I was Betrayed then Reincarnated as a Kitsune

Chapter 232: Collecting Information

[Luna POV]

When we got to the port town, we immediately headed to the guild there.  When we went inside, we got several looks like normal.  Some people recognized me and a few others didnt.  As we were walking toward the reception desk, I felt several intense looks directed towards me.

Mom, dont say anything.  Were being watched, and I dont mean in the normal way. (Luna)

You think its them? (Amagi)

I dont know, but the gazes feel gross.  Like Im being appraised for sale.  Its honestly making me mad. (Luna)

Alright, Ill let you do the talking then.  Can you point out who it is from here while you get the information? (Amagi)

Two at the bar over there, one near the door, and one by the quest board. (Luna)

Along with telling mom where the intense gazes were coming from, I discretely pointed them out with my tail.

Alright, I memorized their faces.  Even if they arent slavers, I will need to have a nice, peaceful conversation with them. (Amagi)

Mom had a smile on her face that gave off a feeling of intimidation.  She calmed down a little when we made it to the counter.  The receptionist behind the counter smiled and greeted me.

Its nice to see you again.

Same to you. (Luna)

What can I help you with today?

I leaned forward a little and spoke in a somewhat quiet voice.

I need information. (Luna)

The receptionist picked up on my want for some semblance of secrecy and offered to bring us to a back room to talk.  I agreed to it and the three of us moved behind the counter to a back room.  On our way there, I felt that one of the gazes from earlier stopped and I heard the door to the guild open and close.  When we got to the private room, the receptionist asked us to sit.  She did the same and we baegan speaking.

What kind of information are you looking for?

Have there been any suspicious ships seen around here recently or ships with marks or other symbols from Himmels? (Luna)

Not that I am aware of, but Ill ask someone to look through any reports that I am unaware of.

Then have there been reports of any missing people? (Amagi)

A few reports, yes.  Is there something big going on?

As you recall, me and my party took care of some pirates that were terrorizing this place before.  They were based on an island some ways away from here.  I recently went back to that island for personal reasons and we found a letter from some slavers from Himmels.  Taking the assumed age of the letter and the time it takes to travel between continents into account, we think these slavers are here. (Luna)

And, with what we just asked, it seems like they might be behind these missing person cases. (Amagi)

The receptionists face showed an expression of anger and disgust.

Thank you for reporting this.  The guild will give you any help you require.

Alright.  Then the first thing you should probably do is be on guard against people coming to the guild to get information.  I dont know anything about the other continent, so I dont know what to look out for though. (Luna)

The majority of that continents population is human is about all I know. (Amagi)

So, look out for new humans coming here, preferably with accents and features from Himmels.

For now.  If we find anything else out or take care of it completely, well let you know here. (Luna)

Thank you.  Please, take be safe and, if you do find them, make sure they dont get out of this without consequences.

That was the plan. (Amagi)

We left the back room of the guild and made out way to the door.  This time though, all the gazes from earlier were gone.

Tamamo, say something. (Luna)

{Who dares look at my wife like she is something for sale?}

I get what you are feeling, but dont worry, they wont get off with a loss of limb except maybe their head. (Luna)

As we left the guild and made out way through town some, I felt the gazes again.  I started a conversation with mom out loud while saying something completely different with telepathy.

Mom, should we act like normal adventurers and get kidnapped by these mongrels so we can be taken to their base, or so you want to go with a flashier approach like ambushing the ones watching us right now, nicely asking for everything they know, and then kicking down their door? (Luna)

The second option.  I dont like the idea of acting like a weak person like that.  Plus, I want to vent on them for looking at you like an item for sale. (Amagi)

Heh.  Yeah, I like that approach more as well.  The ones from earlier are following us from a distance.  Ill spread some mist and we ambush them. (Luna)

Mom nodded at me and I started to use my ice mist skill.  Soon, the entire area around us was covered in a chilling, thick mist where normal people would barely be able to see their hands an inch from their face.  I could hear our stalkers get confused and agitated.

