Cop Craft – Dragnet Mirage Reloaded

Vice Detective Tony McBee had received orders from Chief Zimmer to act as backup for the ongoing operation. Rushing towards the mall in question, McBee and his partner, Detective Aleksandr Godunov, arrived at the security room just moments after Matoba and Tilarna stepped foot into the building in pursuit of the vampire.

No matter how many times they tried to reach Matoba on the radio, no response came. However, thanks to the mall’s security system, the two were able to roughly grasp their location. They proceeded to head towards Paradise Square. Equipped with his trusty carbine, Tony made his way inside. By contrast, the gigantic Godunov wielded a massive rifle that fit his build. Both of them were wearing body armor for extra protection. In particular, this type of body armor had been laced with a thin titanium alloy, allowing it to withstand even the most fearsome of attacks. Despite that, based on the information he had heard up until now, this may not be enough for the monster they were up against.

「But, is it really okay for us to take the lead here?」

Tony grumbled as he strode across the dark hallway. Godunov turned his nose up in response.

「Whatever it is, we’re playing a dangerous game here. With us acting as both the vanguard and reconnaissance, nobody’s gonna be dumb enough to complain about it.」

「I don’t want to worry Mike too much.」

「Still going at it with that ‘dancer’ of yours?」

「Hey, that was the one before. Mike’s a photographer.」

「Got it. You go through exes way too often. How the hell was I supposed to know?」

「How rude! I always treat my partners with the utmost respect, you know!? You make it sound like I’m some sort of whore⸺」

「Shh. Look.」

Godunov interrupted, pointing to the front. They were currently on the first floor, surrounded by rows upon rows of shops. At the very end of the corridor, the path opened up to a hall. In the center lay a circular fountain, around which an orange curtain had been torn in half.

Brought to attention, the two of them drew their weapons, covering each other’s blind spots as they approached the fountain. By the stone steps surrounding the fountain, Matoba had collapsed.

「Kei.」

Tony rushed over to Matoba’s side. In turn, Godunov carefully appraised his surroundings, ascending the stairs to the atrium above.

「Kei, are you okay?」

「Shit.」

There had been no need to check if he was alive. Just as Tony shook his body, Matoba let out a low groan, attempting to stand back up. He had fallen right into the water, leaving him drenched to his skin. With his throat in great pain, Matoba hoarsely asked.

「That you, Tony? How long was I out?」

「I don’t know. We lost contact with you, so probably around 15 minutes or so?」

「I see.」

He tried to get up, only to fall flat on his backside, coughing violently in the process.

「What the hell happened to Tilarna? She was on the top floor when⸺」

「We didn’t see her. ⸺ Aleks?」

He called out to Godunov, who had taken the liberty of going up the stairs towards the upper section of the atrium. In response, Godunov popped his head out from the railings and shouted.

「She ain’t here. Her sword’s on the ground.」

「You find any blood up there?」

「Nope, nothing like that.」

「Goddamnit, that motherfucking bitch. Doing whatever the fuck she wants. She’ll get what’s coming to her.」

Agitated, Matoba cursed as he stood up, roughly brushing up wet strands of hair.

「Do you know what happened to Tilarna?」

「Not a clue. I blacked out, remember? If there ain’t a body, then maybe the brat managed to go after that monster after she fought back. No⸺」

Stopping himself in the middle of his thoughts, Matoba shook his head violently to the sides.

「No way she’d leave her sword behind. She was probably taken away.」

「Taken away? Why is that?」

「How should I know? But, that vampire should be full right about now. Rather than sucking their blood dry, it’d probably be smarter to draw out information from her victims.」

「My, how awful. We have to save her somehow.」

「It’d be great if that vampire didn’t turn her into one of their own.」

「They can do that?」

「Dunno, man. That’s what they always do in the movies.」

Getting out of the fountain, Matoba found his coat weighed down by the water it had absorbed. With a hint of displeasure, he threw it away. That was a thousand dollars down the drain. If it were not for the fact that it had been seized by the police, he would not have treated it quite so badly.

「Did you fall from up there?」

Tony said, looking up at the third floor.

「Yep.」

「It’s a miracle you’re still alive.」

Matoba stayed silent, shuffling his pockets in search of something, before finally taking out a packet of cigarettes from his back pocket. His Marlboro soft case was completely drenched. Tossing them out as well, he asked Tony.

「You got a smoke?」

「No. I never smoked to begin with.」

「Really? It’s a miracle you’re still alive.」

Disarmed, strangled, and having lost her consciousness⸺

When she came to, Tilarna found herself stretched out on the cold, hard floor. She was in a different place than the atrium she had been in just now. Rows of bookshelves filled her surroundings, displaying a countless number of publications.

This place looks to be another one of the mall’s many shops.

Moreover, it is quite large for one. From one end to the other, it appears comparable to the grand hall in the royal palace. It would be just as wide as the area we first arrived at on the first floor.

『I see thou hast awakened.』

A woman’s voice. In Farbanian.

Turning towards the source of the voice, Tilarna found a woman seated on a guest chair beside a bookshelf about ten steps away from her position. The vampire. Taking one of the books off the shelf, she proceeded to tear it to shreds. The black clothes arising from her illusions fluttered in the air, revealing her bewitching thighs for all to see.

Although she had intended to get on her feet immediately to combat the foe before her, Tilarna was unable to do so. The vampire’s hair hardened on the spot, acting as bindings to restrict the movement of her limbs. There was nothing she could do except but crawl around on the ground.

