"He was the master of the now defunct Fairy Tail rival guild, Phanton Lord." When the term 'master' and 'guild' reached Ryker's ears, his expression changed completely, and for the worse, to the despair of men.
He cast a dark, cold, satanic look at them. What they felt was nothing more than despair. They were sweating and were wetter than if they had entered a swimming pool with clothes and everything, they were shaking with fear of the man in front of them.
"Are you telling me that a guild master has fled and you have sent a simple mission request with good value, which would attract any average wizard for this mission? This mission that should be S-Class ? " , he said and his anger deepening and intensifying.
"We were afraid that the news might do some damage to ...", Asper started to respond, but was interrupted by an extremely angry magician.
"You were concerned with your image and your pathetic positions !" he shouted angrily.
"No sir! Please understand. If news like that leaked out, it could jeopardize the entire prison. I mean the reputation of this institution would be in check and it could be investigated and closed and its prisoners transferred. Many of them are going to prisons with much less security and less preparedness. That would be a risk to society with the increase in escapes that would happen, "Asper said, shaking with fear of the magician. He gave the chief guards a furious look.
Ryker was very angry, some of his companions could have taken this mission and been hurt badly or died. He couldn't allow it. "Okay, well, I'll get this bastard. But for $1.5 million jewels, "he said, surprising everyone.
"What!? But the price was ... ", Haiss tried to say, but was interrupted.
"You guys did a lot of shit here. They tried to hide an escape for five days to avoid investigations, they placed a mission, which would be for a S-Class magician, as if it were a normal mission and one of my companions, if he took this job, he could be injured or die due to your incompetence. I do this job and keep my mouth shut, but for the price I said. Otherwise, I turn around and report you. Take it or leave it. And I don't think the council and the king are going to be lenient with the four of you. " Ryker said bluntly and very seriously.
The four looked at each other and whispered. "It's ok. We agree with your terms ".
" Great!", the magician said smiling from the corner of his mouth. "One more thing. If I know you did it again, I'll come after you and if I don't find you ... I'll go after your family. Was I clear enough? ", he said with a satanic look that would make Mira envious.
"Ah, y ... yes sir", the four said at the same time, they were sweating cold and shivering.
"Very well then. It is clear that this was an inside job. Someone must have helped him escape. I need to see the security videos of the day he escaped, "Ryker ordered.
"OK! Follow us, the videos are in the monitoring room, "McArthur said. They left the office and went to the room where the monitors, who followed the movement of the jail were.
In the security room they prepare the video for the day of Jose Porla's disappearance. What he noticed was that there was a cut of a few minutes in the video. Exactly the part where the old master ran away.
"The exact moment of the flight is missing," said Gon.
"Someone on the inside facilitated the escape and must have turned off the security tears," Ryker said looking directly at the monitors. "And not just in the area where he was being held, but in the entire jail. They were smart. "
"Yea. We have to find out who was responsible, or those responsible, "Haiss said.
"This is up to you. I'll get Porla ", the magician stated looking at the men next to him. "I need a picture of him, documents, files, everything you have on him. And also a detailed map of the region ".
"Right, we will deliver everything. Stay in that office that we were in before we are going to provide what you asked for, "Asper said. "McArthur and Gon, I need you to conduct the investigation to determine who helped he escape. Take the files of all the guards, janitors, delivery people from all over the past 6 months, do you understand? " he ordered firmly.
"Yes, sir!", both said and left to fulfill their mission. Ryker headed for the office to wait for what he had asked for.
Spending some time Asper and Haiss brought everything the fairy tail wizard had asked for, it was a lot of paperwork and files and photos. Surely the magician would be immersed there for a long time.
"If you don't mind, what do you want to discover with all this?" asked Haiss to the magician.
"The more I know about him the better I can track him down. I am not an expert in drawing a psychological profile, but I can try to think like him and see what he is going to do and from there, start my searches ", he said bluntly and indifferently.
" Okay!", Haiss said, and he and Asper left the room leaving him alone. The mage focused there for hours reading and analyzing the documents.
"What a pissed off guy," he said, looking at a photo of Jose Porla, when the office door opened and a guard entered.
"Would you like something?" he asked politely.
"Bring me something to eat and strong black coffee, ok?", the guard waved and left the room to fetch what was asked of him.
"As far as I could tell, this idiot was a master of the former Phanton Lord. It was one of Fiore's largest guilds in the past, but it was overtaken by Fairy Tail, "Ryker told himself still reading and analyzing the documents. "It seems to have pissed off this weirdo. Apparently he used as a pretext a request from Lucy's father, to retrieve his daughter, and destroy Fairy Tail. All because it was left behind. He was incompetent and blames others, I am not surprised that he is here. People like him are just a piece of walking shit. He has a good face, "he laughed internally with this last statement.
