Chapter 13: Episode 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Nasuverse or any other franchise that can be found in this fanfiction.

Words Count: 5131

Here's my usual spiel:

You can read up to 10 Episodes in advanced plus my other fic: Ars Goetia– Antichrist here.

p a tr e on . com (/) LiamThePoor

---

"– And do you have a bank account?"

"No, I don't. Just make me one and deduct the fees out of the payment, that should be fine right?" I questioned impatiently, feet tapping in an odd lullaby I couldn't quite remember the name. "As for more details, it's not something I want to talk about through the phone, you will have to ask Sven when he gets back to England." I added, despite being so rich that they could likely fill a football field to the brim with golds, gems and valuables, the Clock Tower sure was careful with their wealth. To be fair, if they hadn't, they would have been scammed out of their funds by now.

"– You do know we're breaking a lot of laws and regulations by paying you before we can confirm Regul Black's demise, correct? For your sake, I hope you aren't lying, this isn't the first time someone has tried to get paid immediately after a job, only for us to find they haven't accomplished what we want at all. Last chance to admit any wrongdoings, or there will be Enforcers sent scouring for you and the bank will freeze your payment." I sighed tiredly, adulting was hard enough, even harder when the organization you worked for was full of Mages who hoarded their inheritances more than a fire-breathing lizard.

"Yes, I know. You're gonna have Enforcers sent after me, kill my family, take my non-existent Crest, blah blah blah… I get it alright? Can you please process the payment already? I promise, Regul Black and his cavalcade of abominations, though burnt to unrecognizable crisps, are right where I said." I angrily replied, this phone call has been almost thirty-minutes long now, the woman on the other side had forced me to basically tell her the entire story of our Hunt, the status of our murdered team and even my social security numbers.

Even following that, she still seemed skeptical that two budding Enforcers managed to do what usually took a full team to accomplish. I meant, I got why they were so cautious, but this was really starting to fray on my nerves. "– Very well, Mr. Magnum. I'll have people process your payment this instance. Please stay where you are, we will notify you through this phone line once we're done. Also, a team will soon be sent to investigate your claims, within the next three days at worst, remain in City until they are done. Thank you for your cooperation and have a nice day, Mr. Magnum."

I hanged up the phone, slamming the plastic phone a tad too as several medical practitioners of the underground clinic looked at me with narrowed, questioning eyes. I gave them an awkward smile back, muttering insults beneath my breath. "Pompous bitch, I'll show you…" Urgggh, now my mood was ruined. A shame really, I was feeling quite good with myself for getting [Petal Burst]. It did leave me quite a bit of a bundle too. While the woman I spoke with said the payment should be handed out soon, I doubted I'd get to see it until the investigation was done.

What made it worse was the time needed, I didn't think I could stay here for three more days… And I couldn't possibly leave the injured Sven to fend for himself in this underground clinic. Who knew what they would do to him? He was awake, but he was in no condition to fight off a horde of thugs, especially if we had to limit our usage of Magecraft since the place was almost always packed with the local criminals. Maybe I could sneak him out in the curtain of night? Where to though? This place was situated deep in the slums of Kyoto, where every residence was inhabited by thieves, thugs and killers.

Yeah, that's no good, we would be found in minutes… We also couldn't kill everyone and definitely couldn't use hypnotization on them all. "Damn it. Do I really have to call that asshole priest?"

I was minding my own business when an actual crackhead approached with a creepy smile. "Hi there. Where are your parents, kid?" I turned to face the shaved baldy, staring at him unblinkingly as he stood still, sweats slowly dripping from his forehead. "Okay, I'm curious…" I licked my lower lip that has gone dry from the previous conversation. "Has that sentence ever worked out for you? Like, have you actually gotten any kid speaking that way? 'Cause I have to say, if you had then those kids totally deserved what was coming to them. Even wild animals know to avoid creepy strangers, letting them live and pollute the gene-pool would have been a travesty."

The crackhead stood dumbfounded, then nodded as he shrugged. "It has worked once or twice, the parents were always too poor to pay the ransom though." I was a bit surprised at that, he was too quick to admit his intention, wasn't he? "So… You're not going to try and take me by force?"

