WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.100 --> 00:00:30.940 Speaker 1: [piano music] 2 00:00:31.040 --> 00:00:36.060 Speaker 1: [thunder] The Summoner's Rulebook. One: Never break the bond. 3 00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:42.880 Speaker 1: Written in the margins, "Can you hand off bonds to others? Hmm, needs 4 00:00:42.920 --> 00:00:48.740 Speaker 1: investigation." [metal gate opening] Kelter pulled on the metal gate to hell. 5 00:00:48.740 --> 00:00:54.740 Speaker 1: "This the place?" "Yeah." The kid's accent was a charming Southern 6 00:00:54.860 --> 00:01:00.120 Speaker 1: drawl coated in ten years of grime. It was ragged and dirty. 7 00:01:00.720 --> 00:01:06.660 Speaker 1: Everything about him was dirty. "Good, now get out of here." "Okay." 8 00:01:07.780 --> 00:01:12.080 Speaker 1: The kid looked at his feet and shuffled around. Kelter growled and turned to look at 9 00:01:12.120 --> 00:01:17.280 Speaker 1: him in the eye. He took a deep breath of smoggy night air. Might be his last for a 10 00:01:17.320 --> 00:01:23.300 Speaker 1: while. A long while, if he wasn't careful. "And yet, your feet ain't moving." 11 00:01:24.200 --> 00:01:30.060 Speaker 1: The kid's head snapped up and met his eyes. Hard eyes always looked wrong on a young 12 00:01:30.120 --> 00:01:35.380 Speaker 1: face. Never made his job easier. "I can help you. 13 00:01:36.500 --> 00:01:42.360 Speaker 1: I know these tunnels. It's my home." His accent was getting thicker as he 14 00:01:42.480 --> 00:01:48.020 Speaker 1: sped up. Kelter pulled open the gate and looked down a vertical shaft. Warm, 15 00:01:48.180 --> 00:01:53.980 Speaker 1: putrid air wafted upward like the belch of some concrete beast. He heard the 16 00:01:54.040 --> 00:02:00.020 Speaker 1: kid shuffle in beside him. [sighs] When someone was trying damn hard to get 17 00:02:00.080 --> 00:02:04.400 Speaker 1: into trouble, sometimes it was best just to let them do it under supervision. 18 00:02:04.400 --> 00:02:09.880 Speaker 1: "What's your name? Where are you from?" "Sterling, 19 00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:15.500 Speaker 1: and nowhere." "Then you should go back to nowhere, Sterling, because this isn't your 20 00:02:15.600 --> 00:02:20.540 Speaker 1: home anymore. If you come down here, you're just another corpse for me to clean up." 21 00:02:21.540 --> 00:02:26.740 Speaker 1: Sterling's eyes glinted. The narrow whites of his eyes set brightly against his dark 22 00:02:26.820 --> 00:02:32.620 Speaker 1: face. "They were my friends. I can help you find 23 00:02:32.700 --> 00:02:35.120 Speaker 1: it." "Fine." 24 00:02:36.820 --> 00:02:42.380 Speaker 1: Then he swung down onto the ladder and descended into darkness. What was another 25 00:02:42.480 --> 00:02:44.180 Speaker 1: stain on his soul, anyway? 26 00:02:44.420 --> 00:02:50.240 Speaker 1: [footsteps] The tunnels beneath New Terrace were 27 00:02:50.280 --> 00:02:55.220 Speaker 1: surprisingly spacious. That was because New Terrace had been built directly on top 28 00:02:55.260 --> 00:03:00.460 Speaker 1: of Old Terrace. Most cities had an undercity of some kind, but in New Terrace, it 29 00:03:00.480 --> 00:03:04.980 Speaker 1: was a very literal undercity. Kelter had never been to this part before, near the 30 00:03:05.020 --> 00:03:10.100 Speaker 1: industrial plants. They dumped a lot of caustic waste down here. Not even criminals 31 00:03:10.140 --> 00:03:15.880 Speaker 1: would live here. "Nice place, Sterling." Kelter ran his hands along the 32 00:03:15.940 --> 00:03:21.820 Speaker 1: walls, feeling for something unusual. It was a long shot, but most times you 33 00:03:21.900 --> 00:03:26.800 Speaker 1: found your quarry by connecting a thousand tiny clues instead of finding one big 34 00:03:26.900 --> 00:03:32.560 Speaker 1: one, and it was always quarry and never prey. Nothing he hunted down could 35 00:03:32.620 --> 00:03:36.720 Speaker 1: rightly be called prey. "Say that again and I'll hit you." 36 00:03:38.500 --> 00:03:42.900 Speaker 1: There was no malice in Sterling's words. Kelter had offered an insult, and the man 37 00:03:42.940 --> 00:03:48.000 Speaker 1: