Nargava closed his eyes and answered in a near whisper. “I loved my daughter.” Nick, Zem, and Bond headed deeper into the heart of the Garbage Heap after leaving Nargava’s clinic. “What business do you all have in this depressing place?” a timid-looking man wearing tattered clothing asked suspiciously. They had entered a spacious area that was free of graffiti and cleaner than Nargava’s clinic, despite its original intended purpose as a waste disposal site. No one used it as a stronghold, and for good reason—it had become a public cemetery and a morgue for the residents of the Garbage Heap. It was maintained out of the small amount of goodwill the people here had left. “Could you show us around? You’re the gravekeeper, aren’t you?” Nick asked. “This is no place for guided tours. You’ll upset the ghosts,” the man complained. “Ghosts are a type of monster. They will not appear in even the eeriest of graveyards unless there is mana present. Did you not know that?” Bond explained innocently. The man looked like he was on the verge of losing his patience. “That’s not what I meant. I just don’t want you to do anything that’ll get you cursed.” “Oh, that’s no problem. I swear we won’t,” Nick responded. “I swear as well. It is a good idea to be careful,” Zem said. “Very well. I will vow, too,” Bond said. The man they were speaking to was the gravekeeper. That might have made the place sound like a proper cemetery, but in truth, it didn’t resemble the ones built next to sanctuaries. The graves were nothing more than piles of wood and stones. The residents of the Garbage Heap paid him a small amount to help with burying the dead, chasing away crows and stray dogs, and taking care of the corpses until they were cremated. “Anyway, this is the grave we use for children who pass away,” the gravekeeper said, pointing at a waist-high stone. “There’s only one?” Nick asked. “We burn the bodies of children we don’t know the names of using Sacred Fire and add them to the same grave. I feel bad for them, but…what else can we do?” he responded, dropping his voice to a barely audible whisper at the end. Sacred Fire was a spell used to burn a body placed in an iron coffin and reduce it to bones. This was to avoid burying corpses that could potentially pollute the soil. It would be an efficient use of mana and time to regularly use this method to burn multiple corpses at once, but relatives of the deceased would never allow that at a normal funeral, even if it meant they had to pay a small amount of money to have their loved one buried alone. Dead bodies were only ever grouped together if many died at once because of an epidemic, natural disaster, or war, or if the dead had no family. “I just got a recently deceased girl, too. She hasn’t been cremated using Sacred Fire yet… It sucks being poor,” the man said. Nick, Zem, and Bond shared a look. They felt like they might have found a lead. Nick did his best to keep a straight face, not wanting to let his excitement show in a cemetery. “Really? Then please take this,” Zem said, taking a gold coin out of his wallet and giving it to the gravekeeper. The man made a troubled expression. “You have no reason to pay me if you don’t live here,” he said. “Do you not accept donations?” Zem asked. “I want your money, but if I got donations, the residents here would stop paying me. I’m grateful whenever people distribute food here or offer medical care, but we need to manage the cemetery by ourselves. Receiving outside help would only cause problems.” “Sounds rough,” Nick said, looking conflicted. “It’s not too bad. Father Nargava made my life easier recently by lending me a magic item.” “What kind of magic item?” “One that casts Chillwind. Corpses rot if you leave them out on hot days, so I use it to cool the air. They still need to be cremated with Sacred Fire as quickly as possible, though.” “Wow. He’s a charitable man,” Nick said, impressed. “The father lives here, so I have no qualms with relying on him. We have a give-and-take relationship—I can count on his support as long as he’s here, and he can count on me to dispose of the patients who die during treatment. That said, I won’t accept help from an outsider. The Garbage Heap would collapse if that cycle was broken.” “My apologies. I did not mean to upset you,” Zem said. The gravekeeper stared wistfully at the gold coin. “Gold coins sure are nice, though… The average coin just doesn’t shine quite like this.” He stroked it regretfully and tossed it back to Zem. The man was oddly both calculating and noble. Nick wondered if all gravekeepers were like that. “I have a question. Was the girl who just died a resident of this place?” Nick