Drake led his friends to the tavern at the far end of the main street to search out Mayor Ivan. He was the best choice to talk to first. If anyone knew anything, it would be him. He seemed to know everything that was going on in the small town.

As the boys walked through the streets, they were empty of townsfolk, and all the shops in the town were closed. There was silence everywhere. They couldn't hear even a whisper from anyone living in the small town. It was eerily quiet.

For the small town, it was in the afternoon, just after lunch. Like most days in the dimension, the weather was calm with fluffy clouds slowly floating across the sky. The twin suns bathed the dimension with a warm light. The soft breeze could barely be felt. It would be an ideal day if it weren't so creepy with no one around.

As Drake and his friends scanned the streets of the small town, they looked for any signs of life. The town should have been filled with citizens going about their business, rushing up and down the streets. They weren't, though; everything was empty. It felt like a ghost town; something out of a horror movie.

"I wonder where everyone is at?" Mike murmured. He was looking around at the empty streets and closed buildings. It was giving him a creepy feeling. There was a subtle tension in the air that they couldn't place.

Chad nodded in agreement. He shivered, a cold sweat moving down his spine, getting the creeps as well.

"We're going to check the tavern first. It seems to be the hub of the town. If they need to gather everyone, I'm pretty sure that's where they would gather," Drake stated. His face was pale. He was still having that urgent feeling. He knew whatever was happening needed to be dealt with quickly. It was as if someone's life was in danger. The strong feeling in his gut never lifted. He was on the verge of vomiting. Every second, he held back a groan from the discomfort. It was a dull pain that bordered on sharp.

When they reached the large building, Drake rushed up the tavern steps and pulled the door open. His friends and cohort followed close behind him. What he saw made him pause, his friends nearly crashing into him as he stopped abruptly. All the townsfolk were huddled around in small groups all around the tavern, worry on their faces. Many of them were crying.

Gavin was in his usual spot, drinking from his stein unbothered. From what he could tell, he was the only one who did not seem to be worried or upset. It appeared to be Gavin's baseline, though. Regardless of the situation, he always appeared that way. There was never any change.

At the long table in the back of the tavern, Mayor Ivan had a map spread out, a doll sitting near it. His higher-ranking soldiers were scanning the map intently as they quietly discussed something that Drake couldn't hear; they were whispering. Ivan looked up, seeing the boys as the double doors closed behind them. Relief washed over Ivan's face as he rushed up to him; his eyes were red. He had been upset… really upset.

Before Ivan made it to him, Drake put his hand up, stopping him in his tracks. "What's wrong? What's happening?" he demanded. His body was tense, his eyes briefly scanning the room, not stopping on anyone in particular.

Ivan had only stopped for a brief moment before he kept going, stopping only a foot away from Drake and his friends. "It's Nelly, she's gone. Someone took her," he choked out. His voice was ragged as he spoke. There was desperation and worry in his features.

Drake gave Renn a silent command. She jumped off his shoulder, transforming into her real form, and went to the doll on the table and sniffed it. There was a splash of blood on it. She took in the scent of Nelly's blood, letting Drake know through their mind link that it was indeed hers, before she began sniffing everyone in the room.

Many of the people clumped in groups in the tavern backed away, afraid of the beast, even though they had seen her before at the celebration. She sniffed each person, one at a time, making her way through the tavern.

Each person acted differently. Some even attempted to back away, trying to hide their scent. Drake took note of each and every one of them who did that, cataloging them in his system so he could do something about them later if he needed to. It didn't matter that they backed away because Renn could sniff them out regardless of whether they backed away or not. She was a wolf after all and had a good sense of smell. If they had Nelly's blood on them, or even her scent, she would know it. There was no way for them to hide it. All those who had Nelly's scent on them flashed through Drake's mind. Only one had her blood.

Renn's instructions were to find a link with the blood on the doll to someone in the room. He also wanted to know each person who had come into contact with Nelly. Renn wasn't to reveal to anyone in the room who she had discovered who was linked, but to mind link the vision of who she had found to him. Drake had a suspicion of who it was; by the behavior of those in the room, he just needed Renn to confirm it.

Everyone with her scent was revealed to him. When a picture of the one who was involved, the one with her blood on them, appeared in his mind, he flinched. It was exactly who he thought it was.

Something told him that he couldn't express this yet, or Nelly would be in further danger.

"Tell me everything that happened?" Drake ordered. "Tell me everything you know so far."

Mayor Ivan ushered Drake and his friends to the map. "She's been missing for nearly an hour," Ivan started. "Nana went to her room and found her doll on the floor. It had blood on it. There was a splash of blood around it. It was fresh blood, so she was taken just before Nana found the doll. We think it's Nelly's blood."

Drake nodded, looking briefly at Renn, who made a low growl-how, confirming it. "It is." He scanned the room, intentionally passing over the one in question as if that person wasn't a suspect. "Anything else?"

Mayor Ivan nodded, his eyes watering with recognition. "One of her shoes was found near the road. It had blood on it. We believe it is hers, too."

"Where is the shoe?" Drake asked, scanning the room again. He needed to find out if the suspect had an accomplice. So far, there had been no indication of it.

Ivan pointed to a basket on the table that Drake hadn't noticed before. Renn walked over and sniffed the shoe, then mentally confirmed that the blood belonged to Nelly.

"It is. It is Nelly's blood." Drake confirmed, making Ivan's face pale further. There were several gasps in the tavern. "Is anyone else missing? Any more of the children?"

Ivan shook his head. "After Nelly was taken, we took a census of everyone in town. We checked it against the town's roster and found that everyone else was accounted for. Now, we check the town roster every half hour. No one else is missing."

"Is there anything else that you can tell us that might help us locate her?" Drake continued. He knew he needed to find her fast. He could feel it.

"We believe they took her to the gargoyle's lair, but we don't know. Her shoe was in the center of the road heading toward their lair, which is why we suspect that."

"Any suspects on who might have taken her and why?" Drake probed, still trying to get as much information as he could. He also subtly watched if anyone in particular leaned in to listen, or if their features indicated relief with whatever the answer was.

Mayor Ivan shook his head. "The only clue we have is the shoe in the road toward the monster's lair," he choked out. "We have nothing else to go by… nothing."

No one showed him anything. No one leaned to listen, no change in features, nothing to indicate their involvement. Not even any of those that Renn had indicated who had Nelly's scent on them, nor the one with her blood on them.

Drake stayed quiet for a while. He knew he needed to do something about the situation quickly, but he just didn't know what to do. He was at a loss. With no other options, he decided to see if his system could help.

"System, can you link me to Nelly?" he asked the system mentally.

{Quest received: Save Nelly}

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