A lot had happened since the incident caused by the Beast-Master.

For starters, Claude earned a spot for his clinic within the fairground as promised by the elder Dario brother. The Behemoth doctor drove his horseless stagecoach home to the assigned spot, and with one thrust, a sign that says, 'Clinic: open for business' is staked to the ground.

As for the Beast-Master, he woke up with no memories regarding the terrible deed he just committed. The mark on his neck was gone and so were his powers. The gang tried questioning him but alas, they could make nothing from him; except for one.

"He told me he always wanted to visit a circus, and he'll definitely give this place a visit if it weren't destroyed by then. After that, everything went black," the Beast-Master recalled, while Claude treated him after their fight.

In the end, the Beast-Master was fired from his job but thankfully, he was not punished for his crimes due to the excuse of being possessed.

"Well, looks like we need to keep an eye out for tonight, and every other night." Jakob concluded. "Because of that, I think you should try convince your mother to not come to the circus tonight."

"True that. She's the last person I want to be involved in this mess," Isaac replied.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to persuade my mother about what you said. It is a simple task that the Storm Revenant will surely not fail!"

And so, Isaac went back home that day and failed to persuade his mother.

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Later that night, Jakob, Marie and Ryleigh were waiting for Isaac and his mother to show up. Claude was busy with his work and stayed inside the horseless stagecoach that had been converted into a clinic. Should any of the remaining four wish to return home they must enter through the other side's door which leads straight to their living quarters.

Some time passed and Isaac finally showed up, pushing the wheelchair of his paraplegic mother on it.

"Sorry for being late again guys," Isaac apologized.

"Ah! so these are the ones you told me about, eh son?"

"Yes we are, pleasure to meet you Miss Nikola," Marie replied as she bowed and shook Isaac's mother's hands.

"Such a courteous lady. You must be Marie Bu-bu-"

"Budgerigar. Marie Budgerigar, but you can just call me Marie."

"Or Budgie." Jakob interrupted. "It's a pleasure to meet you Ma'am. I'm Jakob Fowlhunter," he greeted bowing and shaking the mother's hand as well.

"Ah, so you're the one that Isaac said loves to boss around."

"Excuse me?" Jakob was caught off guard by the statement.

"Oh yes, Isaac talked a lot about you, like how weird you smell-"

"Mother, I think we should get going," Isaac tried to stop her.

"and how your too punctual-"

"Uhh, mom-"

"And how annoying your voice sometimes sound,"

"I see." Jakob replied, smiling mirthlessly at Isaac who felt the growing anger coming from the hunter.

"I'll do my best to improve myself for the betterment of others, right Isaac?"

Isaac gulped while his mother giggled. Seeing her son and his newfound friends messing around with each other, it invoked a nostalgic memory during her youth. Especially during her times with her beloved husband before 'that' happened.

"Where's the other one though?" the old mother asked.

"He told us to go without him, got some business to attend to," Jakob answered.

"Ah, I see. Then we should get going, the show's about to start!" the mother exclaimed excitedly.

The four of them went ahead to the Big Top to witness the amazing performances that are held there. The night was lively with dozens of families gathered at the fairground; playing games, chatting the night away and having a good time overall.

Despite that, Isaac, Jakob and Marie could not appreciate much the joyful atmosphere of the fair. They were on constant lookout for anything suspicious. Who knows when William Shadford or any of his puppets might appear that night, and what sort of turmoil they might cause.

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"Here, drink it and it'll treat your stomach ache," Claude said, handing over a glass of brewed medicine to a young boy who obediently drank it.

"Thank you doctor," the boy said, rubbing his stomach, "I think I feel a bit better now."

"Take this. Go home and rest well. Drink plenty of water too," Claude advised before sending his patient off with a package of medicine.

The boy smiled and happily left the scene. Sighing a breath of relief, the Behemoth doctor proceeded to jot down a brief report for tonight's appointment in his little thick notebook.

It had been quite a busy night for the Behemoth doctor. Although Smillia was quite developed compared to a majority of towns of Europia, the health facility here was similar to others; lacking and nigh-absent. Most doctors of his caliber would serve well for nobles, royals or the military but alas, Claude found his calling amidst the common folks.

He did not earn much from his work as it was more voluntary in nature rather than career. His services was charged as much as his patients could afford, and sometimes he did not charge them at all just like the one with the young boy.