『‘Tis pointless. Thy life lyeth in mine hands.』

The vampire said. Compared to the time she had assaulted them in the morgue, this was beyond unimaginable. She spoke both elegantly and intellectually, demonstrating the full extent of her abilities.

『Ladé Neven. Why dost thou stay thy hand?』

Tilarna replied in her mother tongue. As she did so, she suddenly realized how long it had been since she last spoke her native language. Unlike when she spoke English, she was much more courteous in her mannerisms. However, this did not stem from a need to abase herself towards her opponent. Rather, this was how she usually expressed herself in Farbanian.

『Thy knoweth the reason, o’ young knight. I have many to asketh of thee.』

The vampire rested her eyes upon a certain book, flashing a slight grin as she ignored Tilarna’s gaze. Adjusting to the darkness, Tilarna was finally able to make out the sightseeing brochure in her hands. Though she possessed no idea of how long she had been unconscious, it should not have been more than an hour or two. In that time alone, the vampire managed to comprehend enough English to be able to sift through this vast pile of documents in search of relevant information.

『Once I doth this for thee, wilt thou maketh me thy prey as well?』

『Prey? Certainly, thy holdeth the scent of nobility. The blood and rahtena that floweth in your veins shalt maketh a most scrumptious treat. Were this the world I knoweth, thou wouldst have already offered thy neck to mine own fangs. 』

As expected, she had realized it. Thrust into a world so different from her own, the vampire was surrounded by an unfamiliar culture, only to find Tilarna, who possessed Semanian features, clothing, and weapons. She would prove a vital source of information for this lady of the night.

『Speaketh. Where is this place?』

『Dost thou think I have an obligation to answer thy questions? Thy kind hunteth ours for centuries before we driveth thy to extinction.』

『Thou claimeth mine kin gone by thy hands?』

『So the legends sayeth.』

『Interesting, these words thy speaketh.』

The vampire stopped browsing the travel brochure, staring directly at Tilarna.

『I doth not knoweth the length of mine slumber in the mountains of Duras Dyril. However, I cannot believeth thy kind destroyeth mine own. Since I awoke, thou remaineth the only one capable of sensing mine presence. The uncultured swine of this city possesseth not a single sliver of Vyfert steel. In turn, they holdeth these strange weapons, yet they art nothing more than a contrivance.』

『…………』

『Now. The name of this city readeth Sein Tirisei, dost it not?』

Looking at the spine of the book, the vampire asked.

『’Tis read San Teresa.』

Thinking this much would be fine, Tilarna replied.

『I seeth. And these letters on the side, they art read ‘city’, art they not? ……No, ‘tis ‘city’, correct? San Teresa City, or thereabouts.』

Her English was improving by the second. Supposing she stayed a couple more days in this bookstore, the vampire would have learned another language by then, let alone English.

『This is quite the elaborate map. It seemeth this city is located in the northern part of ‘Kariana Island’. I have some recollection of this name. In the southern region of the Farbanian Kingdom, there lyeth a peninsula of the same name. However, this land is no peninsula. ‘Tis surrounded by ocean. The Pacific Ocean. A rather large body of water. Now this, I dost not recall. Neither dost I this ‘English’. Even if you were to searcheth the whole world, thou shalt not findeth such letters. And there, I thought. That this is most likely a different world.』

Tilarna neither confirmed nor denied it. The vampire took her reaction as proof.

『As I thought.』

She muttered to herself.

『The ‘Great Gate’ spoken of in the Book of Niba manifested, it seemeth.』

『Book of Niba? The ‘Great Gate’? What do you mean by that?』

Tilarna threw away all noble pretenses, switching to a more straightforward way of speaking. Ever since she came to this world, she had always been speaking this way. To her, it felt appropriate for the current situation.

『Curb thy insolence, o’ young knight. Thou has not answered any of my questions, yet thou dares asketh one in return? A mere mortal?』

『……Even if I were to provide you the information you desire, I do not believe you would stop attacking humans. In this world, you are but a beast prowling the city. There is no reason to comply with the demands of a beast.』

『A beast, you sayeth? Dost thou truly believeth so?』

Even after receiving Tilarna’s scorn, the vampire showed no sign of anger.

『Those of our kin doth not hunt humans indiscriminately. Only during times of need, and only the required amount. Only then doth we feast on the rahtena in human blood.』

『I cannot believe that. You are savage. Raging about, ever starved for blood.』

『Unfortunately, I hadst just awoken. I hadst little choice but to settle with what was available.』

She got out of her seat, taking a few steps towards Tilarna. The vampire calmly looked down upon her as she lay on the floor.

『Hunger is what it is, o’ young knight. Thou dost not understand the misery, the grief, the anger that cometh with it. Lie there in thy bindings for a week, and thou shalt see. Thou wouldst gladly biteth into maggot-infested carrion.』

『Even so, you are the enemy of humanity……!』

『How stubborn. Then, there is no longer a reason for thou to speak.』

The vampire knelt, stretching her hand towards Tilarna. A cold sensation, much like ice. Her slender fingers crawled around her cheeks, slithering across her chin and onto her neck.

『Kill me and be done with it. Just like you did with countless warriors in the past.』

Though she declared as such, Tilarna could not help but be fixated upon the ‘Book of Niba’ and the ‘Great Gate’.

What meaning the word ‘Niba’ held, Tilarna did not know. However, she did remember the ‘Book of Niba’ mentioned once before. A man by the name of Dennis Elbajhi, the head of a gang that once roamed the streets of San Teresa in search of buyers for their special weapons, had spoken of it in passing. In any case, she could not make heads or tails of it.