WEBVTT

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Speaker 1: Two:

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Speaker 1: Always close the circle. Written in
the margins: But then we'll be out of a job,

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Speaker 1: ha. Written below that in another
color: Not funny.

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Speaker 1: Eight months later, Kelter sat at the
bar, his bar, drinking a glass of

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Speaker 1: something. No one remotely connected
with work knew he came here, which was why he

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Speaker 1: liked it so much, except for the
barkeeper, Dreus, but she was all right. She
knew

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Speaker 1: when to talk, and she knew when not
to. There had been a lot of the latter lately.

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Speaker 1: He emptied his glass, then tapped the
side. Walking or driving?

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Speaker 1: He squinted one eye, testing his
vision. He shook his head a little. Eh, maybe
not

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Speaker 1: then. Kelter was drunk right now, but
not a drunk. People needed him.

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Speaker 1: Well, one person anyway. He stared
hard at the bottom of his empty glass.

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Speaker 1: The door swung open and the first
licks of autumn air swirled into the bar. It

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Speaker 1: brought the sound of an approaching
truck engine with it. A big truck by the sound

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Speaker 1: of it. Kelter ignored it. Maybe just
one more. He could always walk home.

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Speaker 1: Someone sat down at the other end of
the bar, but didn't order anything right away.

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Speaker 1: The door swung open again. The truck
engine idled outside. He looked up, covertly

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Speaker 1: sliding one hand to press against the
thick part of the wooden bar. Old habits never

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Speaker 1: died. A woman stared at him from four
seats over. Behind her, two men in

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Speaker 1: black suits stood casually by the
door. Kelter glanced over at Dreus. Her hands
were

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Speaker 1: out of sight too, somewhere beneath
the cash register. Can I help you?

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Speaker 1: Kelter tuned out their conversation
and watched the men by the door. One of them was

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Speaker 1: a little shorter, fatter than the
other. Then he dismissed them. They were only
the

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Speaker 1: third and fourth most dangerous thing
in the room. The most dangerous thing in the

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Speaker 1: room smiled warmly. Her teeth were
uncommonly white.

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Speaker 1: Yes, you can help me actually. I'm
going to rent out your bar for an event tonight.

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Speaker 1: I don't do that. Kelter winced. The
wooden bar was a good conduit, but there wasn't

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Speaker 1: much material to work with. One of
the men opened the front door and slipped

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Speaker 1: outside. Kelter cleared his throat.

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Speaker 1: Dreus, the rate is, uh, what, four
hundred an hour, right? He hoped she would take

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Speaker 1: the cue. Dreus shot him a confused
look. It was an enormous sum of money.

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Speaker 1: Four-hour minimum, of course, if I
recall correctly. The man in the suit

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Speaker 1: came back inside and casually handed
the other man a rivet gun, keeping another for

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Speaker 1: himself. The rubber hoses snaked back
out the door, preventing it from closing

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Speaker 1: completely. The two men leaned back,
smug, holding the weapons in plain sight. They

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Speaker 1: were still only the third and fourth
most dangerous things in the room. The bar's

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Speaker 1: other customers tentatively rose from
their tables, uncertain if it was wise to walk

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Speaker 1: past the men or risk sticking around
for a confrontation instead. When the first

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Speaker 1: steel worker made it out the front
door without incident, the rest of the place

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Speaker 1: quickly emptied. It's six hundred an
hour, actually. Plus what those

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Speaker 1: customers you scared off owe me.

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Speaker 1: She looked the armed men up and down,
then took off her apron and shot a glance at

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Speaker 1: Kelter. He tried to grin
apologetically. Don't do anything stupid while
I'm gone.

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Speaker 1: Then she left through the back door
behind the bar. Kelter let out the breath he'd

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Speaker 1: been holding. At least the people in
the bar wouldn't have to die tonight. The woman

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Speaker 1: got off her barstool and walked over
to him. Her heels clicked against the tile. She

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Speaker 1: sat down again, still leaving one
seat between them. Smart. Getting in

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Speaker 1: close with a summoner was always a
crapshoot. They could transmute you as well as

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Speaker 1: anything else. Nasty way to kill
someone. He'd gotten lucky with the kid in the

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Speaker 1: sewers. It didn't work if the other
person put up a mental defense first. But if you

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Speaker 1: did it fast... Hi, James.