had responded with consequences. It didn't matter that Kelter could decimate him. It 38 00:03:48.060 --> 00:03:53.400 Speaker 1: didn't matter that he was defending a pigsty. He had to say it. The way Sterling 39 00:03:53.460 --> 00:03:58.400 Speaker 1: lived, if someone thought you were weak, you were weak, and if you were weak, 40 00:03:59.000 --> 00:04:04.700 Speaker 1: well... "Sorry." Nothing else needed to be said. Kelter 41 00:04:04.760 --> 00:04:08.900 Speaker 1: finished his inspection. There was nothing on the walls. Kelter turned around and 42 00:04:08.960 --> 00:04:13.240 Speaker 1: raised his lantern so he could see the other man's face. The orange light played off 43 00:04:13.300 --> 00:04:16.600 Speaker 1: the dark stone in ways that cast odd shadows everywhere. 44 00:04:18.220 --> 00:04:22.540 Speaker 1: You would think this many years in the business would give him nerves of steel, but 45 00:04:22.580 --> 00:04:27.820 Speaker 1: in fact, it was the opposite. Experience had taught him there was everything to fear 46 00:04:27.900 --> 00:04:33.220 Speaker 1: in the darkness. He stilled his heart with effort. "Take me to where the monster 47 00:04:33.280 --> 00:04:34.240 Speaker 1: killed your friends." 48 00:04:35.940 --> 00:04:40.620 Speaker 1: Kelter knew they were in the right place even before Sterling spoke. The tang of 49 00:04:40.760 --> 00:04:46.680 Speaker 1: iron and the smell of feces hit his nose. "It was here. Crazy thing came right out 50 00:04:46.700 --> 00:04:51.440 Speaker 1: of the darkness over there." Sterling pointed a shaky arm at the other end of the 51 00:04:51.520 --> 00:04:57.360 Speaker 1: room. "Started pulling us through the door, one by one. Freakiest thing I'd 52 00:04:57.420 --> 00:05:03.400 Speaker 1: ever seen." Kelter listened to his story, mentally taking notes of every detail. He 53 00:05:03.460 --> 00:05:08.840 Speaker 1: tried to imagine the creature, tried to understand what it wanted. In this case, it 54 00:05:08.880 --> 00:05:14.180 Speaker 1: was pretty simple. It wanted to kill. Most of them did. Still, he took it all in. 55 00:05:14.840 --> 00:05:18.460 Speaker 1: What the creature wanted was always a reflection of what the person who brought it 56 00:05:18.520 --> 00:05:24.520 Speaker 1: here wanted. The room was covered in blood and little pieces of people. Their 57 00:05:24.580 --> 00:05:29.100 Speaker 1: meager belongings had been scattered everywhere in the attack. Nothing larger than 58 00:05:29.240 --> 00:05:35.240 Speaker 1: stew meat was left. "I hid under that box there." He pointed at a cardboard box 59 00:05:35.300 --> 00:05:40.680 Speaker 1: in the corner. "I listened to it chewing on my friends." 60 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:47.320 Speaker 1: Kelter just nodded. Now that the kid's story was over, he let the silence stretch. 61 00:05:47.900 --> 00:05:52.300 Speaker 1: You'd be surprised what extra details people offered up just to fill that silence. 62 00:05:52.300 --> 00:05:57.240 Speaker 1: "So... you really wanna find that thing? 63 00:05:58.240 --> 00:06:03.752 Speaker 1: Why?" "Part of the job. I hunt monsters." You gonna kill it? 64 00:06:04.792 --> 00:06:10.692 Speaker 1: Maybe. I'll banish it if I can. I'll kill it if I can't. Of course, there 65 00:06:10.732 --> 00:06:15.692 Speaker 1: was a third option, too. It could just kill him. He was flesh and blood like anyone 66 00:06:15.752 --> 00:06:20.552 Speaker 1: else. Kelter leaned against the blood-smeared wall behind him and set his lantern 67 00:06:20.612 --> 00:06:25.272 Speaker 1: down. He lit a cigarette. I figure a little piece of trash summoner brought a couple 68 00:06:25.312 --> 00:06:30.392 Speaker 1: bums down here. Wanted to test out his control on some real people. People no one 69 00:06:30.412 --> 00:06:33.552 Speaker 1: would miss. Probably before trying something bigger. 70 00:06:35.292 --> 00:06:40.052 Speaker 1: He kicked a chunk of human across the room with his boot. The victims were almost 71 00:06:40.172 --> 00:06:45.412 Speaker 1: always people no one cared about. Almost no one, anyway. It was the people way down 72 00:06:45.492 --> 00:06:51.012 Speaker 1: on their luck that always got hurt the most. He took a long, slow draw of his 73 00:06:51.072 --> 00:06:51.632 Speaker 1: cigarette. 