I see Beatrice give the signal. Battler has arrived.

Battler must have entered the room... I could tell because, as I peered over the edge of my perch on the roof, swallowing my sense of vertigo, I could see a tarp flapping at the very bottom. That was the cue.

If all was going as planned, another of Beatrice's servants had just shut the door and locked it behind him. He'd be trapped alone in the darkness... In that darkness, he'd surely either be banging on the door to call for help, or focusing on the lantern by the window, the only source of light in the room. Hopefully, it was the latter... If not, however, we'd give him something to focus on.

Bracing my feet as best as I could on the rain-slick shingles, praying the gutters were tightly affixed as my heels kicked against them... I pulled. I pulled with the fervor of a man determined to see his hard work pay off, and one not quite so afraid of **** as the average man might be. Still... I was lucky the other guy was there. Wordlessly, he grunted with exertion as he pulled his side of the rope. It was all I could do to keep up with his strength.

Finally, we had worked the makeshift pulley system to the point where the tarp was level with the VIP room. This felt like the hardest part. We had to hold it steady for just a moment...

As I held on for slightly-less-than-dear life, I saw the tarp mat back onto the platform. If Beatrice had successfully called Battler's attention to the window, he'd probably be witnessing her emerge mysteriously from the darkness of an upper-story window, impossibly dry! Meanwhile, the dark tarp hid the platform for the briefly moment it needed to disappear upward.

Without the weight of a woman on other end of the pulley, the remaining effort was relatively easy. As soon as we had it up, I shoved it into the arms of the other servant and thanked him for his service. I noted his small bow with some amusement... We were all the same rank here, right, guy?

In any case, no time to waste on that! I hurried down into the attic, making time. It probably would have been smarter to be more discrete, but no way was I going to get left out of the action after all this!

I finally arrived at the door, unlocked it from the outside, muscled past the servant who had locked the door and held it shut too fast to even register them, then whirled into the room. Ushiromiya Battleeer!!

"Geh! What? What the heck?!"

Ah... the red-headed problem child of the Ushiromiya family was still in his always entertaining baffled-and-fumbling-around mode. He and Beatrice seemed to have been sharing a conversation already, before I'd entered.

"Ho! Hip, you've finally decided to join us." Beatrice grinned and applauded.

Since there was no need for a witch to clap for her familiar, I took that as a winking recognition of my efforts, and gave an over-done bow in response. Greetings, human. I am Hip, a demon in the service of this witch-

"You were holding the door shut from the other side, weren't you?" Battler rolled his cuffs back and raised his fists. "That means all I've gotta do is get past you, and-"

No, no... Somebody else is out there now. Show some patience. After all, you'll be free to leave in just a moment, if you choose... However, once you hear the terms of our arrangement, I feel certain you'll want to stay.

"Yeah, okay..." Battler started to calm himself, shutting his eyes. "Okay. Whoever the heck you people are, I guess I gotta stay and hear you out. After all... There's gotta be a story behind this."

This? Did he mean "this," as in the strangers that had summoned him here on this stormy night? No... he was probably referring to that. A metal pole had been erected in the center of the room, with a raised, drape-covered platform built around the base and a comfortable armchair placed meaningfully close.

Or maybe he meant that. Waiting in the chair was an open, silver briefcase. Inside... were three credit cards clipped to lanyards. There were no special decorations on them, and yet... One didn't normally see credit cards displayed in this fashion. Needless to say, the first thought that comes to one's mind when they see such a thing: how much money is on those cards? I could see the question on Battler's face.

"So much, speaking the number is pointless. Your mind would not know how to process it." Beatrice answered the unspoken question as if reading the young man's mind, a knowing smirk displayed on her face. Toying with human greed put the witch in her element. "One of these will allow you to live a worry-free life. Two will support your dreams: a new business; a partner; a year wasted on high-stakes gambling, if that is your wish. With three, you would live like a king. However, Ushiromiya Battler, I am not here to make you a king. I am here to make you a deal. Hip, explain our terms."

I cleared my throat, seeing that I had Battler's attention... Probably the last time I could expect to have it for a while.

1) There are three credit cards, which can be thought of as the "witch's favor." You are about to be presented with an offer. If you give up one of the cards to that person, you will be granted a chance to proceed. If not, you will be permitted to leave empty-handed.

2) If the offering you purchase pleases you, you may show your appreciation by tipping another favor to have it continue. Otherwise, you may proceed to the second offer, in which the witch will make her presence known.

3) The witch will present you with the second offer. If it pleases you, you may return a favor to have it continue. However, in that case, the witch may also present you with a condition. You will be **** to meet that condition to continue. Whether you accept or refuse, by reaching this stage, you will be permitted to keep all of your remaining winnings.

As you can see, it's unbelievably generous, and I'm not even talking about the money. I believe you'll find the offer very enticing...

"Uh... Sorry, I can barely keep up," Battler admitted, shaking his head. The whole thing was obviously sketchy to him, but, somehow, I think my enthusiasm rubbed off on him and he realized he didn't need to fear for his life. Then again, maybe it was the glint of greed that can sway nearly any man or woman...

Not to worry, Battler. It should make more sense in action. Let's proceed to the first offer... Now, Lady Beatrice will demonstrate magic abilities that make fantasy a reality for pitiful humans like yourself.