Todor and Hillard drove in silence. The black Aurilidion that Governor let them use while on duty made almost no sound making silence in the cabin especially awkward.

"So, what is your name? Just Hillard?" Todor said taping his knee with fingers.

"Norman Hillard. Agent in the employee of her Excellency Governor of Moriganhold," he responded after half a minute of staying quite. "What about, you? I know your name and that apparently you are a mage," Norman said with a doubtful accent on the word mage.

"You think I would lie about that?" Todor asked amused.

"People lie about many things to get ahead in the world. You are either greatest con artist or a miracle of science."

Todor laughed at that logic, genuinely mirthful. The car slowed down approaching the checkpoint. Hillard stopped the car and started rummaging through his pockets. After a bit, he fished out two plastic rectangles with a clip on.

"This one is for you," he said giving one to Todor who accepted it and looked at the item. It was a laminated ID card with Todors name and position.

"Provisional constable? Am I having a trial week to check if I am qualified for the job?" Todor said with a smirk.

"As Governor said, your inauguration will be held in two months. Until then you are a provisional constable," Hillard said opening the car door. "I should have given you a gun as well but you seem to be overly prepared."

Todor nodded and followed suit getting out on the street.

He never visited this part of the town. It nested close to Moriganhold port, between coastal cliffs and gentle hills. The entrance to the little town was covered with old Mother Globe buildings that transitioned with the Knitting. No gang claimed the territory, probably because it was not worth the effort of policing it.

Like everyone, he heard stories of Sea Pit. During the war, one of the Humanity First Alliance battleships launched a shell making a huge crater on the coast. As the city grew, less fortunate populace took residence in the hole, building cheap houses with the wreckage from the war-wracked sea side. What it became now is a self-contained community of almost twenty thousand people. Or maybe even twice that if rumors are to be believed.

Turns out Hillard had to park the car far from the Sea Pit. It took them almost forty minutes to reach the edge of the secluded town on foot. The first thing that reached his ears was a cacophony of different languages. Excited chatter of Morg merchant trying to sell hot dogs which probably were made out of real dogs. Squeaky voice of the prepubescent boy selling newspapers of all things. A group of scantily clad women, Anadori, Morg and human, eyed them as they approached down into the Sea Pit proper.

"You boys came here for some fun?" Anadori woman said once they were in earshot.

"We are on her Excellency business today," Norman said flashing the laminated card.

"Oh, don't be that way Nommy, we missed you," one of the human girls yelled. Norman's face suddenly camouflaged itself as if trying to hide into the poppy field.

They kept walking ignoring the calls, giggles, and catcalls from the girls. After they passed between two large pillars the view over entire Sea Pit broke in front of them.

"You seem to know this place. Where do we start?" Todor said gaping at the spectacle. A quarter of the buildings was made out of tank armor pieces, boats, even entire ships. Mixed with the metal were wooden shanties and concrete barracks that looked prefabricated. What was most amazing was that everything was on made on the slopes of the crater. Sometimes large squares were dug out to make for a flat surface where water purifiers worked, making rainfall water safe to drink. But most of the time buildings were just hanged on the angle of the slope making entire landscape surreal in Todor's eyes.

"I grew up here," Norman said with a shrug. "We should probably go see old man Miles. He is the priest who keeps the only church in here going."

"As good a place to start as any," Todor replied.

They started on their trek going lower and lower into the funnel of the Pit. People ignored them going on their own way. Only from time to time would someone take notice of them, check them out in surprise before continuing with whatever they were doing. After fifteen minutes of walking downward, Norman turned into the dug up tunnel in the side of the crater. The dim interior was illuminated by witchfyres, thumb-sized glass teardrops with magical fire inside of them. Those were popular in the places where electricity wasn't stable, they lasted for months before they would be forced to pay few suncrowns to ethiarch or shaman to relight them.

The tunnel spread into the large hole where few humans sat on stone benches. On the podium on the far side of the room, a man in old suit which had seen better days spoke in a clear voice.

"But when the blight of the corrupted lays upon our shoulders, the lighting of just will spark bringing with it the champion of the people. The Great Good will provide as it always did in times past. So keep your faith, my dear children. Help is on the way," the preacher saw Norman and Todor entering and he nodded.

"That is all for today, don't forget tomorrow when we will serve the soup to the needy. It won't be tasty but it will fill your bellies," the old man finished. Right away he turned to approaching Todor and Norman and smiled.