74 00:06:53.152 --> 00:06:58.272 Speaker 1: Sterling started shuffling around uncomfortably. Understandable. He was standing on 75 00:06:58.292 --> 00:07:03.712 Speaker 1: the remains of his friends. From the sound of it, he should have been among them. 76 00:07:04.472 --> 00:07:08.572 Speaker 1: Kelter watched him carefully. You just gonna stand there? 77 00:07:10.392 --> 00:07:16.112 Speaker 1: Yeah. Then he put his free hand behind his back as casually as he 78 00:07:16.192 --> 00:07:22.012 Speaker 1: could. Sterling seemed to be unwilling to move closer. You said 79 00:07:22.512 --> 00:07:28.372 Speaker 1: banish. What's banish? Kelter blew some smoke and 80 00:07:28.432 --> 00:07:33.972 Speaker 1: waved it away with his cigarette hand. Disappear. How you do that? 81 00:07:34.492 --> 00:07:38.272 Speaker 1: Well, the thing that killed your friends will disappear when I kill the person who 82 00:07:38.332 --> 00:07:44.112 Speaker 1: brought it here. Another silence fell between them. You said you 83 00:07:44.192 --> 00:07:49.812 Speaker 1: hunted monsters. An accusation. Kelter closed his 84 00:07:49.912 --> 00:07:55.412 Speaker 1: eyes. This was always the hardest part. Best just to get it done. 85 00:07:56.672 --> 00:08:02.292 Speaker 1: I did say that. He took another long drag of his cigarette, but 86 00:08:02.352 --> 00:08:07.712 Speaker 1: didn't blow it out. The tension was a dry tree branch, bending, 87 00:08:08.972 --> 00:08:14.772 Speaker 1: bending. Sterling stepped backwards out of the lantern light. Kelter saw 88 00:08:14.852 --> 00:08:20.772 Speaker 1: hard eyes on a young face, slipping into the darkness. I thought you were trying 89 00:08:20.832 --> 00:08:26.092 Speaker 1: to help me. Kelter blew out the smoke and took a wide step to the left. 90 00:08:27.032 --> 00:08:27.872 Speaker 1: Sorry, kid. 91 00:08:29.812 --> 00:08:35.672 Speaker 1: A low, agonized groan shook the wall behind him. Iger was a fast summon. The mortar 92 00:08:35.712 --> 00:08:40.852 Speaker 1: in the wall was a good conduit. The mud behind the wall, even better. The wall 93 00:08:40.952 --> 00:08:46.352 Speaker 1: cracked and split open. A river of warm, dark red blood spilled from the crack. 94 00:08:48.072 --> 00:08:52.932 Speaker 1: Kelter heard Sterling running out of the room as the first bloody appendage broke 95 00:08:52.992 --> 00:08:55.392 Speaker 1: through the stone womb behind him. 96 00:08:57.212 --> 00:08:59.752 Speaker 1: Find him. Kill him. Kill yourself after. 97 00:09:03.832 --> 00:09:08.072 Speaker 1: The words weren't necessary, but he always found it easier to command out loud. He 98 00:09:08.192 --> 00:09:10.612 Speaker 1: snatched up a lantern and took off after Sterling. 99 00:09:15.092 --> 00:09:20.352 Speaker 1: Yeah? Screw you, too. Something the size of a car pounded out of the room and leapt 100 00:09:20.432 --> 00:09:24.892 Speaker 1: over him into the darkness, barely clearing his head. A rain of warm blood from the 101 00:09:24.972 --> 00:09:29.312 Speaker 1: summoning splattered his back. It landed, kicking little bits of shrapnel into the 102 00:09:29.392 --> 00:09:34.652 Speaker 1: air. He saw the Iger twitch once and lunge in his direction. Plucky one. He narrowed 103 00:09:34.672 --> 00:09:39.532 Speaker 1: his eyes and jabbed it with his will. The beast shivered, tried to speak again, but 104 00:09:39.592 --> 00:09:44.532 Speaker 1: Kelter felt the bond fall completely into place. I won't tell you again. 105 00:09:45.912 --> 00:09:49.792 Speaker 1: The Iger leapt out of his lantern light and in the direction Sterling had run, 106 00:09:49.992 --> 00:09:53.992 Speaker 1: sending little tremors through the stones each time it landed. Kelter didn't bother 107 00:09:54.072 --> 00:09:59.032 Speaker 1: tracking the man. Instead, he followed the summon. Igers worked well in darkness. 