The late night of Arkham brought a peace the bartender of Tiller's Tavern savored. Cleaning up after the patrons' messes and sweeping the floors was therapeutic for her. Thunder rumbled around her as she wiped the tables with a wet rag. She wondered about the two ladies who took that carriage to Innsmouth. Though she knew they both had business in the ancient town, she could not understand why they would still go with its reputation and the rumors circling about. She shook her head, knowing it was none of her business. She already warned them enough, all she could do was hope they took the advice. Her ears were alerted to the ringing of the bell above the entrance.
"Sorry, we're closed."
She heard the heavy footsteps of boots tapping against the floor. A woman stepped into view under the dim glow of the candlelight. The first thing the bartender noticed was her long, light pink hair running down her back, the scarlet eyes that looked back at the bartender, and her pale skin that could be seen even in the darkness. She wore a coat and a dress, both as black as the night. Despite the peculiar appearance of the woman, the bartender stood unfazed. The only thing that concerned her was the long scythe resting behind her back, it's blade shining in the light of the ember of the candle.
"Didn't you read the sign?" the bartender asked.
"I need information," the woman said.
"Information, huh?"
"A woman by the name of Amelia Watson came by your place earlier. Am I right?"
"The detective? You know her?"
"Do you know where I can find her?"
"Sorry, but my customer's business ain't my business."
The woman sighed and approached the bartender. When they were close to each other, the bartender realized how tall the red-eyed woman was compared to her. She could feel the air chill in the room.
"I guess I have no choice," the woman said, staring into the eyes of the bartender.
The bartender's vision began to blur in and out and she felt sluggish, dropping her broom and taking a seat on one of the stools. When her vision returned to normal, she looked up at the woman with an empty stare.
"Now will you answer my questions?"
"Yes," the bartender gave a slow nod.
"Very well," the pink-haired woman crossed her arms under her chest. "Tell me everything that happened when Amelia Watson showed up."
Mr. Clark turned to Amelia. "W-who's your friend?"
"She's-"
"Amelia Watson," the detective interrupted, "I have some questions to ask."
The man turned to Emma, who nodded. "Well then have a seat, this might take a while to explain." He took another sip of his drink, downing it in one gulp and slamming the glass on the table. "This might be of some use to your investigation, detective."
"Go ahead," Amelia took out her notepad and pen.
"It all started when I arrived in town after the Corporation sent me here. The first thing I could remember was that god-awful stench that you could smell anywhere. Sometimes it got so bad I almost passed out. The locals didn't mind, though. The few locals I was able to talk to said it was the smell of home. I stayed in this shabby cabin that looked like it would collapse if a feather landed on it."
"And how long did you stay there for?" Amelia asked, writing.
"About three to four months, nothing more than that."
"Must've sucked."
"You don't know the half of it. Slept on a dirty bed with stuff blankets. Thought I saw a roach or two scurry across the sheets once. There was nothing to keep me entertained here except for old dramas from the old radio in the living room. Taking showers was since you didn't know whether you were bathing in clean water or sewage."
"I'd love to learn more your living situation here, but can we get back on topic? We'd like to know what happened during your recon mission," Emma interjected.
"Right, sorry. I get sidetracked sometimes," he chuckled, "Anyways, I started asking around town about anything strange happenings like the Corporation told me to. Always got the stink eye whenever I brought anything out of the ordinary up. I talked to the folks who came from out of town to work and they all tell me the same things. I'm sure you know by now that the townsfolk here don't like strangers,"
"Did you find out anything?" Amelia asked.
"I did talk to someone with something interesting to say. He was one of the factory workers from the Marsh Refinery on the south side of town who came from Arkham. I asked him about anything strange happening in town, he looked around all paranoid and told me to come to his house. When we got there, I listened to what he had to say. Started going on about how there were a bunch of disappearances going around town, tourists and people visiting outside going missing. He said the people living in Innsmouth weren't human."
"Weren't human?" Emma's brow raised.
"Yeah, he was talking about how they smelled horrible and their slimy looking skin. Come to think of it, there was always something off whenever I talked to them. That wasn't the craziest part either. He started talking about an ancient city under the ocean near this Devil's Reef a little off the harbor. His coworkers mentioned rumors about people having swimming races near that place. At that point I was almost convinced the man was insane, but there was a certain look in his eyes that told me he was dead serious."