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Speaker 1: He didn't know who she was. She was
part of the family, he knew that much. Which one

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Speaker 1: was anyone's damn guess. Didn't
matter. She wanted something, and he'd have to

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Speaker 1: listen. Don't call me that. I'm
Kelter. She nodded

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Speaker 1: as if she were expecting he'd say
that, then leaned over the bar top to grab at a

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Speaker 1: bottle of something on the other
side. She lingered there, showing quite a bit of

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Speaker 1: skin beneath her outfit. By hook or
crook, she was going to snare him.

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Speaker 1: Damn family. One of the suits must
have noticed his hand on the bar because they

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Speaker 1: started getting twitchy. The rivet
guns rose halfway to point in his direction.

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Speaker 1: Hands where I can see them, sir.
Kelter gritted his teeth and took his hand off
the

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Speaker 1: bar. The woman slid back onto her
barstool and pulled the cork out of a bottle,

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Speaker 1: filling two glasses with dark red
liquid. James, my name is Sasha de

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Speaker 1: Coutier, and I have a job for you.
She spoke without preamble,

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Speaker 1: swallowing the first glass of wine in
one go. She grimaced and then pushed the

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Speaker 1: bottle and second glass right off the
counter. They shattered behind the bar.

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Speaker 1: Expensive way to send me a message.
You know I got a mailbox, right? [laughs] Oh,

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Speaker 1: I won't be paying her. These people
are beneath us, James. Sasha waved one hand

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Speaker 1: through the air as if wafting her
promise away. It was that simple. Kelter
narrowed

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Speaker 1: his eyes. He might be able to melt
her skin off. You could do something with air.

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Speaker 1: Not much, but something. Most people
didn't know that. Of course, it would be the

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Speaker 1: last thing he ever did. The suits
would plug him full of holes, and that would be

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Speaker 1: it. Still, it wouldn't put her skin
back on. I'm retired. Find

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Speaker 1: another closer. Sasha ran a finger
along the rim of her glass. She seemed

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Speaker 1: disappointed it was empty. Kelter
looked her over. She was pretty, but not

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Speaker 1: gorgeous. Pampered. That felt right.

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Speaker 1: No. That was all she said, tossing
her short dark hair and

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Speaker 1: leveling a humorless gaze at him. I
want you, but I don't need you, Kelter. I

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Speaker 1: have better closers. The pay is
eighty thousand dollars, and you'll get to kill
a

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Speaker 1: child. The hell? Who did she think he
was?

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Speaker 1: I said no. He got up from his stool.
It was an unbelievable

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Speaker 1: amount of money, but it was also just
words. Good deals don't start at the end

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Speaker 1: of a rivet gun. The suits lifted
their weapons, and Kelter heard the chambers

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Speaker 1: pressurize. If he could just sever
the connections to the idling truck outside

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Speaker 1: somehow... Yeah, then he could deal
with Sasha. She was family though,

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Speaker 1: no summons. He'd have to close
quickly, end it with brute force, and hope he
could

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Speaker 1: take the suits after. Then... Stop.
Sasha raised her hands but didn't

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Speaker 1: step between him and the suits, he
noticed. He wasn't worth all that. The suits

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Speaker 1: lowered their guns just enough to be
obedient. Kelter lowered his sweating palms.

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Speaker 1: You want this job, James. You just
don't know it yet. She moved closer to him,

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Speaker 1: heedless of the risk, however minor.
Sasha fixed her dark green eyes on him, and his

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Speaker 1: body betrayed him a little. She was
prettier than he'd given credit for.

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Speaker 1: I can pay extra if that's what it
takes. She moved

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Speaker 1: one hand along his forearm. Kelter
let her do it. He'd hate himself for that

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Speaker 1: later. No.

