Chapter 021
"This place is awesome!" said Naomi happily, as they looked at the huge grounds filled with all sorts of entertainment venues. There were rides he remembered from his previous life, like the Ferris Wheel, the Carasoul and Roller Coaster and many more. They were mostly hand operated or run by noisy steam engines, which was incomparable to the rides Alvin had experienced in his previous life, but it was still fun. There were numerous stalls, shows, small contests littered around, with innumerable food stands peddling aromatic food and snacks everywhere.
"Be careful not to get lost. There are numerous Beyonders blended in here" said Alvin. This time, Naomi did not get mad, but nodded happily.
"Let us have some fun. We can visit the rides, the entertainment stalls, food stands and everything else that catches our fancy. We should try to go back by 6, so we have only 2 hours for our initial visit. But today is just to have a look. We will be here the whole week, so you can note down anything you fancy but don't have time for" said Alvin.
The grounds were rather huge, with close to a hundred different rides and thousands of stalls. Apparently, the Seven Rings Circus had its own heavy duty train to take all the people and goods when they were changing locations.
They wandered around the carnival, going on rides and trying out the various food availed. They had a blast of a time till 6 30, and then decided to head back to the inn.
"According to what I heard, the supervisor of the Seven Rings Carnival forbids any Beyonder activity before 7. It is for ordinary people to come, enjoy, and give them money before that time. 7 to 9 is the time when Beyonder gatherings can happen in secret, but it still has to be retained. The carnival closes its gates at 9, hence it is completely a paradise for Beyonders after that, to whatever time they want, as long as they are gone by the next morning when the morning rides and stalls of the carnival open. Also, Beyonder fights are forbidden here. If detected, the participants would be stripped of their valuables and tossed out. But of course, if you can finish the fight without being detected, then the rules don't apply." said Alvin to the curious Naomi.
"The person must be exceptionally strong if he can enforce the rules," said Cheryl.
"Indeed. Not much is know about him, but he is called the Carnival Master. Maybe the fact that all organisations want this avenue to remain open is the primary reason this person can do things fairly and impartially. Or no matter how strong he is, he can't hold the fort" said Alvin.
Then on reached the inn, and Alvin bade the girls goodbye and went back to the carnival. It was going to be 7 soon, and Alvin wanted to participate in some Beyonder gatherings. While he didn't know how to gain access to many, he was going to meet the Nighthawk stationed here. He might know some and give him direction.
He was now dressed as Mr Hunt. Wearing tight fitting red and black clothes, the Null Mask. He entered the carnival grounds, and went to the corner, where there were dozens of makeshift tents. These served as the bars of the carnival. They were a little far away from the other attractions, and were hotspots of the Beyonder gatherings, much like in the cities.
Alvin walked into a tent with the sign Silent Solace Bar, which according to Gordon was the Nighthawks station in the carnival. He went in, and walked straight up to one of the bartenders.
"A glass of Southville Beer. And keep the change" said Alvin, handing a soli note to the bartender.
"Thank you. My name is Sinsest. Do you need anything else?" asked the bartender, pouring a glass in front of Alvin.
"I would like to know about the glory of Evernight. Will you tell me?" asked Alvin.
The bartender took a look around, and then whispered "Do you have something to show me?"
Alvin slid the badge which he got from Gordon to the bartender. He took a look and returned it, and then drew a half moon on his chest and said, "Praise the Goddess" Alvin mirrored the gesture.
"What brings you here?" asked the Sinsest. "Vacation. Need for Beyonder items. My supervisor, Gordon asked me to see if you needed any help" said Alvin.
"There is a nasty fellow we want gotten rid of. You interested?" asked Sinsest.
"What's his Sequence?" asked Alvin.
"Sequence 7 Weapon Specialist" he replied.
"Church of Combat?" asked Alvin.
Sinsest stayed silent. After a while he said, "It's up to you want to take it. If you do a clean enough job so that it can't be traced back to us, you can keep everything he has on him. Plus, you earn some contribution from our side" said Sinsest.
Alvin silently considered it. He had to face the evil spirit in six weeks, and hence he needed to advance Sequences as fast as possible. While a significant portion of his Hunter Potion was digested already, he needed one or two independent hunts to fully digest it. This Weapon Specialist seemed as good as a target as any.
"I'll do it" said Alvin.
"Excellent. Let me get you the information" said Sinsest.
After he received the information, he paid Sinsest 50 pounds to get the location and method of entry into several Beyonder gatherings.
As he was about to go and check some out, he felt the paper in his pocket moving.
He pulled it out, to some content on the paper in Cheryl's handwriting.
It said, "That Vincent Yonas is here"
Alvin considered the message frowning, and decided that it would be a good idea to go back to the inn for now. Like a true Hunter, he had to peruse the provided information, gather some of his own, and make plans and set traps. It would take some time, and he could afford to miss the few Beyonder gatherings that would take place soon.