Silently, Frainer stalked Major Erinster as the soldier stomped out of the police station. Drake had instructed him to hold back when using Nightmare Clouds, but if he could, the Ifere would turn the man completely crazy.

Contrary to what Drake thought, Frainer wasn't just a newly born Ifere. Sure, he was young, but Iferes developed much faster than humans, and almost a month had passed since he was born. Besides, having signed a Spirit Contract, Frainer was under the constant influence of his companion, and that made his mental state grow much faster than it normally would.

So, as he sneakily followed Major Erinster, Frainer's young little mind was working hard, his three curious eyes darting all over the place. Drake had said - in his own words - that he used only a 'tiny bit' of Nightmare Clouds. And that was what he did.

Being careful not to be seen, Frainer used his skill. Mist detached from his body, creating a small cloud, and acquiring a red color. Then, he controlled it to become a strand that coiled around Major Erinster's neck, and entered his nose. All of that happened in a few seconds, and the military man only seemed to notice something was wrong when his vision got blurry, and he stumbled to a halt.

"Ah... Ugh... Ahh... Ah! Argh!"

Grabbing his head with his hands, Major Erinster started shaking, and knelt on the ground. His eyes open wide, pupils dilated, he panted and grunted, eventually letting out short shrieks of fear. This continued on for a few minutes, and the people watching didn't dare to try and help him. Who knew? He might attack them in his frenzied state. As for Frainer, he had long gone back inside the building, to his companion.

-----------------------------

Drake was starting to regret sending Frainer to attack Major Erinster. One didn't need to be a genius to link the conflict they had to the major's incoherent screaming just a few moments later. But then again, he and the man were already in open war with each other. As long as Major Erinster wasn't able to prove Drake was responsible for his momentary panic attack, he would be safe.

"I'm a f*cking idiot, ain't I?"

"Yep!'

Drake was talking mostly to himself, but a clear voice answered him. He took his eyes off the door, and looked at Scarlet, Ricker's police chief. He was still in her office, and hadn't even presented himself properly. Not only that, he was completely ignoring her. Scratching his head embarrassed, he apologized to her.

"Sorry. It's just... I always rush in things head-on, and don't think about the consequences. Even if Erinster deserves it, I shouldn't have put Frainer in danger. That a*shole is capable of anything, and I... I'm rambling, no? Sh*t. Sorry."

Letting out a self-deprecating laugh, Drake glued his eyes onto the door again. Scarlet didn't say anything more, and just looked at him. With his body turned sideways on the chair, she could see a small circular lump on his shoulder, pressing against his shirt. She immediately recognized it as a healing scar from a bullet wound, since she had received her fair share of those during her career. She had been a cop for over fifteen years, and Ricker, although small, wasn't a calm city.

Analyzing the young man in front of her, the woman reclined on her chair, and forcefully slowed her breathing. She was still pissed at Major Erinster, but she had an image to maintain. Slowly, her eyes wandered down to the green Ifere curled up in a ball on the floor. The soft fur and white horns, with twigs around them were a dead giveaway.

"A Kniivar. Is that why Erinster is so interested in you? Although... The way he behaved makes me think there is more to it."

"Hum! You got that right. I... I might have said a few things to him back at the outpost. Something along the lines of him being a coward who doesn't honor the uniform he wears."

"You what?!"

Drake was about to explain more when there was a knock on the door, and a cop opened it with a confused expression. Before he could say anything, Frainer floated inside, and stopped above Drake's head, acting all smug. In response, Drake flicked his finger at him, and watched it disappear inside the mist ball.

"I better tell the whole story, no?"

Finally calmer, now that his companion was back with him, Drake turned to Scarlet, only to find her stretching, showing her curves. After a few seconds of staring, he raised an eyebrow at her, who shrugged.

"Come on, spill the beans. I normally would have kicked you out already, for wasting my time, but seeing you try to punch that c*nt put me in a good mood. Don't make it go sour, please."

"Haha... I will try not to. Okay, yeah. Please don't yell at me before I finish."

"Off to a great start..."

"Yesterday, I passed through Kinton Valley, and talked with the Taurons. They are close to dying of hunger, their livestock and mounts poisoned to death. They blame the people of Ricker, and Erinster."

He raised a hand to stop the police chief from saying anything. She was already perking up on her chair, about to defend her town.

"From my talk with the major, as well as a few people here in Ricker, I already understood that the Barbarians did something to you. What I want to know is what, why, and when. And, I know I'm just a civilian, but you gotta trust me when I say I just want this to be solved without bloodshed."

Scarlet frowned, and scanned his expression. Drake locked his eyes with hers, and waited. He knew he would need more than that to convince her.

"What's your angle on this? Helping outta boredom? Or something else?"

"Uff... To be honest, I don't really know. I just don't like to see people suffer in vain, Barbarians or not. And these last few days, my traveling partner managed to stick all those righteous ideas in my head. Or, at least, uncover them."

Seeing that she was still unmoved, he sighed, and decided to pull out one of his hidden cards. He would have preferred not to, because he didn't want to appear like he was showing off, but there was no way around it.

