Let's go!
Arc 2: Chapter 14
Hei stared at the man seated before him in the dingy, smoke-riddled pub with an impassive look.
Pale light from boarded up windows tried to bleed into the bar floor with little success, resulting in the room and its occupants being cast in deep shadows. The faint embers of patrons cigars and pipes, alongside the odd candle-light at each table, were the only signs that the place wasn't closed or derelict.
The man before him took a slow drag of his cigar while leaning back. The smoke burned Hei's lungs, but he made no show of it affecting him.
He waited patiently as the man studied him from within the shadows. His features were difficult to see properly, but Hei could make out the trace amounts of facial hair and worn skin.
The chair groaned under his weight, and out of the corner of his eye, Hei observed the bartender subtly observing him as he wiped the inside of another glass. A drunk patron lay atop the counter, clearly asleep, yet the bartender made no effort to disturb him or even clean up the mess.
Disgusting, Hei thought. If he ever ran a bar, he would never let such behaviour slide.
"And what did you say your previous occupation was? Mister… Hei?"
Hei let his eyes drift back to the man before him.
"I never did." He provided nothing more.
The man regarded him silently, taking his time to speak up again.
"…And would you care to maybe share, please?"
"I'd rather not. I was told if I wanted an understanding of this city that you were one of the people I should speak to."
Hei held no misconceptions about the man before him, and he wanted to shut down anything too probing.
The man chuckled.
"That's not how it works, Hei. To get something, you must also offer something of value back."
"Good thing I have already," he intoned, gesturing to the small stack of Lien notes sitting just in front of Hei.
"Of equivalent value, Hei. If that is your real name. Money is clearly not an issue for you, and yet I don't know you, or anything about you. Consider that my price, instead."
"Perhaps consider that some people value their privacy." Hei stood up, the ancient wooden stool audibly scraping against the rotting hardwood floor.
"And that some people value the money placed before them," he reached for the small stack of money, only for the mystery man to have his hand suddenly dart out and grasp Hei's Hand.
"Now now. Let's not be too hasty. I would still be happy to do business with you. It's just what you are asking for is highly specific information. I need to be sure that what I say isn't something that will come back and haunt me. There are a lot of important people and groups around these parts that conduct business."
"Hmm. I'll bet," intoned Hei, giving a slight incline of his head.
"I'm just trying to picture a reason why some stranger would want to know these sort of things. Why not ask the regulars here, or even just someone on the street?"
Hei stared down at the man.
"I have. But I also want the full picture, and that means all the little details. The kind of stuff your regular folk don't know about. Now, do you want my business?"
The man sat motionless for a second, before bursting forth with a throw of his arms and excited voice.
"But of course. Please, take a seat. I meant no discomfort."
Slowly, Hei sat back down, keeping a hand on the money.
"Now. To answer your questions," began the stranger, "yes. Yes, I am Carter. And, as you have so easily ascertained, I run this bar. Liquor is a big business. Especially in this city. And with liquor," he took a long drag of his cigar before exhaling slowly, "comes information."
"I am aware. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered to hit up a pub." Hei wasn't exactly impressed so far.
"Yes, yes. Liquor loosens the tongue, and as we all know, loose lips sink ships," Carter hastily agreed, quickly setting his cigar in the ashtray and reaching for a glass of bourbon nearby.
"So. To get to the meat of what you are asking, we need to go over the basics. Considering you are a foreigner and all."
Hei's eyes narrowed. "I never said I was. All I said was – "
"- That you lived outside the walls near the frontier for a couple years. Yes yes," dismissed Carter.
"Any drunk could guess that, what with the way you lack even basic knowledge and decency here."
Hei bristled at that, but didn't say anything.
"But your accent. It's Mistralian. You come from Mistral, aye?"
Hei chose to say nothing. He could just make out Carter's face adopt a slight frown at his silence.
"I ask because, well, Mistralian syndicates are bad for business here, and I'm not keen on having to deal with the fallout from that sort of a mess."
"Carter. Get to the point," he growled.
Carter eyed him cautiously for a second, before chugging back on his bourbon glass, nearly slamming the empty glass down onto the table.
"Well. As you know, or probably don't in your case, Vale City is the hub for all our aches, pains and woes. It's also where everything starts. You see, Vale, the Kingdom that is, is a bit of a hodgepodge when it comes to how things are governed. What with a token monarchy to help validate the various noble houses and families that are desperate to cling to the old ways, and an elected council that claims to hold the authority to decide how the Kingdom's affairs run. Ha, what a joke," he chuckled, reaching for his cigar again.
"Though, honestly, the real power sits with those noble houses. Generations of wealth, and as we all know, money is what decides what real power is."
"Well, let's start with that, then, hmm?"
"Hmph. It's your money," shrugged Carter.
"Let's see, you have House Adel. A minor noble family. They produce a few heirs, most of which go places to maintain the families wealth and reputation. Honestly, compared to some of the other families, they're quite frankly boring. Pah. More interested in securing the prosperity of the Kingdom than in actually doing anything substantial, like say legitimate business with the fair enterprises around here."
Hei raised an eyebrow, ignoring his own drink of bourbon adjacent his money.
"I take it you don't approve of them."
"They think of themselves to be too good for the likes of us. And the small-folk," he added as an afterthought.
"Too keen on sucking the Academy's cock for prestige. It's all about producing model Hunters and Huntsmen."
"And let me guess, they don't want to have anything to do with criminals, and that bothers you?"
Carter shot Hei an irritated look.
"Moving on, you have House Winchester, one of my favourites. Now these are the big boys around here. Lots of wealth, lots of connections, and lots of odd tasks that they need, ehehehe, taken care of. Just make sure you don't piss them off. They're another Hunter family with a few Huntsmen even."
