So many questions rose in his mind but he did not find it necessary to question momentary as he set foot on The Jester, a huge portrait beneath his feet of a faceless man in tight dark blood pants, his shoes boots yellow and pointy, the top he wore was of varying vibrant colors, similar to his hat which was tri-pointed, a bell engraved on each tip.
But the most memorable detail despite all the vibrant coloring and dressing was the jester's arm, or it had a wooden texture with vines extending all over the portrait, which also made a label towards the bottom with "The Jester" itched into it.
What happ- huh? Beneath the glowing blue circular table was an endless abyss but from that abyss began rising rubbles and threads that sewed them together, making a path to the west shown in the compass.
The walk stopped just with the stone pathway, leaving it before it finished. I wonder where that leads…
He took several steps towards the unfinished bridge, imagining he still has the power to float. And upon reaching the cliff, he contemplated whether he should try to walk forward or not but in the end, curiosity took over and he cast one foot, still thinking if he should do it. "Mr. Soliraine!" Lucille's voice in his mind startled him and he accidentally cast the other, floating on air for a mere second before plummeting down.
Walker's fall was endless, like falling into infinity. And no matter how far he felt himself going down, the circular platform he thought was a table did not get any further than it was, then Walker questioned if he was actually falling.
Suddenly, ribbons of several different colors wrapped around him, covering every inch of his body. And when it finally was removed, he returned to the real world and saw Lucille continuously panting.
He heard the door open below and immediately stood up and went to the entrance of the roof, near the ladder that led him to his apartment was an old man in police uniform and hat, his stomach was rounder and bigger than a pregnant woman. His face was also round, a stack of birds and a smile that made anyone who engaged with him even in small talk trust him, he was a kind old man.
"What are you up to up there, boyo?" He asked, his usual smile there.
Walker dryly laughed and responded, "Be right there!"
In just a single day, Walker had seen so much of the unknown that even the arrival of a policeman made him worry but even then, he imagined it couldn't be that bad.
After telling Lucille to stay put momentarily on the roof, Walker descended the ladder and closed the hatch.
Lucille bent and hugged her knees, the ceiling had four walls that were tall enough to hide Lucille who sat on the ground.
She forgot to thank Walker for buying her clothes but also forgot the gloves he bought him so the only thing that warmed her hand was the other and her soft skirt that was smooth as a cat's fur.
I wonder what card Mr. Soliraine was ordained, it would certainly be more work for me if it's anything higher than a card of 5 but…
Lucille let out a tired breath and looked at the palm of her hand, red as autumn leaves due to the cold. I wonder how much time I have left… hold out for me, brother.
As she started to feel herself comfortable, almost drifting off, she heard noises coming from below. Lucille was curious as a cat so she bent her upper body to the right and started eavesdropping.
"Well ain't you ladies man, bet your wife gets jealous, ay Henry?" Walker chuckled, Lucille could feel his pretentiousness even through the wall.
The old man Henry laughed in response then bang! Slammed the mug on the table, "That old bag won't even look at me twice now, let alone envy. The sourness of this drink reminds me of her." Once more, he guffawed.
When he finally calmed down, he rotated the cup and made the handle face him, an old habit of his.
"What even is this drink? It looks like milk but it sure is sour, a good kind of course."
Walker chuckled again, "It's a Melancolin cow's breast milk."
It all dawned upon old man Henry, his entire face reddened and he looked no different to a tomato. One look and it'd look like fumes would escape both of his ears. It was a matter of time when he'd throw up but his eloquence made him hold back.
Walker laughed, this time genuinely. "It's just buttermilk though, I just added lemon juice in it."
Henry swallowed every bit that he almost threw up and took a deep breath, "Don't fool me like that! You know I hate those things."
Melancolin cows were often transported from the Kingdom Of Alkebulan, its milk would be produced into various goods but also had fuelable components while also being good for consumption.
"Well, I'll be off." Henry blurted, stood up and put his police hat over his balding head that only had portions of white hair on each side and none in the middle.
"Goldenfoot awaits you in the Relené Mansion, be there or else he'll just leave."
Walker rolled his eyes, "Understood… what a day."
Henry was almost out of the door when he decided to ask, "Have you seen Miss Lucille by the way?"
