*Bang bang bang!*
"Open up. This is by warrant of the Archmage's Office. Present yourself immediately!"
A young woman wearing a long black trenchcoat and top hat slammed her fist against a rugged wooden door.
"Hey!"
*Bang bang bang!*
Aside from a flickering gas lantern, a gleaming badge on her lapel with the insignia of a violet flower was the only light in the dark, musty hallway.
The lantern's hissing flame shedded a faint glow around her and five other officers of the Archmage's Constabulary.
The Archmage's Constabulary was a department of the government under the Archmage that served as the magical police of the era governing over all magical and anomalous cases in the world.
This squad had managed to track something to this apartment.
There was complete silence except for the sound of thunder as the sky split in two through the storm.
Pale blue moonlight was barely visible through the sheets of grey rain, and for the officers that had been stationed outside, the feeble light of street lanterns was their only solace in the downpour.
*Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock.*
A clock on the wall just above another apartment room clicked and clacked as its hour hand moved forward, and—
*CLANG, CLANG, CLANG!*
The great brass bell at the bell tower just outside struck midnight. The cacophony almost made the woman cringe. She turned to her partner, who stepped forward, holding a thick tome.
"I don't think they're going to come out," her mage partner whispered.
The first woman nodded, but gave another warning anyway. "You have three seconds to come out, or we'll break down this door."
A flicker of light gleamed off of the cold barrel of her revolver as she retrieved her gun from its holster and cocked the hammer.
"Ready," she ordered.
Her mage partner's book snapped open as it began to levitate in place, the pages fluttering from an unseen wind. A faint glow surrounded it. The other officers just behind them readied themselves as well.
The woman glanced back to the door and sighed.
"Three."
"Two."
"—!"
*BOOM!*
She didn't get to finish the sentence as a black shadow scythed through the door, shattering the wood into splinters before burying itself into her chest. Crimson splattered in the dark from her bosom, painting her golden badge red.
The black shadow—which revealed itself in the light to be a cloaked figure—lifted the officer off the battered wooden floor where she thrashed, her eyes wide with shock. She gurgled futilely, blood coughing itself out her mouth for a brief moment before she lay still, crumpling as the figure threw her body to the floor.
Of all the officers, only one acted quickly, whipping towards the others, throwing her hands toward the figure, her tome hovering by her side. She quickly drew on her mana reserves, empowering them to course through her veins.
"Lier—deux! Assommer mineur! Dormir!"
The incantations released her mana, her tome resonating in turn as the spells went off. Searing flashes of magical light illuminated the apartment accompanied by several cracks, snaps, fizzles, and gunshots.
Eventually, the light died down.
The figure still stood there, utterly unharmed.
Dread began to sink into the officer's heart and cold sweat slid down her back. She stumbled backwards. "W-What the hell—"
*CRASH!*
The window cracked and shattered into glittering shards as the figure leapt out from the second floor, their cloak fluttering in the rain.
With a flash of lightning in the far distance, the officer caught a glimpse of long, navy blue hair beneath the cloak before the figure disappeared completely, vanishing onto the street below.
The mage officer scrambled to the window. "Fuck! Go after them—!"
"No."
A different, calm feminine voice cut through as footsteps clacked up the stairs. The voice carried an instinctive authority.
"Who—" The first officer turned around to face the newcomer.
The newcomer stepped into the light, revealing themselves. They were clad in a black top hat with one thin, white stripe, along with a matching black trenchcoat and the same gleaming badge.
The air seemed to tighten around her as she stepped forward, something sharp and commanding pressing at the edges of the room.
…An alpha?
The newcomer had long, unnatural hair as white as icicles. It was pulled back into a ponytail, while bangs gracefully framed her serene, shapely face. A blue silk cravat cinched itself around her throat, and deep, grey eyes stared unflinchingly at the officer.
*Crack!*
The newcomer snapped a slender polished cane against the wooden floor. "Stand down, officer. Take your casualty to a hospital. I will take it from here."
The officer recognized the woman. "Inspector Aerel. I apologize."
The officer and their squad scurried aside, gently lifting the fallen officer as the inspector stepped forward, striding headlong into the room the Tainted Witch had been hiding in.
The inspector's cold grey eyes swept across the room as she pulled on a pair of black gloves. She didn't rush as she paced around the room.
"Now." Inspector Aerel surveyed the room. "What were we attempting to arrest?"