"Noted," acknowledged Hei.
"Lemme see…. Then there's House Goodwitch. Another fairly powerful family, but they are pretty strict, even more so than the Adels. I mean, they all are, but the Goodwitch's should be frankly called Goody-bitches, what with their stick up their ass and desire to keep Vale as a prim and proper Kingdom. All about competing with the other Kingdoms, that one is. Then there's House Arc. A true warrior household. And I mean that literally. They send every child of theirs off to fight, even the bastards that get sired. All about strength and honour. Which is funny, as I've heard that they have no problem in gutting their own children that fail to meet expectations. They're also bad for business. Worse than the Adels, I swear."
He took another drag of his cigar, unimpressed that it was already half-gone.
"And…?" gestured Hei.
"That pretty much sums up the households. There's a couple others, but those are the heavy hitters. Lemme guess. You want to know about the syndicates?"
"Ideally," nodded Hei, keeping his hand on the money.
"Well, you have the Winchesters for starters," he chuckled, only to stop once he realised Hei wasn't laughing with him.
"Oh? I'm serious. The Winchesters are actually more than just a noble household. They have a lot of sway here in the underworld."
Hei wanted to curse aloud at that tidbit. A large noble household that produced not just Hunters and Huntsmen, but also actively controlled part of the underworld? That sounded frighteningly a lot almost like Mistral.
"Then you have the Gamorras who run drugs, the Beowolves who traffic girls and also run drugs, the Ursa Fangs who run drugs and hits, the Boltons who traffic anyone and anything for the right price."
He paused, seeming contemplative for a moment.
"There is a recent group that has showed up."
"Oh? Do tell?" Hei was interested now.
Carter leaned forward slowly, more his face becoming visible in what little light existed, revealing a surprisingly young face, no more than five years older than Hei, but also one clearly worn and haggard, pitted with scars from countless years of violence and drug use.
"About two months ago, a group of outsiders came in and set up shop in the cities west end. Not much is known other than rumours, but they wasted no time in getting to work."
At Carter's silence, Hei frowned.
"I'm paying for you to talk. So start."
Carter snorted in amusement.
"So impatient. Well, we call them Westenders, seeing as they didn't provide an actual name for us to go off of. They just came in one night, and then kicked the Royal Swords and Valean Bells right off their own territory. They didn't like that, so they decided to go to war with them."
"And let me guess, it didn't turn out well," Hei concluded.
"Boy, you don't even know the half of it. These Westenders absolutely fucked those two gangs up. Not because of logistical skill, but through sheer savagery. The message was quite clear. We're here; don't fuck with us. So they backed off. Until some nosy Hunters decided to look around. The Westenders wasted no time in savaging them up. Hehehe. Of course, all that did was invite a fucking Huntsman team over. That didn't take long to turn into a shitshow. But of course, murdering an entire garrison draws a lot of attention from the Academy, so before we knew it, we were all being swamped in Hunters and Huntsmen."
Carter leaned forward, tapping a finger onto the wooden table to emphasise each and every word that came out next.
"They fucked the newcomers up big time."
He leaned back.
"Once the Crown was happy that justice had been served, they pulled out. All seemed peaceful for a week or so, and then those fucking cunts stuck their heads back up, though clearly a couple leaves short a tree. Colour us surprised to see these foreigners decide to make a comeback after getting their asses handed to them. Naturally, that didn't sit well with some of the other gangs."
He took another sip of his bourbon, licking his lips in satisfaction.
"Long story short, a deal was brokered. Stay out of the city's west, and they would be happy to occasionally merc a troublesome Hunter for us. I mean, that's a whole 'nother level of crazy to be willing to go up against Hunters, and even Huntsmen! So naturally people agreed. Hell they weren't even charging?!"
Hei frowned.
"So there's another gang in town. That's it?"
Carter couldn't help the derisive laugh he let loose.
"Oh, there's more, but I'd take it with a grain of salt. What is a given, though, is that they are kinda crazy psychos, even by most of the other syndicates and gangs standards. To start a war with two gangs, a Hunter garrison and a Huntsman. All at once. Pretty fucking insane if you ask me," he finished with a shudder.
"Then there's the fact that Westenders are all about Grimm Worship. Hehe. Funny that. You'd think all the gangs named after actual Grimm would be the crazy psychos, but no, they're all just edgy, cocky wannabes. Westenders though… man… what a bunch of fucking crazies they are. That's when the rumours and stories started coming out. People wanted their strength, so some tried to hire them. Others tried to join. And you know what? They actually accepted! Did you know they have a thing where they take new recruits out into the Emerald Forest and force them to walk naked all the way back through all the Grimm? Only those that show no fear survive, and become 'chosen' as they put it. Man, who the fuck does that?"
Carter kept rattling off words rapidly, and Hei felt himself mentally stumble to try and process everything he was hearing.
"Hold up. Grimm worship? Initiations?"
"Oh, but I wasn't finished. You see, the initiation's apparently to even be considered, but once you join, you have to start sacrificing your bones. Motherfuckers cut open their own skin and remove it to constantly have their actual bones showing. Must be because they want to become part Grimm or something."
Hei had heard enough.
"Forgive me for being sceptical."
Carter let loose a chuckle at his expense.
"I know. Sounds crazy, right? Can't say I fully believe it myself, but what is fact is they dress up with the skulls and bones of animals and people alike. Makes them look more like Grimm, I suppose."
So a psychological tactic, then. Probably meant to intimidate anyone that dared to oppose them.