"Nah, the clinic is neutral zone kept safe by different gangs and criminal elements in Kyoto. Technically, I could just take you forcefully, but then I'll have to deal with the guards, it's just not worth the hassle." That was unexpectedly reasonable of him. "What's your name anyways? You don't look remotely Japanese, and you have that rich kid vibe, what exactly are you doing 'ere?" I gazed at the offered hand, contemplating if I should shake it, but then again, what could he possible do to me? "Leo…" I spoke, taking his hand. "Leo Magnum, I'm here on a vacation."

"Hmmm, sounds ominous. I'm Akira Tanaka, the residential addict, full time drugs-dealer and part time arms-seller." Oh? He's a weapons-seller? That's nice, I had no desire for drugs, but I did need new weapons, one that didn't require Mana, nor me in my foes' immediate distance where I could easily get hurt. Come to think of it, Regul would have dealt with much more easily if I had had a gun. "You sell guns?" He crackled. "That's a serious offense which I can neither deny nor confirm… But if you ever have a need for weapons of the more explosive kinds, you can contact me."

That said, he handed me his business card that read: 'Odd-jobs Akira', printed on it was what I assumed was his contact information. "You really don't feel anything selling drugs or weapons to kids?" I raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, which he waved off. "I'm a crackhead with multiple offenses, kid. The only thing resembling a conscience in me is my love for my ma'. Other than that, I don't care what my clients do with the stuffs I sell them." Hmmm, he's cool, I like him, but… "Why me?" It baffled me as to why he would pick me of all people. I meant, I didn't look like a criminal, did I?

"Well, I don't want to brag, but I'm quite decent at reading people. Firstly you look rich. Unblemished skin, big bright eyes and shampooed hair, your parents–" I shook and he fixed. "Your guardians clearly have money to waste. Secondly, you have that look." What look, I didn't have a look. Tanaka chuckled at my scrunched up face and decided to add. "Kid, you're standing in a room with the worst criminals this City has to offer– Murderers, thieves and the occasional rapists, yet you don't look nearly as afraid as you should be, and you move like a wolf amongst sheep. I couldn't see it before due to the flickering lights, but I can see it now…"

He put his mouth right next to my ear and whispered with a thick accent, seeming almost amused in some ways. "Yer' a killer, ain'tcha?" I couldn't stop the rising smirk on my face. The situation was just too hilarious for me to handle as I forced down a laugh. My hand shot at his nape, fingers digging painfully into his flesh. "You're not wrong, Mr. Tanaka…" I replied in a hushed tone as I felt his futile resistance before he slumped in place. I had asserted my dominance over him, now onto business. "I happen to need a few firearms, can you provide them to me? I will pay you, of course."

He stammered back. "Y- Yeah… I can get you what you need, but can you let go first?" It's always amusing to see people afraid of me, even more so when I took into account the age of my current body. Damn, scaring Takashi must have awakened something in me. I continued my grip tight to make sure he wouldn't try anything, them let go much to his relief. "I'm going to need a handgun and ammos, preferably a…" Which type of guns did I want? I couldn't pick the Thompson, that's Kiritsugu's niche, I wanted my own signature firearm, something that I could use effectively with my smaller stature and I could easily hide under my clothes.

Who was I kidding, I had no knowledge of guns. In my previous life, my only interaction with the thing was military school and videogames. Despite my addiction to FPS, I had never bothered to remember the names of those guns. "What kind of handguns do you have anyways?" My question broke the tension I had built up, but I didn't care. That little show should already let everyone in the room know I wasn't to be trifled with. Tanaka rubbed his neck, cracking it as he smiled nervously. "A- Ah... Well, I have–" I interrupted. "Something I can use with my stature, please."

Tanaka wiped his face with his palm as he continued as thought not having hear me, he had managed to collect himself pretty well I might add. "I have a few you could be interested in, nothing too popular though. The cops will crack down on me faster than I could spell 'guns' if they see I have the hotter stuffs. What kind of ammos do you prefer? .45 ACP, .9mm or something else? I do have one or two modified babies I keep, but those are a little more expensive and if I have to be frank, impractical." I scratched my chin thoughtfully, I wasn't sure what I wanted, but those Modified ones sound interesting… "Say I want the firearms you have tinkered with, what would you recommend?"

