There was a warm cast to the surroundings because of the early evening light. As I continued to head into one of Crown City's "downtown" districts, more people became visible.
It was a good thing I was heading to Jack's Pub and Cafe originally. The restaurant had a fairly open floor plan, with wide windows and outdoor seating. I enjoyed the food there, of course, but that I can spot any potential troublesome alves also currently in the city was another reason I liked Jack's.
Continuing to play outwardly oblivious over catching on that I had someone tailing me, I exchanged some quick words with the first available waitress before nabbing a seat that gave me a fairly good view of the street.
Even before I turned around, a surface
I mentally skimmed and dismissed profiles at lightning speed in the 3-second sweep I did.
Tillian and that other academic I usually saw with him was around. There was a Southerner along with Jett from the east. A handful of vagrant alves. A group of dwarves. And various humans that were both local and foreign.
Glancing down at the table I rested my hands on, I twiddled my fingers in contemplation as I digested the information of the crowd I saw.
Nothing really stood out. Of course, it figured it wouldn't be that easy when 37 didn't notice the shadow we had for the past twenty minutes.
As I considered the AI who was probably scanning the area himself with the focus I felt from him, I lifted my head and rolled my neck.
Ah, that feeling I get when someone was staring at me was always unpleasant. It was like bugs crawling up my spine and itching my forearms.
"What do you want tonight, Nori?" Mary walked up with a smile after finishing writing up another customer's order.
I smiled winningly at her as a hand reached up and rubbed my neck, trying to get rid of that sensation of hidden eyes on me. "What's the special?"
"Lamb. We also have an all-day special for open sandwiches topped with fish."
"I'll have an open sandwich then, Mary."
"Any preference?"
"Surprise me."
"Alright, the usual drink?"
"Nah," I denied at the thought of any alcohol right now. "I'll have coffee tonight."
Mary left after a few more words and I scanned the crowd again while affecting an air of boredom.
'Anything, Thirty-Seven?'
[I do not notice anything yet.]
'They'll reveal themselves soon enough,' I reassured the frustrated and hesitant AI. 'There are ways to make them slip up.'
Since I ordered something that required minimum cooking, an artful plate of an open sandwich greeted me within a few minutes. It was a pity that I couldn't enjoy the food with that unknown gaze on me, eating the fish and caviar automatically with the greens and not really tasting it at all.
I wanted to take my time but ended up finishing the food too quickly, only settling on nursing the mug of black coffee as I waited.
[Why are we waiting?] 37 had calmed down by now with no action to be seen but he still continued to run a constant scan of our surroundings.
'I'm trying to figure out what kind of person our stalker is. Considering I still feel unpleasantly watched, they are patient. What that meant? Well…'
There was a chance that 37 just missed something but unlikely (judging by the spike of offense I felt from my partner at the idea he "missed" anything at all when it came to information dissimilation).
… I wonder if this was the AI that 42 met with before her signal disappeared.
Hm? Disappearing signals. Hidden from 37's sensors—likely on purpose?
Was this like Incognito Mode for a browser but for the AIs?
[… It is not a pre-existing algorithm for me.]
'But can you? You've read enough programming books to understand where I'm going with this, right?'
[Stealth Technology. …It is likely possible though I am not sure how to counteract it. It may also be magic. Because of so much magic interference in the atmosphere, you are able to blend in when spying much like a "Stealth Mode."]
Let's find out then.
Paying for the meal, I continued to walk around—partially to digest my meal and to continue to see how long they would follow me.
There are not many reasons to pick me out to stalk, to be honest. In this world, the only reason someone might be interested in me were few.
One, they are following me because they are attracted to me. I dismissed this reason to be unlikely rather early, familiar with that kind of stare and this lacked the particular twist smitten stalkers usually had.
Second. I am being followed because of my identity as an Archmagus. There was a chance this might be the reason, though I kept a fairly low-profile and haven't really shown off. It may be they just need an unaffiliated and foreign magic user for some reason or another.
Thirdly, they are following me because of whom I associate with.
And, lastly, the one that the least number of people are aware of: they are spying on me because I am soul-bonded with a highly advanced and sentient AI.
[Nori.]
'You figure it out?'
[Yes. Jett from the Eastern Contingent has been following you since you left the restaurant.]
Jett, hm? I felt a bit funny at the reversed situation I found myself in when I was stalking Natasha and Jett earlier today only to have Jett following me now.
If it was Jett, it was probably because of the interaction earlier today. Maybe Bartho requested I be tailed by a person that has seen me before? I wasn't exactly too subtle when talking with the secretary, after all.
Deciding to shake her off, I abruptly turned into an alleyway before I ran up a side of the wall. Pushing off, I kicked the opposite wall and hopped up onto the roof purely from physical momentum.
Landing on the roof, I took a second before peeking over the edge. She should be coming by in a few moments—
I rolled forward in alarm, automatically activating
"I'd thought you'd want to talk instead of going right for the kill," I quipped as I slowly got into a loose stance in case she made any sudden movements.
That dagger had been aimed at my left. She probably wanted to stab my heart from the back. As to whether that'd actually be a fatal wound, I was not in a hurry to test it out.
Dark eyes under a newsboy cap stared into my own, the gap of the alleyway separating us.
"You're very different compared to Forty-Two."
"Ah, the missing Forty-Two. Are you a Partner then?" my tone was casual.
Of course, this was just affirming what I already realized. It wasn't as obvious for Rosettia Fillemund but Jett's accent was way more noticeable. I hadn't noticed it earlier today so this might be something that only happened when there were only Partners present.
I could hear her speaking Mandarin if I focused a little more on the undercurrent of her translated words. Her English accent (and it was English instead of Continental Standard) was also tinted with Chinese intonations instead of the Eastern Kingdom regional accent.
She sneered. "Yes, and I killed her. Someone who had an overinflated sense of superiority when she was weak. You, though, you seem a little more competent than her, Thirty-Seven."