Saturday, October 6, 1349
Kiyotaka stood by the window, breathing in the debased air of Backlund. The air passed through his nose without any kind of resistance or that thick, suffocating pressure that had turned his every breath into some kind of labor over the past few days.
He inhaled deeper, then deeper still, waiting for the familiar clogging sensation, the burn behind the bridge of his nose but nothing came. His throat was now clear as well and no sticky phlegm clung there. He was no longer needed to cough or clear it again and again until he could feel his chest ache.
'Miss Fors' medicine did wonders. I should thank her.'
Walking out of his house, he stood in the rare sunlight. It was one of those days when sun would miraculously peak out of the heaps upon heaps of smog and darkness.
Kiyotaka rolled his shoulders and then his neck. The joints were moving freely and quietly, without that grinding stiffness that had forced him to rise from bed like an old man only moments away from expiring.
He flexed his fingers one by one, feeling the comfortable warmth seep into the joints.
Kiyotaka was wearing a nicely ironed tuxedo that comprised of a white shirt, black vest, black coat, black pants and black shoes. Over the 3-piece suit was a thick long-jacket made out of wool that reached to his ankles. Finishing the attire was a flat cap characterized by a fuller shape, stitched-down peak, and a button on top where the panels met and a long, black cane that opened from the top to also act as a blade and a bracelet on his right hand.
The bracelet was bright red in color and looked quite nice against his pale skin.
After taking out £100 from the investments with Leppard, Kiyotaka upgraded his cane. He was soon going to meet some nobles with Glaint, so he made sure that other people won't treat him like some kind of common animal and good choice of attire left a lasting first impression.
The suit and the cane had cost him £20. He used around £46 for the remainder of the £600, leaving him with £34 cash-in-hand. He was a little dejected, as he once had the freedom of having over £500 in cash to being £100 in debt, as the money was not technically his and was to be used for the Alcohol-Engine Car project.
At this moment, Kiyotaka had dressed up because Klein had asked him for a favor. This was the first time the two of them were going to meet on purpose. The first time Kiyotaka saw Klein was when he saw a dead body, due to which Meursault had attacked him and had somehow died in retaliation.
The second time was when Rosago tried to take control of him and then he, Klein and Sharron had to team up to kill him.
While Kiyotaka and Klein had met quite a lot above the Grey Fog, chatting with each other about different things happening around them and sometimes—very rarely—talking about their lives on Earth, it was still quite strange to meet the "God" of Tarot Club in person for some tea and a mission out of the favor he owed him.
Walking with a gun strapped to his hip and a sword-cane, Kiyotaka soon arrived at Bravehearts Bar. Once he was inside, he spotted Klein sitting at one of the tables with his cap on the table and fingers crossed in front of his face. He had a slight mustache and beard with brown hair, brown eyes and a handsome face.
Kiyotaka walked over to him and sat right in front of him. Klein's eyes stayed on him until he removed his cap and placed the cane far enough from himself.
Klein cleared his throat and gave a dry chuckle. "It really is strange seeing you in person, Mr. Holmes."
Kiyotaka leaned back. "Likewise, Mr. Moriarty."
"Nice suit, by the way." Klein's tone was a little casual. 'Would be a shame if something happened to it though.' He lampooned inwardly.
"Thanks. You are quite well-dressed as well."
In the meantime, a man walked over to both of them. Klein looked up at him and with a serious look ordered. "One half-and-half. As for him..." Klein looked at Kiyotaka.
"Some whiskey, please."
The waiter scratched his hairy chest before walking back to the counter.
"This early?"
"I rarely drink these days. So, when I do, I make sure it hits the spot."
Klein nodded seriously. He waited for the man to bring back their orders, and it was not until Kiyotaka had taken his first sip that Klein raised the matter why he had called him in person. "So, as I said, I had a small favor to ask of you. It is not fighting related."
"I would not have mind if it was. A favor is a favor, and it needs to be paid back, no matter the nature." In all honesty, Kiyotaka just didn't want to. However, to keep good relations with Klein, who was the only sincere person he could find so far in this world, he had to do it.
"Right... Well, what I am about to tell you is closely related to one of the commissions I had gotten recently. You remember Rafter Pound? The noble who was found dead a few days ago?"
Kiyotaka cleared his throat. "Uhm, yes, I do."
"Well, someone bought off a piece of property from him. The ruined asymmetrical castle-like place that I told you about is underneath that. The owner of the commission and the current owner of the house have allowed me to do further investigation and clear up a few things.
Since you seemed interested last time, I felt like you'd like to tag along. Saves me the time to reiterate everything myself. How does that sound to you?"