"Little Nommy, haven't seen you in a long time," old priest said with a grin on his face. He grabbed Norman and crushed him in a hug. Agent Hillard returned in kind, hugging the old man back.

"I was busy working. Did new water purifiers helped?" Norman asked letting go of the elderly man.

"They sure did, now even the Bottom has drinking water. We haven't had that ... well in years. You did good, my boy. You did well."

"Glad to hear it," Norman said than pointed to Todor. "This is Governor's new constable. Mister Todor Corpus."

"Let me check you out, boy," the priest said motioning Todor to come closer and getting spectacles out of his chest pocket. "Well, I'll be twice damned and rolled in peanut butter. You are a human."

"Yes, sir, that I sure am," Todor said with a smile. He never was one for religion. That was one thing that never could stick to him from his mother. One of the many reasons he got in fights with her. But the old man looked and sounded genuine and warm person.

"Last human constable was, oh long before my time. My grandpa Oven used to talk about him. Escaped from HFA army, a commando with cybernetic implants and high tech armor. He flew across the city reminding everyone that exploiting the weak will not go unpunished," Old priest rambled. "Oh, where are my manners. I am reverend Sebastian Miles, or how my flock calls me Father Smiles. Nice to see that us humans reach high positions in Governor's retinue. She is a good sort, that elven woman. But for those who don't have smarts or ability to climb that mountain, I am here to give them succor."

The old man's mention of the previous constable triggered something in him. Ezezu remind me to ask what happened to the previous constable, Todor said in his mind. What do I look like, your secretary? Ezezu teased him jovially. You might have been some tribal princess warrior when you were alive, but you are a book now. Don't sass me, he retorted mildly amused. Todor sensed Ezezu grumbling deep in his mind that she never was a princess but he didn't feel any malice in it.

"So, what brings you, boys, here today?" Father Smiles asked.

"We are here to investigate sleeping people," Norman informed him. Priests eye widened in surprise.

"Oh, that is bad stuff, I tell you. I asked an orc shaman, a friend of mine, to check on those who were brought to me. You know, poor sods without family. And he said that if it is magic, its very subtle and undetectable one."

"Can we see them?" Todor suggested. Smiles nodded and pointed at the tapestry behind his podium.

"This way," he said walking energetically. He moved the tapestry revealing another hallway, three times smaller than the one that brought them here.

They walked for a few minutes, father Smiles talking about this and that and Norman answering politely. Soon they found themselves in the large room illuminated by a big cluster of the witchfyre chandelier. Space was crammed with bads on which people slept in silence. Only person moving among them was a woman in nuns robes who was carrying a notepad and walking among the rows of comatose unfortunates.

"Sister Lilly. Look who is back," Father Smiles said, his voice unnaturally loud in a silent chamber.

"Little, Nommy! Good to see you, even if it's in this dire situation," the nun said with a warm smile. Todor took a quick look at her and got taken aback. She was pure-blooded Anadori. The only thing that marred her elven beauty was a pockmark scarring on her cheek, which could hardly diminish her in any way.

"I am sad it came to a mass comma of so many for me to be able to visit again," agent Hillard said looking aghast at the bodies around them. "So, Mister Corpus. What do you think?"

Todor took a deep breath and let out the tentacles of his mage senses. They crawled outward from him, slithering over sleeping people and examining them with sorceries awareness. At first only thing he got was the impression of a suspended or blocked river. Like something inside of them was blocked, preventing them from reaching awake state. He focused on the nearby girl, young teen, her face dirty and her clothing ragged and dusty. Her breathing was normal and her heart was beating strong. But her mind was fighting the unnatural block that forced her into a deep sleep.

Ezezu, do know of any spell that can allow me to see inside of peoples minds? Todor asked the dead girl. Hmmm, now you need my help? You don't want me to take record of your future chores?

Todor sighed and clasped the root of his nose. I am sorry I barked at you like that. It was uncalled for. Ezezu stayed silent for a few seconds and then she shoved a page at his minds eye. He barely saw anything but he couldn't stop a smirk forming on his face at her petty vengefulness.

He got his palm up and summoned Ezezu as a book, opening the correct page with a mental nudge. Both father Smiles and sister Lilly gasped when the heavy tome appeared in the cloud of red smoke. No reason in hiding you now, is there? He said to Ezezu while his eyes went over the spell description.

It's not really looking in their minds, more like highlighting foreign intrusion on their psyche, Ezezu said sullenly.

