Maledictus Aether Read Online Free PDF

to find this bar Captain Davis wants me to meet
him at. I weave through the locals, some of them trying to sell me
something – as if I get paid for what I do – but most glare at me
and openly point to my arm, its brass metal shining in the
sunlight.
    From there, it i s the
taunting and the catcalls, trying to goad me into a fight, but I
ignore it.
    I could always whip out my steam bolt and blast them to
kingdom c ome, but I doubt
that will win me any favours.
    T hat being said,
directions are not easy to come by for me so I stick to weaving
through the foot traffic and hope for the best. He told me it would
be generally hard to miss, but so far I have had zero luck with
that.
    I end up accidentally stumbling
across it.
    For a while I ha d
been walking aimlessly, getting even more hopelessly lost in the
chaos of Clockwork and passing by the gallows briefly – I avoid
looking at them, and at the wall of names that have been its
victims over the years in particular – until I reach what I suspect
looks an awful lot like a red-light district.
    The giveaway?
    Everyone and their grandmothers
are avoiding it like the plague, but a handful of crewmen are
walking boldly through, laughing loudly.
    I figure that bars equal
red-light district, and follow their example – without the
laughing.
    I start getting somewhere, at
least – well, aside from the women trying to lure me to shady
alleyways with the promise of a good time (again, not like I could
pay) – when bars start popping up, as well as brothels and the
sort.
    It i s not new to me,
though. Ashe decided that my promotion deserved a
celebration.
    I still have to thrash him for
it.
    Finally, I come across a building with the name Hades’ Treasure written in bold along the metal and brickwork.
There is a heavy-set man standing by the door, probably the
security, but all he is doing is watching men and a scattering of
women walk in.
    Regardless of that, I walk up to the slightly imposing man,
fishing out father’s watch while he gives me a steely-eyed look, and show it to him.
    “ I a m here to see a
friend,” I state as his eyebrows skyrocket, his poker face
breaking. I pocket the watch once more, still looking at the
man.
    “ Man, I thought he’d gone mad!” he states, and with that
said he composes himself. “This way.”
    I follow him into the bar, the sound of a hundred voices
assaulting my ears all at once and the smell of imported tobacco
burning its way down my nose. Making a face, I follow him as he
skirts around to a door marked No Entry .
    Holding it open for me, he nods
respectfully to me as I walk past before he closes it.
    This room does no t
smell as intoxicating, and is a lot quieter than the other. A
scattering of men and women sit at the booths, obviously a cut
above the rest with their wealth shining in the light.
    I recognize Captain Davis sitting at the bar, so I amble
over and sit at the stool beside his. He turns his head, and the pirate grins at me as if he has
won the world’s greatest treasure.
    “ I knew my
faith in you wasn’t misplaced,” he laughs, gesturing to the
bartender. “What’s your poison? It’s on me.”
    The bartender comes over, and I place an order for gin on
the rocks. With a small nod, he walks off to fill the order, and
the Captain turns in his stool to face me whil e chuckling at the fact that it is a very
British thing for me to ask for – not that I can help it, really.
In London, it is practically in your veins.
    “ So, have you
had a look at his journal?” He inquires, and I nod in affirmation,
thanking the man for the drink. “For over a decade I’ve poured over
it, with little success – I hope you’ve had a fair bit
more.”
    “ I read it
from start to finish,” I reply, mixing the drink a little by
twirling it in the glass and taking a swig. It burns down my
throat, but settles pleasantly in my stomach as the pirate gapes at
me, and I look at him while arching an eyebrow. “The cipher was