Tamako decided to wait until Jen and Sam finished the “app” they were working on before telling them about the kidnapping attempt. For the next few days, she brought them food and other necessities while they focused on their project, but primarily she started investigating several kidnappings she learned recently happened in the city. Unfortunately, if you were not protected by a guild, noble house, or merchant association of some sort, kidnappings seemed to be a common problem.

***

Tamako entered the alley where the beggar, Flippin Wild, was known to hang out. Jack Pot, a euphoria dealer that hung out near Luck’y inn, told her the beggar was always in the know about criminal activity.

***

Flippin Wild snorted and spit in the dirt as the little woman, wearing a hood covering her face, walked towards him, and he said, “spare change for the needy?” It was obvious to him that she wanted something.

Tamako ignored his question, and asked, “Who’s been kidnapping people off the streets?”

Flippin reached down, and with lewd exaggeration, scratched his balls before saying, “Who the hell are you?”

Tamako back-handed the beggar against the wall, and as he slumped down towards the ground, she grabbed him by the neck.

The unexpected blow momentarily dazed Flippin, but when the woman started choking him, he reached for his poisoned dagger, thinking, “I’m going to gut this little bitch!”

Tamako saw the beggar reaching for something, and with her other hand she grabbed his balls and squeezed, saying, “keep moving and I’ll tear them off!”

Flippin squealed in pain, but had enough sense to freeze in place. His fury was building as the tears rolled down his cheeks from the pain, and he choked out, “I’m going to kill you!”

Tamako slapped the beggar again, before releasing him and stepping back a few feet and said, “Go for it!”

Flippin struggled, trying to jump quickly to his feet, but as he started reaching for his knife, the utter calmness of the little woman just waiting for him, caused his sense of self-preservation to kick in, and he said, “Leave me alone! I’ve done nothing to you!”

Tamako replied calmly, “Option one, you have five seconds to tell me who’s been taking people off the streets, and I’ll pay you 50 silver, or option two, I kill you. If you choose option one and lie to me, I’ll come back and kill you slowly. Five, four, three…”

Flippin blurted out, “Wait, wait! I don’t know for sure, someone’s always getting taken, but every time that Tarot-Card Merchant caravan is in the City, more people tend to go missing than usual. Now leave me the fuck alone bitch!”

Tamako threw a bag containing 50 silver right at Flippin’s head, causing him to duck and dodge out of the way. By the time he looked back up, Tamako had already left the alley.

Flippin tucked the coin bag into his tunic as he swore to himself, “If I ever get the chance, I’m going to kill that bitch.” He then started casting a mana detection spell, which would allow him to recognize her if she ever used mana around him in a public place. “Shit!” he exclaimed, as his spell came up with nothing. Guessing that he messed up his cantation of the spell, Flipping calmed himself down and started chanting and performing the hand gestures of the spell very slowly. “What the hell! Is she some kind of demon!” Flipping thought to himself, as the spell, for the second time showed the woman didn’t use any mana when smacking him around. Flippin pulled out his sound wave placing it in his ear and said, “This is Flippin reporting in. I have some information that needs to be sent to the City Spy Chief, immediately.”