The day surely had not developed like Nick and Judy both expected.
They had yet another meeting with mages, and this one had some interesting developments.
They had remained in there, waiting for some other cops to arrive, and left the place as soon as everything got solved. Of course, not before they saw the forensics teams coming to take a look at the aftermath of the whole thing. They photographed the remains of what once were armadillos made of stone, and even looked at the place for paw prints and for any trait of DNA that the animals could have left behind.
The bear was taken under custody, but he seemed very confuse about everything. Officer Jeremy Delgato also had been taken under custody, and he was acting very strange, threating the other officers with hostility, and demanding to be let go to go back to "his boss", as he put it. It even seemed that he became another person.
However, that only lasted for around two hours, as after this, the lion seemed to have come back to normal, and he seemed as confused as the bear.
Finally, there was the box left behind. The one that had the mysterious thing that the whole deal seemed to be about, according to what Nick and Judy both had understood.
Inside of it, something golden, glowing, and that caused a strange feeling of desire in who was near. It looked like a twisted piece of material that let out an intense golden light, and it was quite hard to identify what it could possibly be. Still, it was clear to who looked that the thing was probably supernatural, and that was why they were absolutely sure that it was an event that involved mages.
Both the box and the remnants of the stone armadillos were bring back and was present to Bogo once the two were back.
Now, the Chief was quite angry with the two for having eloped from the assignment they were give, however, he was less angry by seeing the amount of information that the two had brought. He had to admit that it was something that was worth the time, even though the two have left an assignment to pursue something that they had no real proof.
The thing was, neither Bogo, nor the two officers had any clue on what this could be.
"Yeah, I guess that maybe we should go ask the Enforcers." Nick suggested, "I mean, they are the ones who understand of this supernatural thing and all, since they are mages. They surely understand this way better than us poor mortals."
Bogo looked at the fox and, surprisingly, he agreed with Nick.
Bogo told the two officers to take the things they brought and take them to the Enforcers, giving them the address that the two foxes and their jackal secretary had left as a mean of contact. The two were to present the evidence to them and have their opinion on the matter.
The two officers agreed with this, and soon they were on their way to do it. Bogo looked as these two left, and he sighed, starting to massage his temples with his hooved fingers.
They were suppose to be taking notes on a gathering of scammers and fraudulent activities. This was suppose to be something calm and safe for both of them, however, they managed to turn it into a close call with mages that involved two civilians, two other officers getting into trouble along with them, and two runaway mages.
Of course, Bogo was glad that they made their job and stopped what could be an illegal deal among mages, but still...
Couldn't these two, at least once, just do what they are bloody told? Bogo thought to himself.
**********************
The mages were staying somewhere that did not called a lot of attention. It was an old building in the suburbs of Savannah Central. The building was not very worm down, and it looked like an old building that you expected to see in suburbs of a big city, including a metal fire escape in the windows of the side. It seemed like a regular building of bricks. It was obvious that the building was not a new one, but it was not as old as some of the older buildings of that area.
"Hey, this is actually not far from my home." Nick said as he looked.
"This is building 1994" Judy said, checking on the address that Bogo gave them, and on the number on the front of the big building. "Yeah, this is it. Let's go." She said, and soon she and Nick had parked, and were walking in direction to the building. The doormammal looked at them both as they walked in, but asked few questions to both of them. They asked for apartment 406 and they were informed that it was on the fourth floor. Now was only a matter of climbing the stairs up to the place where they told them that the mages were staying. It was not hard, but there was the fact that they both had to carry some luggage as they climbed...
"I really wish these two would only have given their number so we could call them." Nick said, as he carried the luggage containing the evidence up to the floor. It was a bit hard, "Or at least that they had stayed in some place that had working elevators."
Soon they arrived in the fourth floor, and they now only had to carry what they had to the Room 406.
"404... 405... 406! This is it." Judy said, as she and Nick now stood in front of the door, taking a breather from having to carry that wheeled suitcase that was a bit big for himself (which actually was the same that the panther also left behind at the scene). Once they stood in front of it, Judy reached out and knocked on the door, and they both waited.
As they did, a small peeking door that was just beneath the number of the door opened, and they could see a canine muzzle peering out.
"Hello?" The one said, and the two shared a look.
"Down here!" Judy said, and this caused the muzzle to move a little, but the mammal on the other side was unable to see them. Judy had to climb on Nick's shoulder to be able to be on eye-level with the door and be able to raise her badge high enough for the jackal to see it clearly.
"Officers Hopps and Wilde, from the ZPD." She spoke, as the jackal looked at her through the opening. "We need to talk to Mister and Miss Mieczyslaw."
"About what?" The jackal asked.
"Just about a thing that happened to us today." Nick said from beneath Judy, "So, can we come in, it is a bit troublesome to be out here.
It took a few moments, but Jackalson opened the door and allowed the two mammals to walk inside. Once they were in, with Nick once more dragging the big luggage inside, the jackal closed and locked the door behind them.
"You know, we told Bogo that we should only be contacted if the matter was an important one." The jackal said to the two small officers. "Enforcers cannot be bothered over trivial matters, especially if they are in mission for the Association."
"Yes, I know." Judy said, "But it was actually Bogo who told us to come here. We wouldn't have come here if it was not important. So, can we talk to them? Please?" She asked, and the jackal looked at her, before looking back at Nick.
"What is in the luggage?" He asked the fox.
"Something that the two enforcers will probably be interested into." He said, "So, can we see them?"
