Chapter Summaries

Arthur blamed the night's attack on Lark returning as an evil spirit, reassured his neighbors, and saw the police clear the scene without further trouble. After eating and preparing for bed, he fell asleep, only to hear someone call his name.

• Arthur told Scott and his neighbors that Lark had returned as an evil spirit and sent his former colleagues to take revenge.
• Arthur reassured everyone that he had killed Lark both before and after his death.
• Maltz apologized to Arthur, promised to begin the compensation process, and led the police away.
• Scott left to prepare a special edition and interview about the incident.
• Arthur ate dinner, secured his home, put flintlocks beneath his pillow, and fell asleep.
• A soft voice called Arthur's name shortly after he fell asleep.

Arthur resisted a creature’s dreamlike summons and trapped it outside 2 Kirk Street, then fought to hold it back while looking for a way to survive. As the monster kept attacking, Arthur noticed his [Bluff] skill flashing and formed a new idea.

• A hoarse voice lured Arthur toward the front door, but he pretended to remain under its control and fired the Thunder Gun through a hidden port.
• Arthur woke inside a dark, mist-covered version of 2 Kirk Street and saw a powerful shadowy creature ramming the door.
• Arthur stabbed the creature through the firing port with a knight’s sword, pinning it temporarily despite its strength.
• Arthur realized his weapons might be ineffective and noticed his [Bluff] skill flashing as he considered trusting the monster’s threat.

Arthur endured the monster’s dreamlike assault and used its taunts to lure it close enough to strike and detonate explosives, revealing that the giant monster had been an illusion concealing a toadlike core. He crushed the captured creature after it claimed it had come searching for Xiudik and recognized Arthur’s serpent bloodline.

• The monster tore the door from 2 Kirk Street and shattered Arthur’s surroundings, dragging him into its dark domain.
• Arthur pretended to struggle under the monster’s pressure until it lowered its head within reach.
• Arthur stabbed the monster’s eye and detonated explosives hidden on his sword, stunning the core inside its giant form.
• The darkness receded, and Arthur deduced that the giant monster and his injuries had been controlled dream illusions.
• The toadlike monster claimed it had come looking for Xiudik and said Arthur was his descendant, but Arthur crushed it and recoiled at the mess.

After waking from a nightmare in which he killed a toad, Arthur found its stench still clinging to him and worried that it might mark him or attract danger. He set out to learn more about the mystical side and grow stronger, leaving for the Swordsmanship Club with extra dynamite in his case.

• Arthur washed repeatedly but could not remove the stench, then accepted a bread delivery from Alvin and concluded the apprentice showed no sign of knowing about the strange encounter.
• Arthur reviewed the people who had recently contacted him, especially Miss Caesar and the beggar, and decided to watch for clues while becoming stronger.
• Arthur gained 20 XP from his newspaper attention and the success of the “Vengeful Evil Spirit” drama, but saved the points for a possible advanced sword technique.
• Arthur rejected the idea of hiring a bard to spread his fame and left with his Medium's Case, now carrying two extra bundles of dynamite.

Arthur visited the renowned Jorjok Swordsmanship Club, intending to train with its skilled swordsmen. After Amy explained the club’s facilities and membership fees, Arthur asked whether he could try a lesson.

• Arthur avoided Aivor’s food cart and headed to the Jorjok Swordsmanship Club.
• Arthur inspected the club’s fortified-looking building and entered through its blade-marked doors.
• Amy welcomed Arthur and explained the club’s facilities, memberships, and extra fees for underground activities.
• Amy praised the coaches’ combat experience, and Arthur asked if he could try a lesson.

Arthur visited the Jorjok Swordsmanship Club to assess its instructors and sparred with Byrne, easily defeating him. When Ritter, the club’s tournament bronze medalist, challenged Arthur, he suddenly convulsed and died before attacking, leaving the cause of his death unclear.

