Morning came in a flash, and the bright sunlight piercing through the windows caused my eyes to blink repeatedly.
I was amazed that I still ended up falling asleep after everything that had transpired last night.
"You're finally up," I heard Snapper say to me as he emerged from his room, dressed and ready.
"I'm sorry you had to sleep out here." Earlier, Snapper mentioned how a majority of parties formed four-man teams, so practically all the four-bedroom condos were already occupied.
The condo that Snapper rented for us had two bedrooms: one with two separate beds, and a master bedroom, which meant that someone had to sleep in the lounge area.
"It's fine," I replied. "I was the one who chose to sleep here anyway."
I wasn't at all picky about where I slept. I was just grateful that I had a place to stay for the night, and fortunately, I discovered the couch was very comfortable to rest on.
I stood up from under a soft blanket and adjusted my leather jacket.
"You went to sleep wearing that?" Snapper asked me in a rather concerned manner.
"Yeah... Was I not supposed to?"
"I thought I told you I had spare clothes in my room," he muttered. "Well, whatever," he shrugged, "guess that means you're ready then. Where's Amber and Maybelle?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe they're still getting ready?"
"What the hell are they up to, we're gonna be late?" Snapper groaned.
I could understand his frustrations; our party agreed to meet up with Jude and Barshall at the station to fully discuss the events of last night and how best to proceed, but we were now running a couple minutes behind schedule.
"What part of "we're heading out early tomorrow" did they not understand?" he continued impatiently.
"Maybe we should check on them?"
Snapper turned to me with his eyebrow raised.
"... Look, man, I don't know where the hell you come from, but over here, invading a girl's privacy is like marching through the gates of hell on purpose."
"... I'm not sure what you're implying," I admitted, unable to follow his words.
"You're a brave one, Wolf," he said, while patting my shoulder as if giving me a final farewell before sending me off. "Don't worry, I'll be here to comfort you when it's all over."
"... Umm, I don't–"
Just then, my ears suddenly twitched to a heavy thud that even human ears could perceive.
"What the hell was that?!"
"It came from the other room."
After hearing the sound of a collision, I rushed toward the door of Amber and May's room with Snapper following close behind.
Once I swung the door open, I saw only Amber, who sat on the carpet floor while bleeding out from a shoulder wound she covered with her right hand.
"Amber!" I rushed to her side as Snapper scanned the room before moving toward the opened window on the other end. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she replied, even though her expression seemed to say otherwise.
I noticed that her dagger–tipped with blood–was left in front of her. Not to mention, the room was a complete mess: the beds were flipped, and the wardrobe was laying on the ground, surrounded by broken drawers and shelves.
"What happened here?" I asked her, clueless as to what possibly could have caused such destruction.
"I-I'm not really sure, but for some reason all the objects in the room started flying toward me as soon as I picked up that note."
Amber pointed toward the corner of the room, where a piece of paper–like the others we found before–was lying faced down against the carpet.
"Where's May?"
Amber's expression became clouded with a fusion of fear and sadness.
"She—"
"She's been kidnapped," Snapper interjected. "The window's been left wide open enough for someone to sneak in and out."
"Do you think it was Mel?" I asked him.
"Who knows… But one thing's for sure..." Snapper suddenly threw a strange object at the floor, which rolled in front of us all. "Whoever it is, the bastard's toying with us: pulling our strings like some kind of Puppeteer."
I soon realized that the object was a doll that looked eerily identical to May, but with a hole that went through the center of her forehead.
…
Despite her bruises, and the wound caused by her dagger, Amber was still able to get herself ready after Snapper quickly applied some medical treatment.
It seemed that the strange phenomenon she experienced was the result of a trap card ability: a special card class that wasn't very common in this region.
It must've activated once she touched the note, I figured.
We soon found out that May and Amber weren't the only ones targeted by the Viper's mischievous actions. Snapper's pet bug, Lucky, seemed to have also gone missing, having left the breathable jar in his room empty.
Before heading to the station, we reported May's kidnapping to the Department of Royal Guards.