"There is no information on the whereabouts of most of the members of this former guild. If I go to kick them they must have become independent magicians or are doing something else ", at this moment the door opened and the guard from before came in with some snacks and a cup of coffee. He left everything on the table and left the room.
Ryker took a break from his work and ate his snacks and drank coffee, it was not to his liking, but it was better than nothing.
"He provoked a war with my guild for petty reasons, lose, his guild dismantled, was arrested. Basically he lost everything. If I were to bet, I probably want revenge, "the magician reflected. "He may be a shit, but a donkey is not. He knows that he cannot face us like that out of nowhere. He has to recruit people, and that's probably not lacking out there, someone wanting revenge against Fairy Tail ". He was thinking about it lying on the sofa after his snack, but he got up and sat on the chair in front of the table and analyzed the documents again.
"He is going to need allies and who better than his subordinates. A lot of shaved feet don't interest me, but the most prominent ones in the guild at that time did. And who would they be? " he started browsing until he found what he was looking for. Tokens of former members of the guild. Two, in particular, surprised him.
"Gajeel and Juvia !? They were from Phanton !? ", he was amazed. "They are very different in these photos, darker. I will discard them, five days ago I don't remember if they were in the guild, but to execute such a cloth they would need to be here full time and for several days, maybe weeks. And it was not their case. I know they went on missions but were gone only a few days and were not even together on many of them, from what I realized ".
"But I will take these tokens, I think they would be good birthday presents", he thought sadly.
"The others are Totomaru, but he became a teacher. I do not know. Sol, another weird guy, what's wrong with this guild. Well Juvia and Gajeel, they were weird, too. Gajeel continues and Juvia ... she is not normal, but she is beautiful, very beautiful ... and what a body, I could even see her covering herself, but the crack in her skirt and her legs ... oh, her legs ...! ", He shook his head trying to concentrate again.
"Sol, weird, but apparently he became an independent magician or whatever. He doesn't have much profile for this job. Finally, Aria. Disappeared. Bingo? Someone to keep an eye on, and he was one of the strongest in the guild. " He stopped and reflected.
"I will consider this Aria a suspect, perhaps he is with his former master. But where would they hide? " he took the map and began to analyze the surroundings of the prison. There were other towns around him besides Elky. There was none on the map that Mira had given him. What did that mean? Ryker called Asper to ask.
"What are these cities in the surroundings? On the map I have they don't appear ", the magician asked.
"They are small towns without importance, I mean they are basically strongholds of criminals, besides there is nothing there," Asper replied.
"I understand. There are at least three. I think I'll start there. I'm going to go to the one that is closest and see if I can find something ", the magician said.
"Right. You want me to send someone to help you, you know, these are violent and dangerous places, "the chief guard offered honestly.
"No, this mission needs description, a lot of people would just be suspicious. I, alone, will be weird for them, but it will be better than two ", he said, refusing the offer.
"Okay then," he said, agreeing with the magician. "Here, take this communication tear. As soon as you capture it, call us, or if you need any help, "Asper said, handing the object over to the magician who took it and kept it in his pocket.
"And how do you plan to go?" asked Asper.
"On foot".
"You will arrive at night".
"The night is when things happen," Ryker said and smiled out of the corner of his mouth. "Make sure you find who helped Jose to escape," he said seriously.
"We are working on it," Asper said and saw Ryker walking away with his things to make his way to the nearest small town and find out something about Porla's whereabouts.
Ryker got out of prison and headed to the nearest town, it would take a long time, but he preferred it that way, beyond and being safer and more authentic. He wanted to pass himself off as a person outside the law, as the surrounding cities were infested with criminals and he would need to fit in if he wanted to be successful in getting information and locating Porla. His dress was military style, which would help in a way. He looked harder, the only thing he did was to lower the sleeves of his military jacket to hide the guild mark on his left forearm.
The trip was even quiet, he, despite passing by some people on the way, nobody spoke to him, since he was with his face of few friends. Finally, at nightfall, the city arrived.
"Asper was right, this city is certainly a stronghold of vagrants," he said, looking around the city. Abandoned buildings, poorly maintained houses, poorly lit streets and a gloomy air covered the city, even people looked colder and more depressing. The streets were dirty and bumpy, the sidewalks, when there were sidewalks, were covered with rubbish and rubble. It was neither pleasant nor comparable to Magnolia. It was the opposite total.
