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Oplentian Infiltration

Back in November of 2022, I took a week off of work for a Thanksgiving vacation. While I had been writing short stories on and off over the course of the year, I was still dissatisfied with my progress, specifically with the “main story” involving Enigma, Edmund, Azurium, and Volpes.

So with my glut of free time, I sat myself in front of a word processor and wrote, and I kept writing multiple short stories chapters until I had managed to complete up to the point where Volpes is placed into the Magistrum’s rehabilitation facilities. After being afraid of getting stuck in a perpetual state of limbo, I had actually completed the tale I set out to write in broad strokes.

Had I planned this out better, I would have spent more time with the investigation, both because I feel that Enigma and Edmund arrive at Volpes’s compound too quickly and because it would have given me more time to sell both Enigma’s and Edmund’s skill as detectives. And while that is unfortunate, the cold truth is that this story was likely to simply remain unfinished had I not just hunkered down and wrote as much as I could in the time I had for vacation. I would rather have a flawed tale than no tale at all.

That left the illustration to go with it. I’m not a fool. Since this story was originally posted on FurAffinity, and that site is hostile to writing, I included an piece of art to visualize a key moment of the story in order to bring in the eyeballs, and that’s been a tactic that appears to serve me well. Fortunately, LittleBadWolf is almost always available for a last minute commission, and they were more than happy to take up the task in the week before this was set to go live.

I would go on to stagger the release of these tales, only producing one per month, starting with this one in January of 2023.


Under the mid-morning sun, crowds had begun to form across the streets and alleyways in the 13th district of Oplentis. As one of the places where the wealthy districts and slums of the city intersected, both aspects of the society were reflected in its architecture. Sprawling manses overlooking the ramshackle and destitute dwellings of the less-fortunate neighbors. Workmen blowing off steam outside the local pub, doing their best to ignore the sneers they couldn’t see, but nonetheless sensed from the nobility as they dined on a classy terrace stories above.

And amidst the confluence of the rich and poor, two beastkin were doing their best to blend into the crowds. One of them, a wolfkin with a blue tattoo underneath his golden eyes. The other, a heavily muscled, shirtless tigerkin with a streak of blond hair and bright green globes. Dressed in plain clothes, they could have easily been mistaken for common workers, but they moved with purpose. Leaning close, lowering his voice so that they wouldn’t be overheard, the tigerkin spoke to his associate.

“Teach, ya really think dis ‘Volpes’ is why mah dad went missin’?”

Taking his time to form a response, as they drew closer to their destination, the wolfkin finally spoke.

“There’s only one way to find out. But we can’t do anything until we’ve established a base of operations and done some scouting work.”

“We could prob’ly use mah old ‘ouse. Dad paid it off ‘fore he stopped comin’ ‘ome, so it’s still ours.”

Shaking his head, Enigma tactfully scolded his protege.

“No. It’s too high profile. Best case, people would question strangers walking into your old house. Worst case, they would recognize you and complicate our investigation. Besides, I’ve already made arrangements.”

Though he was prepared to press the matter, Edmund fell silent when he realized they had arrived at a back-alley inn, just out of view of the main plaza and bazaar district. Following his mentor inside, he observed as the mind mage spoke to the innkeep. Coin exchanged hands, and the proprietor handed each of them a key, pointing to their room before giving a small, courteous wave. Sensing curiosity from his student, Enigma spoke as they found their room.

“I requested a room with a backdoor. The owner of this place has a reputation for not asking questions.”

“So he thinks we’re smugglahs ‘er somethin’?”

“Probably. Either way, he won’t be telling anyone of our comings and goings.”

Two separate full-sized beds had been prepared, alongside a small table and chairs placed in the corner of the room, and bathroom close to the front door. Opposite them, on the other side of the room, a locked door they could use to sneak in and out away from prying eyes.

It was far from glamorous, but it had everything the two of them would need during their stay in the seedy underbelly of Oplentis. Taking a seat at the table, the mind mage took out a map of the area, laying it on the table as his apprentice took a seat beside him. With his pen, he circled the depictions of both a small building close to the market district and a large warehouse further out from the main plaza.

“When I followed ‘Volpes’ during my last trip, most of his time was spent at this location: The Fox’s Formula. It seems like both a makeshift clinic and pharmacy.”

“I ‘eard ah dah place. People I ‘elped used tah say it was the only reason dah slum ‘adn’t torn themselves apart.”

“That’s what I gathered too. The place opened up over a decade ago, and it’s been a boon to the overall quality of life for the people here.”

“Did ya jus’ say over a decade ago, teach?”

“Correct.” Enigma took a moment to breathe in slowly, and then exhale to gather himself. “I came to the same conclusion.” Moving his pen to point to the circled warehouse, he continued. “And yet, though he spends most of his time at The Fox’s Formula, once the store closed, Volpes almost always heads to this warehouse, nearly every night. I suspect that’s where we’ll find whatever clues we’re looking for.”

