The pair entered the small inn. It was cramped with tables and chairs with little room for moving between them. The filled room had the effect of feeling like the walls were pushing on the space and the items within were trying to do the opposite. A few people hung out in the main area at this time of day. Alex followed the Archer, and they went up to the dwarven man taking up the roll of the barkeep.

“We are hoping to get some information from you,” said Alex. “There was a man that might have passed through here two days ago. Any information you have may be useful.”

The Archer took out the paper drawing and passed in over to the barkeep. “We are pretty certain that this man was the killing of a climber on this block. We are tasked with hunting him down to stop further slaughter. Did he come through here this past week at all?”

The dwarf barkeep took the sketch, his sharp eyes scanning the details. With a grumble, he shook his head. "Don't recognize him," he said, his voice rough as gravel. "We get all sorts in here. Hard to remember 'em all."

The disappointment on Alex's face was palpable. But he wasn't deterred. His eyes, gleaming with determination, scanned the rest of the patrons. "Maybe someone else saw him," he suggested to the Archer.

Raising his voice, he turned to the other patrons of the inn. "Has anyone seen this man?" He asked, holding up the sketch for everyone to see. "He was last seen two days ago." He scanned their faces and that of the barkeep in search of expressions of recognition. Alex sent out pulses of echolocation to fully capture the room and a bit of the stairway leading to the rooms upstairs.

The barroom fell silent for a moment as eyes darted to the sketch. But one by one, people returned to their drinks and conversations, some shaking their heads, others shrugging or avoiding eye contact altogether.

It seemed the wall of silence was unbreakable, as if the patrons were shielding themselves from trouble. The room suddenly felt much smaller, the tension seeming to crowd in on them, the unspoken dismissal stinging.

"We appreciate your time," the Archer finally said to the barkeep, breaking the heavy silence, sliding a few points across the counter. "We'll be on our way."

Alex looked around the room and then to the stairs. He turned to the Archer. “Give me one minute. I’ll run upstairs and then we can be out of here.”

“If you think you have something then go for it.”

Alex took to the stairs two at a time and stopped at the top. He scanned the upper floor, and his footsteps were light as he sent out his echolocation. He paused at a door on the left and then knocked.

The door swung open, and Alex looked down at a small dwarven boy. Alex put on a smile.

“I noticed that you were watching from the stairs. You seemed to react to the sketch of the man. Did you see anything from what happened two days ago or know someone that can help us find him?” Alex asked politely.

The boy seemed ready to say something and then paused. “I recognize his face. I was playing with some friends by where the man was murdered later that day. He didn’t stay long and walked through quickly. He barely paid us any attention and we did the same.”

“Do you remember seeing where he was going or came from? Shops or houses? What about what he was wearing?”

“I don’t remember what he was wearing. He dressed like a human climber I guess. It wasn’t something I paid attention to. This street is pretty quiet, and I was focused on playing with my friends. He could have come from any of the nearby shops I guess. This street and block is also fairly quiet because unlike other cities on the first floor. Humans can buy or rent these like they have with some of the shops. They can end their personal journey in the Tower here so to speak.”

“Do you know if anyone has moved in or rented in this area yet?”

“I don’t know you would have to ask one of the adults, but I haven’t seen anyone around here consistently.”

Alex looked back to the stairs and back to the boy. “Thanks for the information.”

He hurried back down the stairs and found the Archer waiting by the door. They exited the inn, the door closing behind them with a hollow echo.

“Find something interesting?” asked the Archer.

“A boy saw Adrian walking through here the day of the murder before it happened. That seems like too much of a coincidence. I also think I know where we need to look next. In the housing,” answered Alex.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Do tell,” said the Archer with a hint of interest.

“This city is partially empty. Something I haven’t really considered. We can rent space for our shops and guilds but that also extends to housing. On this block and many other streets are possible apartments and houses that can be rented or bought. But until they are the places should be left empty and unattended.”

“And the perfect place to hide out unnoticed.”

“That is exactly what I was thinking,” said Alex.

“He may have found one to break into. We can’t assume that he has found a place to settle in this immediate area, but it is a start. I’ll see if we can get a map of the places for sale in the city and then we can use it to hunt down the specific houses. Maybe we will get lucky and find one that is clearly broken into.”

“I do wonder how easy it would be to break into the houses. Does he have a specific set of skills focused on stealth and infiltration or could I break in with a little force?”

“When we get a map we can figure that out.”