108 00:09:59.272 --> 00:10:04.752 Speaker 1: They were easy to bully, too. No time for a contest down here. Kelter ran at full 109 00:10:04.832 --> 00:10:09.152 Speaker 1: speed down the dark tunnel. Putrid water rushed in a river between the two walkways 110 00:10:09.212 --> 00:10:15.072 Speaker 1: on either side. Each breath of air was heavy, dank. A man screamed 111 00:10:15.152 --> 00:10:19.832 Speaker 1: ahead. A series of long, horrible sounds rising in pitch each time. 112 00:10:21.952 --> 00:10:23.492 Speaker 1: A tremor shook the walls. 113 00:10:25.412 --> 00:10:30.572 Speaker 1: A wet, meaty sound as a person was reduced to a stain on the wall. Kelter 114 00:10:30.632 --> 00:10:36.492 Speaker 1: slowed and bowed his head. It was over. Then he 115 00:10:36.632 --> 00:10:42.632 Speaker 1: felt the bond break. What the? Electric blue light filled 116 00:10:42.672 --> 00:10:47.332 Speaker 1: the tunnel. Heavy footsteps approaching. Kelter felt again for the bond to his Iger. 117 00:10:47.892 --> 00:10:53.452 Speaker 1: It was gone. In his experience, if the summon died, the summoner quickly followed. 118 00:10:54.572 --> 00:11:00.052 Speaker 1: He was a master summoner. But he wasn't just a master summoner. He was a closer. 119 00:11:00.752 --> 00:11:06.472 Speaker 1: A good one, too. There were no special rules for summoners except one. In the eyes 120 00:11:06.512 --> 00:11:11.272 Speaker 1: of the law, and more importantly, in the eyes of the family, whatever your summon 121 00:11:11.332 --> 00:11:16.712 Speaker 1: did, you did. Whatever it did. That was the deal. 122 00:11:17.512 --> 00:11:21.852 Speaker 1: If you brought a monster into this world, you were responsible for what it did. And 123 00:11:21.912 --> 00:11:27.252 Speaker 1: most importantly, you were responsible for sending it back. And if you didn't, or 124 00:11:27.352 --> 00:11:31.092 Speaker 1: couldn't, because you brought in something bigger and badder than you could control, 125 00:11:31.752 --> 00:11:36.492 Speaker 1: well, that's when they would call someone like Kelter. If you couldn't close the 126 00:11:36.552 --> 00:11:42.032 Speaker 1: circle, the family would. For twenty-one years, he'd kept his kind in check. 127 00:11:42.372 --> 00:11:47.372 Speaker 1: Amateurs like Sterling, mostly. People with a little talent, but not enough sense. 128 00:11:47.872 --> 00:11:53.552 Speaker 1: Just people who got in over their heads. Either way, the circle always closed. It 129 00:11:53.592 --> 00:11:59.492 Speaker 1: was a hard truth, but a necessary one. Right now, all twenty-one years of experience 130 00:11:59.532 --> 00:12:05.264 Speaker 1: were screaming at him to do one thing. Run. His feet hit the 131 00:12:05.324 --> 00:12:09.904 Speaker 1: cobblestones without another moment's hesitation. He ran fast, but not so fast that 132 00:12:09.924 --> 00:12:15.044 Speaker 1: he fell. He'd caught his own fair share of runners after a fall. The lantern swung 133 00:12:15.104 --> 00:12:21.064 Speaker 1: around wildly. A warbling scream shook the passage behind him. Electric blue light 134 00:12:21.104 --> 00:12:26.204 Speaker 1: lit the passage. His heart hammered, but he didn't dare to look back. There, up 135 00:12:26.264 --> 00:12:30.244 Speaker 1: ahead, was a narrow tunnel. He flung his lantern against the far wall on the other 136 00:12:30.304 --> 00:12:34.844 Speaker 1: side of the Piss River and slipped quietly into the tunnel. He had to turn sideways 137 00:12:34.924 --> 00:12:40.544 Speaker 1: just to fit. Kelter closed his eyes and shuffled quickly but quietly through the 138 00:12:40.604 --> 00:12:46.384 Speaker 1: tightening space. It wasn't very deep, but it wasn't like he had a lot of options. 139 00:12:47.584 --> 00:12:51.984 Speaker 1: Electric blue light lit up the sewer beyond his hiding spot. Kelter pushed himself 140 00:12:52.044 --> 00:12:56.484 Speaker 1: deeper into the crack. He felt his chest unable to expand. His shallow breathing 141 00:12:56.544 --> 00:13:00.924 Speaker 1: quickened, straining for air. Still, he pushed himself deeper into the darkness. 