Quinn was busy working out as she usually did each morning. Her hand was mostly healed, so she could work out just fine. With how quickly it healed, it most definitely was just a flesh wound. Her muscles weren't quite to the burning point, but she was beginning to wear out. She did one more crunch as someone knocked on her door.
She paused for a moment, confused. She hadn't planned on anyone coming to her room. Cleanse cleared all of her sweat and grime away as she moved to the door. She pulled a tactic from Atamai's book and kept a hand on her knife just in case as she cracked it open.
Five people stood on the other side. Four of them wore gleaming silver armor that covered most of their body. A sigil was carved into their shoulder plate of a cloud covering the sun. Longswords hung from each of their hips and they gave off an intimidating aura. The armor made it nearly impossible to tell any defining feature about them. Each of the knights wore a silver sagen.
The color of the sagen made her think back to Willa and how she could coat her weapon with a powerful aura. Maybe silver sagens were symbols of some other kind of power other than magic? Or could it be just a different kind of power derived from the use of mana? Maybe The Fundamental Energies would shed some light on it.
They looked every bit the classic knight that she had seen in the past. Their armor caught her attention more than it should have. The armor she had seen so far was mostly made out of leather of some kind, so the metal seemed even more imposing. She had no doubts that every one of the knights was very capable of using the weaponry at their sides.
The last was a man who had on a dark suit and a kindly face. A badge with the same sigil hung from a chain wrapped around his neck. A top hat covered his dark gray hair and piercing eyes. He tipped the hat off and gave a deep bow while leaning his cane back. He didn't have a sagen on, but it wasn't all that weird. From what she had seen, as long as someone had some form of hat on, then they didn't wear a sagen. Maybe it was a sign of city folk since they live under tarps that keep the rain off.?“Good morning, Miss Quin.”
Quinn stood rooted to her spot in confusion. Not only were they strangers that knew her name, but they were also very imposing. They gave off the same vibes as the soldiers and generals she had been around in her previous world. “G-good morning? Um… who are you people?”
“Ah! My apologies.” The man replaced his top hat. He smiled brightly, but she couldn't help notice it didn't quite reach his eyes. “I am Inspector Lynch with the HCD.”
“HCD?” What had she done to get such a group's attention? Did they find out she came from another world? Were they here to capture and experiment on her!? Quinn was quickly spiraling out of control as several theories - each worse than the last - were generated.
The man smiled, appearing completely oblivious as Quinn began to hyperventilate. “The Halis Confidential Division. We are here to talk to you about a certain… anomaly.”
“A-a-anomaly?” Fuck! They know! There’s no way they don’t know! Is she going to be locked up never to see the sun again? No! Breathe Quinn, just breathe. Maybe they were here for something else? She hoped they were here for something else. And what the hell was with that name? Some idiot must have made it up. It didn't sound right at all.
“Yes. May we come in and discuss?” The way he spoke left no doubts that he wasn't asking. If she said no, she had the feeling they would force their way in anyway.
“Of course.” Quinn nearly tripped over herself as she backed away from the group and receded further into her room.
The armored men entered first, looking about the room and taking positions in the corners. The lone candle in the room cast deep shadows across them, making the already intimidating knights that much more terrifying. Each shadow swayed as if a barely restrained beast.
Inspector Lynch easily strode in after them and took a seat at the small room’s table. She couldn't tell if the man was entirely oblivious to the ominous atmosphere that had so suddenly set in, or completely ignoring it. “Please, take a seat.”
Quinn gulped and followed his instructions. His presence felt as though she was intruding in his room and not the other way around. “What uh, what can I do for you, sir?”
The inspector leaned back in his chair. “There’s no need to be so nervous, girl. It’s not like I’ll lock you up.” He laughed, his mouth moving as if biting a poor, innocent rabbit with each syllable of his laughter.
Quinn forced herself to laugh along. Was he intentionally trying to drive her insane with worry? “I’m still confused as to why you are here.”
“You entered a place called Erso’s Books the other day, right?” The man set his top hat on the table along with his cane and leaned forward.
