Chapter 3

  Sage

  When Ritter awoke in that terrible walled room, the first thing he did was call for his Mother. He called for quite a long time, well, actually to be frank, it was the only thing he could do. The tiny room Ritter had been locked away in was a simple stone structure, square walls composed the frame of the room, a floor dusted with age accompanied by a single semi door from which one had to squeeze their bodies through. It meant the only people who could come there were those who knew of the semi door’s existence. A singular, miniscule window overlooked the lake that sat next to The Beast House.

  Opera

  This room was the Quiet Den, where Runts were hidden away from the rest of the Pack. Freaks of nature who cannot awaken, are sequestered here supposedly in the vein of keeping them “safe” from the Pack’s lifestyle. But let’s not blunt edges shall we? It’s a prison for anyone not a pundit. A cage to keep failures out of the Pack, and it was here that Ritter was sent to die…

  Sage

  Ritter called for his Mother, and when that didn’t work, he called again. And when that didn’t work he screamed for her. And when that didn’t work he continued to scream louder, hoping to get her attention.

  Opera

  Wouldn’t come, I’m afraid, not only was the Quiet Den as the name suggests, sound proof, but even if his mother did hear him, she was entangled in the web of communal judgement. She was currently in a quiet damnation of her own, her child, after all, failed to awaken. To a Werewolf no greater shame could be had then the failure of one’s progeny. If Vierna were to act in favor of Ritter, take him away from the Beast House, they would find her, and what would happen is much too disturbing to put in pages and ink. Vierna was convinced that The Quiet Den, as terrible an exile it was, in its own way the safest place for Ritter to be.

  Sage

  Ritter screamed for such a long time, laying down on the floor, pleading with his mother to take him from here. He wanted to be anywhere else then here, anywhere…. After an indiscernible amount of time screaming, Ritter felt his throat hurt and the tinge of pain ceased his pleas. Placing his little hand to his neck, it felt sore, and when he put his head down, he had a taste of something awful and metallic, like when he suckled on a copper coin once at a dare by Kyra. Red liquid began to drip from his mouth onto the floor.

  Opera

  Ritter wanted to cry, but even the thought of making noise set his pain receptors on fire. So he simply laid there, blood on his hand and the floor, unable to move or speak.

  Sage

  Suddenly, the semi door opened, Ritter instinctively reached his hand out to grasp at the air outside.

  Opera

  Had they had enough? Was this cruel joke over? Was Ritter free? Perhaps his mother had heard them. Ritter's mind raced with the possibilities.

  Sages

  Crushing his hand almost as hard as his thoughts, a foot slammed down on the boy’s palm and fingers, fiery pain flaring through his appendage, making its way up to the rest of his body. Ritter tried to scream but that only rewarded him with more blood from his already injured throat.

  Pack Member

  Well I guess you don’t get dinner if you’re gonna misbehave Runt.

  Opera

  And like that, the semi door closed, leaving Ritter with a broken hand and bloody throat, alone in that dark room. A Wolf stared at Ritter sobbing, it was itself nursing an injured paw with licks from a bloody tongue…

  ---

  Sage

  Ritter jolted awake in the Public Safety Office, sounds of the automatic door opening helped ease his senses back to the moment.

  The first person to walk through the door was a woman, long and straight lavender colored hair framed her plain face. Bronze eyes looked around here and there.

  Women, to the receptionist

  Officer Magnolia reporting. May I ask what the situation is?

  Ritter

  A Mazburnt? Been a while since I’ve seen one of you…

  Sage

  Magnolia seemed incensed by this, covering her face with the locks of her hair. You see Audience, Ritter had correctly identified Magnolia as a member of the Mazburnt family, a historic Noble Family with four generations under their name. But what Ritter didn’t know, nay, couldn’t have known, was Magnolia had a deeply damaged relationship with her family, and thus didn’t use her Family name, instead going under the Chosen Name Magnolia Lambert.