142 00:13:01.464 --> 00:13:06.704 Speaker 1: Then he held his breath and went still, ignoring the animal part of his brain still 143 00:13:06.804 --> 00:13:12.784 Speaker 1: screaming for air. Long tendrils slipped into his view. Each tendril was as 144 00:13:12.824 --> 00:13:17.564 Speaker 1: thick as his leg and covered in layered chitin, like the body of a millipede. Bright 145 00:13:17.624 --> 00:13:22.144 Speaker 1: blue lights pulsed at their tips. The lights flared, and then the tendrils darted 146 00:13:22.184 --> 00:13:27.204 Speaker 1: into another direction to flare the lights again. More tendrils slipped into view. 147 00:13:27.464 --> 00:13:31.744 Speaker 1: They licked at the air with their lights, slid along the ground. Some even dipped 148 00:13:31.804 --> 00:13:37.784 Speaker 1: briefly into the sewer sludge, searching. Kelter closed his eyes. It was only 149 00:13:37.844 --> 00:13:42.904 Speaker 1: a matter of time until they wormed their way into his little hiding place. Then he 150 00:13:42.944 --> 00:13:47.704 Speaker 1: would be plucked out and turned into stew meat, just like Sterling's friends had 151 00:13:47.764 --> 00:13:53.624 Speaker 1: been. That lying sack of... He could try to summon something bigger. 152 00:13:54.164 --> 00:13:58.204 Speaker 1: That would take time, though, and it wouldn't be quiet. He could try to control this 153 00:13:58.264 --> 00:14:02.824 Speaker 1: thing with his own will, but that was even worse. Will-breaking a summon was an 154 00:14:02.904 --> 00:14:07.904 Speaker 1: academic exercise only. Anyone who thought otherwise had never tried it while 155 00:14:08.084 --> 00:14:14.084 Speaker 1: staring down a monster's throat through its open mouth. So sure, if whatever horror 156 00:14:14.164 --> 00:14:17.764 Speaker 1: Sterling had called up would just sit pretty for 30 minutes while he mentally 157 00:14:17.784 --> 00:14:22.084 Speaker 1: wrestled it, he might be able to will-break it. After that, he could make it dance 158 00:14:22.124 --> 00:14:26.344 Speaker 1: and cook him breakfast. But it didn't matter because it wasn't going to happen. 159 00:14:27.004 --> 00:14:32.744 Speaker 1: Kelter felt a little tickle in his chest. His body was betraying him. Any 160 00:14:32.844 --> 00:14:38.544 Speaker 1: second now, he'd cough. Well, he figured he may as well go out with a bang 161 00:14:38.624 --> 00:14:43.384 Speaker 1: then. He made connection with the mortar and the mud behind the walls and started 162 00:14:43.464 --> 00:14:47.984 Speaker 1: forcing his will into the material. A curious tendril found the other end of his 163 00:14:48.044 --> 00:14:53.644 Speaker 1: hiding spot and started sneaking inside. Ah, blood and guts. Here we 164 00:14:53.724 --> 00:14:59.384 Speaker 1: go. A blinding blue light pulsed a foot from his face. He screamed. 165 00:14:59.724 --> 00:15:05.184 Speaker 1: It wasn't bad. A warrior's scream. Maybe. He'd heard far worse as he watched people 166 00:15:05.244 --> 00:15:10.164 Speaker 1: die. Maybe he would still hear worse. Fortunately, it wouldn't last long. 167 00:15:10.244 --> 00:15:15.964 Speaker 1: "Stop. Sterling, just call it off. I'll make it 168 00:15:16.004 --> 00:15:21.864 Speaker 1: disappear. Please." [crying] Kelter tried to 169 00:15:21.924 --> 00:15:26.364 Speaker 1: yell, but he wasn't capable of yelling anymore. Instead, it came out as a desperate, 170 00:15:26.504 --> 00:15:31.184 Speaker 1: wheezing plea. It sounded much more like the dying words he was used to hearing. 171 00:15:32.084 --> 00:15:35.924 Speaker 1: Something grabbed his leg and pulled. He felt something crack in his ankle under the 172 00:15:35.964 --> 00:15:40.384 Speaker 1: tremendous pressure. More tendrils reached into the crack, pulling him free in 173 00:15:40.484 --> 00:15:45.524 Speaker 1: violent tugs. He let his grip on the stones slip, knowing his fingernails would come 174 00:15:45.624 --> 00:15:50.804 Speaker 1: off if he didn't. As soon as he lost contact with the wall and the summoning inside 175 00:15:50.844 --> 00:15:56.804 Speaker 1: it, all hell broke loose. When you stopped a summoning, it wasn't like what happened 176 00:15:56.844 --> 00:16:02.464 Speaker 1: in the stories. A little puff of purple smoke, some sparkles maybe. An 177 00:16:02.524 --> 00:16:08.424 Speaker 1: explosion of gore detonated through the wall. [explosion] A 178 00:16:08.484 --> 00:16:13.604 Speaker 1: wave of stone and flesh and blood pressed him to the ground, and Sterling