asked. “I think so. No idea who she was, though. I submitted a report to the Sun Knights and even they couldn’t figure it out. But if you ask me, I doubt the Steppingman is using this place to dispose of corpses,” he answered. “I suppose we were wrong,” Zem responded. “Yeah,” Nick said. They shared a dejected look. “But I am still glad we came. I would like to offer a prayer as we investigate. I am no longer a priest, but I still know the rites,” Zem said. “That’s fine with me, but… You’re adventurers, right? Or bounty hunters? I don’t know what you guys do for a living, but don’t try to rob any graves,” he warned. “Oh come on, man! Like hell we’d do that!” Nick yelled angrily. The gravekeeper looked like he was about to cry. “S-sorry. Grave robbers do exist, you know. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t give that warning.” “Oh, okay… Sorry for snapping at you.” “The corpses are placed in coffins and stored in that morgue. I’ll unlock it for you.” The gravekeeper pointed toward a small brick shed. It looked plain but surprisingly sturdy. The doorknob was held shut with giant chains and a lock. “Rich or poor, we all end up the same when we die…,” Nick muttered, and Bond nodded. Bond looked at the shed and strained his eyes. His detection ability was so advanced that as long as the structure was close enough, he could see through its walls. “There is a child’s corpse in there, just as the man said.” “Do you think she could be one of the abducted kids? The gravekeeper was pretty sure they weren’t,” Nick asked. “I do not know, either… What is the plan?” Bond responded. “I’d rather not have all three of us examine the corpse…,” Nick said. “I don’t want to as well, but it would be unfair to leave it entirely to Zem.” “I do not mind handling it, but… I am afraid the girl’s corpse may trigger my trauma,” Zem admitted. “I didn’t think about that… Well, there’s nothing for it. We’ll do it together,” Nick said. If the children the Steppingman was abducting were dead, they had to figure out how and why they were being killed, no matter how unpleasant it might be. They could even find a clue pointing to the criminal in the process. Nick understood that, but whether he could get himself to study the corpse of a child was another matter. “It’s not fair that Karan and Tiana get to miss this. Right, Bond?” Nick asked. “Nick. Something is wrong,” Bond said. “What is it?” He held up a finger and urged Nick to be quiet. “Hi-yah!” Someone swooped down at him from above with no warning, aiming to kick him in the head with what looked like the force of a falling boulder. “Wha…?!” Nick gasped, just barely dodging it. The assailant immediately hounded him with a ferocious string of attacks. They seemed to be barehanded, but their loose, long-sleeved jacket hid their arms completely. The hood of their jacket also concealed their face. They unleashed another blow that felt as fast as lightning. “Tch… Light Body!” Nick chanted, using the spell he had just learned. The assailant’s attack was so fast, he had no other choice. As agile as Nick was, he had to admit they were a more skilled fighter than he was. He reduced his weight right before the blow landed and used the impact to help propel himself backward. “Hmph… You must actually be the Steppingman if you can use that spell,” the assailant said. “Huh?! I’m the Steppingman? You’re the one sneaking around and hiding your face!” Nick fired back, suppressing his excitement at getting the spell right on his first attempt in battle. He kicked off a wall and jumped around like a grasshopper to confuse the enemy, then swung his dagger for a powerful blow from outside their field of vision. “Too slow!” “Wha…?!” The hooded figure thwarted his attack perfectly. They did not block his dagger with a blade or shield, but instead by wrapping their sleeves around Nick’s wrists like whips. The move rendered Nick immobile. “You look young. You would have had a bright future had you not chosen a path of evil. What a shame. Prepare yourself!” “Path of evil?! You’re one to talk! Wait a second, I’ve heard your voice before!” “Save your excuses for court!” The strange assailant assumed a fighting stance. Nick felt a sense of dread; his intuition told him they were preparing to attack with a strength he wouldn’t have thought possible, given their smaller stature. He was going to be badly hurt if the attack connected. Fortunately, Bond jumped between them. “Oh right, you have allies,” the assailant said. “Going after the leader first is not a bad strategy, but you should not have forgotten about us!” Bond shouted. He swung his sword down, but the assailant kicked him with the