The Distinguished Mr. Rose Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Desperate Times Call For Desperate... Oh, Goodness Gracious!

Read chapter 16 of The Distinguished Mr. Rose by QuiteTheSlacker on NovelPedia.

Chapter 16: Desperate Times Call For Desperate... Oh, Goodness Gracious! Outrunning the Horned Exile was no hard task for Lucius. Its sight was blinded; it could not hear the gentleman’s quiet stride. In the end, the thing simply disappeared into one of the many twisting junctions, chasing after a phantom that had already escaped its grasp. The experience wasn’t all trifle, however. The shambling flesh always gathered in mass whenever its malformed master made an appearance. Lucius hadn’t leveled up at all ever since the party was separated - he gave what sparse prey could be found to Jack - so this was a lovely opportunity to get some of that fabled ‘EXP’ the young man rambled about. *Congratulations! Lucius Rose is now Level 5. + 1 unattributed status point Skill ‘Teatime’ has ranked up to (F+). *[Rank F+] Teatime (Growth Type): Once per day, conjure up to two cups of tea of your choosing. Lucius was very pleased with the result. As a reward for all his hard work, he summoned a piping hot cup of Earl Grey to relax his nerves. Oh, it was just darling: smooth, balanced, with a little bit of citrus that gave a firm wallop to one’s buttocks! As for where to put the status point, he did it by random. “Eeny, meeny, miny… moe. Strength it is!” Now his strength was at seventeen, or twenty-seven if you factored in the blessing given by his cane. By this point, Lucius was a very well-rounded individual. He didn’t need to get any stronger right now; rather, he was much more interested in Mister Thame’s progress. This was the fun part. Lucius swiveled around and snuck back to do a little spying. The hall was practically torn apart by the Exile’s rampage, but the entrance to Jack’s room was pristine as ever. It appeared that the man hadn’t left yet, probably due to Lucius’s ‘last words’, however there was only so long one could hole themselves in before desperation took hold. Jack had no food, no weapon (Lucius still had the spear), and little time before his anticlimactic end. He needed to do something, eventually. Lucius would be right there, watching, when that moment came. He was a people watcher. It was what he did - what he enjoyed. Some uncultured folk regarded it as uncouth, but it was a pastime enjoyed by many a great people. There was much you could learn from observing others, as well as no shortage of venues to do so: Cafes were Lucius’s favorite spots to spend a calm afternoon whenever he had time. A nice cup of tea, a petite sandwich or snack here and there, and one had all they needed for entertainment. There were many other locations, of course, if you so wished: libraries, parks, beaches and fairs. Why, Lucius even spent a lovely evening atop the Moscow Kremlin in his youth. Sure, entry was forbidden and swarms of guards blocked every point of entry, but Lucius just had to see the city sights from up there. Beauty waited for no man, regardless of inconsequential things such as morals. Ah, but although watching a crowd had its charms, Lucius preferred to skulk around those with… potential. Speaking of which, the man of the hour had finally arrived. Jack stumbled out of the room, his face pale and sunken of color, and he looked out to the carnage around him. He stared at the inhuman footsteps etched into the brick, at the dust and debris all scattered about, and he lingered near the blood Lucius intentionally let drop in front of the entrance. Jack crouched down, and he cried. It was an awkward, stifled cry. Even now he couldn’t afford to make any noise, and so he covered his mouth and mourned, suppressing the chokes that arose from his throat. “You told me not to hate them, Lucius…” the man muttered to himself. “But it’s way too late for that. We can’t go back, not without you. Not after they dumped you here to die.” Jack stood up, and began to wander off into the distance. Wherever his destination was, Lucius did not know, but he followed him nonetheless whilst masking his presence. “Crazy or not, I can never forgive the