Chronomaestro's Whisperwind Anomaly

The flickering gaslight barely illuminates the grime-covered cobblestones of Whisperwind Alley. A chill wind snakes its way through the narrow passage, carrying whispers of madness and the metallic tang of blood. You pull your worn leather coat tighter, the collar scratching against the back of your neck. You can feel the weight of the modified electro-carbine strapped to your thigh; a necessary, albeit frowned upon, precaution in this part of Aethelburg. You are Elias Thorne, a Chronomaestro, a licensed (though barely tolerated) manipulator of temporal energies. Your specialty? Cleaning up the messes left behind by less… disciplined colleagues. Tonight, the mess is a doozy. A temporal anomaly, a jagged tear in the fabric of reality, has opened in Whisperwind Alley. Reports are… conflicting. Some speak of phantom apparitions, others of objects phasing in and out of existence. The more concerning reports mention a crimson haze and screams that echo from beyond the veil of time itself. The Grand Chronarium, your employer, wants it sealed, discreetly, and before it attracts unwanted attention from the Ministry of Order or, worse, the Eldritch Society. Your contact, a nervous young apprentice named Beatrice, should be waiting for you near the old apothecary. She'll provide you with the Chronarium's Temporal Stabilizer, a device powerful enough to hopefully mend this temporal wound before it bleeds into reality. But something feels wrong. A prickling unease crawls across your skin. The air is thick with static, and the whispers in the wind sound less like random noise and more like… warnings. You grip the electro-carbine a little tighter. Whisperwind Alley has always been a dangerous place, but tonight, it feels different. Tonight, time itself is your enemy. Remember Thorne, be precise, be careful, and for the love of all that is chronologically sound, don't alter the past. The future, and perhaps reality itself, depends on it. The apothecary awaits. Find Beatrice, secure the Stabilizer, and close that rift. Good luck… you'll need it.