The jackal looked at both, as he seemed to be reflecting on the thing.
"Wait here." He said, and he walked past the entrance hall and into the room. As he did, Nick and Judy both could hear a talk, as if the jackal was discussing with the mage cops about the newcomers. Judy could hear pretty much all that they were saying:
"And they said it is important?" The deep voice of Marceli Mieczyslaw said.
"It seems to be." Jackalson confirmed, and they could then hear the voice of the vixen, Emilia Mieczyslaw:
"Well, we might as well see them. I kind of want to see what is inside of the luggage they brought."
A brief silence followed and the tod then said:
"Okay, send them in."
Jackalson soon was coming back, and he told the two that they would see them now.
Wow, he truly is a secretary for these two. Nick thought as he and Judy came forward. Luckily, Jackalson was kind enough to offer to carry the luggage for him, what Nick accepted, feeling kind of glad that he didn't had to carry that heavy thing, it was hard even with the wheels. Judy, however, still carried what she was carrying: the ornamented wooden box.
They arrived in a living room that seemed pretty much what one would expect from a place like this, with some humble furniture and walls with a tacky wallpaper. The two mammals were in there, and they were both looking to be busy.
Starting with Emilia Mieczyslaw, who was not standing in the room as she did something. She had a thing in her paw that looked to be some kind of pen, and the tip of it was glowing. However, the most impressive was not the glow, but the fact that she was using the thing to write in the air. She passed the pen into the air, leaving lines and dots of light as she used it to drawn symbols in the air, all while she looked to be somewhat focused in it, and she was even moving her mouth as if she was mumbling something.
Marceli Mieczyslaw was also in that room, he was sitting in the table, and he looked like he was working in something. It looked like an old typewriter, with a long roll of paper coming out of it as the fox typed. He seemed to be focus in the thing, and he hardly even seemed to notice the presence of the two, unlike Emilia who stopped what she was doing for a moment to wave at them.
Nick and Judy waved back, and both could not avoid staring at what she was doing. However, after all that they went through, that actually didn't seemed to strange as it would have seemed in the start of the year.
"So... hello?" Judy said, looking at the two. "We have come here to talk with both of you about some matter that has appeared today."
"Well, I assume that it must be something important." Marceli said, as he continued to type in the typewriter, and Nick and Judy approached him.
"So, you writing some novel in there?" Nick asked him, "Or some recipe for a potion?"
"Actually, I am reporting to the Association." Marceli said, "They want us to keep updating them on the situation as it develops. After all, this is a new type of case we are dealing with."
"It is the first time that we act in conjunction with local activities and they want to make sure that it doesn't end badly." Emilia said, as she continued to write the symbols on the air. She still looked focused, but she actually looked as if she was having some fun.
"Yeah, and you write your reports with a typewriter?" Nick asked, as the fox had finished typing, and now had stopped to look at both of them. "Man, they weren't lying when they said that mages are old-fashioned. So, what will you do when you finish it, you will mail it all the way to England? Because it might take a while to arrive..."
Marceli looked at him, and soon, the sound of the typewriter could be hear again, as the machine was now writing all by itself.
"What the?" Nick said, looking at the machine that had started working alone.
"What is going on?" Judy asked, Marceli looked at the words that the machine was writing, and he sighed.
"Just my supervisor in the Association saying that we must continue the work as planned." The black tod said, "And also telling both of us to continue to update them as much as possible."
"And... he does it through that machine?" Nick asked, "What? Is this some kind of mage messaging system?"
"Well, I'm not really sure how messaging works." Marceli said.
"It is actually pretty similar, from what I understood." Jackalson said, "His supervisor has a machine that is just like that with him back in the headquarters. Both machines have a roll of scroll inside that unfolds as they write. The machines are synchronized, so what one writes in one machine appears in the other, and this way, they can trade written messages almost in real time."
"Just like messaging on a cell phone." Nick said, and Marceli nodded.
"Yes, I assume it is quite similar." The fox said, and he looked at the machine. "It has two sets of ink, one red and one black. The ones I write from this machine appear in my scroll as black and centralized left, while the ones he writes are red and centralized right, so we can know who wrote what."
Both mammals shared a look, amazed at how similar that actually was to the messaging apps that they had in their cellphones, and from the messaging style used in websites like MuzzleBook. Leaning over, Judy could really see that there were two kinds of words: one black and centralized left, and the other red and centralized right, just like the fox had described.
"Do you usually peek in someone's communications, Officer Hopps?" Marceli said, looking at the bunny and surprising her. Judy was quick to apologize, saying that she didn't meant to pry. However, even if she meant to pry, she would hardly be able to make out what had been written in the machine, for it was written using some kind of language made out of strange letters that she did not understood.
"It's okay." The fox said, and he soon forgot the machine and turned to look at the two officers, "So, what would it be that both of you want to discuss with us?"
He looked intently at the two, even Emilia had stopped what she had been doing and was now looking at the two officers, as the symbols she drew in the air vanished.
"Well, you see... something happened to us today..." Judy said, and she explained to them about the meeting that they had with the mages. How they were threatening the hyena and boar, and how one of them escaped after doing something with Delgato that made him act very differently.
"So, the rat just took control of the lion like that?" Emilia asked. "That is certainly not nice to do."
"Yeah, we noticed that while he was trying to maul us." Nick said to them, "Controlling someone like that cannot be legal."