"You can call Fallen Star City and Park's police department, if you want. They should be able to confirm that I helped them a few weeks ago. Say it's about Drake Stronter, the guy with the ranger. I also helped the Secret Service, but I doubt you will be able to reach them."

The red-haired woman was startled, and inclined her body forward, gripping the desk with such force that her knuckles got white. Drake was surprised. He had expected some reaction when he flaunted his contacts, but not that big of a one.

"Err..."

"You know a ranger and the Nulls? I've been a cop since I was twenty, and never managed to see either of them."

He chuckled awkwardly, turning to face the other way. The intensity in her gaze was just like that of a fan meeting their idol. Luckily, she quickly got a grip of herself, and regained her composure.

"Okay, I kinda get why you are pissed at that bastard now. But that still doesn't seem like much of a reason to seek me, no? If you wanted to know what the Taurons did to us, anyone on the street could've told you."

"I know. Well... First of all, I wanted to get a feel of you. Err... I mean, I wanted to see if you were dead-set on exterminating the Barbarians or not. I'm glad to see it's the latter. Then, I wanted to warn you that I'm probably gonna get in trouble. Now, at least you won't put me in a jail cell and forget about me. I hope. And lastly..."

"Very confident on your charm, I see."

"Lastly, I feel like you should know that Anna, a Null, is pulling a few strings, and setting an investigation to f*ck up Major Erinster's career."

He ignored her as she muttered something under her breath, and presented his plan in the bluntest way possible. He wasn't sure why he was telling her that when the investigation would proceed better if she was unaware of it. Maybe it was the physical attraction - because there was some - maybe it was his gut telling him he could trust her. And he considered himself a good judge of character.

"Now that we got all that out of the way, can you please tell me why Ricker hate Barbarians so much?"

Scarlet spent the next hour complaining - explaining - everything that happened. It was a feud that went back many years. Long story short, the townsfolk always had problems with the Barbarians, but they were mostly fistfights or beatings whenever the two sides came into contact. Deaths happened, but only one or two every year.

However, three months ago, everything changed. Two men were found trespassed by spears - after being shot, weirdly - houses and buildings were burned to the ground, and stores were robbed. Three young women were kidnapped by unknown assailants. Unsurprisingly, the Taurons were blamed, and Drake couldn't help but agree a little. Everything pointed at them. Still...

"Don't you think that's all a little too convenient?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well... You never see any of those criminals, but they leave a very clear sign that they are Barbarians, when they could have perfectly slipped away unnoticed. Also, why not report all that to the army?"

"For the same reasons you brought up. I'm not dumb, Stronter. I can see all the problems with these attacks, but I simply can't think of anyone who would go to such lengths to frame the Taurons. And I can guarantee you that the citizens of Ricker were not responsible for poisoning the river. We have our fair share of scumbags, but none of them have such deep hatred for the Barbarians. No, I think the Taurons were the attackers, and that they wanted to send a message."

With furrowed eyebrows, Drake closed his eyes to think. He was missing something. His outsider perspective set him in a neutral position, and allowed him to analyze the situation better than Scarlet, who was already hostile towards the Barbarians. Suddenly, something clicked in his mind.

"Major Erinster, how long has he been here?"

"About half a year? Why... No, you are sh*ting me. You don't seriously think..."

"Just an idea. Let's hope it's not true. Anyway, I should be going. Gotta find a hotel or something like that. Been days since I slept in a real bed."

Getting up, Drake extended his hand to the astonished police chief, who shook it after a few moments. Her eyes flashed towards Kniivar, who growled a little before Drake scratched her ears.

"A Kniivar attracts lots of attention, but you don't need to worry too much here in Ricker. Everyone can see it is your companion, and that already discourages most people. Only a nutjob like Erinster would still want to take it."

"Thanks. By the way, do you know a good bar or saloon? I could really go for a drink tonight."

"Best one in town is the Velvet."

"Got it. I will be taking my leave then, Chief Illoer. If you want to talk more, you know where to find me."

Scarlet raised an eyebrow at Drake's not very subtle attempt. His words, plus the grin he had plastered on his face, left no doubt of what he meant.

"Are you asking me out?"

"Dunno. Could be purely a work talk. Or maybe not. Depends on you."

He chuckled happily when he saw that she said nothing else, only staring at him with interest. Taking her silence as a yes, he skipped out of the office, the two Iferes on his heels. Asking her out had been a last-minute decision. She was beautiful, confident, and was clearly curious about him. The worse that could happen was a rejection, so why not? And it wasn't even as if he was sure how everything would turn out. If she appeared in her uniform, talking about the Tauron situation, he would follow her lead and do just that too.

Picking back his belt and weapons with the same cop that took them, he gave her a polite nod, and walked out of the police station. Scarlet or no Scarlet, he felt the need to take a bath and go to the bar as quickly as he could. He liked to drink when he was stressed. Not the best combination, that's for sure, but everyone had their faults.

Whistling happily, he crouched next to his Yscalent to check if the saddle was strapped correctly. After that, he got up and mounted it.

Then he was shot.