Phew! As long as they were asking about that weird bookstore, then they probably wouldn't ask about where she came from. “Y-yes?”
The man nodded several times and produced a notepad and a pen, the first of the handy invention she had seen in this world. He scribbled on it for a long time, forcing an unsettling pause in their conversation. She recognized the tactic from the crime shows she used to watch. He was probably just drawing something random. “Epso’s Books is currently under investigation for meddling with the occult. While we were staking it out, you and Mister Torrence Schel entered the store. Is that correct?”
Occult must mean something else here than it did in her previous world. If they were to go by its definition, everyone was an Occultist for using lifestyle magic. “The occult?” She felt the need to smack herself over the head with a brick. She didn't even try to stop herself from satisfying her curiosity.
“Yes, we have reason to believe they are interacting with an Outsider.”
Outsider? She felt her stomach drop. Unlike her last one, she forced herself to ask her new question. “S-sir, can I ask what an Outsider is?”
Inspector Lynch shrugged. “Well, it’s not like it’s rare knowledge. An Outsider, simply put, is an entity from outside of our dimension. They tend to be extremely powerful and even more dangerous. They are, of course, illegal to deal with.”
That description matched a part of her. Everything except the powerful and dangerous part. She was most definitely an entity from outside the dimension. The fact that there was a group actively searching for Outsiders once more reaffirmed her plan not to tell anyone she wasn’t from this world. It wouldn't be a short death if she was found out.
“So, you entered the bookstore yesterday?” He drew the reins of the conversation back into his hand easily.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Y-yes, sir. I needed a bookstore and Torrence led me to one.” What had that brat gotten her into? She just wanted to go to a simple bookstore, and he ended up leading her right into the mouth of apparently a powerful and dangerous beast.
“Mister Schel said you were seeking a grimoire for reading Hellion?”
So they already talked to Torrence. Since she didn’t know what the kid had said, it was better to just say the truth lest she get caught in a lie. It would be a terrible decision to make herself seem even more suspicious. “Yes sir.”
Inspector Lynch wrote something on his notepad. “Was there anything peculiar or strange about the bookstore?”
“What wasn’t peculiar…”
“Oh? So there was something strange after all?” The man's eyebrows knit together as he leaned forward slightly.
Quinn was confused. The entire place was strange as anyone could tell at first glance. What store intentionally made it hard to buy merchandise? Surely Torrence would’ve seen it was a strange store. “The shelves were like a maze with the only clear path from the door to the teller.”
“Interesting.” The inspector wrote something else on his notepad. “That is different from What Mister Schel said. He told us it was just a normal bookstore.”
Was that brat blind? “It was by far the weirdest store I’ve been to.”
“Hmm…” The man tapped his pen against the table softly. “Did you see Mister Schel in the bookstore?”
“No? He had run off ahead of me and must’ve already been in the maze of books as I entered.” Quinn was growing more confused by the second. Not about the inspector or his questioning, but about the store itself. She had thought it was weird when she first entered. Was it even weirder than she imagined?
The man looked perplexed. “So you didn’t see him over the shelves?”
“How would that even be possible? The shelves were at least ten feet tall.”
Inspector Lynch nodded as if everything was starting to make sense. “He said you never entered the store. He thought you got cold feet and headed back to the hotel. He would have seen you in the store if you entered. He said the shelves barely reached his shoulders.”
That lying bastard! “No sir! I’m astounded by that accusation. I entered the store right behind him!” Why was he intentionally making her look suspicious?
“Calm down, Miss Quinn. We know you entered the store.” The inspector raised his hands as if to placate her.
“You do?” Quinn asked.
“Yes. Our guys on watch saw both of you enter. Surely you can see our confusion now?”
So what, was everyone under some kind of illusion magic? No wait… they both entered the same door but saw different things. She had never actually seen him in the store. Quinn had just assumed he ran off behind the bookshelves since she couldn’t see him. What if he was never in the store she entered to begin with. Was it the spatial magic she was looking for? That would make sense… Why was she targeted by this occult group though?
“Regardless, was there anything else strange?”
