The next day was pretty standard. Leon woke up and went to work, and Ramon went out with him, stopping a little earlier. To where? Who knows? It was just a fact they'd be meeting again in the next game, and Janet was probably making him enter. He spent a lot of time thinking over what the game could be about, and was apparently in such a trance he didn't notice the guy in front of him looking to buy a bag of salted peanuts. Leon gave him half off in the hopes he didn't report anything, and not having to talk to his boss later gave the impression he was right.
So work finally ended, and outside was Ramon. When they saw each other, Ramon's expression changed to an awkward one, implying he could see in Leon's face he didn't want to deal with whatever he was about to say. Regardless, he tried to be friendly.
"Hey, Leon!" He yelled.
"Hi." Leon replied, trying to best to sound anything other than completely drained. "Store's still open if you need anything."
"Don't have any money yet. Look, this might be of interest for you, okay? I think I figured out where the hosts are living."
Leon tried to believe this, but yet he didn't. Ramon was the game for one day, so the idea that he learned about where the gods were sounded a little ridiculous. Granted, he didn't think anyone tried, so he figured he might as well press the guy.
"Really now? How'd you figure that out?"
"You remember that actor Emmet Dayton?"
"The one that got busted for dating a sixteen year old?"
"Yeah, him. Well, he went missing a little after that, but his apartment is still receiving regular food orders."
"Which means he's hiding from the press?"
"You'd think, right? But I was talking to a buddy of mine who works in a place he orders from, and he keeps ordering both chicken protein meals and pizzas, in spite of him being openly vegan and lactose intolerant. So if I were to guess, someone took over the place."
"So what, you want to invade it?"
"Look, maybe we could sneak in, look for anything out of the ordinary, maybe knowledge on what game comes next. You want in?"
"Why me?"
"You have telekinesis, right? So maybe you could grab far away documents and stuff."
Leon sighed, figuring this guys plan was at least a little thought out.
"Fine. Where's this guy live? Ritzrub?"
"Indeed."
"Okay, you got a way over?"
"Wait, you don't have a car?"
Leon finally let out an audible groan when he heard Ramon didn't have a plan. Which meant he would have to scrounge up the last of his money to pay for a bus ticket and just hope that Jay could spot him later.
But they finally arrived in Ritzrub. Nighttime was starting, which meant so was this part of the city. A few guys already drunk shouting football chants to nobody in particular, women crossing the street to avoid them. Multiple people with thick accents trying to guide people into garish buildings with lights on top of lights. It was Ritzrub alright, and Leon still hated it.
Ramon pointed out where the building was, and Leon silently followed. He mentally tried blocking out all the noise, and then had to snap out of that to avoid the vomit some girl was spewing out. But eventually they made it, Emmet's old apartment. Pretty big, swanky place. Was an apartment for sure, but didn't give the vibe of one. Almost like there should be a distinct word between house and apartment for whatever this was. There was a gate inside with a passcode and some tall walls on every other side, but no other security to speak of outside of that.
"Hey Leon, you see that?" Ramon whispered.
He pointed to a patch on the wall. Blue like the rest of the apartment, but noticeably a few shades lighter.
"Your point?" Leon asked.
"It being lighter probably means something was there once, but was recently removed. Most likely a security camera. And why would Emmet want a security camera gone? Has to be someone else in there."
"So, how are we getting in?" Leon asked.
"Can you not use your powers to get us up there?" Ramon asked.
Okay, sure. Leon assumed this guy had something resembling a plan, but it all hinged on him. Still, maybe it was worth trying. He sent out the hook and latched around the top of the wall, managing to hold it in place around the edge thanks to an ornament at the top. He then tried scaling the wall. The hook was holding his weight, and he was able to climb to the top while Ramon watched out for anyone else. Once he was at the top, he latched the hook around Ramon and flung him upwards while letting the hook go, latching it once again as he was about to hit the ground head first, barely preventing it.
"Was that necessary?" Ramon whispered angrily.
"Eh, just testing something." Leon replied as he jumped down.
Once his grip was loosened, Ramon began looking around the place for some way of entrance. Door was obviously not allowed, even if it was locked. And he couldn't just blow up a window or something, because that meant people noticing whatever was going on and maybe police presence. But eventually, a window was found. Slightly open, too. Some kind of sickly sweet smell was noticeable even from the bottom they were standing in. The glass was blurry, so it was most likely the bathroom.
"You think gods poop?" Ramon asked.
"I've never thought about it." Leon said.
"Well if they don't, they won't notice us coming in through the bathroom."
Leon figured it was the best option, so used his powers to open the window, then lifted Ramon up. Once he was in, Leon hooked to the window's latch and scaled the wall, climbing in the window.
