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When Klein picked up the newspaper that morning, he noticed a new advert for Damir's special cured meat had been posted next to an address. Compared to the papers from the two days previous, the content and address were the same.
Klein recalled what he'd told the merchant Urdi Branch the day after he solved the incident in Bansy Harbor. To post an advert in the Sonia Morning Post for three days meant he needed Gehrman Sparrow's help.
Klein debated for only a moment before deciding to go. Any opportunity to act was a welcome one, and the pay certainly wouldn't be bad.
---
When Klein arrived at the address on the paper, he found a two-story house located at the edge of a rather well-off neighborhood in Bayam. The roads were well maintained, and the windows offered a nice view of the sea.
It must be at least a few thousand pounds… Klein knocked on the door.
After a few moments, Cecile, one of the bodyguards, opened the door. Behind him stood the wealthy merchant Urdi Branch.
Urdi smiled broadly. “Good to see you again, Mr. Sparrow.”
Klein tipped his hat. “Likewise.”
Denton and Donna peered out shyly from behind bodyguard Cleves’ legs. Upon locking gazes with him, the two of them quickly retreated. Klein noticed that Denton was shifting somewhat nervously and Donna seemed a little more subdued than last time, which was fairly normal considering their parting circumstances.
After sharing greetings, Urdi launched into the contents of his request. “I have an urgent shipment to make, but news recently came that the route we planned to take is being targeted by pirates. If you’d be amenable, I’d like to hire you to guard our shipment until we reach Nas.”
Nas? That’s the capital of the Gargas Archipelago. It was about a week’s journey by boat, so Klein would be unable to volunteer at the hospital during that time. Fortunately, I’ll be meeting The Hermit Cattleya there soon, and there’s the additional feedback from acting as ‘Gehrman Sparrow’…
Since it worked out rather well, Klein decided to take the job. “I need to head to Nas as well, so I’m willing. How much will you be offering?”
“Thirty pounds per day until we reach our destination. If there’s a pirate attack, I’ll add an additional five hundred.”
That’s minimum 180 pounds - 680 plus the bounties if there’s a pirate attack… and a free ticket to Nas.
“Deal.”
---
It turned out the timing was tighter than expected, as Klein was asked to pack his bags and board the ship by evening.
When Urdi said he ‘just heard about the pirates’, he must have heard three days ago and desperately sought my help…
While dropping by the hotel to pack his things, Klein decided to perform a divination above the grey fog. The results showed that accepting the request wasn’t dangerous; however, Klein was far more cautious after the matter with Admiral Amyris and the Mother Tree of Desire, so he performed a few more divinations regarding the details of the request just in case.
Upon confirming that there was nothing abnormal with Urdi’s request, Klein exited the grey fog and headed to the port.
Urdi Branch and the rest of his family were there to greet him. Servants and shipmen moved supplies onto the ship, while Cleves monitored them. Donna held Denton’s hand as the two ran around the deck, though Denton seemed to have some trouble keeping up.
“Thank you again for agreeing to this request on such short notice,” Urdi said, wiping his brow. “Hopefully we don’t encounter any pirates…” he chuckled. “Though with you here, it would be more for their sakes than ours.”
Klein merely nodded politely in response, glancing briefly at the children before heading to his assigned quarters at the first floor of the ship.
The quarters were rather nice - not quite the first-class cabin of Just Elland’s ship or even the trip with Darkwill to deliver the Die of Probability, but the room was spacious and the bed was neat.
After setting down his bags and giving the room a cursory inspection, Klein paused. Upon a second interaction, he noticed it - there was something subtly strange about Donna's behavior earlier, in a way he couldn't pinpoint. When he used his spirit vision on her, the faint blood-red taint spreading throughout her spirit body confirmed it.
He was about to head above the grey fog to perform another divination when there was a knock on the cabin door. Judging by the location of the sound, it was likely the children.
Klein frowned. Could the abnormality in Donna have noticed him or the grey fog? He laid a hand on the doorknob. His Clown's intuition triggered, showing Denton shuffling anxiously - but despite the two being attached at the hip when he last saw them, Donna was nowhere in sight.