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Speaker 1: I have a wife. And for the first
time, Sasha looked uncertain. She pulled her

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Speaker 1: hand back, letting it hang in the air
just in case she needed it after all. Then she

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Speaker 1: looked back at the suits. The not fat
one shrugged. I didn't

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Speaker 1: know that. She turned back to Kelter.
Her words held

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Speaker 1: an air of danger, but not for him. He
was still standing there. Why

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Speaker 1: was he still standing there? He
should have walked away the moment they walked
in

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Speaker 1: the bar. He was still standing there
because it had been eight months.

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Speaker 1: Eight long months. Sasha de Coutier
moved a little bit

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Speaker 1: closer.

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Speaker 1: Why'd you quit?

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Speaker 1: Something got to you, James, and I
think I know what it was. She

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Speaker 1: put one high-heeled foot on top of
his, then pressed down.

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Speaker 1: How'd you walk out of that sewer with
a broken ankle, James?

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Speaker 1: It took a long time. It hurt. It
still hurts. I

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Speaker 1: retired. Hmm.

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Speaker 1: She flicked her eyes up to his and
moved closer still, reading his stoic posture as

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Speaker 1: invitation to press against him. I
closed the circle.

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Speaker 1: Hmm.

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Speaker 1: I closed the circle.

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Speaker 1: Sasha suddenly stepped back, her face
placid, with only the curl of a smile hinting

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Speaker 1: at satisfaction. Kelter turned his
head, trying to hide his shame. He wanted

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Speaker 1: this woman.

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Speaker 1: I believe you, James. I do. But
that's not what I mean. You need to hear

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Speaker 1: this. The summoner, the child, she's
killed seventeen people. You don't

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Speaker 1: have to kill her yourself if that's
not your thing. I'll send a team.

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Speaker 1: Kelter couldn't look up from the
floor.

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Speaker 1: Why me? He heard her walking away.
Because the last living

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Speaker 1: person she spoke to said her monster
came to her in a dream.

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Speaker 1: What does that mean to you, James?

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Speaker 1: The door closed, and he was alone. It
would mean something impossible.

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Speaker 1: It would mean the circle wasn't
closed, couldn't be closed, because the

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Speaker 1: rules had changed. Damn. It would
mean he

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Speaker 1: wasn't retired anymore.

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Speaker 1: Kelter opened the door to his
apartment. It was dark inside. He'd forgotten to
leave

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Speaker 1: the lights on again He glanced at the
bedroom door, slightly ajar,

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Speaker 1: then walked into the kitchen instead.
A drink. He needed a drink first.

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Speaker 1: Kelter had to squint to make the room
stop spinning, had to steady himself with the

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Speaker 1: wall just so he didn't pour his drink
all over the counter. He looked back at the

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Speaker 1: bedroom, trying to think of some
reason why he didn't need to go in there yet.
There

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Speaker 1: was no reason, of course. There was
no reason to do anything. He was retired. That

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Speaker 1: was kinda the whole point. Well, he'd
been retired until about an hour ago

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Speaker 1: anyway. Kelter took a deep breath and
pushed open the door to the crypt.

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Speaker 1: [sighs] The air was a stagnant

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Speaker 1: pâté of mashed vegetables, dirty
laundry, and human waste. It didn't matter how
many

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Speaker 1: times he opened the window, the smell
had sunk into everything. His wife was sitting

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Speaker 1: up in bed, looking at the wall next
to him. "Hey, Lin.

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Speaker 1: Sorry about the lights."

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Speaker 1: Kelter walked over to the wall she
was looking at. A painting of a flowery meadow

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Speaker 1: hung there. He took it off the nails,
set it gently on the floor, and thumbed

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Speaker 1: through the stack of paintings
leaning against the wall in the closet. He
selected a

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Speaker 1: painting with huge puffy clouds over
a calm sea. The sun was setting in the

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Speaker 1: background. "What do you think of
this one?"

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Speaker 1: Kelter hung the painting and sat down
on the bed next to her. It had been a

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Speaker 1: wonderful eight years with Lindsay,
and it had been a very long six years after. He

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Speaker 1: wrapped his fingers around her hand
and lay down next to her, closing his eyes and

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Speaker 1: pretending they were sharing a
special quiet moment, when in reality all they
had

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Speaker 1: now were quiet moments. [sighs] "Come
on, let's get you in the bath."

