The Time Keeper

Chapter 23 - List of Names

I quickly followed Fleur as we made our way towards the town square, looking back over my shoulder at where the strange man was but had somehow disappeared from my view. Fluer's face was tense, and I could tell she was deep in thought. We walked in silence for a few moments making sure nobody was around to hear our whisperings until she finally spoke.

"Father August just gave me some new information," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "The person we're investigating is named Pandora Boone. She's been sought after by the church for a long time but they couldn't take her in as she hasn't done anything worthy of her termination." Fleur looked up at me, "Until now."

My stomach sank. "What do you mean?" I asked, my mind racing. "Does that mean this is not just an investigation now?"

"Was it ever?" Fleur looked at me with resolve in her eyes. "It's not like missions go exactly the way we want them to go."

We continued walking past the church and further into the outskirts of Fallhalt. The buildings diminishing in stature although still more elegant than anything back in Leode.

"It seems that Pandora has been smuggling materials for quite a while now, much longer than we were told prior," Fleur explained. "And there's a possibility that she has already created a false artifact. If that's the case, it could be very dangerous not just for us and the church, but for the public too."

I nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "So what's our plan?" I asked, my heart racing.

"We have a location," Fleur said, a hint of determination in her voice. "Father provided us with an address of a small-looking warehouse in the outskirts of the city. Pandora has been known to move around a lot but the church hasn't noticed any changes for a while. He said that it might be the place where Pandora is storing the smuggled materials and possibly the false artifact."

As we approached the warehouse, my heart was pounding in my chest. Two guards stood at the entrance, both looking alert. It was hard to tell if they were armed but no sword-like weapons were to their sides.

"They're carrying," said Fleur as if she knew what I was thinking. "Likely to be revolvers."

My eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know that?" I asked, impressed by her intuition.

Fleur gave me a small smile. "Just a guess based on their attire and the way they're standing. They're trying to look nonchalant, but they're definitely guarding something. Pandora."

We approached the guards, and I prepared myself for a confrontation, but Fleur surprised me again. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, and then a strange energy emanated from her body. It was like a shimmering aura that surrounded us both, and suddenly the guards didn't even seem to notice us as we walked right by them and entered the warehouse through the main entrance being guarded.

I looked at Fleur in awe. "How did you do that?" I asked, my voice filled with wonder.

She looked a bit worn out from using that mysterious power. "Don't worry, you'll be able to do something like it soon enough. Give it a few years or so," she chuckled under a light panting.

As we walked inside the warehouse, my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. It was a small space, with stacks of crates and barrels lined up against the walls. There was a pungent smell of chemicals in the air, and I could see some tools lying around, indicating that this place was used for manufacturing. The warehouse looked old and unused as if it had been abandoned long ago. Was Pandora really here or was this just a red hearing?

Fluer reached for her pocket but hesitated and pulled away. "Look around for some kind of entrance, and try not to make a sound," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.