Denizens of the Night

Graham looked at his watch and was surprised to find out that it was already nine o'clock. He had lost track of time while reading and analyzing the information he got. The comfortable rocking chair also made it easier for him to get engrossed in his activity.

"Val, I didn't even realize that we've turned back into our original appearance," said Graham.

Graham closed the book and put it back inside the briefcase that was lying on the floor near him. After making sure it was securely zipped, he put it away and focused on his connection with the belt that he was wearing. The complicated pattern shone a little as felt the spirituality that the Purloin emitted.

"I, in the name of the Deity of Cunningness and Transformation, hereby change my whole being to that of Christian Barnhart!"

As he said that, his whole body transformed into that of the appearance of the thin worker. The pattern on Purloin also changed into something more complicated, which resembled interlocking ankhs and crosses.

"Val, I've successfully recorded Transformation in Purloin. The other ability is Order, so you can use both if you need to," he muttered thoughtfully.

Graham then looked at the floating fireball that was still burning in the air near him. It had kept him warm for more than two hours and he had started to feel his stamina being drained by the fireball. He would put it out once he finished with the divination he needed to do. He focused on it and asked a question in his mind.

'Where is Luuk van der Meer's current location?'

The floating fireball burned brighter and an image began to form from the core of the flame. It showed a relatively busy street with a lot of young people around. Luuk was among the people walking in the street leisurely although it was already somewhat late into the night. Graham recognized the street as Schoolstraat South where his university was located. After that, the image disappeared.

"It seems that he has just finished his classes. Let's go over there before he goes home. Val, you take over; you're much faster than me,"

Graham looked at the burning fireball floating next to him and chanted again.

"I ask that the flame disappear!"

Once he said that, the fireball became smaller and smaller as if someone was snuffing it out. It disappeared into thin air just seconds later.

Graham then leaned back in the soft and warm backrest of the rocking chair and closed his eyes. He didn't need to use Order on himself because he was in a comfortable position. It took him only less than three minutes to completely fall asleep and Valentine woke up not long after, still in the appearance of Christian Barnhart.

Valentine got up from the chair and check the briefcase. Although he knew the answer already, he was still disappointed to find that there was no leather jacket stuffed in there. He didn't really like wearing coats because it inhibited his movement, but he couldn't go out without it either because it was very cold outside.

"I guess there is no helping it," he said in disappointment and then took the coat from the rack, "Anyway, this body reeks of cigarette," he said as he smelled his new body odor.

He put the coat on without buttoning it so he could still move freely. After that, Valentine checked his gun and the bullets just in case. He then took his dagger that was hidden under his pants and slit his wrist to let the blood gather there.

"I, in the name of the Deity of Secrets, offer this blood as a medium,"

The blood emitted a faint yellowish mist that spread quickly to the surrounding area before dissipating.

"For I declare this place under the Shroud of Secrecy hereafter!"

There was a wave of silence for a split second and then everything returned to normal. The area was now within Valentine's anti-divination, so as long as he remained within a fifty-meter radius from the spot, divination shouldn't work on him. After that, Valentine chanted something else.

"I, in the name of the Deity of Secrets, hereby declare my presence a secret!"

A similar thin yellowish mist covered his entire body for a split second and then disappeared into thin air. Valentine's presence had now been concealed.

Once his preparation was done, he exited his hotel room. In the corridor outside, there was another person, a woman, who was also going out of her room. She quickly locked her door and walked downstairs without even looking at Valentine who was just a couple of rooms away from her. The creaking sounds of the stairs could be heard loudly as she stepped downward.

Valentine locked his own door and walked downstairs. He stepped very lightly to avoid the creaks but since he wasn't familiar with the place, he couldn't completely avoid the hot spots on the steps. He still created low creaking noises, although they were somehow muffled by something.

"This body's fitness level is terrible, G. I don't think I can fight my best using this. Maybe I'll just transform into that guy from the Police when we need to fight," he complained quietly.

Valentine arrived on the first floor soon after and noticed that the grandma receptionist was still smiling blankly. She must be sleeping again with her eyes open. The woman that had gone down earlier than he was still at the main door just about to exit.

It was still busy in the street so Valentine didn't have to worry about being ambushed. Although, them being there shouldn't be easily traceable in the first place. He walked quickly towards the location where Luuk should still be while skillfully avoiding bumping into people.

"That guy walks fast, so if we don't hurry, we might miss him. If he goes straight home, it will be troublesome," he muttered quietly while increasing his pace.

The thin body of Christian Barnhart was not suitable for traversing a long distance quickly like that. If it wasn't for Valentine's originally high stamina, he would have been out of breath now.

"This guy must be a heavy smoker. His stamina is really bad," he complained again.

After walking for more than five minutes, he finally arrived at Schoolstraat South. There were a lot of people gathered there, especially at the spot where the entrance to the University of Sloten's Medical Faculty was. The giant white building was towering high and cast its artificial lights to the surrounding area, illuminating it in the dark night.

Valentine quickly looked around to find his neighbor who should still not be too far from there. Luuk wouldn't recognize his current appearance, so he had to find him first. He then found the man not long after; he was sitting at a café with two other people, a man and a woman, who seemed to be his classmates. They were sitting in the outside area of the place, where they were allowed to smoke.

