Bethel walked under the now darker purple sky, walking through the town. He was wearing dark clothes, a long sleeved shirt and black pants. In human society such clothes would make you a target of attention, in the underworld no one cared. Afterall, devils have a very wide sense of fashion.
It was night, yet there was no major difference compared to the day. Rather, the number of devils seemed to have increased rather than decreased.
Bethel could see many devils, both male and female, walking towards the red light district. Heh, the red light district of the underworld was slightly different from the one in the human world.
You see, in the human world brothels were placed far away because of social reasons. Since you know, many people might not visit a store next to a brothel.
But in the underworld, brothels have their own district not because of that, but rather to attract their clientele. A brothel in the underworld is like a restaurant, each one has its own specialties catering to all sorts of kinks and fetishes.
Bethel had not gone to a brothel in both lives, but he would visit the red light district from time to time whenever he had money. Specifically, to eat.
Just the thought made him salivate. The burger place next to the Scissor Net needed to be graced by his presence. Right after this.
For some reason, all the best food spots are in the red light district. Weird, and kinda annoying but good food is good food. For the sake of good food Bethel would be willing to commit some lesser war crimes, much less enter a mere red light district.
Though currently, considering his financial situation he went past the entrance to the pleasure district and walked towards the train station.
He has not stolen anything from anyone in this town, and he never would. 'Don't shit where you eat', was made for a reason, and he had no desire to not listen to the wisdom of the ancients.
Bethel entered the station and went directly towards the ticket counter.
"Uh, Zaratul, going to visit your aunt again?" the ticket clerk greeted him with a smile. He was relatively good-looking.
"Hey Dan, how's the husband?" Bethel greeted him, though Bethel had given him a false name, he had a good relationship with the man.
"Oh you know, the usual. Can you believe that asshole went to the Meat Locker without me? And when I caught him the bastard had the audacity to give me puppy eyes.." the clerk ranted as he accepted Bethel's money and gave him a ticket.
"Sheesh." Bethel shook his head in sympathy, "Cant say i relate, but clearly you need to have a tracking spell engraved."
The clerk's eyes widened, Bethel felt that if he was in a cartoon the man would have a lightbulb light up above his head, "Why didn't I think of that!?"
"Heh, see ya dan."
"See you Zaratul."
Bethel was not worried that the clerk would realize that Zaratul was Bethel, or for people to think that Bethel was Zaratul. Honestly bethel wondered why he chose such an odd name like Zaratul, he feels a mysterious affinity with the name that simply popped into his mind.
One reason is that Bethel did not have many close companions. The second was, he had used some makeup to slightly alter his face. Also, he was currently wearing baggy clothes, while as bethel he would wear form fitting ones.
'Makeup… I don't remember ever learning such a thing, yet here I am being incredibly skilled at it.' Bethel placed the thought away. His actions, skills and his memories. There was a severe disorder to it. Thinking about it would only cause him to panic, so he would wait until he gets some more information.
The System, or the Path… Bethel was sure that the answers to all his questions were tied to it. He was currently rank 9, which should be the lowest rank, so he would need to become a rank 5, rank 4, or Rank 2 to understand exactly what happened to him.
Bethel walked with a whistle. He wondered how much Lilums he would earn, last time he went he earned 2640 Lilums, which was also his highest record. Maybe he could break the record?
Bethel showed no nervousness as he sat waiting for the train. He had done this a few times already. While seated, he adjusted the feather made of grey metal. It was his greatest reliance, and the reason he actually went into theft.
[Thieving Brooch
Grade 4 Sealed Artifact
Ability: [Agile Hands] – Increases the stability and flexibility of hands and wrist.
Downside: Gives the holder the urge to steal, if the urge isn't indulged it will become stronger. Also gives the holder random weak urges, such as wearing monocles.]
The ability was one of the many reasons why Bethel had so easily gotten into tailoring. He was sure that if he had to train his hands for months to gain the dexterity needed, it would be more bother than worth. 'I wouldn't quit, but I would definitely be complaining more.'