*ring*

"Come in!"

A grey haired man appeared from the door of the clinic. His physique was smaller than an average man of Smillia and despite appearing healthy, his anxious behaviour suggested otherwise.

"Uhhh, does this place offer counselling?" the man nervously asked.

"My service covers both physical and mental needs," Claude assured, "come, take a seat."

Seeing that he is welcomed, the man obliged and took a seat.

"So, what's your name and what seems to be the problem?"

"Can I keep my name a secret? For now?" the man asked.

His request was quite strange for Claude but he agreed with it anyway. It might help his patient cope to whatever problem he might be dealing for now.

Once they both have settled down, the man wasted no time expressing his problems to the Behemoth doctor.

"So, you could not control your anger, and you started to become more aware of its consequences?" Claude concluded.

"Oh I've been aware of it for quite some time," the man answered.

"I even requested help from others like what I'm doing right now but- I guess it did not work out so well."

"I see..."

"I met this man once, some sort of priest I suppose, gave me his blessing but it didn't turn out well. I mean, for a few months it did help me get rid of my problems, literally. But then, 'that' happened."

Claude looked at him curiously and asked, "Mind elaborating 'that' event."

"I don't feel comfortable telling others about it but seeing that your an outsider, I guess it should be fine." The patient took a deep breath before continuing his story, "I killed my parents."

Claude was shocked to hear the statement but managed to kept a steady face (then again, Behemoths nearly don't have any expression thanks to their helm-like face). He convinced his patient to go on with his story.

"I felt really, really bad. At that point I knew something is completely wrong with me and the pressure grew stronger. I spent a lot of time arguing with myself, began hearing whispers hear and there and for God's sake I can't sleep! It's been a week doctor! I just want some sleep!"

The man began to thrash as his voice grew louder and louder. Seeing his patient in distress, Claude quickly calmed him down, telling him to take some deep breathes as well as handing him a glass of water.

"I'm sorry doctor. Its just I-"

"Don't worry, we should stop here for tonight," Claude interrupted.

"For now, It's pretty obvious that you are suffering some sort of anger issue, but what is it specifically is yet to be known." Claude handed the man some packet of powdered herbs, "Mix it with a glass of water and drink it. It will help you sleep tonight."

The man thanked Claude as he received his medicine and politely pardoned himself out.

"Wait! One more thing," Claude interrupted, handing him a curious item; a rubber ball.

"If you ever get angry, try squeezing it to release your tension."

"Thank you doctor, I very much appreciate it," the man spoke before making his exit.

Outside, the man made his way across the fairground, passing by various stalls of games, merchandise and other whatnots. The stall owners called and hollered, attracting bystanding customers to their shop. The man, of course, ignored all those calling as he was eager to get home as quickly as possible. He does not enjoy the crowd tonight, nor any other nights in his case.

As he continued his walk, a group of kids ran past him giggling and cheering. Amidst them, a little girl accidentally bumped the man's leg and fell.

"I'm sorry mister!" the girl got up and quickly apologized before catching up with her friends.

The man was deeply bothered by it. He could feel his anger rising steadily to its boiling point. Recalling the doctor's advise, he took out the rubber ball he got from Claude and squeezed it to the brim.

He had to admit that the simple act of squeezing a ball did help him release some tension. With that out of the way, he strolled happily across the fairground as he made his way home, that is until he walked pass the Big Top.

"That was the best show I've ever had!" an old lady on a wheelchair exclaimed childishly.

"It was fun, I guess," a man replied, adjusting his odd hat that has a mummified bird decorated on it.

"Oh my, Jakob Fowlhunter actually having fun? This will surely go down in history," a white-haired woman joked as she pushed the wheelchair of the old lady.

"Very funny Marie. Now where the hell is your son?"

"Sorry guys I was looking for a toilet all this while." Isaac appeared behind them out of nowhere.

The grey haired man panicked when he saw Isaac's presence near the Big Top. He began gripping the ball tighter and tighter every second his eyes locked into Isaac.

He could feel his stress and anger growing faster and faster until-

*POP*

-the rubber ball bursts within his grip.

"Uhmm sir, are you okay?" A circus worker came by, tapping the man's shoulder.

The worker's clothes was stained with mud and dirt. He just finished cleaning up one of the many tents there when he stumbled upon the stressed out fellow.

