Zayden looked at Granny in sheer surprise. "Impossible," he doubted.
Hirotaka remained quiet as he thought about it. "I wouldn't go to the mine. If I were a townsman who works at the mine, there's no way I would dare go there," he confirmed. "That's surprisingly unbelievable."
Granny shrugged. "That mine is the only source of livelihood to the townsfolk. They would rebel if an outsider comes to loot their gold away, and those greedy bastards don't want to go through that stress. They instead use the monsters to prevent the people from going to the mine."
Zayden shook his head. "It would also stop the people from stepping out of their homes," he muttered.
"And it would allow them to loot the gold in peace, export it, and disappear from the town without any commotion. Your job is to stop them from taking that gold away. The second thing you would do is make sure that the official doesn't see another sunrise." Granny stood up and went back into his room as if he hadn't said anything a few seconds ago, leaving everyone with gobsmacked expressions on their faces.
Conny looked from Zayden to Hirotaka and Stanley, who were deep in thought. After a few minutes of silence, Zayden stood up. "This is what we're going to do."
---
They boarded a steam train from Duskfall Station to Rivendell. Electricity was only available in the capital faction, where it was still unstable. The only fastest means of transportation was the steam train, which had been of great help to the people in the Iron Dominion Faction.
It was daytime when they finally arrived at a large town—Rivendell.
The five of them immediately blended into the growing crowd.
"It's a bit crowded here. Was the information wrong?" Zayden asked as they walked briskly.
Hirotaka shook his head. "It can't be. Something's not adding up. Do you think Granny's source was accurate?" He asked. They were quite surprised to see that the morning was lively here, even though there were monsters in town.
"Rivendell is a large town. If this part of the town is bustling this morning, I believe the mine would be farther from here," Stanley spoke softly as his eyes searched for anything that might seem odd. The town was odd itself.
"That might be true," Conny affirmed. "It could also be that the townsfolk diverted from the main route in order to get food. Being locked up in their homes would mean hunger. Perhaps this morning was a good time to shop quickly. Take a look around and see what I mean," he stated with a frown.
The group stopped and quickly took in the state of the town. The sun was already high in the sky, and the crowd seemed to have increased.
"It's increasing," Zayden noticed.
"I would say they're a bit hurried in their movements," she added, as her eyes landed on a buyer yelling at a seller. "They look panicked."
"The majority here are men," Stanley mentioned as he quickly brought out his notepad. "Let's find a spot to wait and observe," he said, and they nodded in agreement.
An hour later, they were standing beside a baking shop. Gathering information from the townsfolk's mouths was the most important, Stanley had suggested.
Zayden's nose suddenly picked up a strange rotten smell. Due to the crowd, he couldn't pinpoint the exact location or person the offensive odour was wafting from. "Be alert. A strange being joined the crowd," he murmured to the others, who nodded. Stanley was still scribbling on his notepad, determined to find out what was wrong in the town.
Sighs. "I'm starving, Zay. How long are we going to wait?" Conny questioned and stood akimbo. "This is just ridiculous. First, monsters were attacking the town; second, they were gathering at a mine; now, the market was crowded? Give me a break," he huffed.
Jenny, who had been quiet, spoke up. "The question Granny asked last night—what do you think was the answer? No one would step out of their homes, right? What if the answer was the opposite? Maybe the men decided to find food while leaving their wives and children cooped in their houses?" Perhaps all the information they got about this town was wrong, she thought.
"Do you think his question was a code? Or maybe an answer itself?" Hirotaka asked no one in particular as they kept thinking. "Why don't we continue into the town?" he reasoned.
A few minutes later, they were going farther into the town. Stanley was still scribbling while Hirotaka stared at the map. Jenny and Conny kept watch of their surroundings while Zayden kept perceiving strange smells.
"What if we're the only humans in this town?" Conny asked as his face paled in comparison. It was dreadful to think like that, but he couldn't help himself.