and his 179 00:16:13.664 --> 00:16:19.124 Speaker 1: monster were swept into the nearby sewer river. It was an old trick, something 180 00:16:19.184 --> 00:16:25.084 Speaker 1: learned from an old friend, someone far, far better than him. Deafened by the 181 00:16:25.123 --> 00:16:29.464 Speaker 1: partial summoning but prepared for it, he acted on instinct. Kelter ignored the 182 00:16:29.544 --> 00:16:33.964 Speaker 1: scrambling mass of limbs and tentacles and grabbed the floundering man instead. He 183 00:16:34.104 --> 00:16:38.284 Speaker 1: lifted Sterling's shoulders just far enough out of the stinking river to put a knife 184 00:16:38.344 --> 00:16:43.964 Speaker 1: to his throat. A small knife, but large enough. "Tell it that if you die, it 185 00:16:44.044 --> 00:16:48.804 Speaker 1: dies too." "I- I know. Do it." 186 00:16:49.984 --> 00:16:54.244 Speaker 1: The creature finally pulled itself out of the current. For the first time, Kelter 187 00:16:54.304 --> 00:16:59.844 Speaker 1: got a good look at it. It was big. A long, slender body with a mane of 188 00:16:59.904 --> 00:17:04.864 Speaker 1: glowing tendrils. Its head had no discernible eyes, just a triangular snout that 189 00:17:04.944 --> 00:17:10.524 Speaker 1: opened to reveal countless jagged teeth. A mouth, then. Whatever it was, it was a 190 00:17:10.584 --> 00:17:16.244 Speaker 1: killing tool, plain and simple. It wasn't advancing, though, and that was something. 191 00:17:16.244 --> 00:17:22.164 Speaker 1: "It doesn't believe you." Good. If he could understand at all, then the bond 192 00:17:22.204 --> 00:17:28.044 Speaker 1: wasn't totally broken. "Yeah? Let's find out." He pressed the knife harder 193 00:17:28.104 --> 00:17:33.224 Speaker 1: against Sterling's neck until a thin line of red ran down. The creature stepped 194 00:17:33.284 --> 00:17:39.024 Speaker 1: backward with eerie grace. Kelter cursed inwardly. It was smart. Never a good 195 00:17:39.084 --> 00:17:44.704 Speaker 1: thing. "Now we talk. How did you summon it?" "I don't know." 196 00:17:44.704 --> 00:17:50.484 Speaker 1: "Try again." "It, it came to me in a dream and told me. I don't 197 00:17:50.544 --> 00:17:56.304 Speaker 1: know. Don't kill me, man. I didn't mean to. I don't know. I swear I don't know. They 198 00:17:56.344 --> 00:18:01.824 Speaker 1: were my friends." Of all the things he'd heard a dying summoner say, 199 00:18:02.244 --> 00:18:08.208 Speaker 1: this had to be the most bizarre. It came to him in a dream? That 200 00:18:08.268 --> 00:18:12.328 Speaker 1: was like claiming you'd received the complete blueprints for a flying car in your 201 00:18:12.388 --> 00:18:18.368 Speaker 1: dreams and then had gone on to construct it. And yet, here was his flying 202 00:18:18.448 --> 00:18:24.388 Speaker 1: car. Kelter tightened his grip on the knife. However fantastic the story, 203 00:18:24.908 --> 00:18:29.928 Speaker 1: it still only ended one way. The circle always closed. 204 00:18:31.208 --> 00:18:36.348 Speaker 1: Sorry, kid. Kelter lifted the hood of his trench coat and pulled on the car door 205 00:18:36.408 --> 00:18:40.988 Speaker 1: handle. He winced as he put weight on the ankle. The door handle popped off with a 206 00:18:41.068 --> 00:18:46.228 Speaker 1: crack, and the car door slowly opened on its own. Piece of junk. 207 00:18:47.268 --> 00:18:52.548 Speaker 1: He could get it fixed now, though. Hell, he could replace the whole car now. He got 208 00:18:52.608 --> 00:18:57.648 Speaker 1: out of his car and walked across the rain-swept streets. It was still early morning, 209 00:18:57.728 --> 00:19:03.728 Speaker 1: but the bounty station was lit up like a diner. Some business never stopped. A grim 210 00:19:03.788 --> 00:19:08.768 Speaker 1: reminder that his enemies, his real enemies, never stopped working. It didn't matter 211 00:19:08.808 --> 00:19:13.588 Speaker 1: how good you got. It didn't matter how determined you were. You couldn't outwork the 212 00:19:13.668 --> 00:19:18.188 Speaker 1: family. Kelter pulled open the front door and briefly considered letting his coat 213 00:19:18.248 --> 00:19:24.248 Speaker 1: drip all over the floor. It was petty defiance