"It is not." Marceli said, "There are laws in regarding using magecraft to influence the minds of others. Memory manipulation is only authorized if it is to keep safety and secrecy of our craft... or at least it used to be like that." The fox added, looking at the two officers as he spoke that. "Using mental interference to control others like that is an even thornier issue, as one can only use that as means of defense, for instance, to make a possible aggressor give up on attacking you. Using it to influence someone for personal gain is a felony, aggravated if you use it to induce someone to commit aggression against another, as you will be seen as someone who has full control of the fact."
"So, that rat really should be arrested." Judy said, "The panther called him 'Blackwall'."
"Ridley Blackwall." Marceli said, surprising the two cops. "He is a known criminal. He is wanted by the Association due to multiple accusations of controlling innocents with magecraft for personal gain, sometimes even for some form of entertainment. He is not considered particularly dangerous, but he is the kind of individual who we must be careful with."
"So, he already did that before?" Judy asked.
"He certainly did." Emilia said, "They told me about the guy. His Mystic Eyes are really freaky."
"His what?" Nick asked.
"Mystic eyes, Officer Wilde." Marceli spoke to him. "They are a special kind of magecraft. A type of special power that mages acquire due to a mutation on the magic circuits around their eyes. They are considered uncommon, and they are both admired and feared among mages."
"Some say that Mystic Eyes are a proof of the power of a great mage. I don't know if this is truth, but what I know is that Mystic Eyes are something impressive on their own right." The black tod continued, "Now, as a mage, most of Blackwall's skills are second-ranked at best, but his Mystic Eyes are actually quite famous. They are referred to as Mystic Eyes of Domination. They allow him to cast a very powerful charm on those who look at his eyes, sapping them of their free will and turning them into his servants."
"So, he can actually make anyone who look in his eyes his slave? Just like that?" Judy asked, and she was finding the concept to be quite worrisome.
"There are limitations to their power." Marceli explained, "We don't know the precise limits of the control he has over his victims, but we do know that he can only control one mammal at a time. Once he dominates someone with his eyes, this victim becomes his minion, but if he uses them to dominate another mammal, the previous minion will be immediately released from his control."
"That is why he tried to get a new one as soon as the bear was out cold." Nick said to them, "The guy tried to make me into his mind-zonked hence-man, thank God he failed."
"Yeah, I sure did." Nick said, "I was looking at him, and in the next seconds his eyes turned purple and I felt like someone was trying to grab my brain. It was super creepy."
Marceli looked at him, and he looked at Emilia, who looked back at him.
"What?" Nick asked. "Something wrong?"
"Just surprising, that is all." Marceli said to him, "Not many are able to resist Blackwall's control. We know because in more than one occasion he took control over one of our own. We have been after him for a while."
"I see..." Judy asked, "So, you will go after him?"
"First we will have to report to the Association." Marceli explained to them. "But, you said that other things happened, right? You spoke that there were two armadillos in the scene?"
"Yep." Nick said, "And they are right here." He said, tapping the suitcase that Jackalson was kind enough to drag in.
"What, you two did brought them inside of there?" Emilia asked with a smile, and Nick smiled back at her.
"Yeah... well, what is left of them."
Jackalson and Marceli both tensed a bit as they heard that, but they were tranquilized once the suitcase was open, and the contents became visible.
"These are statues." Jackalson said, "Broken statues, by that matter."
"They didn't looked like statues when they were whole and moving, believe me." Nick said to him, and Marceli looked closely at the broken pieces that the fox and bunny had brought to them.
"Indeed, these were not statues." Marceli said, picking up a broken stone-armadillo head, and looking very closely at it. "These were golems."
"Golems..." Judy repeated, looking at the black fox.
"They are a type of familiar." The black tod explained. "Unlike most familiars, that are actually living beings that gained a connection to a mage, golems are the type of familiar that needs to be fabricated from scratch." He said, and looked intently at the pieces that the two cops brought, picking up them to examine them closely. "They involve a much greater deal of work, and they require a specific knowledge to fabricate them. But they might pay off, once you can make them to fit your own specific needs."
He was evaluating a piece of stone that used to be the paw of the golem. "These ones are actually very well made." The fox said, and he casually tossed the thing back. "The one who did them certainly is really good at the craft."
Nick had been looking intently at the black fox as he spoke that. Nick was good in reading others, and he could notice something in the eyes of the fox as he had examined that thing. Nick could swear that it looked like recognition. It seemed that the fox had saw that before and knew what it was about...
The fox merely looked at the remnants of the broken golems, and looked back at the two officers. "Do you have any more clues? Anything that they might have said?"
"Yes, indeed." Judy said, pulling out her little notebook, and she read a part. "There is a thing that they said a few times while they were talking. Something called 'MTC'."
Both Enforcers perked as they heard that, and that was something that Nick noticed almost immediately.
They know what it is. Nick thought without a doubt. Nick had seen the reaction of the two, but Judy was still readying through her notes.
"Blackwall mentioned that the 'MTC' had a tendency to disrespect the Codex, and that their goal was to remain out of sight, including from the Association. He also mentioned at some point that 'it was good making business with the MTC', this might suggests or not that he may have conducted business with them in the past." The bunny concluded, and she looked up at the two Enforcers, who were now looking at her. "So, I think it is safe to assume that the MTC is some kind of group, right?"
The two foxes looked at her, and Marceli was the one who spoke:
"Well, you are not wrong." He said, and Emilia soon followed suit.
"I'll say! These guys are all-"
"Emilia." Marceli said, cutting her off, and this seemed to make her not want to talk anymore. Nick and Judy both had raised eyebrows as they looked at the black fox. Why he had stopped the vixen from talking?