strength of an ax swing, knocking him out in one attack. Two more Bonds attacked them from the left and right; he had used his special move, Parallel, and had one copy of himself act as a decoy. Nick couldn’t believe what he saw next. “Parallel,” the enemy chanted, splitting into multiple bodies just like Bond. Their copy defeated the two Bonds in seconds, then disappeared. “Geez, that consumes a lot of mana without a contractor present… But I foiled the ace up your sleeve!” They once again assumed their fighting stance, preparing to hit Nick with everything they had. “Wait. I surrender,” Nick announced. “Huh?” the enemy said, confused. “I know you’re stronger than me. I admit defeat.” “That was surprisingly easy… Are you really the Steppingman?” “I think there’s a misunderstanding here… But this calls for an apology first.” “I don’t need one—,” the assailant said. “No, I’m not apologizing to you. We need to apologize to them.” “What?” Nick ignored the hooded person’s bewilderment and removed the cloth he was wearing over his face. The assailant tilted their head. “Umm… You’re Nick, right?” they asked. “Yeah.” “And just to make sure… Are you the Steppingman everyone’s been talking about?” “Of course not.” An awkward silence fell between them before the person realized their mistake and blushed deeply. “Ohhh! I was all ready to catch you after you chased me out of the guild! Whoops!” they shouted, removing their hood. It was Olivia, the magazine reporter who’d made a scene and fled from Manhunt. As Olivia held her head in her hands, two people Nick had been watching approach finally reached them. It was Zem and the gravekeeper. “What is wrong with you guys? Do you have rocks for brains? This is a cemetery,” the gravekeeper scolded, sounding fed up. “Sorry,” Nick said. “My apologies,” Zem said. “I am sorry,” Bond said. “I feel terrible,” Olivia mumbled. The four of them got down on their knees and apologized to the gravekeeper. “Don’t ever do that again! Stay on your knees and reflect on what you’ve done!” he yelled before walking away. Nick only stood up when the gravekeeper was out of sight. “Good call, Zem.” “It was nothing,” he responded. When the hooded figure, who turned out to be Olivia, attacked Nick, Zem quickly decided he would only get in Nick’s way if he tried to join the fight. As such, he went to get help instead. “It was painful turning my back on a party member, but there isn’t a more effective strategy than this when fighting a human opponent.” “Don’t worry about it. It all worked out in the end,” Nick said. The old Zem probably would have tried to assist Nick in combat by grabbing his mace or casting support magic. That would have been effective if they were fighting a well-known monster in a labyrinth, but a skilled human opponent would only find him too predictable and use him to hamper Nick. That was what happened the first time they fought the Steppingman. Faced with a similar crisis this time, it was clear what the best choice was. “The gravekeeper has a lot of influence here. He can ban you from the cemetery if you offend him, and harming him would make an enemy of everyone in the Garbage Heap. That would be problematic for both of us, I’m sure,” Zem explained. Olivia raised a hand as if in surrender. “That was a dirty move… But you are not trained in martial arts. You win.” “All right, let’s find somewhere better to talk. Who are you, anyway?” Nick asked. “I told you, didn’t I? I’m a magazine reporter,” Olivia answered. “Oh, please. Don’t play dumb.” “Umm… Don’t be scared, okay?” “Okay.” “To be perfectly honest, I’m a Steppingman. People called me that once in the past,” Olivia said shyly. “Excuse me?” Nick responded, unable to hide his surprise. “Don’t get the wrong idea. I have nothing to do with the one who has become known as a kidnapper. ‘Steppingman’ is essentially a nickname for mysterious people who jump across rooftops by night. It doesn’t refer to any one person.” “Huh… I had no idea. So there’s no guarantee that a former Steppingman is the same person as the kidnapper going around now.” Olivia giggled boastfully. “Being able to use Light Body makes you a Steppingman, too.” “This is the first I’ve ever heard of there being more than one,” Bond commented, sounding very interested. “Since I’m also a Steppingman—does that make us Steppingmen? Whatever—and even I have trouble using it sometimes,” Olivia said. “You weren’t the first Steppingman, were you?” Nick asked. “Nope. I learned Light Body from some training in the past, and one day I was spotted using the rooftops to flee from some trouble. People started calling me by that name after that. It was during the time