The man grunted as he tightened a loose screw back into the cage. It was quite stiff, requiring a considerable amount of effort. His wrinkled hands slipped constantly as he pushed harder. Meanwhile, Griffin and the rabbit were still in discussion.
"Mate, let's discuss this later; we can delve into it further, not here! I don't have that kind of time…" Griffin whispered again.
The rabbit turned around, its expression shifted to one of perhaps seriousness. Its large, expressive eyes narrowed slightly, and the corners of its mouth set into a firm line. The flickering shadows around its ears waved wildly, like a fire going intense.
"It must be possessing shadow abilities…" Griffin thought, glancing at the flickering shadows.
Seemingly, beasts and humans might have differences, particularly in their acquisition of abilities. Wondrous Beasts acquire theirs from birth, not as a memory but as an energy. They are also a tad clever, much like humans, as they can converse with a degree of clarity in their words.
In essence, this reveals that humans can acquire the abilities of a beast through memories that they might awaken. The source of these memories and how they manifest remains a mystery, but it seemed that Griffin had a clue, judging from the mysterious gem that caused him to pass out and subsequently awaken three memories upon regaining consciousness.
However, this wasn't the case for everyone who awakens a memory, making it still a strange phenomenon.
A brown parchment emerged from the shadows inside the beast's cage. It floated in the air, words on it were in strange symbols, or rather a foreign language that Griffin couldn't comprehend. Shadows swirled around its edges like vines.
"Is this the contract described by the merchant...?"
"Well, I can't understand what's written here, so why should I sign it? I don't even know the restraints it might impose on me or what it might take away…"
The beast's nose twitched in excitement. "Of course, I know! To understand the language written on the parchment, bring your hands closer to it—let's just say to my door. Stretch your palm out, facing it, and with just a little ting, you will be able to read the words correctly…"
Griffin swallowed, about to bring his hands closer, but then he retreated. He translated the meaning behind these steps and realised the rabbit's trickery. Bringing his hands closer to the parchment, palms stretched, a sharp pain, which literally meant it will draw blood from his hands onto the parchment, indicating that he had signed the contract.
"That was a clever one... but I need you anyway. I had a quest to retrieve you, and if I were to reason according to what I have in mind formally, I wouldn't be here. I can't trust some strange note left by... I don't even know if...
"Shh!" Griffin hushed himself when he realised his voice was getting louder.
The rabbit fixed its gaze on him. "Sign it, then get out of here with some excuse... Everything will be up to me after that."
The rabbit moved its face closer to the cage with a ferocious look that almost made Griffin jump back. The parchment also drifted closer to the cage door.
Griffin sighed in haste and quickly stretched his palm towards the parchment as instructed.
A thin shadow line slit Griffin's palm, a brief sting shot through him, causing him to wince. The pain was fleeting but left a tingling sensation, a physical token of his agreement. Instead of the blood dropping to the ground, it flew, pushed by the shadows, to the parchment and adhered to it. The parchment grew dark and vanished.
A ding sound echoed in Griffin's mind and the beast's, their eyes glowed dark before returning to normal instantly, signifying the signed contract.
"Now we're done! Move it, lad!" the rabbit ordered, directing its ears towards the door.
The man had now finished with the empty cage's door.
He turned around to look at Griffin, who was pretending to be fascinated by another beast.
"Lad, don't move too close to them. They're dangerous!" he warned.
Griffin took a step back and placed a hand on his temple, feigning to remember something. He clicked his tongue, snapped his fingers twice, and rolled his eyes.
"Can I get back to you? I've just remembered that my purchase is invalid, as I've yet to acquire the amount for it..." Griffin lied, about to turn towards the door without waiting for a reply.
He added, "I would love to book this one..."
Gesturing towards another beast, sleeping peacefully in its cage. It had the face of a cat, the body of a bird with wings, sharp claws like a tiger, and green fur with spiky tails. The middle-aged man nodded at Griffin's request.
As Griffin walked to the exit, suddenly, the man halted him in his tracks. "I should have asked... how did you know about the riddle's answer and, in contrast, the existence of this place?" he inquired, a curious gaze fixed on Griffin as he slowly approached, pulling a revolver from the side of his trousers.
Griffin took a breath, quickly crafting a believable story. "My father told me about this place years ago. He said I should come here to purchase a beast that would assist me. But after he passed, I didn't have the courage to come until now. Unfortunately, I haven't gathered enough money for the purchase yet, so I'll need to collect more before I can complete the deal."
The man narrowed his eyes, still suspicious. "And who was your father?"
Before Griffin could respond, a loud cry erupted from the rabbit's cage. The sound pierced the air, drawing the man's attention. "Get out of here!" The rabbit shouted at Griffin, though the man didn't understand it.
"What's going on?" he exclaimed, rushing toward the source of the noise.
Griffin seized the moment, using his ability to vanish from sight, reappearing in the hallway just as the man knelt by the rabbit's cage, confused and concerned.
.... (1) [ I will clarify the differences between dots, specifically how many dots signify a scene change and how many dots signify a continuation of the scene. ]
Now in the hallway, Griffin smiled and rested a hand on the wall.
"Thank you, rabbit..."
He blew a gentle breath from his mouth and ran down the corridor towards the staircase. He carefully descended, avoiding the creaky wooden plank fill-in, until he reached the bottom. He then walked casually out of the building to avoid alerting anyone or drawing attention to himself.