"Did he tell you anything about the Esoteric Order of Dagon?"
"That cult in town? Well, he did tell me some crazy stuff about them, like making human sacrifices and doing rituals in the middle of the night. Come to think of it, I always thought I heard faint chanting from my bed coming from outside before I slept. After that he said he didn't want to talk anymore, and asked me to leave."
Amelia's heart skipped a beat, turning to Emma with serious eyes. Emma looked back with an intrigued look. The detective jotted the information into her notepad.
"Anything else interesting?" she asked.
"Nothing much. Ever since I talked to the factory worker, I never saw him again. I hit a roadblock soon after. Whenever I spoke with any of the locals they didn't answer. Some even gave me the stink eye whenever I passed by."
"You stayed here for months, right? Must've been hard when you didn't have anyone to talk to."
"Yeah," Mr. Clark nodded, "I occasionally spoke to some people from outside, but I mostly spent my days in the cabin. Sorry, but that's all the info I have."
"It's alright," Amelia said, scanning through her notes, "It's enough to go off of."
"I'd have to agree with Watson," Emma concurred, standing up from her stool, "We'll take over from here."
"Does that mean I get to leave?"
"Yes. There will be a carriage waiting for you at the entrance of town. It'll take you back to Arkham by evening."
"Thank god. I finally get to leave this damn town," he stood up, trudging towards the door, "Good luck, you two."
Amelia pocketed her notepad and crossed her arms, staring off into nothing in quiet reflection.
"What's on your mind?" Emma asked, noticing the detective's silence.
"We should talk, but not here. Look, everyone here's watching us," she whispered.
The chatter and conversations that filled the little bar before they had entered were subdued. While they made an effort to conceal it, Amelia noticed the glances the patrons made towards the two. The detective did not know how long they were watching, but knew that they had eavesdropped on their chat. She remembered the advice the bartender gave her and nodded towards Emma, who nodded back in return. The two left in silence after placing a few bills down on the table. The fog became thicker during their short stay inside, obscuring the view in front of them.
"Let's first find somewhere to stay for the night," Emma suggested, "I've got a feeling our investigation's going to take longer than we thought."
"There should be a hotel nearby," Amelia stroked her chin, "Something about Mr. Clark's story is not sitting right with me. Now we can confirm the cult exists, but listening to his story gives me more questions than answers."
"I get that feeling too. Clark has never been that way in all the years he's worked with Cover. I've never worked close with him, but I know he's the lively type, almost to an annoying extent. He was always excited to go to new places, I think it was the reason he signed up for the job in the first place. I've never seen him so eager to leave a place we send him too. Something's definitely not right."
"It's still early afternoon. Let's go investigate the church, see if we can find anything."
As Emma walked around the corner, Amelia noticed something off in the distance. While her visibility was limited by the mist, she thought she could see three shadows rise from the waters of the beach below. She turned away and followed behind Emma. The church returned into view, but the detective noticed the absence of the scent that permeated in its vicinity. Grabbing the doorknob, Amelia opened the door, light pouring into the darkness inside. The staleness of the air took the two by surprise, both expecting something stronger. The pews were empty, no sign of anyone being there. A man, who the two presumed to be a priest, stood at the altar, cleaning the table in front of him. Amelia stared up, awestruck, at a large painting hanging above the altar. It depicted gargantuan creature, with its serpentine-like body wrapped around a tall pillar covered in indecipherable symbols. What resembled sharp spikes jutting out of the creature's back were actually fins running down its body. It hung onto the pillar with muscular arms and razor claws. Its maw was agape, revealing jagged teeth. Empty, white eyes stared back at the two.
"Magnificent, is it not?" the priest spoke, his arms tucked in his sleeves.
"It's something, alright," Emma remarked.
"Is that Dagon?" Amelia asked.
"I see you recognize our great lord."
"Well, I sure as hell wouldn't have guessed Jesus," Emma turned to the priest.
"What brings you two to our church?"
The detective pulled out her notepad and pen, "We have some questions about your organization."
"I will be leading a service shortly, however I can spare some time to answer your questions. What would you like to ask?"
"Has anything strange happened in town?"
