Master Merlin, Fie and I went to the place I mentioned. It's abandoned now, but it's still beautiful. Vegetation was beginning to grow on the windows. Birds chirping around made it their base, and when I asked them if they had seen anyone going in and out of the building recently, they gave me an unexpected answer.
"There are still people living here" [Sparrow A].
"True. In fact, one of them just left the building not too long ago" [Sparrow B].
"Really!" [Diana]
Since there's no reason for the Sparrows to lie, I'll take that as the truth. Ever since we raided it, the country has been investigating this place and they have found almost nothing. This is just one of their temporary bases, one of many, so there aren't many documents or things to look for, but
"I can't sense anything. Not a soul, not even with my search magic. I'll break in anyway" [Diana].
"Good. I'm only here as your observer to keep you out of trouble. Let me see how you handle this case" [Merlin].
"Alright! This will be fun. Fie, let's do our best" [Diana]
"Meow!" [Fie]
The house is empty. To be honest, I couldn't find any evidence that anyone lived here, but I'll trust the birds for now. I looked carefully and found some footprints. That is a start. I also went to the basement and found another pile of weapons. There's no notes left for me to see, but this weapon also seems to have been manufactured by the Empire, although this one batch of weapons looks old. They're probably trying to get rid of it, or use it as some kind of catalyst.
"Mr. Spider. Do you know how many people have come here recently?" [Diana]
"About 8 people. Four humans and four dwarves." [Spider]
"I see. Thank you very much!" [Diana]
I get a hint. This is a good start. I don't know why they're collecting all these weapons, but I do know that this is one of their bases. For now, I'll store all these weapons in my Item Box Magic.
For now, I'm sure they're being discreet, but not enough for someone like me who can communicate with plants and animals freely. I'm sure they didn't expect me to ask the animals and plants, otherwise they would be even more secretive. Maybe they do not know about my ability? That's strange. I'm sure the fact that I can talk to Mother Nature is well known, especially after the commotion I caused... I mean, the ruckus caused by Grandma Farhah's ex-husband that I was involved in. Anyway, work in my favor
"Meow" [Fie]
"Do you get their smells? Good! Let's go go go!" [Diana]
Fie's keen sense of smell managed to sniff out the scent of one of the dark guild members. To further enhance his sense of smell, he has changed his attributes to mainly be a mirage, so his usual black fur has become silver.
We leave the building and follow the sniff. I'm sure that the sight of Fie sniffing around with me and Master Merlin will cause people to talk, and I'm afraid that this will alert the Dark Guild, so I begin to cast an invisibility spell on the three of us. I also cause sensory ignorance around us, just to be on the safe side.
"Meow" [Fie]
"It stopped here? In this building?" [Diana]
Maybe they're making another stop? Whatever it is, I can't sense a soul here either. Maybe they wanted to get rid of their smell? Maybe they wanted to use it as a distraction? Possibly. I mean, this is making Fie confused. Whatever it is, this little warehouse looks well-kept, and it's in the middle of the road, so even the most well-trained dog could get confused.
Inside the building, perfumes ranging from rose to turmeric can be seen. There is also an abundance of daily supplies, be it herbs to vegetables. I guess there won't be a weapon hidden here. It's too risky, and I'm right. There's nothing but ordinary things here. Not even a cellar. I double-check with my earth magic and there isn't one. This is just a place to mask their smell
There isn't a fly or an insect around here. Even the cats and dogs around here haven't seen anyone suspicious. That makes things a little more difficult, but I wouldn't give up just because of that. So, instead of relying on them, I start to rack my brain, and that's when I get a brilliant idea.
"Wind Magic: Whisper of the Wind" [Diana].
Concentrate. Concentrate hard. Let the wind be your ear. Take note of anything worth noting. I'm sure they masked their scent, but it must have backfired. If this is a land full of humans, they'll surely get away with it, but this is also a land where may beastmen make their homes, and I'm sure beastmen with a keen sense of smell might notice something... Concentrate... Concentrate
"Blergh... What's that strong herby smell?" [Kat]
Is that Kat's voice? I can pinpoint it! This is a good clue! I immediately told Master Merlin and Fie, and we rushed to the place where Kat was last heard using my wind magic. From there
"Meow!" [Fie]
"Good! Let us follow this! Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this!" [Diana]
When we followed the scent, it led us to a forest. It's my territory there, and when I ask the forest about our suspects, they immediately tell me where they are. The place they mentioned matches what Fie's sense of smell traced, and when we get there
"Another warehouse?" [Diana].
"Nope. This is a werehouse." [Merlin]
"Huh?" [Diana]
What is a werehouse?