  Ritter, not noticing Magnolia’s discomfort

  I knew a Mazburnt once, Quade Mazburnt, bloody blessed Inquisitor, even taught me a few tricks about the trade.

  Aldel, to Ritter

  She doesn’t use the Mazburnt name, it’s… A conflicted relationship they have..

  Ritter, to Magnolia

  Oh, I’m sorry, it's just you had the Mazburnt Legacies, the Purple Hair and Bronze Eyes.. And most Noble Families use their Family Name and…

  Opera

  Ritter quickly picked up on the fact that he was only making the situation more awkward with his continued explanations and decided to stop talking. Though he was a little interested, what someone from a Noble Family like the Mazburnt was doing in this quiet little town? Surely even a smaller Family like the Mazburnt weren’t at all interested in getting a Trust here…

  Sage

  The thundering sounds of metallic steps fast approached the building, starting faint and distant, but quickly advancing in pace and speed, to the Katamuri Public Safety Office, this meant only one thing. TOM was arriving.

  Aldel

  Aside

  Oh Adama, please let TOM not try his schtick this time…

  Opera

  As though offended by Aldel’s quiet plea, a large robotic humanoid burst into the office.

  TOM

  TO THE OFFICE I ARRIVED. WHAT MANNER OF DISCUSSION IS TO BE HELD?

  Sage

  TOM, or Tactical Operations Module, was a crowning achievement of enforcement technology. Standing a towering 215cm, TOM easily eclipsed most he stood in company of. While the Receptionist was more or less Adama in shape, TOM could only claim to have a vaguely humanoid outline. He, TOM demanded use of masculine pronouns despite his un-Adama form, had a bulky grey and blue chassis, looking like some robot out of a sci fi film from the Pre Divergence days. His body was strangely geometric, grooves and bumps lined his chest and appendages, while his head was a simple cylindrical camera attached to his head with some small pylons sticking out of it.

  Opera

  TOM you see, also loved the old media of the Pre Divergence. As to the why? Well, I think that’s best left mysterious to you for now.

  Receptionist

  Welcome Officer TOM, I will now call Commodore Junias.

  Sage

  Walking through the door, Junias took a brief look over the Officers under his command.

  Aldel.

  Opera

  That stupid kid he picked up in Westshire, Adama, what he would do without him.

  Sage

  Magnolia.

  Opera

  A shy girl who came under his employ under tight lipped circumstances, he recognized her Mazburnt Legacies but knew better than to pry at one’s personal life.

  Sage

  TOM.

  Opera

  That bloody robot, if it wasn’t so good at its job Junias might have scrapped it, how many more soliloquies can a man take before he breaks?

  Junias, sighing

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Alright Mr Inquisitor, who are you and what are you doing in my town?

  Ritter

  My name is Ritter Wandenloche of the Empyreal Orthodoxy, Order of the Moon.

  Magnolia, perking up

  Order… of the Moon? What’s that mean?

  Junias, taking a step back

  Well Magnolia, it means Mr Ritter here… is a Werewolf, as hard as that is to believe.

  Sage

  Everyone in the station steps back from Ritter.

  Opera

  And why wouldn’t they? A Werewolf? Those terrifying beasts of death and destruction? Hard to even comprehend the idea.

  Ritter, discerning the atmosphere of the room

  Don’t worry, I’m not some monster, killing those is precisely my job.

  Opera

  Now, this was true, and was something recognized by even Junias, obviously the rigid and thorough training of the Orthodoxy would never usually produce someone like that. But this wasn’t really about the truth, this was about the simple human instinct to avoid being torn apart by a giant wolf creature.

  Sage

  Ritter reached up to his two upper canine teeth and yanked them out in a fast motion, while the others in the room just started to let out a gasp, the two fangs quickly transformed in a display of Phantasmal energy, becoming two long Dirks with sword catchers on the hilts appearing to be halved Crescent Moons.

  Ritter, holding the weapons up

  See? I can’t even transform if I wanted to, which I don’t.

