Ch 38: The Mystery in Our Town

Toshley's Insta-part Machine breaks down, and in need of one more part, the repair team heads to the craftsman's city, Verrel. In the midst of shopping, Rufus is drawn by the call of a newspaper boy.

            Dreamer’s Woods. Monday July 23, 520NA. Standing outside the crashed Audentia with the rest of the repair team, the day halfway over and the sun starting to set, as Toshley broke the bad news, Ace exclaimed, “Broken?! Whaddya mean it’s broken?! We only need one more part!” In frustration, Toshley replied, “I’ve never had to use my Insta-part Machine constantly like this! Almost all the repairs so far required unique parts that were out of stock!” Turning away from him, Ace walked off in the direction of the tower as he muttered, “Great. I guess I’m gonna take a break then.” 

Sitting against the side of the airship resting, Ian sleeping atop his hat, Rufus said, “So now what are we gonna do?” Turning to Toshley, Schmitt bluntly asked, “Can’t ya just fix this Insta-part doohickey?” Puffing up his chest indignantly, Toshley replied, “Can I fix it?! CAN I FIX IT?! Just who do you think you’re talking to?! Of course I can!” Getting up, Rufus stretched and said, “Guess we can all take a few hours off while he does that then!” Deflating quickly, Toshley mumbled, “Actually it might take several days…” Scratching his head a moment, Schmitt frowned and said, “That there’s a big setback, not that we got much choice.” 

Getting an idea, Rufus said, “Hold on, didn’t Alexander say something about a town where we could pick up some parts?” Nodding so enthusiastically that it was comical, Dewie exclaimed, “Oh yeah, yeah, yeah! Verrel!” Remembering as well, Schmitt said, “Hey, that’s right! Just where is this place though?” Furrowing his bushy brow in thought, Toshley said, “Verrel is the craftsman’s city, located in a crater in the mountains near the Barrier Marsh. To get there from here, you’d have to cross the bridge connecting Mystic Isle to the continent of Lacra, then head south along the road through the marsh until you reach the crossroad, and from there you just head along the road leading up towards the mountains. It’s a halman city though, and considering you all aren’t of their preferred pedigree, they may refuse to do business with you.” 

Momentarily imagining such a journey, Rufus said, “I dunno about this… Plus, how do we know they even have the part we’d need?” Almost immediately, Toshley said, “Oh I’m sure they do, it’s actually a rather commonly used part in many devices and vehicles. The only reason I’m out of them is because I’d been tinkering with this wonderful little hover barge awhile ago. Most of my fellow Observers just don’t understand the joys of fixing up something with your own two hands, I mean it’s just so interesting, so exciting, so...” Halting his rant, Schmitt said, “Hate to cut ya short here Toshley, but right now we still got ourselves a job to do. Let’s get our asses over to Verrel and get us some parts!” Gesturing for him to wait, Toshley quickly said, “Hold on now, on foot it’d still take more than a whole day to get there and back! I can’t transport the lot of you there either, it would put me at risk of being discovered and subsequently stripped of my powers. I think we ought to see Claire about this.”

            Sitting at the table on the first floor of the Seeker’s tower, as Claire served him a cup of tea, Ace said, “Uh, thanks.” With a warm smile, Claire said, “Not at all.” Taking a seat and pouring a cup for herself as well, the two sat there drinking in silence for awhile. Finally, Ace said, “Never really thought I’d actually meet the Seeker.” Setting down her cup, Claire quietly said, “I can’t apologize enough for what your people suffered through on my account.” Smirking casually, Ace said, “Nah, I don’t really care about that. I ain’t gonna hold a grudge about something that happened that long ago, especially something I didn’t have nothing to do with. I was just thinking how damn crazy my life’s become lately for me to wind up here.” Chuckling to herself, Claire said, “I suppose saving the world is a bit outside the job description of your average circus performer. Does it bother you all that much?” 

