A Japanese Hello

77.

Gilbert saw the armed guards waiting for him. A small contingent of japanese military personnel rifles and all just beyond the customs desk. He wondered if for a moment that they were there for someone else, the hand placed on his arm when he cleared customs dispelled that notion immediately.

"Gilbert Dunkley?" Looked like an officer of a type, but Gilbert couldn't remember if Japan used the same ranks as the american military

"If I told you no, would you believe me?"

"Welcome to Japan, come with me."

"This is less of a request than I'd like isn't it?" They shoved Gilbert into the back of a military vehicle and away he went. No one talked, the men with rifles were stoic the whole time and the customs agent who had stopped him said nothing as well. Gilbert half expected this reception, but he couldn't remember what he had exactly done to deserve it. They drove from the airport into the japanese countryside eventually arriving at what looked to be a prison, but Gilbert's Japanese was rusty and they drove by the sign too fast.

Inside the complex Gilbert was marched down stairs; past several security check points into an area labeled "high threat" as best he could interpret. The soldiers who had come with him remained behind at the last check point, it was just him and the officer past a bunch of empty cells. Finally they arrived at Del, her cell decorated in gold waiting for him, glaring at him.

"You can go now."

"Yes empress." The officer about faced and left Gilbert alone with the dragon, his deference to her showing the cell clearly just a display.

"Gilbert Dunkley the great betrayer."

"Don't you start with that bullshit with me Del, I'm too old and past the point of caring, I've been threatened, I'm jet lagged, and I only came here to ask a question."

"The answer is no."

"You didn't even hear the question."

"But I know you want to know if I can fix my weapon, and I cannot, I felt when it was broken, like having a fingernail removed, and I also felt the creature who broke it, you were warned and you'd do well to heed that warning."

"So that's that?"

"What else is there Gilbert? You are not a magical creature, you never trucked in it as I recall, you are a tool user, and I'm telling you that tool is broken and nothing can reform it, now leave me to my gilded cage."

"Whatever happened to you?"

"Do not presume to know anything about me or my business Exterminator, I'll be here long after your pests put you in the ground." Gilbert turned around to leave, "I see I hurt your feelings, but let me give you another warning, what you are digging into makes the worlds current problems seem like a minor event, you and your assistant are not at all the people for this job, these things will work things out, or they won't and the world will burn, you know either or."

"Helpful as always."

"I'd also recommend leaving Japan, but I know you're going to stick around, just don't put your nose in a place it's not welcome, you have no friends here." Gilbert didn't respond, he wanted to leave, but since Del wanted him to leave he knew he had to stay, he just hoped that Clarissa wouldn't do anything stupid in his absence, he was already afraid she had.

****

"So we're stuck in some kind of spiritual hell that looks like a child's show, this is fine I'm fine with this, yes."