"The MTC is a group that has been posing some problem for us for a while now." The black tod explained to them. "And I have to admit; knowing that they are here in Zootopia is a bit... worrisome."
The two officers looked at the two Enforcers, and Judy nodded, acknowledging that the Enforcers probably had their reasons to uphold information. Nick, however, was not the kind that trusted others just because they were "official guys", like the Enforcers clearly behaved. Nick had been questioning during most of his life and his years in the street taught him to be careful when trusting others, this was not different with these two foxes, who clearly looked like they were hiding something.
"Anything else on the matter?" The fox asked them. "Do you happen to know what was the 'business' Blackwall was making with the MTC?"
"Yes." Judy said, presenting the wooden box. "He was going to sell them this."
Marceli looked at the box as Judy presented it to him. The black tod casually opened the lid of the box, and looked at the glowing thing that was inside. There was a silence in the room, as the fox looked at the golden-glowing thing that was inside that box, before he closed the lid and stood there in silence.
"This is... interesting..." The fox said finally, and he turned to the two cops. "So, Blackwall was going to give it to the MTC?"
"Yeah, in exchange for a briefcase full of gold." Nick confirmed. "I mean, we didn't really saw the gold, but the rat said that it was into the briefcase."
The fox nodded. "This is really all the information that you can give us?"
"All that we remember." Judy confirmed.
"And what about the panther and Blackwall?"
"The panther ran away after Rhinowitz and Delgato arrived. The rat escaped with Slimy Tusks and Laughing Joe while we dominated Delgato. They took the gold with them, but they left this behind." Nick confirmed, and this made the two enforcers look at the thing that was brought. Marceli, who saw the contents, stood in silence, while Emilia looked over his shoulder, looking at the ornamented box.
"And, you said that the panther ordered the golems to attack you?" Emilia asked Nick, and the tod nodded.
"Yeah, he sure did. In the moment he saw me he was like 'roll that fox over' and stuff." The fox officer confirmed. "I guess he has some kind of problem with foxes."
"Or with you." Marceli said absent-mindedly, and this caused Nick to look at him with a raised eyebrow. However, the black tod soon was looking back at both officers.
"Well, this sure is something that is of our interest." The black tod said, "Thank you for bringing it to our attention."
"Well, you're welcome." Judy said, "So, you are going to help us in looking into it?" She asked, and the black tod looked back at her.
"First, I have to contact the Association, they will surely want to hear about this." Marceli said, "After that, we will decide what to do next."
"I'm sorry. Decide?" Judy said, "You mean that you need to decide to go after some dangerous criminals before actually doing it?"
"We have an assignment in here." The tod told to the bunny. "We were given a mission, and we are expected to fulfill it. We need to focus on the mission regarding Dawn Bellwether, but I assure you, we will investigate in it."
Judy looked back at him.
"Meanwhile, I'll have to ask you both to leave this box and the golem remains in our possession." The tod asked, causing both cops to look at him. "So we can properly investigate it."
"Oh, so you hope to take this to your lab and find more about who made them?" Nick asked the black fox, who looked back at him. "If you guys find out that the panther is allergic to peanuts through it, could you let me know?"
"It is a bit hard for us to do it." Emilia said to the fox. "We are from the Mieczyslaw clan, Officer Wilde. Goleomancy is not our main branch of research, we are specialized in runes."
"We have certain contacts that may help." The black tod spoke to them. "Also, we will be keeping this..." He said, placing both paws over the wooden box. "...as to better keep it safe."
"Oh, are you saying that we can't?" Nick asked; his arms crossed as he looked at the other fox.
"You don't have the same experience that we have." Marceli said back at him, "We will be dealing with this, and we will look at this case with the max of attention that we can. You have my word."
"Yeah, mine too." Emilia said, and she looked back at both the red fox and the bunny. "And you can always count on the Mieczyslaw clan to keep their word."
Judy and Nick looked at the two enforcers, and they shared a look. Judy spoke, as she looked at the two foxes:
"Sorry, but it seems to me that you are both taking control of the investigation." She spoke to them.
"We are just trying to do our job the best we can." Marceli said to them. "Believe me when I say that we want to cooperate with you and the ZPD the best of our abilities... but we are used of dealing with our own business on our own terms... It is nothing personal, really."
"Sorry, it weren't you that came to ask for our help with Bellwether?" Nick asked.
"That is another matter." Marceli shot back. "This is something that was needed for she was already on your jurisdiction. We needed to form a deal with you to be able to fulfill this mission, as it was something that required a different kind of approach, with the changing of the situation in regarding our secrecy."
"Right..." Nick said, "So, are you saying that we being attacked by mages in our city while we were doing our job it is not our jurisdiction?"
"Do not put words in my mouth, Wilde." The black fox said. "We are upholders of the law and order, just like you two. Believe me; I do know what is like when someone tries to take something out of your paws when you want to be part of it." He said, and he did sounded very sincere as he spoke these words. "But there are procedures to both our works, and I learned to follow them."
He looked at the two officers, and he continued:
"I'm just acting according to our procedures, the ones that had not changed yet. I have to assume this investigation and conduct it my way, as per the procedure of the enforcers, but believe me, I'll not try to take anything from both of you and neither will I keep you in the dark about what is going on after what you've been through." He spoke, and the two officers could notice sincerity in his voice. "You have my word that I'll keep both of you updated in this, and that I'll try to have you both included into this the most possible." He spoke, and the two looked at him.