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Speaker 1: It took him almost fifteen minutes to
get Lindsay undressed and in the bathtub. He

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Speaker 1: washed her with the sponge. Long
years of practice guiding his hands. Even as
drunk

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Speaker 1: as he was, the movements came easy.
"I did something stupid today, Lin.

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Speaker 1: Broke a rule. One of the big ones.

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Speaker 1: It's a job. It's a job. Pays well,
too.

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Speaker 1: We could use the money. Maybe if..."
He stopped. The

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Speaker 1: sponge fell from his hand. He looked
down at Lindsay. She was so frail now.

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Speaker 1: Her body was covered in bleeding
sores. It didn't matter how much he moved her.
It

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Speaker 1: must hurt so bad. "I miss you so
much."

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Speaker 1: He bowed his head. "I miss you so
damn much."

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Speaker 1: Not this living corpse, the real
person. The person that had died six years ago.

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Speaker 1: She'd just left her body behind. If
he could just... If he could just talk

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Speaker 1: to her again, dance with her again.
Hell, he was dying to have sex.

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Speaker 1: There were a thousand tiny moments he
missed, a thousand tiny things that made a

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Speaker 1: relationship. Whatever was left, it
wasn't a relationship. Just

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Speaker 1: more chains, binding him to a life he
no longer wanted. Lindsay just

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Speaker 1: lay there in the bathtub, her head
lolling to the side, glassy eyes looking up at

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Speaker 1: the ceiling. Kelter wasn't sure if it
was the booze or the depression, but he

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Speaker 1: reached out with both hands and
pressed them against her. He willed life into
her,

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Speaker 1: as if that could actually work.
Nothing happened. Of course nothing happened.

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Speaker 1: But a thought entered his mind, a
thought so depraved it

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Speaker 1: made him sick. And yet, Kelter closed
his eyes and pushed on Lindsay, not

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Speaker 1: with his hands, but with his mind,
pushing like he was trying to will break a

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Speaker 1: summon. He was shocked by how easy it
was. There was no resistance

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Speaker 1: at all. He could... He could...
Lindsay's body thrashed once in the bathtub and
he

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Speaker 1: stumbled backwards, slamming into the
wall. Kelter buckled over, covered his mouth,

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Speaker 1: and tried not to puke.

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Speaker 1: He had... He had will broken her,
like a... like a damn monster. It shouldn't have

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Speaker 1: been possible. Kelter stood up, a
storm of emotions raged within him. This was

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Speaker 1: wrong. It was worse than wrong. It
was sick. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

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Speaker 1: But then he put his minds on her
shoulders again and tapped her mind with his
will.

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Speaker 1: He had to know. Tears poured down his
face. There was no

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00:17:13.332 --> 00:17:18.932
Speaker 1: resistance at all. Nothing at all to
push back against his own thoughts.

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Speaker 1: She was completely empty. And for the
first time in six years, he

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00:17:25.672 --> 00:17:27.052
Speaker 1: finally admitted the truth.

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00:17:29.012 --> 00:17:30.512
Speaker 1: Lindsay was gone.

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00:17:33.752 --> 00:17:36.052
Speaker 1: Three, mind the family.

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00:17:37.692 --> 00:17:42.652
Speaker 1: Written in the margins, in dark ink.
What, no jokes?

189
00:17:43.712 --> 00:17:49.692
Speaker 1: In red ink. Not here. In dark ink.
Good, you're

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00:17:49.732 --> 00:17:50.152
Speaker 1: learning.

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00:17:51.952 --> 00:17:57.232
Speaker 1: The morning sun raked across Kelter's
brain. He'd forgotten to close the drapes.