The priest shook his head. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Our community is a peaceful and tight-knit one. We most certainly aren't a violent bunch."
"Any comments about the rumors of disappearances in town?"
"Nothing but the slanderous words of those living on the outside. I believe they do it because they disagree with our faith. I'll admit, our little town has had a less than pleasant history, but that is all in the past. We wish to live our lives and practice our faith in peace."
"The people living here don't seem to like visitors. We've felt like we've been getting the cold shoulder ever since we stepped foot here," Emma remarked.
"An inevitable result from the rumors outsiders have spread. If people were more kind towards us and our practices, I'm sure the townsfolk would be more trusting towards outsiders. However, this is not the case and it seems like it will be like this for quite some time."
"Can you tell me more about the history of the town?"
"Of course. Innsmouth was founded in 1643. Our town made business building ships and was a naval hub during the War of 1812. Our founder, Obed Marsh ran and protected this town for centuries till he passed."
Amelia recalled some of the newspaper clippings she took a look at in the Miskatonic University archives. "I remember reading about a disease that swept the town. Care to explain that?"
"Ah yes, the great plague of 1846. A tragic period of our town's history. Many had passed, about half the town. The Marsh Family deserve our eternal gratitude for uplifting us from that terrible ordeal. The town had thrived from then on, for decades we lived in peace and townsfolk earned a living from fishing, running local businesses, and working at the gold factory run by the Marsh Family. That was until the July of 1927. I was a child when it happened, you know. Outsiders had come to raid our town after these baseless rumors attracted the attention of the government," the priest stated the last part with bitterness in his voice.
"Go on," Emma said, crossing her arms.
"We had to flee our homes as they destroyed everything we cherished. Our community was separated for a fair amount of time, until we returned to what remained. We banded together, rebuilt, and repaired broken buildings. This community has survived for centuries, and we would not just abandon it."
"Which brings us to now," the detective said.
"The townsfolk are resilient. It makes me proud to serve them as a priest of Dagon. I am always happy to help a member of my congregation in need."
"Speaking of, we passed by the place a little earlier. There was this terrible smell coming from inside," Emma explained.
The priest chuckled, "Oh, that's just the incense we use for services. It's an acquired smell, but the people around here get used to it."
Amelia watched the priest for a moment.
"I see. One last question, what's Devil's Reef?"
"A formation of rocks off the harbor. The young ones like to travel out there for a swim from time to time."
Amelia raised a brow. "In this weather?"
"Only in the summer months. Childhood is important, for one must experience both the highs and lows of life before they are permitted to join Dagon's Order."
"Kids, huh? We haven't seen any while we've been here."
"During the winter months the children stay at home. Children here are more susceptible to disease because of how cold it can get."
Amelia scribbled down a few last notes. "Well, thank you for your time. Your information will be useful."
"Ah right, you must be the detective I've heard traveling around town."
"That's right. Word really moves fast around here, huh?"
"Like I said, we are a connected community."
"Have you figured it out?" Emma asked, leaning against a wall with its wallpaper peeling off.
"Nope, still have no idea what's fact or fiction," Amelia replied, reclining in a wooden chair with her open notepad in her hand.
Her stomach rumbled. Night had fallen upon Innsmouth. After their trip to the church, the two had hoped to grab some lunch from one of the restaurants around the town, however they were either closed or what little they could see being served to customers in other restaurants looked less than edible. Deciding to give up and find a place to stay to discuss and plan out their next moves, Amelia and Emma found themselves standing at the front of the four-story Gilman Hotel. A woman with her face covered with a scarf stood at the lobby and Amelia checked the two in with the money she had with her. Their room was at the top floor. Walking up the stairs and into the hallway of room lining the sides, Watson noticed how it was devoid of any decor, apart from a few landscape paintings. The two entered their room and the detective's companion made the immediate decision to take a nap, telling Amelia to wake her up once she could piece together the complete story. Hours passed and Amelia found herself struggling to figure out the truths and the lies.
"Hungry?" Emma asked, pulling out some sandwiches from her bag, "Want one?"
"You've seriously had food this entire time?"
"Of course, I always pack things just in case."
"So why didn't you say anything?!"
"I wasn't hungry. Besides, I had no idea you were hungry till now."
"Well what are you waiting for?"