The Archer directed them back to the central part of the city and toward the city administration buildings. Their they spoke with an official and were able to buy a current map of housing in the city of both bought and empty housing. Alex thanked the official for their time and they left the building with the map.

“Do you want to look over the map with some foo?” asked Alex.

The Archer considered the time for a moment. “Sure, let’s get something close by and find a place to sit.”

They moved to the bustling street, where food stalls lined the edges of the road. The aromas of roasting meat and freshly baked bread wafted towards them, adding an enticing ambience to the otherwise grim hunt they were embarking on. They stopped at a vendor selling skewers of grilled meats and vegetable wraps and bought enough to feed their hunger. They found a quiet corner at a nearby park, sitting on the grass under the shade of a large tree.

Unrolling the map between them, they leaned in to examine it. The city was vast, a labyrinth of twisting streets and buildings. Various colored markings on the map represented the available and occupied houses and shops, with a significant portion of the city left untouched and empty.

"This might be a little trickier than I anticipated," admitted Alex, his fingers tracing the routes that snaked through the vacant spaces.

"It might be," agreed the Archer, "but at least we know what we're looking for."

"This is where the murder was. And this is where the inn is located," said Alex pointing ot the places on the map. "The place is surrounded by empty housing. He really could be at any one of these places. Or none of them at all."

They began to meticulously go over the map, marking possible areas where Adrian could be hiding. The vacant houses were scattered all over the city, but they focused their attention on the areas close to where he had been spotted.

"I'm not sure this is going to work," said the Archer.

"What do you mean?" asked Alex.

"There is just too much area for us to search. We would have to be very lucky to catch him while he is at home."

"That may be true, but I don't know what else we can do. You are the expert here. What do you suggest?"

“I need to get in contact with a tracker. We might be able to cover all of the major housing zones, but I am not specialized in identifying clues.”

“What are you specialized in might I ask?”

“Infiltration and reconnaissance. Sometimes direct enemy takedown if the need arises.”

“So, this tracker will just join us then. Sniff out the killer beyond regular senses call for and lead us to where Adrian sleeps at night.”

“That is pretty much it. I have a tracker in mind, and they should be able to pick up the scent of the man as long as he has been in the area in the past 24 hours.”

Alex paused, surveying the marked map once more. "Alright, let's call this tracker then," he finally said.

Archer nodded, pulling out a compact device from his pocket. "I'll arrange for the tracker to meet us here. His name is Brutus. He's a bit unconventional, but he's the best at what he does."

As Archer engaged in the logistics, Alex continued scrutinizing the map. It was a grim puzzle, a game of deadly hide and seek. Adrian's cunning and brutal methods made him a dangerous adversary. The thought of stumbling into an ambush was unsettling, but they had to move forward.

"I'm curious, this Brutus, what makes him so special?" Alex finally asked, breaking the silence.

Archer finished his call and glanced at Alex, a wry smile on his face. "You'll see. He's got a... unique skillset. Not quite human, not quite animal."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "That's intriguing. We can use all the help we can get."

Archer agreed. "Exactly. We need to close the net around Adrian, ensure that he can't slip through our fingers again."

"Does Brutus have any specific requirements?" Alex asked, wanting to be fully prepared.

"Mainly, he needs something that Adrian has touched. It helps him get a lock on the scent," Archer replied.

As they worked, they snacked on the skewers of meat and the vegetable wraps, their minds focused on the task at hand. Hours passed as they plotted and planned, their fingers occasionally brushing as they marked and crossed out areas on the map. They marked major areas of inactivates and those that had only one or two shops and homes bought. They needed this search to be as efficient as possible.

The sun was beginning to set by the time they were satisfied with their work. Their map was now a mass of scribbles and notes, marked routes, and circled areas. Despite the daunting task, they felt a sense of progress being made. They had a lead, a direction to follow.

"Let's start from here tomorrow," said Alex, pointing at an area close to the center of the city where a large cluster of vacant houses stood. "I've got to drop off the loot I bought and sold from today and I could use some rest."

"Then I will get in contact with our tracker, and we will see what we can find," said the Archer. He collected the map and tucked it in his bag. “We'll have to go back to the crime scene. From there we will visit the locations we marked. Hopefully, by tomorrow, we will have seen where he has been hanging out. Preferably before he kills someone else.”

“That would be for the best. It still worries me that we don’t know his path or really how he kills at all. Add in the fact that he has killed a higher-level climber. It is concerning.”

“We will deal with it when it comes up. For now, we will take this investigation one step at a time.”