• Amy brought Instructor Byrne to meet Arthur, and Byrne showed him around the club while praising Ritter, who had placed third in the Swordsmanship Tournament.
• Arthur learned that lessons with Ritter cost about ten Sol and decided to spar with Byrne first.
• Arthur disarmed Byrne with a quick strike and held his wooden sword to Byrne’s throat, shocking the watching students and instructors.
• Ritter arrived, accused Arthur of scouting the club ahead of the upcoming tournament, and challenged him before Arthur could explain.
• Ritter prepared to thrust at Arthur, but convulsed, fell with foam at his mouth, and died.

Arthur was blamed for Ritter’s sudden death at the Jorjok Swordsmanship Club, but he dismissed the accusation and let the students confirm that the two swordsmen had never touched. When Maltz arrived and identified him as “Medium” Arthur Credos, someone watched Arthur with malice.

• Byrne found Ritter dead, and Desi accused Arthur of killing him in front of the students.
• Arthur slapped Desi three times, reenacted the match, and persuaded the students to confirm that his wooden sword had never touched Ritter.
• Byrne took Desi to the lounge while Arthur mocked his loss of composure, and the students speculated about Arthur’s identity.
• Maltz arrived with two patrol officers and introduced Arthur to the students as “Medium” Arthur Credos.
• A gaze filled with malice fixed on Arthur.

Arthur identified Desi as Ritter’s murderer by examining the body and noticing signs of poisoning, then prompted Desi to confess. As Arthur left with reporter Scott, Scott invited him to lunch at the Red Rose Restaurant to discuss another big story.

• Arthur asked Officer Maltz for permission to examine Ritter’s body, and Maltz beat Desi when he tried to stop the examination.
• Arthur pretended to commune with Ritter’s ghost and accused Desi of poisoning him with cassava-derived poison.
• Arthur told Maltz to inspect Ritter’s sword hilt and search Desi’s residence for cassava residue, prompting Desi to collapse and confess.
• Desi admitted that he had killed Ritter after becoming angry about Arthur’s tournament success and refusing to pay him to stay quiet.
• Scott met Arthur outside the club, announced another big story, and invited him to lunch at the Red Rose Restaurant.

After a disastrous lunch, Arthur asked Scott to find a capable swordsmanship club and tested his suspicion about the beggar, who reacted with terror to the lingering scent on Arthur’s hand. Arthur failed to find the beggar and returned to 2 Kirk Street, where he discovered a modified Bloom Carriage and opened the hidden compartment containing dynamite.

• Scott vowed to expose the Red Rose Restaurant after maggots leaped from its Casu Marzu Cheese into his mouth, and Arthur asked him to find a genuinely skilled swordsmanship club.
• Arthur bought ordinary egg and ham sandwiches and approached the beggar to test whether he was connected to their strange contact.
• The beggar shouted at Arthur to stay back and called him a monster before disappearing into the crowd.
• Arthur realized the beggar could smell the lingering scent on his right hand, searched nearby streets without finding him, and asked Wiggins to help track him down.
• Arthur returned to 2 Kirk Street, spotted a modified Bloom Carriage outside, and opened the Medium’s Case’s hidden compartment to reveal two bundles of dynamite.

Arthur stopped himself from attacking the carriage after overhearing that its visitors wanted to buy his silence about the swordsmanship tournament bribery. He took a hundred pounds from Todd Gilly and secured a promise that Todd would find better swordsmanship to satisfy Ritter’s lingering obsession.

• Arthur overheard Byrne tell Todd Gilly that Arthur could communicate with spirits, so he put away the explosives and approached the carriage openly.
• Todd Gilly met Arthur at 2 Kirk Street, and Arthur realized Todd wanted to keep him quiet about Littell’s bribery in the previous Swordsmanship Tournament.
• Todd offered Arthur money, and Arthur claimed Ritter’s spirit was still lingering until Todd paid him a total of a hundred pounds.
• Arthur told Todd that Ritter wanted better swordsmanship, and Todd promised to do everything he could to find it.
• After seeing Todd and Byrne off, Arthur turned toward the house and felt a hand settle on his shoulder.

Arthur discovered that the seemingly witless beggar possessed devastating invisible swordsmanship and pursued him into 2 Kirk Street. With the beggar closing in, Arthur ignited the explosives he had prepared throughout the building.

