The 100 Year Old Debt #Wattys2023

Chapter XIII: Sins of the Past

3rd Moon

27th Phase

2018

2:55 pm

"Well, this sure looks homey," said sarcastically my blue friend.

"By the look of it, it seems this place has been left abandoned."

"Sure, looks like it. So, this is the place, then?"

"From the look of it, yes. The track stops on the curbside, so my guess is that they must be inside somewhere."

"That makes sense. Shouldn't we wait for Luci to join us, though? We're going to be dealing with some bad people, so it wouldn't hurt to wait for backup."

"No," I adamantly answered. "if we wait any longer, there is a chance that Mr. Facsimile and his cohorts escape before we can detain them. It would be prudent to avoid anymore damaged caused by the party. Besides, Mr. Allegro is right now finding the last pieces of evidence. If we can find him before he comes back, it will only make everything go smoothly for everyone involved in this case. So long as Mr. Allegro finds the clue needed to connect him, then it is checkmate for him."

My companion sighed.

"Guess I can't stop you when your mind is made up then, huh? I just hope we don't get into trouble by going on our own though. Raoul, make sure you have the car ready in case we have to make a run for it."

"Of course. I will be waiting here in case you need me. I pray for both your safety. Good luck."

We approached the entrance gate in a cautious manner. Upon inspection, it became evident that the lock had been tampered with, confirming that both the escapee and rescuer had gotten inside with great haste. If we were to enter, then this would be a point of no return. Not because we were breaking and entering. But because we were going to be experiencing a dangerous encounter with two cunning criminals, that clearly will do anything to escape the law. But my conviction was stronger than my fears, and so I pressed onward. Five steps ahead, however, I realized that my friend was still at the entrance, looking deadpan at me.

"Er, Okeanos? Are you alright?" I asked.

"No, nothing, just here admiring the scenery of this abandoned, decrepit house where there's a chance that the criminals might be lurking in the shadows, ready to kill! Jenny, did you think of going inside without anything to protect yourself!?"

"What do you mean? I am aware that my Guardian possesses the weapon feature. I should be fine in due time."

"In due time? Oh my, well, do you know how to activate it?"

"Voice command?"

My friend groaned as she buried her face between her hands.

"And here I thought you were going to be the cautious one, but you're just as reckless as Luci!" she cried.

"Alright, listen up! For you to use your weapon, you need to establish contact it. Simply touching your accessory is fine. After that, you have to concentrate and visualize the weapon you'll be using. For first timers, the first weapon that comes into mind will be yours when you're ready to summon it. After that, you're stuck with that, so even if you try to picture in your mind a different type of weapon it won't spawn because your Guardian can only retain one. Having a weapon as is puts maximum strain on the body, so imagine having different kinds. You'll just explode, kablooey!"

"Kablooey. I understand what you said, but you sure have a way of explaining things. Well, here goes nothing."

Closing my eyes, I concentrated on manifesting my chosen weapon. After a few seconds, I saw it: a lone semi-automatic revolver in the middle of the room. It bears a striking modern design that had hints of customized parts that seem reminiscence of things you would witness on TV space operas. It was an interesting design to say the least, however, and after some delay, I picked it up with my right hand. Suddenly I returned to where I stood, and a few flashing lights emanated from the watch that Okeanos had built for me, transforming into the same revolver that I had created in my mind.