Contractbound

In front of them was the black market bustling with activity, even though the alley behind them had been very quiet. It was as busy as Grotemarktstraat during rush hours, and also almost as noisy; the only difference was that there were only people there, not motor carriages. Another peculiar thing to note in that place was that people were all wearing masks, including the vendors. It was true what Ivo said: they didn"t care who everyone was, as long as they had money or items to trade. The masked people were busy going around the stalls, stores, and street vendors there.

Graham and Luuk observed the people there and noticed that some of them were wearing different kinds of masks from the others. Most people there were wearing simple cloth masks that were usually worn to protect against dust, whereas those distinctive people were wearing full-faced decorative masks. It attracted Graham"s interest because he liked those kinds of masks better; they felt more mysterious and nuanced.

"Where can I buy those masks?" asked Graham to Ivo who was standing in front of them waiting.

"Those fancy looking ones? You can buy them at the mask store over there," replied Ivo while pointing at a store not far from them, "But they are expensive; that"s why I don"t buy one."

"That"s fine. Please take us there," requested Graham.

Ivo led the two men over to the mask store that was only about thirty meters from where they were standing. It seemed that the store was placed there on purpose so that people could buy their masks easily before entering deeper into the black market.

"This place doesn"t feel like a black market at all. More like a bazaar," said Luuk while looking around.

They walked past several stalls selling various things, including food. The sellers were not noisily trying to attract customers, however. They were either standing or sitting quietly until someone approached their stalls.

"It"s because this place is basically allowed by the government, in that they never try to close down this place. It"s just called a black market because supernatural items are sold here, and the public is not supposed to know of their existence," explained Ivo.

"What about stolen and illegal items?" asked Luuk.

"Those too. You can sell pretty much anything here and there will always seem to be a buyer," added Ivo.

"Are there normal people too here, or are they all Contractbounds?" asked Luuk again curiously.

"Most of them are actually normal people who are interested in the supernatural or those who seek the chance to be a Contractbound. The actual Contractbounds are fewer because they are rare," explained Ivo based on his own knowledge and experience.

"Who is in charge around here?" asked Graham.

He had tried to divine the answer but couldn"t get any result, which meant that the person or organization that controlled the black market was powerful.

"I"m not sure myself, but I"ve never seen anyone cause problems since I first came here," said Ivo.

The three men arrived at the mask store with an eerie looking mask as a logo at the front. It looked like it was made of carved stone. The mask had no eyeholes, only a single smiling mouth hole with uneven teeth. Under the mask, there was the store name: Cousin.

"What a weird name for a store," commented Luuk.

They entered the store and was greeted by numerous masks hung on the walls of the store. It felt like they were being watched by countless eyes. The masks varied in designs and colors, but most of them were intricate-looking. Graham felt a very faint supernatural energy coming from those masks, which piqued his interest even more.

"Welcome to my humble store," said an old man from behind the counter.

He was wearing a white featureless mask, but his voice and posture gave away his age. The thin old man was wearing a white shirt with suspenders to keep his pants in place. His voice sounded mysterious but wavering.

He couldn"t see the customer"s gaze because of his sungla.s.ses, but he felt that he was being observed, so he quickly said, "What kind of mask are you looking for?"

"Are these masks enchanted?" asked Graham to the point.

Graham felt that the old man was observing him back from under his mask.

"So you are a Contractbound, young man. Yes, they are, but only slightly," answered the store owner.

"What kind of power do they possess?" asked Graham.

"They have no power, but they have an effect of slightly making people feel like they are naturally part of you," he paused and took a breath, and then added, "Do you get what I"m saying?"

"Yes, yes. How much are they?" replied Graham.

"It depends on which one you want. The price ranges from four to ten guilders,"

Graham was slightly taken aback. Ivo wasn"t lying; those masks were indeed expensive. He paused and thought about it well.

"I want this one," said Graham after making up his mind. He walked closer to one of the masks on the wall.

Ever since he entered the store, he had noticed that one mask and had been strangely drawn to it. It was a mask with two parts of the same face: the joyful right side and the sorrowful left side. The joyful half of the face was red while the sorrowful one was yellow. Its design was very simple; there were two eyeholes and a drawing of a mouth that either smiled or frowned depending on which half it was on.

"Good choice! That Gemini mask is only six guilders!" said the old man enthusiastically, to make the buyer feel good about his choice.

"Why so expensive? Is there no student discount?" asked Graham in surprise. Six guilders was rather expensive for a simple-looking mask.

"The mask was made using the best quality material. I a.s.sure you that it will last probably longer than yourself," said the store owner, trying to convince him, then asked, "Are you a student?"

"No, but he is," Graham pointed at Luuk.

"I"m sorry but we don"t have student discounts," replied the old man, "But I"ll give you a twenty percent discount if you buy two,"

Graham heard the word twenty percent and started calculating right away. He then looked at Luuk and asked, "Which one do you want?"