"Well... you do sound sincere." Nick said to him, and Judy was forced to agree with him. The black fox really sounded sincere with his words.
"But... what do we do in the meantime?" Nick asked, and Marceli looked back on both of them.
"You can keep doing your job, and waiting for our updates in regarding Dawn Bellwether." The black tod said to them, "We still need to be sure that this develops as expected, after all."
The two mammals were forced to agree with this. That was a matter of importance, and they needed to focus on the rest of their work. Still, they didn't liked that feeling as if they were purposely being left off something that they both had taken part on.
The two cops had begrudgingly accepted to handle the evidence and the box to the enforcers and soon Jackalson was taking them both to the door. It was not like they had been tossed out of the room, but it was clear that the visit was over, and that they both should go on their way.
"Now, we have to figure out how to tell Buffalo Butt that the mage cops confiscated the evidence." Nick said, as both he and Judy walked down the stairs. The bunny remained silent during most of the time, and Nick soon was getting slightly worried with it.
"Carrots?" He asked, "You alright?"
She looked at him, and she sighed.
"Yeah, I'm fine... Is just..."
"You expected to have a part in investigating this?" Nick completed the thought. He already knew Judy well enough to know what was about the situation that bothered her.
"We were the ones who faced the suspects and apprehended the evidence, and all that they say is that they will 'keep us informed'?" She said, and Nick already knew that a venting was on its way. "They just request to have the evidence like that, right after they take knowledge of what has happened, and they expect us to just go along with them because 'that is their procedure'? This is so... argh!"
Nick said the most intelligent thing that he could have possibly said: nothing. For he knew that Judy was still not done with her venting.
"And they were casual about all of this!" She spoke, "We explained to them how that mage sent his golems or whatever after you and they almost flattened you, and how that rat, Ridley Blackwall, controlled Delgato to make him attack us, and they only said that they needed to contact the Association about this!"
"That one is actually a bit reasonable." Nick said to her, now not resisting having a saying in this matter. "We too would need to call central and let the Chief know if we were following a new type of lead."
"And we told them about the MTC, which I'm pretty sure it is some kind of mage criminal organization, and they act natural, and Ridley Blackwall is a wanted criminal, and they acted so casual about all of that!"
"Did you wanted them to freak out?" Nick asked her, and she continued:
"I'd like them to behave as if it was a bigger deal!" Judy said aloud as they went down the stairs, finally arriving at the first floor. "The way that they acted was so casual! As if they almost didn't cared about what these mages tried to do to you!"
Nick actually stopped a bit, and he looked at the bunny girl that was by his side.
"You mean, with us, right?" He asked her, she stopped a bit, and looked at him.
"The panther sent the golems after you Nick." She spoke to him. "He was ordering them to attack you, and they were trying to run you over. And after that, Blackwall tried to control you, make you his minion." She said, and Nick could swear that she almost sounded hurt as she spoke that.
"The idea that these things could have hurt you, or that Blackwall could have turned you into his accomplice against your will..." She didn't finished the thought, but Nick had a pretty good idea as to why she was so nervous. "And these two act as if that is nothing..." She finished, and Nick had the impression that he could detect the slightest hint of resentment in Judy's voice.
Now, Nick had grew used in the past two years to having someone to care as much about him as Judy did, and also for having someone who cared about him enough to be outraged if he was ignored, insulted or otherwise mistreated. In the past, only his mother had cared so much about him, and after her, only a few of his closest friends. But definitely no friend did cared as much as Judy did.
It was something that warmed his heart, but at the same time, he didn't liked to see someone he cared about upset like that. He did cared about Judy, and he didn't liked the fact that she was upset because of him. Even if it was something that was not directly his fault.
He stood in front of her, and knelt.
"Carrots, look at me." He said, Judy hesitated, but did so, and Nick could see in her face that she was indeed upset.
"I'm really glad that you look out for me so much, and that you want others to pay attention when I have a problem, that is really nice." He said, and placed a paw in her shoulder. "But you can't go demanding everyone to stop what they are doing and make it top priority to focus on my problems."
"But they tried to-"
"Yes, they did, and they failed." Nick said to her. "Just look at me, I'm all whole and healthy as I have always been... I mean, after I stopped eating junk food every day." He said, Judy only continued to look at him, and he knew that he needed to say more.
"The guys are just doing their job." Nick spoke to her, and he looked in her eyes. "They are doing their job, and we do ours. We are both fine, and everything is fine right now. So, we gotta just keep doing our job and waiting for things to get better." He spoke, and he even went as far as to add:
"Besides, they assured us that they would be taking a look at this and letting us know what happens, right? Maybe they will even let us see when they take both the panther and the rat under custody. That will surely be interesting. I mean, seeing how the mage police apprehends suspects. I wonder if it is similar to how we do it..."
Nick was doing his best to make her feel better. Judy knew that very well. She grew used to having Nick trying to ease her worries and make her feel better after a stressful day. This was something that she truly admired about Nick, and it was nice to have her partner caring about her so much.
She leaned forward unexpectedly, and putting her arms around his neck and pulling him into a hug.
Now, Nick was not an easy one to surprise, but the actions of the bunny surely caught him off-guard. Nick almost looked like a deer froze in the headlights (it did happened sometimes, according to the news), as the bunny had both her arms around him, and hugged him hard.
They stayed like this for a long minute, with Judy with her arms around his neck, and she was even nuzzling him slightly. This caused Nick to feel a sudden heating of his ears as the bunny was having this kind of contact with him.
