Old-Dun Street.
A light rain had dispersed the morning fog.
Two ragged figures sprinted across the damp cobblestones, ducking into a dark alley.
Shortly after they had hidden themselves, the "Wolf Gang" appeared on the street.
— They're on our tail... Damn it.
A head ducked back into the alley, a curse hissing between ragged breaths.
It was a dead end. They had nowhere left to run.
The sa voice that had cursed monts before continued:
— Barry... my brother, I can't go on... Run. Go on your own.
— Boss, don't give up. We'll make it out of this..., another anxious voice insisted.
— I... I can't run anymore. It's pathetic. I figured a few years out of the ga would make
rusty, but who'd have thought that with this body, dozens of pounds heavier, I'd be hunted down by a bunch of thugs like a stray dog.
— Boss, you hide here. I'll lead them away, the anxious voice went on.
— But... Barry, they'll catch you.
— As long as you can get away, Boss...
— Co back alive... We'll split the score, fifty-fifty, his voice trembled with emotion.
— Leave it to .
The conversation ended, and a figure darted out of the alley, sprinting away into the distance.
— There he is!
Just as planned, the thugs from the "Wolf Gang" took the bait. Shouts and curses erupted as they tore off in pursuit, running right past the dark alley.
A few monts after they had gone, the sound of ragged breathing broke the silence of the alley once more.
A portly, middle-aged man slowly erged from the mouth of the alley. His expression was a mixture of cunning and relief, with no trace of concern for his companion.
He was just about to step out of the alley when a figure suddenly blocked his path. The man was so startled he nearly stumbled back into the filthy, damp sludge.
Lifting his head in terror, he saw a familiar figure.
— Ba-Barry!
He was terrified, but then, recalling sothing more important, he asked hastily:
— Did you lead them away?
— You were going to abandon , weren't you? — Barry's expression was blank, his eyes fixed on the man in silence.
— Abandon you? No, no! You led them away, so of course I had to take the opportunity to slip out of here. I'm just glad you're back, the Boss explained with a dry laugh, reaching out to pat Barry's shoulder in an attempt to push him aside.
But Barry remained motionless, repeating:
— You were going to abandon , weren't you?
— Hey, Barry, you must have misunderstood. You were the one who said you'd lead the "Wolf Gang" away. I was just going to go back first and wait for you, the Boss said, suddenly feeling awkward as he cautiously reached for the dagger behind his back.
— You were going to abandon , weren't you?
Barry simply repeated the sa phrase, his voice rigid and chanical.
Malice flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes as he prepared to draw his dagger.
Splat.
He suddenly heard sothing fall into the wet mud behind him, and his groping fingers found only empty air.
Damn it!
The middle-aged man cursed his clumsiness, masked his frustration, and forced a smile. He reached out again to explain himself to Barry, but then he watched in horror as Barry's fingers began to lt and drop off, one by one, like wax touched by a fla.
Then his hand, and other parts of his body...
— You were going to abandon , weren't you?
Barry's emotionless words echoed again.
— You're not Barry...
The middle-aged man finally understood. In that instant, a terror worse than death seized him. His eyes widened as he stared at the familiar stranger before him.
— Who is Barry?! I... — The thing's thick, parted lips slid off its face, plopping into the pile of dismbered flesh at its feet.
The sound of heavy footsteps suddenly echoed down the street, and the thugs from the "Wolf Gang" appeared at the alley's entrance.
— Urgh...
They found the puddle of minced flesh. Their faces paled, and several of them retched, the sll of vomit mixing with the stench of blood to create an even more repulsive odor.
— Soone beat us to it!
The leader ground his teeth, partly in anger and partly to fight back the urge to vomit.
He was about to order his n to search the rotting flesh for whatever they had stolen when he suddenly spotted a squad dressed in rune-covered cloaks approaching in the distance.
— The Inquisition? Damn it! This is the work of an anomaly! Run!
Neither the Inquisition nor anomalies were forces they dared to cross.
The thugs of the "Wolf Gang," who were used to making townsfolk lock their doors and stay off the streets, scattered like flies.
— Aren't we going to do anything?
A young man in the Inquisition squad asked hastily.
— Just a bunch of filthy rats.
The short-haired woman at the head of the squad replied coldly.
Under the watchful eyes of the townsfolk peering from their windows, they reached the alley where the "rats" had just been.
— Another puddle. This one has a nasty sense of style, the young man muttered nonchalantly, unfazed by the sight of the minced flesh.
— The signal is gone. Did the anomaly escape?
The other mbers of the squad remained silent, but he kept talking.
— Less talk, more work.
...
— You can't do this...
The mayor's assistant's eyes widened in disbelief, and he instinctively tried to dissuade him:
— The mayor and many people in Vinnelag won't allow you to take such a risk. Please, wait, I'll go get Mayor Matteus.
He couldn't handle the situation on his own and could only run to fetch the mayor.
— We can't let you take this risk!
Just as his assistant had promised, the mayor arrived and imdiately tried to talk Lu Li out of it.
— Sir, have you heard the story of the legendary exorcist, Kenny Swan?
Before Lu Li could say anything, he continued:
— That famous legendary exorcist died tragically from a common cold. No evil spirit, no evil god managed to kill him, but a simple cold did...
— I understand what you're trying to do, but we have to accept that we are all incredibly fragile...
Mayor Matteus was also unable to stop Lu Li.
The only person who could have persuaded Lu Li was no longer by his side.
The mayor sighed and withdrew, perhaps to consider other options.
For a mont, Lu Li gazed at the Anomaly Bestiary resting near the fireplace. Then he walked to the window and looked out over the slowly stirring city.
Pitter-patter...
The light rain seed to be getting heavier, and the pedestrians below quickened their pace.
A flash of lightning, then a clap of thunder. The window before him shattered.
Suddenly, a sharp sting, like a mosquito bite, pricked his neck. Lu Li instinctively reached up, but his fingers ca away wet with a warm, slick fluid.
His surroundings rushed up to et him, the pattern of the carpet suddenly filling his vision. Nearby, a horrified Katerina scrambled toward him, and an enormous-looking Prusius barked frantically in their direction.
The light, shadows, and sounds around him rapidly faded into the distance.
...
— Lu Li, it's all my fault... I couldn't protect you! I could have pushed you away! she wailed.
The piercing cry echoed through the hospital room.
Elder Sister stood awkwardly on the bed, her own sobs reminding her of how she always used shrieks and screams to assert her authority, a habit that had inspired a wave of imitation among her underlings. Only now did she realize how foolish and shaful it all was.
— Stop crying, he's fine.
Katerina's head was starting to ache from the wailing, though it might have just been her hangover.
She turned to Lu Li, who was lying in the hospital bed, and complained, "I have no idea why you brought that guy along."
— Don't say that, Miss Katerina. Brother Barry was carrying our bags, Prusius chid in, defending Barry.
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