Chương 162: Chapter 152-Chosen Stalking Again

Technically, this isn't stalking. We don't know if Carina considers this unwanted attention. She could be glad that we're looking for her. Now, what the Purists are doing is probably considered stalking. I struggle to see a world where she would be happy that a bunch of Human supremacists are looking to kill her. At least I'm not happy about it, and that's really the only person that matters. Not that Carina's opinion doesn't matter. It really does. She just isn't here to give it.

So, I'm going to err on the side of caution and assume she wouldn't like to be found by a bunch of murderers. Hopper inspects the alleyway.

"So, this is where Ilota was stabbed?"

"According to my information. Think you can use [Track] to retrace his steps?" I ask as I lean on the wall.

"The tracks are faint, and there was a heavy shower last night." Penelope plays with one of her drills.

"Is that a no?"

"Please, I've hunted in worse conditions," Hopper says with a hint of pride.

"Good. Then let's see where Ilota was," I say as Hopper walks down the alleyway.

"From what I can tell, he was running," Hopper points out the obvious.

"I would imagine so. He was being chased by Purists," Penelope reminds him.

"Yeah, I can see that. Five of them, to be exact. Huh… Odd."

"What is it?" I ask as Hopper stops.

"Well, he was running, and then it looks like he just stopped for no reason," he points out. Penelope nods.

"That is odd. Could he have been hit or possibly cornered?"

"Not from what I can tell. It's almost as if he froze in place."

"As curious as I am to know what happened to Ilota, can we get back on task?" I ask.

"Yeah, sorry. So, he came running from the street. He was running for quite some time," Hopper explains as we follow Ilota's path.

"Considering how fast he ran from me. I'm not surprised," Penelope says with a frustrated look. Hopper and I give her a worried glance.

"Why were you chasing Ilota?" I ask.

"I needed to talk to him about a retraction he needed to make," she says with a finality to it.

"Ok. So, he was running for a long time. Where did he start running?" I ask as I avoid touching that topic.

"Here," Hopper says as he stands in front of a bakery.

"Pan's Festival of Sweets? What was he doing here?" Penelope asks as she looks up at the sign.

"Maybe he got hungry. CJ, is there anything in that file about this place?" Hopper asks. Thumbing through the file that Annabelle gave us, I find what I'm looking for.

"Yeah, it seems that he was frequenting this place the last week or two before heading out to check some of the residences on the list."

"Huh, I guess he really was stopping by for breakfast. Where was he before this?" Penelope asks Hopper as they search the ground. Their voices fade into the background as I look into the shop window. Fresh bread sits on the window display as a blond woman with blue eyes works the counter. A thin green string floats out of her. A string of fate? Something's wrong here. Turning around, I take in the surroundings. A busy street with guards stationed right around the corner.

The dark alleyway right next to this store, where some homeless people are hanging out. The blacksmith across the street where shields are being forged. So many spots to run or call for help, yet Ilota ran that way. Why would he do that?

"Charlatan? You with us?"

"Penelope, if you were being chased, where would you go?" I ask.

"From here? I'd take that corner and go for the guards' stations," she points in the opposite direction that Ilota took.

"How about you, Hopper?" Hopper looks around for a second.

"Straight through the market. It'd be easier to lose them in the crowd," he points yet again in the opposite direction. What's in that direction that Ilota was running to, or rather… What was he running away from? I turn to face the bakery.

"I say we stop for some bread." Penelope and Hopper share a look.

"We just started looking," Penelope says as we enter the warm bakery.

"I mean, I'm not opposed. Think I saw some carrot bread," Hopper whispers to himself as he looks through the displays.

"Charlatan, what are we doing? I know you're easily distracted, but this isn't the time for that. We have to find-" Penelope goes to say as the blond woman comes over to us.

"Hello, there. Would you happen to have any pig-shaped bread?" I ask, cutting Penelope off.

"Yes, we do. They're over here," she says, leading us to the counter.

"Really, we came here for bread?"

"It's a bakery. What else would we be here for?" I ask as I spot an empty decorative plate on the counter. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

"How many would you like?" the blond woman asks as she gets a bag.

"What do you think, Penelope? 3 or 4?" She gives me a cold glare.

"4."

"We'll take four. Hopper, you're limited to one carrot bread," I say as I watch him try to carry a dozen or so.

"Yeah, I know that." Turning back to the blond woman, I give her a smile.

"You have a nice shop. Is it yours?" I ask as she places the bread in the bag.

"Yes. My pride and joy. That'll be 12 Copper," she says with a soft smile.

"Penelope, can you pay? I left my coin at home," I [Lie] as I [Steal] her coin pouch.

