The entire top floor of the five-star restaurant was empty, safe for one seat at the corner, which was occupied by two men sitting face to face, with another four men, bodyguards, standing behind their respective employers.
The occupants of this table included a Japanese-American man, dressed in a gray and white Italian suit, Tenchi Yamaguchi, the leader of the notorious yakuza clan that had marked its territory on the face of Berk. But the man sitting in front of him was no ordinary person.
The large man sitting before him, dressed in a black coloured European style suit, with a large black beard was silent while he ate his meal of steak and fried potatoes.
"How do you enjoy the food, Alvin?" Tenchi grinned,"Wagyu beef, cooked perfectly to medium rare and layered potatoes fried in duck fat. One of the finest meals this restaurant has to offer."
"This truly is a remarkable meal. This restaurant sure does hold up to its reputation." Alvin remarked.
"Yeah, but the same can't be said about you." Tenchi laughed.
Alvin didn't say anything right away, and instead opted to stab the final piece of beef on his plate with a fork and shove it in his face. "I've come here to make a deal with you." He said, putting down the fork and knife he had been using to eat, and taking a napkin to clean his lips,"As you know, some of my distributors for goods have been taken down due to a…. situation. So, I want you to take their space. You have a great influence in some parts of this city, and some remarkable connections here and there. With you working as my distributor, it can be beneficial for both of us."
"Why would I want to work for you?" Tenchi laughed.
"No, work isn't the word I'd use. I want you to be a partner in my business. I'll be the supplier and you will be the one doing distributions, both in your territory and outside of it. And at the expense of that, you'd be allowed to keep a portion of the money we earn." Alvin replied, his expression unreadable.
"I have a fairly good territory on the southern coast. I can live off of that by myself and expand my territory however and whenever I wish and earn more profits by myself." Tenchi shot back,"I think you should stick to your own territory.
"Are you talking down to boss? Do you have any idea who he is?" One of Alvin's guards barked at the yakuza leader.
"Hey! Keep your tone in check!" One of the bodyguards of the Yakuza yelled back on the behalf of his employer,"The audacity of a waddling dog like you to talk like that to Yamaguchi-sama,... If he wished, you'd be sliced in ribbons."
"Oh yeah, why not I punch some sense into you!"
Alvin let out a frustrated sigh before he suddenly stood up. Then, he unexpectedly punched his own bodyguard, throwing the smaller man on the floor, with blood splattering on the ground from his broken nose and busted lip. Alvin then turned towards the bodyguards of Tenchi, especially the one that was arguing with his own bodyguards.
The man felt himself freeze under the cool menacing look that Alvin gave him as the mountain of a man walked over to him. Alvin towered over the bodyguard, before suddenly grabbing him. The bodyguard was forced onto his knees under Alvin's monstrous strength. His partner and employer just watched on as the bodyguard screamed in terror and pain, as Alvin pried his mouth open with his fingers, before pulling out two of the bodyguard's teeth with his bare hands.
"You shouldn't be speaking when the elders are talking." Alvin gruffly said, dropping the man.
He threw the bloody teeth away and then sat back in his seat in front of Tenchi. The Yakuza felt a sense of discomfort as Alvin looked at him again. "Ah, we should continue our conversation, shouldn't you say so?" Alvin said with a grinning.
Tenchi felt a bead of sweat running down the side of his face. He felt a sense of suppressed dread as he was reminded of who this man in front of him was. A ruthless, unstoppable, cruel monster.
"So, what were we talking about again? Ah, yes, yes, goods and territories." Alvin said, his grin never leaving his face.
Tenchi felt another spark of dread when Alvin said those words. His grinning face resembled that of an Oni.
"Those are some really delicate matters, won't you say so?" Alvin said once more.
"Ye-yes. Yes they are,... Alvin-sama." Tenchi replied, finally finding his voice.
Alvin's grin just widened as he noticed the fear in his voice. "So, should we discuss distribution?"
…
Alvin screamed out angrily as he continued to punch the punching bag viciously, letting out his rage on the equipment.
"Boss!" One of his henchmen came by his side,"
"What is it?" Alvin asked, continuing to viciously punch the punching bag, each of his blows causing the heavy equipment to swing back and forth.
"The new shipment for drugs has arrived, but some complications happened. Some officers are making a fuss." The henchman reported.
Alvin grunted, delivering his last punch to the bag before turning at the henchman. "Send someone there and throw a couple bucks at the officers. And come to me only when you have some actual problems. I don't have time for these nuances." He spat out.