Shrugging his shoulders, Ace said, “I ain’t got much to worry about, all I’m doing is fixing their airship and any other grunt work the boss volunteers me for. It’s the same old story really.” As he started to take another sip of his tea, Claire had a knowing smile on her face as she said, “You moan and complain, but when it comes down to it… you really enjoy your work, don’t you Ace?” Ace coughed as he choked on his tea in surprise, and at that moment the door to the tower opened and Schmitt, Toshley, Dewie, and Rufus stepped inside. Seeing them all, Claire smiled at them and said, “Did you figure out what to do with the airship? Ace tells me you need more parts.” Beaming back at her, Schmitt said, “That there’s just what were comin to talk to ya about!”

            Once Schmitt explained the situation, Claire said, “Well, it’s no trouble if you want a portal to Verrel, but do be careful. You mustn’t let anyone know you’re with Angelorum Lux, not with the way things are right now.” Flashing a grin and a thumbs up, Rufus simply said, “Got it, incognito is my middle name!” Rising from his chair, Ace said, “Let’s get it over with then. Dewie, you stick around here and keep an eye on the ship.” With a comic salute, Dewie said, “Okeydokey, dokey, dokey!” Getting up from her chair as well, Claire said, “One moment Ace. If you’re going, we’ll have to give you a bit of a disguise. Because of Gatria, demonfolk won’t be very welcome in a halman city.” Adjusting his spectacles as he looked at Ace, Toshley said, “Curious, I didn’t even realize he was a demonfolk.” Turning to glare at him, Ace said, “Shut it you old geezer!” Puffing up indignantly, Toshley responded, “How rude!” 

Ignoring Toshley as he fumed, Claire raised a hand at Ace and a brief flash like that of a camera emanated from it. Blinking, Rufus asked, “What was that crazy flash just now?” Seeming quite pleased with herself, Claire replied, “Just a little disguise for Ace.” Looking himself over, Ace said, “Nothing feels any different.” Schmitt chimed in, “Sure don’t look any different either.” With a nod, Claire said, “That’s right. While he may appear the same, the spell I cast will prevent anyone from realizing he is a demonfolk. You all of course are unaffected, since you already know.” Reaching into her clothes and withdrawing a coin purse, Claire offered it to Ace and said, “You’ll of course still need the proper funds. I hope this will cover it.” Taking the coin purse and looking inside, Ace let out an impressed whistle and said, “Yeah, that’d cover it ten times over! Some of these coins are worth what I make in a week…”

            All appearing in a vast flower field, situated on a large plateau overlooking the craftsman’s city of Verrel, Rufus and the others were distracted for a moment by the beautiful surroundings, Rufus pulling out his camera as he exclaimed, “Whoa! What is this place Claire? It’s awesome!” While Rufus started taking pictures, Ian leaping off his hat in an attempt to pounce a butterfly, Claire took a look around as well and said, “It is pretty isn’t it? I don’t know if people still come here these days, but a long time ago it was known as Roselle’s Garden.” Taking a deep breath, Schmitt said, “The air here’s real nice too! Wouldn’t mind having a picnic here someday, but this here’s no time to stop and smell the roses.” Starting off towards a path leading down the mountain to Verrel, Claire said, “Yes, unfortunately I can only leave the tower for an hour before I must return. If we hurry, we should be able to find what we need by then.” 

Following after her, Toshley said, “Hohoho, I’m so excited! I haven’t actually gone and taken a firsthand look around Verrel in ages!” Behind him, Ace muttered, “Didn’t she just say we’re in a hurry?” Noticing Rufus lagging behind taking pictures, Ace shouted, “Hey, c’mon! We’re gonna leave you behind!” Taking one last picture, Rufus turned to go, but paused as something caught his eye. Looking back, he gazed across the flower field a moment, thinking, “Did I just imagine it? I could’ve sworn I saw someone just now.” Then he heard Ace shout, “Hey, are you deaf?! Get your a*s down here!” Rufus took one last glance and rushed off, Ian hurrying after him. Watching him go, a ghostly figure thought, “Could he see me…?”