of Labyrinth City’s third occult fad.” “Never heard of it… So is that why you ran from Manhunt?” Nick asked. Olivia laughed weakly. “You scared me. I didn’t expect you to correctly guess from out of nowhere that I’m a Steppingman.” “I didn’t actually know. I was just baiting you to see how you’d react.” “Oh man… I didn’t even need to run. I made all the guild employees mad. Can you come with me to apologize?” “That sounds like a pain… Just go to reception and tell them you’re sorry,” Nick said, looking annoyed. “Will that really work? I’ve been using my connections to find the current Steppingman and clear my name. Do you want to hear what I’ve learned?” Olivia asked. “Like what?” “Hmm… Have you fought the Steppingman directly?” “Yep.” “You can’t remember what they look like, right? There’s a reason for that—they’re using a magic item that prevents people from discerning their features. There’s a trick to dispel that, but you’ll have to pay up to hear it.” “You say their name. You can strengthen your senses and stop the phantom king orb from working if you figure out their identity.” “Grrr… How do you know that?! I only learned that after spending forever reading ancient texts!” Olivia whined, but Nick ignored her. “That trick is useless unless we have their name, though. That’s why we’re trying to figure out who they are.” “Hmm, that makes sense.” “I have a question. Why have you been spending so much time here?” “Because of something I heard from Nargava.” “You talked to him, too? Do you know him?” Olivia nodded. “I’ve spoken to him for an article before. You know how the people he’s unable to save are sent straight here? He asked me to protect them from any body snatchers in exchange for agreeing to talk to me.” “Body snatchers?” “Yeah. He said that a lot of kids have been getting abducted lately, and that the culprit might even go after dead bodies. He also told me they could use this place to dispose of their victims, and that I should be careful around any new faces.” “Hmm…” “And that gave me an idea: This would be the perfect hideout for a nasty crook like that. There would be no better place for this Steppingman. I thought I could catch anyone suspiciously loitering around here and clear my name by taking them to the guild. That’s two birds with one stone!” “Sorry for falsely accusing you.” “I’ve been waiting forever for a priest to come and perform Sacred Fire. But I couldn’t give up and go back to the guild without them trying to arrest me. Geez, I’ve never felt more like a Steppingman than I do now.” “I think I get the picture,” Nick said, nodding. “Hold on. We aren’t done here,” Bond interjected. “Why are you able to use Parallel?” “I could ask you the same thing. You can maintain it for much longer with multiple copies. That’s way more suspicious. It’s a really advanced ancient spell,” Olivia replied. “Grk.” Bond appeared to instantly regret his question. “Uh… I deciphered some ancient texts, I guess…” “That’s not something you can learn by just reading.” “Then why can you use it?” “We’re going in circles.” They both fell silent. “Let’s drop that topic!” Bond suggested. “Good idea!” Olivia responded cheerfully. “Hold on, guys,” Nick interrupted, unable to handle the hypocrisy. “Do you really want to leave it there, Bond?” “I’m fine with it. It’s water under the bridge, as far as I’m concerned. We seem to want the same thing.” “Yeah, let’s work together to catch the Steppingman!” Olivia said, pumping her fists in the air. Nick looked at her doubtfully. “What should we do, Zem?” he asked. “It sounds good to me. We could certainly use the help,” Zem replied, sounding surprisingly unconcerned. “Really?” “Olivia. You said you thought we were body snatchers or that one of us could be the Steppingman, right?” Zem asked. “Well, yeah.” “To tell the truth, we are here for the corpse in that morgue. We are hoping it will provide a lead in the search for the Steppingman. Would you like to clear your suspicion of us by investigating together?” “Huh?” Olivia said blankly. It seemed like she wasn’t expecting that. “You can watch us investigate the body to make sure we don’t steal it. You can even hold a weapon and attack us the moment you think we are doing something suspicious. Or do you always fight barehanded?” Zem asked. “W-wait a second! I, um…” Olivia looked at him, Nick, and Bond in turn. Zem’s expression didn’t change. “I was nervous about doing it with just the three of us. We’d appreciate the help,” Nick said. “Yes, having another person will make this much easier,” Bond added. They both looked like bad influences roping a friend into a dangerous activity. They entered the morgue, which was