• The beggar grabbed Arthur and demonstrated Swiftbird Swordsmanship, silently slicing the doorframe with an invisible blade.
• Arthur escaped the beggar’s grip with [Serpent Body], armed himself, and retreated toward a secret passage as the beggar’s expression shifted between vacancy and anger.
• The beggar entered 2 Kirk Street, split three trap-fired spears apart with his fingers, and walked through flames unharmed.
• The beggar crossed the corridor in a single step and thrust at Arthur while asking why he was leaving and whether it was fate.
• Arthur rejected the idea of fate and pulled the fuse, setting off the explosives prepared inside 2 Kirk Street.

Arthur survived the beggar’s attack when the intruder fled in terror from a wooden doll, then learned and improved Pseudo Swiftbird Swordsmanship by spending experience. He resolved to stay at 2 Kirk Street until the stench attracting enemies faded and hoped Wiggins might bring news about the beggar’s swordsmanship.

• Arthur charged the beggar, but the beggar cried out at the wooden doll and fled, allowing Arthur to pinch out the fuse and survive.
• Arthur assessed the damage to 2 Kirk Street and considered using his Serpent Tongue trait to keep venomous snakes for its defenses.
• Arthur decided to remain at 2 Kirk Street until the stench on him disappeared, then recalled the beggar’s swordsmanship while inspecting the cuts in the doorframe.
• Arthur spent 5 XP to learn Pseudo Swiftbird Swordsmanship and practiced its stance, gaining a faster sword strike.
• Arthur spent another 10 XP to raise Pseudo Swiftbird Swordsmanship to Lv2 and hoped the Swordsmanship Club murder case would provide enough XP to improve it again.

Arthur considered how to gain more XP and worried that Toad might still be alive, then Wiggins arrived claiming he had found the person Arthur was seeking. Arthur set out with him, but his eerie belongings frightened everyone on the public carriage, and Arthur sensed something was wrong.

• Arthur gained XP as more people discussed the Jorjok Swordsmanship Club murder and learned his name.
• Arthur decided to honor his promise to Todd Gilly and keep Ritter’s previous tournament result secret, while considering how to gain more XP.
• Arthur suspected Toad might have survived their fight and resolved to find him, though he had never seen Toad’s true face.
• Wiggins arrived at 2 Kirk Street and excitedly told Arthur he had found the person Arthur was looking for.
• Arthur took his Medium's Case, umbrella, and Eerie Puppet with him as Wiggins led him out.
• Passengers on the public carriage, including a baby, became frightened by Arthur, and he sensed something was wrong.

Arthur recognized a baby being held by child traffickers and killed the two adults before rescuing the child. After the police took over, he continued his journey with Wiggins and Scott, who praised him as gentle and learned that Arthur had named his Marionette Doll Anna.

• Arthur inferred from the couple’s clothes, behavior, and the baby’s coarse wrapping that they were child traffickers, then asked Wiggins to delay the carriage.
• Arthur frightened the couple with his snake-like eyes, seized the baby and the man’s dagger, and slit both adults’ throats.
• Wiggins fetched the police, and after the scene was handed over, Arthur continued by carriage with Wiggins and Scott.
• Scott praised Arthur for calming the baby and asked how he had spotted the danger; Arthur credited Anna, his Marionette Doll.
• Scott greeted the silent Marionette Doll as Miss Anna, while Wiggins grew uneasy, and the carriage reached its destination.

Arthur visited Rat Street with Wiggins and Scott to identify a beggar, but found that the supernatural presence inside him had vanished. After paying Wiggins for his work, Arthur heard approaching footsteps and the story was left on the verge of a new arrival.

• Wiggins led Arthur and Scott through the dangerous Rat Street district to a house where three boys guarded a beggar.
• Arthur recognized the beggar but sensed that the person or presence he had been seeking was gone, and suspected it had abandoned the body.
• Arthur praised Wiggins and paid him a one-denomination Gold Ticket, which Wiggins accepted despite worrying that it would bind him more closely to Arthur.
• As Arthur prepared to speak further, he heard boots splashing through the mud and drawing nearer.