and misdirected. These people did the 214 00:19:24.308 --> 00:19:30.148 Speaker 1: family's work, but blood and guts, so did he. Everyone did. He hung the coat 215 00:19:30.228 --> 00:19:34.588 Speaker 1: instead and approached the plate glass. The cast around his foot clicked on the tile 216 00:19:34.668 --> 00:19:40.468 Speaker 1: floor. A familiar face lit up on the other side. Hey, Kelter. Didn't think we'd see 217 00:19:40.528 --> 00:19:45.208 Speaker 1: you again. Slide your papers through. Jenny opened the little metal door in the 218 00:19:45.268 --> 00:19:49.848 Speaker 1: plate glass, and he slid his report through. Honestly, I didn't think I'd be back 219 00:19:49.908 --> 00:19:53.188 Speaker 1: after that one. Well, we're glad to see you. 220 00:19:57.768 --> 00:20:01.528 Speaker 1: Okay, looks good. Say the oaths, and I'll get you on your way. 221 00:20:03.428 --> 00:20:08.628 Speaker 1: Kelter hesitated, and Jenny looked up. Not a good time to hesitate. 222 00:20:10.948 --> 00:20:16.408 Speaker 1: I swear the circle has been closed. She raised an eyebrow but didn't comment, 223 00:20:16.568 --> 00:20:21.268 Speaker 1: thankfully. His reputation was worth something at this station, which is exactly why 224 00:20:21.308 --> 00:20:27.128 Speaker 1: he came here. Sorry about your ankle. It happens. Cast comes off in two 225 00:20:27.188 --> 00:20:32.948 Speaker 1: months. Any casualties? All in the report, but nothing I 226 00:20:33.008 --> 00:20:38.728 Speaker 1: caused, except, you know. Jenny nodded once, then counted out a stack of 227 00:20:38.788 --> 00:20:42.928 Speaker 1: bills on the other side of the glass, slid them into a manila envelope, and opened 228 00:20:42.948 --> 00:20:47.608 Speaker 1: the door to slide the payment through. On behalf of the family, thank you for your 229 00:20:47.668 --> 00:20:53.348 Speaker 1: service. He hated that line. He'd always hated it, even before he hated 230 00:20:53.408 --> 00:20:57.068 Speaker 1: them. Kelter didn't kill for them. He never had. 231 00:20:58.808 --> 00:21:04.628 Speaker 1: Kelter? Kelter, is something wrong? No, nothing's wrong. 232 00:21:05.348 --> 00:21:07.148 Speaker 1: And yet he just stood there. 233 00:21:08.728 --> 00:21:13.528 Speaker 1: I can recount the money if you'd like. The terms were set when you took the 234 00:21:13.588 --> 00:21:19.488 Speaker 1: contract, but you've been good to us. Do you want me to get Derek? Yeah, 235 00:21:20.188 --> 00:21:23.148 Speaker 1: that'd be good. Okay, come on back. 236 00:21:24.908 --> 00:21:28.888 Speaker 1: Jenny's high heels clicked, and then the heavy locking mechanisms behind the wooden 237 00:21:28.948 --> 00:21:34.748 Speaker 1: door clanked and turned. Jenny smiled warmly at him. There were volumes of questions 238 00:21:34.768 --> 00:21:39.568 Speaker 1: written in that smile, though, but he didn't answer them. Couldn't answer them. 239 00:21:40.428 --> 00:21:45.648 Speaker 1: This was not business as usual. He'd come to this station for a reason. 240 00:21:46.348 --> 00:21:52.248 Speaker 1: Mostly because he might walk back out of it alive. Maybe. The contract manager 241 00:21:52.288 --> 00:21:57.308 Speaker 1: leaned back in his chair, and it made a tortured sound. His office was warmly lit, 242 00:21:57.848 --> 00:22:03.728 Speaker 1: clean, and fresh-smelling. Wood paneling and plush green carpet. Real hardwood 243 00:22:03.788 --> 00:22:08.268 Speaker 1: furniture and blinds. It was just enough to give the impression of wealth and power, 244 00:22:08.688 --> 00:22:13.528 Speaker 1: but not so much that he hit you over the head with it. Derek drummed his fingers on 245 00:22:13.568 --> 00:22:18.248 Speaker 1: the desk while Jenny set the contract payment between the two of them like a live 246 00:22:18.328 --> 00:22:23.968 Speaker 1: bomb, then rushed out, still smiling as she closed the office door. They would all 247 00:22:24.028 --> 00:22:26.548 Speaker 1: be smiling right until the very end. 248 00:22:28.088 --> 00:22:33.988 Speaker 1: Is it the money? It's not the money. You know, most closers don't have a 249 00:22:34.048 --> 00:22:39.188 Speaker 1: problem with this part, Kelter. Job's not done till you take the money. You know 250 00:22:39.268 --> 00:22:44.448 Speaker 1: that. Listen. He leaned forward in his chair and whispered instead. 