Chapter : 43

  "By the stars," Sayma whispered, her voice filled with dread. She looked over at Naomi and Ken. "This is not a narcotic. This man is not a drug addict. He is a victim. That substance in his bag is a parasitic Curse magic mechanism."

  Naomi looked confused. "A parasitic curse? What does that mean?"

  Sayma pointed at the shivering man. "It means the drug is designed to artificially manipute his life force. When he takes it, the curse forces his body to burn through his own natural life span at a terrifying speed. That is why he feels a massive burst of monstrous strength at night. But the curse doesn't let him keep that energy."

  Sayma took a deep breath, looking completely disgusted. "When the effect wears off in the morning, the parasite steals all the leftover energy and sends it back to the caster. It leaves the victim entirely drained. Vane is not just kidnapping people to use as batteries. He is selling this cursed drug to thousands of people in the slums, turning the entire district into a giant, invisible farm for his dark magic."

  Naomi’s green eyes widened in shock. Her knightly honor, her pride, and her sense of justice were deeply offended. Her disgust at the dirty slums instantly turned into pure, burning hatred for Vane.

  "That is absolutely sick," Naomi hissed, her hands balling into tight fists. "He is farming innocent people. He is tricking them into slowly killing themselves just so he can steal their magic. He is a monster."

  Ken, seeing the mood getting way too dark and serious, decided it was his duty to ruin the tension. He tapped his broken pencil against his chin and let out a loud, thoughtful hum.

  "So, basically," Ken said loudly, breaking the heavy silence. "It is like drinking ten super-strong energy drinks, running a marathon in your sleep, and then crashing on the sofa for a whole week? Wow. That sounds absolutely exhausting. I think I will just stick to taking regur naps. Much safer for the bones."

  Naomi’s head snapped toward Ken. Her face was a mask of pure, explosive rage. She looked like a kettle that was about to boil over.

  "Are you incapable of taking anything seriously for even one minute?!" Naomi screamed, taking a threatening step toward him. Her hands actually sparked with a tiny bit of angry green wind magic. "We are talking about people having their lives stolen, and you are making jokes about energy drinks?! I am going to strangle you!"

  Ken quickly hid behind Sayma’s back, peeking out from over her shoulder. He gave Naomi his best, most innocent puppy-dog eyes. "I am just trying to lighten the mood! The detective business is very stressful! You are stressing me out!"

  "I will show you stress!" Naomi yelled, reaching past Sayma to try and grab the colr of Ken’s messy shirt.

  "Stop it, both of you," Sayma commanded, easily stepping between them and pushing Naomi back with a gentle, glowing hand. "Save your anger for the enemy, Naomi. And Ken, please put the notepad away."

  "Yes, Vice-Captain," Ken agreed immediately, tossing the tiny piece of trash paper over his shoulder. He gave Naomi a cheeky wink, which only made her gre harder.

  Sayma turned back to the terrified man on the ground. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a few silver coins, dropping them gently into his p.

  "Listen to me," Sayma said firmly. "You need to throw that bag away right now. If you keep taking it, it will kill you. Now, tell me exactly where you bought it. Where is the warehouse you mentioned?"

  The man looked at the silver coins, then looked up at Sayma’s serious face. He pointed a shaking finger toward the darkest, deepest part of the slums, where the buildings looked like they were barely holding themselves together.

  "It's... it's three streets down," the man stammered. "An old, abandoned warehouse with a rusted iron roof. The dealer is down in the basement. He operates out of a giant metal cage. But please, be careful. He has a lot of heavy muscle guarding the pce. They will kill you if they see you snooping around."

  Sayma nodded, her face set in grim determination. "Thank you. Now get out of here."

  The man scrambled to his feet, leaving the cursed drug on the ground, and ran away as fast as his weak legs could carry him.

  Naomi drew her dagger. The metal chimed softly in the quiet alley. "An abandoned warehouse with a rusted iron roof," she repeated, her voice cold and ready for battle. "Let's go find this dealer and break his cage wide open."

  Ken slouched his shoulders, shoved his hands back into his pockets, and let out a long, dramatic yawn. "Alright, fine. Lead the way, boss dy. But if we have to fight a bunch of scary muscle guys, I call dibs on hiding behind the biggest pile of garbage I can find."

  Naomi didn't even yell at him this time. She just rolled her eyes and marched out of the alley, fully prepared to take down the Curse Organization's local hub. Sayma followed closely behind, her mind already calcuting the best barrier strategies for a close-quarters basement fight.

  Ken dragged his feet behind them, scuffing his shoes on the mud. He looked completely useless, but behind his sleepy eyes, the Sovereign was fully awake. The detective game was over, and it was time to let the elite girls do what they did best.

  ----

  Following the directions from the terrified man in the alley, the trio walked down a set of broken concrete stairs. They were heading right into the basement of an abandoned warehouse. The air was heavy and stale, but Sayma, Naomi, and Ken did not stop. They had a job to do.

  Sayma walked in the front. She was perfectly calm, pushing her thick gsses up the bridge of her nose. Naomi was right behind her, her hand resting on the handle of her dagger. She looked angry and ready for a fight. Ken, as usual, dragged his feet in the back. He had his hands shoved deep into his pockets, slouching his shoulders and looking like he wanted to be anywhere else in the world.

  They reached the bottom of the stairs. Right in front of them was a massive, rusted iron door. Behind this door was the local distribution hub for the cursed drugs. This was the pce where Vane’s dangerous magic was being handed out to the poor people of the slums.

  "This is it," Sayma whispered quietly. She looked at the heavy iron door. She could feel the faint, sickening buzz of dark magic coming from the other side. "They have fortified this room. The iron is thick, and there are crude magical locks on the hinges."

  Naomi cracked her neck, stepping up to the door. "Magical locks don't mean anything if you just break the whole door," she said with a confident smirk. "Stand back. Let the real warriors handle this."

  Ken immediately took three huge steps backward, holding his hands up. "Way ahead of you, boss dy. Please, do your thing. I will be back here providing moral support."