Though the downside of this 'Sealed Artifact'–which is really suspicious, why is it called sealed? What is it sealing? Sometimes Bethel wonders if this thing would transform into a giant monster and eat him in the middle of the night. But he also can't remove it, because of a fear that it might grow legs and run away. The word sealed made him fear the day it would be unsealed.
Yet, he was still using it. Ignoring his reasonable fear, Bethel dared to use it. Not out of some misplaced confidence, but merely a gamble. Not to mention that it gave him an excuse to steal other than the reason being too lazy to find work.
Did he feel bad? Not really, it wasn't like he was targeting devils who were poor, no he would always target those who looked pretty well off.
Swoosh! The train arrived, the sounds of it stopping broke Bethel from his thoughts. The train clanked as it stopped, the doors opening upwards, letting passengers go out and others to come in.
The train looked like an exact replica of those old trains, the ones that ran on coal, or steam. Though this train would only facilitate travel between towns, to enter cities there are specialised trains.
Bethel really didn't care, this method was the only way for low-class and mid-class devils to travel between towns and cities. The underworld had no planes.
Stepping into the train, he placed his ticket on to the scanner, the devil standing next to it nodded when it lit up green. He entered the compartment and sat on a seat next to a window without other passengers.
He checked his ticket, he bought one for Dopal town, which was five stops away. But he wasn't going to exit there, rather his true destination was Corak town, which was two stops away from Dopal.
The plan wasn't complicated, he would simply exit at Corak station, telling the conductor he had missed his stop because he had fallen asleep. He would need to pay an additional fee, one to cover the original cost of the ticket to Corak, the other for the conductor.
Truly a Devil's greed is useful, the conductor would have to keep his mouth shut about Bethel, since if he spoke, he would have to share his "Bribe" with others. The downside is that he would need to pay more.
Leaning against the window, Bethel thought of the abilities the next rank would give him. Since his current rank is called Apprentice, maybe rank 8 will be master? Or Adept? Wonder what kind of abilities that would grant him.
Will he be able to phase through other things?
Although [Door Opening] was an amazing ability, it had weird limitations, as if it worked on a logic alien to his. Conventional logic stated that if he could phase through walls, he must also be able to phase through floors as well.
That was sadly not the case. The ability was limited, one the "Wall" he would phase through couldn't be smaller than him. He can't phase through a wall half his size. The wall also cannot be too thick, then it would cause the ability to fizzle out. He also cannot phase through floors, or walls that are too slanted.
Also, he needs to extend his hand before he can phase through a wall or door.
'The ability seemed to work on its own logic, I can feel that if I could understand this logic, everything will make sense.' Bethel contemplated as he gazed at the scenery outside the window. He could see the land before him blur as the train sped past them.
Unconsciously, Bethel focused his gaze at the moon. The pale moon, though visually there seemed to be no difference between it and the one in his memories, he could always feel that something was missing.
'Heh, a crimson moon would look nice.'
…
An old man with grey hair and beard held a crystal sword with both hands. The man had a solemn expression.
Kaleidoscopic lights danced through the room, his eyes gazed at something beyond mortal comprehension. Suddenly the man stopped, breaking out of his concentration.
He looked thoughtful before he let out a chuckle.
"Heh, of course." The old man shook his head, a smirk plastered on his face, "How could he simply let himself get killed like that without having an arrangement." The white haired old man shook his head.
Though 'His' arrangements seemed to have encountered some problems, it is not too bad.
The Old man took out a pocket watch from his breast pocket, flipping it open and he calculated it.
"4 Months, give or take a few weeks." he placed it back, he stared at the pale moon with his lips curled upwards, in his eyes that seemed to shine with the light of the Kaleidoscope. He saw a boy wearing an oversized outfit, his black hair cut short. His eyes gazing at the moon with longing, though deep down there seemed to be some aversion to it.
"I'll see you soon."
Zeltrech, the old man of the jewels, tapped his table. "I should lend some help. Maybe at rank Seven? It would be the time he would be under the greatest threat before becoming rank 4."
