Cop Craft – Dragnet Mirage Reloaded

At the behest of the mysterious voice, she delved into the tunnel. As for its owner, and their aims ⸺ she did not have much of a choice but to cooperate. She had long exhausted her regenerative capabilities; copious amounts of precious fluid were leaking out of her wounds. Her steps were weakening by the minute; she could no longer run straight. With her ragged breathing, she was unable to use a single one of her mildi¹.

There was no blood for her to consume. And thus, no rahtena².

This city was cold.

Struggling as she was, she quickly approached the end of the tunnel. Beyond the semicircular exit, the railway gently curved to the side. On the left, hills. On the right, a sprawling view of the city.

A lone man stood at this egress.

He wore familiar clothing; she had seen them time and time again ever since she awoke in the morgue. If she remembered correctly, it was called a ‘suit’. A red sash-like garment hung from his neck. One of the accouterments worn by the men of this city.

The man stared at her with his blank eyes. No, she could not tell if he was truly looking at her ⸺ his actions were most vague. With a single glance, she understood that little life remained in him. In other words, she would not be able to absorb any rahtena from his body. It was almost as though he was a corpse.

Even so, perhaps⸺.

Just as she was about to sink her fangs into his throat, the man floated into the air as if he was but a puppet on strings. Rotating in mid-air, he silently landed on the ground. The man sluggishly stood up straight, his head tilted as he opened his mouth.

『A pleasure to meet your acquaintance. O’ ancient one.』

The man said in Farbanian.

The person before her was nothing more than a puppet. Someone must have been controlling him from afar.

『Manipulating the dead, huh?』

『’Tis as you surmised. A form of mildi commonly used among your kin. Please excuse my insolence. I am simply trying to help you escape from those accursed Dorini.』

『Still, who art thou? You lowly Semani dare to assist me?』

『Hohoho…… My, oh my. Though I did not presume to gain your favor right away, I did expect your words to be a touch warmer than they ended up being.』

He was laughing, and yet the man before her kept up his blank expression. He was incapable of showing even the slightest sign of human emotion.

『Leave it be. Speaketh to me thy desires.』

『The ancient Niba manuscripts, milady.』

The man answered.

『My former master had been particularly interested in these documents. However, his findings amounted to nothing more than scraps and fragments of the past. These little ears of mine have heard that milady possesses complete knowledge on these matters. Might you perhaps lend this humble servant your ear?』

『For that reason alone, thou hast brought me to this world?』

『That is correct. If possible, I would have liked to have shown you this world of theirs. Those blasted Dorini. Unfortunately, a blunder was committed along the way.』

『Hmm…..』

She turned up her nose.

Despite being unaware of the nature of this mishap, she could potentially use it as a bargaining chip. Awakening her from her slumber in this world ⸺ Leto Dorini ⸺ was a means for that man to avoid needless danger to himself. In other words, this mildita³ cannot be trusted. Having seen through this, she responded as such.

『The Book of Niba dost not contain anything worth mentioning. The workings behind rahtena, several spells and symbols related to its manipulation, and the prophecy of the ‘Eeba Nil Magina⁴.’ 』

『I wish to hear more of that ‘Great Gate’ you speak of. The foul Dorini of this city call it the ‘Mirage Gate.’ ……Oh, my.』

The puppet stopped speaking, sniffing around in search of the scent coming from the distance. Assuming a pose in the air, his eyes darted about the place. She had also detected the odor ⸺ no, it was more of a combined presence. Straining her eyes evermore, she stared back into the dark tunnel she had left mere moments ago

People were coming here.

It was those two. The pair that had stood up against her time and time again. The Farbanian swordswoman and the Dorini soldier. No matter where she went, these pests would follow. That persistence. That willpower. Where did it come from? Truly magnificent. Their blood. How delicious will it taste?

『My, it seems that it is those two. Oh dear, for them to find their way so quickly. As always, they are as enthusiastic in their work as ever.』

『Thou knowest them?』

『More or less. They are among the few capable of wounding me in battle, milady. Though they are yet immature and do not work well with each other, they would always……』

『Make it through?』

『Please hurry. There is a vehicle waiting for you on top of the hill. If you follow this man, he shall guide you to where those damnable Dorini shall be unable to touch you.』

『And then, I shalt be made to answer your demands. Is that not right?』

『My deepest apologies. Truly, I am only concerned with your safety⸺』

『How impudent. If thou dost intend to pry the secrets of the Book of Niba from me, thou shouldst face me like those two. Achieving thy reward through battle is the greatest honor imaginable. I no longer need thy help, o’ vulgar mildita. Get out of mine sight.』

『Be that as it may, with your current strength, going up against those two may prove dangerous.』

She did not have much strength left to spare. While leaving as is may not necessarily turn out in her favor, doing battle and achieving victory would be a much more difficult task. Even now, dense steam leaked out from the fluids flowing down her wounds.

