Sarah and Shiro arrived outside the town of Selwyn with the sun shining behind their backs and a score of undead minions in tow.

They'd taken the wights with them in case they needed the extra manpower, but, as they hid within the treeline just out of view of the main gates, the two Revenants realized the wights more unwieldy than they originally thought.

"We can't just march up to the gates with the deaddies. That's how you spook Every and make him run away while we're searching," Shiro said with a sigh.

"So, then, what? Just leave them here for a ranger to bump into them?"

"Well, why not? It's not like they'll attack anyone unprompted."

"I guess," Sarah finally accepted. "I still think they'd be more helpful for if we sent them searching."

"Nah," Shiro said, shaking his head. "You're thinking too much like a knight. Every might be a noble, but he's been dealing with criminals for a while. So, find the criminals, find Every."

"Okay, then," Sarah said, sighing. "Should have just left the deaddies with the boss. He probably needed them more, anyway."

"Eh, who knows? Maybe we'll finish this with a full on civil war," Shiro chuckled. "You'll be happy we brought them if that happens."

Sarah shot him a glare. "Wars aren't funny," she said, voice hard.

"Sorry," Shiro replied with an embarrassed cough.

"Okay. Focus up, and let's find that weasel."

---

They had split up in an attempt to cover more ground, but for Sarah, at least, the search had proved fruitless so far.

Selwyn was a much larger town than her current home of Ravenrock. Where Ravenrock was mostly built of wood, Selwyn looked much like a miniature version of Ardenburg, mimicking its stone-heavy architecture.

Sarah passed under a tall arch, and just as she thought she saw a shadow at the edge of her vision, as soon as she turned her head to take a better look, it had scurried away into a side alley.

It wasn't the first time she'd barely missed some street kid sneaking about, and she was wary of trying to chase after them after she'd already been spotted. With her black, spiked armor glinting ominously in the mid-day sun, she wasn't anywhere near the image of stealth.

She released a frustrated grunt, stomping the ground angrily and sending a soft tremor around her. From a nearby stall, the elderly waif tending to it gasped in surprise as her wares trembled from Sarah's display.

Oops, she thought with some embarrassment. I really need to get used to that.

She'd gained so many stats during the battle for Ravenrock that she was still having trouble adjusting to her new strength. She'd already passed the limit of what a human was supposed to be able to do, and it didn't seem like the system would be putting an end to her growth any time soon.

She couldn't deny that it felt good, though. Every time she distributed a stat point, it came with a pleasant endorphin rush, like she could feel her muscles growing more dense and her limbs becoming limber. During the desperate melee in Ravenrock, she almost looked forward to killing the enemies, just for the experience they gave her.

She'd snapped out of it by the end, but it was a dangerous thing.

Returning her thoughts to the present, she once again began moving, keeping her eyes focused on the alleys she passed along the way.

Perhaps Shiro will have more luck.

---

At least, Sarah's luck is probably at least as bad as mine, Shiro mused as he once again tried, and failed, to keep track of the scamps running about the roofs.

Much like Sarah, the young man was still getting used to his gains from the last round of fighting -- he'd continued putting all his points in Constitution, and sometime after 40 points, the results had started to become visible to the naked eye.

He'd been a pretty scrawny kid before -- about what anyone would expect from a teenager with a helicopter parent controlling every aspect of their life. Now, though, he'd needed a new set of leather armor fitted just before they left, having filled up a fair bit by his reckoning.

This made him quite happy, as it would make his life's goal of acquiring a girlfriend much easier (or so he thought), but at the same time, it was proving to be hindering his ability to find thugs and whatever other criminals there were to find.

He didn't think the difference was that big, but people seemed to avoid his gaze and turn away nonetheless.

Shiro sighed, regretting not putting at least some of his points in Dexterity. He had managed to sight a few suspicious individuals, but he had no chance at catching them with his current speed. Perhaps if he'd stabbed himself for the burst of Strength...

Let's not instantly jump to self-mutilation, Shiro chastised himself. That can't possibly be healthy for you.

Deciding to call it a loss, he turned around to head to their designated meeting place. Even just throwing crumbs of bread to the pigeons would accomplish more.

---

"So, that didn't work," Sarah said, taking off her helmet.

"Nope," Shiro agreed.

"Any ideas?"

"Yup."

"Wait, really?" Sarah blinked in surprise. "That's unexpected."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shiro asked indignantly and shook his head at Sarah's angelic expression. "Anyway, just take off your armor."

"...what?" Sarah said with a frown.

"The classic solution to the problem. Play the damsel in distress."

"Oh..."

Sarah's frown deepened, immediately disliking the idea. It wasn't bad, not really. Maybe a bit cliche, but still a plausible one. No, what bothered her was that her armor had become a second skin to her, by now -- the idea of taking it off didn't feel right.

Taking a deep breath, she hesitantly agreed, "Okay. But you'll be following at a distance, alright?"

Shiro nodded, and Sarah straightened her left arm, using her right hand to touch on a runic inscription hidden on the inside of her left gauntlet. With a dark glow, the armor disappeared, leaving behind only a rune-inscribed dark metal bracelet around her wrist.

Seeing Shiro's bewildered look, Sarah snickered. "What, did you think the pocket dimension was for swords and games only?"

"Damn, that's not fair. Why didn't Boss get me something like that, too?"

"Oh, he doesn't know. He just let me decide what kind of armor I wanted, and since he wasn't gonna look at the bill anyway, the smith and I decided to go with the full bells and whistles."

Shiro snorted. "That sounds about right. Just don't publish a memoir and he'll never find out."

"Anyway, I can summon it back at will, so I'm not that worried, but do keep an eye out, okay?"