  Sage

  Now Junias had heard about this, the Order of the Moon would tear out their teeth to make powerful Vestments they wielded in battle. The Lupin Arma… To be frank, Junias had never seen one before, of course he had seen plenty of Vestments before, even his old partner had one. But something about the nature of the Lupin Arma unnerved him.

  Junias, bewildered

  Hexes.. Well, I um..

  Opera

  Naturally after such a sight, Junias struggled on what to do, however he knew he had to compose himself, he was a Commodore, no matter the circumstances or intent he had when he took the job, he knew that he had to regain control.

  Junias, straightening himself out

  Alright Ritter, what are you doing in my town then? I assume some strange creature has made its way into this place without my knowing?

  Ritter

  A Werewolf.

  Junias, unnerved

  Well he seems to be sitting in my office so what’s the problem?

  Ritter, brushing off the attempt at humor

  No, not me, a real Werewolf, the Orthodoxy has reason to believe that a Werewolf has made his way to Katamuri and intends to do something, what that is, we don’t know.

  Junias

  Alright, well, then I will leave you to your business.

  Well, I would, I SHOULD, but I’m not.

  Ritter

  I’m sorry, what did you say?

  Junias, taking a step forward

  I said I am not going to allow you to simply walk over my town without my knowledge of your doings. For the entire duration of your stay, whenever you are doing your investigation I demand you take one of my officers alongside you.

  Ritter, flabbergasted

  What do you mean?! I have to take one of your officers? Why? This is Orthodoxy business, what authority do you have to go over them?

  Junias, becoming more comfortable

  I don’t care about the Orthodoxy right now, I am the Commodore of Katamuri’s Public Safety Division. If you have an issue with that, get back on a train to Uranus and report me to the Magistrate. But I refuse to just sit around while some disheveled dog man sniffs up and down my town while I’m stuck here with my thumb up my end wondering when Fido is gonna burst through my office looking to make me his next chew toy.

  Sage

  Junias has long played the game of politics, you see.. Back in his younger years he was a member of that indomitable Society The Vigilant Palace, the Defenders of The Empyreal Magistrate.

  He knew of the twisting webs of bureaucracy and inter League conflicts when intentions and actions crossed one another. He had grown to hate it, hence why was to be found here in Katamuri during the Twilight years of his time as an Awakened. Here he could sit in his office, doing as he pleased with no oversight from some stuffy pencil pushing nitwit trying to earn some repute of another League. As the Commodore of Katamuri’s Public Safety, he truly earned some, deeply engraved sense of pride and autonomy. So as far as he was concerned, he didn’t care about getting written up, nobody wanted this position so replacing him was only theoretically an option.

  Opera

  But one must ponder whether Junias has, in the heat of his own pride, forgotten the dangers of a 230cm tall Wolf Beast roaming freely around his town…

  But Ritter? Ritter was furious.

  Ritter

  Aside

  Who’s this geezer to demand I take some security officers on my job? This is my job, My Battle, MY Men-... Ugh, I can’t afford to go back, If I leave, they’ll just send someone else. I can’t have that, I have to stop him here, now…

  Ritter, to Junias

  Fine, but I need to know your Officers are up to the task.

  Junias

  You think they’d just let anyone with some Phenomena become Security Officers?

  Ritter

  I’m saying that a Werewolf is an order of magnitude more of a threat than some measly thugs like the ones I ran into earlier.

  Sage

  Junias looks at Aldel who nods his head, letting Junias know which thugs it was.

  Ritter

  And I’m not exactly sure the Public Safety Handbook teaches you how to deal with massive Wolf monsters that can shred buildings to pieces and regenerate from nearly any attack, least of all one with Orth-...

  Opera

  Magnolia immediately intuited that Ritter was hiding something. It was obvious to her, the way he seemed to shrink into the room, the way he looked around the area, at Aldel, at TOM, at her..