            Approaching Verrel, as Rufus surveyed it with the zoom function of his camera, he exclaimed, “Wow, so this city has some kinda roadway built up on top of it?!” Enthusiastically, Toshley answered, “Verrel is a city built with a number of technological marvels, most notable of which is the hover vehicle highway suspended above the city. The highway exits at all of the key sections of the city, and in the sales district, known far and wide as the Tinkerer’s Exchange, once you get off the highway there are large parking lots to store your vehicle while you either walk or ride the city’s hover trolley system to your destination. I truly consider it a stroke of genius! I mean, it might seem more practical to just drive through the streets in your own vehicle, but then pedestrians have so much traffic and all sorts of terrible accidents to deal with!” 

Finally reaching the city gates, they stepped through into the Tinkerer’s Exchange and made their way down the road. Lined with shops, the buildings were all constructed with wood and steel, some even looking as though their walls were made with sheets of metal held on by large metal rivets. Decorative gizmos and gadgets whizzed and whirred in windows and on shop signs, and as he looked around, Schmitt saw a large vehicle coming their way. Filled with people and sporting a red and silver paint job, it was a trolley consisting of cars that looked like hover barges with a flat decks surrounded by guard rails. Pointing at it, Schmitt said, “Hey, it’s the trolley! Wonder if we can get a ride!” Schmitt made an attempt to flag it down, but Toshley simply said, “It has designated stops I’m afraid.” 

Ignoring Schmitt, the trolley passed on, and slightly disappointed, he muttered, “Ah well…” Then, just loud enough for them to hear, a passerby said to his companion, “Hah! They actually thought the trolley would stop for halfbreeds like them?” Fidgeting with his spectacles angrily, Toshley stared after them and muttered, “How rude! Halmans these days, it’s so rare to meet any with the slightest bit of decency.” Picking Ian up and placing him back on his hat, Rufus said, “We’ll be in trouble if all the shopkeepers act like that.” With an encouraging smile, Claire said, “We’ll figure something out.”

            Browsing several shops with no luck, as they all were looking for another shop, Rufus suddenly heard someone call out, “Extra, extra, read all about it! Today’s headline, The Mystery in Our Town! Buy a copy and find out what our top reporters have found out about the recent string of mysterious disappearances!” Stopping in his tracks, Rufus turned to see a newspaper stand across the street, and he thought, “Oh wow, Verrel has its own newspaper?! I can’t miss this!” Seeing him lagging behind, Claire said, “Something the matter Rufus?” Turning to her with a gleam in his eye, Rufus asked, “Claire, can I have a coin to go buy a newspaper from the stand over there? Please? Reading a newspaper from another world, it’d be like a journey to the moon for me!” 

Hearing this, Ace turned and said, “Don’t be stupid, we aren’t gonna waste money on-” He was stopped short as Claire simply said, “Sure!” Standing there with his mouth hanging open for a moment, Ace finally let out a sigh and muttered, “Well, it is her money…” Taking out the coin purse, he withdrew a single copper colored coin and handed it to Rufus, who took it and hurried off towards the newspaper stand. Seeing him coming, the brown haired halman newsboy said, “What, you want a paper? Well, it’s not like it matters to me as long as you can pay for it.” Rufus offered the coin, and taking it, the newsboy quickly handed him a newspaper and said, “There you go. Now scram, before you get me in trouble here.” Rufus returned triumphantly with the paper, and as he was unfolding it to start reading, Ace said, “There’s another shop over there.” Looking up from the paper to see him pointing to a shop on the corner of an upcoming intersection, Rufus said, “You guys go ahead. I’ll just wait outside.”

            As the others went inside, Rufus sat down against the metallic wall of the building and took a look at the front page of the newspaper, Ian leaping off his hat and sitting down beside him. The front page had a large picture of a young woman with dark skin, purple hair tied back in a small pony tail, and eyes like pink roses. She wore a long purple dress with a matching flower brooch clipped onto the front of it and a set of purple gloves, and in her hand she carried a violet colored parasol. Staring at her a moment, Rufus thought, “She’s pretty! She doesn’t have halman ears either, so she must be a half halman. Is she one of the people who went missing?” Turning his gaze to the article itself, Rufus read it silently. 

