Encounter!
The rhythmic crackling of the fireplace filled the cozy living room as Luther reclined on the sofa, his head resting lazily on the armrest. A book sat in his hand, its yellowed pages flipping quickly as his eyes skimmed the text with practiced ease. The warmth of the fire seeped into his bones, and his eyelids grew heavier with each passing minute.
He barely registered the voice that drifted in from outside.
"Sir, do you need any help?"
The question barely cut through the haze of his drowsiness. Luther squinted, his mind sluggish. Service? What service? The faint, lazy tone of a woman's voice barely sparked any curiosity.
Luther scoffed internally. "Probably just some scammer," he thought. The type who wandered neighborhoods, pestering new residents. He shifted slightly, pulling the book over his face as he let his body sink further into the plush sofa.
Whatever was happening outside could wait. He had no intention of engaging with random strangers.
---
But half an hour later, the persistent knocking on the door hadn't stopped.
Bang, bang, bang!
This time, the voice came louder, tinged with impatience.
"Sir! Full range of services! Don't you need it?"
Luther groaned, pulling the book off his face and sitting up slowly. He stretched lazily, yawning, his hand brushing back his messy hair. Turning his head, he shot an annoyed glance toward the source of the incessant sound.
"Touch of Plague," Luther muttered, motioning to the blob that was dutifully mopping the floor, "hide behind the closet." The blob obeyed instantly, slithering out of sight.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Luther trudged toward the door. His movements were deliberately slow, almost theatrical, as though the act of answering the door was an unbearable chore.
When he finally pulled it open, the door barely had a chance to creak before a figure came barreling into him.
A woman, dressed in a sharp, slightly wrinkled uniform, practically launched herself at Luther. Reflexes honed by years of experience kicked in, and he quickly sidestepped, catching her mid-motion and shoving her backward.
She stumbled, landing squarely on the lawn with a muted thud.
Luther exhaled, rolling his eyes. "Seriously?" he muttered.
As the woman sat up, frowning and rubbing her backside, Luther leaned casually against the doorframe, one eyebrow raised. He reached into his pocket, ready to pull out a makeshift weapon if needed, though he doubted he'd need one.
The woman glared up at him, her lips pressed into a tight line as she brushed off her uniform.
---
Susan was used to these kinds of encounters, but this one had thrown her off balance; literally. She frowned, irritation bubbling beneath her composed exterior.
She was no ordinary citizen. As a trainee investigator for the local Investigation Committee, she prided herself on her ability to sniff out trouble. And today, she had been certain she'd found it.
Her morning had started with an anonymous tip, someone had reported strange activity at Villa 96 on Fleming Street, Phase 3. The note had warned of a potential summoning ritual, specifically one aimed at calling forth a shadow monster.
While shadow monsters were considered lower-tier supernatural entities, the law was crystal clear: summoning them was illegal. Their chaotic nature made them dangerous, even in seemingly controlled environments.
Susan had verified the report against the community records. Villa 96 had indeed been recently purchased, though the buyer's identity was sealed due to confidentiality policies. Still, it was enough to rouse her suspicion.
That morning, she had stationed herself across the street, keeping watch. For hours, nothing had happened. But as afternoon rolled around, she finally saw movement; a carriage rolled up to the villa, and three individuals disembarked.
She watched them closely. The first was a tall man with messy hair, a beard, and sharp, squinting eyes. He carried himself with an air of indifference, yet his movements were deliberate.
Behind him trailed two grotesque figures, one a blob-like creature and the other a humanoid abomination. Both carried various bags into the villa.
Susan's instincts screamed. "There's no way these guys are clean," she thought. Her years of experience told her these were the type of individuals who didn't buy property to settle down and garden.
Confident in her deduction, she began to piece together a plan. Summoning shadow monsters required time, usually between one to two hours. She decided to strike mid-ritual, ensuring there would be no room for excuses or denials.
But her plan wasn't foolproof.
---
The first part of her strategy was simple enough: seduction.
She approached the villa, knocking on the door and offering vague "services," hoping to draw someone out and gain an understanding of what was happening inside.
But to her dismay, her approach didn't work. Her voice fell on deaf ears. She spent over thirty minutes trying to coax someone out, but all she got was silence.
Her patience wore thin. If subtlety wouldn't work, force would.
---
The timing couldn't have been worse. Just as Susan lunged at the door with the intent of breaking it down, it swung open.
Luther stood there, his expression one of groggy irritation, as though she had interrupted a much-needed nap.
The impact was embarrassing. She collided with him but found herself swiftly deflected and shoved back onto the lawn.
