Heading for the Slaver's Guild building, Tala noticed another bar-like building with electricity, called "The Hole", and she found herself wondering again about where did they get their power from. It was obvious that Den had no unified electricity system - in a town as dysfunctional as this, that would've been utterly impossible.
But in front of them, the Slaver's Guild building stood. It was a relatively unimpressive, one-storey building made of red bricks, with several guards standing in front of it, each of them sporting an identical tattoo on their faces.
"This way," Tala said quietly as she took Sulik by the arm and guided him pass the Slaver's Guild and towards another building that looked like another bar or something of the kind.
"But the evil ones are there. We should be doing de killing, now!" Sulik protested, luckily not loud enough for the guards to hear.
"All in due time, Sulik, all in due time. No point in charging straight at the slavers and simply be shot dead. No, let's sit down and I'll go scout the place out before we take any action."
"Grampy Bone agrees. Says you've got wit, you're gonna need it."
"Really? Anything he says about this place?"
"Well, the spirits are sometimes hard to understand, but... Hey, Grampy Bone say another bone spirit here. Says they need help."
"Right," Tala nodded, then noticed the sign stating "Mom's Diner" and turned that way. "Why don't you wait for me here, hmm? Have a meal while I take a look around," she spoke, pushing Sulik inside before he could protest.
But the man grinned instead and nodded. "We and I be here. Grampy Bone says you need to go alone for now."
Tala nodded and turned around after handing Sulik some money. She was still kind of sceptical about the possibility that there was a spirit that spoke to Sulik inside the huge bone jammed into his nose, and that it wasn't simply Sulik's deeply-buried sanity that spoke up. Regardless, she approached the Slaver's Guild door, feeling the wary stares of the guards. Her gun was hidden under the one-sleeved jacket, but the knife in her boot and the brass knuckles on her belt were clearly visible - best to appear armed, but not TOO dangerous.
"Ey there, now, welcome to the Guild!" one of the slavers said with far too much enthusiasm as soon as Tala entered the building. He was leaning on a new and undented metal table and cleaning his gun. He looked like he can take care of himself in a fight, but otherwise, he was... normal. Average, even, save for the slaver tattoo on his face. Not a bloodthirsty monster with filed teeth that Tala had expected the slavers to be. And that was probably the scariest part of him.
"I'm here to see Metzger. Is he available?"
"He's plenty available, hot stuff," the slaver grinned, as did most others in the room (but one also frowned, as Tala noticed). "Go on in, 's the door right behind me," he pointed with his thumb.
She nodded and stepped forward. She felt like punching the leering slavers in the face, but figured that would not have been a good idea. So she opened the next door in silence and stepped forth, to an almost equally spartan room with only a single table, a working fridge and a couple of chairs.
And with a large, bald man with a mean look that could only be Metzger. "What the fuck do you want, eh? This is the Slaver's Guild, not some fucking whorehouse!" he spoke with a sneer. All in all, this scarred, tattooed and evil-looking man with a shotgun leaning on his chair fit with Tala's image of a slaver much better than the overly enthusiastic gun-cleaner or the young, intelligent-looking blonde man who frowned at the inappropriate joke of his companions.
"I'm here regarding one of your prisoners," Tala said, coolly and business-like. "More precisely, Vic the trader."
"Yeah? What about him?" Metzger said while measuring Tala from head to toe.
"Why are you keeping him here?"
The slavemaster snorted. "The little fuck came to me and told me he's got a radio for me that I could use to pick up better transmissions. I bought it, and it was broken. So I'm keeping him here till he gets the fucking radio fixed!" he explained to Tala's breasts, where his gaze was firmly fixed.
"Can I see him?" the Chosen One said, not letting the gaze bother her.
"What the fuck for?" Metzger asked, raising his gaze back to her face, but then shrugged and waved his hand dismissively. "Fuck it. Just don't keep him too long, I want him to get my radio fixed." With that, he turned his attention back to the papers before him that he and two of his men had been discussing.
One of the guards nodded towards a door in the first room and Tala headed towards it. It was the door guarded by the young blonde man, who looked at her questioningly. "Yes?"
"About Vic..." Tala began, and the man nodded.
"He's one of Metzger's personal prisoners. Sold a bad radio to him, and now he's been locked up till he can fix it," he explained, and each word made him look stranger in Tala's eyes. He did not speak the rough and uncouth jargon that most of the slavers and gangers and such seemed to speak around here; rather, he was articulate and seemed almost cultured in his speech... Yet he was a slaver.
"The door's locked," Tala nodded towards it. "Metzger said I can talk to Vic. Could you open it?"
"Sure!" he said and proceeded to unlock the door. "Didn't know you wanted to see him, thought you were just curious or something."
"Thanks," Tala nodded and stepped inside.
