The place for the meeting was the backdoor of the Alhambra Music Hall. A bored, unshaven man stood guard and looked up when Jacob approached him.
"Weapons?"
"No, thank you. I've got my own.", Jacob winked. He had decided to show up without the help of Edward. How Evie had said, that without his help he would not get far had kind of hurt his pride. He could do this by himself.
"You should be on stage, sir. This way.", the guard said and Jacob was led into the depths of the music hall. Roth had arranged a table with food on the stage.
"Ah! Our honored guest has arrived! Come sit.", Roth poured Jacob a drink, which the man accepted.
"I've had my eye on you for some time. I find your...heroics in battling the great Crawford Starrick quite magnificent.", Roth began.
"I've been picking off your soldiers one by one, doesn't that make you angry?", Jacob took a sip of the drink.
"On the contrary. Surprise is the spice of life! Now, Mr. Starrick, that's a different story. I'm drowining in directives, all terribly boring. Let's say we work together and bring him down?"
"Aw, I'm not so sure about that..."
"My friend, if I fail to provide you with the chance to cause Starrick some pain, well you can charge into this theatre and kill me yourself.", Roth offered without even thinking of what he was saying.
"What do /you/ get out of all this?", Jacob did not trust this game quite as much.
"The chance to have fun with the bravest man in London!"
Jacob grinned. "You have a deal."
"Lewis! My carriage! Shall we?", Roth moved up and Jacob followed him outside.
"This way! Well, you don't expect me to go alone, do you? Take the reins."
The two of them drove to St. Pancras Station. An order of explosives was due for Mr. Starrick. Roth wanted to blow it up, with Jacobs help of course.
"There's a train parked inside St. Pancras.", Roth said, once the two had reached the Station.
"Then I am to do away with Starrick's merchandise, leaving chaos in my wake.", Jacob felt a bit excitenment.
"Why not, Jacob? Why not? As we speak, the up train is headed towards us. That may help you enter the station unseen.", Roth suggested.
"As long as it remains on the tracks."
"I'd say good luck, but you don't need it. I shall make certain, any reinforcements from Starrick are kept away from the station."
Using the passing train, Jacob infiltrated the station. He found the dynamite shipments and blew them up. This was easy.
When he found the driver of Starrick's train, he grabbed him from behind.
Jacob made sure, the train would leave the station. As he jumped off, Roth's men moved in and made sure, the train driver would continue to drive.
"Splendid! Starrick will be on his knees in no time. My hat is off to you.", Roth grinned broadly as he passed by Jacob to also board the departing train. "Apologies, I must run. Do come see me again."
The work of Roth and Jacob continued. On one occasion they kidnapped three of Starrick's important associates. Another time they blew up one of Starrick's workshops.
...The deal with the workshop did not work out so well. Jacob had found out there were children working in there. And while Roth would have blown it up nonetheless, Jacob had decided that this madness had to stop.
Jacob had just managed to save the children from the workshop, when Lewis, Roths servant, gave him a box.
"A gift, Sir. From Mr. Roth. You should be warned, Mr. Frye, that when Roth is angry with one, he generally brings suffering to many.", Lewis said without much compassion in his voice.
Jacob frowned and read that letter that had come with the box.
'My dearest Jacob. Alas, it seems our adventures have come to a close. Although our time together was brief, it's left a lasting mark. I wish you well in all your future endeavors. Cordially, Maxwell.
Post Scriptum: I'm putting a show this evening. All of London will be there. Enclosed, please find your invitation.'
Inside the box was Roth's dead pet crow. Jacob gritted his teeth. The man was really not as nice as he had started to think. He had gone too far!
Roth had not exaggerated, when he had said that the 'who is who' of London would attend his show.
The Alhambra Music Hall was filled to the brim.
What Jacob noticed was that for some reason, the attendees wore masks. He discreetly took out one of Roth's guards, stole the mask and put it on to then blend in with the other special guests.
"Mesdames et Messieurs, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Alhambra Music Hall! Tonight, we have, for one night only, a very special performance of Corvus the Trickster. While some of the effects may be visceral and highly disturbing, do not be alarmed, my good people. Fear not! This is the purest form of entertainment! Tonight's performance immortalizes and is for the benefit of a young fellow very near and dear to my heart. Any concerns or complaints may be addressed to him, ha ha ha! Jacob, dear boy, tonight is for you."
It was Roth, he was standing on stage and started a show for the guests. But for now he stepped behind the stage and preparations were made by the staff. Smoke appeared on stage and shortly after, Roth's voice filled the Music Hall once again.
