Making preparations
Next morning and then the rest of the day resting and trying to remember yesterday.
When I had breakfast Albert came to remind me about the banquet. When it was time he and I used our carriage to get to Thomson's family house. There we meet Jason and his wife Anna. After introductions, we entered the hall where I had socialized with other people before William came to make the speech. After then it was time for dance, and I was looking for someone whom Hector knew from the past.
Grace! Yes, she was Hector's old acquaintance. Then I started to walk to her, but then... I... felt a droplet? Yes, that was it. A droplet of blood.
"BODIES!" Hector exclaimed in realization.
"But then all went blank." He tried to remember what happened next. Then as lightning, he could recall some images.
Musicians with their heads ripped out and levitating over them but still attached to them by their spines. They were still playing music but now much faster.
People danced in unison as he could hear an ethereal voice sing in the background.
People on the dance floor started to turn into monsters but they did not stop to dance.
Hector could see a man standing on the second floor he was holding the stick and everyone who was gathered obeyed its rhythm. He was like a conductor in an orchestra.
When He saw his face he remembered who it was. He was the one who send him into this world. After they locked their eyes everything around him stopped.
-----
And with that Hector got an unbearable headache and could not remember anything else.
For rest of the day, he remained home resting and trying to cure his headache with sleep.
He no longer paid attention to the banquet as he somehow knew that he would remember when the time will be right. Same as with memories of how he got here in the first place.
The next day Hector visited the Bravehearts bar where he bought a beer and then entered the room with Kaspars.
Hector stood at the door and watched the Kaspars play poker with three men.
When Kaspars saw him he sighted and folded his cards. Then he walked to him and together they went to another room.
"You are in luck. I already acquired what you ordered. As it is custom made price is greater than normal. 2 pounds." Kaspars said unhurriedly.
Hector thought that compare to his other expenses this is cheap. But when he compares it to the wages of factory workers than it cost a lot.
"Agreed." There weren't many places where he could get a holster like this without being questioned.
After giving Kaspars two one-pound notes he went out of the room. Hector looked around the room and sat down on the chair as he waited for Kaspars to return.
After a few minutes, he saw Kaspars return holding a brown bag. Which He then put on the table.
Hector walked over and opened the bag. He saw a leather holster that looked more like a harness.
After taking down his old holster and replacing it with the new one he started to put his two hammers and revolver in. Then he tried to take them out in a hurried manner.
"Good. It is finely made." He spoke with a satisfied expression.
After a quick chat with the Kaspars Hector went home. Where he replaced one of the hammers. He went to the safe where he stored the hammer that he bought from beyonder gathering with Eye of Wisdom.
He went to the study room and took a rough map of the Backlund. He wanted to mark the places that Street rats use. Then he holstered a dagger and left for East borough.
When he got to the East Borough he started to look for the Street gang but now he was on the hunt to find more about their business and places of importance.
He thought that the best way to find them would be to look for places where tramps gathered.
One of those places was a railway station. Residual heat from the building kept them warmer than in the middle of the street.
There he hid in an alley with a view of them. After about two hours of waiting he was starting to feel chilly. But luckily he saw pair of four people walking toward them.
He could hear them yelling at them and demanding money for protection and warmth.
Hector got angry but decided to do nothing as he wanted to see where they would go after. He hopped to find their other meeting places as he already knew about their headquarters.
After they left the tramps alone he started to follow them. When he saw them split up he decided to continue following the one with money.
After about ten minutes he entered a run-down two-story building.
Probably one of their offices. Hector didn't dare to enter but marked the building on the map.
Then he turned back and started to look for more gangsters. After a few hours, he found a bar where they gathered. There he waited for a drunk one to leave so he could get more information from him.
After fifteen minutes he saw a man leave the bar sweating and nearly tripping on his legs.
That will do. Hector thought as he started to follow him and they were reasonably far from the bar. When he saw the man stop before the building Hector thought that he should get him before he would enter the building. He did not know if there is more people inside.
He started to feel the desire to inflict pain on his heart. Hector thought about the rules of acting as a criminal
The first one is 'don't be constrained by the rules of others'. He agreed to it but he still constrained himself, not by the rules of others but by his own desire. Somehow he felt lighter at the realization of hypocrisy.
He was to be free of what others wanted of him but he was also bound by his own desires.
It was his desires that were to control him. He remembered that the core of the Abyss pathway is 'Desire'.
After realization, he felt something click in him. He felt as if he become more. Something greater than before.
He felt some of the links in the chains on his heart crumble and fused with it.
Splendid. I had digested the potion. Now I only need to gather the ingredients for sequence 8. Luckily I already have the formula and one of the ingredients.
When he was about to walk to him so he could subdue him he saw a figure jump from behind a drunk gangster. He took him by the shoulder and dragged him to the floor. Then he started to smash his head with a mace.
What the! Hector thought fully surprised as he hid deeper into shadows in the alley. I did not see him! Thankfully it looks like he doesn't know about me.
When he looked at him he saw that the man was wearing a Black hooded robe. The mace was a silver handle that was about an arm long. Its head was a metallic ball with spikes. Morning star! Hector realized and was amazed to see one here.
What is happening in the East borough? One beyond leaving Street Rats headquarters and now one smashing one of their members to a pulp. Wait! Do they think that the Street Rats killed one of their own and now they are getting revenge?
It is possible as the previous one was unarmed, by my guess to show goodwill. Did they not find him afterward and now they blame Street Rats? That's rich. Hector started to smile and nearly laugh.
He watched the strange man beat the gangster into the puddle. His ruthlessness and brutality surprised him. He did not think that he would continue to break every bone in the gangster's body.
Personally, I would nail him to the wall, maybe skin his face and cut his fingers which then I would make into a crown and put it on his head. That would be enough but to each their own I guess.
Multiple beyonders so they can't be ordinarily organized. And from the looks of it, he is strong. He also uses a mace. From how bulky he is and the metallic armament he wears under his robe I guess that he is from the warrior pathway.
Spies from the church of God of War? He gives off a much stronger pressure than the last one. Is he sequence 8? If I would kill him would they open a full-scale investigation?
Hector felt the desire to strike and use the hammers, to satisfy the bloodlust that was denied by him. But should he or should he resist?
Should I try? It is quite tempting as I have an element of surprise, a revolver, and a light hammer. Unfortunately, if he is not undead, then the hammer would be much more effective.