Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1427: Scholar, Detective, and Magician
The demon locked eyes with Shard in the stillness of time. It stopped speaking and paused, then stood up and walked over to the next table. Reaching out to grab one of the apples floating in the air, it took a bite before tossing it aside.
Turning its head to look at Shard, who had also stood up, it picked up a wooden spoon from the table. Holding the front end of the spoon, it aimed the long handle at the eye socket of the man clapping happily at the table’s edge and thrust it forward. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
"Wait a moment."
Shard stopped it and asked in confusion:
"Are you trying to say that if I pull any tricks on Friday, you’ll deal with me this way? But I can resist your power of time; have you forgotten that?"
"No, what I’m trying to say is this."
The demon let go of the spoon, letting it hover right in front of the man’s eye socket:
"If you dare to pull tricks, I’ll kill a hundred people; if you don’t show up on Friday, I’ll kill a thousand; if you fail to pierce Osenfort’s chest with a sword or dagger, I’ll kill ten thousand."
Shard took the spoon, then placed it back on the table:
"What does you killing others have to do with me?"
"I know your type too well. Outwardly indifferent, but you can’t fool yourself about how you truly feel."
The demon lightly patted Shard on the shoulder:
"Friday night, Osenfort Estate, duel with Osenfort. Then, the six options: the Inextinguishable Flame, the Relic of Extended Life, the Midas Touch Alchemical Item, the Never-Empty Wine Bottle, the Sacred Book of Demon Knowledge, and the Intelligence of [Desire]. You can choose any one of them; I won’t lie."
Shard snorted, sitting back down:
"I know."
The demon, hands behind its back, retreated toward the tavern entrance:
"I hope you truly understand."
With another snap of its fingers, the bustling noises resumed, and no one in the tavern realized what had just happened. Only the people at the next table were surprised that the three apples thrown into the air had turned into two, and they complimented the magician on his amazing trick.
This time, Shard finally picked up the pint of rye beer and took a sip, then rudely spat it onto the floor:
"Bah, what is this?"
Looking up again at the lively tavern, the demon’s figure had vanished without a trace.
Shard placed the beer back on the table but did not stand up this time. Instead, he held his breath, watching the flickering flame in deep thought. After a while, he looked up to see a familiar figure emerging from the laughing crowd.
It was a middle-aged man with a bald top and only fuzzy stubbles. His skin was dark, and he had very distinctive double eyelids. Wrapped in an uncommon, brownish, old-style robe seemingly worn by desert dwellers, he held a slightly curled-edged notebook.
The middle-aged man, initially scanning the surroundings to find an empty table, spotted Shard. His black eyes were extraordinarily bright, and his stubble was as short as his hair. Mr. Sean Asmon smiled and waved at Shard, his smile as peculiar as always when they met.
"Oh, I knew it, Mr. Watson, I would meet you again somewhere. I just didn’t expect you’d also come to Randall Valley City. It’s quite nice here."
Mr. Asmon sat opposite Shard, where both Osenfort and the demon had been, resting his right arm on the table and leaning slightly forward.
Shard was a bit surprised to meet this gentleman again... or perhaps not so surprised:
"Coldwater Port, Midshire Fort, Huntington, and now Randall Valley. Such a quiet night, in a countryside tavern, unexpectedly running into a long-lost friend—what a surprise. What would you like to drink? My treat."
"Well then, thank you."
Mr. Asmon nodded, and Shard called for a waiter. Once the waiter left, Shard continued:
"Every time I meet you, it’s at a place with ’rose’ in its name; it seems this time is an exception."
"No, no, isn’t this a rose?"
Mr. Asmon picked up the wilted rose discarded by the demon and took a deep breath:
"A withered black rose—quite an ominous sign."
"Yes, yes, before seeing you, I met with a very annoying guest."
Shard waved his hand as if shooing away invisible flies.
"Everyone meets some annoying people they have to face."
Mr. Asmon said understandingly, while Shard shook his head noncommittally. Then the waiter came with a tray, delivering drinks and a plate of fresh fried peas for the two.
"Enough about me, Mr. Asmon, seeing you now in Randall Valley, are there demon rumors here too? I’ve only heard about the recent petrified plague in the city... And there’s malaria in nearby villages, so we must be careful with what we eat."