Kiyotaka nodded. 'That does sound favorable for me. And besides, seeing it with my own eyes would yield a lot more favorable result. And that way, Sherlock won't be able to hide a lot from me, assuming he did beforehand.'
"Ok, I can do that. When are you leaving?"
Klein took a huge gulp of the half-and-half before placing it down and smiling. "Today. In an hour."
'That's early... But I have time.'
"That works for me. But I have not eaten. Shall we leave somewhere else for breakfast? I will pay." Kiyotaka did the customary gestures.
"I have not eaten as well, come to think of it." Klein admitted with a sheepish look. "I will settle the tab here then."
Once Klein had finished his half-and-half and Kiyotaka his glass of whiskey, the two of them walked to the counter where Klein saw Kaspars glance at him and then at Williams. His eyes widened a little. "You two know each other?"
Klein looked at Williams. "You two know each other?"
Williams looked at Kaspars, the barman who would always serve him alcohol and that black salt lemon water. He wanted to complete the "You two know each other?" joke but did not. Instead, he replied: "He is an acquaintance."
"Oh..." Kaspars shot Klein a look. Before he could settle the bill, Kaspars spoke in a low voice. "I have nothing but weapons right now, and Maric isn't here today."
Klein smiled. "I need weapons. Do you have explosives?"
"I'm warning you, don't try to do anything condemnable! I won't allow my customers to challenge Sivellaus Yard! Of course, you don't have to buy weapons from me."
"You seem to have misunderstood something; I'm not going to blast open the door of a bank vault or try to create any sensational news. I'm helping someone with the demolition of a building, making it easier for subsequent renovations." Klein explained.
"Then why didn't he find a proper construction company?" Kaspars didn't let down his guard.
"Haha, that's a secret chamber. He doesn't want others to know about it." Klein switched to asking, "Do you know any reliable explosives experts? This guy is good at it but another expert being there would ease my heart."
Kiyotaka looked at Klein with a deadpan look. "When did I say I was an expert?" he whispered.
"Shush, let me do the talking."
When Kaspars saw that Klein was making considerations to ensure that the house remained in good condition, the doubt in his mind was immediately dispelled quite significantly. Just as he was deliberating for an answer, an illusory voice suddenly rang out in the room.
"There's no need."
A familiar feeling came over Klein and Kiyotaka. With his own memory being near photographic and the enhanced intelligence that being a Lawyer brought, he instantly realized who it was.
'It's the ghost woman from the other day.'
He quickly turned around and found Sharron sitting on a chair. She was still wearing her black Gothic regal dress and matching soft hat. Her face was as pale as ever, and her blonde hair and delicate features accentuated each other.
"Good afternoon, Madam." Klein slightly bent his back and bowed.
"Good afternoon, Ma'am. Sharron." Kaspars did the same.
'So, her name is Sharron...' Kiyotaka thought.
"You are an expert in demolition?" Sharron's nigh lifeless, blue eyes fixed on Kiyotaka.
"More or less." He replied. He was not really an "expert" but he was more or less good at almost everything. He knew how to destabilize and detonate any structure as long as he was able to see the blueprint of the place. Once he had that, it was then just a matter of applied mechanics, stress distribution and failure points.
"Ok." She turned her face away from Kiyotaka.
'What...?'
Sharron looked at Kaspars and said, "Maric won't be coming back here again. If you need him for anything, leave a message according to the third method."
"Yes, Ma'am. Sharron." Kaspars, who had clearly seen a lot of things in his life, seemed to have an instinctive fear of Miss Bodyguard.
Upon hearing this, Klein interrupted, "If, I mean if—I wanted to get Maric's help, how should I get in touch with him?"
"Through Kaspars," Sharron answered simply.
"Alright." Klein spread out his hands and said, "Oh yeah, what did you mean when you said there's no need for a demolition expert?"
Sharron's blue eyes didn't waver in the slightest. "I am one. But it would seem like my assistance is unneeded." She looked at Kiyotaka with the same lifeless look as before.
"Oh, no, no! He isn't really an expert, strictly speaking."
Kiyotaka watched on with a deadpan expression.
Sharron stared at Klein and then at Kiyotaka. She then looked at Kaspars and said, "Prepare the explosives. Two pounds. He'll pay."
'Why does it feel like she seems me as a thorn? I did nothing to her... Oh yeah, she was present on the day when Rosago attacked me. Is she angry at me for leading trouble straight to her? Sherlock did say that she was there to protect him, as his personal bodyguard. That means she is above him in Sequences... Sequence 6 perhaps? Or 5? I doubt she is a Demigod of Sequence 4.
