Leaving Town Again

On Sunday morning, the sky was clear and the sun was casting its warm light upon the land. The temperature was getting colder, so there were a lot of people out in the street bathing in the sunlight. The noisy motor vehicles driving by and the chattering of people were a signature to a typical Sunday morning in Sloten. The smoke rising from the many factories and the steel buildings was a mark of a progressive city.

Graham had woken up from his good night's sleep and his abilities had been refreshed. He was currently boiling milk for his hot chocolate that he would enjoy with bread for breakfast. Once the milk came to a boil, he turned off the heat and added his favorite chocolate pieces little by little, and stirred it until all the chocolate had melted completely. He then poured it into a cup and let it cool down a little before sipping it.

"We have one hour until our client comes. Let's enjoy the breakfast slowly, shall we, Val?"

Graham picked up a piece of brown bread and dipped it in the hot chocolate. He put the soaked bread in his mouth and savored the taste.

"I can't believe we're already going back to that dangerous cave," he spoke while chewing. Since there was nobody around, he didn't have any image to maintain. "It hasn't even been a week since we last went there..."

He swallowed the bread and dipped the remaining piece into the hot liquid.

"Speaking of which, it hasn't even been a month since I first became a Contractbound. A lot of things sure have happened..."

"Until now we still haven't found a concrete reason for us to keep getting stronger besides to protect Sloten currently. But even then, we don't really have to. We're not like Luuk whose family is here or Jacco who is fighting for his sister. What are we fighting for, Val?"

A slight sense of dread filled his heart, but Graham quickly brushed it aside.

"Maybe if we found someone worth fighting for, we would have more reasons for existing..." he paused and sipped his drink, "But such a person doesn't exist right now."

"Let's just keep moving forward and see where life will take us, eh, Val?"

He dipped another piece of bread into his hot chocolate and ate it quickly. He finished his breakfast and washed the cup right away so his sink wouldn't be piled up with dirty dishes. After that, he went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth.

Graham checked himself in the mirror. His stubble had grown thicker and his hair was long enough for it to be a curly mess. His green eyes looked like they could suck people into them with their gaze. He picked up a pair of scissors and quickly trimmed his stubble, making his chiseled jawline more prominent. The trim also made him look more presentable instead of like a homeless man.

"We only need to get dressed now. Do you think the bullets that we asked Luuk to make are ready now? We will surely fight more supernatural creatures this time, but at least we have Agatha. She has blood abilities, so dealing with those weak to blood shouldn't be a problem."

"My Order ability that we copied to Purloin should be good for two uses, so I'll let you use it in case of emergency. We also have Luuk's Theft, although we lost the Blood Pellets one,"

Graham walked back to his bedroom and opened the big wardrobe across from the bed. Today, he decided to put on a t-shirt with a coat over it so he would have a lot of storage space. He also put on a pair of well-fitting elastic pants so he could move with ease.

"Sorry, Val, no denim pants today. You know I hate wearing those,"

He moved around a little in his brown pants and felt very comfortable. After that, he went to his office to pick up the trench coat with numerous pockets inside that was hanging on the coat rack. Graham put it on and also grabbed his briefcase.

"We are ready for a big haul today," he said while smiling in satisfaction.

Graham walked over to the safe and crouched down to open it. He entered the combination and it was unlocked, revealing the contents, all of which had a bloodstain on them for anti-divination. He picked up the gun and dagger, and also all the bullets he had.

He had bought ten paralysis bullets for fifty guilders when we went to the bazaar yesterday and had almost cried when he handed the money to the seller. Since Agatha promised to reimburse the expenses, Graham counted as an expense, so he felt a little better.

Besides the paralysis bullets, he also had two leftovers for the slow bullet, one poison bullet, and a total of eight blood bullets because he had bought some more as well. He also considered that as an expense, along with the slow bullets that he was going to buy from Luuk, and would ask Agatha for reimbursement later.

He put all the bullets inside the leather bullet pouch that he wore on his waist on top of Purloin. The bullets were all separated into different sections, so it would be easy for him to grab the correct one.