Emma tossed over a sandwich covered in a wrapper. "Here, maybe eating something might help those detective juices start flowing,"
The detective immediately tore it open and took a bite. "Woah, this actually tastes great, there's something crunchy in them. Where did you get these sandwiches?"
"A prisoner. The girls there call her Haachama, she's kind of the head chef, as shocking as that may sound. She may not be the best chef around and the girls do not like her whatsoever, but all the corporation cares about is that she provides food for us. You never know what you expect in it, though."
"How so?"
"For starters, she added dried bugs into that sandwich you're eating."
Amelia promptly gagged and put the sandwich down on the table. Emma laughed, taking another bite from her sandwich.
"Are you serious?!"
"I'm just messing with you. It's just lettuce. But I wasn't lying about the strange stuff she puts in her food."
"Haha, very funny," Amelia rolled her eyes, then smiled.
Emma watched Amelia as the detective continued to eat her food. "Are you really here for an investigation, Watson?"
"What do you mean?"
"Something tells me you're here to find something else."
Amelia looked down at the floor, placing her food down. The detective knew Emma was an outsider looking in, but since she accompanied her the entire time, Amelia thought that Emma had a right to know what was really going on if they were this far into the investigation. The detective took a deep breath.
"I'm looking for Dagon."
Emma perked up. "The cult's god?"
Amelia nodded. "I need to talk to him."
"Why?"
The detective proceeded to recount the entire story of the future apocalypse, the meeting with Yog-Sothoth, and her new mission to fix the past. "I don't expect you to believe me, but it's the truth."
"So you're a time traveler, huh? And you're here to prevent the end of the world..."
"Crazy, huh?"
Emma scoffed. "Trust me, when you're in my line of work, nothing is crazy anymore."
"So you believe me?"
"Mostly, I've heard weirder stories. This end of the world stuff worries me, though. I should call my superiors about this. So you want to contact Dagon in order to find this High Priestess?"
Amelia nodded. "Exactly. Yog-Sothoth didn't really give me anywhere to go, just dropped me in the middle of the ocean with no directions."
"Then we have the same goal."
"What do you mean?"
"Since you told me your story, I think it's fair for me to tell you why I'm here," Emma took out something from her bag.
She placed it down on the desk. It was a crimson mask, with a large, toothed grin at its center. The mask was somewhat heavy in Amelia's hand, but it was the perfect size to fit anyone's face. A peculiar feeling overcame her as she stared into it. Her body tensed up and she gulped. She could only describe the feeling as dread. "What is this?"
"I don't know. My bosses sent me here to find someone that did. I was hoping Clark found some info, but he didn't. Hearing your story, maybe I should go the big guy himself and ask him what it is. Doesn't seem out of the question now that we can talk to a deity."
"All the more reason for us to keep working together."
"Agreed. We won't leave this town till we find him," Emma said, sitting on the bed.
"Alright then, let's go over what we know. The town has a really weird history. A cult's been running Innsmouth for centuries, the town was abandoned at one point, and the people living here may or may not be human. I didn't mention this, but when I was at Miskatonic University, I read about the Innsmouth raids. Apparently, the FBI were involved."
"The feds were involved in this? What reason would they have to destroy a town in the middle of nowhere?"
"They told the press they were trying to bust an illegal alcohol shipping ring. But something tells me that's not the case here. There weren't any documented arrests made, at least none I saw in the archives."
"Maybe it had something to do with the cult. After all, Clark did tell us about all those shady rumors about human sacrifices."
"I think so. It would make more sense if the FBI actually came here to investigate the cult."
"But why destroy the homes?"
"Not sure. Maybe they found something big and wanted the entire place destroyed."
Amelia's eyes widened. "Wait a second."
"What?"
"Devil's Reef. Let's assume that everything that man Clark was talking to was all true. The FBI knows something wrong is going on in the town, that the people aren't human and that there is a city under the sea. This is all just speculation, but what if the cult is making sacrifices for whatever is living under the water. I'm assuming this underwater city is near Devil's Reef. The FBI catches wind of this and moves in to destroy the town. Once the dust settled, the people moved back into town and are still doing these things to this day."
"Wouldn't be too crazy to believe that. I'm guessing you think Dagon is living in that underwater city."
"Exactly, it's the only place where it makes sense he'd be at."