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00:17:57.252 --> 00:18:03.132
Speaker 1: [groans] He rolled off the couch onto
the floor with a thud,

193
00:18:03.692 --> 00:18:09.172
Speaker 1: and every part of his body moaned
with him. Part of him hoped he'd black out last

194
00:18:09.232 --> 00:18:14.192
Speaker 1: night and forget everything, but the
memories clung to him like toilet paper on his

195
00:18:14.252 --> 00:18:19.992
Speaker 1: boots. His wife was dead. But unlike
most people, she hadn't

196
00:18:20.052 --> 00:18:24.892
Speaker 1: been courteous enough to start
rotting. He pulled himself off the floor and
walked

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00:18:24.952 --> 00:18:30.812
Speaker 1: into their bedroom. Only her bedroom
now. Lindsay was laying in bed,

198
00:18:31.252 --> 00:18:36.772
Speaker 1: eyes closed. He wouldn't kill her.
Couldn't. Even a muddy

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00:18:36.852 --> 00:18:42.292
Speaker 1: reflection of Lindsay was something
to remember her by, but he didn't hope

200
00:18:42.592 --> 00:18:48.312
Speaker 1: anymore. His hope had finally died
somewhere between the fourth and fifth drinks

201
00:18:48.392 --> 00:18:54.272
Speaker 1: last night. He left the room, no
longer his wife, just another

202
00:18:54.332 --> 00:18:59.712
Speaker 1: burden now. Kelter walked into the
kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Huge

203
00:18:59.772 --> 00:19:04.592
Speaker 1: mistake. It looked like he'd done a
partial summoning in there. He closed it before

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00:19:04.632 --> 00:19:08.932
Speaker 1: too much of the smell could escape.
There was a light knock on the apartment's front

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Speaker 1: door, followed by the sound of
running feet. Kelter shambled over to find an

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00:19:13.592 --> 00:19:18.112
Speaker 1: envelope wedged under the door. He
opened the door, but whoever had dropped it was

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00:19:18.172 --> 00:19:24.112
Speaker 1: already gone. So he opened the heavy
envelope and found both good news and bad.

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00:19:25.612 --> 00:19:30.252
Speaker 1: Enough money for two years' rent and
a potential death sentence.

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00:19:31.852 --> 00:19:36.592
Speaker 1: The death sentence was written on
monogrammed stationery. Two letters at the
bottom

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00:19:36.652 --> 00:19:42.012
Speaker 1: read S.D. The note itself read, Your
advance,

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00:19:42.452 --> 00:19:48.212
Speaker 1: fifty-two Pillar Avenue, ten AM.
Don't be late. Now that

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00:19:48.292 --> 00:19:53.392
Speaker 1: money was in his hands, he was truly
committed. He could try to return it, but then

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00:19:53.432 --> 00:19:59.012
Speaker 1: he'd have to wade into hell itself.
Fortunately, hell was only a few minutes away.

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00:19:59.732 --> 00:20:04.872
Speaker 1: That gave him enough time to run some
errands. Kelter parked his car in the parking

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00:20:04.932 --> 00:20:10.612
Speaker 1: lot near Drea's place. The bar had no
name. The metal sign above the door simply

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00:20:10.672 --> 00:20:15.512
Speaker 1: read, Bar. For the kind of people who
came here, that was all they needed to know.

217
00:20:16.232 --> 00:20:21.392
Speaker 1: It was early. Too early for the
employed drunks to be off work. Too early for
the

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00:20:21.472 --> 00:20:25.992
Speaker 1: unemployed drunks to wake up. There
was no one inside when he pushed open the door.

219
00:20:26.712 --> 00:20:30.512
Speaker 1: But when he closed it, a woman in her
forty-somethings popped up from behind the

220
00:20:30.572 --> 00:20:36.232
Speaker 1: bar. Drea looked like she worked for
a living. The burn scars on her

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00:20:36.332 --> 00:20:41.252
Speaker 1: arms and neck told a story Kelter had
never asked about. You got those kinds of

222
00:20:41.312 --> 00:20:46.352
Speaker 1: scars doing steel work. But you
didn't do steel work if you could summon.

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00:20:49.352 --> 00:20:55.252
Speaker 1: Still alive? Good. I thought that
might be the last time I saw you. Kelter

224
00:20:55.452 --> 00:21:00.732
Speaker 1: smiled and set an envelope on the
counter. I play by the rules.

