3 weeks later.
The sun's warm morning glow cast through a window and rested gently on Jeff's face as he slept. His eyes began to flutter open drowsily as he looked toward a small oak end table next to his bed. A folded sheet of paper with an elegant green stamp bearing a great Elk insignia was on the table.
"I guess that Old man left me a note. Wait.. that dream, W... was that a dream?"
Jeff calmly reached over and grabbed the note before opening it.
"Hey Jeff, Things are probably confusing for you after last week, you've been a sleep for a while. That damned amulet was supposed to last at least five more years. I can't explain everything now; the sudden disappearance of the two Magic Knights is keeping me busy. I told Everyone you've come down with shadow syndrome, so you should be good to investigate freely for a week. I'd recommend going to this address and talking to a woman named Vanessa, who can answer your questions for the most part, Volden Tavern in North Varnwood. Signed Laverick."
"Varnwood is the oldest part of Silvport. It's been around since before the wall was built. Criminals and the impoverished took residence there"
Jeff spoke with destain.
Jeff's face turned sour. Varnwood was the original town from which Silvport expanded thousands of years ago. It had long become a home to the bandits and syndicates of the great walled city. The streets in Varnwood were covered in grime; the building walls were stained by age and blood. Unlike the rest of the city, where the streets would be busy in Varnwood, they were empty. The district had an almost ghost-like feel, caused by the magical overcast that loomed over it from a mysterious spell that had been cast one that none of the many magical nights or higher officials could dispel.
As Jeff walked through the sludge-covered streets of Barnwood, he could see shadows in every corner and crevice. From the scent, he could tell the shadows' owners were human; however, a few confused him. While they seemed human, it was as if they'd gone sour, like rot. It was clear to Jeff that he was being watched; luckily, due to the amulet breaking, Jeff's senses were on another level; he could see in the dark almost as if it were day, and his hearing was incredible. He could hear everything: the heartbeats of anyone within a 200-foot radius, their lungs as they inhaled and exhaled. Sneaking up on him wouldn't be an easy task.
Out of an alleyway, Jeff could hear the fast-paced footsteps of someone approaching from behind. He quickly turned to see a man in ragged dark cloth hiding his face. He was holding a large dagger in his hand. Jeff calmly raised his hand. An almost arcane energy began to gather as Jeff spoke.
"mac'teri Actose"
The energy turned a deep abyss purple and shot forward, hitting the lowly thug directly in the chest, creating what looked like a black hole the size of a fist.
"You're just a common street thug, and you're wasting my time."
The sounds of bone cracking and screams could be heard as the thug's body began to contort in an unnatural fashion as it was slowly sucked in to the small spacial anomaly. Jeff turned away and continued walking. The shadows quickly disappeared, and their scent became distant as the screams went silent. Faint whispers could be heard coming from the buildings as he walked by.
"It's the blood detective."
"he's merciless, the rumors, they're true."
"His eyes.. what's wrong with them?"
Jeff had never been a patient man. His rough childhood treatment had shaped him into a bitter, impatient man. After becoming a constable, Jeff's harsh nature gained him a reputation for being one of the most ruthless Constables around. Eventually, he climbed his way to the rank of Chief Detective of the Investigations Corp, and the people of Silvport started calling him the blood detective soon after.
In truth, Jeff's Impatience was never due to a lack of care; instead, it was due to his intense hatred of criminals and bandits. He saw them as bullies, and in his eyes, those who sought to harm the innocent in any way deserved the most severe punishment. Nothing was too cruel for him. If he were to arrest someone, then they would surely bleed.
Two fiery, yellow-glowing eyes could be seen approaching in the dark out the window of a rickety old tavern. Entering the tavern, Jeff looked around, observing the building and its occupants. The building was filled with old, worn tables, a few of them leaning, and at the back was a bar that appeared to be cheaply built with recycled wood from a mismatch of furniture in a D.I.Y. fashion. A thick layer of dust lay over everything to finish the abandoned building look. The only thing that appeared to be new in the establishment was the mounted candles around the building that provided light.
"Can I help you, sir Constable?"
A fair-skinned Woman with Blonde hair and snow white eyes said with a long sigh. She wore a tight leather armor cuirass that greatly exaggerated her chest and rough leather padded laced pants. On her side, two daggers could be seen sheathed.
"Ah, yes, Voldart Leverik sent me here for answers. I seem to have found myself in a strange predicament."
Jeff looked at the woman inquisitively as he waited for her response. The woman smiled, revealing two large canines accompanied by a set of sharp, jagged teeth.
"Well, of course, then follow me."
A menacing giggle escaped the woman's mouth as she gracefully and meaningfully waved her hand in the air. Soon after, she did the door bolted itself shut, and a staircase began to appear out of thin air. Looking down the stairs led to a silven wood door with strange, ancient runic symbols on it. The woman walked around the bar and descended the stairs toward the door.
"Oh, Im Vannese by the way"
The woman spoke with a flirtatious and mischievous energy as she opened the door.
"wha... I... what kind of magic... what are you"
Jeff's eyes widened with shock. Again, it seemed as if his world was turning upside down. In his career, Jeff had seen horribly gruesome and almost unexplainable things. He had thought that nothing in this city could surprise him, but now, twice in just three weeks, he had been proven wrong.