"So what's our plan then?"
"We need to find a way to get to that underwater city."
"You really jumped onto that theory quickly. Alright then, we'll go with that. It's not like we have any other option. We'll need to find something that can drive underwater. Who knows what's down there."
Amelia yawned, "Let's sort this out in the morning."
"Sure, it's pretty late."
The detective crashed into the bed, turning around and staring up at the ceiling. Emma left the room, as there was only one bed, to sleep on the couch. The shadowy figure of the High Priestess appeared in her mind and Amelia knew she was one step closer to finding her. She held her pocket watch and drifted off to sleep. As the world faded to black, the detective could hear faint chanting, distant but there.
When Amelia opened her eyes once more, the sharp edge of an axe stood over her. It was raised, ready to strike down at any moment. As Amelia came to, she realized what was going to happen.
"Shit!" she yelled.
She rolled off as the axe swung down, imbedding itself into the bed. Amelia crashed to the floor and swiftly got to her feet. A man stood there, his axe at the ready. He growled and charged at her, the weapon prepared to swing once more. The detective sidestepped, the man swinging the axe and getting it stuck into the wall. As the man attempted to get pull the axe away, Amelia swung her fist, decking the man in the face. He fell over, his head landing on the wooden table next to her bed. Amelia panted as she overturned the man who laid face down on the floor. Sure enough, Amelia saw the face of one of the townspeople. She gasped as her gaze passed to his neck. Three slits on the side of his next glistened in a rhythmic motion. The man's eyes were wide open, staring off into nothingness. Seeing this confirmed their suspicions that they were in fact not human at all, but some sort of human, fish hybrid, judging from the gills on their necks, their green skin, and unblinking eyes.
"Emma!"
Amelia rushed to the door, throwing it open. She watched as Emma, now wielding a katana, rushed another fishman wielding a knife. She aimed the tip of the katana and drove it into the fishman's heart with a harsh grunt. He fell to the floor as she pulled it out from him. She swung the blade, the blood splattering against the floor, and sheathed it with a deep breath. She approached Amelia, still awestruck.
"We gonna get out of here?"
Amelia nodded, and the two ran to the front door. The detective grabbed Emma's shoulder as she grabbed the doorknob. Amelia placed a finger to her lips and proceeded to press her ear against the door. She heard the voices of fishmen waiting outside, conversing about if their companions had finished working inside.
"How many?" Emma mouthed.
Amelia raised three fingers. Emma nodded and pulled her sword out. The detective grabbed her revolver from her holster and aimed it at the door. Praying the bullets were not too rusty, she pulled the trigger, shooting three times. Emma kicked the door open, knocking over a few of the surviving fishmen. She finished one off with her blade before they could call out for help, leaving the other one alive. Amelia grabbed one of the men's rifles lying on the floor.
"Got any ammo for that?" Emma asked.
Amelia took a few rounds from the dead fishman's pocket. "Not much, but I'll make 'em count."
The remaining survivor sat against the wall, coughing blood and holding the wound on his side.
"Who sent you here?" Amelia asked.
"You both know too much to be kept alive," he spoke through labored breaths.
Emma heard the shuffling of footsteps climbing the stairs. "Watson, we've got company."
As the first wave of fishmen came into view, Amelia aimed her rifle in a swift motion and fired, striking on in the head. Emma charged ahead and sliced forward, cutting down a few of the fishmen who did not expect a close-quarters attack. Amelia followed after her and descended the stairs. She caught another group climbing the stairs and fired at them, one of the fishmen toppling over the stairs and plummeting down with a scream. Emma jumped over the railing and landed on one of them a short distance away, plunging her sword into them. After battling their way down, they arrived at the lobby where they received a respite from the absence of any fishmen waiting for them. Amelia panted, not getting into a scuffle like as that one for years. She found a few rounds in the backrooms behind the lobby and loaded them. Emma looked outside from behind the door. The fog had receded to the point where she could watch the church from all the way across the river. Amelia joined up behind Emma.
"Look who it is," Emma pointed at the church.
Amelia saw the priest standing in the front of the church speaking to a crowd of fishmen, some holding pitchforks, torches, and even a couple of guns. There were already a fair number of them wandering around the town in search parties.
"That bastard's trying to hunt us down. He'll flush us out if we don't keep moving," Amelia whispered.
