Koyuki, the Necromancing Foxkin

Sadly it took a day to get everything organised. Then, on Venday, everything was ready. I was excused from my classes for the day, so were my friends.

In the morning we were met by Colonel Duncan, a royal investigator. I had not seen him in a while. He was accompanied by a small squad of soldiers.

"Ah Koyuki, it has been a while." He greeted me with a smile.

"Sir." We saluted.

Then Skadi bowed. "Sir, your antidote saved Cassie's life. I am in your debt."

"Oh, thank you, sir!" Cassie bowed too.

"Ah, I have heard about that incident. You are welcome." He replied. "It's good to meet you, Skadi, Cassie and Helena. I have heard a lot about your group's exploits. And it's nice to meet Hatsumi and Kaito as well."

Hatsumi curtsied and Kaito gave a small bow.

"I must ask though, why a maid and a butler outfit? Are you not participating in any potential combat?" Duncan inquired.

"I do not possess any armour or weapons." Kaito replied. "However, my magic, or rather my inborn power, can be quite deadly. While this outfit does not provide any assistance it shall not hinder my effectiveness."

"While proper armour would be beneficial we are quite sturdy, being undead." Hatsumi added.

Sadly I could not afford a good set of armour for them. However, Hatsumi could have borrowed a chain shirt from the academy. Kaito actually had an excuse since there was no armour for goblins. While dwarves were similar in height they were a lot sturdier.

"If I may ask a question." Kaito began and Duncan nodded. "What is a royal inquisitor doing here? The theft of an Iron Beak should not rank highly enough for your presence, even if the heir to a duchy is involved."

"You are not wrong, ordinarily this would be a local issue. However, I have been involved in a lot of the investigations surrounding Koyuki. And I have been recently looking into the incident concerning Karl Hickley. He was a noble and an officer, the royal inquisition tends to get involved in such cases." Duncan replied.

He had not directly answered the question, I noticed. Maybe he knew something about this case we did not? Or he suspected a larger organisation, like the Brotherhood, was involved. In any case, I trusted him, that was the important part.

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"Now, about the mission. We are going to the guard headquarters. A tracking spell has been prepared there. Hopefully the culprits are not too far from the city, ideally somewhere surrounding it. We have a few fast horses prepared for our pursuit. However, if they have moved too far away we might have to reevaluate. I can't keep you all away from the academy for too long." Duncan said.

"Sir, I have a small army of undead goblins I could provide." I offered.

"Ah, we shall see about that. If the thieves are close you might bring them. I would much rather use disposable troops than risk good soldiers." He replied.

And then we were off. For now I only had my tier three's, Frank and Chariot with me. The cats were all on his back in a box again. Strangely, nobody commented on it. I guess the cats were well known by now. Also, they looked a lot less intimidating than the other undead.

At the guard headquarters Colonel Duncan led me to a small room. A man was inside, wearing the uniform of a captain. He was lounging on a plush chair, next to a small table. On the floor was a circle filled with runes I could not identify. He had short red hair and a small scar on his chin. He nodded at Duncan.

"This is Captain Connor, he is our tracking mage. He is an expert in the field and will find the missing Iron Beak." Duncan introduced him.

"Sir." I saluted.

"So, you are the famous necromancer?" He said, studying me. "I wonder what we will find."

"Koyuki, please step into the circle. He will pierce the masking spell." Duncan said.

I nodded and stepped inside. If I had not known Colonel Duncan I would have been suspicious. Especially since my friends waited outside the small room.

Captain Connor stood up and approached me. Then his eyes started glowing orange. The runes on the floor began pulsing in a grey light. I simply stood there, studying my links. Slowly I could feel one of them becoming a lot clearer.

"Got it." Connor said. "It's… give me a map!"

"It's right there." Duncan pointed to a map of the country that hung on the wall.

"No, of the city!" Connor replied.

Duncan opened the door. "Fetch us a map of the city."

"Sir, don't you need me to follow the link?" I asked.

Duncan smiled. "No. He is an expert tracker. He did not just pierce the masking spell, he also tracked that undead, through your link. It is not an easy task but I do have access to a few more resources than the normal city guards."

It became clear that they suspected something larger than a curious thief.

Soon a soldier returned with a map from the city. Duncan placed it on the small table. Connor studied it. His eyes were still glowing.

"There." He said, pointing at something. I was too far away to see it.

"Are you sure?" Duncan asked.

Connor snorted and flopped onto the chair. "Of course I am sure."

"Hm…" Duncan looked at me. "I suppose we will use your undead." Then he walked towards the door and asked my friends and undead to enter. They all piled into the small room.

"Don't worry about the runes on the floor, you can step on them. The spell has been completed." Duncan said.

Once everyone was here and the door was closed he began: "Ever since the attempts on Koyuki's life started, it became clear that there is a problem within Lupos. While the Ilestrian agent has been dealt with, she certainly had help from somewhere. And she was far from the only problem. The adventurers guild is involved in shady dealings and the Brotherhood is getting bolder. Some parts of the military are compromised and vampiric nightshades still plague the kingdom. That the Iron Beak is still inside the city is what I had hoped for. We don't know who is behind the theft but whoever stole it was a capable mage, that masking spell was not simple. If they have a base in the city I want it. We strike quickly, without the use of regular soldiers. I have made sure that most people think we are looking outside of the city."

"Where are they hiding, sir?" I asked.

"A shop called Alchemical Perfection." Duncan replied.