Valentine walked closer to where the three of them were sitting. The three people, seeing a stranger approaching them, got suspicious. They were squinting their eyes and were scanning Valentine from head to toe. He didn't pay attention to the other two and just stood right next to Luuk and looked at him right in the eye.

"Come with me for a second," he said coldly with Christian's high-pitched voice. His eyes glowed yellow for a second that was only visible to Luuk because of his position.

Luuk's expression showed confusion.

This man is a Contractbound! But who is he? He seems to know me. There are still a lot of people here so he wouldn't dare attack me in the open. I'll just follow him for now.

He nodded and stood up, following the man in the trench coat to the other side of the café that was less crowded. Valentine stood close to Luuk and spoke quietly.

"It's me, Hymes. I'm wearing a disguise right now,"

Hearing his words, Luuk showed an expression of someone who had got a revelation.

No wonder his coat looks very familiar. But how did he completely change like that? His new ability?

"Why are you wearing a disguise?" he asked curiously.

"I'll tell you later. Have you come home since this afternoon?" asked Valentine straight to the point.

Luuk felt that something was out of place about the person in front of him. That voice and that manner of speaking just didn't go well together. However, he didn't say anything about it. He just nodded.

"No, I haven't. Been at uni the whole day. Why?"

Valentine lowered his voice even more, almost whispering.

"Good. Don't come home tonight. My place has been compromised. They are watching the area. You should stay at a hotel or go to your friend's place for tonight,"

The look on Luuk's face showed disbelief and slight fear.

Compromised? By who? The Pale Society? How? I don't want to go home in that case; it will be too dangerous. And I can't sneak out late at night if I stay with my friend.

"I'll stay at a hotel then," he said finally.

"Good. Do you have the money? Stay somewhere near here. We can't be seen together either, so you shouldn't stay in Grotemarktstraat; that's where I'm staying," said Valentine matter-of-factly.

Cannot be seen together? Why?

Luuk began racking his brain.

Is it because they know that I live next door to the detective's office? Or do they already know about me? That's bad then.

"Okay. I'll stay somewhere here. I have the money, don't worry. What about our loots? They are in my apartment still. And won't it be suspicious if I don't come home tonight?" asked Luuk.

Valentine crossed his arms.

"They shouldn't know about you yet, so they won't be searching your room. As for you not coming home, it should be completely normal if it's just for one night. I'll think of something tonight," replied Valentine.

"If you say so," said Luuk. He still looked slightly worried.

Valentine looked over his shoulder and muttered quietly.

"G, that must be his first time experiencing something like this. I can somehow understand how he feels. Remember when a bunch of bullies told us they would wait for us in the street we usually took to get home? It must feel that way, but worse-- although in the end, we beat up all the bullies,"

He then turned back to Luuk, who was watching him.

"I'm leaving now. Go back to your friends. Don't worry, I have a way to locate you, so I'll come to you if something comes up,"

"Okay. Thank you for the warning," said Luuk.

Valentine then left while Luuk returned to his table. His friends had been watching the two of them talking and were very curious. They couldn't hear anything nor see Luuk's expression because he was standing with his back agaisnt them, so they couldn't guess the context. The other man's expression was just flat, so it was not helping either.

"Who was that? What were you talking about?" asked the woman.

Luuk, who had controlled his emotion, was now showing a normal expression. Although his heart was still beating faster because of anxiety, he still could manage it to some extent.

"It's my neighbor. He told me something was up at the apartment building I'm staying at, so I shouldn't go home unless I can bear with the noise," he said, coming up with a lie.

"So where are you going to stay tonight, then? You can stay at my place if you want," offered the man. His tone was genuine.

Luuk smiled and shook his head.

"No need. I'll just stay at a hotel. I'm rich, remember?" he said jokingly.

"Whatever you say, Young Master van der Meer," replied the woman.

The three of them let out a burst of laughter, which helped a bit with Luuk's uneasiness.

...

Inside an old apartment building, two cloaked figures were sitting on the second floor 'lobby' that was actually just a small corner space between the staircase and the corridor. There was only a single old sofa that looked worn already. Despite their suspicious getup, the people walking by didn't seem to notice them at all.

"It is definite that he is not returning tonight," said one of the cloaked figures with a calculating voice.

"Yes. That Police officer must have been him. Sometimes being too careful can be a flaw," replied the cloaked figure who seemed to be a woman with an intimidating voice.

"You are right, Fear. It is entirely my fault. We still cannot afford to be reckless, though. We don't want a frontal fight against the Police force," replied the man.

"That is also true. I hope Morbid doesn't get any trouble from the Police,"

"He is Morbid. You shouldn't worry about him," replied the man matter-of-factly.

The woman nodded.

"So what's our plan now? We've checked his apartment and there is nothing useful. If we had a Barghest, we could have used his clothes to track him by smell," she said.

"It wouldn't really work. Once he transforms into someone else, his smell will also change. Except if he doesn't change his clothes," explained the man, "We'll just have to wait here patiently. We've told Ghastly and Horror, so leave the tracking to those two maniacs. We must stick here together in case our Shroud friend decided to ambush us."

The two cloaked figures sat down in the dimly lit space in silence, watching both the staircase and the corridor. They were waiting patiently on high alert for their prey to show up.