Should she lie to the inspector? He might take her books away… but it wouldn’t be that hard to find out she was lying. “Um… I was given a deal to take any ten books for only fifty silver.”
Inspector Lynch had an intrigued look on his face. “Really? May I see what books you grabbed?”
“I guess.” Quinn grabbed her pack from beside her bed and pulled out each of the eleven books. She laid them out neatly so he could see what they were.
“Did you set them out?”
“Uh… yes sir?” Was he blind? They were literally right in front of his face. Maybe this HCD might need to hire a better inspector. No, they shouldn’t. If the inspectors were blind there was less chance of them finding she came from another world.
“Interesting… there's nothing there.” He turned to the other four men. “Can any of you see the books?” They all shook their heads. “Ok… they might be enchanted so only the owner can see them… just what kind of sorcery are they practicing?”
Quinn decided to keep silent about the books referencing the ascent to godhood and how to kill a dragon. She definitely wasn’t going to say anything about the grimoire she grabbed, though this entire event made her rethink using it. “I-is there anything else, Inspector Lynch?”
“Maybe.” He pulled out a small cylinder. It looked almost like a compass. The needle on the thing pointed off in the distance. He tapped on it a few times, but nothing changed as the needle sat still.
“What is that?” Her curiosity got the better of her.
He tapped it a few more times before looking up. “It's a device that detects Outsiders and their influences.”
Why didn’t she activate it? She was most definitely an Outsider. Maybe because she was human like them? “T-t-thats handy…”
“Indeed.” He stood up and put his hat back on and grabbed his cane. “Well then, I think we are done here. You seem to be free of any occult sorcery and the books appear to be simply enchanted. We must be on our way. An officer will check up on you in a couple days to make sure the Outsiders influence is truly gone. Thank you for your time.”
“I’m glad I could help.” Damn, she would have to interact with these people again?
“Oh, and if you notice anything else peculiar or feel… different, tell any guard to find Inspector Lynch.” He walked out the door with the four armored men in tow.
Quinn collapsed back into her chair in relief. She had only been in this town a few days and already wanted to leave. Not only that but there was yet another dangerous thing she had just waltzed through willy-nilly. She really needed to start trusting her senses more. She had felt the place was strange when she first walked in. Just because someone else was leading didn't nullify her senses!
Quinn sighed and moved back to her bed with her apparently invisible books. There wasn't much she could do about it now but read and try to gain a deeper understanding of the past. Only through understanding the past could she understand the present better.
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Quinn was reading more about the tech era when someone else knocked on her door. It had barely been a few hours since the HCD team left, and she wasn’t expecting any visitors. She set her book down and opened the door.
Willa and Atamai stood on the other side. Atamai smiled brightly as she forced her way past Quinn. “What a nice place! How are you, Quinn?”
“G-good? Is there something you need?” She moved out of the way, letting Willa in.
Willa stepped past her with a small smile. She looked around the room before leaning up against the wall. Atamai sat down on her bed. “Well, we were in the area… I’ve been thinking; I want to teach you how to dodge.”
This was entirely out of the blue. “Dodge?”
“Yeah! We’ll be traveling with each other for a while, and you are the only other female in the group that I could get along with, so I’d rather you not die. I noticed in Umbersknecht that you are terrible at dodging.”
Something lightly hit Quinn in the face before she could react. She grabbed her nose which was starting to hurt. “Ow!”
Atamai giggled. “See! Terrible at dodging.”
“That's not fair! I wasn’t ready!” Quinn glared at the mechanic as she side-eyed what had been thrown at her. It was a peanut. What lunatic just threw peanuts at people?!
Atamai lost her usual mirth and an unexpected look of seriousness settled on her face. “Exactly. No good attacker is going to let you know when they are going to attack.”
It wouldn’t hurt to learn how to dodge… realistically, it was a skill that would probably save her life one day. Just thinking about the past when she used to play games with dodge builds almost spurred her on. She would never need to be hurt again if she could dodge every attack. “Ok, how do we do this?”
Atamai smiled broadly as she held a handful of peanuts. “It's like dancing…”