Punching his fist into his open palm, Edmund gave an eager smirk.

To calm his student, the mentor raised his hand, beckoning the tigerkin to cool himself down. “Not yet. First, we should scout the perimeter of the warehouse to look for entry points and escape routes. From what I saw, the guards are tough: Bigger and stronger than anyone I’ve ever seen before.”

“Ain’t dat wat I’m here for, teach?”

“You’re here to learn how to conduct an investigation… and because this is your case. It’s only right that you be there when it gets closed.”

“Thanks, teach.”

“It’s my pleasure, Ed. We’ve been on the road for a while now, so let’s both head to bed. We’ll begin once it starts getting dark out.”

As if on cue, the tigerkin began to stretch his arms, letting out a yawn. Getting up from the table, he jumped straight into his bed. “Sure thing. G’night, teach.”

Setting himself upon his bed slowly, deliberately, before laying down to rest, the mentor returned the feeling. “Night, Ed.”


Like clockwork, Enigma began to stir from his slumber as the sun began to set. To his pleasant surprise, Edmund was already awake, performing his “morning” rituals. Wearing a fresh pair of breeches, toothbrush scrubbing away at his fangs, the student noticed his mentor rising up on his feet. It was the mind mage who broke the silence.

“Someone’s eager to get started.”

If beastkin could blush, Enigma assumed that Edmund’s face would be glowing bright red underneath his fur. “Can ya blame me? I been waitin’ fer dis mosta my life.”

“I suppose you have. Give me a minute to get cleaned up, study the map a few times more, and we’ll head over to the warehouse.”

Cleaned and dressed, the two from the Magistrum went out through their room’s back door, locking it behind them. Keeping to the shadows, Enigma lead Edmund through back alleys, up to and across rooftops in order to reach the allegedly abandoned warehouse Volpes returned to almost every night. To his credit, the young man, though clearly unaccustomed to skulking about, adapted quickly, using his powers over the wind to dull the noise of his footsteps impacting the ground.

By the time they arrived, at a rooftop overlooking the warehouses, the sun had already set. Pale moonlight and the gentle flames of lanterns and torches in the street pierced the darkness that otherwise blanketed the city. From their perch, they studied the building they intended to infiltrate. Though a fair number of ordinary people come and went, the guards were all larger than anyone Enigma had seen anywhere else in his travels.

“I don’t want to take our chances with the security if we can avoid it. They look a bit too tough to take on directly.”

“Ah, c’mon teach. We can take’em.”

With a heavy sigh, Enigma shrugged his shoulders. “Yes, we can, but not fast enough. While we’re busy causing a ruckus, anything we might want to find will get destroyed or moved to cover their tracks.”

Putting a hand of the back of his neck, Edmund winced a little at the admonishment from his professor. “Yeah. Fair point. Watcha recommend, teach.”

Not taking his eyes off the warehouse, the more experienced of the two pointed to an open window on the second floor. “There. If we climb in through there, we might be able to sneak in quietly and get a good viewpoint of the inside. Do you think you can fly us over there?”

“Notta problem, teach. Gotta go slowly though, tah keep dah noise down. Dey might see us if dey look up?”

“Leave that to me.” The teacher smiled despite himself.

“If yer sure. Hop on, den. Easier tah carry ya on mah back.”

As Edmund pointed to his backside, his mentor wasted no time. Wrapping his arms around his student’s neck and legs around his waist, he held on tight.

“Alright, I’m secure. Do your thing, Ed.”

Lifting himself off the ground with the wind, Edmund started floating slowly, steadily from their perch to the rooftop where the open window lay in store. When one of the people walking in looked up at the moon, Edmund’s heart began to race. But as he kept floating forward, he started to realize that the man wasn’t suspicious.

“Dat man down dere looks like he can’t see us?”

“He can’t. Not while I’m casting my spell… Wait. You can see his face from up here?”

“You can’t?”

“Yes, but barely. And not well enough to perceive fine detail. Most people don’t have that kind of eyesight, Ed.”

“Shit. I didn’t know dat.”

Through their combined efforts, they had landed safely on the rooftop. Touching the ground once more, Enigma released his grip and motioned for his protege to get low. Crouching down, they snuck up to the window, checking for anyone that might see them.

“Coast seems clear, Ed. Let’s head inside.”

“We’re really doin’ it, teach. I can barely believe it.”

“Don’t celebrate just yet. We still need to actually investigate.” Mantling the opening, the mind mage vaulted into the building, landing softly on the other side. “You coming?”

“Right behind ya.”

Following his professor’s example, Edmund mimicked his motion, using the wind to cushion his own landing. Teacher and student had made it this far by working together, and Edmund was proud to be working with one of the best detectives, if not the best, in all of Crossroads, if not the multiverse.

But nothing he learned from his time with the mentalist could prepare him for what awaited inside Volpes’s compound.

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