After negotiating with the demon and being threatened by it, Shard asked, while the demonologist with a strange smile nodded:
"There are indeed rumors, otherwise I wouldn’t have come here. Why, Mr. Watson, are you interested?"
"Of course, would you be willing to share your story with me?"
"No problem, but before that, would you like to play a game of Roder Card?"
Mr. Asmon took out his deck, and Shard smiled and nodded, feeling suddenly much better:
"Of course, no problem, but the last two times, I won."
"Oh, you’re going to play Roder Card?"
Before Mr. Asmon could speak, another voice sounded from the side.
Shard looked over in surprise and found that the speaker was the man who had just performed the apple magic trick. Although he still hadn’t found his missing apple, that didn’t stop him from saying goodbye to the villagers at the table and, with great interest, moving his chair to sit at the side of Shard and Mr. Asmon’s table:
"Let me introduce myself, Mark Winston, magician of the Tuna Circus."
He placed his cup on the table as well. The table in front of Shard now displayed various items surrounding the kerosene lamp: empty cups, plates, newspapers, a rose, a sword hilt, scattered Roder Cards, and another cup, which did not seem out of place at all.
"Our circus hasn’t yet received a permit to perform in the city square, so we’re staying outside the city for a few days. I’m bored and came here for some drinks. Are you playing Roder Card? How about including me? I can wager my special card with you."
Shard glanced at Mr. Asmon, who didn’t object, so he said:
"A three-player game can be interesting too. Mr. Asmon, would you like to earn some travel money?"
As he made the suggestion, he reached into the pocket left by Osenfort and pulled out 5 Krone, equivalent to about 60 to 75 pounds in coins:
"A special card is roughly this price. I don’t have any special cards in my deck, so I’ll wager these coins with you."
"I also don’t have a special card, and I don’t have that much money on me. I only have this."
The demonologist placed 3 Krone onto the empty plate along with Shard’s 5 Krone, and neither the magician nor Shard minded.
Then Shard proposed the rules:
"Three-player game, basic rules. The first to win two rounds wins and can take the special card and 2 Krone. The remaining two play one-on-one, and the winner takes the 5 Krone, while the loser receives a consolation prize of 1 Krone."
"No problem."
The magician said excitedly:
"The villagers here can’t offer any decent stakes when playing cards. It’s more fun to play with travelers like you. Oh, let me show you my special card first, although later, I will put this card back into my deck for the game."
He rummaged through his deck and pulled out the special card, placing it under the kerosene lamp. Shard leaned over to look and found it was a series he hadn’t seen before.
On the card face, a jester riding a unicycle with a round nose was juggling three balls, while faceless spectators in the not-so-detailed background applauded from the elevated scene. Though the card face was black and white, the shadow contrasts made it seem like the jester was under the stage spotlight.
"[Circus Tragedy: The Headless Clown], Suit: Three of Stars. Activates after the game ends, removing this card, adding 5 to your total points. This effect must be activated."
Shard read the content on the card face, then suspiciously asked:
"The Headless Clown... Circus Tragedy... Is it that incident from thirty years ago?"
"Yes."
Magician Mr. Winston nodded:
"At that time, Casenli’s famous ’Jasmine Flower Circus’ had all its members wiped out overnight, including the performing lions, cats, elephants, mice, and pigeons, all dead in the tent. Even the eggs in the kitchen were smashed. The authorities spent nearly ten years figuring out the truth, and this deck was issued to commemorate the case being solved. My colleagues all think this card is unlucky and advised me to get rid of or sell it, but I believe it’s just superstition."
Shard looked at Mr. Asmon, who only watched the card with a strange smile, seemingly interested as well.
"Then let’s start. Oh, Mr. Asmon, I remember you mentioned there’s still more to that story from last time. Just playing cards is too dull; how about continuing that story while we play?"
"What story?"
The magician asked while checking his deck, and Shard recalled:
"It’s a very ancient story—
A wondrous being, endowed with the legendary powers of a demon by people’s beliefs. It brought disaster to the world until it met a man without desires, who accompanied it throughout his life due to his ’wish’ to seal the demon.
After the man’s death, the demon took his soul, spending one night returning to his hometown, devouring all his relatives. But the brave people there did their best to protect the last boy. Yet, the boy did not remain silent to evade the demon but instead made a wish similar to the first man’s wish."