"Oho, but I'm not done yet. You see, rumour has it that their leader is so fascinated with Grimm that he regularly goes out on these crazy trips into the Emerald Forest to find the perfect Grimm specimen to mate with. Hehe. Fucking crazy, right?"
Hei regarded everything he had heard and frowned.
"Okay, enough with the bullshit," he started, though Carter looked offended.
"Hey, I'm just repeating what I've heard. Take it as you will," he placated.
"Trust me though, I hope it's all bullshit. The last thing we need is some masked crazy fucking a Grimm and siring a Grimm-Whisperer. Could you believe how deep up shit creek we'd all be?"
Hei felt his heart clench as Ruby flashed through his mind. He didn't know much about how a Grimm-Whisperer came to be. In fact no-one did, but he liked to think it wasn't something as bestial as the image which Carter had unfortunately given him.
"So why are they allowed to exist then? Sounds like the antithesis to what the Crown and Huntsmen stand for." Hei doubted any large syndicate or noble household would permit that sort of crazy to exist on the streets. It was just bad for business. Then again, maybe Vale really was different from Mistral?
Carter bit back a bark of laughter, leaning back in his seat while extending his empty glass of bourbon out for the bartender to come and refill, which he instantly obliged without a word.
"Because that sort of crazy and strength is for hire sometimes, and that means the other gangs get a chance at wielding that. Even if other gangs hate 'em, they respect that if you have a problem with Hunters that needs taking care of, whether from an overly pushy garrison, or because a rival gang decides they need extra muscle, then you just sick those crazy fuckers on 'em."
Hei felt sceptical, but Carter was adamant.
"I'm serious! Hell, when it comes to Huntsmen they'll even do it for free! As far as they're concerned, any chance to remove a Huntsman or Hunter is a way to 'preserve the Grimm's rightful place in the world'."
Carter smiled, all teeth.
"As for the Council, well, they don't know. As far as they know, they all got wiped out and the rest fled. Not even worth the trouble of following up. Simple as can be. As long as they don't get too pushy in their business, then the garrisons and Huntsmen won't be called down on them."
He shrugged nonchalantly as he adjusted himself in his seat.
"Any Hunters that get merc'd are written off as unfortunate victims of crime. Well, as long as it's not too many at a time. Bah. Council doesn't give a shit about us. Like I said. As long as they don't get too pushy, council and Huntsmen don't need to know. Besides," he took a drag of his cigar.
"Who are we to stop the foreigners and Huntsmen from killing each-other. They both are problematic. If they can, I say let 'em."
Hei hated having to agree. Not much could compare to a Huntsman. He certainly didn't, not after that disaster back in Saint. But it wasn't like he was keen on introducing anarchy to his new home, either.
"And what exactly do you do, then?" he queried.
"Oh? Now we're getting personal. Ahhhh, but because you are paying, fine. I am one of Vale's few liquor distributors. I run a pub, and I sell liquor, information, and can get you hooked up with the occasional good-shit. If you've got the money."
"I'm not interested in stepping on toes here, Carter. I just want to know the lay of everything. Territory and disputes. Last place I came from had a few too many that spilled over into some real nasty happenings."
"What? You looking to settle down or something?"
Hei held Carter's gaze for a second.
"Along those lines…."
"Hmph. Well then, you better invest in some protection. Everyone knows someone around these parts, and if the gangs catch wind of someone new settling in, they'll want to know. Who knows, might even want some incentive to keep the violence down…"
Hei did not overly appreciate the strange look Carter was giving him, and he scowled, even if it was hard to see in the dark.
"I'm well aware how a protection racket works."
Carter sighed.
"You see, that's the thing I don't know about. You. You clearly have knowledge of how a criminal system works. You've got no fear, walking into the Beowulf's den like this. And not in the cocky, half-assed wannabe bravado that I see some of these young kids have. You've got actual balls, my friend. You're not phased by the Winchesters or Westenders, so either you've got a hell of a poker face, or you have no real concerns, which makes me curious."
Hei shrugged.
"Maybe it's because I have no issues with either of those groups unless they decide to take one with me personally. If I stay outta their backyard, then hopefully they'll stay outta mine."
Carter watched him slowly for what felt like an eternity before slowly taking one last drag from his cigar, and then promptly extinguishing it in the ash-tray before leaning forward.
"If you're looking to settle down, I could probably hook you up with some work – "
"- Not interested."
Carter recoiled ever so slightly.
"But you haven't even heard my proposition?"
"But you've heard mine. All I care about is just keeping my head down. Getting involved with gangs and syndicates is the exact opposite. The only reason I'm here asking about such things is because I want to know who's pissing ground is who's, and how to avoid it. You've told me everything I need to know in that regard."
Carter's facial expression was hard to distinguish in the dark, but Hei swore he looked somewhat hurt by that.
It didn't take long for Carter to seemingly compose himself, however.
"What syndicate did you work for… Hei?"
With a scowl still present, Hei pushed the money on the table forward, right nice and close into Carter's reach.
"I didn't – "
" – Don't bullshit me." Carter lost his more jovial tone. Instead it was replaced with a hard edge, and Hei paused to look him in the eyes. After a tense and silent exchange, Hei ground out.
"That life is behind me. I just want to move on." With that, he slowly lifted his hand off the money, and Carter wasted no time in reaching for it and quietly counting out the change and checking for counterfeits. He didn't even look up at Hei as he spoke, this time with a slightly friendlier tone.
"No one can just 'move on' from that life."
Hei waited until Carter was satisfied with the amount.
"You clearly know your way around business, mister Hei. I'd have to ask you again to come back. I'd like to work with a Mistralian. They tend to get shit done, unlike the lazy mutton around here."
