"Are you ready?" Hanna gathered all of her things and tugged at my arm.
"…" Lilas looked at me with an expectant look. Waiting for what would leave my mouth next. Looking deep into her single blue eye, I could tell that there was a wrong answer.
Just as we found a strong lead with a golden ticket to Ritair, this happened. Where was Anya? She was last seen working at the Brass Light. If Lilas is telling me that she never returned to the chapel, then that must also mean that the church's shadow group couldn't find her either.
I bit down on my lip. Had I been by myself, I would have just chased after Ritair, but Anya was a client of mine. I already lost Kelly to the hands of Ritair, so it's not as if I can just sit around and abandon Anya as well. My reputation will sink.
That being said, I should have returned to the Brass Light after the attack in the alley. Anya was a loose cannon, and I knew that. Last night she seemed more eager to help, even asking the bartender for the keys to the upstairs.
Wait…keys…
Lilas's expression melted into a smile as she looked at me. Rinne and Sara looked confused. It seemed like Lilas figured out the path I was gonna take and was pleased.
"What is it?" Hanna said. She pulled away from my arm.
"Sorry, Hanna, I need you to go with Lilas. We are gonna take a slight detour. Lilas!" I turned to her. "I'm going ahead."
"Yes, Sir!"
"Wait, Axien!" Rinne called out, but I was already grabbing my gear and running out.
Before Henry showed up, she spoke to her boss to gain access to the upstairs. She thought something up there might be related to Ritair, but I left before she even got the keys. If she found something and hasn't been seen, knowing her, she probably chased the breadcrumbs.
That woman was a fool. But I know she means well.
I took the shortest route to the Brass Light, shoving people aside and jumping over vehicles. I had no time to apologize to the civilians I shoved into the ground.
Once I reached the doors of the Brass Light, I stopped, gripping my Gearsaw as tightly as I could. The air here felt wrong. Music was playing despite the establishment being closed. The same melody repeated over and over. The front doors were cracked open, as if inviting someone in.
It screamed trap, just like the alley.
I pushed the doors open. The lights were on. The bar counter was still damaged from Henry's bat yesterday. Besides that, nothing else was broken. There was a figure at the piano, cloaked in black.
"Hey!" I shouted, but there was no response. Could they not hear me?
I approached them with slow steps. Behind the veil of music, I could hear the faint sounds of steam and gears. Was this thing not human?
Now, behind the figure, I reached for its cloak and snatched it off. A brass frame, several pipes, and gears—this thing was not human; it was a steam puppet.
What was it doing here? These are rare.
I tapped its back with the end of my sword; there was no response.
I walked around it to see its face—or lack thereof. It was like the head of a mannequin, but made entirely out of polished metal. Little slots where ears would be had excess steam flowing out.
Waving my hand in front of its head, once again, gave me no response. This thing was programmed to play the same keys over and over.
"Mmmm...mmmmm…mmmm…"
Above me, I heard the faint sound of someone struggling. Was it Anya?
I made my way towards the stairs. At the top, a door stood wide open, and for something that was supposed to be locked, leaving it open like this screamed bad news. It felt as if I were to walk straight into a den of monsters. But I could only hear one person. It was faint, but they were alive, struggling at that.
I made my way up carefully, making sure each step I took was as quiet as it could be.
"MMMMM! MMMMMM! MMMMM!"
At the top, I found no woman, but a man. His mouth was gagged, and his arms were chained behind his back with a pair of handcuffs to a dancing pole. He looked at me with fury in his eyes as he forced himself forward.
This man must have been doing this for a while now, as the cuffs around his wrists dug deep into his skin.
"MMM!!!! MMMM!!!! MMMM!!!!"
I rushed over to pull the gag out of his mouth. Looking at him closely, I recognized him as the bartender Anya was talking to before Henry forced himself in.
"You!" he shouted while spitting out. Seeing what used to gag him, I don't blame him. "You're that man who Anya was accompanying last night, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Some man you are to just ditch her like that!"
"How is this my fault!" I asked. That's one hell of a thank you.
The man pulled at his cuff, scraping the pole he was bound to. "Just undo this shit!"
I freed the man and gave him the chance to breathe before questioning him.
"So what the hell happened?" I asked him.
"Those backstabbers fucking took Anya. I should never have given her those keys."
"Backstabbers?"
"Yeah…Ciel and Ritair. Even after I offered them a sanctuary to do as they pleased, out of Galahad's sight."
"Oi…" I raised my blade to the bartender.
He furrowed his brow and looked at me with an unflinching gaze. "Guess that name rang a bell in your brain, huh? But rest easy, I ain't with them nor with the cult anymore. I washed my hands of that shit. Or at least I thought."
What psycho admits that he was part of the cult? Actually, how does one leave the cult? All the defectors I've seen ended up dead, either by the cult itself or the church.
"So you said Ciel and Ritair took Anya."
"Yes…" The bartender looked away. "Specifically, Ciel did. I haven't seen Ritair for days, but I know they are working with each other. I gave Anya the keys, assuming at your request." He glared. I shook my head in disagreement. I had no say in what that woman was thinking. "And she made her way up here. She stayed up here till closing, so I went to check on her. She was knocked out next to Ciel. I tried to fight him and, well…you saw for yourself what happened."