"We have a volunteer! A big round of applause for this brave, brave man!
Our volunteer is about to die for you, Jacob.", a man stepped onto stage, one from the guests.
"You lucky people are about to witness this gentleman being fired upon at point-blank range. Our performer will hit several targets placed around his head! Exciting, is it not?
Oh ho ho! Will our honored guest go unharmed...?"
Jacob might have enjoyed the show, but he was busy trying to make sense of it all. For one, Roth was no longer on stage, yet his voice was heard everywhere.
Jacob had spotted a man that looked like he might be Roth ... well, he did wear a mask. But maybe...
No, that wasn't him.
Then he noticed that there was a girl with a pitcher, she only gave drink to the Blighter guards. If he could poison that pitcher, he would not have to worry about the Blighters.
All the while, Roth still rambled on what happened on stage. From what Jacob heard, it was a massacre and he didn't like it.
"Excuse me, love. Just looking for the lavatory.", Jacob had stepped up to that girl.
"It's over there.", she pointed and also looked in that direction. He used his chance to poison her pitcher. She did not notice anything.
"Thanks."
But still no sign of the real Roth. Jacob was feeling unnerved.
"Roth! Show yourself!"
"Oh my! Are your principles drifting, dear? The flavour intensifies the second time, the hunt now a search for want rather than need. The search consumes you, creed forgotten, prey visualised, mouth watering. Leaves a strange taste in your mouth, doesn't it? Like eating pork when expecting venison.
Are you trying to repent, my dear? It is not too late to join me in my grand finale!"
Roth appeared back on stage and took off his mask. He laughed. "I hope you have enjoyed your evening so far, ladies and gentlemen. I know I have. Now, before our final act, I would like to toast all of you brave people who joined us tonight to celebrate life...and death. Go on, toast them!"
Some Blighters appeared also on stage, drank some flammable liquid and breathed fire onto the stage, effectively setting the Music Hall on fire.
"Your move, Jacob, my dear! Burn! Burn! BURN!", Roth now seemed to have really lost it.
"Join me for the finale! Come out, wherever you are!"
Jacob had to climb a bit around the stage area until he was up on a rafter. Then he cut a rope holding a counterweight. Roth ended up getting entangled and basically was pulled up like a fish, where Jacob got him and killed him.
"Darling, what a night! The stuff of legends!", called out a mortally wounded Roth.
Jacob however was pissed off. "Why did you do it? All of it?"
"What? Snap a baby crow's neck between my thumb and forefinger? Slice to bits the ones you deem innocent? Keep the world in its divine manic state? For the same reason I do anything!"
Roth grabbed Jacob by the collar and kissed him.
"Why not!?"
And with that, Maxwell Roth was dead. Jacob was still confused and made a face. What? A kiss? A bit hesitant, he took out his handkerchief to dip it in Roths blood.
In the meantime, outside, the first Firefighters arrived. The hoses were linked together and the men tried to save what could be saved. Many of the guests ran out of the burning building.
And, even more help moved towards the Alhambra Music Hall.
Evie had had a bad feeling about Jacob continuing to work with Roth and so she had asked Edward to once again go and help Jacob. She did not like it, but she knew that Jacob sometimes would listen to Edward.
The former Pirate could see the clouds of smoke arise from the Music Hall blocks away. He had rushed over the rooftops to get to it.
Edward came down from the rooftops. He surveyed the situation with the firefighters and the guests that still came out of the building ...so many. But Jacob was not among them. He had to be in there, still.
He used the power of his Trident to gather some of the water from the hoses of the firefighters around himself and moved into the still burning building.
Well, fire was one thing, but the building also threatened to collapse. Also, he had to move past the scared faces of the people fleeing the building which did not make it easier. Edward had to be fast and find Jacob. He quickly reached the auditorium and had to crouch already. The amount of smoke was incredible.
Jacob had left the rafters and tried to find a way out. But how? All the paths were blocked by burning wood. He barely dodged a burning beam. Jacob coughed and crouched. He was going to die now, wasn't he?
But there! From all the flames, an angel appeared!
"Edward?", it was no angel, but Edward, still with a sheet of mist around his body that, for a moment, had looked like wings. "Jacob, there you are. We got to get out of there.", Edward looked around and spotted a dome made from glass on top. Ah yes, Air and light, the usual way for a Music Hall to safe on electricity during the daytime. Edward did not see the sky, but he summoned his Trident and called upon the rainclouds of London that they may gather here.