Zayden stared at him for some time as though it might be true. He had fought many monsters and people alike, but he had never heard of a whole town having monsters reside in it. "Let's ask around," he ordered.
"What would you do if you were a townsman who works at the mine?" Stanley thought as he stared at the notepad. An idea suddenly struck him. "Zayden. I think I've got an answer," he replied with a smile as his eyes shimmered in excitement. "Let's go to a quiet place with fewer ears," he grinned and signalled the others to come.
Now, they were standing beside a closed inn. The sun was getting hotter in this part of the town. Conny was gobbling on a sandwich while Jenny drank water from her flask to stay hydrated. Hirotaka was visibly annoyed.
Stanley started. "I have finally put things together. We thought the monsters were attacking the people here. Granny said it was never true. He said the monsters were instead gathering at the mine. That means there are tons of gold in this place to attract them. Conny had said maybe we were the only humans here. What if the miners and their families were the only humans in this town? That would explain why they couldn't go to their work area." He thought.
Hirotaka shook his head. "That doesn't add up. If they're the only humans in this town, then who are these peo—" he instantly froze as he paled. It was as though the colour on his face had been drained. "What if it was all a front? They would make it seem to outsiders that the town was normal, but underneath the façade, it was something else?" He smacked his head as his eyes roamed the people around.
"Earlier, I picked up a strange smell. Before I could detect who it was, another covered it. For now, there are about fifty people who are not humans here. Someone has already ticked off the schemer here about our arrival." Zayden stated and unsheathed his sword, which immediately throbbed in his hand. He raised his head with a wry smile on his lips and grinned. "Conny was right. We are the only humans in this crowd."
"That's impossible," Jenny replied in sheer shock as her eyes fell on the people doing their daily activities. "They look human to me," she whispered.
"They are, yet they are not," Zayden replied and collected Stanley's notepad. He pointed to the part where Stanley had circled with the indication *miners.* "The miners are not at home," he concluded. "I'll eliminate every monster in this town, save the miners, and bring the official to me. That's an order," Zayden declared, and the others nodded in understanding.
"Make sure you don't step foot at the miners' homes," he warned.
Stanley and Jenny took a U-bend into another street as they headed to the public service office. That would be the only place where a high-ranking official would be. He brought out his M1887, which was already loaded, and cocked it. If they had been ticked off, then the official would be well prepared to receive them.
"That's a nice gun you've got there," Jenny praised with a smile. Her hair was so shiny and beautiful that Stanley nearly stopped to touch it.
"Thank you," he replied with a smile.
Hirotaka and Conny were on the second team—a good observer and a critical thinker. They had been paired multiple times in the past.
"It's hard to believe that they are monsters, you know," Hirotaka said. He was still trying to brush off the fact that they were not humans. "What happens if we kill them and find out they were humans?" he questioned.
"I sensed they weren't humans at the entrance of the town. Perhaps you didn't notice that their shops and stalls were locked. The crowd was a front to mislead us. Some shops didn't have sellers, which meant they belonged to the women who weren't there," Conny replied, and he cracked his knuckles, ready for a fight.
"Maybe I'm getting old," Hirotaka frowned and fetched a cigarette from his pocket. "What did you see when you went to get that sandwich?" he asked. He knew the boy had seen something.
Conny sighed. "When I entered the street, I thought I saw black miasmas. In the blink of an eye, it was gone. When I purchased the sandwich, I gave the seller a silver, and he accepted," he responded. "It wasn't a coin that I gave to him—it was a rusty silver I found on the ground."
Hirotaka's eyes widened in shock. This was beyond doubt now. Zayden had mentioned a strange smell. Corrupted mana has a pungent smell that only skilled humans can detect. Conny was a smooth stalker. They hadn't noticed his arrival until he showed himself; that was why he saw it. His cigarette fell from his hand as he looked at Conny in fear. "The others. They're in danger. As long as we stay outside, we are safe. That was what Zayden had said."
"What the actual hell," Conny felt his heart drop.
Jenny and Stanley stepped inside the public office building with guarded expressions.