"P90 perhaps? It uses .45 ACP ammos, isn't too big for your size and comes with a few mods. If you want, we can go check out the merchandise now, my place is just a few blocks away." I gestured at him to lead the way, which he did, almost skipping the entire way. This was just a wild guess, but I didn't think he had much clients in recent years. Japan had notoriously had many firearms regulations, even most gangbangers wouldn't bother with those, too much heat for their taste. Of course, the bigger fishes still owned a few for safety reasons, but you wouldn't see one drawn unless a business… Transaction had gone terribly wrong. Gunfights were even harder to find in Japan so the market for firearms wasn't exactly big.

As it turned out, his shop, or rather house was a mere two blocks away. Tanaka lived in a broken down apartment building, the walls were moldy, the ceiling damp and dripping with droplets of black, tainted water. Most of the rooms had ugly wooden doors tinted green by years of disrepair and neglect, causing small, oddly-colored mushrooms to grow near the hinges. Damn, even the places I rented in my previous life weren't this bad. The inside was made with traditional Japanese homes in mind, keeping the famous sliding doors designed to save space the country was known for.

These doors at some point must have been a spotless white, but all traces of their former glory were long gone, leaving only strips of cloth stuck on their wooden frames that had been clumsily patched up by, presumably, Tanaka himself. I glanced at the yellowish walls, the wooden furniture that looked ready to fall apart at a touch, then at the addict whose eyes were darting left and right to search for something. "Neat place you got here, Tanaka… Really brings out your personality, it even highlights your habits." I pointed at the very noticeable bent needles that laid unassumingly on the corner of his bed.

"Take a seat, kiddo. I'll get the merchandise."

Seriously, would it kill him to clean up the place? I couldn't even sit down, the chairs were covered in a disgusting green, and his bed was stained with fluids, which at a glance of [Structural Gasp], I instantly realized was his sexual fluids mixed with someone else's and even splashes of piss for good measure. The thing hadn't been changed in at a bare minimum two years, and that was me being generous with my guess. I stared at the bed for a short few seconds, then turned away, face purple with revulsion as I muttered, more to myself than Tanaka. "Real nice place you got here…"

The bald addict didn't seem to hear me as he rummaged through his bathroom, door slightly open to show the pink tiles floor dark with dirt and grime. "Give me a sec… Where did I leave that damned thang–? Ah! Found it." Luckily, he came out with a zipper bag containing a handgun inside. He was fairly quick, which was good since I couldn't handle a single more minute in his dirty apartment. The bag was slightly misty, but I could see the glimpse of firearm underneath. It was a glossy black with a slimmer form, an extended clip and the barrel seemed to have been altered to be longer than it should.

On its belly was a small flashlight held by nothing more than a mechanism installed into it. It was everything I could have asked for– Beautiful and easily identifiable. "How much?" – "Are you sure, kid? This one has been modified to contain and shoot .50 caliber bullets, but the kickback is strong, it's not something I would recommend in a fight. Too inaccurate and unwieldy." I interrupted with a hush. "I asked you how much."

"If you're sure… The gun, along with five boxes of .50 caliber bullets are around 130 thousands yen, but since the economy is down in the ditch right now, I'll sell it to you for a hundred and ten, cash." I glared at him, I had next no knowledge about guns, but maybe I could intimidate him into lowering the price? "Hey, don't look at me like that, this is the best I can do. The gun alone is one hundred yen already, couple with the mods and all the troubles I went through to get it, it should have been a hundred and fifty at bare minimum. Throw in the ammos and you should be paying around two-hundreds instead…"

He didn't appear to be lying, so I leaned on a clean spot of the wall. "No cap?" Tanaka looked at me in confusion, face scrunched seeming to not understand. Ah right, people didn't know modern slangs, did they? I coughed into my hand, asking again. "I meant, are you telling the truth?" Tanaka nodded as he pulled out a cigarette. "Fine, bring the whole thing to me at Hokyoji Temple at this time, four days from now. I'll be waiting." I eyed the cigarette and gestured at it. "Also, if you don't mind, can you give me one of those." The smirk on Tanaka's face couldn't be wider as he handed me the pack along with his lighter.

