Tread Lightly

The four of us and Dakota spend our morning together, eating and having fun. For the first time in a long time, a smile other than a grim one or one caused by fighting graces my face. It feels good. Really good. I can physically feel my body relax and my muscles rest for the first time in too long. The tension that I had forgotten even existed leaves me slowly.

Earl and I go back and forth on random topics while we try to resist Elizabeth spending most of the time playing around with her Sigil.

Her innate trait from the Sigil, the leadership properties, allows her to basically order people to do things, and they will somehow feel inclined to do it. It is not impossible, or even really difficult for that matter, to resist her words. But for something with lower intelligence than a human or for something that isn't expecting it, like Dakota, it is effortless to tell him what to do. But when she puts a lot of emotion or volume into her voice, it does become much harder to resist.

She can get the fox to do flips, roll, and even stand on one leg. Combining all three and the strip of meat she tosses him to catch afterward is hilarious. We found the best way to teach Dakota how to do things. His simply following me around definitely isn't an excellent way to learn. While she plays with him, she teaches him several orders like follow, stay, and attack. The last was primarily playful as she set him onto me, but I think her actions will be helpful later.

I wonder if this would work on other beasts with Sigils. Maybe not. I figure they at least have to be impartial, if not already, like the person that orders them to do stuff. Because if you focus directly, you can resist her order quite smoothly, and if you had already been thinking of doing something opposite to what she said, it's even easier to resist.

The feeling of being told what to do and the slight tingling in the brain kind of reminds me of Alexos' speech. Not entirely, but it does feel similar. Elizabeth can make people follow her orders, but Alexos' seems to make people obey his emotions. Weird. Maybe it's just another of his illusion shenanigans.

While we eat, I do bring up the matter of Alexos, whom I had already explained to Elizabeth while we were waiting on Earl.

"So, what do you guys think? Is Alexos telling the truth?"

Earl scoffs at my question, Elizabeth puts her hand on her chin, and Dakota just turns his head at me. Esther merely looks at all of us with wide eyes, not completely understanding what's happening.

"No way he's being honest. I mean, the man is known for his lies. I say this is just another lie. One to get us on his side before he betrays us. What happened to your paranoia, Wyatt?"

I add to what he's saying with my own ideas.

"I agree that he's probably, but for some reason, I want to believe him. He felt genuine and honest. And I don't think my kind of paranoia applies here."

Elizabeth also pitches in her two cents.

"I haven't met this man myself, but he sounds like someone trying to atone. Someone trying to become better."

Earl tries to refute both of us but is interrupted by a banging on the door. I didn't hear anyone walking up because I let go of the Ether for Listen in favor of relaxing my mind.

"You probably only felt that way because he focused his illusions on you. He probably sees you as the most important to convince for some reason. And Elizabeth, you must have not heard of this man at all. He's been a wanted criminal for years. But I guess in the end, we probably need him to defeat–"

The broken door bangs roughly as a roughed-up face with red bangs covering their eyes peers through the side of the doorway with an arm-sized hole in it. A voice follows the appearance of the face.

"I got a delivery for Earl! Johnny sent me!"

The three of us look at each other bewildered. What could Johnny be sending to us? It's not the reward for our mission, as Virgil said he'd pick that up. So, what could it be?

Elizabeth and I just watch from the chairs with Esther as Earl stands up with a shrug and goes to the door. He awkwardly opens the broken door and addresses the tall man behind it, covered in bandages.

"Uh… Yeah? What's the delivery?"

The man pulls a leather bag from behind him and tosses it to Earl. The Gambler fumbles and barely catches it before it hits the ground. The bandaged man merely turns around and walks away with a simple answer and a warning.

"From the black market. Johnny spent a pretty penny on it, and two friends died for it. See ya later."

I stand up and walk over to Earl after hearing that people died for it. And I peer around the door to see a man with red hair meeting another at the end of the hallway with the same type of hair. What does he mean by he'll see us later? I don't know, but whatever is in that bag must be unique. A Colt, Claymore, or even an artifact meant for Earl. Elizabeth follows me, and so do the other two in the world.

