'Volcan, where is your evaluation?'
When the crimson-haired girl appeared, Dante expected to hear another one of the AI's analyses, yet nothing came even after she took down the three thugs.
[This person does not show hostility toward you, Dante. For that reason, I did not register her as a threat.] Volcan replied. [If you still want an evaluation, I can perform one now.]
"Um, sir? What about you?"
Dante's left eye twitched. He gave the girl one more look and confirmed what he already suspected. Long crimson hair and a beautiful face, a well-proportioned body with curves in all the right places. She wore tight black pants, a white shirt, and a cream-colored coat.
And heels. For someone who dashed twenty meters in less than two seconds, her choice of footwear was horrendous. When Dante didn't answer immediately, she followed it with another question.
"Are you lost, um… sir?"
"Just... stop it." Dante sighed. "What about me makes you think I'm a sir? Do I look that old to you?"
"Ah! My apologies! I didn't mean to be rude!"
Red colored her cheeks as she turned into a nervous mess. She gave the impression of not being used to talking to strangers, especially ones that don't know who she was. Add to that the expensive clothes and shoes and it becomes clear that she came from wealth.
[Evaluation complete.] Volcan said. [Dante, my analysis concluded that the female human in front of you is a Level 3 Advanced Individual. She likely underwent genetic enhancements that increased her overall physical attributes. Also, there is a high likelihood of her possessing thermal-type attributes and abilities.]
'Level 3!?'
A revelation shocking enough to twist Dante's expression once more, which didn't go unnoticed by the crimson-haired girl. He pinched the bridge of his nose and pretended to have a subtle headache, but only because the pain he felt was far too great to show in front of a stranger.
"A-are you okay?" The girl asked.
"Yeah… it's nothing to worry about." He quickly suppressed his true emotions and wore the appropriate expression for the situation, or he tried, at least. In the end, he still came across as extremely annoyed. "Listen, miss, I don't want to be rude, but you should probably go home."
"Eh? Wha-…"
"Whatever it is you came here to do, I can tell you didn't think this through." Dante ignored her flustered reaction and continued. "This isn't a place people like you can wander around on their own. If you really need something from here, at least hire some bodyguards who are familiar with the area. Otherwise, you might get yourself and others into trouble."
Without bothering to say goodbye, Dante turned around and left. He couldn't interrogator unconscious thugs, after all.
"Hey! Wait!"
He ignored the call and continued moving. Thankfully, the girl didn't follow after him. After making sure to put some distance from that alleyway, he decided it was safe enough to stop.
[Would you like to know the current location of that female Enhanced Individual?]
When Volcan asked him that, some of the tension burdening Dante seemed to fade.
'Are you sure you can't read my mind?'
[Yes. I am sure.] The AI replied.
'Alright,' Dante smiled to himself. 'Show me.'
A small screen appeared on his OAM showing a detailed map of Neo-Vatra before zooming in on a single blue dot. At first, it appeared that he was looking at the default GPS app that comes with the NIM, but when it zoomed out until a green dot entered the range, Dante understood that it had more to it than just that.
'She's… not going back…' A defeated sigh escaped him. 'Of course she isn't…'
[She seems to be moving away from us. Does that not count?]
'Of course it doesn't..' Dante continued to watch the green dot. 'Something tells me we'll run into her soon enough…'
Dante gave the map another look and noticed that it had three red dots in a narrow alley a short distance from where he was. Those clearly represented the three thugs that were knocked out by that girl. Just then, an idea came to him.
'Hey, since you can track practically anyone, can't you do the same for our target?'
The strange relic kept surprising him with its features so he hoped that it had something that could make the search easier. Unfortunately, there was a limit to how convenient something could be.
[To track the location of an individual, I have to place a marker on them first.] Said Volcan. [To do that they must enter a range of five meters from you at least once.]
'Ah, I guess that makes sense…'
Closing the projected screen with a thought, Dante stood in silence for a moment then opened a browser. He typed a few words in the search bar and looked for a certain site. A few seconds later, he stopped at a certain article.
{A NEW HERO ENTERS THE SCENE! THE AMAZING FLARE SETS EVIL ABLAZE!!!}
Below the headline was an image showing a woman dressed in a tight jumpsuit descending to the ground with orange flames coating her arms and legs. Though her face was hidden behind a mascaraed mask that matched her black outfit, the bright red hair blowing behind her was a dead giveaway of her true identity.
As Dante stared at the photo, several more popped up on the side along with a number of video clips.
[I have analyzed some of the readily available footage.] Volcan said. [I can say with 80% certainty that the female Enhanced Individual we met and this Flare hero are the same person.]
'Only 80%?' Dante raised an eyebrow.
[Yes. Without enough data on both individuals, I cannot confirm whether they're the same person, or if one is a copy of the other.]
'A copy, huh…'
Most lower-level heroes were the cybernetically enhanced kind, but that has been changing recently. There are rumors about Eidolon making a move toward commercializing their genetic enhancements, and since selling the formulas for their Level 5 Primes was bound to turn into a disaster of epic proportions, they'll be spreading some of the lower-level stuff. The newer heroes are said to be an advertisement of some sort, meant to show potential clients what they could get.
When Volcan revealed that the crimson-haired girl was a Level 3 Advanced EI, Dante instantly made the connection. What should have been a simple gig has taken an abrupt turn. Even though it should have been a complete coincidence, Dante couldn't bring himself to believe that things would go as he had originally expected.