After deciding on the deal, Derrick chose to stay within the gathering for the next hour and foster new connections. While the vast majority of the conversations he had weren't fruitful to his goal, he still deemed forming any connection possible a necessity. It could potentially be the difference between life and death during battle.
At 8:00 PM, the small speakers throughout the manor made an announcement.
[The auditorium is now closed. Thank you for your participation!]
[The playrooms are now closed. Thank you for your participation!]
Derrick left the manor as soon as possible to avoid the inevitable flood of aristocrats. Upon gaining a sizable distance from the manor, he entered a nearby hotel to rest and process his thoughts. He didn't want to head straight home in case a suspicious figure were to tail him.
"One room for the night please," Derrick said.
"Thank you, that will be 30 Dan."
Derrick received his room key from the receptionist and made his way to the 4th floor. His room number was 4D, and occupied the space near the end of the hallway.
He hung his jacket on the coat rack near the room's entrance and left his shoes at the front door. The room was much more impressive than his usual guest room. It had a full-sized bed, a wooden study desk, and a small desk lamp that was perfect for late-night journalling. He sat at the study and wrote down his thoughts about the situation.
Today has been an eventful day. So far I have made an ally in the private detective Naoto Gan, as well as gain an expansive understanding of the inner workings of Mr.R's manor. Attributes held an incredible amount of value, as accommodating attributes into your spirituality was the quickest method of gaining strength. They could range anywhere from 10,000 Dan to well over 100,000 Dan. However, rushing the accommodation process would result in my loss of control, so I'll hold off on accommodating any Wraith attributes rank 4 or higher.
Reed Rowley is another matter entirely. Since I have zero legal identification or social status, I can't go through any legal avenues to track down Reed Rowley. It's very likely that "Reed Rowley" is merely a fake identity, someone who never existed in the first place. I'll look over the documents that Detective Naoto Gan shared with me in the manor before informing Elizabeth about the situation. Her deductive ability will be crucial in solving this case. I'll send her some of the information as well.
He spent the night reviewing the various addresses, receipts, and IDs that could potentially lead back to the main culprit.
__
The next day, Derrick left the apartment and noticed a strange presence that seemed to follow him wherever he went.
Someone is following me...
Derrick changed his route from Ying's apartment and began moving in a purposely confusing manner. He made random turns that didn't lead him to anywhere important and hopped over fences in an attempt to throw the perpetrator off his trail. However, the presence persisted.
Rather than run, he would directly confront the enemy via a surprise attack. Derrick quickly turned the corner. The stalker turned the corner as well, but couldn't Derrick anywhere. He looked down at the ground and saw a severed hand. The hand suddenly swelled with spirit flames and exploded, kicking up dust in the air. The masked assailant took a defensive stance when he intercepted the attack.
Derrick used the opportunity to strike his opponent with his karambit knife, but his strike didn't have any weight behind it. It was an optical illusion!
Illusions. Is it a member of the witch tribe? A sub-tribe? Perhaps it's the result of a mythical item or heirloom. I need to gauge my opponent's ability.
The masked assailant and Derrick Foster faced each other in a defensive position, slowly inching toward one another with the intent to kill. Even a single mistimed attack would lead to death. Upon coming within 3 inches of each other, Derrick initiated his attack. He extended his karambit toward the assailant's knife, but the masked man dodged the attack with a hair's breadth. He twisted his body and attacked with a solid punch to Derrick's side, causing Derrick to lose ground.
They continued to exchange blows, but Derrick's physical prowess had given him an edge. After pushing the masked man into a heap of garbage, he blasted the man with spirit flames. Using spirit flames in such an unrefined way would likely tire him out, but the heat alone would kill any ordinary person.
Suddenly, the man disappeared in a puff of blue smoke and reappeared at Derrick's side. The masked man hit Derrick with a rusted pipe, breaking the boy's jaw.
His ability has something to do with teleportation. He still has the injuries from both the explosion and the spirit flames, meaning his teleportation isn't instantaneous. It has to take some time to activate!
He spent the last of his energy reserves repairing his jaw before rushing towards the masked man. He quickly shifted his body downward and stabbed the man's foot, rending him immobile. Derrick then grabbed the back of the man's head and stuck his thumb directly into his neck, piercing his flesh. Derrick opted for a blow to a vital area rather than a submission because he didn't have an accurate gauge of when the teleportation ability could be used. Interrogation was no longer an option, as the masked assailant had an easy escape option in the form of instant teleportation. Derrick chose to kill the man and search him for anything useful.
The masked man struggled to get Derrick off of him as he quickly bled out. The panic and aggressive movement only caused his blood to leak even more. resulting in a quick death.
While Derrick had seen many people killed within The Hole, he couldn't feel any less guilty for his actions. Even if it was in defense, he still took another life. He looked away from the man and said, "I'm sorry." He knew that those words were pointless sophistry, but those words couldn't help but escape his lips. However, the grizzly sight reminded of his family in the other world and steeled his resolve. "This is the right choice. I'll make it back, no matter what."
Derrick got off the man and caught his breath. He quickly healed the damage and took off the man's mask. He had a slim, defined face with a scar on his right cheek. The man looked familiar, too familiar. He was the 4th man at the billiard table yesterday night! Derrick wondered why he spoke so sparsely at the manor, but dismissed for a stern attitude. In hindsight, he knew that it was merely an attempt to disguise his true intentions.
He reached into his pockets and found an assortment of junk. Gum wrappers, food receipts, etc. However, there was a strange medallion hidden within his breast pocket that had the symbol of a closed line with contorted lines jutting outward.
This symbol is foreign to me, but it is likely a sign of his membership in an organization. It is best to keep it safe until I can research it further. First, I need to come in contact with Elizabeth.