Hei didn't bother to hide his annoyance, lips thinning as he abruptly stood up from the table.
"Thank you for your services."
With that, he turned to leave, but he was barely three steps away from the table when Carter called out.
"The little girl, the one staying with you at the Black Swan Tavern. Is she your daughter?"
Hei felt his blood simultaneously go ice cold with shock, and boil with rage. His fists clenched tightly, and he was sorely tempted to reach into his coat and pull the Flint-lock he had underneath and put a giant steaming hole into the prick.
"Are you threatening me, Carter?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Hei watched the man raise both hands in the air to placate him.
"Come now, I'm just asking is all. I make it my business to know everyone that enters this city."
"Careful, Carter. My Mistralian side might show itself," he bit out, and Carter didn't fail to detect the clear venom lying underneath.
"Ah. I meant no offence. You and your family enjoy your stay here in Vale," and with that, Carter went back to nursing his bourbon at the table.
Hei made sure to slam the door on the way out.
Roman stared at the shop across the street from him with awe.
"Neo, did I ever tell you how glad I am to have been born in this generation?"
Neo rolled her eyes as Roman went about his melodramatic speech.
"For hundreds of years, mankind has roiled through the mud and filth to sustain himself in a harsh world. He has endured hardships and famine, all so he can capture a few fleeting moments happiness. Neo!" He proudly exclaimed, his eyes glittering with greed.
"That happiness is right here, right in front of me. It was put here purely for this moment right now. For me."
Neo nodded her head in faux understanding, her boredom evident but clearly ignored by Roman.
"People die for Dust, Neo. The effort it takes to extract even the tiniest amount is phenomenal! And the effort it takes to refine it, even more! And then, they so willingly put it up for display. For me! Not a single protective measure in sight, Neo. Not one at all. It's a sign! Don't you see, Neo? The Brother Gods are practically telling me to liberate it from this cold cage of a building!"
He was ecstatic, and made no effort to hide his excitement.
Neo raised an eyebrow and signed her doubt with her hands.
Roman caught it out the corner of his eye and scoffed.
"Please Neo, of course I don't believe that tripe about the Gods, but if people clearly want to be the fools preaching believing that nonsense, and then even bigger fools for using it like an actual shield then who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth. Heh, at times I suppose it does make me question my own faith. I mean, c'mon Neo. How am I not supposed to take this as a sign!" He gestured to the glass-paned shop before him, an elaborate dust-lighting system lit the interior, revealing rows of shelves and counters containing colourful crystals. He ignored the strange looks passerby's were sending him.
"Can you imagine how rich we would be? Don't pretend like you have some moral superiority complex; you're thinking of robbing this place too, aren't you."
Neo looked at him uncertainly, and he suddenly felt suspicious as she glanced at his hand, specifically his left one, or rather the stump.
She glanced back at him, before suddenly tucking her left hand into her jacket's arm and waving it in his face, all while raising a sceptical look.
Roman felt his lips curl downwards into a frown.
"That's a low blow, Neo. For shame," he shook his head slowly, like a disappointed father scolding a child that didn't understand they had done something wrong.
If anything, Neo wasn't deterred. Instead, she mimed an exaggerated tearful breakdown, complete with the silent wail as she clutched her fake stump.
"Okay, I'm not that upset about it, Neo," he exclaimed. "I mean, sure, it sucks to have lost my hand, and well… what do you expect Neo? That's very tragic. It affects people's perception of me."
Neo stopped her waving around to stare at him with a tilted head, and he took that as his cue to continue.
"Yes! It damages my beautiful looks! How will any fair maiden swoon over me when all they see is a cripple? A handsome cripple none-the-less, but still! Not to mention, it's my hand Neo! I did things with that hand."
Neo suddenly looked as if she understood, and with her hand still mimicking a stump, she lowered it to her groin and did a back and forth motion, all while looking at him with a sympathetic expression.
Roman's eye twitched, and he felt his frown grow even more.
"You are vile at times Neo. You know that?"
She merely shrugged, all while trying to withhold a silent laugh.
Roman narrowed his eyes at her, lips thinning as if he had just tasted a lemon. "Ignoring your crass behaviour, no Neo. Trying to pickpocket and steal is a tad more difficult for me now. Having only one hand makes it more challenging to alleviate goods from the ever-so-generous donors around here."
Neo wasted no time in placing one hand behind her back , and using her other one to reach down an oblivious passerby's pocket and gently allow a small coin-purse to come free.
She held the bag up for Roman to see, who was now sporting a twitching eye at her, while she herself held an unimpressed look that screamed 'really?'
With a huff, he snatched the coin purse out of her hands and pocketed it inside his fur jacket, which was sporting numerous stains from mud, blood and god knows what else.
"No candy for you, missy," he chastised with a grumble before going back to observing the shop and its unawares shop-owner; a small and frail elderly man with balding grey hair and heavy-set eyes hidden underneath a sagging brow.
Neo guffawed indignantly at him, before delivering a kick to his shins, which he promptly walked away from, causing her to hit air.
She growled in frustration at him, or, she would have had she had any functional vocal chords to begin with.
"Now!" began Roman enthusiastically, rubbing his hand and stump together.
"Let's get to business, I say. Come, Neo! Hei said we have to earn our keep, and so that is just what we shall do!"
Neo wanted to despair as Roman marched off with a confidant swagger to his steps and went straight up to the stores front door. Instead, with his dirty clothes, skinny frame, and lack of anything remotely resembling fashion, he looked like cocky, teenage street-rat, and he was already getting looks from nearby pedestrians.
And the worst part? She was going to have to go follow him so she could keep him out of trouble, which he was certainly going to get in.