As soon he opened the door, the child's words poured out in a rush. “T-there's something wrong with Donna! I-I tried to tell them, but no one else believes me!”
Klein silently beckoned Denton into the room. A paper figure appeared in his hand, before vanishing into smoke with the snap of a wrist.
Denton stared up in awe, and Klein gave a subtle nod as he sensed the divination interference take hold. “No one can hear us now. How long has she been like this?"
Denton slumped, his eyes darting around fearfully. "She was sometimes wrong after the zombies... but she got really bad yesterday." He gazed hopefully up at Klein. "You can turn her back to normal, right?"
Though Klein kept his expression neutral, his internal thoughts were more apprehensive. Bansy Harbor was over two months ago… Cleves, their bodyguard, had mentioned that Donna had been the first to notice the corruption that day, crying out about a 'headless zombie' much to her parents' disbelief.
Could she have attracted it back then, as the first to notice the abnormality? What's really strange is that Donna is only acting odd now... is it something akin to a seed of corruption? Could the grey fog have attracted it?
Klein pulled out another paper figurine inscribed with the Fool’s symbol. “Keep this on you at all times, but don’t let others see it. It will protect you.”
Denton nodded eagerly, holding it as if it were a precious treasure.
It’s really just a piece of paper… Klein wanted to say, but held himself back. Though the figurine had minor anti-divination properties, it couldn’t prevent corruption of the spirit body on the level that Donna’s had. Its primary purpose was to notify Klein if the corruption attempted to target Denton.
Klein sent Denton away. After confirming he was alone, he immediately entered the grey fog. This corruption definitely isn't simple… but it doesn't seem to be on the level of Amon from the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
As he sat in The Fool's seat, he began contemplating his options. The major difference between now and before was Klein's presence. The Mother Tree of Desire had been able to sense Klein's uniqueness and even interfere with his divination. It was possible that the corruption in Donna had laid dormant until now, and only awoken when it sensed the aura of the grey fog on Klein.
At first he thought of pulling her above the grey fog and cleansing her spirit body that way, but he eventually thought better of it. Pulling Donna above the fog would mean further exposing her to the mystical world. Even Mr Hanged Man and Miss Justice, who he'd pulled in by accident the first time, were aware of beyonders and mysticism prior to his intervention. Not to mention that to pull her in, he'd have to make her chant the Fool's honorific name in ancient Hermes. Disregarding the fact that she didn't know ancient Hermes, a normal person knowing the Fool's honorific name wasn't safe. He couldn't just invite her into the weekly gatherings for protection, either.
Klein chuckled to himself. A group full of seasoned beyonders looking at their new member in anticipation, only to realize she's a child who doesn't even know what a beyonder is... the Fool's image would surely be shattered as a result.
A Secret Deed ritual like the one the Sun had performed was impossible for similar reasons. It was even more dangerous than the first option, since a normal person's mind might not be able to handle the 'overlapping of consciousness' the ritual facilitated.
Borrow the Mental Terror Candle from Emlyn? No, that acts on the Body of Heart and Mind, not the spirit body... and even if it did, Klein wasn't willing to come to blows with an enemy he knew nothing about. Especially so, considering the entity was potentially related to the Red Angel Medici.
Klein went through his options one by one, systematically eliminating each until he recalled one of the first rituals he'd performed.
Back when he had just become a Nighthawk and Selena Wood was corrupted by a magic mirror divination, Klein had performed a ritual to cleanse the evil spirit. It was a suspension-style purification ritual that borrowed the power of the Evernight Goddess. Klein's mysticism knowledge now was far superior to his former self, and he had far more spirituality at his disposal as well. It wouldn't be difficult to modify the ritual to point to the space above the grey fog instead of the Evernight Goddess.
As for receiving a response, he didn't even need to consider it. How could he reject a request from himself?
If he couldn't wield the grey fog directly, all he had to do was bring it down with him!
The more he thought about it, the more feasible the option seemed. The only issue was how to perform the ritual without alerting anyone in the room. A wall of spirituality would suffice for the ritual itself, but Klein needed a way to guarantee that everyone else remained asleep the whole time.