"Say, would you like to cause trouble tonight?" the man turned with an eerie grin on his face.

"Excuse me?"

The man's left eye suddenly turned pitch black. A red upward crescent glowed dimly in his pupil, staring right into the worker's soul. The worker screamed before collapsing to the floor attracting quite an attention from the surrounding crowd. The man quickly made his way out of the scene as people began to flock near the collapsed worker.

"Woah, what the hell happened there?" Isaac pointed towards the scene.

"Whatever it is, I have a bad feeling about this," Jakob replied, and he was right.

Several seconds later, a sudden earthquake struck throughout the fairground. The tremor was more intense near the collapsed worker as if he was the epicenter to it. The mud stains on the worker's clothes seemed to grow bigger and bigger until-

"RHHHHHOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWRRRRRHHRHH!!!!!!!!"

The worker transformed into a massive semi-solid mud golem. Its terrifying roar struck fear to all those who heard it. The crowd ran away screaming without looking back.

The mud golem turned towards Isaac and the gang, grinning angrily at them revealing its concrete-like teeth. Its eyes glowed red but the most obvious characteristic was a big upward crescent symbol smeared on his forehead.

"Welp, at least we know who's the culprit behind this," Marie remarked.

"Marie, take mother home," Isaac ordered, "I have a feeling this monster wants something from me."

"REEEVENAAAAANT!!!"

"Be careful now honey." Isaac's mother gave him a small kiss to his cheek.

"Mom!"

"Good luck son!" The two left the scene leaving Jakob and Isaac to handle the mud monster.

"This isn't the first time you've fought big monsters like these right?" Jakob asked.

"Nope. You?"

"Believe me, I've took down worse." The hunter pulled out a sawed off double barrel shotgun from his coat.

They both quickly jumped sideways as the golem smashed the ground, completely obliterating the ground they once stood on. Isaac transformed into his skeleton form and summoned a powerful lightning which immediately struck the golem's head.

"HRRAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!"

The golem started thrashing around ripping off several tents from the ground. During its furious tantrum however, it suddenly backed off when its fingers touched a cattle feed filled with water. Jakob noticed this amidst dodging all the flying debris from the monster's thrashing.

"Why would a mud golem be afraid of water?"

"Beats me," Isaac replied, throwing electric bolts towards the golem, "but that gave me an idea though. You might want to step back."

With that, the Storm Revenant started to channel his powers. Dark clouds began forming on the night sky followed by loud thunders. The small cracks on his skull pulsed with electricity that grew ever more intensely. Soon, the dark clouds began to drizzle, which then grew into a heavy rain, which then evolved into a dreadful storm.

"HRRRRRAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!"

Smoke came out from the golem's body as if the sky was pouring acid at it. The golem, in immense pain, attempted to punch Isaac who easily dodged it with his lightning fast reflexes. Isaac returned the favour and flew towards the golem's head giving him a good ol' electro-punch. This greatly angered the already enraged golem who began swinging its arm around without aim. It tried to hit the flying revenant like an angry man trying to swat a fly.

Out of the blue, a deafening cannon-like explosion was heard as Jakob pulled both triggers of his shotgun. The golem's right eye exploded into a mist of blood and mud. The hunter quickly reloaded both barrels and shot the golem's other eye, rendering the monster blind.

"Hey Isaac! Shove this thing inside his mouth!" Jakob called as he threw a dynamite stick to the air.

Isaac swiftly caught it and immediately threw it into the golem's mouth as it roared.

Nothing happened.

"Uhhh..."

"You're suppose to ignite it idiot! Here, another one!" Jakob passed another dynamite stick towards Isaac.

The revenant attempted to ignite it using sparks emitted from his fingers but the rain immediately put it off.

"Oh come on!" the hunter groaned.

"Wait, I have an idea!" The Storm Revenant flew into the golem's eye socket much to its surprise.

The golem panicked and attempted to remove Isaac from its body, shoving its hands into its throat trying to reach for its bodily intruder. Not a minute later, a deafening boom violated the fairground as the golem exploded. A firework of flame and electric surged towards to the sky above.

Isaac was sent flying and crashed right besides Jakob. The storm created by the revenant ceased and was replaced by a drizzle of muddy rain and bits of dirt.

"Dear god." Isaac stared blankly at the sky, still laying on his back. "How powerful were those bombs?"