The last thing he needed to pack was his mask, both the Gemini mask and a common facemask. Once he was ready, he left his apartment and went to his neighbor's.

Ding... dong...

He rang the bell and waited for the owner to open the door for him. There was a click that came from unlocking the door and after that, Luuk opened the door and let Graham in. He had been expecting the man.

"You've already got dressed. Impressive," said Graham teasingly. Usually, when he came over, the young man was always in his sleepwear.

Today, Luuk was wearing a black tight sweater that emphasized his slender youthful body and a pair of elastic pants that looked similar to Graham's, only his were black in color. His usually messy hair was covered by a black beanie that he always wore on his night shenanigans. The backpack that he brought last time was lying on the floor near the door, ready to be grabbed at any time.

"I always wake up early, mind you," he said in self-defense.

"Yeah, right, and pigs can fly," replied Graham.

The two men walked over to the desk inside the messy living room. There were a total of ten bullets with purple tips and six bullets with green tips lying messily on the table.

"I could only make six poison bullets yesterday because I had used some of my abilities. I also made ten slow bullets this morning and now I'm completely out of bullet making orders," said Luuk with a tired tone.

"So how much would these be?" asked Graham.

"Since it's going to be used in a mission for your client, I'll charge the full price. Three guilders for poison bullet and four for slow bullets,"

Graham's eyes opened wide after hearing the price.

"A total of fifty-eight guilders! She will think we're scamming her at this rate,"

"Isn't she rich? I think she'll be fine with it," said Luuk casually.

Graham wanted to facepalm, but he held back. He just hoped that Agatha was extravagant and didn't mind spending so much money to get what she wanted. The expenses alone already surpassed the commission fee that she promised them, totaling more than one hundred guilders.

"Let's hope so,"

Graham put all the bullets carefully inside the holder in their correct sections. After that, he gestured at Luuk and the latter nodded. Luuk grabbed the backpack that he had prepared and followed his guest outside.

The two men left the messy apartment and went to the corridor. From the other end, a beautiful woman wearing a red coat walked elegantly towards them. Her tight-fitting coat that covered a little of her knees emphasized her feminine figure and her stilettos improved her posture. Her wavy, dark brown hair fell to her back and her exposed legs added to her overall captivating appearance.

Luuk took a deep breath and the fragrant scent of her floral perfume penetrated his nose. He was staring at the woman like a child staring at ice cream.

"Morning, Agatha. You're already here," greeted Graham.

Luuk controlled himself and returned to reality with Graham's words.

"Good morning, Mr. Hymes. Is he one of the helpers you mentioned?" replied Agatha with her warm voice. She shot a friendly smile at Luuk.

"Yes. I think you saw him yesterday when you first came to my office. He lives next door," explained Graham.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Agatha van Nostrand. Just call me Agatha," she offered her right hand after moving the purse that she was holding to her left hand.

"Luuk van der Meer. Nice to meet you too," he replied and shook her hand. Her grip was firm despite her pretty appearance.

"That van der Meer? I didn't expect to see one here," she said after the handshake was over.

Graham could only raise his eyebrow. For two rich families meeting in an old apartment building was indeed something highly unlikely, but here they were.

"It's a bit complicated to explain. Anyhow, shouldn't we get going now?" replied Luuk, changing the topic.

Agatha seemed to not want to press the topic further. She looked at Graham instead.

"Is everything ready?" she asked.

"Yes. And I've spent quite a lot of money to buy the necessary stuff," Graham replied.

"You can send me the bill later," responded Agatha casually.

Rich people sure are different...

Luuk could only look at Agatha with slight jealousy. Although his family was also rich, he had to support himself and his education. His financial situation had now gotten better, especially since he met Graham, but before, he was in some harsh condition that he had to survive mainly from the money he stole from people.

"Then shall we go now?" said Graham.

Agatha and Luuk nodded and they followed Graham, who had gone ahead, downstairs. Agatha seemed to be stealing glances at Luuk for some reason.