Klein quickly ran through his inventory, realizing he still had the Nightmare Beyonder Characteristic he'd released from Creeping Hunger. Though its effects weren't that great since it hadn't yet been converted into a mystical item, it would still be able to pull a room full of ordinary people into a dream.
He used divination to confirm his plan was safe, then began pulling the ritual materials he needed from above the grey fog.
When he walked out of the room a while later, he gave a short nod to Denton. "Don't worry. Everything will be resolved by tonight."
---
That night, Klein quietly stepped out of the guest bedroom with his materials. The ritual wouldn't be too formal or complex, considering he was praying to himself.
Upon entering Donna and Denton’s bedroom, he set three candles on the nightstand before lighting them with a soft snap of his fingers. The candles cast the room in an eerie orange glow, throwing stark shadows over the children's faces.
He pulled out a silver dagger, sealing the space around him and Donna. At the same time, he sent a quiet prayer up to the grey fog before asking it to hold. The familiar indistinct murmurs of his own prayer echoed back at him, confirming that it had been received. He then poured his spirituality into the nightmare beyonder characteristic. Everyone except Donna, who was behind the wall of spirituality, was affected.
As for why Klein decided not to pull Donna into a dream, he was concerned that the corruption in her spirit body would be able to detect the abnormal influence. After the events with Admiral Amyris and the Mother Tree of Desire, Klein didn't dare place full trust in his divination above the grey fog.
Denton's breathing grew deeper from the bed beside her. On the other side of the room, Urdi Branch and his wife began to snore; the three of them had been pulled into a deep sleep. Meanwhile, Donna mumbled softly as her spirit body began to stir.
Klein quickly pulled out the extracts he'd prepared ahead of time. The candle flames sputtered as they met the scattered droplets of oil, turning a deep shade of violet. He held a piece of parchment to the flame, throwing it in the ceramic bowl before immediately taking four steps counterclockwise to enter the grey fog.
With the true vision supplied by his own prayer light, Klein could see a blood-red taint wrapped around Donna’s spirit body, billowing like wisps of smoke from a fire. It reared up, and a pair of flaming eyes opened to gaze at him. Donna’s spirit body rippled and undulated chaotically.
Klein swept a hand forward, stirring the grey fog. It reacted instinctively to the content of his prayer, rushing into the crimson star at his command. Soot from the burning parchment condensed into a greyish-white fog that surged from the ceramic bowl, filling the room of spirituality he’d built around himself and Donna.
The corruption spread out, seeping into the fog as if attempting to merge with it, and the grey fog slowly began to take on a dark red taint. In response, the fog roiled more violently. Wave after wave crashed against the crimson star that represented Klein's prayer light, rapidly draining his spirituality. Greyish-white tendrils snaked through the bloody smoke, constricting the blood-red smoke until it vanished into specks of crimson light.
When it finally ended, Klein slumped back into his seat. That took nearly all of my spirituality… Bansy's corruption certainly isn't normal. This corruption was at least on the level of a demigod, and likely came from an existence that specialized in infiltration. Fortunately, it had resolved itself before Klein needed to reach for the Card of Blasphemy on the table. More difficult to deal with than Kalvetua, far easier than Blasphemer Amon, Klein noted to himself. I should warn the Tarot Club members next meeting, lest anyone become infected whilst passing through the harbor…
He exited the grey fog and cleaned up the remnants of the ritual. After snuffing out the candles and taking down the walls of spirituality, he glanced back at the sleeping siblings. Neither of them had woken up, and Donna seemed to be sleeping more peacefully. In Denton’s pocket, Klein sensed the paper angel he’d given away. It was a little crumpled, but intact.
With a soft snap of his fingers, the paper vanished into smoke and ash.
---
The next morning, Denton woke up to the feeling of a hand shaking his shoulder.
An excited voice whispered in his ear, “Denton! Hey, wake up!”
His body stiffened upon hearing the sound of Donna's voice. It sounded normal, but he couldn't forget the feeling of those cold eyes on his back when he left Mr. Sparrow's room the day before. Mr. Sparrow said it would be fine, Denton chanted to himself, and bravely opened his eyelids.
