"So what is all this about, Kilford?" Fredrick stated again, for about the tenth time.
"Not you." The older man replied. He was now pacing the small boat, as well as one could given the side. Samuel had retired to the small cabin, trying to forget the constant rock of the boat, the constant splash of water. He was usually better then this but the boat was small, smaller even for him. A small oil lamp hung off the side of the cabin illuminating most of the boat Fredrick sat of the top of the cabin lock picking tools in hand box on his lap tinkering away. Every so often he would glance at the log pose, and get up to make a small course correction.
"You see that's not how I figure."
"Oh really?"
"No ,you gave us passage and for that I am grateful."
"Then leave it, please."
"No, you see now I find myself thinking maybe your partners didn't meet the marines, I'm thinking rain-boy we met got to them first. I'm thinking that's what tipped you off, that's why you were so ancy to get off the damn island."
"It was nothing like that."
"Oh really then enlighten me."
"I swear they got picked up by the marines, they were less then reputable people."
"So are we, is that how you sleep at night? Oh well they're all bad people so deaths probably a good thi-"
"I said it's not like that" the older man interjected voice rising to what sounded like a strained attempt at a level voice.
"Then what is it like? just tell me" Fredrick responded annoyed.
"Look its personal." Kilford rebutted become defensive again
"No, no here's what it is. You're in deep with someone probably well connected, you scorned him and now he's sending goons after you. You counter by lending a ship to any poor bastard desperate enough to need your help and there by surrounding yourself with disposable bodies. But don't worry about it," Fredrick responds sneering. "There all bad people, who should be punished" The last sentence dripping with hard sarcasm.
"It's not that at all, I didn't know. Well I mean I knew he was close but-"
"He, so you do know that psycho" Fredrick pushed accusingly
"It's not like that!" The man yelled.
"Then tell me what it is" Fredrick flipped easily matching Kilford loudness. " I just want to know, Kilford, are we just your unwitting body guards, sparring buddies meant to absorb your punishment"
"No, I never meant for anyone to come under attack."
"How do you figure?"
"He's never been this close before, in fact I had thought I had lost him for a while until he suddenly appeared out of nowhere."
"How long has he been chasing you?"
"Year and a half."
"Fuck."
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Personal."
"No Kilford, he attack us, not you, us and if he killed your buddies then that means my friend ,whom I care for more than my own or your sorry ass, and I are targets as well. He seems like the kind of guy not to leave witnesses."
Silence, Kilford stopped pacing and instead leaned up against the main mass rubbing his leg. Finally Kilford broke the silence, turning his head away from Fredrick out to the bleak darkness all around them, he said.
"It's not money."
"then what is it?"
"Life."
"Life?"
"Yeah,"
"How do you figure?"
"Long story," Kilford said his voice floating across the small distance between them as if he was miles off.
Fredrick calmed down, hopping off the roof he placed the box down and put his tools away leaning against the cabin wall "Well Kilford, you're in luck cause were in a fucking ocean and I got time."
"Long story" Kilford repeated words heavy with a sudden tiredness.
"Kilford you stupid bastard, I am trying to look out for you," Fredrick replied with all the bite of his voice gone, replaced by a tired strain.
"Yeah, probably… look, sorry."
"Whatever" Fredrick replied with a resigned sigh, "Well can you at least tell me about the leg"
Kilford looked down and rubbed his leg. "Oh this thing, just a trinket"
"From what?"
"years of doing what I thought was a good service, and now I'm not so sure."
Fredrick cracked a smile disappeared into the cabin and emerged a second later holding two bottles of booze tossing one to Kilford he opened his. "I know the feeling."
"Really?"
"Yeah I was a marine."
"And now you'll take any boat offered to you even by strange men with even stranger requests just to get away from them, eh? What happened?"
Now it was Fredrick's turn to look out into the murky darkness and then turn back to Kilford to reply with a small smile. "Long story".
Smiling Kilford lifted his bottle towards Fredrick who responded in turn, clinking the bottles together. "I bet it is".
"You said you saw a man in multicolored garb traveling down this way correct" Leider responded.
"Yea…ye…yes" The man replied fighting for breath in vain, partially due to one crushed hand, against Rolf's massive forearm crushing his windpipe.
"Well you have been more then cooperative, sorry about the hand but you must realize my associates are bit over-enthusiatic."
The man cringes and gasps for air as Rolf's massive grip relaxes, when Rolf's finally lets go he falls to the ground grasping his hand. Janine bends down to his level, and looks at him in the eye with false reassurance. "Now don't be like that your still breathing, aren't you?"
"Shut up, crazy bitch" He spat through gritted teeth only after saying that did he realize what he said and began to inch away from her.
"What did you say?" she said eyes cold as ice and fixed on him.
"Janine we are leaving."
"Right leader, one second," she said suddenly cheerful again. Turning back to the downed man, licking her lips. "Put out your hand."
"What? No way."
"Put out your hand," She said through a strained smile. The man complied placing his broken and warped hand out on the gravel surface grimacing.
"There's a good boy," She said smiling and licking her lips. "There now you've learned your place I am satisfied."
The man gulped and smiled slightly, evidently expecting a lot worse than a damaged ego. Then as she turned to leave she brought one booted foot rapidly down on the man's broken hand so fast he had no time to relax. With that she broke into a sheepish smile and quickly followed Leider and Rolf who had already left, leaving a man curled up in the fetal position crying behind her.