"What about that machine downstairs? It seems like it was being used to mask the sound of your struggling."
"You mean the steam doll playing the same bloody tune? It's mine. I used it before I hired Ciel, but it seems like he took control of its programming."
A red herring. Had that machine been related to him, it would have been easier to fish information from it with Margaret's help.
I stepped back, looking around the room. There had to be something in here. All I could see were various toys and several wrappers tossed onto the floor. The bartender walked around, picked up the trash and toys, and threw them into a trash can.
"This is why I never wanted this place to be more than just a place for companionship. This is just disgusting." He muttered. "Oh, Ciel did mention that he had a message for you." He stopped and looked at me with a stern expression. "At first glance, it was hard to believe you were the man who gave the cult a hard time, but knowing that you really are the one, please, save Anya. I don't want her involved in Ritair's sick game. She's been through a lot, and I just want her to be happy."
It was clear that this man wanted to protect Anya, though even with his intentions, I can't forgive the fact that he was once part of the cult. I'm not saying people can't change, but isn't it a little too late to turn over a new leaf after stooping that low in life?
Though that was neither here nor there, what I wanted to know more than anything was his message Ciel had for me. So far, everything I've done has been to the tune of someone else's song.
Me chasing after Henry, the attack in the alley. It was no coincidence. It was planned. That's why Ritair was there…I've been checked. What we do next will determine the outcome of their game.
"What's his message?"
"You have one of his girls, so I will take one of yours. Before the moon shines its brightest, you shall meet at the resting place of the mind demon. Failure will result in her becoming one of them." The bartender said. He looked at me with a serious gaze. "Answer me this question: Does Ritair use the same artifact as his predecessor?"
I nodded. The look in his eyes grew more furious. He slammed his fist into the wall, leaving a hole in his wake. Blood dripped from his knuckles as he pulled his hand out of the wall.
"How did I not notice…"
I left the bartender alone and made my way downstairs. Just as I was about to leave, I saw the silhouette of a woman standing at the entrance. She had a blank look in her eyes as she stared into the establishment. The woman was dressed in an oversized coat. She stepped away from the doors, almost as if she were in a trance.
"…"
I regrouped with Lilas, and the others, and we made our way back to the chapel. Rinne, Lilas, Sara, Hanna, Kili, and I sat in the gathering hall discussing the severity of the situation. Before the conversation started, I made sure to mention to the others not to say Ritair's name, as Hanna was with us. If she started to suspect us of targeting him, our ticket would be torn to shreds.
"You have one of his girls, so I will take one of yours. Before the moon shines its brightest, you shall meet at the resting place of the mind demon. Failure will result in her becoming one of them." I said to them. "That was what the bartender told me."
"One of his girls…is he referring to Celia?" Mother Kili said, hand on a mug of coffee. "My, what a pair of cowards we have here."
"Am I the only one put off by their names?" Lilas chimed in. "I mean, the girl is named Celia, and the guy is Ciel; are they not related?"
"What a meaningless comment." I sighed. If they were, I would question the morals of the man willing to let his sister become nothing more than a puppet.
"So," Rinne said, moving closer to me and speaking in a low voice. "Is this mind demon the void spawn that was killed before we could get to it?"
"Maybe." Truthfully, my mind had not even thought that far. But it made sense. That void spawn was messing with us mentally, so calling it a mind demon was very fitting. With that in mind, we may need to return to the maintenance shaft of the city hall.
"Gold—Axien," Mother Kili corrected herself as she addressed me. Her eyes narrowed on Rinne, who shuddered in place. "What did that young lass share with you that she doesn't dare to share with the rest of us? Mother Lilas here already said something stupid, so I don't think what she has to say is any worse."
"…" Lilas faced Kili with a blank expression on her face. Soon it turned into a frown. Kili looked at her and let out a sigh.
"Kids these days." Kili turned back to me. "Well?"
"She made a connection to the attack on City Hall."
"You mean the last mission Father Muller took part in before he departed for the Lower Layer?" I nodded at Kili's assessment. "Good, we have our location; now we need to know who's going."
"If possible—"
"No."
Before I had the chance to finish my sentence, Rinne cut me off.
"She's right," Kili said, reading the intent behind Rinne's words. "This may be too much for a single person to handle. Plus Mother Lilas here—"
"The passageway is too narrow." I said, "I wasn't gonna say I want to go alone; I was gonna say that she might need a smaller weapon."
It would put my mind at ease if I went alone, but even I knew that wasn't an option.
Lilas looked at me with a doubtful gaze.
"We can prepare something," Kili said. "So will it just be the two of you?"
"No, Rinne and Sara are coming with." Kili raised her brow as if what I said was questionable. "Should a void spawn appear, Sara's weapon can immobilize it for a swift takedown. If Ritair shows up, Rinne can see through his artifact."
Both Sara and Rinne looked toward Kili with pleading looks. Kili sighed as she brought her mug to her lips. "Do as you please; I will watch over Hanna here."