Page 10 of A Mastery of Monsters

Fuck this guy. “Okay…”

“It was quiet the night we met, except for when you were at the park practicing your knife throwing.” I roll my eyes, and he carries on.

“A couple of weeks ago, our cameras caught a glimpse of what seemed to be someone running from something monster-like. It was too far to confirm any details, but we suspected there might have been an attack, which is why we increased our monitoring capabilities. It’s not impossible that one was there when you were.

Maybe the same one that targeted you at Big Sandy Bay. ”

It’s like Jules’s note. He said someone had already been hurt and now Virgil is basically saying the same thing. So a monster maybe targeted us both, but I got away and she didn’t. I shake my head. “Nothing was in the park when I was there. That thing we saw was huge. I would have noticed it.”

“It’s not always in that obvious of a form.”

“What does that mean?! What are these things?” Virgil twitched as I spoke but didn’t interrupt. “How many deranged Easter Bunnies are running around? Why aren’t more people seeing them?”

Virgil pushes off the doorway and settles on the couch in front of me.

“As far as we know, monsters like the one in Big Sandy Bay have existed for at least one hundred and sixty-four years. And their existence has been carefully concealed and controlled for just as long. It’s not a well-oiled machine, but it is efficient when you consider the amount of money and influence it takes to keep monsters under wraps.

Though it helps that most people don’t want to believe these sorts of things live among them. ”

I can get behind that. I already wish I’d never encountered that thing.

He continues, “They don’t represent a large portion of the population, but they do exist, and the numbers increase year over year, which is also monitored and dealt with. If it makes you feel better, the ones that might run wild, killing and maiming, are kept under lock and key.”

“Excuse me? You mean whoever has been managing this for one hundred and sixty-four years is just keeping these monsters around? Why wouldn’t they kill them? The fact that we got attacked proves their system is shit.”

Again, he reacts in an odd way, his shoulders hunching and mouth pursing. “You think the monster we encountered had something to do with your brother’s disappearance just because everything happened on the same day? Bit of a shaky theory.”

Okay, so he’s going to selectively answer questions, apparently. I pull the letter out of my pocket and hand it to him. “There was also this. I don’t know if it means anything.”

Virgil narrows his eyes at the envelope and then opens it, scanning the contents. He licks his lips. “Where did you get this?”

“It was in my brother’s things.”

“Not so shaky a theory after all,” he mutters, handing it back to me.

“You know it?” I lean forward. “You’ve seen this?”

“I have.” I wait for him to expand but he doesn’t.

“And…?”

“Let’s wait until we reach an agreement to discuss the letter more. But I can say that yes, it is related to all this. We reported the initial incident of that possible monster attack we saw on the cameras that I mentioned. It seemed to happen near the cricket field. But—”

“Where?”

“The cricket field,” he repeats. “By City Park, there’s a field.”

“I thought it was a baseball field.”

“It’s technically both, but I always call it—never mind, it doesn’t matter. We were told that it would be handled, but it wasn’t, hence the additional monitoring on our part. Mind you, something is perhaps being hidden from us.”

“Hidden by who? These people who deal with the monsters? Is that who sent this letter?”

Virgil shakes his head. “What matters for your purposes is that I’m of a low rank currently, so we don’t have all the information we need. However, I still have access to enough knowledge to be helpful to you.”

“But?” I ask, sensing it’s coming.

“ But I need a favor in return.” He jerks his head toward the door. “You may have heard Bernie mention me pairing up with someone. There’s a competition starting soon, and I’m looking for a partner with sufficient combat abilities.”

Is that why he was following me around the other day? “I thought you said I was too impulsive.”

“You are.” His smile is tight. “I’ve been exploring other options since, and the skill level is…

disappointing. I’ve seen you fight. You’re rough around the edges but honestly better than the limited selection I have access to.

And here, we find ourselves in need of each other.

I need you for the competition, and you need me for information to find your brother.

In addition to that, winning will grant you access to, let’s say, an exclusive club which will have even more information.

The one-hundred-and-sixty-four-year-old one I mentioned earlier.

And lucky you, there’s more than one winner. Good odds.”

“Why do I feel like this competition thing is something hard?” But he has me.

For one, he knows about that creature. With anyone else I would have the hurdle of getting them to believe me.

And for another, he’s right here. Time wouldn’t be wasted.

Jules may have left voluntarily, or he may have been taken and only had enough time to get me that message.

Either way, he’s in trouble. He needs me.

Virgil swallows. “Because it is. Sometimes people get hurt, and sometimes people die. There’s no point in sugarcoating it. But you have the skills needed to succeed thanks to your not strictly circus arts training. You help me win, and after, you’ll have access to everything.”

I can’t tell if he’s trying to scare me to see how serious I am, or if he’s being honest about the risk of dying. “Convenient that I only get what I want after you do.”

He grins. “Can’t have you quitting on me. Maybe I’ll be more generous once I see some commitment. You may be rash, but you care enough about your brother to come here. That’s called focus. It seems you can do it when you try. That’s all I’m asking of you.”

It’s annoying, but it’s a legitimate precaution. After all, if I find Jules early, I’m not sticking around to uphold my end of the bargain. In fact, that’s the goal. “And if I say yes, what happens next?”

Virgil stands. “Next, I call a friend.”

I need him. But he also needs me. Mutually assured success… or destruction.

I meet his eyes. “Then call them.”