Part 1: The Case – Chapter 1: Watchmen
Mancopolis was the largest city in the wizard world. More than 5 million wizards lived in harmony with 2 million assorted magical creatures. Well, most of the time.
Many large and magnificent buildings sprouted up from the ground like emergent trees in the Amazon. The tallest of which towered over even the presidential building, Summa Basilica. It was the Watchtower. Dull and grey, it stood out against the bright, iridescent infrastructure of the city. Despite its enormous size it was occupied only by three people.
Max was practising combat skills in the armoury. Justin was on the computer trying to hack into the database of a goblin crime ring, when his face fell. A message had come from Wizmail and it didn't bear happy reading. He slapped down the screen of the laptop and looked round the empty breakroom, with its bare tables and unwarmed seats. This place had once been filled with people, old and young, male and female. When he and his siblings had first joined the guild of watchmen there were dozens of law enforcers. Be they combatants, hackers, detectives or the fearsome hunters. As a rookie he'd been trained in all four disciplines along with Alex and Max, and while he and his brother had sort of been a mix, Alex would only ever be a hunter.
His sister, he knew, would be on the roof, smoking like she usually was when she didn't have a job. As Justin ascended the freezing metal staircase , he reflected on the fact that, in his 10 years of service in the Wizard Guild of Watchmen, the crime-fighting team had lost more members than any other decade in its entire history. Now there were just four of them left. In a moment's time, that number would fall to 3. It was depressing.
He was greeted by a sharp wind and a bitter cold as he made his way across the roof towards his motionless sister. Her only movement was occasionally lifting a small cigarette to her lips and inhaling. Then a short stream of smoke would fly from her mouth into crisp morning air.
He wondered how he should approach her. He walked to her side and stared out over the magical metropolis. Cars, hoverboards and magic carpets whizzed past beneath them. A long moment of silence had passed between them. He had absolutely no idea how to break the news to her. He tried engaging conversation with her. But where to start?
"Hey pass me one of those," he tried gesturing to the packet marked 'Marlborough.'
His sister scoffed, "Since when do you smoke?" she asked, but throwing him one anyway.
Then he blurted it out, "Since McCormick bought it." He immediately regretted that statement.
"What?" she exclaimed incredulously.
"No-N-Nothing," he stammered.
"McCormick's dead?" she asked, great blue orbs colouring her eyes.
"I know you liked him," Justin said, pathetically.
"Liked him? He was the only guy I ever loved. He was the only guy who ever loved m–" she faltered before breaking down in tears. Justin moved to embrace his tearful sister but she ran away before he could comfort her.
He was on breaking point too. The Wizard Guild of Watchmen was now down to just three members. And there'd been so many once; So many brave wizards who'd given their lives in the line of duty.
And now who was left? A psychologically unstable woman who suffered from episodes of vicious rage, a computer geek who used the shift key more than his wand or weapons and a man child who was convinced he was a ninja. Fan-freaking-tastic.