The set of brown eyes that met his weren't cold or scary at all. They were the warm, sunny color that always made him think of his sister.
Donna grinned. “I had the most amazing dream last night!”
Denton relaxed, seeing that his sister was acting normal now. “What dream?” Did Mr. Sparrow cure her in a dream?
“I can't remember it all… but I was wandering through a forest while it was on fire,” Donna started with a shudder. “It was really hot and hard to breathe, but then a lot of colorful lights appeared. The lights led me to a big foggy mountain. As soon as I touched the fog, it moved to swallow all the fire!”
“That's a weird dream,” Denton mumbled. Donna always dreamt about fairy tales, or the adventure stories Cleves would tell. “What happened next?”
Donna’s eyes sparkled. “The lights spun into the sky and turned into an angel that made all the smoke disappear!”
“An angel…” Denton thought of the paper angel in his pocket. He kept his promise to Mr. Sparrow and kept it near him all day - not even his parents got to see it. When he reached a hand inside to check, he couldn’t feel the paper anymore. Mr. Sparrow’s angel went into the dream to cure her! I wish I got to see it…
“That's so cool!” Denton smiled. “I'm glad you feel better, too!”
---
Urdi Branch’s cautiousness was proven well-founded when, a few days into their trip, a pirate ship was spotted. It was smaller than that belonging to a Pirate Admiral, though it still seemed quite formidable from a distance. Its red flags fluttered in the wind, as if warning that any who strayed in its path would be dyed in blood.
Klein squinted, recognizing the vessel’s appearance. That ship looks kind of familiar… wait, isn’t that the Red Skull? It was the same ship that had attempted to attack them on the way to Bansy Harbor! He’d managed to repel them that time by forcing Danitz to hang from the window.
The captain of their hired ship came up to Urdi Branch. “I-It’s the Red Skull! What should we do?”
Urdi turned to Klein. “I expected pirates, but not the Red Skull… what are your thoughts?”
Gehrman Sparrow idly flicked a coin in his hand. While it appeared to be a habit borne out of boredom, Urdi Branch knew better - it was almost definitely some mystical item or spell!
The coin had landed on tails. Klein pocketed it, pulling out his revolver. “Send everyone to their rooms. It’ll be fine.”
Meanwhile, on the Red Skull, One-eyed Andy stiffened upon catching sight of the ship’s deck. “Hey, those glasses and that build… isn’t that Gehrman Sparrow, the crazy guy who tried to hunt Vice Admiral Tracy?”
First Mate Wyatt grunted. “He just used some petty tricks to get to her. He’s not actually on the level of a Pirate Admiral. Besides, Capt’n gave the word to press forward.”
The two of them glanced briefly at each other. After the terrifying accident that happened when they passed through Bansy Harbor, their captain hadn’t been quite the same.
Andy shuddered. “T-the church destroyed it, so the source of Captain’s madness should be gone, right?”
“You never know with these things…” Wyatt patted him on the shoulder. “Cap’n’s strong, and he’s only gotten stronger after that. With all of us attacking Gehrman, it’ll be fine - just stay in your lane.”
One-eyed Andy nodded nervously.
Klein, as Gehrman Sparrow, smiled once the pirates came within clear view. He flexed the hand with Creeping Hunger, letting a bit of its aura seep out. “How courteous of you to come to me yourselves.”
His figure was immediately engulfed in fire as a blaze struck the deck. Three figures melded from the flames. While two appeared relatively normal, the figure in the center looked almost monstrous. Charred black bones were visible from beneath his skin, which had turned into a tar-like substance that dripped off his body and flickered with yellow-orange flames.
Klein reappeared a few feet away, firing several shots from his revolver. First mate Wyatt and second mate Pell… Don't tell me the one between them is Sea Wolf Jonson, the Captain? He looks completely mad!
Twin flaming snakes shot out from the monstrous Captain's mouth, engulfing the bullets. Second Mate Pell summoned a ball of fire to throw at the deck in response, when the flames suddenly leapt into the air. They’d escaped from his control!