Shiro rolled his eyes in reply. "Armor or not, there's nothing here that can hurt you for real."

"Maybe, maybe not. You never know..." Sarah said, her voice muted.

---

Puck's day hadn't been very good so far. Actually, he would have gone as far as to say it was one of the worst in recent memory.

He had tried to do his usual Tuesday rounds up on East Side, but whenever he thought he spotted an easy enough target, he'd find the same deathly pale guy with murder in his eyes -- the Reaper, Puck called him in his head -- looking around like a hawk. Puck was pretty confident in his ability to pick pockets and swipe valuables from unsuspecting victims, but he wasn't going to try his luck with that monster prowling the streets.

After all, not eating for another day was preferable to dying.

He had reluctantly turned to the West Side, despite the richer of the two districts being jealously guarded most of the times. Today was no exception -- there were guards posted around every corner, and it had been an entire adventure for Puck to skate around them unseen.

And then, he'd almost run into the Bringer of Death.

He had expected the Bringer of Death to be taller than the one who restlessly paced the streets of Selwyn, but Puck knew better than to underestimate the armored figure. No one but a horror of the greatest proportions would wear armor as menacing as the Deathbringer's, and Puck could only imagine what monstrosity lived behind that helmet.

At one point, the Deathbringer had nearly spotted him -- he'd been foolish to think he could escape the gaze of the grave -- but he managed to duck behind a stall at the last moment. He'd been lucky the old woman who was tending to the stall didn't give him away -- he prayed the gods would bless her kind soul, for she surely saved his life in that moment.

But now, with the sun finally setting, it seemed the two monsters had gone to ground for the night, and to his great luck, an easy target passed right by his hidden nook under the roof! A young woman, with braided blond hair -- the gambeson and padded breeches gave him pause, but he couldn't afford to be picky if he wanted to eat today.

So, Puck waited with bated breath as the girl entered his alley, and as soon as she walked past him, he stealthily swiped at the heavy pouch of gold that clung to her belt.

Puck didn't even have the time to celebrate his success before he was forcefully shoved into the wall -- and then his world went black.

---

"Did you have to smack him so hard?" Shiro asked, eyebrows raised as he watched Sarah hold a sheet of cold metal against the boy's forehead.

"He surprised me!"

"Yes, that's how pickpockets work," Shiro explained as if talking to a young child.

Sarah made a familiar gesture with her free hand, shooting the other Revenant a contemptuous glare. "I don't see you helping."

"It's not like there's anything I can do until he wakes up," he said with a shrug.

The boy moaned in pain under Sarah's ministrations

"Hey. Hello, there," Sarah tried, moving the sheet of metal so that the boy could see. "Can you hear me?"

"Urgh," the boy grunted in lieu of a reply, and then he twisted to a side, coughing a wad of blood onto the ground.

"Congrats, you broke him," Shiro commented, moving to stand behind the boy and putting a hand on his back. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Ugh, yes..." the boy replied uneasily, straightening himself. He turned around, and his eyes went wide as he took in Shiro's form. "Oh shit, please don't kill me."

"Congrats, you broke him," Sarah echoed with a snicker, then smiled at the boy. "Relax, we just want to ask you a few questions."

The boy eyed her warily, taking a couple of steps away from Shiro, who raised his arms before him, soothingly.

"Right, questions. I'll tell you anything, just, please don't kill me."

"Okay, so, first, do you have a name?"

"Puck."

"Okay, then, Puck. We're trying to find whatever passes for a criminal in this town. Can you lead us there?" Sarah asked, making her voice as soft and nonthreatening as she could.

"Uh," Puck replied, hesitantly. "What?"

"Like, a Thieves' Guild or something? Or any kind of organized crime? An Assassins' Guild, maybe?"

"Uh," Puck repeated, "lady, there's no such thing."

"That can't be right. Is there no big boss of criminals around here?"

"No?" Puck tried. "It's just a bunch of people trying to make a living."

"No crews of bandits or thugs?"

"Used to be, but they're mostly gone, now."

"Shit," Sarah said, glancing at Shiro. "What now? This was your idea in the first place."

The boy shrugged. "I don't know. It's your turn to come up with an idea."

"Um..." Puck interrupted, "Can I ask why you're looking for criminals? Do you want to hire one? If you need a pickpocket, I can be of help!" he said earnestly, his declaration punctuated by a grumble coming from his stomach.

Sarah grimaced, shaking her head. "We don't need a pickpocket. We're just looking for a noble, Lord Every."

Puck's eyes lit up in frantic enthusiasm. "Why didn't you just say that? Everyone knows where Lord Every lives. It's at the governor's Manor. I can take you there myself!"

An uneasy look passed between the two Revenants as they realized the significance of the small boy's words.

"Wasn't the governor appointed by Count Malloc?" Shiro asked.

"Pretty sure he was, yeah," Sarah confirmed uneasily.

"Do you think the Count is in on it?"

"Maybe? Could be it is, could be it's not," she said with a shrug. "Won't know till we look into it."

"Hey kid," Shiro said, tossing Puck a gold coin, "since when is Every living with the governor?"

"Um..." the boy tilted his head as he tried to remember, "I think it was not long after the governor was appointed. So, maybe a month?"

Sarah smiled warily. "That doesn't sound too promising." She turned to the boy who was staring at the gold coin with wide-eyed wonder. "There'll be a few more of those for you if you can lead us to the manor. And maybe even more if you help us with some errands. You in?"

Forgetting all about his fear, Puck nodded vigorously, not daring to waste this opportunity. Quickly brushing the dirt off his clothes, he motioned for the two Heroes to follow and began walking towards the center of the town.