"So, wanna see how it works?"

.

You are reading story Fate: Dead Man’s Lament at novel35.com

.

.

"– Dear passengers, this is your Captain speaking. As you can see, Kyoto City is right under us now. Thank you for choosing Japan Airline, we're always happy to serve. Hopefully, you will all have a wonderful in this beautiful City." The speech roused up the sleepy James, who was just about to enter the dreamland. Turned out he wasn't the only one pissed, if the looks on his fellows were anything to go by. He couldn't for the life of him understand why Regul Black would pick this backwater country to stay, there were plenty of better places to choose from, and he decided on where these slanted eyes animals lived. James threw angry glare at the rowdy crowds as he slumped on his seat.

"Let's get this over with, I don't want to stay in this backwater place any longer than I have to." His companion– A white-haired, middle-aged man whose teeth were pointed outwards, grumbled. The man wasn't even an Aristocrat, merely a first-gen Mage, the fact that he was talking to James so casually pissed him off something fierce, but he could agree with the sentiment. His animosity made more sense when he remembered, according to his files, the middle-aged man had taken part at the end of World War 2 and had seen many of his men die gruesome deaths to the Japanese.

James couldn't relate. His animosity towards the Japanese stemmed from nothing more than their lack of contributions to the Moonlit World at large, yet one out of the five Magicians was a young Japanese girl… Life was truly unfair. James sighed as they began to take their luggage from the compartment. They wouldn't be staying here long, just one or two days, enough to ascertain the status of the missing Apostle– Regul Black and investigate the claims of one Leonis Magnum, who was said to have killed the Apostle with the aid of the unconscious Glascheit heir. He really wished he was telling the truth.

Not because he had any positive feelings towards the Magus he had yet to meet, but simply because the alternative would mean more troubles he didn't want to deal with. "Magnum should be waiting for us at the airport, we will go to investigate the location where the fight took place. If he's telling the truth, give him the case of money. If he's lying, we apprehend him immediately and interrogate him on what happened to the rest of his team, we will also need to check on the Glascheit heir. He still has the Glascheit Crest implanted in him, recover the Crest then return to England.

All this shouldn't take more than two days at most, but in case Magnum is working for Regul, we might have to engage. Support me from afar, I'll handle him close-ranged, understood?" The middle-aged man, whose name James couldn't be bothered to memorize seemed disgruntled at the order, but nodded regardless. James didn't mind, as far as he was concerned, he outranked the man and as a former soldier, he should be familiar with taking orders. Frankly, he couldn't care less what the man thought of him, he just had to do what James wanted him to and there wouldn't be any problem between them.

James and his companion swiftly followed the swarm of passengers leaving the airplane, hands clasped tight to their luggage. After they got our of the plane, the couple came across several stalls and coffee shops bustling with people. Although James disliked the Asian, Japanese especially, he couldn't deny the fact that their economic policies had been surprisingly effective. He had visited the country once in his youth and what greeted him back then couldn't come close to the civilized country Japan had become. The sight was almost beautiful, had it not been for the animals that surrounded them from every side.

James' eyes scanned the ever-moving crowd carefully, Leonis Magnum was a Western name, Roman if he were to guess, so the Magus must be European, while his age wasn't specified, from what he had heard during the short call the Tower's assistance had with the Magus, James had reasons to believe the Magus was in his teen. Already, there were multiple people who could fit that description, but they didn't react at all when James flared his Circuits near them. Ten minutes passed, still no sign of the Magus, James was starting to think they were duped in coming to this City.

Now, James wasn't the most emotional person ever, but the thought that his precious time, which could have been used to further advance his Craft was wasted on a trip he didn't even want to go made his temper rise uncontrollably. That's when a small hand grabbed at his coat, tugging slightly as a youthful, but harsh voice called his name. "Are you Jamie– The investigator sent by the Clock Tower?" The owner of the voice was young, a child even. While Jamie 'James' Trambelio knew appearance could be deceiving in the Moonlit World, the fact remained that Magnum, for who else could it be, was far younger than he had previously thought.