"This will do," Todor said out load before clearing his throat. "Harsag Zalazalag!" he proclaimed, his voice echoing through a chamber. As soon as he uttered the words, a small amount of mana he accumulated bubbled through the invisible bag out of his sight and exploded inside of his chest. He felt tendrils of power reach out from the explosion and root themselves in his eyes blinding him for a second. He blinked, a small tear escaping his irritated eyes. Todor wiped it with his palm and closed Ezezu with his other. He clutched the book under his arm before he looked at the sleeping girl again.

What he saw made him recoil. The web of white that he somehow recognized as her mind, was being overrun by gray particles that he saw once before. When he was grappling with Midnight Breeze at jam factory. Unleashing the Ezezu's spell for the first time made him see through the vampire and the bloodstream beneath its skin. Did the old bloodsucker manage to make new vampires without human magic?

"What is wrong?" Sister Lilly asked looking at Todor wide-eyed.

"These people have been somehow infected by the same thing that animates vampires," Todor said looking around the room. Every person had gray motes of dust crawling along the white web of their consciousness.

"How do you know that?" Father Smiles asked for the first time.

"You are one of them," sister Lilly said with confidence. "Grand Megi of House of Merlioth."

Todor snorted and glanced at Sister Lilly.

"I am not. All though you could say I am the disciple of No Terror. Since I am wielding his maharoon."

He heard Ezezu snorting in his mind. My father would like that, you proclaiming yourself as his disciple.

"So it has happened. Fires of creation once again serve humanity?" Sister Lilly said in awe.

"How do you know of House of Merlioth, sister?" Todor asked her.

"I lived in the time before Sundering. I used to be High Ethiarch before my ability to form mana was taken away from me," she said slowly. "But that is ancient history, how can we help these people now?"

Todor shrugged.

"I guess we must find out how they got infected with this vampire shit."

"Yes, I guess most likely way would be oral. Maybe someone poisoned water supplies?" Agent Hillard suggested.

Father Smiles gasped and slept his forehead.

"I might know how these poor people got corrupted by the restless dead," old priest said looking at sister Lilly. She looked at the priest than her eyes went wide and her lip quivered.

"Yes father, that might be the only way all these people got sick," she agreed.

"Not that I want to butt in on the inside joke, but what is your suspicion?" Todor asked a bit annoyed. He could see both sisters and fathers mind webs totally clear from any intrusion.

"A month ago, a shipment of jam arrived into the Pit. A gift from the unknown benefactor," father Smiles said morosely. "Every week since the new shipment would arrive. Just jam, nothing else."

"People here are starving most of the time. Free jam would sound like a feast when I was still living here," Norman said nodding.

"So what you are saying is someone found an alchemical way to try to turn these people into vampires?" Father Smiles asked aghast.

"Who would do such a thing?" sister Lilly asked, covering her mouth with her palm.

"There is only one person who would do such a thing. Midnight Breeze," Todor growled, anger bubbling to the surface.

"Don't do anything stupid, Mister Corpus. There is nothing linking Mister Breeze with this," Hillard warned him.

"The hell there isn't. I know he was sponsoring a lab at the jam factory since I worked there. I know he is trying to make new vampires. Here is the entire town worth of people infected with his vile virus. The people who ate the free jam given by unknown helper."

"No. We need real, concrete proof. Only circumstantial evidence that relies on your testimony. The validity of a sight enabled only by human magic that hasn't been seen since the dawn of time will be questioned by everyone," Hillard insisted.

Todor almost punched him but he knew he was telling the truth. Instead, he looked at the ceiling and yelled his frustration. The witchfyre droplets vibrated and blinked a few times before starting to glow brighter. He felt Ezezu sending her support and her understanding and he embraced it. She felt the same but she understood that he can't just charge half-cocked and wreck havoc upon the old bloodsucker.

"Alright. We need a sample of the jam at least," Todor said softly after his outburst.

"That is not a problem. There is a warehouse nearby where we stored the stuff," Father Smiles said, happy that he could help in some way.

"Why aren't you two infected? You had contact with this jam?" Todor asked looking at the priest and the nun.

"My toothaches, can't eat anything sweet," Old priest said with a toothy grin.

"I rather eat entire fruit, instead of making mush out of them," sister Lilly answered right away.

"There is only one warehouse nearby. Is it the same one where I got caught with Ruby?" Agent Hillard asked and father nodded with a chuckle. "Let's go there to get a sample," Norman suggested and Todor nodded, eager to get away from those sleeping people.