Sins of Harmony
Volume 2: Enemies Unbound
Chapter 13: Foreign Tendrils of Crime.
23rd February, 1006 ANM
Late Afternoon
Singapaw, Royal Empire Hotel
It was odd for Luna to be wide awake during the daylight hours. Though she had little difficulty, as she'd purposefully not adapted to the time change so as to keep to the Equestria day/night cycles.
Now, when Celestia lowered the sun on her side of the planet, Luna simultaneously lowered the moon, and vice versa. It was a switch-around of their usual routine.
Still, the hotel they were staying in was luxurious, as Luna needed to be only in a country to begin sweeping it. She ran the sweeps twice a day, and once at night, when she herself would be going to bed.
She could search minds anywhere within 500 miles of her position, because she already knew what Varkan's mind was like when he dreamed. Unlike her normal duties, she was actively searching for him.
But, he was not within 500 miles of Singapaw, as it predictably turned out.
Luna's hotel room
"Maybe you're searching through the minds of the wrong person. We're near the Hephaestus HQ, so why not probe their minds? Anyone who knows where Varkan may be." Twilight suggested.
While her friends were off exploring the multicultural port city, or relaxing in the hotel spa in Rarity's case, Twilight met with Princess Luna to discuss the search.
"You might be right. Anyone in mind, I know you met them first hand." Luna asked Twilight.
"That Orang-utan, Maurik, or else the salamander scientist, Hi'mari. If all else fails, his clone is still under house arrest at the HQ." Twilight mentally recited aloud.
"Blacklight." Luna called, and one of her pegasus night guards appeard quickly at the door.
"Arrange for a trip to the Hephaestus HQ tomorrow for us. We may get some results there."
"Yes your majesty."
As Blacklight left, Luna added knowingly: "I'll search their minds in the night also, see if I can get anything to start with."
"Right. You should maybe come out to dinner tonight, the restaurant nearby is supposed to have great reviews." Twilight suggested.
"Hmm, I suppose I can. I'll have lowered, no, sorry, raised the moon by then." Luna commented.
"Still on Equestria time?" Twilight smiled as she remarked.
"For the moon cycles I have to be."
Later that night
Royal Empire Hotel, ground floor restaurant, casino level.
Some compared the Royal Empire Hotel to one of the casino hotels in Trot Vegas, except it was the Trot Vegas casino hotels that were copying the image. The Royal Empire Hotel was genuine all the way through.
It did well to mix the local and foreign cultures that came here.
After a meal of a variety of vegetarian stir frys, and some local cakes, the ponies had their fill. Spike had tried some of the local fish, namely sunfish, and had developed a taste for it quite readily.
It was the first time he'd ever eaten another animal meat, but he could have picked a lot worse of an animal than the Sunfish. He could have picked the mixed meat platter, where some rumours flew of those dishes being why Singapaw had such a low number of stray dogs or cats.
Over dinner, Luna had explained how she couldn't find Varkan here, and they'd be visiting the Hehaestus HQ tomorrow to question some of Varkan's associates personally.
It would be an eventful day as it turned out.
On Luna's hotel television:
"-and while evacuation was successful in evacuating all the residents of the southern Mildaves islands, the north islands are being prepared fro evacuation as the rapidly growing volcano has suddenly surged in activity."
"Experts are struggling to explain this remarkably fast growing volcano, having risen just over 6 feet in just 3 weeks of eruption, by far surpassing the fastest growing volcanoes in the world. Its safe to say that evacuation efforts are going to be expanded to perhaps the entire of the Mildaves islands, as the volcano enters a stage of more explosive eruptions, and generating a local, choking ash cloud.
On screen, the small, albeit heavily smoking volcano churned as ash and pumice showered out, the base having formed of solidified lava already 6 feet tall, a nearly 30 feet across at the widest point.
"In other news, the Oceanic Alliance authorities have begun a new systematic crackdown on Snakeskull Triad activity across Hundonesia and New Changeliea, uncovering numerous illegal drug trade and people smuggling operations, though connections to the Salaman Kayuza gangs and Chaenese Triads is suspected ."