The Chosen One wasn't entirely sure just WHAT she had been expecting. Probably a handsome and charismatic young man that looked shifty and charming at the same time. An adventurer type, a swashbuckler who waltzed through life getting into and out of trouble, perhaps. But her image of Vic had NOT been that of a balding, overweight man in his late forties or early fifties that looked more like a barkeeper or a cook rather than a man who makes a living, wandering from tribes to towns and selling things.
"Look, would you tell him I can't fix the damn radio without proper parts!" he said irritatedly, then looked up and saw Tala. "You... You're not a slaver. Who are you?" he asked with both eyebrows raised.
"My name is Tala," she said, closing the door behind her. "I will get you out of here, in return for information."
"Sure, sure! If you could get me out of this damn mess, I'd tell you whatever you need!" Vic nodded eagerly, getting up from behind his workbench. "But Metzger said he isn't letting me anywhere until I have his radio fixed, and I just don't have the parts!"
Tala dug into her backpack and after some rearranging of items, fished out the radio she had taken from Vic's house in Klamath. "Can you use parts of this radio I found?"
The man grabbed the radio and looked at it in the light of the workbench lamp. "Yes! My radio! This is exactly what I need!" he said enthusiastically, then looked at Tala questioningly. "How exaclty did you happen to become the owner of my radio, anyway?" he asked, but then shook his head. "Nevermind. Whatever you took will be yours to keep if this gets me out of this mess. Not that I could probably stop you, anyway," he said, looking at the weapons and the gloves that the tribal warrior wore. "I... I'll have it repaired by tomorrow. Come back then and talk to Metzger... hopefully, he'll be more willing to let me go once he has his radio..."
"Alright," Tala nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow. Don't screw up and get killed, I still need the information from you," she smiled and turned to leave. Once outside, she nodded to the blonde slaver again. "Well, if Metzger asks, tell him that Vic now has the parts he needs to fix the radio. He claimed he'll be done by tomorrow, so I hope Metzger is willing to sell Vic to me then," she explained.
"Alright," the man nodded. "I'll let him know if he comes by. See you tomorrow then, I suppose?"
"Yeah," the Chosen one said. "See you tomorrow."
The outside air seemed much lighter and she breathed deeply in and out once out of the red brick building. Although most of these men did not look like some sort of psychotic murderers, they were still slavers and that made Tala feel uneasy.
She now had a day to spend before she had reason to go back to Metzger. She took her time walking back to Mom's Diner, half-way fearing that Sulik had gotten into trouble again and was relieved to find that this was not the case. Instead, he was sitting in a table with a melancholic-looking blonde woman and gestured for Tala to come over.
"Grampy Bone say this place is full of bad people," he said. "But we and I made friends in Den," he continued, gesturing at the woman and a miserable looking man sitting drunkenly in the corner. "Karl there told us he is from a place called "Modoc" and that his land was taken over by evil spirits! Grampy Bone says we might run across these spirits yet. And this is Stacy. Sad spirit, that. We and I try to cheer her up."
"Riiight..." Tala drew out. "I think we should go and check out the stores, now, see if they have anything worthwhile."
"We be here," Sulik simply shrugged and got up. The two tribals went pass the graveyard again and towards the stores.
"Hey, psst! Come on over here for a moment," a voice called out to them quietly from behind a corner. Tala stopped and looked towards the voice. The caller was a short, average looking and freckled redhead, probably no more than 20 (if even that) in a metal armour that had seen better days. "I have a proposal for you, if you'd care to hear it."
Tala smirked and walked forward. "Oh really?"
"Yeah really," the redhead nodded.
"No way! What is it now?" she asked with some amusement.
The redhead looked around. "I was asked by my boss, Lara, to get your attention. She'd have a job offer for you if you're interested?"
"I'll speak for myself," a new voice added and another woman in a scrap-metal armour stepped out. She was a brunette like Tala, but taller and lankier, though altogether not unpleasing for the eye, the tribal noted. She held herself with more dignity and an aura of presence than the redhead; on her hip was strapped a pistol. "I am Lara, and I'm the leader of this gang. And no, we two are not ALL the gang."
"Right, nice to meet you," Tala said insincerely. "What's this about, then?" she asked, glancing at the redhead who had stepped aside and was now leaning on her spear.
"I noticed you have or had dealings with Metzger. I'd offer you a job if you're interested."
"Alright... I'll bite," Tala nodded while Sulik glanced suspiciously between all three women. "What's the job and what's the pay?"
"You saw that church by the graveyard? That's Tyler's turf. His gang is guarding something of Metzger's there, and if you find out WHAT it is he is guarding, I will pay you two hundred in cash."
"Hmm... Metzger's, eh? Alright, I'll see what I can do. Sulik, stay here again, for attention's sake," Tala said and looked around. The church had been impossible to miss, of course, seeing as it was merely the biggest building in Den.