"Where's a bar around here?", thought. "They are always good places to look for and snoop on what these people are doing and it is a great place to find out about news. Well, at least it was like that at home ". He then looked for a bar, anybody, preferably one in bad shape.
It took a while and demanded a search for one of the poorest and poorest neighborhoods, if that was possible, in a den like that, but finally found it and entered. The bar stank of bad beer and cigarettes, the people sitting at the tables were clearly murderers, rapists, bad guys of the worst kind, but it was the perfect place to get some tips. He sat at the bar, always attentive to his surroundings, he knew he was an outsider and those people were suspicious of outsiders. He would need to be careful, and I keep my ears and all his senses alert, to defend himself and listen to other people's conversations.
"Do you want anything?", a hoarse, dry voice asked him, was the local bartender.
"Vodka," he said in a dry, cold voice.
The bartender placed a glass in front of him and filled it with the drink. He picked it up and drank a little, but he was more interested in the surroundings.
"Yesterday's work was cool," one of the guys at one of the tables said.
"That bitch screamed, but she gave everything I wanted," another guy said at another table, and he wanted to kill this one in particular.
"That guy is going to see it. Tomorrow I'm joining a bunch and we'll settle the score with him. This is not going to be like this ", another said in another corner.
"We took the city with ease, they didn't even see what hit them," one in particular said, and that caught Ryker's attention. Was it from a black guild? He had heard about it and it would not be strange to meet some wizards in these cities, so he decided to pay attention to this conversation.
"Those damned villagers. We took everything we could, the reward was good, but it could be better ", the guy had medium height and short red hair and a scar on his left eye.
"When is the next attack going to be? You know I have no money and I wanted to participate in something ", another guy at the table asked him, this one was shorter and wider, with medium green hair.
"Do not know yet. We do not want to attract the attention of official guilds. So I think it will take a while, but I heard that there is a guy in need of people out there ".
"And who would it be?" .
"I don't know for sure, but he is building a team. At least that's what the rumors say, "the tallest said.
"This thing is strange. So out of nowhere? " the bass said puzzled and concerned.
"If you need money?" the loud said and gave a sarcastic laugh.
"And run the risk of being arrested? Not even fucking. I'll see something else out there. There is no shortage of work, especially in the most remote locations ", said the short man.
"Sure. After the war, the guilds were so dizzy and not paying attention in these small towns. Now they are paradise, "the tall man said, laughing wickedly.
Someone seems to be recruiting dark wizards, but many must be suspicious, Ryker thought. But was Jose Porla behind it, or was it something else? He would have to investigate, but it would be very difficult to infiltrate and he could be going on a false trail, just being some idiot looking for a gang to rob or something. In any case, he should continue to watch them chat at the bar without drawing more attention than he already was. He ordered another vodka and continued to listen to the conversations and this time his attention returned to another table.
"This guy came here a few days ago," said a fat guy, but strong and bald. "It was strange and was accompanied by a person. I wanted to know about a place to rent, like a building or warehouse, something like that ".
"And who was it? Mountain?" a tall, thin guy asked.
"I don't know, but it wasn't strange to me. I think I must have seen the guy in a corner there ".
"Council member or some guild wizard? If this is bad, we have to be smart ", the skinny said a little scared.
"I think not. It looked like he was trying to set up a type of operation, some kind of shit. Hahaha, he's going to do something, that shit! " the fat man said laughing.
It was something to check, but there was nothing to suggest the old master. Maybe he didn't even come here. But it was too soon to say. He would have to stay here for a while, visit the mouths and alleys, brothels - from his experience prostitutes know many things, men like to boast about them and say many things after sex and a few drinks - and bars, many bars. With that in mind, he paid the bill and left the bar without much fanfare. He needs to find a place to stay for a few days, probably this mission would last longer than he expected.
He walked around the city, but decided to stay around, there was always the possibility of listening to something useful simply by walking around. He found a hotel, we could say, and took a room. It was simple, bed and bathroom, without any luxury, but it was fine, if it was to pass as the new bum in the area should live and be as such. So he settled down and waited for the night to pass and for the day to come.
It was not too early, but Ryker decided to start his activities later. I was hoping that the city would get busier to act. He took a shower and changed clothes and left the hotel. First he looked for something to eat, which was extremely difficult to find in that city, well there were several restaurants and cafeterias, but none of them, look, palatable. He ended up entering one that was ... better, sitting at a table he asked for what seemed most pleasing to his mouth, always with ears on, but nothing useful in the restaurant. He ate, paid the bill and wandered around the city.