frigid because of the magic items being used to cool the air. The gravekeeper must have cleaned the shack regularly, as the inside was quite tidy. There was one coffin in the room. “I am going to open it,” Zem announced. He reached out and slowly slid off the lid to reveal the dead body of a little girl. Air even colder than inside the room gushed out—there were more magic items inside. “What do you see, Zem?” Nick asked. “Nothing unusual…,” he responded. He calmly inspected the body, his trauma not seeming to bother him. “Nothing at all? Seriously?” Olivia inquired. “Um… Yes,” Zem said. “Describe her face to me in detail,” Olivia requested. “There is not much to say… She has two eyes and a nose, just like anyone else… Hmm?” Zem tilted his head curiously. “Actually, something is strange. No one should look so ordinary.” “What’re you doing, Zem?” Nick asked. Zem finished examining the corpse and began to inspect the coffin. He lightly tapped the sides and felt around the lid. “Nick, can you help me lift her body? I want to look at the bottom of the coffin.” “Got it. Grab her legs, Olivia.” “Roger that,” Olivia responded. The two lifted her body. “…There it is,” Zem said, discovering something at the bottom of the coffin that was being hidden by the girl’s body. It looked like a wood chip but was actually some kind of gem. “What’s that?” Nick asked. It looked like a piece that had been broken off a circular gem. “That is another magic item,” Bond answered. “That’s right. I think it’s a fragment of a phantom king orb. It’s producing a weak illusionary effect to interfere with our perception. It must be part of the phantom king orb’s power,” Olivia added. “What?!” Nick shouted, shocked. “Similar to vessels, orbs are magic items that can be filled with mana. The mana held within can either be combined with another magic item to create a weapon or used to strengthen oneself… And there is also a third, forbidden use,” Olivia explained casually. “You mean breaking it like this?” Nick asked. “Bingo. You can break an orb into multiple pieces, but it will eventually lose its functionality. An orb can be refilled with mana and used again when it’s intact, but once broken, it can no longer receive mana.” “So you’d only use it that way if you don’t care about ruining the orb.” “An item as rare as a phantom king orb could sell for something ridiculous like one billion dina if unbroken. Who in their right mind would throw that away…?” Olivia mumbled in disbelief. “That means the one the Steppingman is using now has an expiration date. Do you think it’ll stop working soon?” Nick asked. Olivia shook her head. “No. It’ll become a useless stone eventually, but the mana won’t run out for a while. It could last from six months to a year if the culprit is conservative with it.” “Guess it wasn’t gonna be that easy…,” Nick muttered. “The orb is important, but let us think about the girl first,” Zem said. Nick and Olivia agreed. “The gravekeeper mentioned that even the Sun Knights could not figure out her identity. I think we can now assume the orb fragment is responsible for this.” “Yeah. The question is, why would the Steppingman do this? And who is this girl? She’s not just some nobody,” Nick said. “Exactly,” Zem agreed. “Man, this orb has been such a pain in the ass,” Nick cursed. They all looked at the girl. She had a perfectly generic human face, but such a thing should not exist. That could only mean one thing—the orb fragment was erasing the girl’s defining features from their memories. It felt unspeakably cruel. “I’m going to destroy the fragment. That should cause its minimal magic effect to vanish,” Olivia said. “Go ahead,” Nick responded. Olivia squeezed her hand to crush it. As soon as she did, the girl’s features and body started to become more defined. She had long and sleek blond hair and was wearing a dress that was too elegant for a commoner. She looked like a lower-ranking noble or a merchant’s daughter. It was clear she wasn’t a resident of the Garbage Heap. “Let’s figure out who she is,” Nick said, gently patting the girl’s head. The Survivors once again gathered at Anemone Alehouse. Ada and Redd were there, but Reina was not, given the late hour. “How in the world did you end up using this place as your base?” Olivia asked in disbelief. She had joined them as well. “Don’t worry about it. It’s no weirder than you working as a magazine reporter,” Nick replied crankily. “You all look exhausted,” Tiana said. Nick sighed loudly in response. “Exhausted doesn’t begin to describe it. We just went through a lot.” “Yeah, it was terrible!” Bond exclaimed. They both pouted and leaned back against the sofa. Tiana