Serial

It took hours before the crowd finally dispersed, and me and Riley were left by ourselves in the now nearly empty plaza.

"Man, my whole body still hurts from the hit he got on me."

Riley groaned and complained about the pain from the fight against Darius. His girlish charms were somehow multiplied despite how annoying he was being. I guess I can let it slide.

"Say, what should we do now?"

"I was thinking about heading back to my house. I was planning to do some chores this morning, but then Gabriel needed my help. After I finished that, you were there, and now we're here. I still need to get some housework done."

"Oh, well that's a shame. Well, I guess I'll see you another time."

"Yeah, another time Riley."

With that, we parted ways in the plaza. The sun was finally setting over the surprisingly busy day I've had, but despite all that's happened, I don't feel the least bit tired. I wonder if Kelly's okay?

I was walking aimlessly down the streets in the general direction of my house before Clementine stopped me in my tracks.

"Gabriel needs your help again. He requests that you meet him at his mansion as soon as you can."

"What? Didn't I just help him out today? What more could he need done?"

"A serial killer has been causing a scene in the poor districts, brutally killing children. We need your help finding whoever it may be."

Well, now I can't refuse.

"Okay, let me go get ready."

Once I had reached the outskirts of town, I quickly sprinted all the way to my house, got changed, put on my mask, and sprinted along the rooftops to Gabriel's mansion.

Once I arrived, I was quickly let in, like usual, and led up to Gabriel's main office.

"You're here. Let me explain the situation. An unknown killer has been slaughtering children in the poor district. Every child has been killed the same way. Their tongues are cut out and their throats are slit. It seems the killer has been killing for at least three weeks, and has killed a total of thirteen children."

"Why wasn't I informed about this sooner?"

"The guards only just made the correlation between the many different victims. Despite being children, it seems to be random killings. None of the victims have anything in common, and they don't seem to be connected to each other in any way."

"I see. So all of the killings have taken place in the poor district? That's a large area."

"It is indeed. I have extra guards posted in the poor district to help try and prevent further murders, but I doubt it will do much. I need you to find this murderer as soon as possible."

"I understand. I will see what I can do."

"Great. Head over to the guards station in the poor district. They should be able to give you some more information about what's going on."

With that, I quickly exited the mansion, making my way outside. The sun had finally set past the horizon, and above was a dark and cloudy night sky. It's going to rain soon.

It didn't take long to arrive at the guards station, and when I did, I found plenty of guards moving all over, trying desperately to keep things in order.

When I arrived, some guards quickly led me to the top floor where many of the smartest guards had put their heads together to try and figure things out. No one questioned why I was there. That was because everyone throughout the city of Trosting knew me as a hero for the people. I have done many jobs with the guards to protect the city, and as a result, my presence among the guards isn't questioned within their ranks.

As always, people stop and stare when I walk past, as I'm literally a hero, and some of them even make comments about how everything will be okay now that I'm here. A bit to early to celebrate in my opinion.

When I arrived in the room, I was greeted with many guards, but one familiar face.

"Captain Hitch."

"Ah, Mrs. Magician, I'm glad you're here. We could all use your help here."

Hitch was the first guard I met when I first became a hero in Trosting. Since then, He's been promoted to captain and we've worked on many jobs together, though usually by chance.

"Can't say I'm glad to be here. Tell me everything."

Some of the guards were clearly surprised by how we addressed each other. It's known throughout the city that I usually work alone when being a hero, but here I am talking familiarly with their captain. I'd be surprised too.

"Of course. I'm sure you already know, but children are being murdered in this district by some unknown killer. We have currently put out posters on all of the notice boards about what is happening, warning people to keep their children indoors until we have caught this heinous individual."

"That's good. It should lower the chance of there being another victim. Anything else?"

"There is one more thing. At most of the murder locations, we have found a few strands of blonde hair. Here, this is one of the strands."

He pointed at the center of the table where all of the guards had been seated around discussing with each other before I had barged in. In the center were a few strands of bright blonde hair. They were rather thin compared to the hair most people have, which could help me identify them.

"I see. Can you show me where all the murders took place?"

"Of course. We have them marked on the map hanging on the wall."

I glanced at the map and saw thirteen different spots marked on the map, one for each murdered child. I should check every location for any additional clues.

"Okay then. I shall set out. Keep working and try to learn anything you can about our killer."

"You heard her men! Let's get back to work!"

With that, I left the room to start my search.