a/n: sorry this is late, i just had a really uncreative week, also i decided to change the courier's fake name from joshua graham to daniel canaan.
September 6, 80 AGW, 7:37 AM, Friday
My first job was as a rememberer, sort of like a mix of a librarian, a professor, and a general's staff. It was a symbolic position by the time I got it, all the power went to the warchief or the shaman both had consolidated power over the past 50 years and even though we were living in a library it wasn't very important. Unfortunately the tribe was cursed by the gods, while raiding another tribe the warmaster was injured and got an infection, he in his last few days alive used his status as one of three people who could read and write,write down who he wanted as his successor, me. Even worse while conducting a ritual, a boar escaped its cage and gored the shaman, his son took over but he was sickly and eventually passed away leaving the position to the next in line, my wife.
Cinder:POV
"In worse news, one of our warehouses was raided by someone, it appeared that the increased rate of our robberies after red's team hit that big job a while back has led to some unwanted attention. I have, however, hired a specialist to cover our tracks and if he ends up being good enough, crack some of the files you got from ospins computer" roman is very good at some jobs but he's very bad at lying. He has a tendency to just start rambling when he is stressed, lying, or pretending something is less bad then it is, another consistent thing is how he gives pitches 3...2...1.
"If you would give a bit of your free time to help hunt down whoever hit the warehouse, it would be great, and really advance the job" and there it is, easy and just slid into the report, luckily for him mercury and emerald were busy over the weekend and i wasn't so i was looking for something to do with my time.
"Fine ,if your men are unable to, investigate this robbery tomorrow."
September 7, 2:23 PM, Saturday, a warehouse
The warehouse was big and empty, nothing inside except for the big walkway that went around the edge, windows on both sides and a loading door at the far end. From what I had heard, the robbers had come in the front door with fake orders that roman had decided to switch out the guards so the current ones could get some sleep. After that they pulled a truck up, loaded the dust into it and with a couple loads left after thirty minutes.
(perception check 7, passed) (intelligence check 7, pased) there's a discrepancy under one of the walls just under the center left window, upon closer inspection it appears to be some scuff marks from a boot, looking to be heading back from the far side.
The marks lead back to the far wall and there's a small mark from someone leaning against the wall taping their shoe next to the door's crank, based on the height of the hiel mark he wears a size 11.5, looks like he then opened the door and walked out likely with the truck.
The tracks of the only person with a size 11.5 lead into an alleyway and around a corner, on the wall near where they meet tire tracks that disappear into the chaos of the road something is shining from a pile of dirty clothes. inside the pile is what looks like a necklace, it's small and hidden in a pocket but was dislodged when the clothes, which now appear to be roman's men's uniforms, were taken off in a hurry.
(intelligence check 8, failed)The necklace depicts three overlapping eyes at even intervals surrounded by a circle. It's unknown to me and that's a problem, i know every criminal organisation in the city which either means that this has existed for a while and isn't a criminal organization or this group is a new one that hasn't made itself known to the greater criminal world.
I'll have to ask around for more info on who this is
5:41 PM, The Last Chance Bar
The music is just as blaring and incomprehensible as always in the last chance but its the best place to get info if emeralds on a job. Specifically one of Adam's men Brice Abernathy hangs around here, if anyone knows what this necklace relates to it would be him. He's sitting at a quieter, rear left table with a hood on and a drink on the table, real crime drama type stuff.
"Ah cinder good to see you, i assume you need something or are you here just to say hi"
"Can it rob, I just need something identified" i drop the amulet on the table, he picks it up and opens his notebook.
Takes a while but eventually he finds something, "off what i've heard it's a symbol related to a newly formed cult, yes like an actual cult even when we all know the brothers are real. They formed around a rumor of a vigilante that showed up recently, calling themselves the 'church of the one eyed god' real spooky shit, apparently they have a sermon on sunday at 7240 Briarwood drive in the residential district."
"Thanks for the info, the payment will be delivered at the usual spot." i pick up the amulet and leave, of course, it's a cult an actual brothers damned cult. Only plan now is to get some of Roman's boys onto that address, gotta stomp them down before they become a threat.
September 8, 7:59 AM, Saturday, 7240 Briarwood drive, Goon pov
Simple hit, just kick in the door, fake arrest the preacher, dump his body into the river and that's one less group trying to stop romans plan.
Job starts out clean the congregation freezes and stares at us as we kick in the door and demand they get on the ground.
"Ah more come to see the majesty of the one eyed god"
The preacher seems unfazed by us but the congregation stirs, some of them get on the ground some of them just sit back in their chairs, and 13 of them just stand there staring at us. His voice reverberates throughout the makeshift church, it seems to echo into my very being, like some sort of magician weaving some incantation into the air around us, it's almost oppressive.
"My children do you see what has been brought upon us, infidels come to arrest me for what, spreading the truth, the lord has provided me with more proof of the sinful government that rules over us, as they come to crush the sparks of his truth, will we stand for this"
The crowd stirs even more as we go down the aisle to the preacher, I pull out my handcuffs for the preacher and he presents his wrists for me, he begins one more.
"As the lord brought about my justice for many of us here soon may we have to with these men, agents of corruption and decadence, that have strolled in here and expect to crush us, they expect for us to lay down and submit to their demands, but will you submit to them."
As we begin to lead them off the crowd begins to get louder, a few begin to boo and none are on the ground anymore, a few have begun to lose in but the others unholster their guns and keep them back. As we approach the door, someone opens it, a man in a duster walks into the building boots clicking against the floor.
As he enters the crowd begins to sturr more, someone mentions the one eyed god, either they believe this is their god or an avatar, what i do know is that i did not sign up for cults, i thought this would be some small gang that got out of their league, he begins to speak.
"Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us."
He holds his handout to the crowd commanding them to be still, I don't know what he's quoting but it feels like a quote, the others are getting agitated and guns are pointing at him. He pulls out a knife, and closes his hand, jeffery fires then tom, jim, robert, alan, tim, and finally me. He is riddled with rounds and falls to the ground dead.
At the same time the crowd surges forward, holding chair legs, knives, and other improvised weapons, as we turn and fire into them the preacher trips me and despite getting some rounds off the crowd slams into us ripping into the others with teeth and weapons and fists.
As the preacher gets his cuffs off he and the rabble drag me to the podium i see the body of the guy we killed begin to rise, bones snapping back into place bullet holes healing quickly, and skin stretching itself back onto the body, he walks over to me and finishes his phrase
"Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks." his hand reaches over to me and wraps around my head, this flesh is cold and his face is partially burned off, he begins to squeeze, his grip stronger than that of any man, as he finishes crushing my skull i have only one last thought. What have we gotten yourself into.