Footsteps rang in the dark, even and unhurried.
The streets were deserted. A lone figure emerged from an alley, lumbering toward some unknown destination. The pavement rang dully under the man's feet. Click-clack. Click-clack.
The man stopped at a corner. The pedestrian signal blinked red above his head, illuminating a police uniform and a face that was not a face. There was no traffic, but the man waited for the light to turn nonetheless.
Six shadows slipped into the light. They surrounded the man quickly, heading off all routes of escape.
"It's an NPC," Vernon grunted.
Ann waved her hand in front of the officer's face. The NPC did not react, blankly facing forward. "I don't think he'll be of much help," she said.
"Did anyone see where he came from?" Frances asked.
No one spoke up. Vernon snorted coldly.
"If only walking wasn't such a difficult task for some of us," he drawled, tone unfriendly.
Sasha immediately puffed up. "I didn't twist my ankle on purpose!" she hissed.
"Could've fooled me!" Vernon snapped back.
The woman in red was the players' only link to the man they sought. The players had no true knowledge of the NPC's purpose or the dangers they could encounter following its lead. The decision to trail the NPC was a gamble, born out of desperation and the pressing weight of time.
Their journey through the city proved more difficult than expected. The night was deep at the outskirts of town and the NPC moved fast, always no more than a fleeting shadow. The woman's encounter with another NPC was a lucky break. The dup slowed down just enough for the group to catch up and potentially discern the direction of their journey when Sasha, somehow having ended up in the lead, stumbled over something in the pitch-black alley they players were navigating and went down, taking the others with her like a row of especially unhappy dominos. By the time the players got themselves sorted out, the woman in red and her uniformed guide were long gone.
The light turned green. The NPC officer strode forward, uncaring about his motley entourage. Vernon and Sasha squabbled quietly in the back. Lieutenant Arendse's no-nonsense mediation soon urged them into petulant silence.
Michael shared a look with Frances. The two moved so as to flank the NPC, and Michael stepped into the NPC's path.
"Excuse me, officer. I have something to report," he said.
The NPC halted so suddenly Ann, who had been walking right behind him, slammed head-first into his back. She winced, the sound muffled. Vernon let out a snort.
The NPC swayed in place. His face rippled like the sails of a ship billowing in the wind. Slowly, the officer turned toward Michael, his bulging face riddled with shadows.
Michael tensed under the unnerving attention. Still, he kept his voice steady and spoke seriously as he said, "My friend is lost. Have you seen her? She wears a white mask and red clothes."
The NPC shuddered again. The shiver passed over the officer's avatar like an earthquake, shaking every pixel on the way down. He moved stiffly and failed to raise his arm twice over before he managed to point to a certain street.
"Down that way? Straight down?" Michael asked.
The NPC hesitated, then jerked his head to the right.
Frances clapped the man's shoulder. "Down, then right. Thanks," he said, then took after their new clue with all the enthusiasm of his Hound moniker. The beach towel he had picked up and repurposed to cover his ripped suit waved in his wake like a very strange, very fluffy cape.
The others were quick to follow. Sasha rounded off the group, forced to slow down on account of her swollen ankle. She threw a glance at the uniformed NPC and stilled her awkward hobble. The NPC remained exactly as they had left him. The light of the walkway had turned red again and it pooled over the man, accentuating the grotesque curve of his neck. His head rattled even as the rest of him did not move a muscle, tilting further and further to the right.
"Come on."
Sasha startled, stifling a frightened gasp then a wince as the sudden motion jarred her injured foot. Vernon had returned for her. The man took her arm wordlessly and guided her to lean her weight against him, turning them both away from the unnerving sight.
They had only taken a few steps when they heard the crack of bone breaking, then a sick thud. Sasha tried to look back, only to be impeded by a muscular shoulder.
"Nothin' to see," Vernon grunted.
"He's gone?" Sasha croaked.
"In a way," Vernon replied evasively and after a concerning pause. "Some of him is, at least. Rolled right down into a sewer."
Sasha's stomach heaved. "Looks like he shouldn't have helped us," she said.
"Looks like," Vernon agreed.
They caught up to the others with relative ease under Vernon's efficient but less than gentle services as a crutch. The NPC had pointed them toward an inconspicuous little road tucked between two tall residential buildings. The night seemed darker there, almost corporal. It reminded the players of the sea after it had swallowed the beach.
It, too, seemed to peer back at them, as if laughing at their folly.