If she was a Demigod, she'd have more lucrative methods to earn money than become bodyguard of a Sequence 8.'
Still lost in thoughts, Sharron had disappeared a few moments ago. Klein nudged him as he walked towards the door of the Bravehearts Bar. "Let's leave. We don't have much time for breakfast so let's take it out of the way as soon as possible."
As the two of them left, a giant figure sitting in the corner of the bar eyed both Klein and Kiyotaka. He looked at the man across the table whose face was hidden behind a hood. "Are you sure he is the one?" He asked.
The hooded man eyed Kiyotaka through the window as he went outside. "I am sure. He has been looking for his whereabouts since a few days, despite the commission being much older. Do you think it is a coincidence or there's something else going on?"
"Regardless of what it is, I will deal with it as soon as possible. We cannot let have any hiccups in our Lords' return this time."
The hooded man nodded.
*****
Klein and Kiyotaka completed their breakfast from the restaurant which Kiyotaka used to frequent before moving to Cherwood Borough. Klein had let Kiyotaka order for both of them, and just he had ordered his previous choice—beef stew but with extra meat, white bread, butter and coffee.
"That's a lot of sugar." Klein commented as he saw Kiyotaka throw one sugar cube after another into the liquid.
"My sugar intake purely comes from coffee, and I drink only once a day."
"I see." Klein replied in a solemn manner before taking a sip from his cup of black tea. "So, you are searching for formula for Barbarian now, yes?"
"Yes."
Some sunlight reflected in Kiyotaka's pale blue eyes, making them look lustrous.
"Do you think we should search for the Cards of Blasphemy left behind by Emperor Roselle? It can land us a fortune."
"I would like to do that, however, if I had to guess, some of them would've been already found by big organizations or churches. If they are not, then it means it's almost impossible to find it. The only real advantage we have over the most ancient Churches and Organizations is our shared knowledge of... previous world with Roselle.
If the location of any Card of Blasphemy is associated with his hints in his diaries and in real life, only then we can come across it."
Kiyotaka made sure not to touch the topic of the nature of this world. The last time he had attempted to do this resulted in very strange reaction from him.
"You are right. I guess we just need to be alert and passively search for it. There would be a lot of other people drooling over anything left behind by Roselle, so we need to be careful."
Kiyotaka nodded. Then he turned his head towards the glass window that looked outside. In the reflection, he saw his pale blue eyes turn a little dark and his feature grow softer, rounder and a little feminine. He turned his attention back to Klein.
"So, does she not eat?" His question was pointed towards the doll-like woman that became visible for a split second in the glass before disappearing.
Klein chuckled sheepishly. "She is good at her job, is all."
He did not say much. While Madam Sharron gave off a torpid feeling, he just wanted to never provoke her. She had protected him in a dire hour, even if it was for money. That was enough for him to never want to get on her bad side.
The two of them drank the rest of their coffee and tea in silence, not talking to each other at all. Klein was focused on the detonations and Kiyotaka was wondering what could be the thing that Glaint talked about. He was also a little worried about the whole situation with Daly and Whitethorn security company.
Once the breakfast was done, Kiyotaka paid at the counter. When he was about to leave, he looked outside and tried to spot the tramp woman and man who he used to feed. However, they were no longer there.
'Probably dead.'
Not lingering there, the two of them left the place and Madam Sharron followed them using her own unique methods. Before long, the three of them had appeared at 8 Williams Street. On the way there, Klein had at one point taken a coin out and casually flipped it in the air.
'Is he divining something?'
Klein guided Kiyotaka to the Fourth Epoch structure at around 11am.
Millet Carter, the owner of the new place, looked at Klein and then at Kiyotaka and shook his head.
"Are you sure you two will be enough? There are a lot of snakes down there."
Klein offered a perfunctory smile. "Yes, I am sure we both will be fine, thanks."
Klein looked at Kiyotaka who remove his hat and held his hand forward. "I am Williams. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, I am Millet Carter, the person who bought this off from Rafter Pound. Poor man was found dead a few days ago. Truly a tragedy."
Kiyotaka nodded shamelessly. "Truly."
Then, he took off his long-coat and the inner coat as well and hung it to the side, leaving himself only in waistcoat.
Klein smiled and then looked at Millet Carter. "So, shall we start?"
"By all means." The man replied as Kiyotaka bent down and reached out for the gas lamp by their feet. In the reflection of the unlit gas lamp, he saw Madam Sharron floating like trapped gas before dissipating.
'What a scary ability to have...'