Lucille's heart skipped a beat then its speed increased, a few seconds of quiet passed and Walker finally responded, "Don't think so, Sidric's the only one I've met the past few days."
"Right." Henry stopped looking over his shoulder and stepped out, "Just inform if you know anything." The door closed.
Lucille felt a sense of relief surging over her. She lifted herself off the ground, leaning on the wall with her collar clutched. That was close!
Thud!
The hatch slammed on the ground, clinging a few times before staying still. Walker's head emerged from the lower floor, looking like the pale moon emerging from a stormy night.
"Come on down, Elizabeth." His head went down with his descent from the ladder.
Lucille looked around but found no Elizabeth, then the realization came that SHE was Elizabeth. Has Mr. Soliraine forgotten my name? Or did I actually call myself Elizabeth by mistake… May my soul rest as well as yours, Mother Munlearé.
She exhaled and descended down the ladder skillfully, she was well self-trained for it. After countless trials and errors, she could drop from high on the ladder and break her speed and fall without harm but for now, her elegance needed to remain intact.
Afterwards they sat down to discuss everything that occurred in the strange dimension. Walker was in no hurry as the given time was always early since Golden loved to take his time to get to a place and besides, the thing with the Jester confused him.
The card game called Tash was very popular in the Euphorian Kingdom where the Wainwright Settlement was to the point that other kinds of card based games were nonexistent to the average person.
In Tash, everything was useful besides the Jester which couldn't be amounted to any number so it couldn't be stacked into a total number, hence making it pointless to have but even so, all sold decks contained them for some strange reason.
"You actually saw The Jester!? Are you sure?" Lucille exclaimed, aghast. She'd heard many incidents such as this but never seen them and not all tales are pleasant.
Walker, who laid his neck on his couch's head rest, stood up and concentrated. "Yes. Is that a problem?"
"I'm not sure… what I've heard would not please you—no, anyone."
Walker chuckled, "Can't be worse than all your friends being mutilated in the span of 5 months. Just go ahead."
Lucille reluctantly nodded and commenced, "The Jester—more so known as the wild card is a rare case of awakening that has happened only a few times in history,"
"Am I that special?" Walker foresaw the change in Lucille's tale but figured a joke could lighten up the mood but to his usual luck—it didn't.
"Not in a way one would prefer." She clasped her hands and rubbed them together, the effect of the cold still remnant on her skin.
"All those that were ordained that card went missing… Every. single. one." The mood became heavy like a butcher's sack with a carcass.
"The high scholars of the Kingdom say that they are The Heirs to Nekhlmoun and their Father invites them to his palace to plan the ruin of the world so hunters from all eras since the Waterfall Of Separation are permitted to eliminate them."
To him, her story was interesting at the very least but every story had a flaw and this one didn't even try to hide it. "The hunters were permitted to eliminate them, right? If so, how much was the bounty?"
Lucille nodded then tilted her head with a puzzled expression. "A bounty?
Walker raised his index finger and tapped his temple twice as he stated, "The reward put on a head, that's what a bounty is."
"I see… It was a reward of either joining nobility or being the head or a respected part of an established guild of choosing."
"There you go." Walker raised his chin, shrugged and crossed his arms as laid his neck back where it was and put one leg over the other.
Not long after, he extended his hand to the ceiling, the bulging veins on the back of his hand a proof of the mastery of his craft. He imagined the starry sky beyond cover and the large moon that shined over them.
"Not strange to assume that the cause of their sudden disappearance were the higher ups. No one just goes poof! And disappears, m'lady, they get disposed of."
He stood up and walked towards his drawers beneath the framed weaponry.
I never thought of it but it does make sense, just announcing them missing keeps the threat more alert and the rewards higher, having every ruffian in line with the law. But even so, wouldn't that decrease the trust in the council? Lucille tried to draw an answer but her attempt failed like an old machine.
Meanwhile, Walker drew out a dagger from his collection and roughly grinded the index finger of his hard right hand on the sharp tip of the dagger, tilting it left and right as he looked at Lucille with the corner of his eye.
"I'm only targeted if I'm exposed right?" The room fell silent, not even the wind dared make a sound, Walker's glare hardening as the seconds passed.
Lucille panicked but didn't have the luxury of showing it.
"You wouldn't happen to be a nark, would you?"