The guard eyes you suspiciously but reluctantly agrees to hear you out. "What do you have in mind?" he whispers, keeping his voice low enough that the other guards and passersby nearby wouldn't overhear.

The guard hesitates for a moment before nodding slowly and following you down the alleyway. As they disappear around the corner, you quickly duck into an abandoned building nearby. The guard will likely find this odd but may not suspect anything else is amiss... for now.

"Good. Time is of the essence. This creature..." She pauses, her voice dropping to a hushed tone, "...it feeds on fear. The more panicked they are, the stronger it grows."

"You're quite right, that fits with what I've seen so far. People are running everywhere, screaming, but there's no sign of the beast itself yet."