"We can't go by streets, that's for sure. It'll be easy taking them out group by group, but if they call all their buddies over, we won't stand a chance."
Amelia scanned her surroundings. The fading fog would make running through the streets easier for their pursuers to spot. Since the church sat in close proximity to the hotel, it would only be a matter of time before they noticed one of the search parties missing and send more men to check. Amelia knew that they had a time limit before the next group came and tried to find somewhere to go. Then she stared down at the road in front of the entrance. A manhole cover rested in the middle, untouched.
"Follow me," Amelia said, creeping out of the door.
The two made their way to the cover, Amelia giving herself constant reminders to look around in all directions to make sure they were not spotted.
"Smart," Emma whispered, picking up the cover.
She removed the lid and slid it to the side, limiting the amount of noise it would make. A steel ladder descended toward darkness. Having no other choice, Amelia dropped her rifle down the hole and climbed down into the sewers with Emma following. On her way down Emma slid the lid back on, immersing the two in complete black. The detective knew she hit the ground once she felt mud and sewage sloshing around her feet. There was a dim light pouring in from outside threw grates in the ceiling. Amelia pulled out her magnifying glass and pressed one of the small buttons on it. A brilliant beam of light flashed through the glass, illuminating the tunnels before them. Emma unsheathed her katana and it started to glow a bright red. Picking up her rifle, the two started to walk through the dark sewers.
"Where to?" Emma asked.
"Not sure yet, we just needed to get out of there."
"That was some nice shooting back there."
Amelia smiled, "Nothing a few FPS games can't teach you."
Emma gave her a funny look. "I don't think it works that way. But I guess if it works for you.."
"Didn't know you had a sword with you. It looks pretty badass."
"Thanks, this it's been with me for years."
Traveling through the tunnel, Amelia heard conversation through one of the grates they passed by.
"What should we do when we find 'em?"
"Bring 'em back to the church. Priest Andrew wants both of them alive."
"Another offering to Lord Dagon?"
"Aye. Our brothers and sisters in Y'ha-nthlei require more sacrifices at the reef."
The man and the woman walked away.
"Sacrifice, huh? Glad we got out of the hotel before things turned south."
"Or else we would've been a late night snack," Amelia chuckled.
"We still don't have a plan."
"I'm thinking of one. I'm willing to bet that they blocked off the main roads leading out of town. We know too much, so they probably don't want us leaving this place."
"Makes sense, but we still don't know where to go."
"I think we should go directly to the underwater city."
"Wait, what?"
"Hear me out. We should head to the harbor first to find something to ride out to sea in. If we can find something that could let us swim underwater, we should go to the city for answers. Like you said earlier, we aren't going to leave without answers."
"And if there's no way we can go underwater?"
"We escape Innsmouth by travelling down the coast. It might be a long ride but I think we can reach the docks at Arkham by morning."
"You're still assuming we'll have a something to ride."
"If there's nothing at the harbor, then we'll have to fight our way out the front of the town."
"Can't we just go to the town entrance through the sewers?"
"We'd be taking a risk if we took time heading to the front. They might find the people we took out at the hotel and search around that area. That could work out in our favor, but it could also be bad for us. Worst case scenario, they go down into the sewers to search for us and we could get caught down here."
Emma shrugged, "Well, it's not like I have a good plan, let's just go with it. Which direction's the harbor?"
"I've been keeping track where we've been walking. I hear water flowing here from outside the grate in here."
"Which means we're probably at the other side of the bridge."
"And we turn either left or right here," Amelia flashed her magnifying glass in front of her, revealing a split path ahead of them, "So we make a right here and go straight down to reach the harbor. We'll climb out of here if we see if the coast is clear."
"Sounds good, let's go."
The two advanced, making a right turn and continuing through the dark sewers. Passing through another open grate, the two heard a familiar voice coming from outside.
"Have you found those two yet?" Priest Andrew asked.
"Not yet, sir. We've sent a search party to the hotel and other groups out across town to try and capture them."
Amelia hear panting approaching them.
"Sir! The search party at the hotel has been taken out!"
"What, they've escaped?"
"There were signs of a fight in the fourth floor. Walden's body was found in the room."