He would follow his plan to look for alleys and drug outlets, any rotten place that could yield any information. He went through alleys, streets, corners, talked to drug dealers, bought some just to justify it and threw them away afterwards. So far nothing, just stupid addict chats, robberies, drug dealer fights and things of no importance to him. You should imagine, a guy who was once a master of a powerful and prestigious guild would not demean himself by relying on poor junk sellers out there. He should dig deeper, look for more confident sources and the idea of the brothel came and went. They always end up knowing a lot of things, but that would be later. Still, it couldn't be any woman, it had to be the woman for him to ask. Sharks only get the best ones and that was what he needed to focus on. Then one last visit to a drug alley.
Ryker was entering an alley and there was a small dealer, he can tell from a distance. It was really easy to find this crap in this city. He was approaching when four men surrounded him out of nowhere. He realized that they were in that bar last night.
"You were at the bar last night and now you're walking around town asking questions. Do you think we didn't notice, your worm !? ", a big man shouted.
"Awwww. Did you notice? I'm so flattered, "Ryker said dismissively.
The four of them ran at him without warning, but it didn't take long for the battle to end. With punches here and there, kicks here and there, some broken bones and billed ribs, maybe a smashed column, the four of them were on the floor unconscious and bleeding. Even though they could use magic, and had used it, they were no match for the Fairy Tail wizard who defeated them without using any of his magic and without any effort.
"Hey, boy! Don't run away! " he said approaching the boy who was selling his "products". "Let's have a conversation now," he said, leaning his face up to the kid in a very frightening way, which made him almost pee his pants.
That kid didn't give him much, but he had a name, Kátia. The name of the girl that the chiefs wanted. Of course it could be nothing, after all he was just a child and heard some of the adults comment somewhere, but it was better than nothing. The magician returned to the hotel and rested a little and prepared to go to whorehouse.
The night was already late and he walked quietly through the dark streets, always alert, that city was not for playing. It didn't take long to get to your destination and it was actually quite easy to find. The building was lit with pink, purple and blue neon lights, a large and illuminated sign made the service offered by the establishment very clear.
Ryker entered the place and was very full of very "charismatic" figures, he took a corner and stood there observing the environment. Until a waiter came up to him and asked what he wanted and he simply ordered whiskey. He went to the bar and fetched his drink, when he returned and handed the drink to Ryker, who asked him where Kátia was. The waiter showed a tall, shapely woman across the room. She was a blonde woman with a lot of body and very beautiful. The magician wondered what a girl as beautiful as that was doing in a place like that. She probably had no alternative, and for some reason it pissed him off, but she had to keep her calm and concentration. Work was more important at the moment.
The place was full of girls and unfriendly figures, and if he wanted to talk and ask the girl some questions, it wouldn't be easy. There were many powerful ones there and they were all vying for the girl's attention. He waited a while and drew up a plan to get it, while he had a few more drinks watching the terrain, if there was a fight he was sure, but the poor dents could get caught in the crossfire.
Ryker waited and waited, the girl was being courted a lot, but no one was taking the initiative. Either she was very difficult, which was plausible - her status, the grotto of the local rains, the guarantee of a certain amount of freedom in choosing who she wanted, perhaps with the exception of a few guys in particular - or they were too soft, probably the two.
Some girls had arrived at him, but he categorically rejected them, waiting only for the right moment of the attack. As soon as she got up to go wherever he saw the opportunity. He followed her and in a more distant place he took her by the arm.
"I thought you would never come to get me," she said, surprising Ryker.
"Did you know that I was watching you, hot?" he said in his most seductive tone.
"Years of experience. I know when someone looks at me, especially a new meat like you, "she said, turning to him and leaning against his chest and looking into his eyes with lust.
"So what are we waiting for?" he said maliciously.
She took his hand and led them to the rooms. It was a large room with a spacious bed, apparently very comfortable, having everything a normal room would have. They entered the room and she threw Ryker on the bed and jumped on him, talking in his ear and nibbling on his lobe, he was doing a good job of controlling himself.
"There are $15 thousand Jewels, your hot!" she said in her ear in a way that was sweet and seductive.
"For how long?" he asked.
"Half an hour. I'm not just anybody, " she said, running her tongue over his ear and down to her neck, tracing a slow, gradual path.
"Paid 30, I am also not one of those slackers you are used to", that excited her.
And they did what they had to do and he did what ... well, what did he think he had to do, but protected. After the act itself he decided it was time for the interrogation.