After deciding on the deal, Derrick chose to stay within the gathering for the next hour and foster new connections. While the vast majority of the conversations he had weren't fruitful to his goal, he still deemed forming any connection possible a necessity. It could potentially be the difference between life and death during battle.
At 8:00 PM, the small speakers throughout the manor made an announcement.
[The auditorium is now closed. Thank you for your participation!]
[The playrooms are now closed. Thank you for your participation!]
Derrick left the manor as soon as possible to avoid the inevitable flood of aristocrats. Upon gaining a sizable distance from the manor, he entered a nearby hotel to rest and process his thoughts. He didn't want to head straight home in case a suspicious figure were to tail him.
"One room for the night please," Derrick said.
"Thank you, that will be 30 Dan."
Derrick received his room key from the receptionist and made his way to the 4th floor. His room number was 4D, and occupied the space near the end of the hallway.
He hung his jacket on the coat rack near the room's entrance and left his shoes at the front door. The room was much more impressive than his usual guest room. It had a full-sized bed, a wooden study desk, and a small desk lamp that was perfect for late-night journalling. He sat at the study and wrote down his thoughts about the situation.
Today has been an eventful day. So far I have made an ally in the private detective Naoto Gan, as well as gain an expansive understanding of the inner workings of Mr.R's manor. Attributes held an incredible amount of value, as accommodating attributes into your spirituality was the quickest method of gaining strength. They could range anywhere from 10,000 Dan to well over 100,000 Dan. However, rushing the accommodation process would result in my loss of control, so I'll hold off on accommodating any Wraith attributes rank 4 or higher.
Reed Rowley is another matter entirely. Since I have zero legal identification or social status, I can't go through any legal avenues to track down Reed Rowley. It's very likely that "Reed Rowley" is merely a fake identity, someone who never existed in the first place. I'll look over the documents that Detective Naoto Gan shared with me in the manor before informing Elizabeth about the situation. Her deductive ability will be crucial in solving this case. I'll send her some of the information as well.
He spent the night reviewing the various addresses, receipts, and IDs that could potentially lead back to the main culprit.
__
The next day, Derrick left the apartment and noticed a strange presence that seemed to follow him wherever he went.
Someone is following me...
Derrick changed his route from Ying's apartment and began moving in a purposely confusing manner. He made random turns that didn't lead him to anywhere important and hopped over fences in an attempt to throw the perpetrator off his trail. However, the presence persisted.
Rather than run, he would directly confront the enemy via a surprise attack. Derrick quickly turned the corner. The stalker turned the corner as well, but couldn't Derrick anywhere. He looked down at the ground and saw a severed hand. The hand suddenly swelled with spirit flames and exploded, kicking up dust in the air. The masked assailant took a defensive stance when he intercepted the attack.
Derrick used the opportunity to strike his opponent with his karambit knife, but his strike didn't have any weight behind it. It was an optical illusion!
Illusions. Is it a member of the witch tribe? A sub-tribe? Perhaps it's the result of a mythical item or heirloom. I need to gauge my opponent's ability.
The masked assailant and Derrick Foster faced each other in a defensive position, slowly inching toward one another with the intent to kill. Even a single mistimed attack would lead to death. Upon coming within 3 inches of each other, Derrick initiated his attack. He extended his karambit toward the assailant's knife, but the masked man dodged the attack with a hair's breadth. He twisted his body and attacked with a solid punch to Derrick's side, causing Derrick to lose ground.
They continued to exchange blows, but Derrick's physical prowess had given him an edge. After pushing the masked man into a heap of garbage, he blasted the man with spirit flames. Using spirit flames in such an unrefined way would likely tire him out, but the heat alone would kill any ordinary person.
Suddenly, the man disappeared in a puff of blue smoke and reappeared at Derrick's side. The masked man hit Derrick with a rusted pipe, breaking the boy's jaw.
His ability has something to do with teleportation. He still has the injuries from both the explosion and the spirit flames, meaning his teleportation isn't instantaneous. It has to take some time to activate!
He spent the last of his energy reserves repairing his jaw before rushing towards the masked man. He quickly shifted his body downward and stabbed the man's foot, rending him immobile. Derrick then grabbed the back of the man's head and stuck his thumb directly into his neck, piercing his flesh. Derrick opted for a blow to a vital area rather than a submission because he didn't have an accurate gauge of when the teleportation ability could be used. Interrogation was no longer an option, as the masked assailant had an easy escape option in the form of instant teleportation. Derrick chose to kill the man and search him for anything useful.
The masked man struggled to get Derrick off of him as he quickly bled out. The panic and aggressive movement only caused his blood to leak even more. resulting in a quick death.
While Derrick had seen many people killed within The Hole, he couldn't feel any less guilty for his actions. Even if it was in defense, he still took another life. He looked away from the man and said, "I'm sorry." He knew that those words were pointless sophistry, but those words couldn't help but escape his lips. However, the grizzly sight reminded of his family in the other world and steeled his resolve. "This is the right choice. I'll make it back, no matter what."
Derrick got off the man and caught his breath. He quickly healed the damage and took off the man's mask. He had a slim, defined face with a scar on his right cheek. The man looked familiar, too familiar. He was the 4th man at the billiard table yesterday night! Derrick wondered why he spoke so sparsely at the manor, but dismissed for a stern attitude. In hindsight, he knew that it was merely an attempt to disguise his true intentions.
He reached into his pockets and found an assortment of junk. Gum wrappers, food receipts, etc. However, there was a strange medallion hidden within his breast pocket that had the symbol of a closed line with contorted lines jutting outward.
This symbol is foreign to me, but it is likely a sign of his membership in an organization. It is best to keep it safe until I can research it further. First, I need to come in contact with Elizabeth.