She frowned to herself as memories surfaced up.
She wasn't going to let a repeat of Benny happen. Not after everything they had been through.
Roman had been there for her, and was the reason she was even standing here in the first place, so she owed him that much. But god, she wished sometimes he would quit taking such stupid risks for – oh god he was already talking to the shop owner and she wasn't there with him…!
Blitzing into action, she ran across the street, only to bump into a pair of teenage boys sporting piercings, minor jewellery, and god-awful haircuts and clothes walking by.
She collided with the boy in the lead, and he made an audible oof as he was sent flat onto his posterior, all while the second boy exclaimed angrily.
"Hey! Watch it bitch!"
Oh fuck him! She flashed him her middle finger as she continued her pace into the shop, only just stopping to avoid face-planting into the door. That didn't stop her from throwing said door open with a loud bang, startling Roman who was casually leaning over the front counter separating the clearly nervous old shopkeeper.
They both turned with startled looks on their faces, though Roman's quickly morphed into a pleased grin.
"Ah, I take it that that's my cue. Well, good sir? You are now officially being robbed," stated Roman proudly, all while the old shopkeep looked terrified.
"Oh, you are so lucky," he grinned, flicking his ginger hair back.
"To be robbed by yours truly, Roman! Oh, the legends that will grow. Soon, my name will be well known across the city, and you'll look back on this moment with fond memories and go… wow! I was robbed by the greatest gentleman thief of this century!"
Neo shook her head slowly as Roman delivered his monologue, only to suddenly find her attention rudely shifted as the same door she came through opened and several teenage and adolescent boys came through.
"There she is! There's the bitch that knocked me over!"
Neo glanced over with a scowl at that, and was greeted by the sight of about seven different adolescents dressed in similar attire as the one she had just knocked over, all sporting outlandish hair-cuts, piercings, tattooes, and the same arrogant sneer as they stared. And right behind them entered a man easily a good head taller than the tallest of the scraggly bunch, and easily twice as old.
Roman glanced at the newcomers with a curious raise of his brow, but didn't waste any time with his opening salvo.
"Ah, good evening to you fine…" he glanced at their tattooes and overall rough appearance, a slight frown forming, "…punks?"
The group instantly stopped to gawk at Roman as he continued.
"Unfortunately, I am busy right now with this hold-up and robbing this fine patron here, so you'll have to step back and wait for your turn. But! Rest assured, I will get around to relieving you of your goods soon enough too! Just remember to spread the word that it was I, Roman, who robbed you," he winked good-naturedly at them.
Neo wanted to scream her frustration aloud, but alas, she could not.
"I'm sorry, but who the fuck are you, dick-shit," ground out the oldest from the back, clearly the leader.
The punks stepped aside so the man, easily in his early thirties, could step forth.
Dressed in a finely-tailored white coat, a golden necklace that reflected light like a laser over a bare chest, and an elaborate wood and brass cane with a curved head in the shape of a King Taijutsu Grimm, a hulking man complete with shaved head and worn hard features stepped forward.
Now, it was Roman's turn to look irritated, and he a cast a side-eye at what was clearly a pimp, drawling out sarcastically.
"I don't like having to repeat myself, but since you asked oh-so nicely, it's Roman. Now please, be quiet and wait your turn."
That infuriated the man and his cohort. With a nod to one of his underlings, the door was locked, and the goons started to spread themselves out in an attempt to surround Roman and Neo.
The leader stepped forward, growling under his, quite frankly rancid, breath as far as Neo was concerned. She had to lean back as he stepped forward. God, the man reeked of tobacco, booze, and disease.
"I don't give a fuck, you little brat. Do you have any idea who I am?"
Roman inhaled through his nose slowly, tapping his palms, or rather palm and stump, atop the counter-top, before slowly craning his neck to look at the man in exasperation. All the while, the shopkeep tried to inch further and further back.
"No I don't. And frankly, I don't care, either," he stated, which only served to further infuriate the man.
Neo silently chuckled as Roman kept antagonising the fools. An action that failed to go unnoticed.
"Oi," sneered one of the goons. "What are you doing? You think this is funny, you little bitch?"
Neo nodded enthusiastically, leaning up against the same counter in front of Roman. It truly was. How could she not laugh at this pitiable display?
"Yeah?! Well, I bet you won't find it as funny when I carve out your tongue so you can never laugh again, aye!"
Now, Neo was confused. Since when was she laughing? She had no voice? Apparently, Roman was on the same track.
"She's mute, you retard," he deadpanned. "How does that logic stack up if she can't actually laugh in the first place? It doesn't, because clearly you had your brains pulled from birth. Gods, what an idiot. Am I right Neo?" He glanced at her, and she nodded along sagely before shooting a disappointed look at the thugs.
The leader stepped forward until he was almost in Roman's face, who was unflinching. Or at least tried to be. It was hard to remain steady when the man's breath was a lethal weapon of its own. Roman couldn't help but try and lean back and curl his nose in disgust.
"Well, I guess that's a bonus. Makes it a lot easier when I turn the little whore into my own cocksleeve. I will miss out enjoying the bitch scream though. How about that, then turd-man? Or you got anything else smart to say?"
Neo looked like she was already murdering the man with the way she glared at him. Roman caught her expression before slowly turning to the pimp.
"Yeaaaah. Look buddy. I'm gonna have to ask you to leave now. Before Neo here decides to kill you. And in probably a very horrible way. She does have that tendency sometimes."
That was the final straw for the man, who suddenly lunged forward and gripped the front of Roman's jacket and undershirt, slamming his back onto the bench, startling the shopkeep who instantly ducked underneath the bench with a terrified yelp.
