Using her dark vision to approach the frightened girl, Angel bent down and embraced her. Feeling the trembling body in her arms gradually calm, she whispered:
"Don't be afraid. Dominic came to rescue you."
"Th-thank you..." The girl who'd been bravely trying to free herself now spoke with tears in her voice. "I thought he'd been captured too. I was... I was so scared..."
Taking out her dagger to cut the ropes binding Sonya's hands and feet, Angel helped the girl stand and led her from the dark room into the corridor where faint light still lingered.
With her vision restored, Sonya looked curiously at the woman who'd saved her, unable to help asking:
"I don't think I've seen you before. Did Dominic ask you to help? Where is he now?"
Actually, I am Dominic. Angel had wanted to make that joke, but seeing the tear-stained face of Sonya, she couldn't bring herself to tease the girl.
"He's downstairs drawing the gang enforcers' attention. The faster we leave, the safer he'll be."
Leading Sonya, Angel crossed the deserted corridor and reached the stairs to the first-floor hall. The youth named Ian whom she'd rescued earlier was at the top of the stairs, cautiously peering outside. Hearing their footsteps, he jumped in fright.
"It's you... Is that the girl you came to rescue? Congratulations on finding her." The young but strangely mature Ian said, "The gunfire outside is intense. It seems like two groups are fighting each other. We need to find another way out."
"That's my companion creating the distraction. We'll head for the back door—I came in from there..."
BOOM—
Before Angel could finish, a violent explosion erupted from the front entrance, followed by earth-shaking tremors. Even the flames in the gas lamps on the walls flickered weakly, as if someone had used several pounds of explosives to collapse half the building.
The door to the front hall burst open, and dust from the explosion poured through. A nimble figure emerged through the smoke, reaching the stairs. Angel quickly drew her gun and aimed.
"It's me—don't shoot!" The figure waved away the smoke, revealing Dominic's dust-covered face. "Did you find Sonya? They're about to..."
Sonya rushed forward crying and embraced him, silencing the Provoker.
"Save the tears for when we escape. What happened at the front door? Why is there even more gunfire?"
Angel ignored the reunited couple, frowning toward the front entrance. Rather than quieting with Dominic's absence, even more intensive gunfire had erupted there, as if truly, as Ian had said, "two groups were fighting each other."
"Alright, Sonya, we're leaving now." After stroking the girl's messy brown hair, the dust-covered Provoker turned back around. "MI9 people have attacked. They used explosives and collapsed half the front hall directly. Both sides are in fierce combat now. I slipped through in the chaos."
"Also for the manuscript?"
"What else would it be for? Rescuing captured youths and maidens?"
Glancing at Ian, whose wrists still bore rope marks, Dominic took Sonya's hand and led the way toward the back door.
"The Zmanger Gang has home advantage but inferior numbers and no Beyonders in charge. They probably won't last more than a few minutes. Let's run quickly. Once MI9 discovers the manuscript isn't here, they'll likely target us next."
Arriving at the back door where Angel had climbed the wall to enter, the two Beyonders used wooden crates as stepping stools to help Sonya and Ian over the low wall. All four quickly left this place of trouble via the alley behind Red Brick Alley.
The faint gunfire and shouting behind them persisted. The Zmanger Gang evidently wasn't collapsing as quickly as Dominic had predicted, but continued their resistance.
Not until the four had crossed several streets and reached the banks of the Tussock River where the East Borough bordered the Dock District did the distant gunfire finally fade from their ears.
"You—it's time to part ways. Following us further might be dangerous."
Once clear of danger, Dominic turned to the only "outsider" among the four—Ian, who'd also been captured by the Zmanger Gang.
The latter nodded understandingly and looked at Angel. "Thank you for your help, beautiful miss. I assume you were also drawn into this because of that manuscript. I suggest you find somewhere to lay low for a while. Don't go to the police or seek official help, especially not MI9. They're..."
"I know—they've been infiltrated like a sieve. Useless bunch!"
Former MI9 member Dominic interrupted unceremoniously.
"...Well, as long as you understand. I'm also planning to disappear for a while, but I owe you a favor." Ian nodded to Angel. "If you need intelligence services, you can go to the 'Bravehearts Bar' and ask for Old Head. They can contact me."
With that, the slender youth walked west along the Tussock riverbank, quickly disappearing into the night and thick fog.
"What about you two? Going back to your place?"
Withdrawing her gaze from Ian's retreating figure, Angel looked at Dominic and Sonya. The former was covered head to toe in dust from the explosion and bloodstains of uncertain origin; the latter's dress was relatively intact, but her face showed unmistakable exhaustion.
"No way—going back now would mean getting caught immediately." Dominic shook his head. "I'm heading straight to the Dock District to find someone willing to take a boat out at night. We'll travel downstream to Pritz Harbor tonight, then set sail at dawn tomorrow. Never coming back to this godforsaken place."
Since electrical systems weren't yet widespread, steam trains had no night service, and most steamships didn't dare operate after dark. Still, some bold boatmen dared to sail downstream at night, risking their lives to earn a bit of money.
"That boy Ian was right—you should also avoid the spotlight for a while. When these intelligence agencies can't find the manuscript, they'll definitely expand their search and eventually trace their way to you."
"That's not your concern. I have other matters and can't leave Backlund. Besides, anti-divination can help avoid being tracked by Beyonders."
Hearing Angel's words, Dominic snorted derisively. "Anti-divination? You rely too much on those methods. Do I look like someone who can divine? Yet I still tracked you to your safe house, didn't I?"
A few hours ago when you were begging me to use the magic mirror to divine Sonya's location, you weren't saying this...
The Provoker continued speaking on his own, not even noticing Sonya's constant meaningful glances beside him.
"I suggest you change both safe houses and clean out everything inside without leaving traces. This isn't about divination—an experienced hunter can track you down quickly just from places you've lived."
Is he... concerned about me?
Angel smiled inwardly.
Dominic rambled on with various anti-tracking methods until a passing carriage clattered over loose paving stones, finally reminding him of his impending flight and shutting him up.
Then he pulled a small envelope from inside his coat and handed it to Angel.
"This is your payment. Regardless, thank you for lending a hand this time..."
"If you ever come to Bayam, you can find me at the 'Seawater and Flame' bar on Pelican Street. Don't use your real name, of course—just ask for 'Lucky Nick'..." Dominic's tone suddenly paused. "I hope you never need to use that. I don't want any more connection with Backlund, or with you witches."
"Not even the good witches."
Somewhat bewildered after watching Dominic's solo performance, Angel watched him pull Sonya toward the eastern Dock District. She pinched the envelope in her hand and found it thin, containing almost nothing.
Did this guy give me an empty envelope to brush me off? Is that why he ran so quickly...
Looking down at the envelope, she tore open one edge and extracted the single sheet of paper inside. By moonlight, using her dark vision, she read its contents.
"Sequence 8, Magician. Main ingredients: Spirit Eater's stomach pouch, 20 milliliters of Deepwater Swordfish blood. Supplementary ingredients: 5 milliliters of hornbeam essential oil, 10 grams of thread ball grass powder, one blooming red chestnut flower, 80 milliliters of pure water."
This is... this is a potion formula?
Angel suppressed her surprise and looked toward their retreating figures.
He said he'd give payment that would satisfy me. So he meant a potion formula? Indeed, in the Beyonder world, formulas are roughly equivalent to gold pounds—sometimes they can accomplish what even gold pounds cannot...
Reading further, Angel discovered the paper contained more than just the "Magician" potion formula.
"Sequence 8, Barbarian."
"Sequence 9, Seer."
This single sheet recorded three complete potion formulas!