“Recently new details have been brought to light about the string of mysterious disappearances that some people have been claiming to be the work of a witch who lives somewhere in Roselle’s Garden. While authorities have insisted these rumors are, to quote Captain of the City Guard Falmer Zurren, ‘a load of nonsense’, the recent release of a full list of the missing persons hints otherwise. While several mountain climbers have gone missing as well, a large majority of the missing people are surveyors under the employ of the Airship Research and Development Institution, which had announced plans to construct a new facility dedicated to flight testing over a large portion of Roselle’s Garden. While we were unable to get a statement from the institution, a recent tip from an informant who asked to remain anonymous has raised the question once again as to whether this is truly the work of a witch. Having been photographing the scenery of Roselle’s Garden in order to preserve its memory before construction begins, the informant was stunned to find in several of his pictures a young woman, whom according to the informant, had not been there at all. The picture displayed above is the very same picture the informant showed us, and despite launching a widespread manhunt across the city, none of our reporters could gain any information regarding the identity of the person in the photo.” 

Looking up at the photo again, Rufus frowned from disappointment as he thought, “What is this, a tabloid?! An anonymous tip, an unconfirmed photo, just where’s the proof?!” Folding the newspaper up, Rufus thought to himself, “Still, it really sucks that Roselle’s Garden is gonna be turned into some testing facility. That place was really pretty…” Remembering the photos he’d taken, Rufus grabbed his camera and started looking through them in the photo viewer, thinking sarcastically, “Who knows? Maybe I caught the witch myself!” Continuing to look through the photos as he chuckled to himself, as he neared the end of the reel, he suddenly dropped the camera with a yelp, startling Ian beside him as well. His hands shaking, Rufus picked up the camera, thinking, “I… I must have just imagined it! Yeah, that’s it!” Taking a look at the photo viewer again, Rufus’s eyes went wide as he choked, “She’s… still there!” Showing up clearly in his photo viewer, the same woman from the newspaper looked back at him with a sad look in her eyes.

            Starting to calm down, as Rufus continued to stare at the image in the photo viewer, he thought, “Well, she doesn’t really look like an evil witch. In fact, she looks kinda… sad…” Taking another look at the picture in the newspaper, he noticed the same sad look. Scratching his head, Rufus wondered, “But then just who is making people disappear?” Unable to shake the thought of the sad young woman, at last Rufus rose to his feet with a cocky grin and exclaimed, “Ok! If no one else can solve this mystery, then I, Ace Reporter Rufus Lenscap, have no choice but to...” Opening the door of the part shop and stepping out, Ace overheard some of Rufus’ declaration and said, “What are you going on about now?” Turning in his direction with a look of embarrassment just as everyone else exited the shop as well, Rufus laughed nervously and said, “Oh, hi guys… You get the part?” 

Holding up a plastic bag, Schmitt laughed his hearty laugh in triumph as he said, “Mission accomplished!” Picking up Ian and his newspaper, Rufus thought, “Oh well, it looks like I won’t be able to do anything about this after all.” Seeing him pick the newspaper up, Claire asked, “How was the paper Rufus? Did you find it interesting?” Nodding, Rufus said, “More than I thought, though it’s really weird…” Blinking in surprise, Claire said, “How so?” Offering the newspaper to her, Rufus said, “It’s an article involving disappearances. People think it’s a witch who lives in that flower field, Roselle’s Garden.” With a slight laugh, Ace said, “Sounds more like a tabloid to me.” As Claire took the paper, Toshley said, “Roselle’s Garden… Now that I think of it, I heard a story once about something that happened there before Verrel was built. Oh fiddlesticks, if only I could remember!” Taking a look at the front page of the paper, as Claire saw the picture, she whispered, “You foolish girl…”

Author's Note

The chapter title, "The Mystery in Our Town", is once again inspired by the Touhou project. Much of this small arc was inspired by an idea I had while looking at the song title, which is identical to the chapter name. It contains nothing all that similar to anything related to the song though, the title itself just inspired me somehow.