A world where the influence of the moon is either powerful and benevolent, or weakened either due to being sealed, or damaged.
There are quite a few worlds that come to mind. Zeltrech summoned an old book, it appeared in his desk in a flash of light. Its pages turned automatically, showing coordinates and brief descriptions.
He searched for worldlines where the concept of "Moon" has been weakened, or worldlines where there was a negotiable entity holding authority over it.
6-003
Beings called pokemon coexist with humans…humans in this world are more physically stronger and they have empathic powers…they are separated into different ranks, normal and legendary. Legendary pokemon are technically gods…Cresselia has a connection to the moon being called the "Lunar" pokemon ruling over good dreams…Sogaleo and Lunala hold some authority over the sun and moon…
6-054
A world where the natives actualize the soul and turn into an armour...The moon of that world was shattered by Divine influences…There seemed to have been signs of magic in the past…
7-005
The Natives of the world seemed to have combined their spiritual energy with their vitality, giving birth to an energy that has lost the ability to connect to Mystery, but is easier to command and mold the energy…The moon in this world seems to have been artificially made, it is simply a bunch of rocks that acts as a prison…
9-007
A world where "Martial Artists" are the norm, using their life force to battle, calling it Ki…the moons in this universe have had their conceptual weight lowered to almost nothing due to how much they are being destroyed…
The pages flipped fast and the book closed with a thud.
Zeltrech was lost in thought. He had around sometime before the deadline he set for himself. If he wanted bethel to participate in the grail war, he would need to help him gain the blessing of a moon deity, or… there might be a better choice. Inspiration struck, causing him to contemplate.
It was unorthodox, yet it might be the best method.
He tapped his fingers in rhythm, Zeltrech needed to think about this idea a bit more. Hopefully, this Bethel still holds a bit of his original charm, it would make his job easier.
"The Holy Grail war… if he comes, it might be worth observing."
…
Bethel exited Corak station 100 Lilums poorer. The total cost of the ticket was 50 Lilums, and he had to pay 50 as a bribe for him to ignore his mistake.
Technically, if bethel paid 20 more Lilums for the price difference between tickets, it should have been enough. But how could a devil not jump at the opportunity for some extra cash.
He couldn't help but feel helpless, money is something you can never have enough of. If he is unable to "earn" enough he might be forced to cry.
He was wearing his hood up, and had a face mask that covered the bottom part of his face. Bethel was being careful.
With his makeup applied, though he looked much different from his regular appearance, Bethel made sure to keep his head down.
Theft is not a major crime in the underworld, more of a misdemeanour, especially unless you steal from a noble. But, it is something that can make enemies. Devils are different from humans.
A human may report to the police, while devils would try to deal with it themselves. So if he was caught, he would have to run.
All the precautions he took were not for the fear of authorities, if the bureau of internal affairs really wanted to find him, it would be easy. No, what Bethel is hiding from is his victims.
Let's say that Devils when motivated are very stubborn.
Bethel walked around town, mapping it out. He noticed a dumpster, the sides of it were taller than him. Bethel noted it. He also memorized the alleyways, to make a quick getaway.
He spent the entire night doing this. Afterall, a magician never performs unprepared.
After doing this, Bethel went and booked a cheap inn for two days. He intentionally found a room at the bottom floor which was placed at the side. A room through which he can enter and exit the building with a simple door opening, with none the wiser.
The room he bought was cheap, only costing 20 Lilums per night, thus for 2 days he spent 40 Lilums. Now he has only 60 Lilums left.
Bethel looked at the window, his reflection stared back. He was wearing a grey haired wig, and had now completed his transformation. He even wore shoes that made him an inch taller.
Nodding to himself, Bethel left the room. He used door opening on the wall, and phased through the room wall and exited into the side alley. Exiting, he searched around for his targets.
He spread his senses, all the devils around him were low-class. Thank Satan for that. Looking around, Bethel found a suitable target a few metres away.
