2.5

“Excuse me”

Eikichi opens the door to find a normal looking establishment. He then enters and sit down on the stool at the counter casually. When the man looks out everyone is still outside, on edge. Johann has his hand on the naginata, ready to strike.

“Hm, what’s wrong with them?”

“Perhaps they have more common sense than you, mate”

Answered the stranger sitting next to him, who stands out like a sore thumb compare to the rest. A person of considerable stature, the man is cladded in black modern body armour with the flag on his shoulder ripped out. His entire head is covered by a cloth hood completed with an Avon S10 gas mask, although the eyes are complete darkness.

“Talk about common sense, how are you going to drink like that”

“Well, ya better keep yer eyes peeled then”

“I wouldn’t mind seeing that” Eikichi looks at the shot brought in front of him. The bald man emptied the glass without a second thought. When he turns back, the stranger has finishes his shot. The remaining summoned and Johann can’t even see when he did that.

The stranger flips down his glass, musing “I heard a lot of good thing about you from Six” He then turns to the rest “C’mon in, stop lollygagging about”

Frowning, Johann enters the building and sit on the other side of the stranger. Not wanting to show her hesitation, Doraemon waltz in through Eikichi. Without even batting her eyelid, the girl drives a six-inch blade straight into the stranger nape. The man head falls onto the shot glass, breaking it into pieces.

With her face still as stone, the girl swipes the body onto the floor and sits in his place. She gazes at the place owner who is only slightly surprise, as if he and every other guests here can’t comprehend what has transpired.

“A shot, please”

Hearing those word makes the gear in the owner turns again and in a few seconds, a new glass is slide her way.

Everyone returns to their business, none of them really understand what it is to be killed or to die. To the citizen of Eden, there is only expiring when their 50 years are up. The man on the floor? He will probably get up soon, perhaps the festival has gotten to him?

Meanwhile, Fleur and Jim look on in horror. They don’t know which is more repulsive, the fact a girl they know killed with less effort than wiping a slight stain, or if nobody here acts as if there is a man murdered in this establishment. They are pushed in by other customers who have been waiting for long enough. Fleur nearly even trips on the body.

“What is that for” Said Johann, the only other person to acknowledge what has transpired

“That guy shouldn’t have act so suspicious” The girl answered callously.

Of course, Doraemon takes pride in being above her primitive members of the Beast of England. Unlike them, the girl kills with more reason than looking at her wrong… depend on the mood.

Doraemon finds herself not thinking about that guy at all, which isn’t out of the ordinary. But her mind is filled with other questions that are wholly foreign. They are of Eikichi’s reaction, or more like the lack of one. A simple sigh, that’s all. And no, that stranger wasn’t totally killed to incite any sort of reaction from the bald man at all.

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Perhaps, that guy is still alive somehow, Doraemon darts her eyes back.

Lo and behold, he is really sitting up, crackling his neck. But for some reason, Eikichi seems surprise about that. Doraemon is so confused that the girl completely ignores the fact that someone she killed came back to life.

“Oi, that hurt, ya know” The stranger said grumpily as he stands back up, crackling his neck.

He walks to Doraemon and sits down… Wait, the girl is shocked to find the stranger sitting where she was supposed to be. But now she is next to him with Johann even further away. Inside her head, the numbers are run through a small computer. The distance she had walked, the size of this building the number of stools and space between them. There is a discrepancy.

This guy uses illusion, he is probably the one that created the dome around their dwelling.

But how does he apply his power? From his get-up it can be seen that the power is manifest through hallucinogenic gas, but it doesn’t add-up. His gas mask is one that was discontinued by the British way before Doraemon is even born and there doesn’t seem to be any sign of jury-rigging. The girl nose, meanwhile, is state of the art. It took her quite a bit of effort to imprison and force one of the world leading military designer to make the thing. Her nose can filter better than any gas mask, especially the kind of vintage the stranger is wearing.

Hm, the dome, which Doraemon isn’t sure a product of this stranger…

Her thought is interrupted by a single word, magic.

This world runs on logic that she, infuriatingly, hasn’t fully grasped yet. What a cop out. Still, from what she has seen, there is order in the system. All it takes is a crafty mind.

“Anyway, back to business” A shot glass seemingly appear in his hand “I am simply a passer-by, you can call me… hmm… how about Lock. That sound about right”

“Then what business do you with us then, Lock” Said Johann as he flips over his empty glass.

“Straight to the point eh, I like that. Well, me and Six and many others are soldiers under what you call the False Shephards. Our job, is to overthrow the Divines” Lock said most casually.

Contrary to Doraemon’s belief, Johann doesn’t immediately flip the bar over then jumps on the stranger. But she can see that he is trying to hold back from doing just that.

“Tell me something I don’t know yet” The young warrior replied. Doraemon is now really regretting sitting in between the two now. Lock looks past her straight at Johann eyes, or at least that what it seems like. Who can tell what is going on behind the black glasses.

In a blink of an eyes, Doraemon finds herself staring at nothing. Lock put down his empty shot next to Johann. The young warrior turns to find a combat knife on the bar right next to his hand. The stranger picks up the weapon, spinning it around in his hand.

“I guess there is no need to explain how easy it is to put ya’ll under the ground. That’s what I would have done, but the thing is, Six is different, he is nice lad you see. So he has an ultimatum for you, lucky!”

“Speak”

“If you can give me your word that none of you will hinder our activity in any way. Then Six’s team won’t even touch a strand of your hair. That’s it, he believes you are man of your word, are you, Johann von Brandt?”

“Yes. But I don’t see you, Lock, mentioned in that deal”

“Hm, don’t worry. It’s not my mission to terminate you, I am just a messenger. In fact, I will be leaving Saragarhi very soon. So, what do you say about this?”

Without a single moment of contemplation, a single moment for though. Johann answers loud and clear “I humbly decline”

“Wait a bit!” Fleur, who has been listening in, interject “Doesn’t this concern all of us. Maybe we should… talk about this a bit”

“No” Johann answered coldly “If you are not happy about this, death will send you back to wherever you come from. I can give a hand if you want to”

Fleur slowly sits back down. Jim was going to say something, but he remains silent. If he is sent back then all that await a sinner like him is hellfire.

Lock stands back up and prepares to leave “Ah, Six won’t be happy about all the bloodshed that is to come. Anyway, since this will be the last time we meet I bid you all adieu” But before he leaves, the stranger turns to Doraemon “Oh and about you Ms. Rita, oh wait it’s Doraemon now, geez you have too many names. I just want to say I am a big fan of your series. Too bad the movies are all bollock, hah”

Hearing that sends a slight shock through Doraemon’s body. It’s uncanny suddenly having someone referenced a part of her life like that. And for that guy to know she is the ghost-writer called Rita.

Lock outfit is no longer used by the SAS when Doraemon was born. But the girl can’t focus on the stranger origin. No a tingling fear return, one that has been hidden all this time but still present nonetheless. Now here it is, whispering into her ears words of despair.

The girl downs her shot. It will be alright, it is just this guy, just him and nothing else…

That wasn’t a reassurance, it’s was more of a prayer.

Meanwhile, Johann prepares to leave as well. It is only prudent to inform the others that they are now at war with a simply superior force.