"Now that the fun is over, I'm curious about something and I think you can answer me," he said facing her in bed.
"And why do you think I would know anything?" she said with a tired tone in her voice.
"They told me that you know things. I mean, men tell things to you, "she just laughed.
"What are you? An investigator by any chance? " .
"No, just someone looking for a person who owes me," he said seriously and she noticed his tone.
"Look, I don't know if I can say. You know things here are not ... ", she said and there was fear and concern in her voice.
"Do not worry. I'm not looking for anybody involved with the shit here. I want to know about someone from outside who came here or passed somewhere in the last seven days. He is a fugitive from prison. And he owe me some things that I want to charge, "he said softly and reassuringly.
"A fugitive? Was it from Lepoglava? " she said, apparently she knew something.
"Yea. Did you hear anything about it? "
She got up from the bed and sat, stopped and thought for a moment. "And why would I tell you? As far as I can see you can be anyone and I don't want to get in trouble ".
In a quick movement Ryker got up and caught Katia by the neck and held her against the wall, casting a sinister look that scared her a lot, more than a lot of the guys she knew. Many of them did not have a look like that and they were people of the worst kind.
"Speak up, I don't have much patience, girl," he said in a calm, cool voice which was very scary.
"Okay, okay. Just let me go, I can't breathe, "she said and he released her, watching her fall to the floor coughing and catching her breath.
"What do you know?" he said looking at her from above.
"I don't know much, I swear," she said, crying and scared.
"Tell me what you know, I told you," he said in a harsh voice and it would be.
"A man came here yesterday. He was bragging that he helped a guy out of jail. It must be your guy ".
"His name," he demanded of her.
"I ... it was Vix, Vix Jozz".
"And what does he look like?" .
"H ... he was not very tall, he was fat and he had neatly combed short hair, he was brown, he had a wide nose, thin lips, and thick eyebrows. It looked like a pimp. He was always surrounded by security guards, "she said shakily.
"Where can I find him?"
"I don't know ... maybe at the downtown hotel. It's the best in the city, that's where they usually stay. He said he had business to do but I don't know what it was about, "she said tearfully.
"Very well," he said, taking a handful of money and handing the girl over to the bed, his expression had softened. "Here are your $30,000 Jewels. Now take this money and what you have and leave this city ", she looked at him in surprise.
"Get out of the city and where am I going? What am I going to do? " she said with tears in his eyes.
"You are a beautiful and intelligent girl, this life is not for you. I know you can do more, " he said as he left the room. "Go to Magnolia and look for the Fairy Tail guild, they will help you", she was even more surprised.
"Fairy tail? And why would they help me? " she asked incredulously and in disbelief.
"Because that's what they do. They help people ", she heard what he said and cried, but it was a cry of happiness, someone thought she could do more, that she could be better than she was, touched her.
Ryker went back to his room at his cheap hotel, which looked more like a tenement, and spent the night. In the morning he got ready and went to the hotel in the center, and it was certainly the best in the city easy, but that was not too difficult. It was a large building, perhaps the largest in the city, and was well looked after. Probably the crime bosses were staying there.
And there he waited, outside, sitting on a bench across the street. I could come in and ask for Vix Jozz, but that would arouse suspicion. The magician waited all morning and most of the afternoon, until he saw what appeared to be his target. Short, fat man with neatly combed brown hair, surrounded by security guards and looked like a half-bowl pimp.
It was not difficult to follow him, he and his guards did not seem to be very smart and the magician had experience in this type of approach. They went to some warehouses on the outskirts of the city. The fat pimp went into a specific one, and Ryker didn't know and didn't even want to know why. Turning around, he found an alternate path behind the building, entering through the window at the top. He only had to climb a little, swim too much. Inside he heard some talk of the fat man with someone, it seemed to be debt collection or something, it didn't matter. He positioned himself to knock out the guards and take Vix by surprise. As soon as the conversation was over and the other guy left he attacked.
A few seconds and all the guards were on the floor unconscious and our magician had Vix's neck in his hands and was holding him against the wall. He had his usual cold look, the one that kills everyone with fear.
"I heard that you helped someone escape from Lepoglava," he said, looking darkly. "Who did you help?" .
"Go ... hell ... bastard ..." Vix said with difficulty.
Ryker slammed him hard against the wall and tightened his neck. "Who did you help?" he repeated the question.
Vix laughed with blood running down his mouth. "Your mother! I helped your mother escape, " he said, smiling and looking sarcastically. Ryker looked at him darkly and with his free hand he pushed into the man's side and squeezed his ribs, crushing them and breaking some, which made him cry out in pain and agony.