Suddenly, Judy's eyes, which had been closed, widened, as if she suddenly took knowledge of what she was doing.
"Sorry!" Judy said, suddenly pulling away, and she and Nick only stared at each other for a few seconds. Suddenly Nick cleared his throat, and he got up.
"Well, nothing to apologize for." Nick said to her, "It was just a hug, after all, hugs are nice, and they are a common thing between friends." He said, and looked at her. "So, let's go?"
"Yes." Judy quickly agreed, and they both soon were walking past the doormammal, who had saw the way the bunny hugged the fox, and now had a raised eyebrow as he looked at the two mammals who walked out. Judy and Nick both ignored him as they walked outside of the building.
Judy was a bit hot in the ears, as she realized just how sudden her hug was. She realized that it was probably improper, but she could not hold herself back at the moment. She was so glad that Nick was okay, and that she was so happy for seeing that he cared about her like that. She just went for it, and she didn't even thought about that. She was feeling embarrassed now that she could think about that, and she wished to have thought that through. She was glad that Nick didn't minded the sudden hug that she gave him.
Meanwhile, Nick was still reflecting back on that hug. It had been sudden, but it wasn't unwelcome, by any means. After all, it was not like being hugged was something alien for him, it just had become something kind of rare. It is not every day that someone simply goes for a hug like Judy did, and Nick actually didn't minded at all. Actually, as Nick walked with his bunny partner back to their cruiser, the fox could not help but think that he had actually enjoyed that hug. Maybe a bit more than he should have...
**********************
"Hey, look, the cops are leaving." Said a sheep with glasses on his face, as he looked down on the bunny and fox that were leaving. He was now standing on the fire escape with his two friends, a hyena with a cream mane falling over his eyes, and a short pig. They both looked as the sheep spoke that, and they saw that the bunny and fox on police uniforms were indeed leaving.
"So, should we leave as well?" The hyena asked.
"Not until we found out what they were doing here." The pig said, "I mean; they brought a big luggage and a wood box with them when they came. Where is it now?" The pig asked. "I bet that the pieces of these stone armadillos were inside of that luggage, and you saw the same box in there this morning, right, Patrick?"
"Yeah, I could see form the ceiling of these houses back in Sahara when I was doing parkour." The hyena admitted. Patrick could still hardly believe that he was just doing some parkour to clear his mind, when he suddenly had his attention called by a surreal scene that was developing underneath. Neither the cops nor any other mammals in there noticed the presence of the teenage hyena up above as the scene developed, and as soon as it was over, Patrick was sure to get out of there before he could get into some kind of problem.
He had called Shawn right after, and told him what happened. Of course, he should have known that Shawn was going to call Sully right after, and tell him all that the hyena told him. And of course, Sully, being who he was, would soon call him and ask for details, and he would soon be convincing him that this was the kind of thing in which the Mage Chasers should try to have a look.
The interview given by Zillah Ferron a while ago made everyone less worried about mages. However, mages were still on top notch on the news and public interest. It was enough for Sully to believe that maybe they could still get famous by catching them on camera. Or at least make a couple hundred views.
Patrick regretted having told Shawn what he saw nearly immediately. Shawn also kind of regretted having told it to Sully.
Next thing they knew, the three of them had taken a ride in a cab to the ZPD, and they arrived just in time to see a police car that had the same bunny and fox inside, as they drove away from the ZPD. Of course, they immediately started to follow them, as Sully had a "strong intuition" that they would lead them to more stories and maybe more interesting things.
They followed them to the suburbs of Savannah Central, and they stopped into some old alley, in front of a brick building with seven or eight floors. They paid for the cab and get out, and they remained in a corner, watching the two cops from hiding.
They could see both of them come out and taking something out of the truck. Soon, the bunny was carrying a wooden box (which Patrick confirmed, albeit with some doubt, was the same of that alley in Sahara) and a big luggage that was being dragged into the building by the fox.
They watched as the two officers walked into the building carrying the things they brought, and they just watched. It took a few minutes before they realized the cops would probably be there for a while.
Patrick was in favor of leaving, but Sully was very insistent that there could be something in there they could use for their website.
"What if they came here to see some mage?" The pig said as he looked at the other two. "Mages have agreed to offer help to the normal police now than then. There is even a rumor going around that police forces are now getting mages to be their secret advisors."
"Is this another thing that you read in the websites of conspiracy theories?" Shawn asked him, with a raised eyebrow and a good deal of worry.
"I have an uncle in another city who told me that his department stumbled into a mage, and that he accepted to help them by advising about magecraft and supernatural things in exchange for money." The pig said, "I also heard that some are doing the same in a few towns, maybe the ZPD is doing that as well! They found some mage to look into supernatural things for them, and these two have come to talk to him. We need to get some more information for our website!"
Of course, both of them had tried to protest against this, as they both wanted to just forget the thing and come back home. However, Sully had always been good at convincing others, his two friends being no exception to it, and the small pig was soon able to convince both the sheep and the hyena that this was the way to go.
Now there they were. The three of them, climbing up the fire escape of that building, Patrick with a camera (not his dad's this time), and they were all keen on continuing on this, even though the two cops who they had followed had just left the place, and the sun was on its way to set.
"Sully, do we really have to do this?" Shawn asked, as the pig was still going forward and up into the fire escape. "Wouldn't it be better if we just forgot the whole thing?"