  Magnolia

  You said you don’t know who the werewolf is or what they plan on doing in town, but you used Masculine pronouns earlier, why?

  TOM

  IN RELATION TO THE PHOTOGRAPH HIS COAT POCKET HIDES, PERHAPES?

  Junias, furiously approaching Ritter

  Are You Hiding Information from Me, You Punk?

  Aldel, holding Junias back with a hand on his chest

  Sir! Let him speak first before coming to conclusions will you?

  Magnolia, softly approaching Ritter

  What are you hiding, if it’s important we have a need and right to know.

  Sage

  Ritter knew she was right, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the Photograph of him and Maxwell Mars, flinging it onto a table in front of the chair.

  Ritter

  The Werewolf is Maxwell Mars, a former Inquisitor of The Order of the Moon. Also, how did your Robot know I had a photograph in my pocket?

  TOM

  THAT WAS EASIER DONE. MY VISUAL SENSORS ARE ADVANCED BEYOND NORMALITY. X RAY IS BUT A FUNCTION MUNDANE. I ALSO HAVE THE BACKEND TEXT DETECTED.

  Sage

  Magnolia flipped the Photograph, revealing red writing that said “Meet me in the city of Katamuri in two weeks time, we’ll settle things there” signed as “Maxwell Mars, Werewolf”.

  Junias, putting his hands on his face and pulling down in frustration

  So… You’re telling me that not only is this Werewolf a giant murderous beast, but it’s also a former Inquisitor? And by the looks of it your friend?

  Ritter, avoiding eye contact

  If it calms your nerves, Maxwell wasn’t an amazing Inquisitor, average by any metric.

  Junias

  As a matter of fact, it does not. How do you know this guy anyway?

  Ritter

  He was… A mentor to me.

  Opera

  Junias began pacing back and forth like a prey animal, his nerves were strung as an overtuned instrument. Really? So this random Inquisitor is hunting his mentor? In Junias’s town? Junias had so many things he wanted to say yet none of them could quite break free from the newly formed torrenting stress and anguish he was feeling. So he simply settled on being as straightforward as possible, hoping clarity would be a lighthouse in this situation.

  Junias

  Alright, according to this photograph, you were to meet this man two weeks from when you received this, when was that?

  Ritter

  That was roughly thirteen days ago, I planned on patrolling through the city over a few days and seeing if I could find him. Mars always had a way to make mundane tasks into lessons, I assume almost certainly that he wants me to find him.

  Junias

  Alright. I tell you right now, if a single one of my people gets hurt, no matter what…

  Sage

  Junias leaned into Ritter’s face, although Ritter still ardently avoided looking at him, which frustrated Junias.

  Junias, squinting

  I will make sure you’re strung up by a tree. I may not be the political savant I once was, but I’ll burn every bridge, salt every garden, and expend any amount of social capital I can muster. Got It?

  Opera

  Ritter nodded, he didn’t take the threat even the least bit seriously, why would he? Plenty of people get hurt when they involve themselves in Orthodoxy matters. Why would he consider these Officers any different? Ritter got up and began to walk out of the building.

  Ritter, turning around slightly

  Before I go, where is your Hub? I need to update the map I have on my Holo Eye.

  Sage

  The Receptionist motions for Ritter to come over, when he does, she points towards a small glowing green pad that lights up in proximity to Ritter’s Holo Eye, instantly the Holo Eye begins flashing symbols and sequences of numbers. Had Ritter taken the time to learn his Holo Eye..

  Opera

  Well, rather if Ritter had any consideration at all, let alone to spare..

  Sage

  … Then he may have known what this meant, but he simply didn’t think it was worth bothering himself with such trivialities.

  Ritter

  Alright, I’ve hooked myself up to the NearWeb of Katamuri, I’ll ping you all when I am ready to patrol.Sage

  Ritter then walked out of the station, he let out a solemn sigh of relief, continuous social activity had been draining to him for so long. Ritter decided that first, he needed coffee.