225
00:21:01.312 --> 00:21:03.612
Speaker 1: Besides, I didn't want to ruin your
place.

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00:21:06.072 --> 00:21:11.172
Speaker 1: Well, by the look of things, she
didn't like the house wine. She pointed at the

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00:21:11.232 --> 00:21:14.992
Speaker 1: floor. Shame she didn't drink it. I
piss in that one.

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00:21:16.532 --> 00:21:22.052
Speaker 1: Kelter thought it best not to follow
up on that. So he nudged the envelope instead

229
00:21:22.092 --> 00:21:22.912
Speaker 1: and took a seat.

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00:21:24.492 --> 00:21:29.832
Speaker 1: What's this? Drea pulled the envelope
toward her and looked inside. She dropped her

231
00:21:29.912 --> 00:21:35.412
Speaker 1: mop and brought a hand to her mouth.
I'll be damned. She was good for the money

232
00:21:35.532 --> 00:21:41.112
Speaker 1: after all. Kelter put his hands in
his pockets. Guess so. Drea

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00:21:41.432 --> 00:21:46.912
Speaker 1: stared at the money a little while
longer, as if making sure it was real. Her smile

234
00:21:47.012 --> 00:21:47.892
Speaker 1: slowly fell.

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00:21:49.852 --> 00:21:52.752
Speaker 1: I thought I told you not to do
anything stupid, Kelter.

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00:21:54.392 --> 00:22:00.132
Speaker 1: I didn't. Not yet, anyway. She threw
the envelope of money at him. He

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00:22:00.212 --> 00:22:06.052
Speaker 1: fumbled but caught it. Give it back.
Whatever they want, tell them no. Kelter

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00:22:06.172 --> 00:22:09.732
Speaker 1: spread his hands. It doesn't work
like that.

239
00:22:13.772 --> 00:22:19.332
Speaker 1: Yes, it does. I asked around. She's a
nobody. A third-rate member. Not even. She

240
00:22:19.432 --> 00:22:25.312
Speaker 1: married in. She's family. And I'm
trash by comparison. We all

241
00:22:25.432 --> 00:22:30.892
Speaker 1: are. He pushed the envelope back
toward her. Drea hesitated but snatched it up
and

242
00:22:31.012 --> 00:22:35.931
Speaker 1: put it in the register. She slammed
the drawer to make it go away. Then she looked

243
00:22:35.952 --> 00:22:39.491
Speaker 1: at the register for a moment longer,
just in case it tried to get out.

244
00:22:41.312 --> 00:22:46.032
Speaker 1: I don't think she knew you could
summon. Drea turned her attention back to him.

245
00:22:46.772 --> 00:22:52.112
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I don't make that known.
She set down a glass and poured him something

246
00:22:52.192 --> 00:22:57.092
Speaker 1: he hoped wasn't the house wine. How
long's it been since you summoned?

247
00:22:59.792 --> 00:23:01.792
Speaker 1: Fifteen years, maybe.

248
00:23:04.132 --> 00:23:09.752
Speaker 1: I got drunk as hell with these guys I
knew. I was into one of them, Ian.

249
00:23:10.192 --> 00:23:16.152
Speaker 1: Hated his friends, though. So we're
drinking, and, you know, one of them tells me to

250
00:23:16.232 --> 00:23:22.172
Speaker 1: summon something. I don't know how
they found out. Ian probably told them. Anyway,

251
00:23:22.712 --> 00:23:28.552
Speaker 1: he's cute. I'm drunk. So I take the
dare. We go downstairs, out behind the

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Speaker 1: apartment, and I summon a Vexis. You
know, one of those spindly things.