Luuk had also been strangely drawn by one particular mask in the store. It was a brown mask that looked like the face of a goat with two medium-length horns and goat ears. The mask was also designed simply; there was no intricate carving on it. However, something made the mask feel different, which was why Luuk was interested in it.

"I want this one. How much is it?" he asked.

"That Capricorn mask is only five guilders," replied the store owner enthusiastically.

"I"ll take this one," replied Luuk.

"The two masks are eleven guilders, minus the twenty percent discount, your total altogether is eight guilders and sixteen stuivers,"

Graham turned to Luuk and said, "I"ll pay now and will take yours out of your share. Sounds good?"

Luuk nodded. Although he had brought cash, it would be much easier that way.

"Here you go,"

Graham handed nine guilder bills to the store owner and received four stuivers as the change. He put the money inside his pocket and took off his sungla.s.ses while facing the wall. After that, he put on the Gemini mask over the facemask that he was still wearing. putting the strap over the back of his head. The wooded mask felt strangely comfortable on his face, and he had no difficulty breathing at all even though he was wearing two layers of masks. His vision wasn"t impaired either even though the wood should be thick enough to do so; the enchantment on the mask was much more convenient than he had thought.

He turned around and saw that Luuk had also put on his Capricorn mask. He looked very natural in it like he had always worn the mask every time they were together. The shape of the mask also complemented his slender build nicely.

Graham turned to Ivo who was standing near the entrance and asked, "What do you think?"

"You two look menacing," he complimented.

Graham smiled proudly under his mask, but he knew Ivo couldn"t see it.

Once they were done with their business there, the three men walked out of the store and continued their walking deeper into the black market. Their goal was still to sell their battle loot, and Graham had divined the way to do so; there was a common hall where people would gather and sell whatever they had without setting up a stall.

"Selling a dead thief"s hand!"

"I have several protective talismans. Come here and see!"

Graham, Luuk, and Ivo arrived in front of a big hall with several people in it deep in the black market alley. They were shouting the things they were selling, which attracted buyers who were interested in those specific items or those who were just looking around. On the far end of the hall, there was a man sitting in a comfortable chair with an expressionless mask. He seemed to be overwatching the affairs in the hall to make sure people wouldn"t just use their powers to take away the items by force.

Graham stood in one spot and did the same as the others.

"I"m selling wraiths remains!" he shouted audibly.

Several people heard him and a few of them came and approached him. There were four people in total: three men and one woman, judging from the posture and hairstyle. They were all wearing decorative masks, which meant they at least had money.

"Are you really selling wraiths remains? Can I see it?" asked a man with a blue sorrowful mask.

"Yes," replied Graham as he reached into his briefcase through the small gap and took out a round object resembling a rotting eyeball.

The four people were observing the object in Graham"s hand closely to make sure of its authenticity. One of them even started sniffing because the real thing wouldn"t have a putrid smell, unlike an actual rotting eyeball.

"Yes, that is real," judged the woman, and then asked, "How much are you selling that for?"

"Only seven guilders," he replied decisively.

He had divined the previously that currently, there was no one else selling wraith remains, which made him think that the other divination must have shown him a past image when he asked about the price. That was also why he sold it one guilder more than the price he was shown.

The four people stayed silent as if they were thinking. Graham had also divined that wraith remains were materials needed for some rituals, and they could also be made into strong charms or talismans, so he seized his chance.

"I have eleven of them. You won"t regret buying them now because I might not be here again tomorrow,"

He took out some more wraith remains to convince his potential buyers. Although he couldn"t see their faces, they appeared to be very interested, judging from their body language.

"I"ll buy them all!" said a man with an angry orange mask. He was wearing a suit, which made Graham think the man was rich.

"All of them? That will be seventy-seven guilders," replied Graham happily.

Just as the man with an angry mask was about to reach into his wallet, the woman, who was wearing a peach happy mask with a complicated pattern and an elegant sweater, interjected.

"I"ll buy all of them for seventy-eight guilders,"

Graham was surprised. He didn"t understand why someone would buy all eleven remains at once, but he welcomed the increased price with open arms.

"In that case, I"ll offer eighty guilders for all of them!" said the angry masked man, not wanting to lose.

The other two men were just standing and watching. They didn"t seem interested in buying all eleven wraith remains, so they couldn"t compete with the two people.

"Eighty-five guilders!" said the woman.

It appeared that money was not an issue at all for her.

The man with the angry face stayed quiet. It seemed that he didn"t want to continue raising the price because the woman didn"t seem to want to back off.

"Alright. These are yours, Ma"am," said Graham.

The woman, with a swift movement, handed four twenty-guilder and five one-guilder bills to Graham, who then gave her all the eleven rotting eyeball objects. He then saw the woman put all of the wraiths remains inside the purse that she was carrying very quickly. She appeared to be a Contractbound who excelled in speed.

Graham was smiling happily under his mask; he had unexpectedly sold them for a much higher price than he had planned for. After stuffing his money safely inside his wallet, Graham shouted again,

"I"m selling contract scrolls!"