gave a strained laugh and turned to Zem. “Was it really that bad?” she asked. “I suppose it was…,” he said with a wry smile. His voice oozed fatigue. “What’d you guys do, Tiana?” Nick asked. “We went over the information on the missing children again. We asked Reina for more details and got the guys at Manhunt to help us out,” Tiana responded, producing a stack of papers. She had compiled detailed data about the missing children, including their names, appearances, and when they had possibly disappeared. She had also summarized the information Ada had uncovered about the Steppingman’s movements. “I’m impressed you were able to make these documents without anyone teaching you how… You’re a natural bounty hunter,” Nick complimented. “She was amazing. Everyone at the guild admires her and calls her Lady Tiana. They all helped her gather information,” Karan said. She and Nick looked at Tiana with awe. “What do you mean, I’m a ‘natural’?! And I’m not a noble anymore!” Tiana shouted. “You just have an aura that demands respect. Anyway, I have something I wanna show you. Are you ready, Bond?” Nick asked. “Almost… There we go,” Bond said as he finished drawing a picture. It was a sketch of the little girl they’d found in the morgue. “Wow, you’re good at drawing… Do you moonlight as a courtroom sketch artist?” Redd asked. “Hmm-hmm, this is child’s play,” Bond responded with a boastful smile. He continued to touch up the drawing. “Can you add color, Bond?” Tiana asked. “I don’t have any paint.” Redd stood up and addressed the bar’s employees. “Hey, does anyone have paint? Lipstick might work. No, that would be a waste. Oh, you have tattoo ink? Can you draw with that?” The workers searched the bar and fished through their bags. One of them who painted for a hobby generously lent Bond the tools he needed. Bond’s androgyny made him very popular at Anemone Alehouse. “Okay… This is what she looked like. She had long and straight blond hair, slim yet strong eyebrows, pale skin, and a mole on her neck,” Bond said after adding color to the sketch, making it look even more realistic. Tiana studied it seriously and shuffled through her pages on the missing children. “…She could be Martha Canning. She was born into the family that owned Canning Company, which operates an armor store on Blacksmith Street. She was ten years old. She had long blond hair, a mole on her neck, and a burn mark on her left wrist. She had a habit of stealing, despite her family’s wealth, leading to two arrests by the Sun Knights for pickpocketing. She had an argument with her parents one month ago after they told her to leave a group of petty thieves, after which she ran away and never returned. This was not her first time running away, so her parents assumed she was at a friend’s house and were late submitting a report to the Sun Knights,” Tiana read aloud. “Zem, did she have a burn mark?” “Yes, she did. This means that one of the missing children was placed in the morgue in the Garbage Heap,” Zem said. “So there’s no doubt the Steppingman is in the Garbage Heap?” Tiana asked excitedly. Zem’s expression had turned grim, however. “Does something feel off to you?” “No, quite the opposite. This discovery actually narrows the list of suspects considerably,” Zem said. “Do you mean…?” “Yes. I believe I know who the Steppingman is.” Everyone in the room stared in wonderment at Zem. “Who is it?” Tiana asked. “I could tell you now, but… Would you help me find some more evidence first? There’s still some information I’m missing to truly back up my reasoning,” Zem asked. “Why not just tell us? Well, whatever. We’ll help if you think it’s necessary,” Tiana said. “It’s time to catch the Steppingman,” Nick said. “Yes, we are almost there,” Zem responded quietly, his expression still grave. “Let’s figure out a strategy to capture them. I’m tired of watching that bastard damage the roofs,” Nick said. “Maybe you could convince the landlords around here to give you a reward if you catch ’em,” Ada suggested jokingly. “Now you’re talking,” Nick responded with a laugh. “It’ll be difficult to keep up with the Steppingman, though. They jump like a rabbit. You’ve learned how to use Light Body, but they’re still better,” Karan said. “I don’t expect to be better than a pro like them after a week of practice. But I have a plan,” Nick responded. “What kind of plan?” Ada asked. “So far we’ve only fought the Steppingman in places where they can move freely, which made escape easy for them. So we’re gonna change our approach. We have to pick a place that’s advantageous for us but disadvantageous for them.” Nick smiled viciously. “Let’s finish this.”
Chapter 54
25 min read