February 23rd, 1006 ANM
Late Evening
Hundonesia, Bundung city, 70 miles south east of Kakarta
The Vai District
Bundung city, a landlocked city that had sprung up as a satellite to Kakarta, and the site of their next target for investigation.
Now having only 4 possible ship connections to go on, they' come to the few on the list that Varkan had put off until now.
And for good reason.
The Snakeskull triads were notoriously brutal and scheming in their dealings, and they wouldn't give out information freely.
Still, they maybe had information that he needed to find the boat that shipped the bomb casing.
Sat across from a fierce looking Cattle male, looming over the other side of the rotting desk, Varkan and Faral sat stoicly, still clad in their disguises.
Things had been tense between them since the outbursts each had undergone 4 days ago, but now they had an entirely different reason to be wary.
"You can't keep throwing money at the problem Komodo, no matter how rich you are. Snakeskull code is to not do any business until after payment is made." The Cattle leant over the table, using his size to try and intimidate the grey scaled Komodo pair.
Varkan wasn't impressed, but Faral glared back. This seemed to earn a squint from the Cattle, before he began speaking in the local dialect, not aware that Varkan and Faral understood the general gist of it.
"Get these two out of here, I have better things to do than deal with these wannabes. I need those fights ready to go."
"Wait! Fights? Wagered fights?" Varkan asked.
"What's it to you?" The Cattle asked.
"A wager. Both me and Faral here get a fight with your local champion each. We'll pay an entry fee each. If we both win our fights, you tell us what we need to know." Varkan said. Faral looked at him in a hidden protesting face, but she kept quiet.
"..You're in luck. We have a less busy night tonight. You two, after the others have a go at our other fighters." The Cattle smiled slightly, revealing golden fillings as he asked slyly: "But if we do this, I want to know what your questions are? Then, if you win both fights, I'll tell you."
Varkan glared at the Cattle Snakeskull member, while Faral kept an eye on his flanking Komodo bodyguards. She resisted the urge to rip one's eyes out as he blatantly ogled her body.
"Fine. Here's what we need to know."
Varkan laid out the information on the boat, and the captain who this Snakeskull member often hired services from. They needed to know exactly what was in the cargo, as the bomb casing as carried naked, by design.
His terms and request laid out, Varkan and Faral found themselves being dragged off to the changing rooms, to dont he right gear for the upcoming fights.
A mixture of Tai-kwon-do, kickboxing, Judo, and genera; brawler fighting was the usual fighting styles, and the ones the local, underground champions were high level blackbelts in.
Worse yet, the only rule was no killing in the ring. Anything else went.
1 hour later
Vai District,
Warehouse area, underground fight arena.
Crowds jeered, booed or hollered in glee as their champion flexed his muscles in the ring, the large Orang-utan male hollering in domination as he egged the crowds on.
Faral was first, and jeers followed her as she slunk beneath the ring's ropes, and faced her opponent.
It was unusual to meet an overtly aggressive Orang-utan, or one quite this big. He was a good head taller than Faral and Varkan, and was quite a bit bigger with muscles.
Swallowing some bile that came to her mouth, either from rare nerves or from the smell in the place, she heard a makeshift bell ring as she readied her bandaged hands.
Reacting as soon as the Orang-utan charged, Faral side-leapt and swung a fist out, a hard punch to his underarm to dull its nerves and movement.
But, her fist came away in pain, and the Orang-utan's arm swung out to hurte right at her face. Backstepping and ducking, Faral began to frantically deflect and evade as the champion unleashed a barrage of quick jabs and heavy punches. She knew he was too strong to take head on, so she needed to deflect his blows, not block them.
As he swung, she dodged or brushed the arm with hers to direct it away in its motion. Suddenly, the Orang-utan leapt and spun, a harsh kick knocking her back into the ropes with her wing suddenly gone.
The champion landed on his feet, and immediately advanced. Farla snarled, ducking as she ignored the cheering crowds, and as his wide punch missed her head, she swung her leg out, driving the knee into his side as she spun beneath him.
A roar of anger, and maybe pain, met her ears, but it mixed with the bell for the first half.