Before Neo could move forward to intercept the man, all of the goons pounced on her to block her path and restrain her, with two grabbing her arms and a third pushing her back into the counter.
"Maybe I'll start with killing you, then. I'll make your bitch whore friend watch, and then I'll have my way with her. Or maybe I'll do both at the same time."
He slammed Roman's head back onto the bench, and he let out a pained grunt.
"Or? Maybe I'll kill her and have my way with you instead. I'm not overly particular that way. In fact, it's been a while since I had my way with a little pretty boy. How about that for a plan, yeah?"
"Fuck you," spat Roman, spitting a gob of spit into the pimp's face.
He stared at Roman, the saliva running down his brow, completely unfazed.
"Heh. You got some spirit, it would seem. HEY! OLD MAN! THAT GONNA BE DOUBLE THE PROTECTION RATE NOW!"
Roman winced in confusion.
"Oh? You didn't know?" began the pimp with a fake softness to his voice.
"I run protection for this shop. The guy you want to rob? He pays me to keep him safe. Otherwise I'd break his kneecaps. You filthy, disgusting little fucking thief."
Roman grit out with clenched teeth.
"You're a real charming piece of work, aren't you? I'm a gentleman thief!"
The pimp leered over Roman menacingly, a perverted smile growing and revealing a host of rotten and missing teeth, and gold caps and replacements on others. The breath nearly ended Roman right there, who let out a wheeze.
"Oh yeah? Well, you're my bitch now. Until I decide it's time for you to die."
Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a brass knuckle-buster, and rearing back a tightly clenched fist, he stared into Roman's eyes with a grin.
Roman felt his façade start to crack.
Neo saw red.
With fury abandon, she twisted her body as best as she could and thrust her knee up hard into the groin of one of the punks. He instantly capitulated, his grip slacking and bile and vomit escaping his lips as he collapsed with a screech down onto the ground.
The other thug was visibly surprised, and his brief lapse in concentration meant his grip also faltered. She did not waste the presented opportunity, and instantly swung her foot up high and around, catching him in the chin and sending him stumbling back.
Leveraging the counter, she bounced forward, knocking the third thug off-balance.
All in the span of three seconds.
The leader turned his head in surprise, and that was all Roman needed.
The pimp didn't even know what him. All he felt was something violently collide into his temple and send him reeling.
Instinctively, the pimp reached for the cane under his arm and brought it up to protect himself from further strikes.
Meanwhile, Neo landed on her feet deftly in the middle of the stunned thugs. Before they could react, she reached into her own jacket and produced her two stilettos, and instantly went to work.
The first thug to die had his throat slashed open so deep the only reason his head even remained attached was because the stiletto wasn't strong enough to cut through the bone. He went down clutching his throat as blood spurted everywhere.
The second thug had no time to react as she thrust her left blade under his chin and straight into his brain, slamming the hilt onto the jawbone itself.
His eyes went wide with shock, before she retracted it and spun to the third thug on her right, repeating the same action with her right stiletto.
At that point, the remaining goons had the semblance of reason to realise they needed to grab their weapons, and so an assortment of flick-knives, daggers and clubs came out.
Roman thrust himself forward into the pimp, but the larger man proved to be stronger, and using his cane, he pressed back down on Roman, forcing his back onto the countertop again.
They slid around, and several display ornaments could be heard shattering as they were knocked off. All while Roman visibly struggled to hold back the cane from crushing his windpipe from the pimp, who now had a streak of blood running down from his temple.
"You little cunt! I'm gonna take this cane, and run it through your asshole! After I rip out your spine! And then I'll use your corpse as a puppet! ALL WHILE I FUCK YOUR GIRLFRIEND!"
"Fucking hell! Work on your BREATH!" screamed Roman as he wrestled for control of the cane.
"You smell like a fucking sewer!"
"FUCK YOU!"
Those were the last words the pimp got out in his fit of rage as Roman, leveraging the counter, managed to finally twist the cane out of the pimps hand and throw him to the side where he stumbled.
He didn't have time to even regain his balance before Roman came at him.
Grasping the end of the cane like a club, he swung it full force into the pimp's head with a sickening crack. Blood, teeth and spittle were sent flying, and he crashed to the ground with a pained cry. Right in front of Neo's feet.
Neo had quickly made short work of the remaining thugs, with all but one remaining a bloody corpse bleeding out on the ground.
The last one, the very one she had bumped into to begin with ironically, stared at her with a fearful expression, trembling. Until he lost his nerve and dropped his club and ran for the front door with a terrified scream. Only to realise it was locked. In a desperate attempt to escape, he threw himself through the glass, ignoring the pain as his skin was sliced open.
Neo was content to just watch him run before wiping the blood off of her stilettos.
The only sound to be heard was Roman's panting as he strode over to her, cane resting on his shoulder, and the pained groaning of the pimp who lay on the floor, struggling to get up.
"Whew! Well, that was a bit of a workout, right Neo?"
The mute girl just shrugged, before poking Roman's stomach.
Roman instantly turned indignant with a huff.
"Excuse you! I am not fat! Or out of shape!"
The way Neo nodded screamed that she clearly thought otherwise.
"Urgh…." Groaned the pimp, slowly lifting his head to glare hatefully at Roman and Neo.
"Y-you son of a bitch…."
"Ah right! You," acknowledged Roman, his lips thinning. He strode over to the downed man with methodical steps, exuding an aura of control, but mostly just showmanship.
"So… what exactly are you supposed to be? And who, again?"
Glaring hatefully at Roman, the man slowly opened his bloodied mouth to speak, only to receive his very cane back full-force into his face, breaking his nose and sending more teeth and blood flying.