"Answer me or I'm going to break something else," the magician said coldly, squeezing the fat man's ribs even tighter.
" I ... I don't know his name ...", he said, coughing blood and with difficulty. "A big guy approached me and ... and asked for my help."
Ryker took the photo he had of Aria and showed it to Vix. "This man?" which was confirmed by the fat man with the head. "What did he want?" .
"He wanted ... he wanted me to ... get someone from inside that jail ... to ... to get the guy out of there. Only that I swear ", Vix said with difficulty, feeling a lot of pain.
"And where did they go?" Ryker asked, looking at him coldly.
"I… I don't know. I was just hired to fix the guy ".
Ryker looked at him deeply and searched his pockets until he found his wallet. He opened it and saw pictures that deeply displeased him. Vix with very young girls and boys. The magician looked at him with a satanic look, he, unceremonious, twisted the neck of that tramp pig.
"I' m sorry Fairy Tail. Forgive me Lucy, but not everyone deserves to live," he said coldly and left the building and returned to his hotel.
The magician sat on his bed and rummaged through Vix's wallet that he had taken. "Apparently he belongs to Yorke, who is in the neighborhood according to the prison map," he thought. "If Aria approached him, it must have been there. Tomorrow morning I will go to this city and investigate. It will take a while, it is the most distant, maybe a day trip ". Now he has a solid track and should prepare for the trip.
Early in the evening he arrived in Yorke, another den of society's scum. The hotel he found had similar accommodations and was not at all more comfortable than the previous one, but it was fine for him. Although he was tired, he knew it was time to wander around looking for any useful information.
Throughout the night he wandered around bars listening to conversation. The city was the largest in the region, people circulated more and there was more trade, so the bandits also tended to be more sophisticated.
The approach he took in the other city would not be very effective, here he would have to play more prudently and, perhaps, use bribes to get information. Bandits rarely have loyalty, so nothing that good money won't do. But he would also have to, somehow, fit in, gain some confidence. The work here would be more arduous.
He decided to go back to the hotel room and rest the rest of the night and start the next day. As soon as, it cleared, the soldier magician stuffed himself with medicine, as he always did, and took a long drag on a cigarette and went out to walk around the city. Scouring the darkest corners of the city, he was looking for drug dealers, but not just anyone, he wanted the chiefs of mouth, they always had more information than the grate he sold on the streets.
When he entered an alley that seemed abandoned, he looked and saw what he wanted, without ceremony he went to him and demanded, not even politely, to speak to the chief. It was answered. They went to a badly finished house not far from there. Security guards were everywhere, many in disguise or looking like bandits, but only local residents. One of them barred the entrance.
"Everything is fine. He wants to see the boss, " the little salesman said in a cold sweat with fear. The security guard looked at him and at Ryker, who was unmoved.
"Business," the soldier said without emotion in his voice or face. The security guard looked at him, seemed to be sweating and let them in. They walked to the room where the alleged boss was sitting on a nice couch with some girls and security guards all over the room.
"Boss! This guy wants to talk to you, "the salesman said as he was pushed away.
The local rain bender looked annoyed at them. "What the hell is that!? Who told them to come in? " .
"Put your ball down there. I just want to do business here, "the soldier magician said firmly without emotion.
"And what business would these be?" he said in a threatening tone.
"A guy recently escaped from prison, and he killed friends of mine. I want to know where he is to end his useless life ".
"And what makes you think I know someone who has run away," the boss said, laughing and teasing.
Ryker gave him a satanic look. "Don't think I'm an idiot. People like you know a lot. Now answer ".
The boss swallowed, the situation was getting tense for him, he could feel it. So he stopped and reflected on the matter. "I think I can have something. I heard about an escape days ago ".
"Continues..."
"There is a rumor that some strange people are recruiting dark wizards, or what's left of them, for something big. I don't know any more details. But if you want you can talk to Prince ".
"Where do I find him?"
"Usually he stays at Puppy's. A bar in the center ".
Ryker turned to leave after that, but the boss didn't have much interest in letting him go.
"If you think you're going to go out like this, you're very wrong, you idiot. You made the mistake of coming here, now you're going to die ", laughing hysterically. "Kill him, kill him now!" .
His security guards advanced towards the soldier, but he just needed to show a little of his heavy and dense aura, which made everyone stop and retreat. They were paralyzed with fear. Ryker turned his face to the chief, looking at him so deeply and with an aura of death, that he took a shit in his pants. Finally he left, in the direction of the indicated bar.