She left the two women behind and walked towards the church, evaluating the building as she walked. There were no real entrances other than the front door, which was guarded by two men. There were also windows, but trying to get in from there would've caused more mess than it was worth. So Tala just conjured her business-look and strided purposefully towards the double doors.
"Yeah?" the guard on the right, a brown-haired and nimble-looking man in metal armour - scrap metal like that of the women, but scrubbed clean to make it look better - asked.
"Tyler?" Tala half-asked, half-stated, then continued without letting the other man to get a word in, "Metzger sent me."
"What the fuck for?" Tyler asked, emphasizing his words with his hands. "It's not like his shit is going anywhere!"
"Well, he wants to be SURE," the tribal responded, forcefully accenting the last word.
That cowed the man. "Fuck it," he shrugged. "Go on in and take a look," he continued, pushing the door open for her.
Tala entered the church with an emotionless visage and looked around. The guards inside, Tyler's gang as she presumed, snapped to attention, but she ignored them and her gaze turned to the stacks of crates stashed in the various corners of the church. She walked closer to the crates and looked inside a few, then nodded and turned to leave.
"Happy now?" Tyler asked.
Tala nodded. "Yeah. By all accounts, Metzger will be, too," she replied, then added quieter, "or less grumpy at any rate."
"How come you're working for Metzger, anyway? You're not a slaver," Tyler asked warily. "I thought his personal errand boys... err, and girls... would be Slavers, too."
'Uh-oh,' went through Tala's head. "Well, you don't know Metzger's workings, by the looks of it," she said with a nod. "I'm not a member of the Guild."
"Yeah, I noticed. How come?" the man asked again, this time warier. The other thugs got up or sitting inside the church, too and the huge black man - the other door guard - slipped his hand on his pistol.
"Test period. Ever heard of it? Errands for Metzger first, you know. I do well, and it's time for joining," she said, almost maintaining her cool face. "Before you get any funny ideas, remember I'm still one of Metzger's employees."
Tyler stared at her for a moment, but this was a game Tala was good at - she stared right back at him, unflinching, until he gulped, nodded and turned his gaze away. "Of course, of course. Was just wondering. Ehh, well, the stuff is here... Put in a good word for me with the boss and all that..." he said, borderline stammering.
Tala didn't bother hiding her smug smile as she returned the nod slowly and walked out. Tyler shut the double doors behind her and went back to his position. The black guard, however, stepped a little further and looked after her as she headed towards the Guild to not blow her cover.
Eventually, however, the line of sight between the two was cut, albeit Tala had to pass before the Guild itself and make a round trip from behind the building. The filthy and, in several instances, bruised slaves at the overcrowded pen behind the Guild building itself made Tala's hands ball into fists as she fought the urge to charge into the building, guns blazing. For one, there was no way she could've taken them all on alone and even if she could, she could not risk Vic being killed. He was her only link to the GECK, after all.
After out of Tyler's gang's sight, it wasn't too difficult to maneuver back to Lara's gang, where both the women and Sulik were waiting for her already. "Raw chemicals in large crates," she reported instead of greeting.
Lara nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense, given Metzger's business practices. But... as promised, here's your money," she said, fishing out her bag and counted 200 before handing it to Tala.
"Pleasure doing business," Tala smiled. That money would most likely come in handy when it was time to bail Vic out.
"Actually, Lara..." the redhead spoke, nodding at Tala as Lara looked at her.
Lara shrugged, then nodded. The whole scene was somewhat suspicious for Tala, but they didn't exactly seem to be preparing for a fight.
"You interested in another job?" Lara asked, causing Tala to relax.
"Such as?"
"Easy money. Just go to Metzger and ask if the offer to take over the guarding is still on," the gang leader explained. "50 bucks."
"And..." Tala drew out "You're not doing this yourself because ... ?"
"If Tyler sees any of ours near Metzger, he'll be sure to anticipate an attack or even attack himself," Lara commented dryly. "But you are an outsider and, as it seems, already considered one of Metzger's minions, so it'd work."
"Well, alright," she shrugged, and started her way back to the Slaver's Guild. The errand girl business was simple. Metzger wasn't half as pissed to see her as she had thought, what with his mood considerably improved by the prospect of finally getting his radio fixed. And if Tyler or any of his gang members were watching, they were watching something else.
Lara and the redhead looked expectantly as Tala approached and the tribal nodded in confirmation. "As he said, the offer is ready for whoever. So yes, you can fight Tyler so long as his stuff is guarded."
"Good," Lara grinned, rubbing her hands together, but the grin turned to frown quickly.
Tala sighed and raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess - there's something else now? You want me to... Fight deathclaws so you could get better weapons for your gang, like my grandfather did?"
"Eh?" Lara raised an eyebrow. "Oh, nevermind. But if you could take a look around and try and find a weakness in their gang, I'd pay you for the trouble. Again, not a chance in hell any of us will get close enough."
Tala nodded thoughtfully and began working on a plan...