Gehrman Sparrow's face appeared from within the flames. The glove on his left hand glowed as golden lightning flashed within his eyes. Piercing pain rocketed through Pell’s skull, and the pirate knelt over in pain. Before he could land the finishing blow, however, a blazing lance pierced through his torso. His figure burst into flames before rapidly exploded, leaving smoldering pieces of paper fluttering through the air.
The moment Klein reappeared, fiery ravens plunged towards his location from all sides, forcing him to Flame Jump away before he could launch another attack. The mad Captain dissolved into the flames to pursue him, and tall columns of crimson-white fire sporadically erupted as the two danced across the deck.
On the other side, Wyatt chuckled. Heh, using paper in front of a Pyromaniac? He extended his spirituality, aiming to ignite the paper substitutes from a distance. You’ll regret that… huh? His thoughts soon turned confused. He clearly has more paper on him, but I can’t sense it!
Klein dashed around, keeping his distance as he dodged the flame spells hurled his way. As part of his attempt to deal with Donna’s situation, he’d drawn the Fool’s symbol representing change and concealment over all his paper figurines. It seems to have the additional effect of preventing remote ignition by a low or mid-sequence Hunter… The First and Second Mate couldn’t be any stronger than Sequence 7, though the rampaging Captain currently had strength equivalent to a Sequence 5.
Under the onslaught of the flames, Klein didn’t have time to strike the pose for the Priest of Light’s Purification. He switched the souls in Creeping Hunger to the Baron of Corruption instead. The glove turned a deep and noble black as he held out a hand to ‘distort’ the flames around him, giving him enough time to load several of his demon-hunting bullets and teleport through the flames towards Captain Sea Wolf.
This series of actions was an abrupt change from before, catching the pirates off guard and allowing Klein’s shots to strike true.
Bang! Bang!
Two massive holes appeared in the Captain’s torso, sending bits of tar and bone flying. The flames covering his skin dimmed, as if they were being smothered by the twilight. Demon Hunting bullets were especially effective against corrupted creatures!
What Klein didn’t anticipate, however, was for the rampaging Captain to immediately vanish from his sight. The flaming pieces of his ‘body’ that scattered into the air were reignited, allowing the Captain to dissolve into them and teleport back to the Red Skull. The flames were then rapidly extinguished as they fell into the sea, preventing Klein from pursuing him.
When Klein looked back at the other two pirates, he was a little less surprised to see that they had dove off the deck to flee as well. My beyonder characteristics… my bounties… Klein sighed. Diving into the sea to go after the pirate wouldn’t suit Gehrman’s image. He’d successfully completed his task of defending the ship, so there was no need to pursue them.
Klein quickly switched souls to the Zombie’s and placed his left hand on the ground. Ice rapidly spread from the point of contact, extinguishing the smoldering flames that had continued to burn on deck. The thin sheet of ice then rapidly melted, turning the wood dark.
As he headed back down to alert Urdi Branch and the ship’s captain, Klein reassessed the battle. Could it be… from the moment we began the chase, the Captain had anticipated that this battle was unwinnable? Gehrman Sparrow’s ability to teleport using flames wasn’t widely known, so the Captain of the Red Skull couldn’t have predicted that their abilities would synergize in the worst way.
Was my mind subconsciously been influenced by the Captain? Klein had learned from Danitz that Sequence 6 of the Hunter Pathway, Conspirer, had abilities such as Incite and Misdirection. He suspected that he’d been ‘incited’ to end the battle quickly, thus leading to the hasty firing of his demon-hunting bullets which was what ultimately allowed the pirates to escape. The Captain’s actions had further served to ‘misdirect’ him, pulling his focus away and allowing the rest of the crew to escape.
Captain Sea Wolf was the highest priority target, but I placed far more importance on him than I should have… if I’d taken care of Wyatt and Pell first, my focus wouldn’t have been split, thus allowing me to capture all three of them before they could leave…
This was a level of cunning that definitely didn’t fit with the thought process of a rampager! Could a mystical item have prevented Captain Sea Wolf from completely losing his reason? Or is it purely the survival instinct of a Conspirer?
When he reached the saferoom below deck, Klein saw the bodyguards Cleves and Teague standing outside. He nodded briefly at them. “It’s over. The deck is slightly damage, but the pirates fled.”