"No way!" The pig said back. "We need some solid video of mages. Now it is a matter of honor! We are in this ever since the mage craze first started, and we still haven't posted a single video about mages! There are mammals who have nothing to do with the mage craze that actually have posted mage videos! We are starting to become a laughing stock! We need some solid thing about mages as soon as we can! Finding out some secret mage consultant of the ZPD could do it for us!"
"It could also get us in trouble!" Shawn said, still protesting, but for some reason going after Sully, with Patrick coming soon behind.
"He is right. Last time we tried to go for some video of mages we nearly got some very close dagger-style shaving, and the ZPD called our parents and we all stayed grounded for three weeks. Dad forbade me of touching his camera. I had to get this one from a neighbor."
"We could get in another problem." The sheep said, "And this time there won't be someone to prevent a mage from shearing me!"
"Oh, will you two quit being wusses!" The pig said, "If we are careful it won't happen! Besides, last time the problem all started because you misstepped!"
"That ceiling was old and breaking down!" The sheep said in his defense. "Just like this fire escape! Seriously, have you seen how rusty this thing is? And I think it is shaking..."
"Just focus on all the fame we will have." The pig said to them. "Think of how many mammals will access our account when we have a genuine video of a mage of our own making." He spoke as he went on. "We just have to get the guy they came to see in video! We do this and we will surely become someone!"
"And how do we do this?" Patrick asked him. "Do we go from floor to floor asking the people if they are the mage that the ZPD came to see? We don't even know which apartment they went to!"
Sully was about to say something back, but he suddenly realized that the hyena was right.
Crap, it is true. We don't know to which apartment the cops went.
"Well... maybe we could go down and ask the doormammal to where the cops went. He must have talked to them when they came in."
"So we go down and just take the stairs inside?" Shawn said, "Then why did we climbed this fire escape, in first place?"
"I guess that this time you didn't think this through, Sully." Patrick said.
The pig was about to say something in return, when his eye caught something in a nearby window as he climbed into the stairs. The pig looked at the window, and he soon was approaching to investigate. Once he was close enough to see through the window, his eyes widened.
"Sully, did you hear me?" Shawn said, as he climbed to the same section that Sully was. "Maybe we can still go back. Let's just forget this and..."
"Shhh!" Sully said suddenly, and this surprised Shawn.
"He shushed me!" The sheep said to Patrick, as the hyena was coming right after him.
"Guys, be quiet, please!" The pig said to them, "And Patrick, get the camera on and come here!" He said, whispering to both of them. The two mammals shared a look.
"Why? What happened?"
"Just do it!" The pig whispered urgently, and the hyena soon was obeying. He turned the camera on and started recording, and soon, the hyena and the sheep both were approaching the window that Sully was in. The pig soon was gesturing for Patrick to start recording what was inside of the window, and the hyena was obeying.
The window was a bit dirty, but it was open, although the curtains were slightly drawn, but it was still possible to see the inside of the place.
Inside of the apartment, there was a bear dressing a long coat of dark coloration, and he had just finished lighting the last long and red candle in the circle made of long candles. In the ground, there were curious symbols that were paint in the ground with what seemed to be red paint.
"Oh, boy." Patrick whispered as he saw this, and Shawn was pretty much the same. They both looked at the scene unfolding inside of there, and Sully smiled.
"I bet that he is who the cops came to see!" He whispered to them, as he too looked through the window. "And we arrived just in time to see him performing a ritual! Be sure to record it all, Patrick."
The three now were watching the bear, who had finished with the candles, and looked around at his circle.
"All ready." The ursine said, and he then removed his hood, revealing that he was wearing... a form-fitting pair of jeans and a masculine cardigan shirt.
"Wha..." Sully said, as he looked at this. They continued to watch as the bear stepped out of the circle, careful to avoid the candles, soon later he was coming back, carrying a boombox in one arm... and an inflatable doll in the other.
"Okay, this is getting really weird..." Patrick said, as he continued to record, and they saw as the bear placed the box out of the circle, and then pressed a button to make it play.
The bear then was quick as he went to the center of the circle, and stood in there with the inflatable doll, holding her as if it was his dancing partner, and it was even dressed the part, with a dress that had a nice cleavage and a short skirt bar. Soon, the bear started to dance with the doll, as if it was really his partner.
The three mammals in the window watched as the bear danced with the doll, moving very close to "her" body as he danced, his feet moving in between the red markings that were on the ground.
"Two-three-four. Two-three-four." The bear repeated as he danced with his "partner", as he moved his feet across the markings inside the circle, following a routine. He was unaware of the three mammals that were looking at him as he danced.
"Yeah... I'm pretty sure that the cops did not came to see this guy, and that this is not what we should have in our ZooTube channel." Patrick deadpanned, still recording that. The three were on silence, but Sully was clearly frustrated. He tapped his paw in the window, and this caused the window to actually move slightly, making a loud noise.
This startled all the mammals, even making Shawn bleat. The bear immediately looked at the window, and saw that he was not alone.
"Hey! Who are you!? Is that a camera!?"
The teenagers panicked, and they immediately turned around and started to go down the fire escape, hearing some fumbling as the bear rushed to the window. The ursine put his head out of the window in time to see the three going down.
"You darn brats!" The ursine screamed in rage, as the three now had forgotten what they had come in there for, and they were now only thinking about getting out of there as fast as they could before the bear came after them or called the police.
**********************
In the floor directly above that one, Emilia suddenly perked her ear, stopping her writing in the air with the "magic pen", to turn to look at the window that was directly behind herself.