Quickly all of us circle around Earl as he unties to top the bag tied shut with rope strings. Alongside his movements, I ask Elizabeth about the black market; she was there after all.

"What do you think is in there, Elizabeth? You were at the black market, right?"

She jerks abruptly as she looks up at me.

"Yeah, I was there. It was kinda overwhelming, though. I'd say it's probably a weapon? There were so many Colts and Claymores there, and Johnny did send his men there for weapons, ammo, and supplies."

I nod at her answer. That makes sense. We do seem to have a limited number of Sigiled weapons. Especially stronger ones. We don't have any Coltsmiths or Craftsmans here to make them, after all. All we have in terms of crafting is Heath with his medicine and Earl with his random but limited assortment of tools and explosives.

Just as the conversation ends, Earl finally manages to open the bag. He then reaches his arm inside the dark crease before making a face that looks like he just ate shit.

"What? What's wrong?"

Earl doesn't answer; he grimaces as he pulls out what's inside.

A human foot emerges from the bag, one still dripping with blood. The foot is covered in bruises, showing that its previous owner was severely beaten or tortured before their death. Even all the toes of the foot are missing, seemingly cut off by something sharp.

All of our breaths hitch at the sight of what's inside. Elizabeth lets out a gasp and a silent scream with an open mouth. Instinctively and with a sense that what is in front of us is not a regular foot, I flow Ether into Chain Eyes.

Two things immediately come to my attention; the first is the red chains that wrap around Elizabeth in the corner of my eye. This is the first time I've used the skill on her since she gained a Sigil. It seems as though her chains focus around her neck and vocal cords.

The second thing I notice, which should have been the first, but I was looking at Elizabeth instead of the bag because of the face she made, is the color of the chains around the foot. They are lime green. The color of a 4th Sigil.

How did Johnny get a 4th Sigil artifact for Earl? And why? Does he expect him to actually be able to use it? I could barely use the Bloody Palm when I was a 2nd Sigil, and most of its effects are passive! Even now, I struggle to use the thing as it always seems to have a mind of its own. Earl is only a first Sigil, and he doesn't have skills that primarily focus on mental fortitude.

"Does Johnny expect you to use that to fight with?"

Earl shrugs and hands the foot to me.

"Hold it for a second. There was something else in the bag."

With one hand, I take the severed foot, uncomfortable and slightly disgusted. Earl then reaches back into the bag and pulls out a small piece of paper. A bit of writing that makes me palm the note Alexos gave me in my pocket. He reads the words on the paper while I stand uncomfortably with a man's foot in my hand. Thankfully, the note is short.

"I spent a small fortune on this, Earl, so I expect the fortune you give me to pay it back. Inside the artifact dwells four Sigils, with a Gambler among them. Take it as soon as possible.

-Johnny"

A few moments after Earl finishes saying the note out loud, we all just stare at the foot in surprise. Johnny bought him an artifact with his Sigil in it so that he could advance. I can't even imagine how expensive that was. Virgil and Vernon made their business on selling artifacts, and most of them were only 3rd or 4th Sigils that weren't rare. I can't imagine how much a 4th Sigil with a Gambler inside would go for.

Johnny either really cares for Earl or sees his Sigil as a crucial part of his plan. Man chooses, but fate decides, after all. If Johnny could do both, then that would give him a considerable edge over any foes. As far as I know, no one has ever taken Gambler higher than the 1st Sigil.

That's why it's an unconfirmed, just like my Philosopher. They aren't believed to have enough to go beyond that. Which I want to call bullshit on, but maybe it's true. Johnny did have to spend a shit ton of money just for this artifact with a Gambler, after all.

I congratulate Earl on his soon-to-advancement, though I warn him about taking the Sigil from an artifact.

"This is great, Earl! You have a Sigil ready whenever you can advance! You just have to be careful when you take it from the artifact; they are quite dangerous. Mine wasn't when I took from it, but the memories it showed me were overwhelming. Make sure you're in the right headspace when you do it."

Earl nods, but then he shakes his head sadly.

