Meanwhile, Zazel and Adel would be hot on the figures trail, quickly trying to figure out the shadow that ran off. What they never expected was for such a person to be speedy, quickly having Zazel cast his sigil, Aym at a far range, hoping to snipe the figure. Such a sigil would, sadly, miss, but Adel would take notice of what he was doing and came up with his own idea. As soon as the two reached a corner, with the Shadow reaching the second, Adel quickly snatched up Zazel and tossed him like a javelin on the other end, having the Demon time his shot and cast his sigil once more, marking the figure running away.
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!
Rather than utilizing Aym again, Zazel would switch sigils into Ronove, casting a loud enough sound to disorient the Shadow and force him on the ground, his ears covered to prevent further sounds. A smirk on his face, Zazel would be quick on rushing to the man, summoning Ronove to pin the man down with his staff. The man himself was cloaked in black garbs, short and stout with pudgy hands. As Zazel unveiled him, he'd be shocked to see a familiar face arrive in the Chapel. "Wait, aren't you..." He'd question, watching sweat pouring down the man's face.
It was unmistakable. It was the Tavern Keeper from Oaking. "I-I-I'M INNOCENT! I SWEAR!! P-P-PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!!" He'd screech, watching Adel approach by and have his arms up in fear.
"Hey- HEY! It's okay! All we need is an answer. I never thought I'd see you again.."
"Again? D-d-did we met before? Wha- Wait...T-t-those horns. Those eyes. Y-yeah! You're the kid Jackal Straum was after! O-oops. Shouldn't have sai-"
"Oh him? Oh yeah no, he's gone. Dead and buried in the swamps. Nothing to worry about."
"DEAD!?!? YOU KILLED HIM!?! T-T-T-THAT'S AWFUL! NO WONDER WHY MY DEBTS DOUBLED SINCE YOU LEFT!!" Panic rose higher for the Keeper, which Adel would raise an eyebrow on him.
"Oi. Who's the banker here?" Adel asked, prompting the Keeper to cough a bit to catch their attention.
"W-well.." He'd began. "M-my name is Edward Von K-K-K-Kokonen. I WAS the Tavern Keeper in a Kingdom known as Oaking...but ever since Straum's funds dried up, I went out of BUSINESS! I've been trying to clear a heavy debt from that damn loan shark for so long! So many odd jobs I had to take: Sewer, Chef, Blacksmith, Gunsmith, Teacher, Pilot, Pirate, Pyrotechnic, Surgeon, You name it, I had to d-d-do it for the money! I-I-I was supposed to be a Pastor in this place, having the mirrors set up to do a whole r-r-ritual involving the Holy Matrimony between the young man and his bride t-t-to-be! When I saw some folks chasin' after me....well..."
"You're.....The Pastor? Seriously?" Zazel questioned, trying to imagine how such a small man was able to get up the podium.
"J-J-Just because I'm four foot six, d-d-doesn't mean I can't be a good Pastor! I....I just get a bit nervous with new people, that's all..."
"Okay, Okay. I'll take your word for it. Who's the loan shark guy hurting you?"
"O-O-OH! I ah...I can't say his name upfront, hehe. He's got a LOT of goons and crooks hearing every p-p-peep out of this place and the next kingdoms over. What I c-c-c-can say, however, Is that he's got Puppet Magic! His place is a small candy shop, big mascot on the rooftop! Can't miss it!"
"Puppet Magic?"
"Most likely the strings variant, where yah tether the target with them and control their actions, even casting their own spells out." Adel would pipe up, stunning Zazel further with such knowledge, yet Edward was quick on nodding to affirm such was the case.
"E-e-Exactly! Mean son of a gun, I'll tell you that! Every pretty penny for my Mirrors was spent for it, too. W-w-without those artifacts, I'm a sitting duck, hehe..." Edward laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head, somewhat thankful they weren't here to cause problems.
"Quick question. Was Jackal also forced to pay up by that loan shark?" Zazel asked.
"Ohhhh, Big time, devil kid! Big time! His debt was even WORSE than mines! He had to resort to b-b-b-bounty hunting just to make ends meet! Hence the whole Gravity Magic Dilemma. A-a-assuming that's why you had to hunt him down for. With the G-g-g-Galigan's and all that.."
Zazel can't help but be a bit sorrowful, being reminded of such ghosts, sighing to himself. "Yeah, whole quest board was set up for it. I'm...sorry for making your situation worse, Mr. Koko."
"D-d-don't sweat it, kid. A-a-at least you're safe here! That's one thing for certain."
SLAM!!
The doors just outside the halls immediately slammed shut, one after another, promptly locking all three in at once. "O-o-oh...I ah...Maybe shouldn't have said that." Edward would comment, trying to move the staff of Ronove away as he'd try to get up and help the two find out who was responsible for closing the doors. The air was still when they investigated, looking around whatever they can, something, anything for a hint as to who did it. As they tried to..
SHIKK!!!
A clean slash, straight across Zazel's shoulder and straight into his stomach, forcing him to reel back and scream in pain, clutching the wound with his hands, feeling it burn as small embers escape from it. Such an attack came from nowhere, prompting Adel to step in and act as a shield, his tongue quickly being forked, letting his snake slip inside his body and take hold, his body changing, trying to sense out where the attack was. Despite such precision, however, nothing was being trailed out. It wasn't until he saw at his peripheral vision the attack coming again.
SHIKK!!
Another cut, one that slashed across his hand as he reached out to part it, barely having the attack avoid decapitating the demon in an instant. Despite his bleeding, he still held firm. He'd use his forked tongue again, finally sensing someone with their scent.
Someone was up above, attacking them in a distance, visibly standing against the paned glass, a smirk on their face, as if they were proud of achieving such a treacherous tactic.