253
00:23:34.632 --> 00:23:40.552
Speaker 1: You can kind of make it talk. I know
what a Vexis is. They were useful. Not

254
00:23:40.612 --> 00:23:45.392
Speaker 1: only were they a fast summon, needing
little material, but they didn't just kind of

255
00:23:45.452 --> 00:23:51.412
Speaker 1: talk. They could talk if you were
good. Excellent as diversion or lures

256
00:23:51.472 --> 00:23:55.852
Speaker 1: for something meaner. You could use
them to call a person's name from around a

257
00:23:55.932 --> 00:24:01.932
Speaker 1: corner, and then Stupidest thing I've
ever done. Never did it again. And

258
00:24:01.992 --> 00:24:07.092
Speaker 1: then what happened? Huh. Nice try,
closer. Like I'd tell you.

259
00:24:08.252 --> 00:24:13.692
Speaker 1: Drea took a drink straight from the
bottle. Seriously. What happened?

260
00:24:17.172 --> 00:24:22.952
Speaker 1: I made it sing a drinking song. One
of Ian's friends tried to touch it. I panicked,

261
00:24:23.032 --> 00:24:23.452
Speaker 1: and then

262
00:24:25.344 --> 00:24:26.244
Speaker 1: I closed the circle.

263
00:24:28.484 --> 00:24:29.044
Speaker 1: Good answer.

264
00:24:31.564 --> 00:24:35.884
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, we never hooked up, so I
guess it wasn't the thrill he was looking for.

265
00:24:36.904 --> 00:24:42.664
Speaker 1: The conversation fell silent after
that. Drea seemed troubled by her memory, so

266
00:24:42.724 --> 00:24:46.784
Speaker 1: Kelter finished his drink and left
her to it. Will you be back?

267
00:24:48.584 --> 00:24:54.544
Speaker 1: Yeah, soon. Drea nodded
unconvincingly. Don't

268
00:24:54.584 --> 00:24:55.804
Speaker 1: bring your friends next time.

269
00:24:57.363 --> 00:25:03.164
Speaker 1: Kelter walked back to his car and
steeled himself. Now it was time to enter the

270
00:25:03.204 --> 00:25:08.984
Speaker 1: Torax den. He put his hands on the
steering wheel and let out a long, slow breath

271
00:25:09.044 --> 00:25:10.844
Speaker 1: before putting the car into reverse.

272
00:25:13.324 --> 00:25:17.324
Speaker 1: He had to roll down the window and
keep one arm on the door. Ever since the handle

273
00:25:17.444 --> 00:25:21.564
Speaker 1: broke, it didn't stay closed on its
own. He really needed to get that fixed at some

274
00:25:21.604 --> 00:25:26.524
Speaker 1: point. He looked in the rearview
mirror and was glad he did. A man in a gray suit

275
00:25:26.664 --> 00:25:31.404
Speaker 1: stood right behind his car. He was
fumbling with papers in his hands, making his
way

276
00:25:31.504 --> 00:25:37.444
Speaker 1: around the car. Excuse me. Sorry,
excuse me. The man walked over to the driver's

277
00:25:37.464 --> 00:25:41.744
Speaker 1: side window and the papers he was
holding spilled out of his hands onto the
ground.

278
00:25:42.864 --> 00:25:48.244
Speaker 1: Are you James Kelter? Yeah. The man
in the gray suit reached into his coat and

279
00:25:48.344 --> 00:25:53.644
Speaker 1: pulled out something shiny and black.
A gun. Kelter slammed the car door into the

280
00:25:53.684 --> 00:25:57.784
Speaker 1: man just as the gun went off. Then he
leaned out the window to grab him, but the man

281
00:25:57.924 --> 00:26:02.044
Speaker 1: stumbled backward out of reach, so
Kelter ducked back into the car below the
window.

282
00:26:03.064 --> 00:26:08.904
Speaker 1: Boom, boom, boom. The man in the suit
fired his gun into the car as Kelter scrambled

283
00:26:08.944 --> 00:26:13.364
Speaker 1: into the back seat. His heart raced.
He had no idea if he was hit. He crawled onto

284
00:26:13.404 --> 00:26:17.504
Speaker 1: the floorboards and pressed one hand
to the rear car doors and formed a connection.