"How well do you swim, Jacob?"
"I can swim okay, why do you ask?"
"Because that's what we're going to do now. Come here.", Edward made sure, Jacob was in a save spot and then focused. He felt that outside he had gathered enough water and smashed in the glass dome on top. The shards of glass fell down onto the stage and partly onto the auditorium. The flames further up waved as they had more air to feed on now, but the path was clear.
Rain fell into the Music hall. Edward gathered some of the rain and focused that onto one spot, letting it constantly grow. He moved towards that puddle that soon grew into a pillar and gestured for Jacob to stay close to him. Soon enough they got elevated up and up, onto roof-level.
"Now. Jacob. use your hookshot.", Edward called out. With the flames, the wind and the rain it had become pretty noisy by now.
Jacob understood and he did use his hookshot to get him off to one of the neighbouring rooftops. He was saved! Greedily he took in the nightly air.
Edward managed to get himself over using his hookshot as well. Mission accomplished, the boy is save. Then he unsommoned his Trident.
The rain still put out the flames of the burning Music Hall. Edward watched that for a while.
"What the heck .. did you do in there anyway? Evie just told me you were hanging out with that Leader guy..", Edward huffed. He also gladly took in the fresh air.
It took Jacob some time to string a coherent sentence together. "I .. Roth had done some cruel things. He blew up this workshop of Starrick. There were children inside!"
Jacob sat up and watched the Music Hall that slowly stopped burning. "He invited me to this place ...alongside with sending me a dead baby crow. I had to come here and kill him. He ... he started to display carnage on stage! ...He was mad. And then he .. he put the stage on fire.", he took a breath.
"I probably played into his hands the whole time. I should have known better."
Edward didn't say anything but watched Jacob. Oh, he knew what he was going through. He thought about all of the things for a while.
"...You killed him though, didn't you?", he eventually asked.
Jacob nodded slowly. "I did. ...but.. shortly, before he died, he just.. he just kissed me! He was total nuts!"
"...Eh?", Edward gave Jacob a disbelieving look. Kissed? Really? That was more than weird. "Well ...Now it's only Starrick left. Evie and you, you have to be real careful. He won't stop until the both of you are dead."
"Mhm ...Well. .. I don't know, where you'll be going now. I need to talk to Evie.", Jacob moved up to his feet.
And...Edward? Thanks for saving me. If you had not come, I would be done for."
Edward snickered and also moved up. "Aye. Jacob would be totally Fryed."
Jacob had to laugh over this stupid joke. Damn, this one could have come from his side.
They moved over the rooftops and talked while doing so.
"Say, Jacob. Was that your first kiss?"
Jacob rolled his eyes. "Well, I would have wished for the circumstances to have been different. Like getting kissed from a person that does not want to fry me."
"Well, if it didn't happen with consent, we could cut that from your history. I know of nothing.", Edward put on an innocent face. Which was kind of difficult for him to do. "But I got to say, you're pretty late. When I was your age I was already married for two years. Is your sister keeping you from finding a girl?"
Now, Edward may be a bit blunt, but he also had taken note, that Henry Green and Evie had gotten close lately. Surely, they would become a couple.
However, Edward found Jacobs story through this era more interesting and so he stuck to him.
"Anyway, I think the girl by your side will have alot of fun. You have a wonderful sense of humour.", Edward eventually said as he didn't get an answer. "How do you know where your train currently is anyway?"
"The magic of timetables.", Jacob replied.
They reached the train and Evie was already fuming. "Where have you been, Jacob? Starrick is on the move. He will get the Shroud, no matter the price. Furthermore I have seen your work throughout the city. You should listen to me and not to some madman!"
Jacob sighed and ran a hand through his hair after taking off his hat. "Evie... I know I fucked up. I should not have trusted Roth. But I... I thought that Roth and me have the same goal. Then it would not be far to Starrick anymore. I was in the Music Hall when Roth set the thing ablaze... but I killed him.", he looked at Evie. "He was indeed mad. All he cared about was his personal fun, without any care. I ... I ... know. ... I've recognised part of myself within him. And I don't want to become like him.
I'm sorry, if I have caused any trouble and .. caused you more work."
Evie stared at Jacob. Now, that was one reveal. She could not even be mad at Jacob. Usually, the fight would have increased and the shouting would have escalated, but not now.
She stepped forward and took him into her arms. "We can do this, Jacob. Together."