27 Suspicion

After the 'slight misunderstanding' had been resolved, the team once again sat down before each other in the dark inn room for a new meeting. For convenience's sake, the candle on the table was placed in the middle, since light was a bit lacking in the last meeting. This inadvertently turned the appearance of the serious discussion into that of a horror story session in front of a campfire.

None of the members minded though, the eerie light shining upon each other's face from downward was still better than looking like dark lords conjuring plans to take over the world from the previous one. If they were honest with themselves, they were making that exact plan. However, the resemblance was uncomfortable.

Jack told them about the new information he received from the mercenary team of Hank Blakemore.

"I intend to go to the city of Brighton to investigate. The trading between the city and this village is also good business as well. I'll buy some commodities in the city and sell them here. We'll need the benefit. We have only sold one rifle, but we have spent countless coins buying materials to make others."

"The city is half a day away on horseback, I'll be staying in Brighton for a week maximum, so I'll be gone for about 10 days. That should also be the time it takes for the mercenaries to know of our new weapon. When I come back, we'll get to selling that." Jack pointed to the guns stacked in the corner of the room with his thumb.

"Are you going alone? The road is dangerous. I can go with you." Naomi's hand was raised. Jack shook his head.

"I'll be going alone. I will not take you or the dark energy manipulator. Don't forget I have this." Jack tapped his head. "With Alexa, nobody or animal can approach me in the radius of 50m without my knowing. You should stay here and practice, and Emma needs the magic gun for her job."

"I'm pretty good at running, you know. Even more so when I have a horse." Jack showed his perfectly white teeth with a smile.

Emma fidgeted her hand in one of the many pockets on her pants, took out a shiny object.

"You should take this, anyhow." She presented a revolver, made of steel. "I intend to equip each of us with a personal weapon, but I only finished one."

Jack reached out to take it. He couldn't yank it out of Emma's hand, though. He looked up to see her face.

"Took me eight hours to make this thing, so don't lose the gun." Emma smiled ominously. "If you do, I'll cut 'it' off. Seriously this time."

Jack shuddered. Emma had gotten really mad every time he misplaced the dark energy manipulator or the chips when he borrowed from her to cut his beard, back when they were crews of the Motive. His 'it' was endangered at least a dozen times.

Emma had a quick temper, who knew if he would become a eunuch if he tested her patience again.

"I promise, I will take a good care of your baby." Jack smiled wryly. Emma finally let go of the revolver. Jack took it, and couldn't resist the temptation. He cocked the revolver and dry fired it a few times.

The crisp sound of the hammer striking was intoxicating. Jack flipped the cylinder out, then closed it back in, took aim and fired one more. It was a perfect fit for his hand, and the aesthetic of the weapon was beautiful. Both visually and audibly.

"Smith & Wesson Model 686, single-action to reduce complexity, with enlarged chambers and rifled barrel for use with black powder." Emma grinned with a sigh. "Due to the modification, it can fire five shots instead of six."

She reached under the bed and took out a belt, with finger-sized brass cylinders attached to it. "There's also this, I bought a leather belt and sewed bullet pockets to make a bandolier. Twenty .50 black powder magnum cartridges on it. I imagine it would suit you very well."

"I didn't have time to make a holster." She said, throwing the belt to the ex-captain. "Make do with a cloth strap or something."

Jack grabbed it out of the air and immediately stood up. He undid the cloth belt he was wearing and intended to wrap the new belt around his waist.

Emma looked at him with weird eyes. "Why are you trying it on now? It's a belt with lots of holes, it'll fit you. Or do you want to wear it to sleep?"

"Just… shut up." Jack stammered. "Excuse me!" He went into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.

"A gun nut and an anime katana fanatic." Emma took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "And I'm the engineer. Do I get to resign?" She turned to see Naomi's startled expression and squeezed the squishy cheeks together with her hands. She stared intensely into Naomi's mouth that had turned into squirming bird beaks under the pressure and grumbled in a low voice. "Tell me, can I resign? Please?"

"Uuueeeeeeh!"

"I know." Emma flicked the 'beaks' with her thumbs. "It's my job to make machine guns and humongous katanas for you two."

"Muh muh muh…."

Emma released Naomi's face and threw her hands in the air. "It's okay, I love you guys." She stretched, half-laying on the bed behind her. "Expect your sword tomorrow, Naomi, it's gonna be a goddamn masterpiece!" Emma laughed as she looked up at the ceiling.

Naomi felt a little apologetic, but she decided not to say anything. She turned away to nurse her poor face that had suffered so much physical torture there days.

Jack exited the bathroom after a minute. To his credit, the bullet belt was on his right hand, then placed on the table. If the man continued the meeting with a bandolier full of cartridges worn on waist, Emma would probably flip out and reenact a Mexican standoff right there, in this peaceful inn at the corner of the town.

"Ehem," the man cleared his throat, "by the way, I have seen a limus outside the town, they are called 'slime' here, so I think…"

He hadn't finished his sentence when a high-pitched voice cut it off.

"I know! I've seen it too! There are many of them in the shades! They are so cute…"

Naomi instantly stopped when she noticed Jack's perplexed wide-open mouth and Emma's thoroughly disgusted expression.

"Cute? Cute?!"

"It's as cute as a rat!"

"There things eat inorganic stuff, they ruin machinery!"

"I know, right?! And clothes! I wouldn't stand 3 meters near them. Some of them can jump!"

"They multiply like rabbits and they don't die! If anything can cause the demise of the multiverse I'm not surprised if it's limi!"

"Who the hell thought it was a good idea to import the thing from Avidity? I would punch that guy to death!"

…

Jack and Emma spoke at the same time, showered Naomi with their absolute abhorrence of the species.

"I… I know, sir! They are not cute, not cute at all! Wakarimashita! Gomenasai!" Naomi shielded her head with her arms. She slipped into her mother tongue as she flustered.

"Anyhow," Jack coughed, "Why didn't you say anything to me? It's an important discovery. There are not only species of Earth in this place, the same could apply for intelligent species too."

"But we fought many of non-earth species when we were in the forest…" Naomi weakly replied, "I thought you knew."

"You had night-vision, I didn't." Jack rolled his eyes. "What else did you identify in the forest?"

"They were fast and was hiding in bushes, I couldn't see clearly." Answered Naomi embarrassedly. "I saw a chicken-snake hybrid, a red planet earthworm, a giant salamander, I couldn't see which color it was… I also fought with a few ratmen the other day, people call them 'goblins' here."

"Did you use your absurd strength in that fight?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"I… did. How do you know?"

"You panic easily. I expect you to let the cat out of the bag sooner or later." Jack waved his hand then chopped Naomi's head with it. "I didn't think it would be this soon, though."

"Ow."

"The man has something to hide, I don't suppose he's going to report you to the authority." Jack sighed. "I intended to find out his secret as leverage, so that you have a safe mercenary team that you can work with, not having to limit your power."

"How did he react to your inhuman abilities?" He questioned.

"He was surprised, but he didn't mind at all." Naomi put a finger on her chin. "In fact, he trained me to use my ability this morning."

"Oh."

"I see."

Both Jack and Emma exclaimed. Emma turned her head so Jack's direction. "So, do you also think…"

"Yeah, very likely." A wide grin bloomed on the man's face.

"Guys?" Naomi didn't understand what conclusion the two older members had just unanimously come to.

Jack scratched his head. He then whispered.

"It's probable that the other female member of your mercenary team, Lena Sterling, is a witch."