Miko and Cynth had been in the community for a while but were both in very hard-to-level class jobs. They often bought from Ollie Bear when he came to town, but Miko had developed a much closer relationship with him.

“Ollie knew that Miko was a shy boy,” Cynth said. “But it worked for them. Ollie was a pretty outgoing character, pretty talkative with everyone. But he loved just watching Miko carve and sculpt.”

“F-For a long time, when he was done selling his things, he would ask if he could sit with me and watch while Cynth was working,” Miko told them, his face falling. “I always enjoyed his company. After a while, he just started talking to me. He never expected me to say anything back... he was... company...” Cynth rubbed his back as he shrank back into a ball. It was hard for Guin to watch.

She could tell that it wasn’t much easier on Grim, either, but when Miko mentioned talking to him, the earer’s ears twitched.

“Did you speak with him recently?” Grim asked. Miko nodded. “Do you know if he spoke to or with anyone unusual? If he saw anything suspicious?”

Miko bit his lip. “I-I don’t know,” he said. “He always talked about some of the strange people he met while he was traveling...”

“Ollie traveled all over,” Cynth added. “All of us have heard some strange story or another about idiots and oddities, with money and without.”

“There was a warrior who kept trying to pick a fight with him in Argast, a gunner he said tried to PK him a few times,” Ham shrugged. “The world is full of weirdos. Wasn’t there some guy dressed as that Jackal vigilante character he was laughing about last week?”

Katsu snorted. “Oh, yeah,” he said. “But that guy has been around. It wasn’t the first time we’d heard about that one.”

Grim rose his eyebrow. “Guy in a Jackal mask?”

“Y-Yeah,” Miko said in his timid fashion. “B-But... They made a joke of it out of town, but when Ollie was with me, he didn’t like what had happened at all. He said the guy didn’t seem to mean any harm; he just kind of... followed him around and asked him to stop playing the game. O-Ollie told me that... told me that...” Miko slammed his eyes closed, put his hands over his head, and tightly curled his feathered tail around his feet.

In a low voice, Grim urged, “What did he tell you?”

“Miko?” Cynth went, obviously startled by the little garule’s behavior.

“H-He said the Jackal man told him that he was in danger,” Miko cried in a soft voice. “He said he even might’ve believed it! It’s my fault! I should have told someone!”

Everyone at the table gaped at him. The first to recover, Cynth shook her head and threw her arms around him, repeating, “It’s not! It’s not your fault!”

Grim exhaled calmly. “It certainly isn’t your fault,” he said and gave them some time to settle themselves down. “I know you are having a hard time, but if you are up to it, I’d like to ask you just a couple more questions...”

Sniffling, Cynth, and Miko nodded. “Anything we can do to help bring the person behind this to justice,” Cynth said, more determined and accepting of Grim’s presence than Guin had yet seen from her.

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“Was there anyone else that might have struck Ollie as being suspicious or as a threat?” Grim asked, still calm, but Guin heard more drive in his voice than she had before.

Miko began to shake his head but then gave a thoughtful look. “T-There was one other... thing,” he said. “I-I don’t really think Ollie saw him as a threat, but he stood out as being... odd.”

“How so?” Grim pressed.

“Mmm...” he looked at Ham. “Ham, do you remember? The story about the series of magicians who were all asking him the same thing?”

Ham rubbed his chin. “Yeah,” he said. “That was a bit weird. We played it off as an event, but if all the stories are fair game now, that one is a little... interesting.”

“A magician?” Grim asked, his voice tenser than Guin liked to hear. “What about a magician?”

“Not a magician,” Ham corrected. “Magicians. Or not. Basically, dozens of magicians had been approaching him, looking for some kind of key,” he went on. “But the weird thing was, their face and hair were all different, but everything else about them was exactly the same—the stats, the gear—even the words. At first, he thought it was a mage class quest, but no mages he asked about it knew what it could be. Then he thought he was being pranked, but since TheirWorld doesn’t allow multiple accounts, that didn’t make much sense either unless it was some sort of guild thing—but no one else had had it happen to them, so why him?”

“What about his personal life?” Grim asked. “Did any of you know him outside the game?”

Cynth shook her head. “Even what we do know is general. I don’t think any of us knew him in real life?” They all shook their heads.

“I don’t know anyone really who might have been, either,” Ham said.

“It may be nothing,” Katsu said, raising his hand. “But recently, I think he hadn’t been sleeping much. I’m not even sure he was going to classes.”

Grim tilted his head. “Why do you say that?”

“The hours he was on was one thing,” Katsu said. “The number of mats he’d bring up. He was a bit of an outsider, but he was never a stranger. He spent more time with Miko, but he’d go to the pub during breaks and sit with us, eat with us. In the market, he’d take the time to haggle prices. The past few weeks, though, I dunno.” Ham nodded along with what Katsu said.

“When exactly did those habits change?”

“Three? Four? Weeks ago?” Ham said. “For a while, we just thought he’d been stressed because of school or work—or maybe even gotten himself a girlfriend. When we found out just how many goods he’d been selling, we just figured he was tired but still wanted to play.”

Grim nodded. “What about you, Guin? Did you know him?”

“I didn’t,” Guin shook her head. “At least, not that I recall, but I haven’t been playing very long.”

“Alright,” Grim went and shut his wrist panel. “Thank you all for your cooperation. This is not your fault, so chin up. If you guys remember anything—anything at all—feel free to contact me at any time.” Grim handed out several little papers. “These are my personal GM passes. They’ll grant you priority, allowing you to directly get in touch with me at a moment's notice. They also have my real-life contact information, if need be.”

Guin looked at the pass in mild shock. “We found them.”

“What?” Grim asked.

“Your customer service skills,” Guin said, looking up at him as he sneered. “They do exist.”

“Do not abuse them,” he warned. “They are as fragile as my patience.”

Laughing, Guin packed the pass away. “Well, I guess I have to admit that you make a better cop than you do a coffee shop guy,” she told him.

“Gee, thanks,” he scowled, but his ears perked up as he looked down the road. His face twisted into a look of even greater displeasure as he muttered, “Oh, no...”

“What’s wrong?” Guin asked, though her gumiho senses were picking up a large amount of movement going in the same direction.

“Trouble,” he said.

Cynth, grabbing Miko’s arm and pointing, began to stutter, “I-It’s th-th-e Silver Hound!” Miko moved to hide behind her as the other cringed.

Sure enough, Guin turned to see the very familiar, very handsome—if exhausted-looking—face of Corvex Sai striding up behind them.