They reached the first floor without managing to avoid the creaking noises made by the old wooden floor, except for Luuk whose steps were the lightest. Graham opened the main door and held it down until the other two had exited the building and then closed it behind him.

"Yo, man! I've been waiting," shouted Jacco from the side of the road.

He was wearing a zipped leather jacket that concealed a thin metal plate strapped around his stomach. On his chest, there was a small fanny pack that contained his belongings. His ripped denim pants added to his already menacing looks. As the three people approached him, Jacco's attention was fixated on Agatha.

"*whistle* Who is this beauty?" he said as his eyes were looking up and down at the beautiful woman.

"Is he another one of the helpers?" asked Agatha to Graham who was standing next to her.

"Yes. His name is Jacco. He is our support today," replied Graham, shattering Jacco's intentions of showing off before he could even do so.

Agatha walked closer to Jacco and offered a handshake.

"I'm Agatha van Nostrand. You can just call me Agatha," she said with a friendly smile.

Jacco smiled confidently and accepted the handshake. He planned to show her his strength through the handshake to impress her. However, contrary to his expectation, the woman's grip was stronger than his. He could only keep smiling and pretended not to feel the pain that got stronger and stronger.

"N-nice to meet you too. My name is Jacco van Wert," he said. His face turned slightly red and his veins were bulging.

She let go of Jacco's hand and then smiled innocently.

Graham and Luuk, who could clearly see what was happening, held their urges to laugh out loud.

"Did you finish your ritual?" asked Graham finally to Jacco after the urge went away.

Jacco scratched the back of his head and smiled proudly.

"Yes! Now I can provide support in more ways," he replied.

"Tell me the detail later. Now, how do we get there?" asked Graham to Agatha.

Agatha smiled proudly. She walked closer to the street and stood next to a parked motor carriage.

"We're going by motor carriage, of course."

Graham and the others didn't expect her to drive on her own, especially Graham. He thought she would have a driver taking her everywhere, especially with her status and appearance.

"You drive?" asked Graham curiously while observing the vehicle next to her.

The motor carriage that she showed them looked like new and was very clean. It was evident that it was well-maintained. There weren't even any scratches or dented parts. It gave Graham more peace of mind.

"Yes. I'm a good driver despite my looks," she replied confidently.

Agatha opened the driver's seat door and sat behind the wheel. Graham sat at the front seat while Luuk and Jacco sat at the back. Once all the passengers were inside, she hit the gas and got out of the parking area right away. The speed at which she was driving was much faster than the other drivers on the road.

Honk! Honk!

"Hey!"

People were yelling at her as she skillfully overtook them one by one in a dangerous manner. However, whenever she nearly hit someone, she always managed to avoid collision somehow.

"You're going to get us killed!" shouted Jacco from the back. The blood seemed to have been drained from his face and judging from his voice, he was genuinely terrified.

"Just trust me and enjoy the ride. And you might want to hold on to something," replied Agatha from the front.

Screech!!

She hit the brake suddenly and managed to avoid hitting the motor carriage in front of her. She then veered right and overtook the slow vehicle.

"Val, for once I agree with Jacco. She's going to get us killed," muttered Graham.

Agatha heard him murmuring and turned her face towards him.

"Did you say something?" she asked curiously.

"Eyes on the road! Eyes on the road, goddamit woman!" shouted Jacco frantically from the back.

She suddenly steered steep to the left and Jacco hit the window with his head. He grunted in pain and pressed his hand against his head.

"Val, note to self, never offend her while she's driving," said Graham who only barely managed to avoid hitting the window as well.

"Yes?" asked Agatha again curiously.

"No, nothing," replied Graham quickly.

Agatha turned her attention back to the road and she was now driving behind a big logging truck that was loaded to the brim. The logs were securely tied with large chains but it still looked scary to drive behind it. She quickly switched lanes without caring for the angry driver behind her and floored the gas to overtake the speeding truck.

Jacco didn't dare to look at the road ahead while Graham was holding tightly on to whatever he could reach. Luuk was the only one who looked calm and seemed unaffected by the reckless driving.