"Fine. Can you break a Gold? Wait, where is it?" Penelope asks as she looks for her pouch.

"While my friend searches for the pay, can I ask you something?"

"Of course. What bread-related questions can I answer for you?" she asks with a smile.

"Is your name Pan?"

"That's what the shop is called." Hopper curses under his breath as he puts the carrot bread back.

"Do you have any other employees, or is this a one-woman operation?"

"Just me. You can come back later if you don't have the coin," the blond woman says as Penelope gives a frustrated groan.

"I was certain that I-""Oh, would you look at that? It's right here. Must've fallen when we came in. What gets lost in the sand," I say as I subtly [Throw] it on the ground behind us." Will be found in your hair," the blond woman says with a chuckle, which quickly fades. Penelope walks over and picks the bag up. The green string of fate gently sways around the blond woman. Hopper places the single carrot bread on the counter." You're rusty," I say in the language of the sand." Who are you?"

she asks with a hint of fear. Penelope and Hopper look on in confusion as we speak in a foreign language." I'm here to help. The Purists are looking for you, and they're close to finding you," I say as calmly as possible." How do you… Red eyes and purple skin… You're Lucía's kid! You survived? I thought I was the only one," Carina says as she gently touches my face.

"What's going on here?" Penelope asks as she pulls me away from Carina.

"Apologies. I was making sure he was real. Does this mean that your mother is also alive?" she asks.

"No. As far as I can tell, it's only the two of us, Carina," I [Lie] as I push Smelly Doug out of my mind.

"This is Carina?" Penelope asks in shock.

"Yes. I am Carina Camilo. It is a pleasure to meet you," she says with a soft smile. Hopper takes a bite of the carrot bread.

"This doesn't make any sense. The bakery that Ilota was getting his breakfast at just so happened to be where she was hiding?"

"The exact opposite. I imagine he was coming here to figure out whether she was Carina. The other locations were just decoys to throw the Purists off the scent," I explain. Penelope nods.

"That's why he ran as far as he could from this place. He was trying to lead them away from her."

"So they finally found me?" Carina asks.

"Finally? You expected this to happen?" I ask as Hopper's bunny ears twitch. Carina shakes her head as she looks around.

"I've expected it every night since that fateful day when I lost everything. I changed my identity, my looks, and even the way I speak to hide from them. Even then I knew they would find me."

"Why? What did you see that night?" I ask as Hopper and Penelope whisper to the side.

"I saw the man responsible for taking everything from us, and I know why he did it," she says with a steadfast look.

"Is this the man you speak of?" I ask as I slide her a portrait of Alexander. Carina takes a step back.

"Yes."

"I need you to think carefully. Are you sure this is the man?"

"I would recognize him anywhere. After all, I'm the one who gave him that scar," she says, pointing at the scar on his eye. Ilota, you did it! This is exactly the information we needed, and you found it. With this, we'll be able to take down Alexander and his Purist friends. Now I just need to convince her to testify. I'm sure it won't take much. She seems eager enough.

"Wait, what did you mean by 'Why he did it?'. Wasn't he just destroying Ashfall because of the Vashrins?" I ask as my curiosity gets the better of me.

"That's only the surface reason, not the real one. I overheard him speaking to a Demon. They came to Ashfall for a specific person. Someone they had to kill at all costs," she says with a dramatic pause.

"Who were they looking for?"

"Douglas Fromm. They were looking for Douglas Fromm." Smelly Doug? Why in the hells would they be looking for him? And why would they burn a whole town down just to do it? Something isn't adding up here.

"CJ, I think we have a problem," Hopper says as Penelope draws her greatsword.

"What is-" At the edge of my vision, I catch a glimpse of Carina's string of fate as it suddenly goes taut. Without a second thought, I jump over the counter and tackle her to the ground. The moment I clear the counter, an explosion rips through the air, sending wood, glass, and bread through the shop. Hopper stands behind Penelope as her shimmering shield fades.

"I take it we have company?" I ask as I make sure that Carina is unharmed.

"7 maybe 8 of them. I can't tell. The blast scrambled my hearing," Hopper says as he grabs his bunny ears.

"Be ready. That was no ordinary explosion. That was a [Skill]," Penelope says as the dust begins to settle.

"Just great. Carina, they're after you. Stay hidden until we deal with the problem," I say as I draw Stabby.

"What if you start to lose?" she asks.

"Pray to the Spirits that we don't," I say as I join Penelope and Hopper.

"What's the plan?" Penelope asks.

"I say we win."

"I second that," Hopper says as Froppy appears next to him.

"An amazing plan as always. Remember there main goal isn't to kill us. It's to kill her. Protect her at all costs. Here they come."