He nodded, confirming the child's question. "Leonis Magnum, I presume? You are younger than I thought…" The child, Leo raised a smirk at that. "Well, age isn't always everything–"

"You CAN'T possibly be serious! You're telling me this CHILD defeated an Apostle with Glascheit's help? That's impossible!" He was rudely interrupted by James' companion. His brows creased in annoyance as he spat back. "I'm old enough to fuck your mom, you boney bag of shit. Sit down like a good boy and I might consider giving you some treats." Then he ignored the spluttering man, giving James an unimpressed, half-lidded stare. "Your dog, I'm guessing?" James neither confirmed nor deny, but the irritated expression on his face was damning enough. "Please keep it from barking too much, we neuter those around here."

"Forgive him, Mr. Magnum, he isn't exactly well-trained in manners." The child nodded at that, not even glancing at the man who had turned blue and purple from anger. "Please, lead the way. Once we are sure of Regul's demise, your payment will be paid in full." James gestured at the black case in the man's hands. He couldn't understand why he was made to accompany this man, he was clearly incompetent if he thought appearance meant anything in their World. For all they knew, Leo could be an Ancient Monster who had seen the rises and falls of Empire in the guise of a child, someone who had lived for centuries hiding from the Tower's powerful, but certainly not all-knowing, omnipotent gaze.

His guess was the man's a spy for the Aristocrat faction, to keep an eye on him, scout out and if possible, buy off the young Magus. Though if that was his mission, he was doing a terrible job at both. First impression was important after all. "Keep up then, and I'm not talking about you, Mr. Jamie…" He cut in. "Call me James." – "Right, Mr. James, I'm talking to the dog beside you. I'm afraid his old bones couldn't handle the strain from walking, maybe we should call him a cab, it would be a shame if his knees give out on the way there." That moment, hearing his companion's angry hiss, James knew instantly this was going to be a long few days…

.

.

.

It didn't take long for them to investigate the tunnels, they had even taken samples of Regul's burnt creations. Honestly, I felt it was unnecessary, since whatever they got from those were likely deader than the dried corpses in a cemetary, but if they thought it could help them reverse the Apostle's curses, then that's their business. Thankfully, I had had the foresight to come back and destroy all traces of his Magecraft, so no one could replicate or continue the Apostle's disgusting research again, which angered the dog for some reasons, citing it was a waste to destroy such valuable knowledge.

Needless to say, we both ignored the barking dog. I even sneakily threw the middle finger at his back occasionally, but that lost its luster pretty soon. Now, we were returning to the clinic where Sven was staying at. "So the Glascheit heir is unconscious then?" I shook my head. "No, he's awake, but he's still recovering from the fight. Half his bones were broken and his organs squeezed, it's a miracle he managed to survive long enough for me to get him to a nearby medical center." What? I couldn't tell them it was Takashi who brought Sven to the clinic, they would slaughter the poor monk in a heartbeat.

"How did that happen?" Again, I shook. "Don't remember, you'll have to ask him yourself."

…

Sven didn't look good, gone was the blonde teenager whose appearance could seduce both men and women, gone was the silky golden hair, was the perfectly straight nose and the glistening, watery eyes. His face had turn into an unrecognizable mess, covered in swellings and black bruises. His legs were set in tight casts, arms much the same and his neck hidden below a bulky cervical collar. "Hi there, sleeping beauty. How are you doing?" He scowled at me, no doubt about to say something unbecoming of his upbringing, though once he saw our guests, Sven quickly settled down, his murderous glare still promising retribution.

I chuckled, motioning at Sven. "Well, here he is. Neatly tucked in bed as I have said previously." James took a seat next to Sven, signaling him to lie down as he struggled to get up. "Please Mr. Glascheit, I'm just here to ask a few questions."

