I grimaced in frustration.
Sitting on my chair as I watched the guests leave I couldn't shake the feeling I was Missing something, the person that grabbed Mr lewert's keys was in the bathroom a for a second, then disappeared.
Was he a mystic artist?.
*Maybe?... could he have some sort of disappearing technique?*
I rubbed my temples.
You know what? I shouldn't think too much about it, it's just some random pickpocket.
I walked up to a nearby seat to relax, my eyes still remained on Martha.
Why would the family want to protect Martha in the frist place, it wasn't unusual but still...
Am I just looking for reason to be paranoid?.
The key that the young man grabbed off of lewert's coat, it was a key. Normally doors use locks, was it a cellar key?. I speculated.
Could there be some sort of basement in here. I looked around.
Mr Geralt was absent so I decided check around.
I stood up and headed towards the triangle shaped doors of the inner chambers when I saw Mr Lewert exiting, the refined white haires old man looking as refined as ever.
Oh Zach, what's the matter. He looked puzzled.
"Nothing sir, I got curious so I decided to take a look around."
He glanced at me with a unreadable expression.
"Look around huh..." he looked around.
Before the conversation got uncomfortable I slipped away. Mr Geralt looked puzzled for a moment but he let me go.
There no way to snoop around under his watch, the birthday banquet was cut short, this would be a huge blow to the Lewerts, so this was a bigger issue than the rest.
I approached Martha, the only person as naive as me. At least that's what I think.
Hey Martha,
She looked at me.
By any chance, does this massive castle have a celler somewhere
"Huh?, why'd you ask?"
I can't fake it now.
"I saw a gentleman take something from your father"
Martha looked at me confused..
"Something..."
"Yeah. "
"I think it leads to a celler.."
"A celler?"
"Yup"
"..."
"Our wine celler?"
My brows twitched.
"I don't know. A gentleman took a key from your father's coat. It looked important."
I tried to sound as uninterested as possible, giving her a blank stare.
I watched as she scoffed, then her faced changed, from confusion to recognition.
"...Wait." Her pupils shrank.
"What did the key look like?"
"Old. Bronze, I think."
The color drained from her face.
"Who took it?"
I shrugged.
"So..." I glanced at her with a questioning look
"Do you.?"
Martha's composed expression cracked for the first time the entire evening.
Do you know what it is?.
I raised a brow, judging by her facial expression, she's beginning to connect the dots.
"When?..."
"What?"
"When did this happen?"
Her face covered in shadow as her hands were clenched.
"Right after the chandelier came crashing down.
"Are you sure.?."
"I pointed at my eyes with a slight smile"
"You tell me..."
******
In the house opposite the beyfong mansion the robed figures all glaced at the golden bowl, confused.
"I thought something was supposed to happen."
One of them, an old man with saggy eyelids looct at his colleagues.
They all stared at the drawn mystical symbol where the bowl sat.
Miguel, the leader looked at the ritual set up, he too was confused
During the ritual he could feel the object snuck into the mansion reacting, but then it suddenly stopped, this would normally mean the medium has been destroyed, but thing is..
"It's far too early"
"Did they deal with the unseen spirit that fast?"
" I knew something smelled rotten..?"
The figures turned their head towards the entrance to see a young man in his twenties walk in putting on his a white glove.
He had a calm air around him and soft facial features, his hair was gelled in a slick back. Charles.
"Who are you.?" Miguel growled.
Charles smiled, then slowly brought his hands together.
*clap.*
*...*
The robed figures glanced at each other, puzzled.
"What ex..." The leaders eyes rolled back.
One by one they fell, unmoving.
Charles looked at them expressionlessly.
"This branch of the lewerts maybe the weakest, but even We can deal with trash like you" he scoffed.
Charles walked over to the golden bowl in their midst.
"Sun Orign law..?" He examined the object.
"What's a relic like this doing with these crooks"
Charles pulled out a checked cloth and wrapped the object, walking out of the building.
*****
The pickpocket stared at the books placed on the shelf of the lewert secret archive that resembled a massive library.
Finally..
After minutes of frantic searches, he finally found the one book he was after.
He quickly pull it out and stuffed it into his coat pocket.
"I have to get out of here."
By now the monster in the inner chamber would've been taken care off and the lewert would be in a state of shock, this was the perfect time to escape.
He quickly traced his way back to the celler located in the lewerts family store house, the storage facility a yard away from the actual mansion.
"Oh you were right... he IS here"
The pickpocket flinched, he turned around to see a young man and a lady inside the store house staring at him.
"What?.."
What were they doing here, he could tell the girl was Martha, lewerts daughter. But who was the guy besides her?.
He looked around, no one.
"Are you too alone?."
***(Changing to Zach's pov)***
*Are you too alone?... pffft what kind of question is that?.*
"So what if we are." My gaze turned serious.
" I began the questioning"
"What are you up to, who are you?. "
The pickpocket, who was a young man such as myself with sharp facial features and golden brown hair looked at me again, then at her.
"Who are you" he asked.
*Wrong answer buddy... "
I pulled out my firearm, the sliver barrel glistened as I aimed directly at him.
If he's like miss beyfong, the bullets would do.
He looked at the barrel... then sighed.
"You don't know what going on-"
*Bang*
I didn't hesitate, before he could continue speaking, I put a bullet in his thigh.
What a minute.. This situation feels a bit familiar... have I done this before?.. probably not.
Arggghhhh*
The young man didn't fall down, instead he bolted despite the obvious limp in his leg.
I raced after him.
He was fast, faster than me despite a bullet currently lodged in him.
As he ran through the grass field Charles approached, his gelled slick black hair obvious from the distance.
Without a second thought the pickpocket ran passed him.
Charles looked at him, then at us.
"Catch him!!" Martha yelled.
Charles looked confused, this was a guest that had come to the banquet too, why would he try to catch him?.