"I will scout ahead," Arendse announced once Vernon and Sasha rejoined the team. She raised a hand, forestalling the raised objections. "We don't know what waits for us on the other side. We are in a disadvantageous position and can't afford to make any mistakes."
"Solo exploration is not a sound strategy," Ann dissuaded. "We should at least split into teams. I'll come with you – digging up hidden plots is kind of my thing."
"You've got to take one of us, then," Frances piped in immediately.
Ann crossed her arms. "What for?"
"To lift things," Frances replied honestly.
Sasha let out a startled giggle. Ann raised her brows in disdain, but her lips twitched. Even Lieutenant Arendse looked amused.
Vernon and Michael were less pleased at being delegated to hired muscle, but they did not object the underlying reasoning. Lieutenant Arendse was forced to concede in the end and allowed Ann and Frances along. The others were delegated to reserve troops with strict instructions to stay put.
"Call out at the first sight of trouble," Arendse reminded.
"Aye, aye, capt'n," Vernon grunted.
Sasha very pointedly plopped down to sit at the curb, stretching out her injured leg.
Only Michael appeared to take the situation seriously. "I will look after them," he assured, to Vernon's scoff of disdain and a muttered, Look after yourself, pretty boy, which Michael stoically ignored. He was too preoccupied with watching Frances and Ann over the Lieutenant's shoulder. The two stood close together, heads bowed as they discussed something quietly.
"And I'll watch over them," Arendse said, a knowing note in her voice. She then went to join her team, missing the strange look that passed over Michael's eyes.
The group entered the alley one by one, as there was not enough space for them to walk side by side. Arendse took the lead, followed by Ann and then Frances. Michael raised his hand to mirror Frances' parting wave. He lowered it slowly as the group disappeared, his expression troubled.
"You look pastier than usual," Vernon commented.
Michael looked at the man. His eyes flickered to where Sasha sat sprawled on the ground, then down the empty street.
"It's nothing," he said.
On their end of the block, Arendse's group emerged into a small open square in good time. Streetlights washed the pavement with silver light. The players observed their surroundings and found their eyes passing over objects and buildings with no memory of what they had just seen.
"What is this place? It looks fake," Frances said disdainfully.
"Like a set, or a miniature model that got blown up without adding any details," Ann added in agreement, similarly put off.
"Focus," Arendse reminded. "We're not here to rate VELES' graphics."
There was however truly nothing of importance to see. The surrounding buildings had their backs to the street, as if throwing a tantrum. No avatar made an appearance. Even the air seemed weighed and static.
"You think the NPC misled us?" Frances frowned.
"Maybe. Or maybe there's a base hidden in one of these buildings," Ann said. She seemed somewhat excited, bouncing slightly on her heels as she craned her head to look around.
"We need more eyes. I will call the others – wait here until we return," Arendse bid.
The woman quickly doubled back the way they had come. The dark swallowed her as soon as she stepped foot in the alley, leaving not a shadow behind.
Frances peered in after her. He extended a hand into the alley, watching with morbid fascination as his fingers disappeared. The air felt cooler there, and seemed to flow, almost like a current in a river.
"Hey, do you think –" he began, only to choke out a startled, "Ann!" as he turned around to find his companion trying the door of a squat little building. He hurried over, urging the woman away as quietly as he could.
"The door's unlocked," Ann replied simply.
Frances huffed. He didn't question why he could hear Ann's voice so clearly, despite the woman being still some distance away and with her back to him. "We've got to wait for the others! What if you trigger something?" he insisted.
"Aren't you curious?" Ann asked.
"No," Frances said simply.
He was almost close enough to reach her. Ann looked at him then and Frances stilled without quite knowing why. The woman was smiling. She looked just as she always did, but something about her felt different and it kept Frances moored where he was.
The door clicked open. "I'm going in. Are you coming?" Ann said. She already had a foot inside.
Frances looked from her to the door. The unease lingered, heavy in his stomach, but he could not bring himself to let Ann go in alone. He stepped forward decisively.
A great force wrapped around him and dragged him back, like a god's hand moving a pawn over a chessboard.
Frances grunted in pain. He was halfway down the square again. The air blurred around him. Ann, standing at the door, had lost her face.
"What –" he panted.
The force returned. This time, it encased Frances entirely. The world turned black, then burst into color before disappearing altogether.
At the door, Ann gazed at the spot where Frances had just been. Nothing of the man remained. The woman's bright smile dimmed, then rose in a sharper arc.
"Showing your hand so soon?" she tutted. "The fun's just started."
The woman slipped through the open door. As she did, a blade glinted in the hand hidden behind her back, the metal red with densely-packed code.