Lord of The Mysteries: Chained

The clock ticked quietly in the crowded bat as the clock hand reached 8:00. The nar's door suddenly opened, a young , short woman with blonde hair was accompanied by another woman who was around 165cm in height.

They gazed around the bar as the crowd ignored them, the blonde haired woman's sight soon fell on a lonely clown with a slight smile. He curled up his lips in amusement as he looked at the both of them.

The duo quickly made their way to the unassuming clown and sat on the booth, "So this is your disguise?, quite distinguishable."

Caster shrugged his shoulders and looked at the person accompanying Xio, Fors is it?, did she bring Fors with her so that she can quickly get her answers?. But, it is sad since there is no plausible way to survive the ravings. Caster thought regretfully

Xio seemed to notice his gaze, "She's a friend who accompanies me to the gatherings, there's no need to be tense"

Caster smiled in an eerie way, "Well I don't care much, but right now you can call me Judge, Judge Holden"

*******

Caster's disguise had earned him weird looks from the other members but he knew his concealment was immaculate. During the past few days Caster had been able to digest his potion just by sitting around.

But it was quite strenuous, every single one of his desires had been amplified making him quite prone to aggression, sloth, greed, lust and also gluttony. He didn't know whether this was the side-effect of the potion or his Sefirot.

I should have just chosen the Black Emperor Pathway!, Caster thought bitterly. He had digested almost 35 percent of his potion just by sitting around.

He had discovered that by being in large groups of people and interacting with them without showing any signs of losing control over his desires was paramount in the digestion of his potion.

He had concluded two rules tied to the digestion of his potion. The first being that he had to suppress desire and show control and temperance. The second being to protect others by restraining them from harmful decisions or impulses, symbolizing the balance between control and care.

He then turned his sights to Mr. A's party. The rules of engagement for Mr. A's party was quite peculiar. One had to write their requirements on a whiteboard, if another had what they were looking for they could go into a private room for further discussions.

The difference between the Eye of Wisdom and Mr. A's gathering was quite prominent. The number of workers and amount of exchanges being conducted was eye opening. It was like a frog being trapped in a well for years and suddenly finding itself outside of its prison.

Caster hastily wrote a few ingredients he required for his sequence 8 potion and after waiting a few moments he quickly got the reply he desired.

Caster slowly made his way to the private room under the watchful gaze of Mr. A. Upon entering the room, Caster could see an old grey-haired man cloaked in darkness, he wore a bleak coat and had a dull aura around him.

This was a striking contrast to Caster's cheery get-up. But Caster did not care about this and quickly got to business, "I heard you had what I required?" Caster said as he tipped his hat.

The man absent-mindedly nodded as though his attention was focused on something else. He thoroughly observed Caster from head to toe, Caster's eyes twitched as he disgustingly looked at the man, I hope Epstein here didn't meet me just so that he can tickle me without consent

"Well then how much is it?", Caster asked in a curt tone.

A tense silence enveloped the room as the two men stared each other down. The man considered his words for a few moments before his voice rang out.

"The Grass of Madness will cost 130 pounds"

Caster grew a bit uneasy as his lips dropped before it quickly tightened out. His finances were currently tight, he paid Kaspers almost 180 pounds for allowing him to meet Maric and materials for his potion although quite common was a staggering 80 pounds.

This left him with 160 pounds as his savings but he blew almost 40 pounds as a commision to meet Miss Derecha. He was short by almost 10 pounds and he didn't think the man would give him the materials out of the goodness of his heart.

He pursued his lips and tried to bargain with the man but he was quickly shut down. Just as Caster was about to give up, the man soon started speaking, "I have a task for you, if you complete it I can give you the material for free. So, what do you say?"

Caster intently stared at the man trying to figure out his intentions, but his expressions were obscured under his veil. Caster bit his lips and thought, If he wants me to do some R. Kelly shit, I'll instantly back out

Caster soon spoke up, "I'll do the task but it shouldn't include touching, tickling, groping and swallowing"

The man nodded and hastily got up, "Well, I'll tell you the details tomorrow. Please visit me near Backlund Bridge" The man said in a gentlemanly tone.

Caster nodded and soon existed the room. The man quickly prkstated himself and uttered the words,

"The Lord that Created Everything,

The Lord who Reigns Behind the Curtain of Shadows,

The Degenerate Nature of all Living Things"

"There is nothing special about the boy you had tasked me to investigate, I have thoroughly observed him. And as you have ordered, I have told him about the task, please advise me on the details I have to tell him."

The man soon started retching and vomited a piece of flesh blob, which soon started whispering. The man went into a trance as he heard the flesh blob's ravings. He nodded absent-mindedly and soon picked himself up and knelt to the ground.

"Praise The Creator", the man said in a reverent tone.

*******

The gathering soon ended and Caster soon met up with Xio and Fors in a dark alley. It was littered with scraps of plastic and food while the alley reeked of human waste.

Xio had a worried face and in an impatient tone questioned Caster, "Well then, how much information do you have about the ravings and tell me fast!"

Caster smiled, "I have a load of information about the blood moon, and about the ravings ….. Well, where should I start?"