"Alright, gentlemen, let's discuss how you got yourselves injured," Captain Kappa said as he turned a chair around and draped his arms over the backrest, resting his head on his hands, giving off a vibe that he was all ears for their tall tales.
"We were patrolling the warehouse district when we came across a man covered in blood running out of the back warehouse. Elyon and I went in to investigate and discovered a bunch of bodies. I was then attacked by a giant wolf, and basically, the rest was Elyon subduing the beast."
Garrick easily distanced himself from the incident. "Can you believe that thing really was a wolf? How did it die and turn into a man?"
Lighting his pipe and casting a sidelong glance at Elyon, his look suggested it was Elyon's turn to spin the yarn.
"Now your turn, Elyon."
"I managed to shoot the dire wolf in the back and the arm while it was attacking Mr. Garrick, and then I fought and killed it during the struggle," Elyon tried to gloss over the details.
"The medical examiner checked the body and indeed found a wound on the left shoulder and abrasions on the back, but the cause of death given by the coroner wasn't from a gunshot. Guess how he died?"
Captain Kappa looked at them with a playful expression.
"I have no idea. Maybe it was the chaotic fight afterwards that landed a fatal blow," Elyon speculated.
"He died from cerebral contusion. The medical examiner told me that the damage looked as if someone had hit the wolf's head with a 20-pound sledgehammer, yet the mark on the head was only that of a pistol butt. Mr. Elyon, would you care to explain how a 2-pound pistol could produce the effect of a 20-pound sledgehammer?"
"Ah, speaking of the pistol, I have a complaint. The guns you supplied malfunctioned with just one fall. I had no choice but to use it as a blunt weapon," Elyon continued his defense.
"Well, government procurement, you know. They never pick the best quality or the best value for money. They pick where the kickbacks are the highest. With all the money going to kickbacks, the quality of the firearms is left to chance. They look good on the outside, at least – that's all the officials care about, as they don't have to use them to fight off scoundrels themselves. Oh, but let's not change the subject. I'll be direct – you've awakened, haven't you? Reached that level?"
With a direct hit, Elyon couldn't hide anymore in the face of such a blunt question from the captain. He resigned himself to telling the truth.
"I think I've awakened, yes. When I was pinned down by the dire wolf and felt like I was about to die, suddenly, strength filled my entire body, and I kicked the wolf away. When I focused all my attention on my eyes, the world seemed to slow down. The wolf's movements in my eyes were like individual photographs, lasting for about a second. In a desperate move, I used my left arm to divert the wolf's bite and struck it in the nose with the butt of my gun. By the way, was that thing a werewolf from the legends? After we killed it, it turned from a wolf back into a human."
Elyon left out many parts, such as the world turning monochrome in his vision, the golden mark on the wolf, and his inexplicable intuition, especially since he had seen an orb and drunk wisdom potion. He was afraid if he revealed too much, he might be dissected by the Special Actions Division or sent to a psychiatric hospital.
"Tsk, tsk. You've leaped from a mere awakened to a transcendent being in one go. Not sure if that's luck or just good genes from your father."
It seemed Captain Kappa had already investigated his family background while Elyon was unconscious.
"Probably genetics, haha."
"So, you're really the illegitimate child of some bigwig? You've kept a deep secret, kid. You had me fooled, really thought you were just a farmer's son."
Garrick couldn't stay silent at this revelation.
"What bigwig? Just a navy captain. Without my grandfather's inheritance, it would have been hard to even attend school," Elyon responded.
"A captain from the Navy's Special Abilities Twelfth Combat Group, Scorpio Squad. Your father must be a transcendent being as well, and it happens that both father and son awakened their eyes. Good genetics indeed, but you're also pretty lucky to have killed that low-level werewolf. For the specifics, ask the Special Actions Division yourself."
"They want me to leave the hospital? I'm still injured."
"I asked your attending physician when I arrived. Your left arm is the only issue, you can get out of bed just fine. Come with me to the Special Actions Division now; they're short-staffed, and if you're interested, you could switch to their uniform."
The captain stood, signaling his intention to help Elyon with the discharge process.
"I think I need a few more days to recover. Could you reconsider?"
"Lying in this high-end ward 24 hours a day with doctors on call, do you think it's cheap? It's one pound a day, pay first before you lie down. If you want to pay out of pocket, I can grant you a month's leave. You only need to come in every other day to change the dressing. Transcendent beings heal fast from such injuries. No need to waste the taxpayers' money."
The captain offered no chance for Elyon to slack off.
"What about Mr. Garrick?"
"Kid, I'm a senior citizen and a retiree now. Shouldn't the government take care of a citizen who was injured in the line of duty until I'm back in good health? I've got two broken ribs; I've got to rest for at least a month."
"But your retirement doesn't start for another hour," Elyon murmured.
"Let's go, Garrick. Enjoy the peace and quiet on your own."
"Aren't you curious why there was a werewolf in the warehouse?"
"Not curious. The more you know, the more trouble. I'm retired now. If you care, come visit, but don't involve me in your troubles," Garrick replied nonchalantly while picking his nose.
"I'll carry your things for you," Bell said, picking up Elyon's personal belongings and placing them on the precinct's carriage before taking a seat on the coachman's long wooden bench.
"Get in. I'll accompany you to the Special Actions Division. I'm familiar with the people there; they won't make things difficult for you."
The captain seemed genuinely well-acquainted, and considering his extravagant pistol and his performance at the gambling den, Elyon suspected he might also be a transcendent being.
"Captain, aside from going over the details of the case, what else are we supposed to do?" Elyon asked, feeling uneasy.
"We'll discuss that when we get there."
The Special Actions Division was located directly across from the Gonia district police station, and the trio quickly arrived.
In stark contrast to the police station's solemnity, the Special Actions Division's office building was far more lavish.
The square structure was crowned with four rounded, dome-topped towers at each corner, and from the second floor upward, the external walls featured columns standing room apart, lending the building the air of a miniature palace.
"This place deals with special incidents?"
"You thought it would be like a prison with high walls and barbed wire everywhere? Their funding comes straight from special budgets. The Assembly can only influence how much they get, but the specific uses are never made public," Captain Kappa said with a hint of bitterness.
"So they've got the cash to build like nouveaux riches."
"Not only government employees work here; there are representatives from at least some of the eight major religions. Each church has a different style, so this building had to be a compromise that everyone could accept. Come on, get out of the carriage and let's go in," Kappa urged Elyon.