"Powerful enough to do that. What are you even doing anyway? You could've got yourself killed."

"Don't worry, I'm probably physically immortal."

Jakob helped Isaac get back on his feet as he reverted back into his human form. The duo noticed a naked man lying on the ground where the golem previously stood. They both approached him to check him out.

"Is he dead?" Isaac asked as Jakob checked for a pulse.

"Nope, just unconscious."

"Stand aside citizen, we'll take it from here," a voice called out of nowhere.

The two of them turned and saw a group of town guards approaching them alongside the owners of the circus; the Dario brothers. The duo was ushered away from the scene immediately by them.

The unconscious worker was taken away as some of his colleagues followed. The cleanup crew were immediately dispatched to take care of the mess as the Dario brothers had a talk with who seemed to be the head of the local authorities.

Needless to say, the elder brother; Philip Dario, was having quite an argument with the leader while the timid younger brother; Benson Dario tried to calm him down.

"You think they're still going to continue the circus after this?" Jakob asked Isaac, who shook his head not knowing the outcome.

"Well I'll be damned," a voice spoke out of nowhere.

They both turned around and were greeted by an ironclad friend who had been missing throughout the night. Both of his hands was full with snacks, drinks and a balloon.

"What the 'ell 'appened 'ere?"

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After all that is said and done, the night circus somehow managed to convince the local authorities to let them continue their business as usual. However, local guards were deployed to supervise the area throughout their stay in Smillia to prevent anymore incidents from occurring.

Just like the Beast-Master, the worker who transformed into a golem the night before woke up without a single memory of the rampage he had done. All he remembered was staring into the accursed crescent symbol before going blank.

The similarities between the Beast-Master and the mud golem incident had created a brouhaha among the people of Smillia. Many voice out their concerns about their family's safety while some question the authorities on whether they are doing their job on safeguarding the town in the first place.

Despite all of this, none had yet made a connection between the incidents and the involvement of William Shadford, all except for one.

The Storm Revenant was hot on his trail for William Shadford. Many, especially the authorities, believed that the serial killer had long perished but Isaac knew otherwise. It would had not been a problem for Isaac if not for the murderer's ability to change appearence; an ability he learned about months before.

As for now, the only clue he had is the upward crescent symbol which had been popping up lately among random folks in Smillia. At this point anyone could be William Shadford, a fact that had been driving Isaac nuts.

"And so, to conclude my investigation!" Isaac smacked the table enthusiastically, the drawn portraits of suspects pasted on the wall behind him shook.

"Based on the clues and datas I have received from our investigation, the person most likely to be William Shadford is........."

Without hesitation, he immediately pointed his finger to the portrait of the possible culprit.

"Me?" His finger landed at his face's sketch.

The whole gang groaned. So far their investigation on finding the serial killer was going nowhere and to make things worse, the clues gathered throughout their stay here were barely of any help.

"Great, few weeks in and we're still going nowhere." Jakob got up and collected the empty plates of the breakfast he made for his friends, "Let's call it a day for now."

With that, they all the left dining room to do their own business. Marie, Ryleigh and Isaac decided to pay the circus a visit once more. They wanted to have a talk with the Dario brother; the owners of the circus, hoping to extract some useful informations from them.

Claude on the other hand went straight to his workplace which was on the opposite side of the room. His clinic was about to open soon as he went outside to flip the 'closed' sign to 'open'. He then pulled a lever inside his workplace which will make the main door of the stagecoach to lead directly to his clinic instead of the living quarters. Once all is said and done, he sat down, took a deep breath, pulled himself near his work table and waited patiently for patients.

Less than 10 minutes later, several gentle knocks were heard coming from the door.

"Come in! Ah! you're quite early today," Claude remarked.

He was delighted that his first patient of the day was none other than the grey haired fellow with anger issues he met some time before. There was much to discuss between the two of them.

"Yes, good to see you too doctor." The man took a seat, his face was fresher and brighter compared to the last time they met, "Your medicine did wonders to me. I slept like a baby."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Oh and another thing-"

The man pulled out a deflated rubber ball, "my apologies doctor, I couldn't help it."

"It's okay, I've got more if you need it"

"Ah! Thank you doctor."

Claude handed the man a new rubber ball as a replacement for the old one. After that, they continued their appointment which lasted throughout the day.

A lot of matters were discussed by the two that day, in hopes of resolving the issues suffered by the grey haired man.