"Doesn't matter!" Exclaimed Roman joyfully.
"You were very disrespectful to Neo and I," the girl nodded, pacing behind the downed pimp.
"You interrupted my peaceful and respectful heist."
The cane swung into the pimps body, cracking a rib and knocking the air out of him.
"Then, you threatened to hurt poor little Neo over there." She cast a sad, pathetic look on her face, not that the pimp could see it.
The cane was swung again into his stomach.
"Not that you would have succeeded in laying a hand on her in the first place."
Neo's sad face turned into a savage grin, and for emphasis, she delivered a harsh kick straight into the man's genitals.
He let out a scream.
"And then, when you went on a rant of your intentions. Oh my," Roman shook his head slowly, as if disturbed.
"Such crass language and behaviour cannot be tolerated! Right Neo?"
She gave her response by delivering another brutal kick into the man's groin.
"Well said," approved Roman, before he started to wail on the hapless man with his newly acquired cane. All the while, Neo kept delivering repeated kicks to the man's groin.
The shopkeeper slowly peered his head over the counter-top to watch the two beat the pimp to a bloody pulp, his screams accompanying the sounds of bones breaking.
After a solid minute of violence, the pimp lay on his back, covered in blood and barely breathing.
Roman rested the cane atop of his knees as he hunched over, trying to catch his breath.
"…Peez… haf… merthy…" wheezed the pimp, his face a pitiful state of swollen and bleeding flesh.
Roman's response to hurl a gob is spit into the beaten man's face.
"Mercy? Asshole, I am fresh out of mercy." He delivered another kick into his face, knocking several teeth free in several bloody arcs.
He took a moment to catch his before kneeling down at the pimp's bloody head.
"You know, a very long time ago the thought of killing someone would have made me scared. You know that? When I was a kid, my parents tried to kill me. Funnily enough, her parents tried to kill her as well," he gestured to Neo who nodded slowly. Not that the pimp could even see her right now.
"I won't bore you with the details, but suffice to say I feel perfectly justified in saying I had to act in self-defence back then. Just like I am right now. After all. You weren't intending to show us mercy."
Neo withdrew a stiletto and strode up to his head.
"Wait! Neo," cried Roman. She turned to him with a confused look.
"I like the jacket! It's got style!" he explained.
Neo glanced down at the now bloodied jacket, and then back up at him.
"No, you can't kill him. I need the jacket first."
She stared at him with disbelief, before suddenly throwing her hands up in the air as if screaming why.
"It does matter Neo. I'm not gonna loot a corpse. That's disrespectful to the dead! Now help me get that jacket off of him. I'm sick and tired of this crusty old thing, and his looks better."
With a look of exasperation, she withdrew her stiletto and moved aside to let Roman relieve the pimp of his coat.
The pimp most likely wanted to protest, but he was too physically broken to resist. Roman ignored his pained cries and whimpers as he roughly pulled the jacket off of him.
Discarding his old one, he adorned the new one with a flourish, giving a slight spin to examine how it looked.
"Well, Neo? How's it look?"
Neo had to admit, it actually suited him surprisingly well. Sure, it was a little dirty with blood, but it otherwise fit Roman well, and it looked somewhat rich and wealthy, so he got style points at least. Plus, it seemed to make him happy, so who was she to complain.
Roman was certainly pleased.
"Well, I gotta say. I feel like one of those wealthy merchants or politicians now! Honestly," he looked down at the pimp. "I think it suits me better. Whaddaya think? Hmm?"
The was no response except a pained wheeze.
"Ah right. You're like a tortured animal right now. All miserable and pained. Guess I should put you outta your misery. I mean, sure, you were a bit of an asshole, but I don't believe in letting an animal suffer unnecessarily. Right Neo?"
Neo looked contemplative, however.
Roman scoffed, twirling his newly acquired cane with a flourish before rearing back.
"Oh well. Lights out!"
And with that, he swung with all of his might, the brass end of the cane head colliding with the pimp's already fractured temple.
The shopkeep flinched as the man's head caved in, sending blood and brain matter flying.
"Wow," breathed Roman. "What a mess, Neo."
He turned to look around, before suddenly locking eyes with the shopkeeper.
"Ah right. I forgot about you." He started only to be interrupted by said shopkeeper.
"You killed him?"
Roman frowned as he looked around.
"Hey, it's not like I came in here with the intention of murder, alright? That bastard forced my hand."
The man looked contemplative until he spoke up. "Please, accept these Dust Crystals as payment of my gratitude." He gestured to the whole front counter of Dust Crystals, clearly reluctant.
"Well, that's a little more like it," he grinned, only for that very smile to falter as the shopkeeper continued.
"That man has been harassing my business for a long time, and I've never had the strength to stand up to him. But you did! You are a hero. Please, if you ever need Dust Crystals in the future, come back and I can work out a discount for you!"
Roman stared at him stupidly as he tried to process what the man just said. The grateful and joyous look on the elderly man's face was what convinced Roman he was being serious. Slowly, a look of horror spread across Roman's face as he realised that the man was indeed serious, and what that would mean for him.
"Hero? No-no-no-no-no! I'm a gentleman thief! Not a hero!"
He was desperate. The last thing he needed was his reputation to become not that of the world's greatest thief, but a bloody good samaritan?! For fuck's sake, there weren't even any civilians nearby that he had saved!
"No. You are a hero," insisted the elderly man.
Roman felt his jaw drop. Meanwhile, Neo held her stomach as she started to hunch over with silent laughter at his predicament.
"I literally just beat a man to death. How am I a hero?!"