"Yeah, I know. It's great. The only bad part is that I'm not ready to advance. I've only had my Sigil for like a week. It normally takes a few months for someone at the 1st Sigil to gain enough resilience to Ether to move on. Not everyone is like you, Mr. Fast-Sigil. I have answered my Metaphor, though."

I feel a bit guilty as I scratch my cheek. I guess I do advance quite quickly. Three total Sigils in what, a month? Two? I think two. That's how long it would take for anyone else just to be able to go to their second. Philosopher is quite a nice Sigil for that. That's... likely the best part about it, now that I think about it.

You get almost zero combat abilities or utility skills like Earl's Shuffle he can use to bend luck, or Elizabeth's Inspire, which enhances other people with her voice. But you get the chance to move on quickly and have the capability to use more Ether. And even the 2nd Sigil is similar. Daydream is not much of a physical combat skill but excels in the mental or utility. So is the 3rd. Ironheart is once again a mental skill with some utility.

My only true combat potential comes from my Absolution, but I figure that Struggler is meant to give a form of Strugglers Defiance based on when it was provided. Only makes sense for that one to be able to loosen chains even without an Absolution, and my Absolution was focused on this Sigil, after all.

So, not getting a skill that helps with physical combat until the 3rd Sigil is quite crippling in most cases, but the ability to progress instantly is a massive boon. It's not a bad tradeoff; I do merely wish I had some more flashy skills. Something as incredible as Vernon's bombs of light or Virgil's Necrosis. Hell, if Virgil could just teach me that silent bullet thing, I'd be satisfied.

Earl speaks up again as he takes the foot from me and puts it back in the bag.

"Best to put this thing away if we learned anything from the Bloody Palm. We can just keep it until I'm ready."

I nod in agreeance, and so does Elizabeth.

"Sounds like a plan. Though, I do feel bad for Johnny and his men. Two people died, and I'm sure a bunch of money was spent, but you can't even use it now."

Earl shrugs and puts his hands up.

"Yeah, well, that's just how things go sometimes. Although, it's not impossible for me to use it. I've got an idea of how to get around the Ether resistance requirement, but I'm not willing to test it on myself quite yet. Nor do I have the supplies for it."

His words pique my interest. What does he mean by getting around a requirement for advancement? Can you even do that? I thought they were set in stone and impossible to evade. And why would he need supplies?

"What do you mean, Earl? What's your idea?"

Earl points at me and educates me on his idea.

"Thought of it from seeing you fight Darkstep. The Concoctions that cleared your body out of Ether while also increasing your resistance to her Ether. Concoctions are also known to slightly increase the user's saturation limit. Probably by pushing them back and forth from the edge. I figure if I take a Concoction before I advance, I could skip part of the process of gaining resistance slowly by artificially gaining it a moment before advancement."

The idea kind of makes sense. It's thought that you need a higher resistance to Ether because the flow of Ether that comes from advancing would kill you during and after the process of gaining a new Sigil. But there is a second that Virgil hinted to me that something disastrous can also happen inside The Cabin. Something that changes you forever. You could get around that by artificially boosting your resistance with a Concoction. But wouldn't that have a side effect of some kind? I feel like it must.

I bring it up to him.

"Wouldn't it have some kind of side effect? It just doesn't feel right that it lets you get around it. Everything has a price, y'know."

Earl nods at me as he walks back to the chairs and sits down. He sets down the bag behind the chair as he talks.

"Probably. It'd likely be something like having less Ether I can use. My saturation would likely just be at the level where I wouldn't kill myself using a small amount of Ether. Maybe I could offset it by taking Concoctions here or there."

Again, his ideas make sense in theory, but I worry about how they will actually go into practice.

"You could do that, but Concoctions aren't something to play with. Not to mention how expensive they are. The syringes of black are like living hell to endure. I'd rather get stabbed a hundred times than take another one."

The only thing Earl has to say to that is, "Oh…."

A slight pause ensues before Elizabeth cuts in.

"How about we talk about some happier things?"

Earl and I both agree. We are supposed to be resting, not thinking of ways to get stronger.

"Sure."

"Sure."