"A– Ask away then, Lord Trambelio." Lord… This guy was a Lord? I didn't know that! "Very well. I've heard plenty of what happened from Mr. Magnum, but I'd like you to confirm the story. Firstly, were you all attacked at the hotel the Tower booked?" Sven bobbed his head. "Apparently, our presences and location were leaked and the Apostle installed explosives all over our floor. Our entire team was dead by the time we realized what had happened. If it wasn't thanks to Leo literally dragging me out, I wouldn't have been here to talk to you. Then, we left the hospital we were admitted to and took residence at a nearby Temple.

After that, it's just a question of finding where Regul was. We were able to locate him by crisscrossing where the kidnappings took place, coupled with a little common sense, we found him staying in the sewer tunnels…" Sven took a raspy breath, seeming to struggle to get more words out as he smacked his lips, while James or Lord Trambelio signaled at him. "Please, take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere." A few minutes passed as we waited, I had my back to the door frame, arms crossed, James was writing something in his small notebook and the dog was being his usual-self– Uselessly talkative.

"W– We went to Regul, fought through hordes of puppets to get to him. Once we did, Regul had created something out of the corpses he had lying around. He named it…" I added helpfully. "Adversary, the bloodsucking leech named the abomination Adversary." Sven gave me a grateful look, fingers pinching the space between his eyes. "Right, Adversary. Leo dealt with the monster, while I fought Regul. The fight was over pretty quickly, we burnt down his workshop and research, but they weren't dead. Both of them weren't. We were almost out of the tunnels when Regul, fused with his creation decided to attack us.

I was taken out fairly quickly, so Leo had to pick up the slack… Come to think of it, how did you defeat him anyways?" To be honest, I had no idea. Don't get me wrong, I remembered unloading a slew of [Finn Shot] and [Ansuz] in his face, but that clearly wasn't too effective. I didn't even know how I was alive. Although the dislocated spine wouldn't have killed me, the fact that Regul didn't kick me while I was down was quite odd. "I'm not sure actually, it was all a blur. I remember firing tons of spell at him, mostly lightning and blacked out for a bit. When I got to it, Regul was deader than dead." I shrugged uncaringly, couldn't just say someone saved my useless bum, could I?

"And may I ask, how did you recover so fast, Mr. Magnum?" I scanned the room, grabbing a scalpel that had been left under Sven's bed and slit my wrist with it, watching in fascination as the wound began to close, skin stitching back together, flesh mending. "I heal fast."

James stared at me, eyes still suspicious, but then settled down when he didn't find what he wanted. "I see… Your story checks out, Mr. Magnum." He gestured at the waiting dog. "Please, bring them their payments, there should be papers for free education at the Clock Tower inside the cases. Please examined the documents and tell me immediately if something is wrong, or if you have any question." Well, at least the dog wasn't deaf, he brought two black cases to us as he muttered under his breath, insults no doubt. I swiftly opened my case like a child being given his Christmas gift, inside was stacks upon stacks of money.

I couldn't them all there, but it must contain at least fifty to sixty thousands pounds sterling. The smell of money was delightfully delicious as I took the whole thing in. Tucked neatly next to the money was a piece of paper, woven with Mana and geas. I picked it up, looking through the content. It was the usual spiel you would see from an acceptance letter with the add-on of benefits and one or two sentences mentioning an all-paid for scholarship, room and board included. Having gone over everything, I looked up and questioned. "Can we choose when we get to class? I'm quite busy at the moment…"

"Do not worry, Mr. Magnum. The scholarship doesn't have a time limit, you can enter the program anytime you want." I looked up at the ceiling. That was surprisingly convenient, but it made a certain amount of sense. Mages weren't exactly model students in most cases, given we had to spend time on our own Magecraft and making deals with our peers. Having a time constraint would have had a negative impact to the program itself… "If you two don't have any other question, I'm afraid I must make myself scarce." James glanced at Sven, handing him a piece of paper. "Heir Glascheit, in case you want to take the same return trip to England with us, this is my contact information."

"Thank you, Lord Trambelio. I'll keep that in mind."

You can find story with these keywords: Fate: Dead Man’s Lament, Read Fate: Dead Man’s Lament, Fate: Dead Man’s Lament novel, Fate: Dead Man’s Lament book, Fate: Dead Man’s Lament story, Fate: Dead Man’s Lament full, Fate: Dead Man’s Lament Latest Chapter