Since the Viper has been able to stay anonymous for decades, I severely doubted the royal guards would be successful in their patrols.
Either way, we were still planning to take matters into our own hands.
Between the three of us, the atmosphere became dreary as we silently made our way to the station.
The evident disintegration of our newly formed party had already begun to dawn on us, having lost two of our members in quick succession.
However, May's fate couldn't be decided yet, at least not until she was found. But I was afraid everyone else wasn't nearly as optimistic as I was.
Once we entered the station, we saw Jude sitting alone at a table, waving at us strangely while his face was being devoured by the pages of his book.
How can he tell it's us, even when he can't see our faces? Whatever the answer may be, it would remain another unsolved mystery.
It seems he's wearing a different top hat today. Unlike the usual one he wore with a green band, he was wearing one with a golden ribbon around it.
Before we approached him, the first thing I noticed was how empty the station was, as only a few people–apart from us–were currently present.
Snapper took a seat opposite Jude as if he were purposely trying to avoid him, and Amber sat next to Snapper, leaving me with the last open seat beside the strange detective.
"So," Jude began, momentarily peeking his gaze over his small book, "were you guys held up with something?"
I guess he was wondering why we kept him waiting for so long, so he deserved an explanation from us.
"The Viper took May," Snapper answered him rather bluntly, throwing him the doll he found at the condo.
"The girl with the prosthetic, hmm?" Jude lowered his book and examined the doll. "Correct me if I'm mistaken, but isn't she just an F-rank Collector like the rest of you guys? It seems out of character for the Viper to target an amateur."
We quickly explained what happened at the condo this morning as well as the details of May's tragic experience with the Viper during her childhood.
We also discussed our thoughts about Mel, and how she could've been manipulated by the real Viper.
The detective stroked his chin while processing all the information.
"I see... so that would also explain why the father's gone missing, and why May reacted the way she did at the scene of the crime."
There it was again; the excited smile that he never even bothered to hide.
"Hey, where's Barshall? Wasn't he supposed to be here too?" Amber wondered.
"I'm not entirely sure myself, but showing up tardy doesn't seem to suit a noble butler like him," Jude replied to her.
Last night, it didn't seem like Mr. Barshall had taken the news about Mel too lightly, so it wouldn't be surprising if he had decided to take matters into his own hands by searching for her alone.
But if that's the case then…
"What if he's in danger?" I proposed.
"Hmm? What are you trying to say?" Jude asked me with a deep stare.
"I think he went out to search for Mel all by himself."
"Huh!? That'd be way too risky, wouldn't it?" Amber questioned.
"No, that crazy old man didn't care about anything other than finding the princess; he probably hasn't been able to think straight ever since Wolf encountered her again."
Hearing Snapper's words, I felt as though I was now responsible for anything that could or already could've happened to Barshall.
"Shouldn't we go looking for him!?" Amber said, eagerly jumping out of her seat.
"And where would we be looking in this giant city? Do you just happen to know exactly where he'd be at this time?" Snapper's words caused Amber to sit in silence, as she bit her bottom lip in frustration.
"Okay… so how do we find him?" she asked quietly.
From my pocket, I quickly retrieved and unfolded the new note we discovered earlier at the condo, along with the second letter.
Jude followed my actions, bringing out the very first note we found, and laying it against the table.
"If my wrath is poison, then she is the antivenom that knows not but to placate me with her gentleness. If my wrath is hell, then she is the invitation to paradise: a useless exit too small to crawl through. If I am the body, then she is the hideous scar that remains. She is the limb, and therefore, she is my captor."
Those were the words written on the third letter left behind by the Viper.
"Another riddle, huh…?"
"Any idea what this one means?" Snapper asked Jude.
"Well, first of all, it mentions the 'scar' and 'limb' again like in the first one. So, my guess is that all the notes are linked somehow, like they're just pieces of one giant puzzle." Jude picked up each piece of paper and began to scan the words deeply.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"These riddles…. Doesn't it seem like the Viper's trying to tell us a story?"
"A story? So what; he's a novelist now? Are you a new fan of his or something?"
"..."
Jude simply chose to ignore him, while continuing his explanation.