"That utter fool!" Priest Andrew seethed, "I knew he would try to kill them. Have any other groups spotted them?"
"No, sir."
"I want you to go and tell every group to speed up their searches. We cannot let those two escape this town. Master Dagon demands those two delivered to him at Devil's Reef by midnight!"
"At once!" The man ran away.
"You!" Priest Andrew addressed the other person.
"Yes?"
"I want you to release the Brute in case those two are hiding in the sewers."
"But sir, how will we contain it again, we can't just-"
"Do it now or I'll personally use you as bait to recapture it again."
The man gulped. "It will be done."
The two kept moving at a more frenzy pace.
"Well they do move fast. Good call on not going to the entrance."
"Thanks, my luck stat's at 100. What the hell did the priest mean by the Brute?"
"I don't know and I sure as hell don't want to know. We've got to hur-"
A loud roar echoed through the tunnel, freezing both of the girls in their tracks. Amelia heard something coming from behind them, sounds of what seemed to be galloping heading towards them. The detective flashed her magnifying glass towards the distance. Something was running towards them on all fours, growling with fury. Amelia and Emma bolted down the sewer, mud splashing every step they took running. Though their legs worked the fastest they could, the thing chasing them was closing the gap further and further. Amelia turned and aimed her rifle behind her, squeezing the trigger. Her bullet struck the creature and it let out an agonized roar, stopping its rampage. The two stopped, watching the creature sit on the ground, growling at them a few feet away.
It was a large monster, its unblinking, dull white eyes staring at Amelia and Emma with vicious intent. It snarled at them with a drooling mouth filled with rows of razor-sharped teeth. The detective gulped when she saw its serrated claws that she thought could cut through flesh and bone in one swipe. Emma spotted a bullet wound in the Brute's thigh, which she pointed out to Amelia. The detective nodded, seeing this as an opportunity to kill it. She aimed her rifle at the monster's head. However, Emma watched as the hole start to close up, the skin and flesh around it sealing up the wound.
The monster shifted its position. Emma's eyes widened.
"Watson!"
As Amelia pulled the trigger the beast lunged at her with a violent roar. Emma tackled Amelia before its claws could pierce right through her. They both fell into the sewage and the creature turned around to attack once more. Amelia scrambled to her feet, grabbing her rifle, and shot the creature as many times as she could before the chamber was empty. The Brute cried out in pain and keeled over, giving enough time for the two of them to get up and run. Not long later, the galloping came back.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Amelia shouted.
"Are we almost there?!" Emma asked, looking behind her.
"We've got to be close!"
Making a sharp turn to the left, the creature crashed into the wall with a loud thud.
"Nice one, dumbass!" Emma taunted.
There was a ladder to their right. Though Amelia's feet started to ache from running, the adrenaline coursing through her gave her that one final push. Emma came to a sudden stop, facing the creature. The Brute lunged forward and Emma ducked down. She jabbed her sword upwards and it connected against the Brute's head, slicing down the middle of the monster and cutting its entire body and half. Blood streamed down her blade, splattering all over her and her clothes.
"Holy shit, Emma!"
"What are you waiting for?! Hurry, before it gets up again!"
Amelia ascended the ladder, bashing the manhole cover above with the butt of her rifle, popping it open. She practically threw herself out of the hole, Emma following behind her. Emma slid the cover back on and sat on the pavement, panting. Amelia kneeled on the floor, taking deep breaths, sewage dripping from her cap onto the floor. The detective stood up, extending a hand towards Emma.
"Well that was...something."
Emma took it, using her blood-soaked katana to support herself. The two were right next to the ocean. Now that the fog has receded, Amelia could see Devil's Reef looming in the distance. A brick warehouse stood before them, the detective presuming it was a dock. Looking around, it seemed like no one had seen the commotion. The two felt overwhelming relief.
"I swear, that bastard better not come out again," Emma remarked.
The two walked into the warehouse, which was unlocked to their surprise. Amelia had her rifle at the ready. There were old, worn boats piled around inside. The inside of the warehouse was dilapidated and it looked like no one had kept any maintenance on the place for years. The two could hear humming nearby. Amelia and Emma turned the corner, seeing a familiar short girl in a shark hoodie picking up a gas canister. Emma stepped forward, her sword at her side, but Amelia stopped her.
"Gura?"