"Because, you ended his reign of terror on not just myself, but many others. That man has extorted several other shops and people. Now, we're free! And we have you to thank!"
The elderly man slowly hobbled around from the counter.
"No. I'm a gentleman thief. Emphasis on the thief part!" stressed Roman.
"It matters not what you once were, but what you are now. And in the eyes of this community, you will always be a hero, mister Roman."
Roman's eyes widened with horror. This was terrible. His reputation, which he hadn't even started, was about to be slandered, and his name mud! He wouldn't be called Roman the Greatest Thief, but Roman the Hero! He didn't want to be a damned hero! This was terrible.
"Well, I'm still gonna steal your Dust, old man," he bit out harshly, striding forth to the counter and greedily grabbing anything of value in reach.
The man knelt down to the corpse of the pimp.
"Please, take whatever you want as your reward, mister Roman. You've earned it. This whole city will know of your good deeds. I'll make certain of it," he promised.
Neo was in hysterics while Roman was despairing. Until he saw the old man reach for a large knife that one of the goons had dropped upon death.
"Hey, uh? What are you doing old man?!"
"Hmm? Oh, this?" he gestured to the knife.
"I must give proof to the others of his death, otherwise they'll never believe they are free."
And with that, he sunk the blade into the pimp's neck and began to slowly saw his head off.
Roman went wide-eyed, and even Neo raised an eyebrow.
"Okay! Maybe I'll leave, actually. Come Neo. Let's get out of here."
Before she could protest, he started walking out of the store with his newly acquired goods.
"Remember to come back again, mister Roman!" called the shopkeeper happily.
Roman let the door shut behind him without uttering a word.
"Jeez, what a crazy bloody place, Neo," he muttered after the shop was out of sight.
Neo gave him a so-so look as he started to rant. They turned down an alleyway that had fewer people, using it as a shortcut to get to the tavern where they were all staying.
"I mean, what the hell is up with this place?! Can't even rob a place in peace, and it's not even the Hunters that want to stir the pot, but a bunch of upstart wannabes! Urgh," he shuddered as he recollected the pimp he brutally beat to death.
"That creep reminds me too much of my father. No not Hei," he clarified at Neo's affronted look.
"My birth one. Piece of shit that he was." Neo adopted a more sympathetic expression, nodding in understanding.
Roman sighed, pocketing his newly acquired crystals in his coat's deep pockets.
"Anyway. How are you holding up Neo? You know… considering what those freaks wanted to do?" he asked, turning his attention to his small companion, her multi-coloured hair hiding her face.
"Not that you would have let them. Not that I would of let them."
Neo's response was to lean into his side as they walked and wrap an arm around his waist for comfort.
Roman looked surprised, but his face immediately softened up, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked.
"Heh. What would I do without you, Neo…."
She craned her neck to look up at him with multi-coloured eyes and a warm smile, all while keeping her small arm wrapped around him tightly.
Roman turned his attention to the street ahead, following the alley bends and maintaining a wide berth from all the homeless and vagrants scattered about.
"Tch. Did you see that shopkeeper? What a bloody nutter. I mean, I literally bashed that prick's head in, and he starts worshipping me like I've done some good deed! I mean, sure, I probably did if what he said was ultimately true, but it's not like I did it for him!"
He threw his arms up in protest.
"And then he calls me a hero! I don't want to be a hero, Neo! I want to be the best thief there is! Now, my reputation will be gone and soiled, and it's not even the first week in this cracked out shithole!"
He felt something shift in his pocket. Curiously, he glanced down at Neo.
"Are you even listening -? " he started, only to feel his eyes widen in shock as Neo quickly pulled away from him with several Dust Crystals in her hand, that same smile on her face like nothing had transpired.
"Did you seriously just rob me right now?! I worked hard for those!" He raged, only for her smile to widen and become cheeky as she stuck her tongue out at him.
He fished into his pocket, only to realise it was half empty.
"Neo!" he exclaimed, but she only mimed laughing at him as she kept pace.
The tavern they were staying at became visible as they exited the alley, as did the subtle tick in Roman's eye.
"Unbelievable," he growled, snatching the crystals out of Neo's hand, who's silent laughter only intensified.
"To play on a man's emotions like that. And after all the things I do for you."
She nudged her shoulder into him playfully, but he turned his nose up to her.
"I'm not falling for that again! Hmph. Wait until I tell Hei."
Neo rolled her eyes good-naturedly at his petty antics as they reached the tavern door.
The tavern itself was a good three stories tall with a high roof, no balcony, and a rustic stone walls.
It was old, but gold considering the homely feel about it.
Above the main entrance, hanging from two chains, hung a sign which said 'Welcome to the Black Swan Tavern'.
Pushing the door open, Roman entered the main foyer, a large, open room with a bar at the back wall, and a handful of round tables which failed to fill the otherwise empty room.
Pacing in the middle of the floor with a furious expression was Hei, and sitting at a table in front of him was DJ and Melanie, both of which shared a somewhat castigated expression.
"Hei! Boss-man! You won't believe what happened," began Roman with a dramatic wave of his arms, cane hanging off his arm by the hook.
Hei's pacing stopped, and his gaze snapped to Roman, who instantly faltered under the hard look he received.
"Am I at a bad time…?"
Hei's expression looked like thunder.
"…Something like that…" he bit out.
Neo shut the door behind her before going to stand by Roman's side, who had lowered his arms.
"Oh…? Um… okay? Mind explaining what's going on now?"
Hei clenched his fists, and his teeth could be heard gritting, but it was ultimately DJ who spoke up.
"Ruby's missing."
Next Chapter: Monday 8th July