"Each riddle presents a different topic, but it all seems to link somehow." He began to explain what he had deduced from each riddle, placing a finger on the respective sheet as he did so.
"The first one we found talks about the past, the second one is all about brotherhood, and the last one is perhaps something to do with love."
Since the third riddle repeatedly mentions a 'she', it probably had something to do with a woman, perhaps a lover or a family member.
"What if these stories are personal?"
"Personal, huh? How so?" I watched Jude's eyes narrowing in my direction, suggesting he was very curious as to what I had to say.
"What if he's referring to his own past?"
In the first note it seemed like the Viper had some kind of regret from his past, and the second note mentions two brothers...
"What if the Viper is one of them?"
"That's certainly possible," Jude said, placing a hand on his chin while deep in thought.
"From all the rumors I've heard about the guy, no one's ever mentioned anything about a sibling," Snapper doubtfully added.
"But it's like you said, isn't it? They're just rumors; no one actually knows anything about the Viper, or his past," I argued.
"That's because he's stayed anonymous for so long. Why would he start giving us hints about his past all of a sudden? This doesn't make any sense."
"It's hard to say…" Jude pondered for a moment. "But whatever his reason may be, I'm sure it's got something to do with your friend."
Jude must've been referring to May, which made me feel a sense of urgency.
I leaned my head closer to the notes, trying my hardest to decipher a clue that could lead to the possible whereabouts of those that had been taken by the Viper.
However, the words written on the pages gradually became unreadable.
"Huh?" I was practically overwhelmed with confusion.
"W-What's happening?" Amber gave a nervous reaction as the words on each note began to fade.
"This could be another trap!" Snapper warned, while backing away a little.
I watched Amber do the same, seemingly traumatized from her experience this morning.
"What should we do?" I asked, unsure of how to respond to this situation.
"I guess we have no choice." Snapper grabbed all the sheets on the table.
"Hey, what are you gonna do?!" Amber asked him.
"I'm gonna rip 'em all to shreds!"
"Hold on, Snap!" Just as Snapper was about to start tearing away at the notes, Jude interrupted him.
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me—"
"The notes... I think there's something on the back."
Jude was right.
After the front of the sheets had gone blank, peculiar images began to appear on the back of each paper.
"The hell…?"
Snapper turned all the sheets the other way, placing them on the table again for the rest of us to see.
Black lines began to trace themselves along the paper, twisting and curving to form an outline of some sort.
However, on one of the sheets, there was a small section where a red outline was used to form an image.
"What is it?" Amber asked, unable to understand the shapes that were formed on each paper.
"They're sectors," Snapper replied, having understood the shape of the images.
"I think you might actually be right about that," Jude said in a congratulatory tone. "If we move this here…" Jude began to shuffle the papers around in a specific arrangement.
Once he lifted his hands from the table, we all gazed at it in shock.
"It's a map!" Amber said excitedly while observing the completed image that was laying in front of us all.
All three sectors came together to form a circumference, representing an outer wall or perimeter. Inside of it were small shapes that symbolized structures within the walls.
Although I wasn't at all familiar with the city, the image was so detailed that even I could tell it was a map of Eastern Contra.
"This is extraordinary! The clues that we've obtained really were just pieces of a much larger puzzle," Jude said, brimming with endless enthusiasm.
Snapper then began to locate different areas within the map, pointing at each one he could identify.
"This should be where we are right now," he said, pointing to small boxes around the bottom right corner, which seemed to represent the Collectors Station and the Condominium Complex, "and these must be the Southern and Northern entrances." He pointed at the small gaps on the opposite ends of the map.
"Isn't that the Steel Grove Armory?" Amber pointed towards a larger structure situated near an open ring in the center of the map, which probably represented the city plaza.
"Yeah, you're right... this must be another one of the Viper's abilities." If what Snapper said was the case, then this would be another complex trap card that the Viper has used against us, only this time, it seemed to be in our favor.
"What's this area over here?" Jude pointed at the section of the map, which was outlined in a red color.
"I grew up here in the Eastern Contra, but I've never been that far North, so I'm not entirely sure," Amber replied.