"There's still much work for your treatment," Claude declared.

"Indeed. I'll do my best to give as much cooperation as needed doctor."

"Good. Can you come by tomorrow? And the days after?"

The man thought about it for awhile before making up his mind.

"I guess I can, if it's for the betterment of myself."

The doctor nodded as his hand quickly jot down future appointments in his little schedule book.

"I think we could conclude today's appointment." Claude got up and put out his huge hand, "See you tomorrow mister..."

The man shook his head, still refusing to reveal his name. Claude nodded, understanding the man's need of identification privacy. The man smiled and got up from his seat.

"Yes, see you tomorrow too doctor." He shook Claude's hand and left the clinic.

And with that, the two continued to meet the next day, and the days after. Their appointment would soon become a daily routine for the behemoth doctor and the grey haired man. It would go on as usual, discussing life, giving advise and counsel and maybe exchange a few cheap laughs some time and there.

This kind of bonding was normal for a travelling doctor like Claude but it was a completely alien experience for his patient.

For the first time, the man felt.... happy.

He always distanced himself from social interactions, avoiding it on a day to day basis, alienating himself from the majority. But now, he would wake up every morning eager to meet the doctor.

For the first time, the man's heart content was fulfilled. The man enjoyed having someone to talk to, even if it's an eight foot metal faced behemoth seating awkwardly on a chair seemingly too small for him. Several days straight they met without fail, but even so the man still refused to reveal his name.

In the end, all was fine and well-

"AARGH!!"

Claude was caught off guard when the man suddenly collapsed from his chair. He immediately got up and attended his patient.

"The voice... Its talking..." He spoke weakly.

"N-no.. Shut up!!" The man smashed his head to the floor furiously.

Blood dripped from his forehead as the floor was tainted with red and cracks. His hands gripped tightly on his head as it ache terribly in a distorted symphony of throbbing.

Claude helped his patient get back to his feet and seat him back on the chair. The doctor gently put his huge hand on his patient's forehead before whispering some sort of chant. His palm glowed a dark-purplish colour, healing the man's wound and relieving him from his violent headache.

"Let me get you some tea," Claude offered.

He got up to fetch some before being stopped by the man.

"No, there's no need for that." It was his turn to get up from his seat, "I'm in quite a hurry anyway. The headache sort of reminded me of a business I have to attend to."

"But you're not okay yet!" Claude insisted, "Remember what I told you? Do not stress yourself too much."

Hearing the doctor's reminder, the man simply smiled. He was glad that the doctor still cared. Despite that, he brushed away Claude's advice and hurried to the exit.

"I'm sorry doctor but I could not be late for this one," the man excused as his hand reached for the doorknob.

However, he paused right before he reached said doorknob.

"I suppose I ought to tell you something important as a compensation for today's sudden departure."

"Alright...?" Claude was a bit confused by the sudden change of topic.

"My name is-"

The man revealed his name to the behemoth doctor. A name the doctor did not expect to hear that day. A blasphemous name that had been the sole reason for he and his friends' extended stay on this fishing town called Smillia.

"I-I see..."

"See you tomorrow doctor." The man walked out, shutting the door behind him leaving Claude alone in his thoughts.

"Y-yes. See you tomorrow." Claude sat down, still in complete disbelief.

Claude's mind was in denial of what he just heard. He tried convincing himself that his patient's statement was but a lie, but it was simply too illogical to conclude it that way.

"I knew something was up with that guy."

Claude turned around upon hearing the voice. Someone had been lurking behind the shadows this whole time.

"How long have you been in there Jakob?"

"Since the second time you two met, and all the other days until now." The hunter lit up his cigar before putting it between his lips.

"Now, why would William Shadford give his name to a doctor he met for some time?" He released a puff as he pondered upon the question he just made.

"I don't know..." Claude looked down before turning his face back to Jakob, "What will you do now?"

"Follow him. I won't resort to killing yet. Just want to get some answers from him."

"Please do. I believe we could still help him," Claude begged, "I feel like he is not entirely responsible for the things he had done."

"We'll see about that." The hunter adjusted his dead-bird hat as he made his way to the exit door.

The clinic door closed shut as another soul left the place. Claude stared at it blankly for a while. Sighing a breath of temporal relief, he could only hope for the best.

Things indeed just got much more complicated than he expected.