『Thou speakest truth. I lack blood. Well then, I shalt be partaking in thy puppet.』

Turning around, she mustered all the power in her body, leaping towards the marionette. This time, the man had no chance to dodge her attack; at most, he only took a single step back. Her fangs pierced his throat, ushering forth a fountain of blood.

『O-oh my.』

As he wheezed in pain, the man said.

『What a shame, o’ ancient one. I assure you, I held no ill intentions……』

Straddling the fallen man to the side, she sucked his blood to her heart’s content.

It was not particularly delicious. After all, being a ‘corpse’ had considerably weakened his rahtena. Despite this, the cold had abated quite a bit; she could feel her thirst for blood decreasing little by little.

Still, it was not enough.

Over and over, she sank her teeth into his throat, avariciously slurping down every single droplet of blood. Her tongue slithered to and fro, lapping up the leftover blood. In the end, she let out a moan of pleasure.

『I doth not need your pity, human. Since time immemorial, this has been our way of life. I tire of running away like a rat.』

The puppet could no longer respond. By now, that magician was probably grinding his teeth somewhere far away.

Now⸺.

She stood up, leaving her prey on the ground. Turning around, she spotted those warriors approaching from within the tunnel. A strange sense of exaltation filled her heart at the sight.

Her mind flashed back to the battlefields of the past.

It had been dawn. Beside her, the man she once loved. How many of her fellow kinsmen had stood side-by-side that day, charging against the forces of humanity? Such joy. The glistening of armor against a backdrop of horses.

That was right. She had died that day. This was ⸺ yes, the transient vision one faces as they approach the end of their life. How magnificent.

Well then⸺.

~*~

At the end of the tunnel, he could vaguely make out the silhouettes of two people.

They appeared to be engaged in conversation ⸺ that was was what he thought until one attacked the other, draining them of their blood.

They were too late. That vampire had laid her hands on another victim.

However, why was someone here at this time of night? As Matoba pondered his doubts, Tilarna rushed ahead at the enemy.

「How dare you!」

「Hey, wait up! ……Shit!」

Taking a stance with his carbine, Matoba took off the safety. This was no time to hesitate. At any rate, he had no choice but to face the vampire head-on.

Nevertheless, he remembered his job, ensuring that they adhered to protocol.

「Police! Don’t move!」

Just as he expected, she made her move. Her graceful silhouette was illuminated by the light outside the tunnel. Eyes were as red as blood, glowing in the darkness. Tilting her body to the side, the vampire muttered something in Farbanian, closing in on Tilarna with astonishing speed.

With Tilarna’s back to his gun, Matoba could not shoot. Jumping sideways, he aimed to secure a clear shot at the target. The vampire was in his sights. Alas, that was not to be. Swinging her longsword, Tilarna entered his view once more. She ain’t taking into consideration a single one of my movements.

「Fucking idi……!」

Fucking idiot. Not this again.

Matoba clicked his tongue, shifting his position once again to fire his weapon at the vampire. No, it was impossible. Tilarna was in the way. Dodging the claws of her opponent, she sent slash after slash in rapid succession, entrenching herself in a fierce battle. There was no chance of firing off his gun.

And yet, this was odd.

The vampire did not employ any sorcery this time around. Instead, she had devoted both her mind and body into piling up attacks on Tilarna. Though it did not change the danger they faced, she did not seem as elusive as she was before. As expected, she had sustained quite a bit of damage from their earlier attack.

（Even so⸺）

She’s quite the fighter, alright. Standing up against that monster with only a sword in hand. Matoba thought as he watched the two of them. This could be described as nothing less than the world’s greatest catfight.

Turning her body around, Tilarna swept her longsword sideways. The blade drove straight into the vampire’s flank. Her howls echoed throughout the entire tunnel, rattling the rails beneath their feet.

「!」

The vampire landed a kick right in the middle of Tilarna’s torso, sending her flying into the air like a rubber ball. Crashing into the tunnel walls, a pained gasp escaped her lungs. Just like that, Tilarna lost all strength in her body, collapsing to the ground without another word.

Nonetheless, this was convenient. Keeping his cool, Matoba aligned his sights on the enemy.

They were the perfect distance away from one another. He had a clear shot at the vampire.

And he fired. The bullet made contact with the vampire, taking her aback.

He shot again. A spray of blood flew into the air as the vampire staggered aside.

It was still not enough. Flicking a switch on his carbine, he set the gun to fire at full-auto. Although his initial burst hit its mark, that was all it amounted to. Demonstrating her monstrous endurance, the vampire leaped forth like a spring, avoiding most of his attack.

She was coming.

Translator’s Notes:

1. The Farbanian word for ‘magic.'
2. A form of magical energy that can be sensed by the Semani.
3. The Farbanian word for ‘magician.'
4. Translates to ‘The Great Gate.’