Arthur and Maltz began discussing who was behind Joseph and what that person planned, while the police searched for missing children. The conversation ended with Maltz revealing that the baby Arthur had rescued had been taken.

• Arthur heard approaching police and told Wiggins that Anna said they meant no harm.
• Wiggins sent his men through a hidden passage but stayed with Arthur when Maltz arrived.
• Maltz offered Arthur Gold Tickets as compensation for the damage to his yard, but Arthur refused to be swayed by money.
• After a thunderclap, Maltz told Arthur he knew who was behind Joseph and what that person planned.
• Maltz revealed that four children had gone missing in Shire District before Arthur reported a fifth case, and that the baby Arthur rescued had been taken.

Arthur investigated the baby abductions and realized they formed part of a ritual centered on 14 Kirk Street, where Toad was using the babies’ pure blood to heal himself. After hearing that witnesses forgot the attacker’s face, Arthur asked Anna about cries of anguish from Charcoal Street, leaving Maltz stunned as Arthur prepared to act.

• Maltz told Arthur that four babies had disappeared from homes near Kirk Street before two suspected traffickers abducted another baby from a public carriage.
• Arthur reasoned that the attacker’s face had been forgotten through a mystical trick and suspected the abductions were part of a ritual.
• Arthur connected the five babies’ homes to the points of a pentagram centered on 14 Kirk Street and identified Toad as the person behind the abductions.
• Maltz explained that witnesses had seen the attacker’s face but could not remember it afterward.
• Arthur asked Anna whether she had heard cries of anguish from Charcoal Street, and Maltz turned back toward him in alarm.

Arthur secured Maltz’s commitment to cooperate against Woolt and gave him an address to investigate. Meanwhile, Gram prepared another blood ritual but discovered that someone had shattered his ceramic jars.

• Maltz identified Woolt as the Harbor District Chief behind Joseph and promised to gather support for the cooperation within an hour.
• Arthur agreed to help Maltz’s side and gave him the address 14 Kirk Street.
• Gram returned to 14 Kirk Street, used incense to quiet a kidnapped baby, and failed to meditate because he resented Xiudik for taking the [Herc White Silver Potion].
• Gram planned to kill Arthur Credos and use a divination to find Xiudik, expecting a midnight Blood Ritual to restore his body and strength.
• Several ceramic jars shattered nearby, and Gram noticed an unusual smell.

Maltz killed Audo in an alley to secure his cooperation with Arthur against Chief Woolt. As Arthur and Maltz attacked 14 Kirk Street to capture the Baby-Theft Case mastermind, their target used a decoy and rushed toward Maltz.

• Audo tried to extort money from Maltz, who lured him into an alley and killed him while Arthur watched.
• Arthur explained that Audo's death would draw Woolt to the Shire District and help set up Woolt's elimination; Maltz agreed to call him Arthur.
• Arthur gave Maltz several vials of Holy Water, then crossed the rooftops while Maltz led the officers toward 14 Kirk Street.
• Maltz ordered the Patrol Officers to throw kerosene jars and torches at the house, setting it ablaze.
• The officers shot a coat rack dressed in a coat, then a figure rushed out of 14 Kirk Street straight toward Maltz.

Arthur and Maltz cornered Gram at 14 Kirk Street, where Maltz’s Holy Water drove Gram back and Arthur killed him with a sword strike. Arthur confirmed the kill earned him XP and searched Gram’s body, finding something just as the Patrol Officers began responding to the fire.

• Gram mistook the Blue Dogs’ raid for an attack on the babies and planned to kill their leader before escaping South Los.
• Gram charged Maltz, who threw Holy Water that was actually concentrated sulfuric acid, burning Gram’s face and hands.
• Arthur leaped from the roof of 14 Kirk Street and cut Gram’s throat with the False Swiftbird Swordsmanship.
• Arthur saw that killing Gram earned him 20 XP while Maltz ordered the Patrol Officers to put out the fire and rescue anyone inside.
• Arthur reflected on the murdered family in the house, searched Gram’s corpse, and found something.