Cleves smiled nervously. “I’m glad it’s all worked out.” He turned to the door, kocking on it in a predetermined pattern. “Boss, it’s safe to leave now!”
Klein didn’t bother to stay for Urdi’s reaction, choosing instead to head to his quarters to rest. Once he reached his room, he immediately headed above the grey fog to conduct a divination.
Those pirates were part of the Hunter pathway, and Bansy Harbor is associated with the Red Angel Medici, an Angel of the Hunter Pathway. Could the corruption in Donna have influenced these guys to lure me out like the Mother Tree of Desire with Admiral Amyris? They were far weaker than Cynthia, though…
Klein conjured a goatskin parchment and a pendant. Confirming that it was safe to divine the abnormality, he wrote, ‘the pirate attack is related to the corruption in Bansy Harbor.’
Upon dangling the pendant over the parchment and reciting the chant, it began to turn weakly clockwise.
Klein retracted the pendant. So the corruption is related, but not directly so. Could it be due to the Convergence Effect of Donna’s corruption, or part of the ‘Net of Convergence’ that seems to be affecting the whole Archipelago? With this, we can preliminarily confirm that I seem to be a key element of this ‘net’...
Klein connected the incident back to his previous experiences. Additionally, this confirms that Bansy’s corruption isn’t the same as the Mother Tree of Desire, and also that it isn’t as strong as ‘Her.’ Is it because Medici had once died, and now exists as a sealed evil spirit? It’s also possible that the corruption originates from something else entirely… At the very least, it’s likely that Captain Sea Wolf Johnson’s abnormality is related to this.
Klein decided to shelve the thought for later, and inform the Tarot Club about it during their next gathering.
---
The rest of the trip passed peacefully, and three days later, the ship docked at Nas’s harbor at sunset.
Urdi promptly handed over the rest of the payment with a deep bow. “Thank you truly, Gehrman. I don’t know what we would have done without you.”
“Of course. It’s common courtesy to do a job I was paid for.” Klein took the notes with a light bow. He resisted the urge to count them meticulously, as that wasn’t in line with his persona, and simply gave them a rough count before putting them away.
Donna peeked out from behind Cleves’s legs, giving him a friendly wave. “Goodbye, Mr. Sparrow!”
Denton popped his head out beneath Donna’s shoulder. “T-thank you for saving us,” He stuttered nervously. “Both times…”
He nodded gently at the children, tipping his hat towards Urdi Branch before turning his back to leave. Right before turning, however, he gave Denton a brief wink. “Take care,” he replied. And try curbing your curiosity, lest you become embroiled in supernatural incidents again…
The family waved as Klein walked down the street. The sun rapidly began to dip below the horizon, darkening the surroundings. The gas lamps hadn’t yet been lit, so his figure was quickly obscured by the shadows between the buildings.
Within a few moments, it was as if Gehrman Sparrow had never been there at all.
---
(Bonus Scene: Tarot Gathering)
When it came time for the free exchange, Klein made the World speak up first. "Bansy's corruption is deeper than expected. If you ever travel through or near the town, seek Mr. Fool's blessings. Especially if you have connections to the Hunter pathway."
Everyone except Cattleya had been made aware of the latent danger in Bansy, and Cattleya herself was at least aware that the danger was high enough for the Church of Storms to wipe the town off the map.
Alger's thoughts raced. The World is His Blessed... Mr. Fool is attempting to eliminate the danger in Bansy? The Hunter pathway… is He in the midst of a conflict with a former King of Angels, Red Angel Medici?
Audrey raised a hand. "Mr. World, if I may ask... did something else happen at Bansy?"
"One of the people involved in Bansy's anomaly was corrupted." He made the World turn towards the Fool's seat. "I sought Mr. Fool's help to cleanse the corruption."
To think we might encounter corruption just from passing through. No wonder the Church of Storms completely destroyed the town, Alger thought.
Fors shuddered. I’m definitely not leaving for sea anytime soon! Any region Mr. World was active in was bound to encounter extremely dangerous and troubling matters. Please, please don’t come to Backlund next…
The gathering soon moved on, but several of the Tarot Club members were left with very deep impressions.