Clouds formed up above the city just as a light rain began to fall on Ix, masking the city in a calm semi-fog. The dark buildings and roads quickly became slick with a light coat of water, rivulets running down windows and gutters as people slept soundly unaware of the world beyond their beds.
A hunched figure staggered down the dimly lit street, his trench coat hanging on him like rags; he clutched a bottle of whiskey, hidden in a brown paper bag in his right hand. Every few steps he would cough roughly, doubling over in pain, and lean against the nearest building to take a draught from the bottle. Snake smiled wickedly and took a long pull from his cigarette as he watched the wretched man make his way further down the sidewalk, closer to him. A quick glance had told him that the man was drunk, homeless, and no threat at all. Glancing at his watch, Snake puffed out a ring of smoke, tapping his foot irritably while mumbling softly to himself.
"Where are they? I should have had my money over 20 minutes ago… if they aren't here soon I can find another buyer."
The bum moved up to Snake in a slow awkward gait and reached out a dirty hand with a grimy finger-less glove. "Can you spare anything, kind sir?"
Snake grimaced, getting a whiff of the beggar for the first time. It took all the will he could muster to keep from retching. Snake reached into his pocket and took out a few bills dropping them into the beggar's hand hoping it would get the beggar away from him faster. The hand slipped into a pocket dropping off the money.
"Is that all you have Snake? What about the scroll?"
Snake looked with rage into the eyes of the shabby man. The beggar smiled and jumped back as a switchblade flashed through the air where his throat had been a moment early. Growling, Snake rushed at the man pulling out a Colt .45 on the way. Snake smirked as he fired three shots into the man at point blank range. A look of terror filled Snake's eyes and his jaw went slack, the cigarette falling to the ground, as the beggar smiled from the darkness of the shadows, his hand extended into the street lamps light showing three bullets being held between the upturned fingers.
"So how about that scroll now?"
Snake pulled out a metal tube and threw it down, running down the street, feeling death only a footfall behind him. The beggar picked up the tube and tucked it into his coat along with the money and walked down the street, his form soon lost to the gentle rain. From the other end of the road, at the intersection, there was a squeal of tires and a loud THUD. "Oh my God! I killed him!" rang down the canyon of city streets.