It was still early and the bars are not open, he took the time to check who this Prince would be. He called Lepoglava prison and asked them to urgently check on this guy. While waiting he looked for a place to eat.
Halfway there he started to feel dizzy and had to lean against the wall. What was he feeling now? Was it a crisis? But it had been a while since he had, good at least since he left for this job. No, that was something else, there were no signs that his crises were pointing. Lack of sleep? Perhaps, since he arrived in this world he has not slept, and that was almost a month ago.
"Not now. I'll deal with it later, but for now I have to continue ", he thought and took a vial from his pocket, opened it and took some pills - stimulants. He continued walking to the restaurant where he ate some.
"Damn, I better get back to the hotel by the hour. In these conditions it will be difficult to continue ", he thought irritated and disappointed. But he had no choice, he was sweating cold, shivering, colored headaches, and he was dizzy.
With great difficulty I managed to get to the hotel and to his room, but still he did not sleep. What he did was take more medicine and more stimulant, along with strong drink. He took a bomb, but it worked and he got better. That was when they called from prison.
"Apparently, this Prince is the person that everyone turns to when they need something. He has contact with the local police, mayor, judges. He has influence on the entire summit, "Asper said through the communicator.
"He's the guy with the favors. It must be very difficult to find him. I was told he stays at a bar called Puppy's ".
"I do not have this information. In fact, he looks like a ghost ".
"I'm going to go to this bar and see what I find. I think it will take me a few days to get your attention. Any description of him? " .
"None, I'm sorry."
"Okay, I'll see what I think," Ryker said and hung up the communicator and sighed. "This is going to be more difficult than I thought." Worse, he was still not in the best condition, but time was running out and there was no space for rest. He waited until nightfall before heading to the bar, which he wasn't sure where it was, but would find it.
As he passed the hotel lounge, it occurred to him that he could simply ask the receptionist. "Hey, boy!? Do you happen to know where Puppy's is? " the kid looked at him startled.
"Y… yes, sir. It is on the main avenue, in the center, there is a large plaque, there is no mistaking it ", he was sweating cold.
Ryker looked at it, maybe he could imagine why that reaction was, but he preferred to ask, the answer could be useful to him. "Hey! Why are you doing this? " .
"Oh, yeah ... it 's for nothing, sir," he said, lowering his head.
"Come on, I'm not going to hurt you. Is there anything I need to know about that place?"
"N ... no sir," he said, trembling.
"Look, I'm losing my temper. Then say it soon! "
"W ... well, yeah ... that place is, only the worst bandits get together. Chiefs especially, it is not a place for anyone. A lot of people go and don't come back. Please don't go, it's dangerous ", you could see a genuine fear and concern on his face, but Ryker was sure of himself and knew very well how to defend himself, even more of people he felt he didn't even get to his feet, in strength.
"Don't worry boy, you're going to see me tomorrow," he said, turning to the exit and waving his hand. "Thanks for the tip", and off he went to Puppy's.
As the attendant said, a big sign at the entrance, in the center of the city, there was no mistaking. Apparently it was a well-attended bar, chic and organized, it did n't even look like a worm den. The interior had a pleasant light, comfortable tables and chairs, even a dance floor in a corner. The bar was full of drinks, there were chairs along the counter, which was chic wood and well made, and it didn't even have any marks. A place that would be great to visit and have fun and, who knows, maybe meet a girl, but the reality was different.
For a ruined city like that, this bar was too good for her. Ryker soon realized that the hotel attendant's warnings were true. As soon as he entered you could see eyes on him, not eyes that he would like them to be. Security guards with the eyes of a killer and gangsters, or whatever. He can't help feeling uncomfortable. It was a hostile environment.
Impassive, the soldier magician went to the bar, generally, the bartenders are the ones who know the most about things. Sitting on one of the chairs, he motioned to one of them.
"Right?" , said, a handsome young man.
"Vodka, please," he went out and fetched a bottle and glass, putting it on the table and pouring the clear liquid. As he drank the magician, he looked around, analyzing the environment. He noticed that there would be problems, one of those guys was looking at him a lot, probably, until the end of the night, there would be some conversation at the bar, not that he cared.
He stayed drinking, ordering a few more drinks, at the bar for a while. I didn't know how long to go, but at least two hours. He wanted to familiarize himself with the place before making a move, he wanted to demonstrate that he was not there for fights.
"Hey!" the magician called the bartender.
"Anything else, sir?" he said with unmatched politeness.
"Yea. I would like to know about Prince, "Ryker said, sliding some money bills on the counter towards the bartender.
"Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about," he said looking at some people, the same people who were staring at him earlier.