We sit on the chairs and forget about the artifact being delivered for just a little while. Elizabeth keeps the conversation going with mundane questions that keep us distracted. She even manages to get Esther to talk a few times, causing her to break out of her silent shell.

"What's your favorite color, Wyatt?"

"Bright Red. What about yours?"

Elizabeth answers my return question and looks over to Esther.

"Any kind of purple. Esther? What about you?"

The little girl responds with a cute jump in her chair at being included in the conversation.

"Pink!"

"Awe, isn't that cute. We'll get you some pink stuff soon, then; how about that?"

"Yes, please."

Elizabeth then turns back to me, subtly skipping Earl as she smiles a mischievous grin at me.

"What about your hat, Wyatt? When did you get that? It looks expensive if a bit weathered."

I go to answer her, but Earl interrupts me before I even start.

"What about me? My favorite color is green!"

Elizabeth and I laugh at his outburst, and Esther joins in after a few chuckles. Earl's face gets noticeably annoyed, but I move on from the subject before he can press it.

"I got it from my late teacher, Edmund. He wore it all the time."

"Did he give it to you?"

"Not exactly; I took it from his grave…."

An awkward silence comes after I admit it wasn't given to me, but Elizabeth recovers the situation.

"Oh, well, I'm sure he'd want you to have it. He must have cared about you a lot if he was willing to teach you about Ether."

"Yeah. He sure did."

Elizabeth rapidly turns the conversation to lighter topics once more.

"So, Earl, have you learned anything recently for your alchemy? I remember you telling me that you have a combination of explosives and a mixture that can cause smoke to try. Did you ever get the chance?"

I give Earl a glance as I realize what she's saying. That fucker had never put together the smoke or used the explosives! He acted like he knew exactly what he was doing! I trusted him so much, but he hadn't tested anything he used. I even vouched for him to Virgil!

He sees my death stare on him and awkwardly laughs as he answers her.

"Yeah, I did. It turns out that the strong vibrations from explosions make the mixture ignite even faster, creating huge billows of smoke. It worked amazing at blocking line of sight, even more than I thought it would. The next step is for me to find a way to put it in bottles you can break and get smoke from. Blocking line of sight where you want it is vital when fighting."

Earl then puts his head on his chin as his thoughts and eyes drift to the ceiling.

"That, and if I can also find a way to put dynamite in a more throwable form, that could…."

Earl goes off on his own little ramblings by whispering to himself as Elizabeth, and I smile at each other. I can't be mad at him for what he did. It worked, after all. His ideas always have. Even his Concoction one probably will too.

The rest of the day rapidly flies by, the five of us just spending time in the room. We're only interrupted once by the owner coming and fixing the doorway toward the end of the evening. During this, we go out and eat in the main room, which also acts as a dining room. The main room is packed full of people who are drunk and enjoying themselves before the fight to come.

The lax atmosphere, despite the coming literal storm, makes my tense muscles fully relax for the first time since I left home. A man is even playing folk music on a guitar in the corner of the dining room.

The food actually seems to sate the neverending hunger of the Bloody Palm, although I do have to eat far too much, further dwindling our money supply. I try to ignore that as I enjoy the lack of hunger. It has been a while since I haven't felt a pang of hunger every few seconds. It feels… nice.

I lean back on the chair, just watching Earl scribble on napkins. Elizabeth and Esther play with Dakota and her other baby foxes that she takes everywhere. At this point, I dunno how they're even alive. The little buggers have been through quite a long, not as much as their siblings, but still a lot.

I don't care, though. I just take in the happiness while it lasts. It feels like something unwinds deep in my mind as emotions begin to well up within me. Lost emotions that were shoved down in favor of action. So many tears start coming to my eyes before I can even blink.

But before I can truly enjoy this evening's dinner and feel what's locked up within me, a man with a long bolt action rifle on his back bursts through the door of the hotel. He looks around the room for a moment before locking eyes with me.

Immediately he walks over to me, but instead of being loud and obnoxious like you'd expect from a messenger, he gets up close and whispers into my ear.

"Johnny needs you. Right now. You and Earl. The demon is near.."