"Down that next alley, Rolf if you don't mind" Leider says indicating down the street. Rolf takes a long toke, and as he inhales seems to swell slightly as if he inhaled but never breathed out.
"Yeah, sure then lunch?"
"Yeah if we get the box, then you can have lunch."
"hmm, I can do that."
"It's why you're here."
With that Rolf turns down the alley, Leider and Janine, follow. Looking at what appears to be just an empty alleyway, and a dead end.
"Uh, Leider where is he?"
"I don't know, I'm not the one with heightened sense dipshit."
"I think I like this rat, only when trapped do they fight the hardest."
Then in a flurry of movement the alley way became really hazy, as the multicolored man drop down, and right on to the back of Rolf's neck, knocking him down with a sickening crack, quickly flicking out a pair of daggers at Leider and Janine. Both who scatter away neither dagger connecting with it's target. When the dust clears the multicolored man stands with a pair of daggers in his hands behind him lies an unconscious Rolf face down on the pavement, a small pool of blood forming. Leider straightens himself up.
"Impressive" Next to him stands Janine bowlegged. her legs tight like coiled springs holding in a massive amount of power. Her now green skin glistening with a oily glean and her throat swollen to about twice its side and her eyes glisten with a cold fury.
"Oh he is fun," she remarked.
The multicolored man lifts the front of his hat acknowledging them. "I've still got two more subjects, they be plenty of time for congratulations after that."
Leider steps forward "Oh this is rich, you are quite something."
"Let me at him Leider let me at him."Janine asked.
The multicolored man just stared back tense.
"Now listen you seem like an okay enough guy to me but business is business as a man like you must understand. Give me the box."
"No box," The multicolored man says tipping his head down covering his eyes with the brim of the hat and dropping his body into a more aggressive stance.
"Now listen sir, we are reasonable people, but you are trying my patience."
"Likewise,"
"Then give us the box and we might just let you live with half of your limbs."
"Do I get to choose them?"
"No," Leider replied smiling
"Then I'll take my chances."
"Fine I'm afraid I'll have to pry the box off you dead corpus."
"Won't find it."
"You find the one thing we are, above all, is thorough."
"I don't have your box."
"Then where did you get the necklace?"
The multicolored man stares down at his pocket and the small gold chain falling out of it.
"Oh dear was that sticking out all this time, I feel so silly."
"Where did you get it?"
"Just a bartender, the man didn't know what was good for him."
"They never do." Leider said smiling in agreement.
"Didn't tell what I wanted to know about a mark."
"bounty hunter?"
"Yeah, the kind that's paid up front."
"Assassin, you sir have class." Leider remarks slyly.
"Thank you," The multicolored man replies a wolfish smile visible from under the brim.
"Can I kill him now Leider?"
"You can try," The multicolored man retorts without emotion, a statement of fact nothing more.
"That's all I wanted to here." Janine replied her body tense, her tongue licking around her lips.
"Step off Janine." Leider demands as he thrusts a hand in front of her. Janine crosses her arms and pouts.
"Can I see that necklace there?"
"Why?"
"I too have a mark to acquire."
"You know I'll do it. If only because I'm going take it off your corpus anyway," He says grinning as he looks Leider in the eye. His eyes glinted like fire hardened steel betraying an excitement behind the stern façade. He tossed the small necklace towards Leider who catches it, and then examines it.
"Yeah it's from the shipment, has the right markings. Do you know who does this belong to?"
"Actually yes it was given by one of the men I am following."
"Your target?"
"No just an accomplice."
"Interesting, then I am happy to say I have a proposition."
"Being?"
"We should team up, both work to achieve a mutual end?"
"I work alone."
"Not anymore, you have to options work with us or step off."
"By work you mean follow?" The multicolored man says with a scowl.
"Is there any other kind?" Leider countered.
"I took down one of you what makes you think I can't take down both of you as well."
"One you had the element of surprise, which you lost. Second, oh please you didn't take Rolf down."
"What?" The multicolored man says finally braking that impossible to read smirk he wore. So something's to faze him Leider smirked, not such a superman.
"You think he smokes that stuff for hygienic qualities." And as he says that Rolf lifts himself of the ground towering over the multicolored man, his body now swelled to much more its original size standing about 10 and half feet tall and almost as wide, quickly filling the alley's space like a massive hairy wall, with stiff grey hair all over his body, massive kite like ears and a massive black nose. His arms and legs were rippling with muscles and ended in heavy, black, claws. In between his lips lies a stub of a joint, and a small patch of dried blood lies on the right side of his forehead.
"Just a gift from our employer, Rolf ate the Bear Bear Fruit model Koala the smoke just makes him a bit more to handle."
With that Rolf emits a scream and slams his giant clawed hand right through the multicolored man , the multicolored man jumps out of the way as the clawed fist makes short work of the paved floor. Glancing over his shoulder he re-adjusts his position now facing both groups Rolf, Leider, and Janine. Fixing his hat he turns to Leider.
"You need me." The multicolored man states calmly.
"Oh really?" Leider says smirking.
"I'm tracking them."
"How?"
"How else? den-den mushi" He smiles producing a small purple den-den mushi its eyes cranes in one specific direction." It always looks after its partner. I'll break it if you attack me."
"Another good reason to team up."
"Just don't get in my way." He says sticking a hand out.
"Don't worry about it." Leider replies grasping and shaking his hand.