected, it was at the same time as the other victims, except she left once and never came back.
Meliana pinched her lower lip. "Is she more clever than I thought...? Now I feel bad... how'd she even get a lead on this...?"
Meliana left before the AV club could say anything else, and only a few meters away from the door, just so happened to encounter Emma.
"Oh!" Emma exclaimed, pointing to the Kobold. "Found you!"
"Yo..." Meliana pressed her lips together, making an awkward expression.
"Gun and knife, please."
"What? Why?"
"What do you mean by why? What reason would you think there would be for a Tinkerer to ask for a weapon like this unabashedly?"
"U... Upgrades...?"
"Ding! Bingo, hand them over, gracias~!"
Meliana rolled her eyes, handing over her weapons.
"Gracias, amiga."
"Why... why are you speaking that way?"
Emma shrugged. "Thought it would be fun. Plus, my family lived off on the isles, my Uncle taught me a few things, I dunno... once someone else started speakin' it, it's like a habit, y'know?"
"You know how to speak Syrjin?"
"A little."
"Mhm... we learn something new every day."
Emma nodded, waving the weapons she had just gotten, walking the opposite way, leaving Meliana alone.
Meliana clicked her tongue. "Shit... I gave her my weapon."