Susan sat on the ground, her cheeks still flushed with embarrassment. Gritting her teeth, she dug into her coat pockets, ready to pull out her identification card as a trainee member of the Investigation Committee. If that man thought he could just dismiss her, he was in for a rude awakening. She'd show him exactly who she was and why he should take her seriously.
But as she rummaged through her pockets, something shiny caught her eye.
A shilling rolled to a stop at her feet, its surface gleaming in the fading sunlight.
"Here's a shilling for your trousers," came the man's voice from behind the door, calm and infuriatingly condescending. "You've got hands and feet, so don't do that kind of work again."
Bang!
The door slammed shut before she could respond, leaving Susan frozen in place. A faint breeze swept past, stirring the dust on the ground.
She lowered her head, staring at the shilling, then glanced at her pants. A fist-sized hole had been torn in her left thigh, revealing a patch of skin beneath. Her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red as she quickly pressed her legs together, pulling her coat down in an attempt to cover herself.
Her gaze shifted back to the shilling on the ground, then to the firmly closed door. The man's words replayed in her mind, each repetition stoking the flames of her humiliation.
"What does he take me for?!"
Her frustration reached a boiling point. She sprang to her feet, grabbed the shilling, and hurled it at the door with all her might. It struck the wood with a hollow clink before falling to the ground again, its defiance utterly unimpressive.
Susan clenched her fists, ruffling her hair in frustration. "I'm not some beggar! I'm a trainee member of the Investigation Committee! An outstanding community worker of the Fleming District!"
She paced in front of the villa, muttering to herself. "He'll regret this—"
BOOM!
An earth-shaking explosion tore through her thoughts. The sound reverberated through the street, followed by the distant screams of terrified townsfolk.
Susan froze, her head snapping toward the source of the sound. Smoke billowed into the sky from a nearby street, and within the rising plumes, a tall, shadowy figure began to emerge.
Her expression instantly shifted to one of grim determination. The vague figure was massive, its form distorted and chaotic. She recognized it immediately; a creature of supernatural origin.
"Damn it," she muttered under her breath.
Whatever grievance she had with the man inside the villa could wait. This was bigger. According to the Investigation Committee's regulations, when two extraordinary events demanded attention simultaneously, the higher-priority case always took precedence.
She didn't hesitate. Without a backward glance, Susan sprinted toward the chaos, her boots pounding against the cobblestones as the screams grew louder.
---
Inside the villa, Luther had just managed to doze off when the explosion jolted him awake. His eyes flew open, a deep frown etched across his face as the vibrations of the blast rattled the windows.
He sat up, rubbing his temples and grumbling under his breath. "What now?"
All he'd wanted was a quiet nap after dealing with the persistent woman outside. Now, an explosion? He was starting to question if living here had been a mistake.
With a sigh, he stretched, running a hand through his already messy hair and combing it back into a semblance of order. Rising from the sofa, he glanced toward the door, his irritation growing.
Still, curiosity tugged at him. If he was going to live in Grendel City, he needed to understand the local dangers and whether this kind of incident was normal or rare. His sleep quality, after all, depended on it.
"Touch of Plague," Luther called out, gesturing toward the floor. The blob slithered out of hiding, ready for orders.
"Guard the house," he instructed. Then, reaching for the spittoon in the corner, he fished out Nawasir, whose gelatinous form trembled as it was lifted. Without a word, Luther stuffed the creature into his pocket. If trouble awaited him outside, it was better to have a contingency plan.
Pushing open the door, Luther was immediately greeted by the acrid stench of burning tar. The thick, cloying smell filled the air, making him grimace.
The sound came next; a deep, guttural roar that echoed eerily through the street.
Stepping outside, Luther turned his gaze toward the source of the disturbance. On a nearby street, partially obscured by smoke, he spotted it: a massive creature, its blurry outline towering over the surrounding buildings. It was at least three stories tall, its form warped and chaotic, its movements a blend of animalistic ferocity and otherworldly menace.
Luther blinked, taking in the sight for a long moment.
"...Well, that's new," he muttered.
The thing was unlike anything he'd seen in Evernight Town. The sheer scale of it was almost impressive. For a fleeting moment, he couldn't help but marvel.
"It's true what they say about big cities," he thought wryly. "Even the monsters are supersized."
His amusement faded as another roar tore through the air, followed by more screams. The creature began thrashing, its shadowy limbs colliding with buildings, sending debris crashing to the ground.
Luther sighed, reaching into his pocket to pat Nawasir reassuringly. "Looks like we've got work to do."