HP X LOTM : Please Call Me Mr. Error.

Chapter 352: Round One : Battle!



Setting his cane to the side, Loki sat down on one of the chairs that were bolted to the floor of the dark room where everyone had gathered.

Mr. X was sitting on a tall stool in front of the board that everyone used to write their transactions for the day.

Loki felt nostalgic about it all.

His eyes scanned through everything, the other stools, the other guests, even the butler who waited at the other exit of the room from where he guided the parties that wanted to conduct their dealings in secret.

'Who are those two other people that are giving me a sense of familiarity?'

'It feels like I've seen them somewhere before…'

'And there's not a lot of people I really recognise…'

'At least not at such a level that I'd feel an intimate sense of familiarity from them.'

Loki pushed the feeling to the back of his head, even though he recognised that it was likely related to the reason divination pointed him in this direction today.

'Let's keep it a surprise.'

'Surprising oneself is good sometimes.'

And after a few seconds of prolonged silence that Mr. X used to scan through everyone, he spoke with a soft nod.

"You may begin."

First was a random lady, who spoke with a quivering tone as she advertised her wares.

"I have thirty-two vials of Bowtruckle blood."

Loki's lips instantly morphed into a frown as he heard that.

'Thirty-two vials!?'

'How many did she kill!?'

'An entire colony of them!?'

'What does she even do to come across so any Bowtruckles!?'

'And why did she even kill them!? Simply destroying their trees would've caused them to run away if they were occupying a garden or something. And if the garden was important they were more likely than not helping keep the ecosystem balanced!!!'

'Why kill those little guys!?'

Loki however seemed to be the only person so furious because of the outrageous offer.

So Loki instantly activated his spirit vision to study the spirit bodies of everyone else.

'They're not even a little disturbed by the information?'

'Do they not know what Bowtruckles are?'

The lady however, unburdened by Loki's explosive thoughts continued her offer-

"As I said last week, the blood is going to decay in about a week more and then you will not be able to do anything with it. If you want it, my price is three galleons."

'Ah…so she's been here before and everyone's used to her outrageous claims…'

Loki finally calmed down, even though he was still feeling a little put off by the fact that someone near him had killed so many of the creatures he usually got along very well and played with.

But Loki kept calm and waited for his turn.

Suddenly the small bulge in Loki's robes shifted around a little which prompted Loki to poke it with his finger, causing a little *squeak* only audible to himself be heard.

'It seems you're angry about the little fellows too Sunny.'

'Don't worry…I'll make sure to teach her a lesson before we leave.'

Loki spoke in his mind and inserted the thoughts into Sunny's subconscious through his own, communicating in a silent telepathic way.

The various people slowly offered their wares as Loki waited for his turn and after waiting for fifteen more minutes in which time several people sealed the deal, Loki finally got the opportunity to speak.

"Hello people I don't know!" Loki greeted everyone in a warm upbeat tone while patting out any creases on his suit that might have formed when he was sitting.

Loki's tone wasn't taken kindly since it meant one of two things, either Loki was a newcomer, which meant anything he did or said wouldn't be worth much, or he was a crazy person that one would normally have to avoid.

And the next words that came out of Loki's mouth didn't help his cause very much-

"You may not know me, but I'm sure you know of me! Recognise me, anybody!?" Loki asked with a comically wide smile that was painted on his iron mask with illusions.

"Just get to the point. We don't care who you are!!" A man shouted from the back causing Loki to turn towards him with narrowed eyes.

"Rude." Loki said with a frown but then the smile on his iron mask changed to a wide smile quickly.

"Keeping that interruption asi-" Loki stopped speaking suddenly as a bluish-red flash of light erupted from Mr. X's wand and shot in his direction.

Loki moved casually, swiping away the ominous flashing bead of light that Mr. X had shot in his direction towards the man who'd interrupted him a few seconds earlier.

The man who was shot by the sudden spell *groaned* in pain as he held his chest where the spell had landed while biting his knuckles to keep any sound made in pain out of the way.

He had already realised that the person who he'd offended wasn't a simple person.

As did everyone else, including Mr. X, since Loki had deflected the spell without a wand.

Loki then turned to Mr. X slowly and looked at him with a deep frown.

Loki didn't speak, but the meaning of his gaze was clear to anyone there.

And Mr. X, although amazed by Loki's skill in deflecting his spell, replied all the same.

"This isn't a social gathering or a tea party."

Mr. X hadn't said much, but it was enough for everyone to understand.

Loki only glared at Mr. X for a few seconds before he promptly ignored him and turned to everyone else.

"As I was saying-"

*BBBBBBAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG*

Before Loki could complete his sentence again, there was a sudden explosion of darkness that consumed all light in the scene within moments.

Loki's eyes widened slightly as his thoughts caught up to this intuitive guess.

'No way!'

'Did I seriously get caught up in their assassination mission!?'

'What the hell!?'

The explosion of darkness brought with it an intense desire to sleep, into everyone.

Loki felt his body obeying the explosion and attempting to fall asleep in a relaxed manner, while he fired up his mind and kicked his shin to stay awake.

Loki's eyes wandered and he noticed another robbed person managing to stay awake, while Sunny in his coat had also managed to ward off the effects of the explosive sleepiness.

The fastest to move however was Mr. X.

Almost as if it was a coincidence, Mr. X's body, which had gone limp as soon as darkness exploded everywhere, landed perfectly with his head hitting the edge of the chalkboard that was behind him.

Almost as if it were a spasm or a seizure due to being given a concussion, Mr. X woke up with a startled shock as he realised that they were all under attack.

The first to move next was the dog man, Sirius!

With a simple snap of his fingers, Sirius's extended hands devolved into a flurry of fleshy tentacles that shot directly towards Mr. X, rushing towards him, disregarding everything in its way towards their target.

Loki saw Mr. X' blood red eyes glow for a moment before he flicked his wand and caused a flurry of flames to explode out of his wand.

'Confringo!' Loki recognised as he took several steps back from his position on the impromptu battlefield, making sure he was not going to come in between Sirius and Mr. X's fight.

In the same moment, however, Loki spotted a shadowy figure, slithering around all the people in the hall as it arrived in front of Mr. X by directly jumping through the fiery flames that had started trying to burn Sirius's tentacle extensions.

'What's she doing!?' Loki thought with a puzzled expression, but he didn't have to think for long.

Almost instantly, as soon as the robed figure crossed through the flames, the bright hot red flames suddenly changed colours and turned as black as the night.

The room that had been lit brightly before, taking on a reddish almost yellowish hue had suddenly turned black and white because of the black flames.

Mr. X had released the normal flames to gain support from the exaggerated shadows that those flames cast, to multiply his power and use those shadows to counter Sirius's tentacles.

But when these flames turned black and white and drowned out most shadows, the flames suddenly flowed around the robed person to attack him!

Mr. X's weapons were being used against himself!

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A/N : Extra chapter for crossing three hundred powerstones!!!! Let's gooo!!!!! Thank you for reading and supporting the book!!

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