Crowds roared in disapproval that the champion hadn't finished her in one round, but Faral was already in panic mode as she felt a warm water bottle forced into her mouth. Sat in the corner on the chair, she knew she had to attack hard, fast, and with precision.
It helped that he was a wide target.
The second round bell rang, and once again, the Orang-utan charged, though this time with a low attack with a crouched, elbow driving attack.
She couldn't dodge quickly, so she blocked with her own elbow. As it hit her own, she felt like a concrete wall had slammed into her arm, as she resisted the urge to cry out in pain.
Reeling back, she swallowed the pain so she was aware to avoid the champion's swinging arm. Ducking sideways, Faral drove her fist forwards.
Her fist met his soft throat, and he choked and coughed as he pulled back suddenly, while Faral pressed her advantage of stunning him.
Swinging twice, one each side, she chopped his neck sides with her hands, going for the most vulnerable pars first.
He staggered, and Faral headbutted him in the chest to drive him down to the ground. Before his dazed body settled, he was growling to not yell from the punches was was getting to the face from Faral.
There was no referee, so Faral punched once every half second, making sure he was down for her fight at least.
"Winner! Guest!"
Boos mixed with cheers, she'd done it, she'd held up her end of the bargain.
Later that evening
Varkan reeled back as cheers erupted from the crowd. He'd been using his speed to dodge or deflect the Orang-utan's clothes, but the champion had upped his game this time.
The champion's fist had driven straight into Varkan's chest, badly winding him. Luckily no one suspected he was a Wyvern, he'd hidden himself too well for a bunch of idiotic criminals to know what a Komodo disguise over his Wyvern form was.
Gulping, Varkan breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the announcer had just rang the bell to end the second round. The Orang-utan silently gave him a rude gesture, pointing at him as he went back to his corner:
Your ass is mine.
Now Varkan had no time left on his patience, and he needed that information. The third round bell rang.
This time, Varkan charged, leaping very quickly to land with his legs wrapped around the Orang-utan's neck, beginning to squeeze hard. As he squeezed, he toughened against the blows the Orang-utan gave him as he fell over, nothing by Varkan's pant thighs and crotch right in his face, constricting his neck slowly.
Ignoring the choking of the champion, Varkan brandished his fists, and began battering the Orang-utan champion's face.
After 15 seconds, in which time Varkan's blood began to race, he heard a faint wheezing from the Orang-utan, a plea for an end to this fight.
Crowds in the basement cheered and bet more money on the, inevitably, less skilled other channels that opened up.
February 24th, 1006 ANM
2 o clock in the morning
Hundonesia, Bundung city, 70 miles south east of Kakarta
The Vai District
Warehouse district
"You did a number on my champion fighter." The cattle snakeskull said
"He signed up for that sort of stuff, probably." Varkan's uncaring expression made it clear of his thoughts on the whole matter of the Orang-utan's recovery.
"That he did. Now, I can tell you what I know about the boat cargo you're looking for." The Cattle snakeskull pocketed tonight's earnings from the, and resumed simply staring at both Varkan and Faral.
After 10 seconds, Varkan's expression darkened, and he asked: "What do you know about the cargo?"
"Nothing at all." There was no denying the honesty in the Cattle male's voice, especially when he cracked up laughing afterwards. He'd duped them into taking part in the fights for nothing.
Faral seethed internally, looking at Varkan angrily as she said: "This was a waste of our time."
Both of them walked out, as the Cattle Male called out to them as his Komodo muscle guards laughed at them: "Thanks for the fight!"
February 26th, 1006 ANM
Midday
Hundonesia
Kakarta financial district
A business Cattle woman briefly glossed over a small story, more interested in the stocks shown on the next few pages:
Bundung City warehouse fire kills 5, injures 2. Snakeskull members found at site of incident, arson suspected as part of inter triad conflict.
Luna is close, as Varkan and Faral are not to far from her 500 mile rane of detection whe they dream in Kakarta, or Bundung city.
All that effort, for jack s**t, by Varkan and Faral.
Review/critique as one would please, its always appreciated to have feedback on my work.