251 00:22:45.228 --> 00:22:50.808 Speaker 1: Listen. I say you turned in the wrong papers. I still have to hire another 252 00:22:50.868 --> 00:22:56.828 Speaker 1: closer, but I'll get someone slow or someone you trust. But if you run, I 253 00:22:56.908 --> 00:22:58.968 Speaker 1: have to put the hit out. You understand? 254 00:23:01.408 --> 00:23:07.368 Speaker 1: Kelter laughed once. It was laced with sarcasm. Derek was taking a huge risk giving 255 00:23:07.408 --> 00:23:12.648 Speaker 1: him an out. Risking everything, really. Something stirred inside Kelter. That 256 00:23:12.728 --> 00:23:18.508 Speaker 1: something always got him in trouble. Derek pounded his desk once in frustration. His 257 00:23:18.608 --> 00:23:24.268 Speaker 1: face was turning red. I closed the circle, Derek. Of course, of course. I'm not 258 00:23:24.508 --> 00:23:30.268 Speaker 1: saying you didn't. Then he slid the money envelope forward another inch. So 259 00:23:30.348 --> 00:23:35.948 Speaker 1: take the money. The sound of boots and chains echoed down the hallway outside. 260 00:23:36.788 --> 00:23:42.488 Speaker 1: A lot of boots. Take the money, James. Kelter 261 00:23:42.548 --> 00:23:48.168 Speaker 1: reached for the envelope, but couldn't quite pick it up. He just couldn't. 262 00:23:49.288 --> 00:23:54.088 Speaker 1: He could fight his way out. That wouldn't end well. Every bit of material in this 263 00:23:54.128 --> 00:23:58.968 Speaker 1: place was fabricated to be a terrible conduit. It'd take him 20 minutes to summon 264 00:23:59.028 --> 00:24:03.148 Speaker 1: something. I don't care if you throw it in the damn sewer the moment you leave, but 265 00:24:03.208 --> 00:24:08.068 Speaker 1: take the money, James. A baritone voice was talking to Jenny. The line of boots had 266 00:24:08.128 --> 00:24:13.328 Speaker 1: stopped just outside the office. Kelter spared a glance for the door. I will know 267 00:24:14.012 --> 00:24:18.332 Speaker 1: He's in here, but give me just a second. I know that we can come to some resolution. 268 00:24:18.412 --> 00:24:24.152 Speaker 1: Was she trying to stop them? That was beyond reckless. And 269 00:24:24.272 --> 00:24:30.132 Speaker 1: so was this. The office door flew open. A man with a chin like a 270 00:24:30.212 --> 00:24:35.612 Speaker 1: mountain stared fire and hatred at Kelter. His uniform was tidy, covered in little 271 00:24:35.672 --> 00:24:36.572 Speaker 1: gleaming badges. 272 00:24:40.312 --> 00:24:45.412 Speaker 1: Kelter sighed, then he picked up the envelope of money. He walked past the man and 273 00:24:45.472 --> 00:24:50.092 Speaker 1: gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. Sorry about that, Buford. I thought I was 274 00:24:50.132 --> 00:24:53.152 Speaker 1: getting stiffed. Turns out, I just can't count. 275 00:24:55.832 --> 00:25:00.392 Speaker 1: Buford growled back at him. Not unlike the prisoners he kept, really. You just 276 00:25:00.452 --> 00:25:06.032 Speaker 1: couldn't see his chains. Kelter looked down at the money in his hand. They all had 277 00:25:06.132 --> 00:25:11.832 Speaker 1: chains. He'd killed a lot of people, but he wasn't willing to kill his friends. 278 00:25:13.632 --> 00:25:17.952 Speaker 1: As he left, he made a point of not looking back at the half-men chained together in 279 00:25:17.992 --> 00:25:23.972 Speaker 1: the hallway behind him. They reminded him too much of himself. Jenny was standing 280 00:25:24.012 --> 00:25:29.552 Speaker 1: next to her desk when he got back to the entrance. She shook fiercely. I'm sorry, 281 00:25:29.672 --> 00:25:35.192 Speaker 1: Jenny. Don't ever do that again. Then she turned sharply and walked away. 282 00:25:35.812 --> 00:25:41.372 Speaker 1: James Kelter closed his eyes and bowed his head. He'd failed today. He'd failed and 283 00:25:41.432 --> 00:25:44.512 Speaker 1: almost gotten two good people killed in the process. 284 00:25:46.112 --> 00:25:47.952 Speaker 1: Don't think I'll get the chance to do it 285 00:25:48.012 --> 00:26:21.312 Speaker 1: again.