The first thing was the smell. It was a wide variety of incense and scented candles all coming together to smell like various off brand candies were shoved up their noses. But then there was the object the candles smell was probably trying to cover up.
In the bath was a corpse. Probably Emmet Dayton's corpse, but it was rotted to the point it was hard to tell. A few flies were buzzing around it. Ramon almost puked, and Leon tried ignoring it. Ramon put his ear to the door, and couldn't hear anything.
'Coast is clear' he mouthed to Leon. 'I'm going in'
He slowly opened the door to be met with an empty living room. Leon came out and closed the door. The TV was on, but paused. So at least one person was inside. Ramon immediately crept towards the table, which had various pieces of paper on them. But upon picking them up, they all seemed to either be menus for local takeout places or trashy romance novels. Leon checked the kitchen's counter for anything of interest, but there was nothing of note. However, a door opened, and Kwaku walked out. Leon crouched in the corner as he walked past him, and he didn't notice. Kwaku sat on the couch and continued watching his documentary on the second cabinet war. And he was getting to the part where Norman Blackmore tried fighting Limenia, and that was the most interesting part.
Ramon hid under the table, and Kwaku didn't seem to notice him. But a cockroach was next to him. He almost shouted something, but kept silent as he flicked it away. The cockroach hit the wall, but just crawled back to him. Ramon flicked it away a second time, and the cockroach still went up to him. Were they usually this persistent, Ramon wondered as he flicked it yet again. This time the roach ended up on it's side, so hopefully it was dying. But something long and green started emerging from the roach, and Ramon could barely process it before the snake wrapped around his neck and began dragging him out. The roach morphed into a girl smirking at him, who then turned to Kwaku.
"Hey Kwaku, look what we have here!"
Kwaku paused his documentary and walked over to the restrained Ramon. Leon figured it was time to bail. Sorry Ramon, but you knew the risks. He tried crawling out, and Xaawo turned her free hand to a snake and grabbed him.
"Relax, I'm not gonna hurt you." Xaawo laughed.
She placed both of them on chairs, keeping a snake around their legs.
"Hey Halford, check this out!" She yelled. Halford stepped out.
"Hmm. Well, it was bound to happen at some point." He nodded. His look was more approving than anything. "So, we rewarding them? Punishing them? Any ideas?"
"Eh, I'm thinking they get a question before we think of a punishment." Xaawo shrugged.
"Is this all of them?" Ramon asked Leon.
"There's one more." Leon whispered back. "Actually, I'm asking that. Where's the last god?"
"Around." Xaawo replied casually. "She likes exploring, learning the history of the city. You know how it is."
"Somewhat." Leon replied. "When can we meet her?"
"When she wants to meet you." Xaawo replied. "It's gonna be a big deal. I'm talking big surprise. Maybe with cake. Guys, should we get cake?"
"Not opposed to cake." Halford replied.
"I won't stop you." Kwaku added.
"But now it's time for our questions. Why are you here?"
"We figured you'd have notes on the next game." Ramon replied.
"Ah, I see." Xaawo said as she turned her head to Halford and nodded. Halford nodded back. They stayed nodding for a few seconds before turning back to the duo.
"Well, boss and I use our phones to track stuff and then tell the boys. They come from universes that don't have smartphones and are too damn lazy to figure it out. And as for the games themselves? Eh, we usually come up with them in the span of like, a few days? So if you were looking for a cheat sheet for the entire games, you ain't getting them."
"And now, I have another idea, if you'll allow me." Halford asked Xaawo.
"Take the mic, my guy."
"So, it appears obvious you want answers, and I'm happy to provide them. Should you assist me."
"So what, you want us to be moles?" Leon asked.
"Something like that. Look, I'm not going to beat around the bush. I hate Elijah. His kind are all a gang of thugs looking to ruin everything good."
"Woah!" Leon and Ramon said in unison, before turning to Kwaku to see if he'd protest. He didn't.
"Look, live as long as I have and you'll find fire users to be the lowest you can associate with."
"Oh." They both nodded slowly. So magic racism was a thing. Good to know?
"And I want him gone." He said calmly. "So, there's your mission. Kill Elijah, and I'll give you any piece of upcoming information as soon as I get it."
"You hate him so much you'll rig the games for anyone who kills him?"
"You think there's anything not rigged in this world?" Halford scoffed at Ramon. "But there's your deal. Whether you choose to accept it or not is up to you."
The snakes were undone, quickly turning back into Xaawo's arms.
"Now get out." Xaawo said calmly.
"That's it?" Ramon asked.
"Don't question the lack of punishment." Leon replied as he hooked him and dragged him towards the bathroom door.
"Oh, your punishment is tomorrow. Ramon, you have to appear. And Leon, I know you will."