"Did you hear something?" She asked, looking at the window. The two mammals in there were focused on their own work, with Jackalson on a table somewhat far, checking something on his computer, while Marceli was busy typing in the special machine. With each key that he stroke, a runic symbol was print into the scroll. Black and centered left.
"Seriously, I think I heard something." Emilia said, "It sounded like someone screaming at someone..."
"Not uncommon in a neighborhood like that." The black tod said, and the vixen turned at him.
"Maybe we should check on it, just to be sure." The female fox said, "You know, after you are done typing in that."
"I'm reporting, Emilia." The black fox said, "I have to report all that we just take knowledge to the Association. It is all very important."
"Oh, yeah." The vixen said, looking at him as he typed. "Blackwall and the MTC. This really is kind of a big deal." She admitted. "I'm surprised that they are doing something in here."
"Not that big of a surprise, actually." The fox admitted to the vixen, "They have tentacles everywhere. Still, they have been getting bolder lately. Now they are acting in the middle of the city during the day. They don't usually do that, even if it is in the suburbs."
"Maybe they are more confident now that magecraft is no longer a secret." Emilia offered.
"Maybe..." Marceli said, and he finished typing; now all that was to do was to wait for the ones on the other side to read it and maybe give an answer.
"Still, they don't usually act in a place like Zootopia. Not with the clans always being on watch." Emilia said, "Do you really think that they came all the way here all because of that?" She asked, gesturing at the box that they had convinced the bunny and the fox to leave under their custody.
"It is a possibility." Marceli said to her, "They surely consider it important enough to risk coming here and calling the attention of the clans."
"If it is important to them, then it cannot be anything good right?" Emilia asked him, thinking on all of the stories that she heard about the MTC, even in her short time among the enforcers.
"I'll say..." Marceli said, "Especially if that is what I'm thinking..." He added that part in a low voice. Immediately after, the machine came to life and started typing on its own accord, reflecting what the pair of the machine back in the headquarters was typing.
Marceli leaned forward to read what was appearing on red runes on the machine. To many other mammals it would be something hard to decipher, but for that fox, who knew the runic alphabet like the back of his paw, it was as easy as reading from a pamphlet.
He read as the answer appeared. Rune by rune. Word by word. Line by line.
After a few minutes, Marceli nodded as he leaned back.
"So, what do central says?" Emilia said, a smile on her face as she approached to take a look, while Marceli answered.
"That the presence of the MTC is something to worry, and that we must try and learn more about Blackwall's whereabouts, in case he hadn't left the city yet." The black fox said, "They also advise us to be careful with both of them, and not to try to face the MTC directly. Also, of course, they told us to keep doing our mission, and not the get in trouble with the clans."
"Why would the clans have some problem with us?" She asked him, "I mean; it is not like we will suddenly start causing trouble in here. We just want to do what we came to do." Emilia asked, and Marceli looked back at her.
"The clans are the second owners." The black fox said to his niece. "It would have been very hard to work him if the clans had not agreed to give their full support."
"Still, it is not like we came to firm our workshops in here." Emilia said once more. "We just want to do what we came to do and then be on our way. Why would they have a problem with it?"
"The clans have had a rough relationship with the enforcers in the past years." The fox remembered her. "One of the clans is composed by mammals who got used to do whatever it was needed to survive in this cruel and unfair world. One of them is under a lot of suspicion for engaging in activities and behaviors that the Codex deemed forbidden. Not to mention that one of them, as you possibly recall, has a history of great grudge against our clan."
"Oh, yeah..." Emilia said, now taking all of these accounts on consideration. Indeed, it actually made some sense, and it definitely made her think. Especially considering...
"Think they might want to give us trouble?" Emilia said, sounding genuinely worried, but Marceli shook his head.
"The clans have already gave their consent to our work in here." He said, "It was already agreed with the Council, and we have full permission to stay, as long as we respect the clans and not cause problem in the lands they are responsible for. They won't give us problems, as long as we don't give them problems first. We just need to continuing being civil with them, and fulfill our mission."
"Yeah, our mission..." Emilia said, and she sighed. "Not exactly the idea I had for my first mission." She admitted. "I kind of expected something more thrilling. Transporting someone like Dawn Bellwether? That is so boring..."
"Sometimes boring is best." The black fox said somberly. "There are enforcers who would love that their first mission had been boring, Emilia."
The way he spoke was serious, and it almost seemed that the vixen had hit a nerve. She noticed that too, for she was soon recoiling and apologizing, her ears flat against her skull.
"No... it's okay..." The black fox said, recomposing himself. "Anyway, this mission might not be as 'thrilling' as others, but it is important. The proof of it was that they designed two enforcers to transporting her, instead of just one. Heck, for a job like that they could even have paid a freelancer. They surely are interested in her."
"Yeah, it seems like it." Emilia admitted, "I still don't really get why."
"That is a matter for the upper rankings." The tod said to her. "You must not worry with this."
"Oh, yeah. The rookie is left out of the important stuff." She said, crossing her arms. "I kind of expected that at least you would give me some more info."
"I can't, Emilia." The black tod told to the vixen. "This is strictly a need-to-know basis." He looked at her. "We will just transport her to the Association, and then we will be done. It is rather simple, as long as nothing unforeseen happens." He spoke, and his nice nodded.
Immediately after, they heard a gasp.
Both of them turned to look at the jackal in the room, who was looking at his computer, a hand over his muzzle while his eyes were almost comically wide.
"Jackalson." Marceli said, as both of them walked to him. "What happened?"
The jackal turned to them; his expression was one of shocked surprise.