What the hell is this?  Where did this fog come from? (Mongrel 4)

Damn it.  Did you lose sight of those foxes?  The boss wont like it if we dont bring in some high quality goods like them. (Mongrel 2)

I cant even see my own hands, of course I cant see those two. (Mongrel 1)

Grrah!  Lets hurry up and find them then.  Ill use the old one as some relief before heading back to the boss. (Mongrel 3)

Idiot, you know the boss wont like that. (Mongrel 2)

Who gives a damn!  That one hit all my preferences, so itd be a missed opportunity.  Screw getting a pay cut. (Mongrel 3)

Hearing those words, I got really angry.  I also physically felt moms anger grow.

Fufufu.  Old?  Fufufufufufufufufufu. (Amagi)

Hieeeeeeeeeeeee! (Mongrel 3)

Whoops.  My magic slipped. (Amagi)

Fufufu.  Good one. (Luna)

I opened a few Gates and shot some chains out of them.  I captured the other three mongrels.  We then met up near them and I teleported all of us to the pirate island.  The three conscious mongrels immediately started puking their guts out while the fourth one was curled up in a ball with an ice spike sticking out of a place no man should ever have a spike of ice.

{Good job, Amagi.}

Im not old. (Amagi)

I smiled at mom before looking down at the things squirming at our feet.  I was just going to kick one of them with a healing magic infused foot, but decided against it.

Hey mom, mind if I interrogate these three?  You can get that one. (Luna)

Sure.  What are you going to do? (Amagi)

Just some work with illusions.  Show them something nice so that they give me the info I want before things turnless nice. (Luna)

You sure you want to say that with them present? (Amagi)

Theyre too busy being sick to listen to anything.  Not that it would matter when the illusion is so good its basically a different reality entirely. (Luna)

Fair enough.  Now, I think this thing need more ice. (Amagi)

Moms chilling smile appeared again and I dragged the three in front of me to a different part of the dungeon room.  After several more minutes, they recovered somewhat.  Just as they were about to start protesting, my eyes shined brightly as I trapped them in an illusion.

Ugh, I feel gross just by showing them what I am.  It feels like Im giving them what they want. (Luna)

{Then why go that far?  Just do what Amagi is doing.}

It doesnt work like that, Tamamo.  No offense to mom, but what she is doing will get a mix of reliable and unreliable information.  That one will give some answers that it thinks she wants in order to get the pain to stop.  What Im doing is will get reliable information at the cost of seeingthis. (Luna)

{Gross.}

Indeed. (Luna)

{Would you be like that with me if you were still male?}

No, these things are degenerates.  I would treat you like I do now, with care and respect. (Luna)

{And I would treat you the same as well.}

After several more minutes of waiting, the first of the three mongrels started to speak about what I wanted to know.  After I got everything out of him that was useful, his illusion turned to the complete opposite of what he was just experiencing.  He died shortly after with a look of terror on his face.  The other two did the same soon after.  I then started to clean the place up and once that was done, I went over to mom.

Hows it going? (Luna)

I dont know.  Should I add an ice spike here or here? (Amagi)

Neither, add one there. (Luna)

Ah, that works way better. (Amagi)

uuuugh. (Mongrel 3)

So, got any information that you think is actually useful? (Luna)

Nope.  All this thing has said is ouch and stop and more. (Amagi)

I took an instinctive step back.

Are you sure you want to keep doing that then? (Luna)

Eh, I was just waiting for you to finish. (Amagi)

Well, I got enough for the two of us I think.  Well go and take care of it tonight.  Lets clean this up and go upstairs and rest for a bit. (Luna)

Alright. (Amagi)

Mom then froze the thing completely before shattering it.

Chaos Realm:

Oi, we come back from a nice date to see this.

Order: In-chan should have done more there before ascending again.

Atmos: Well, she did do a lot.  If anything, these are the dying embers.

Order: So things are going to get better over there?

Atmos: Meh.  If they do, they do, if they don't, they don't.

Give it a few hundred years and it'll be on the road to recovery.  Maybe a small fiend crisis will straighten them out to a reasonable level.

Atmos: Yeah, though I feel bad for the ones that will be summoned over there to take care of it.

Same.