Dragon's Den🐉(DDen)

|A Demonic Mermaid|

The Irish Patch, a criminal investigation organization, aided the police on their first manhunt for the men. They spread themselves across London, interviewing every person they saw. Their interviews proved useless, as they got no useful information. The usual response was: "They went into an alley, but I never saw them again after that." Only a few people gave them clues, like the person who provided the missing men's identities, and the barmaid that attended to them while they were at Drunk Karts. When they found the club's frequent customers, they eased the investigation process. "They were regulars at Drunk Karts! Their names were Yale, Nate, Drake, and Frank. Those men were demons to the poor girls there." "I know those men! They normally harass pretty girls! I heard that one of them was a notorious thief! I have nothing else to say, so I'll take my leave." Their most reliable informants were the Drunk Karts regulars.

The second day yielded no good results, either. They received the same information from the same kind of people. On the third day, they reluctantly closed the case, but they still labeled the men as missing. In Peter's office, Ross read out some reports to Peters. "Officer, we have an issue. Missing person reports have spiked over the past few weeks. The last analysis of missing person reports showed that there is an 11% increase in the number of missing persons in London. Our population is roughly 56,000 people. These days, about 6,160 people have been declared missing." Ross slammed his hands on Peter's desk. His eyes narrowed, and his eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "None of those six thousand, one hundred and sixty people have been found to date." Peters gasped. 

He fiddled with his pen, trying to keep himself calm. Ross continued." More people have reported seeing those missing people. They claim to see them at midnight, and most times, the missing people wore a silver ring on their middle finger. Even stranger, they wore a tattoo of a red skull on their necks. I have no new leads for now." Ross hung his head in partial defeat. After his battle with Chu, he began to see strange things happening around him. Each morning, he would wake up to see soot on his bedroom window. "There isn't anything else we can use to identify them? Their dressing, maybe? What about their behavior?" A glimmer of hope shone in his eyes. "I only wish that were the case. I have some important business to attend to. There's been a recent murder of an old woman and her son. They need me to solve this case." Peters waved him away and resumed his work. Ross packed his documents in his suitcase and walked out the door.

A faint shadow trailed Ross from behind his car.

Ross arrived shortly at the museum. As he climbed the steps, a woman in a long blue dress greeted him. "Good morning, sir. Welcome to the museum. How may I help you today?" Her neck stretched to look at Ross's face. She lowed her head and touched her curly ginger hair nervously. Ross eyed her freckles and tanned skin. Although she looked delicate and innocent, something about her put him off. He twisted his nose as the faint smell of decay wafted in the air. Her voice slightly dropped as she spoke again. "How may I help you-zir?" He heard a slight hiss in her voice. Ross cautiously pulled out his crucifix.

A faint gong sound quietly echoed in his mind. 'Leave this place!' Alnorita hissed at him. The space around him shrunk before his eyes, and he started to suffocate. "He steeled himself and pushed her aside. His body became heavier and weaker as he walked. She glared at him maliciously. "If you would excuse me." He looked back, and she disappeared. The area no longer felt dangerous, but Ross stayed alert. As he walked in, he failed to notice Chu trailing him.

The museum was a little dusty from the days of not being occupied. Because of the police officers' case, it was mostly closed off to the public. He swiftly looked back, but he saw no one. He felt worse because he was alone. He walked to the official map to look for the Ancient Religions Exhibit. After some searching, Ross found The Art Of The Dragon Arts in THE TEN ANCIENTS exhibit. Since he had some time, he decided to look around for a bit. 'Go to the Mythical Creatures Exhibit, since you have nothing to do.' Alnorite sneered at him in his mind. With a snort, Ross walked away.

The Mythical Creatures exhibit contained information and sculptures about mythical creatures. The first creature Ross saw was a muscular, tall centaur with a bushy beard. "Just like my Uncle Sam when he was young." Ross chuckled to himself. The next creature he saw was a cherub, a baby with little angel wings and a white toga. It held a golden bow and arrow, which pointed at the ceiling. For a moment, Ross thought it looked at him. Blinking,

Ross saw werewolves, vampires, and zombies. The vampire had a garlic necklace on. One of the janitors must have done that as a joke! As he turned to leave, a small breeze flew past him. He looked back and saw the statue of a mermaid. As he moved closer, he discovered that it was roughly the height of a man. She had dark brown hair, dark blue skin, a blue tail, and a short black blouse. Her bright yellow eyes peered into his soul. They looked similar to the attendant's he saw outside. There was no need to worry about fighting; he had his cross with him. The cross was his secret weapon. The malicious look in her eyes stared ahead, but it didn't shake him off. He bent down to read the plaque with her name on it.

Unira

The Mermaid Queen

She is a legendary mermaid known to have originated from Scotland. She was created by a lustful sorcerer with a passion for the sea. Using black magic and virgin blood, he summoned her from the pits of hell. Using her, he kidnapped twenty girls and defiled them. In disgust, she killed him and stole his magic. She buried his mangled corpse at a small mountain near a small lake named Lake Agnes. Other versions say she seduced him before killing him. It is also said that she appeared to Henry VII in a dream where she told him the day of his death.  

One of her most terrifying skills is reading souls. Like the Greek sea nymphs, she is very dangerous. She calls out to people, mostly men, and draws them to her mouth. While they are dazed, she opens her mouth and swallows them whole. Her eyes are her source of power and her weakest point. Piercing or damaging her eyes in any way, with anything, especially with holy objects, will cause her to disappear or die. She resurrects ten days after each death, as she is a single being and unable to clone herself. Do not stare for more than six seconds, or you risk possession and death. Be alert to your surroundings.

"What a typical femme fatale." Ross scrunched his face in disgust. With that, he left the Mythical Creatures section. Out of boredom, Ross walked to the Precious Stones Section. When he arrived, he gasped in awe. He found rows of precious gems placed in glass display cases. Each of the stones had its uses and magical properties written on top of it. A gem three feet away from him caught his attention. It was a green and blue stone with eerie reddish highlights. When light reflected on it, red, blue, and yellow light covered it in a bright haze. A soft voice sang to him as he approached the gem. Intrigued by its colors, he decided to inspect it.

Ross discovered a figure of a mermaid engraved into its center...