285
00:26:18.124 --> 00:26:23.664
Speaker 1: Something fast. He needed something
fast and small. He closed his eyes and found the

286
00:26:23.704 --> 00:26:28.304
Speaker 1: frequency of the correct plane,
imagined the body of the creature he wanted. The

287
00:26:28.344 --> 00:26:33.324
Speaker 1: bond fell into place and he moved
away from the door quickly. Half of the door
fell

288
00:26:33.384 --> 00:26:38.884
Speaker 1: away with a chitinous plop. There was
the sound of a scuttling insect on concrete.

289
00:26:39.664 --> 00:26:43.924
Speaker 1: Kelter didn't stop to watch, but by
the time he heard the screeches, he was already

290
00:26:43.984 --> 00:26:48.884
Speaker 1: out of the car, on the other side to
use it as cover. He commanded the blood weevil

291
00:26:48.944 --> 00:26:53.364
Speaker 1: to attack. The man in the gray suit
fired three rounds into the thing. It screamed

292
00:26:53.624 --> 00:26:58.684
Speaker 1: horribly, gnashing its spiked mouth
at him. It left a trail of bright red blood as

293
00:26:58.744 --> 00:27:04.644
Speaker 1: it chased the man. It was far too
slow to actually catch him. But he hadn't
summoned

294
00:27:04.704 --> 00:27:10.044
Speaker 1: it because it was fast. He'd summoned
it because it was loud and frightening.

295
00:27:10.904 --> 00:27:15.024
Speaker 1: The man stepped up to the broken
creature and executed it with a final shot to
the

296
00:27:15.064 --> 00:27:20.224
Speaker 1: head. A mess of bright red blood and
insect parts splattered the pavement. Its

297
00:27:20.324 --> 00:27:26.184
Speaker 1: horrible wailing finally stopped.
Just in time for Kelter to grab the man's neck.

298
00:27:26.764 --> 00:27:31.944
Speaker 1: He formed a summoning connection with
the man's own flesh. The man in the gray suit

299
00:27:32.004 --> 00:27:37.464
Speaker 1: had just enough time to turn his head
and look surprised. Kelter broke the

300
00:27:37.504 --> 00:27:42.504
Speaker 1: connection and his neck exploded in a
fountain of gore. The man's head flopped to

301
00:27:42.564 --> 00:27:48.264
Speaker 1: the side, unsupported, and his body
collapsed to the ground. Kelter breathed

302
00:27:48.324 --> 00:27:54.264
Speaker 1: heavily, standing in a spreading pool
of human and summoning remains. He was covered

303
00:27:54.324 --> 00:27:59.504
Speaker 1: in blood. A family of four turned the
corner and walked by the parking lot.

304
00:28:00.664 --> 00:28:06.444
Speaker 1: Morning. He waved at them with a
gore-soaked hand, still catching his breath.
They

305
00:28:06.484 --> 00:28:10.964
Speaker 1: didn't seem eager to stick around for
a chat, though. Kelter checked to make sure

306
00:28:11.004 --> 00:28:14.984
Speaker 1: the blood weevil was actually dead.
Even though he couldn't feel a bond, it was

307
00:28:15.064 --> 00:28:20.144
Speaker 1: always wise to check. Not all of his
contracts had been rogue summoners. Some of

308
00:28:20.204 --> 00:28:24.884
Speaker 1: them were just regular people who'd
made careless mistakes, or were too squeamish to

309
00:28:24.944 --> 00:28:30.704
Speaker 1: check the corpses to make sure they
were actually corpses. It was dead, so he got

310
00:28:30.744 --> 00:28:34.984
Speaker 1: back in his car and tried to close
the door. It didn't latch, though, and bounced

311
00:28:35.044 --> 00:28:40.744
Speaker 1: right back open. That broken door had
actually saved his life. Maybe he wouldn't fix

312
00:28:40.784 --> 00:28:46.544
Speaker 1: it after all. He backed up the car,
ignoring the bumps as he rolled over something.

313
00:28:47.464 --> 00:28:52.844
Speaker 1: This is why he didn't take these
jobs. It was just another day working for the

314
00:28:52.904 --> 00:28:53.424
Speaker 1: family.