"Who the hell are you?" I quirked an eyebrow and reached for the Navy Colt .45 under the counter.
"That would not be wise, Ms. Vale. I promise I bring no malice." The kitsune responded with with a sigh.
The man had an unassuming stature at just under six foot, his hair tied back in a Ronin style bun and a clean shaven face. His eyes pierced the counter and he shook his head. I kept my grip on the handle of the revolver as he placed his briefcase onto the counter, popping it open with an almost silent maneuver.
"I represent the Wolkenheim family out of Germany. One of our scouts was reporting on the presence of a ley line nexus below this town, and has not made contact in weeks." The man handed me a paper which rustled with age.
"The Wolkenheim family?" I took the page and began to look over it.
The document was yellowed with age and featured some arcane glyphs along with text in German. It outlined the possible formation of a ley line nexus, a source of magic, that retained a negative alignment to that of the surrounding ley lines. A possible reason as to why the lines avoided this town as if a magnet was reversed here.
"Yes, Ms. Vale, they are a family of divinomancers. They were detecting signs of danger from this location and believed that a polar nexus may have interfered with their Seeing. We would like you to locate the missing agent for us." The man offered me another paper which I took.
A woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties with strawberry blonde hair and bags that come from over work stared back at me from the portrait on the page. Her eyes of seaweed green showing the supernatural flare that appears when a being is captured on camera. Her stoic expression exuded an air of seriousness.
"Why me? I try not to be involved in that world anymore. You do know that I am being hunted by most of the vampire clans don't you?" My eyebrows finally settled, my hand extending the pages back to the man-fox.
"Your mother and father often did work for the family, investigative primarily. The only Vision from Pineridge we were able to obtain was from your earrings, they belonged to your mother, yes?" The man tapped his lobe twice.
That sent a jolt down my back. I gently brushed the left earring with my finger, memories flashing through my mind. When I was young, my mother gave me these earrings. They offered protection from the sun which was a boon for any vampire, but they also happened to be my only keepsake of my parents. When I was sent to Pineridge, my parents and I had to separate to attempt to throw the clans off of our trail. I had not heard from either of them in the last 3 years.
"Why...? Why should I help you? My location is supposed to be a secret. If it gets out, my life will be a lot more hectic." I searched the man's face for a deviation in his cool demeanor.
"The woman who we seek is a daughter of the family, Ophira. She is a powerful Seer and we would offer her services as a reward. You are being hunted, Ms. Vale, and she can see the threats that would come for you. I'm sure the ogre protects you well, but he is limited to this shop. We offer another member for your defenses."
I could feel my fangs begin to elongate as I released my grip on the gun. The unease burning at me, as I rationalized the offer. It would be beneficial, and my safety beyond the shop falls on my hands. It would be beneficial to have her on our side, I'm sure that Dusty would agree.
"I'll do it. Where was she last heard from?" My fangs cleared the security of my lips as my vampiric senses activated fully to take in the information.
"The last report came from..." The kitsune leafed through a few more pages inside the case, "Black Cedar Depot, a storage facility on the edge of town. She had caught scent of something following her and was ceasing contact for the safety of the family."
Black Cedar Depot was a warehouse of no particular significance that held lumber from local logging companies before it was shipped off. I'm sure I could search it without trouble. My worry came from this thing that was following Ophira, was it the same thing that set my senses off at school today?
"I will begin tomorrow, how do I contact you?" I tapped nervously on the counter.
"We will receive a signal with this once you have more information." He set a round stone on the table with a rune etched into the side. It looked to be your average river rock, with small chunks of crystal protruding at odd angles. "We look forward to hearing from you, Ms. Vale."
The fox turned and made his way out the door, clicking the briefcase closed as he left. His name never came up, most likely so that if I failed and ended up caught I could not give up any information on him. Not that this was uncommon, after World War II, the kitsune of Japan had spread and began working with families across the globe as they had nearly perfect human glamor and blended easily into vanilla society.
Great! Something dangerous is in town, it has my scent, and I have to find what was likely it's last meal. Everything is just going my way this week.