Bethel walked towards a slightly more crowded area. There were two devils who seemed to be in the middle of a conversation. He accidentally tripped, knocking on to one of the devils, then at that exact moment his hands like vipers quick and silent took the wallet.
He staggered and righted himself. "Sorry my bad," with a slight nod, he continued walking.
"Hold it brat!" the devil he knocked into yelled, his hand clasping his shoulder.
Bethel turned, his eyes narrowed, "What do you want?"
The Devil snorted, "I wasn't born yesterday brat, and you were way too obvious. Give me my wallet."
The surrounding devils looked in interest. Some briefly stopped, standing at the tiptoes to watch the show, others seemed to curse themselves for not bringing popcorn, and others couldn't care less and walked away, ignoring the commotion.
"I didn't steal your wallet."
The devil snorted, "Please. You are 300 years too early from stealing from me." His eyes seemed to glow as he applied more pressure on his shoulder, "Now give me back my wallet!"
Bethel was calm, ignoring the devil who seemed ready to commit murder at the drop of the hat. "Check, if I really stole your wallet, it would be with me, but if I hadn't, it would be with you."
The devil gritted his teeth, though his other hand unclenched and unconsciously patted where his wallet was, "You think you can run away after stealing my mon-huh." the devil patted his pocket, putting his hand inside he fished out his wallet.
"H-how, I felt your hands!" the devil taking a step back opened his wallet, and counted every bill. "It's all here." he whispered, then looking around realising the crowd he coughed embarrassedly. "Hehe, my mistake. Sorry for accusing you." the devil quickly apologized, his earlier wrath scattering like mice in the face of a lion.
Bethel scrunched his eyebrows, angrily shouting "You think you can just accuse me of being a thief and walk away! Do you think I am that easy? You bastard!"
The devil now seemingly out of gas shrunk his head, he gave Bethel a 10 Lilum bill and walked away. Bethel also turned away angrily, which caused him to knock against another devil.
"Watch where you are going you little shit." Bethel growled at the devil and stomped as he walked away.
While he had a look of anger on his face, internally he was giggling like a loon. His scheme worked once again.
What Bethel did, was when he intentionally tripped and knocked onto the devil, he noticeably patted the devil's pocket with one hand, and the other hand quickly targeted the wallet of his companion. And then when he turned around after that he stole from the second the devil he knocked against as well.
Bethel took the money and threw the wallets away. Bethel began running at full speed. He was already diving into an alleyway when he heard the yelling behind him.
"Stop you piece of shit!" The devil he knocked second came running.
Bethel entered the alleyway, it was a dead end, bethel stretched his hand in front and phased through the alleywall. After which he continued running.
Phasing through another couple walls, he escaped pursuit. Panting, Bethel slowed down as he removed his shirt and then turned it inside out and wore it. The outside was black and the inside was grey. Devils gave him looks as he was wearing his clothes inside out, but it was more out of curiosity.
Counting the bills, he gained 340 Lilums plus the 10 Lilums the man gave him. And then the second one gave him 130 Lilums.
With a single theft, he more than doubled his wealth. He couldn't help but sigh at how easily it was to get money when you are ready to have your hands dirty.
Murder and arson brings wealth; repairing bridges and roads grant nameless graves. It was truly an apt saying, if Bethel were to work it would take a few days for him to earn a 100 Lilums, yet he earned it by stealing in a few hours after he entered town.
He shuffled quietly as he walked, wondering how long he would continue this lifestyle. He wasn't someone who would usually think of his future. He would rather worry about the present. But seeing how that man chased him like a man possessed, made him wonder… were those 100 Lilums the last of his money? Was that some kind of payment for a doctor? Did he have children?
Bethel sighed. "Such was the nature of this world. Either you trample others, or others trample you," firming his heart once more, Bethel searched for more targets.
As walked under the false moon, Bethel was unaware of the significant change of his attitude. A normal human from earth, how could they adapt to the life of a devil so quickly, and successfully scheme against them with such skill.
Yet to Bethel, it was merely something normal.
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