"That's the Paradise District," Snapper answered.
"Paradise?" I muttered, thinking that words sounded rather familiar.
Wasn't it mentioned somewhere in one of the riddles?
"It's a wide local area, located in the far Northern part of East Contra. It's a place of luxury, where all the really high class people go to book hotels, gamble, and party from dusk till dawn. One half of the district prioritizes accommodation while the other side is full of shops and tons of other buildings." It seemed as though Snapper had already been to the district at some point in his life, giving us a recount of what he had seen first-hand.
"Why do you think this area has been marked with a red color unlike the rest?" Jude asked.
"What if this is where the Viper's keeping May?" Amber answered with a hopeful expression.
"In the Paradise District? Security there would already be incredibly tight since it's full of wealthy and important figures, and if word about the Viper has spread to the North, then there'll be even more guards on patrol. Why would the Viper want to hide there?"
"He's got a point," Jude concurred.
I watched Amber's expression darken as if the hope of finding May had just narrowly slipped through her fingers.
"Wait a minute," I spoke after noticing something. "Snapper, you said the district is full of high class people, right?"
"Uh-huh?"
"That could also include nobles, right?"
He tilted his head. "Well, yeah. Usually, when they leave their kingdoms on business or vacation, they rent a couple places in Paradise."
"Before Mel went missing, Barshall said she was supposed to meet him near the Northern gate. What if they were staying at an accommodation in the district?"
"That means Mel could be there too, right?" Amber added.
However, Snapper seemed weary.
"This definitely smells like another trap."
"It's possible, but it's the only lead we have in locating the Viper, and the others," Jude stated.
There was only one way to find out whether or not that was the case.
"I think we've wasted enough time here. We need to find May before it's too late." I spoke my thoughts aloud with an agitated tone that seemed to surprise everyone including myself.
"What part of 'trap' do you not understand? We need to come up with a plan first before we start blindly rushing into—"
Just then, I got out of my seat and headed toward the exit. Amber soon followed after me.
"Where the hell are you guys going?!"
"I'm sorry, Snapper, but I'm with Wolf on this one. Now that we know where May is, I can't just sit around anymore. She's a member of our party... We have to find her and bring her back as soon as possible."
It wasn't at all difficult to notice that Amber had been haunted with guilt ever since May had been taken away from right beside her. But our adversary would have been too much for her to handle by herself, so the situation was completely out of her hands.
"Alright, screw it," Snapper stood up as he called out to us. "I'm suddenly in the mood for some action now."
"I knew you'd come around," Amber smiled.
"Whatever."
"Do you guys have room for one more?" Jude asked.
"Fuck no."
"C'mon, Snap—" Snapper instantly raised a fist at him, "—Snapper! My bad, my bad." Jude began to wave his hands around apologetically.
"If we really do end up running into the Viper, or even the princess, it's gonna get too dangerous for a weakling like you," he warned Jude. "Sure you can handle it?"
"I'm sure I'll be fine, and besides, we all started this investigation together, so why not finish it together?"
"... Suit yourself…" Snapper turned away from the detective. "Alright, time to catch ourselves a Viper!"
He punched his fist into his hand, psyching himself up for a potential battle that was soon to come.
But from my perspective, that battle had already begun.
There was something strange I realized the moment we got to this station. It was another bad feeling, but this time I wouldn't allow myself to carry this burden alone.
Right before he exited the station, I tapped Snapper's shoulder to get his attention, quickly whispering something in his ear.
For a moment we stared at each other in silence, and once he realized how serious I was, he nodded in confirmation.
"Ooh, how mysterious? Are you guys sharing some kind of dirty secret?" Jude asked us with a mischievous grin.
"It's none of your business," Snapper said as he purposely barged past him before exiting the station.
I watched Jude's eyes dart in my direction, and for only a mere moment, his smile seemed to flatten before instantly regenerating as though his lips had just twitched in frustration.
"Are you ready?" he asked me.
"...Yeah," I said, as I stared directly into his large emerald eyes.
That was the last exchange we had before leaving the station.