The magician noticed. " Really?" he sighed, only to realize that all the other bartenders went inside. "Show time...". He stood up and turned around and was not surprised to see five thugs in suits behind him. They were users of magic, the soldier wizard could feel it.
"Look, I don't want any trouble with you. I just want to find the guy who killed my friends and finish him off, and he's not one of you, "he said in a conciliatory but threatening tone at the same time.
A guy came up behind the footmen, he was more distinguished and very neat, an air of snobbish boss. "I don't even know who you are, and you enter this establishment uninvited, sit at the bar and drink as if you were the owner. Who do you think you are?"
"Already said! Just looking for a guy to kill ".
The guy who looked like the boss laughed. "You are going to die. Kill him ".
All the footmen ran at Ryker, who jumped behind the bar and fired blasts of energy with his hands, knocking them all down. He jumped into the middle of the room to take a more advantageous position. The five got up and surrounded the magician, but he never lost sight of them. These lackeys were well trained, and worked well as a team. At the same time they cast their spells on the Fairy Tail mage, who I managed to protect myself from, blocking the attacks.
With both hands, aiming one at each, he fired more bursts, stronger this time knocking down and injuring two of them, who fell to the ground bleeding. In the blink of an eye he changed direction and ran to another and started exchanging punches and kicks with this one. Ryker was better and started to hit him at vital points, such as rib, neck, head and knee, making his movements useless. As soon as he was out of play, the magician picked him up, lifted him over his head and threw him on a table breaking it. With the footman on the ground, he stomped on his chest making him pass out.
While finishing with that one, the soldier was hit in the back by a stroke of magic from another footman. He quickly composed himself, jumping to the side to avoid further attacks. Ryker returned the blows with stronger attacks and more gusts, making the room smoke. Nobody was seeing anything. There were still four footmen left, two wounded. They were together watching, watching and looking all over the place so as not to be caught off guard by Ryker, it didn't work. Suddenly, fast as lightning, one knee in the face of one of them was enough to break his nose and several bones in his face, making him fall to the ground, just to get kicked in the face, another passed out.
The remaining three turned their backs on each other and, with their magic, cleared the party hall from the smoke, revealing the wizard in front of him. He showed a murderous look and an oppressive and heavy aura. But it didn't incredibly intimidate them. The trio positioned themselves and cast spells at the same time, but Ryker deflected. They continued to launch, and the magician continued to dodge. As time went on, more Ryker looked murderous and more angry. There was almost no human eye on him.
"You guys are having more fun than the other wizards I faced a while ago", laughing out of the corner of his mouth, a little sinister.
Ryker ran towards them, the lackeys casting magic in all directions, but the soldier wizard dodged them all, bending down, bowing, making body movements. No magic caught him. He ran up to one of them and with a punch so powerful, that a shock wave spread through the bar, which made it fly across the room through tables, columns until it hit the wall at the bottom of the bar. Ryker quickly turned to another who tried to punch him, but was blocked, he in turn was hit by a punch in the stomach, causing him to vomit blood. Ryker tripped him holding one of his arms, when it hit the ground the magician broke the arm of his possession causing the bone to jump out of the skin. The footman cried out in pain and agony, with a strong stomp on his face Ryker knocked him out, and probably killed him for his broken neck.
The soldier wizard turned to the last, he tried to hit him with everything he had, but he didn't even have a chance. With a powerful knee in his belly, the footman bent down, vomiting a lot of blood, and with an elbow from top to bottom, hitting the back of the neck, ready, game over, maybe the latter will not walk anymore.
Of course, in the meantime, everyone who was on the scene and had nothing to do with the situation, or were innocent, who for some reason were there, ran away.
Ryker went to where the master of everything was hidden and caught him sitting on a chair making him face him.
"Listen here!? I just want to know where the guy is that I want to kill. So don't disturb me, "he said furiously and with satanic eyes.
"What do you want?" another said, scared to death.
"I want to find Prince."
"You don't find it, it finds you. That's all I know ".
"Then I will keep looking. Stay out of my way, or it will happen to you, or worse. I was clear ".
The other guy just laughed at him. "You are a dead man. Do you really think others are going to make it cheap? They will come after you and they will kill you ".
And with the most demonic look possible, he gave his warning. "Tell them that I expect them, but first I kill my target. Then I'm yours ". Having said that, he left the bar, returning to the hotel, using a different path and ensuring that no one was following him.
"Shit! If it weren't enough, now that's it. This mission is becoming a mess, and I wanted description, "he told himself in the 'comfort' of his room.