Griffin turned off the street and headed towards Aria's place. It seemed he would arrive ahead of schedule, as the current time was 11:16 AM.
Upon arriving at Arcana Way, he rushed to the alley and knocked lightly on the door. Eleanor appeared at that exact moment, holding two paper bags in each hand, containing two large fried fish and one loaf of bread for each fish.
"Hey, Griffin. Earlier than planned?" she asked with a smile, unlocking the door with a key.
"Ah, yes! I had a few things to sort out around here, specifically in Cobblestone Lane, so instead of heading back home, I thought I'd pop in and arrive a bit earlier," Griffin replied, a cheeky grin spreading across his face.
"Looks like I'm lucky to meet you all for breakfast—I haven't even had a bite yet!"
Eleanor chuckled, handing over two of the paper bags to him while she retained the others. Griffin accepted them with a grin, inhaling the delicious aroma, and his stomach growled in response.
Oh, man. It seems I've also developed quite an appetite after this drastic change in build... no matter what I eat, hunger still lingers.
In his previous state, when he struggled with his weight, Griffin could survive on just half a piece of cheese and two cups of water for an entire day.
However, this led to malnutrition due to a lack of certain vitamins, resulting in his pale skin. But now, since his body had transformed, his appetite had never been satisfied in the same way again.
It had increased drastically, and if he wasn't careful and sensible about his eating habits, he might soon find himself spending 1,000 Gilas a day just to quell his hunger.
As Eleanor opened the door, Griffin stepped inside, noticing the emptiness of the room. A sense of quiet enveloped him, and he turned to Eleanor, with a question.
"Where are the others?" he asked, scanning the room for any sign of them.
Eleanor smiled knowingly. "You did say you wanted to know about that secret room we've been hiding. Considering that you're clever enough to figure it out, then so you shall see it."
Griffin grinned slightly as Eleanor moved towards the brick wall. She tapped a specific sequence of the brick, and with a soft click, the wall began to shift, revealing a dimly lit passage. Griffin was stunned by the craftsmanship of the hidden door.
He followed Eleanor inside, and as they ventured further, the wall closed automatically behind them, the pushed brick sliding back into place, sealing the secret door.
They emerged into a secret room where Aria, Liam, Rayden, and Kai were seated around a table. Plates and water were set down in front of each of them. Eleanor's spot was also prepared, but Griffin, the uninvited guest, had no place at the table.
Aria waved at him, while the other boys ignored his presence.
"Feel welcome!" exclaimed Aria. "Join us; there are seven seats in the room, so take a seat. I suppose you'll have to eat that without a plate…"
Griffin was momentarily captivated by the items scattered throughout the room. His eyes lingered on the gears, two wooden boxes, a cauldron, and various other tools. No natural light penetrated the room, so gas lamps flickered, casting a bright yellow glow that reflected off the side of Griffin's face, contrasting with the surrounding darkness.
Suddenly, Kai stood up from his seat and motioned for Griffin to sit down. "I'm not interested in dining, you can take my seat and plate..." he said flatly. "I need to finish that gear."
He gestured towards the second workbench, where parts lay scattered about. "It'll take me two hours."
Liam and Rayden's eyes widened in surprise. They directed their attention towards Kai, who walked over to the workbench and dragged the seventh chair from the first workbench to his side.
Crrrl!
Kai wore a pair of thick black gloves and focused intently on a small gear, its components were scattered across the bench. The gear was intricately designed, with tiny teeth around its circumference. Various tools lay within reach: a pair of pliers, a tiny screwdriver, and a set of precision files, all essential for the delicate task.
Griffin thanked Kai cheerfully and sat in the chair he had left, which was directly beside Eleanor's prepared seat.
Eleanor began sharing the food, expertly portioning out the fried fish and bread onto plates. She passed around the plates, ensuring everyone had enough to eat. As she served, Liam and Rayden focused intently on Griffin, their faces was one of dislike as always.
"Hmmm…" they seemed to think, their minds were shrouded with the notion that Griffin's presence might shorten their own rations. Griffin met their gaze, unflinching, deciding to stare back shamelessly. After a few seconds, they rolled their eyes and looked away, muttering under their breath.
"Bloody hell," Liam cursed quietly to Rayden, who nodded in agreement, both inwardly irritated.
"Morons.." Griffin cursed inwardly.
Once Eleanor finished serving and took her seat, Aria turned to Griffin, addressing the matter discussed the previous day.
"Aye, we've decided to leave out the idea of money washing… I mean laundering, since we obtained what we needed by luck later that night after you left. So now, we have a better and more legitimate path… care to know more about it? Quite profitable…"
"Hmmm…?" Griffin paused, intrigued.
[1] .... *Notation conventions*
1. Four dots (....): Continuation of the current scene.
2. Three dots (...): Scene switch to a new location or perspective.
Keep in mind that more notation conventions might come up, and I will do my best to translate them each.
Wondering how Eleanor managed to buy breakfast despite it being Worship Day?
Well, not everyone is interested in taking a break, so some notify their regular customers that they are available at home.
Consequently, customers can visit the seller or food vendor's home to buy whatever they want and pay as usual. The market, or rather their shop, operates from their apartment or room for that day.
And that's how she obtained breakfast from a food vendor.
Next week stone goal: 900 PS!