Alvin was about to leave, when he looked back at the guard. "And take care of the punching bag." he gruffly ordered, before heading out.
The henchman nodded, and went towards the punching bag. Putting the heavy object down from where it was hanging up, he unzipped the bag, revealing a bloodied man inside it, who has gone unconscious.
The henchman glanced back at the way Alvin had gone, wishing to never end up in the same state as the man in the punching bag.
…
Alvin sat at his desk inside his office. The deal with Yamaguchi's yakuza clan had gone rather smoothly, with him agreeing to work as Alvin's distributor for drugs and some other products, only for a cut of 10% of the revenue earned from the sales. But even then, Alvin was pissed.
To say he was pissed was an understatement. The pesky little pest calling himself 'Nightfury' was starting to become a real hindrance to him. After he took out the Falcon cartel, Alvin had to find somebody else as a distributor for his drugs.
The Grimbons had already capitalized on the majority of the drug business in the city, and the competition was ever growing amongst the others wanting to get into the business. If he wanted to stay relevant he needed to gather up people fast.
And it wasn't only that. The Nightfury had taken down many other gangs that worked for him. This caused him to lose a considerable amount of influence over the criminal world of Berk.
But loss of power wasn't what concerned Alvin the most. What really worried him was what would happen if 'he' learnt about this. Alvin himself was a ruthless man, but there were people that terrified even him. And his boss was one of them.
Alvin could only shudder in horror as he imagined what his boss would do to him if he ever felt like Alvin wasn't of any use anymore.
The sudden ringing of his phone broke him out of his thoughts. Alvin took deep breaths to calm himself before pulling out the phone. As he checked the number, his lips curled into a grin.
"Finally some good news." He thought as he received the call and placed the phone against his ear.
"The Nightfury is after you." The voice from the other side spoke.
Alvin squinted his brows. "What do you mean?"
"The Nightfury is targeting you. Or at least that's the most prominent theory at the moment. You should also keep an eye out for someone else. Agent Astrid Hofferson of B.S.D.I. She's the one investigating Nightfury."
"Should I get her removed?" he asked.
"No. That won't be necessary. She's only concerned with the vigilante. But, I'd still advise you to stay cautious of her."
Alvin felt his annoyance rise. He was expecting some good news, but this certainly didn't meet his expectations. "Is that all? Is this what I pay you for!?" He barked.
"For now, yes. And you should keep your tone in check. I'm the only insider you got in B.S.D.I. I'll keep you informed when I find more information. And I expect some good compensation for my efforts."
Alvin sighed as he heard those words. "Alright. I'll pay you once you bring me more news. But not a cent before that!"
"Fair enough. Sounds fine to me." The informant replied before hanging up the phone.
Alvin put the phone down on his table and rubbed his face in exasperation.
Nightfury was starting to become a headache too great to ignore by this point. Alvin's fingers drummed on the desk as he thought more about the matter. The more he thought the more one thing became clear. He needed to get rid of Nightfury. And he had to do it fast.
Because if these hindrances continue, his head will be the next one boss will take.
Alvin picked up his phone again as he dialed a number. "It's time to say hello to you again,... Krogan."
…
Astrid kept her eyes fixed forward as she drove down the road and towards her destination. Yesterday she had to brief her superiors on her progress, her findings and now she was on her way to act on her plans regarding this case.
She could still remember how yesterday's meeting had gone.
…
Yesterday
"... And this is what I've found so far." Astrid finished her debriefing.
Her audience included not only Chief Stoick, but also a number of directors like Gobber, Director Phlegma, Director Svien, the most trusted directors of Stoick, Director Stewart A.K.A Spitelout, Director Mildew, Director Mulch, Director Beckett, who was more popular by his nickname, Bucket.
Even some senior agents like Eret, Theodore "Thuggory" Griffins, David "Dogsbreath" Ford, Simon "Lars" Anderson, and Magnus "Magni" O'hare had joined in on the meeting. These were all senior agents who've been in the line of duty for way longer than she has and has been credited to do some of the really high profile missions and cases tackled by B.S.D.I.
"interesting." Gobber commented,"But why would he target them Outcasts?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out, Director. I believe if I manage to figure out his motives, it would be a large stepping stone at discovering Nightfury's identity and eventually apprehending him." Astrid said.
Thuggory snickered. "Heh. What's one guy gonna do against the organization that even we are struggling to take down."
Astrid chose to ignore his comment as she waited for a response from the directors or the head of B.S.D.I.
"What's your next course of action, Agent Hofferson?" Director Phlegma asked.
Astrid took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts before speaking,"I intend to investigate from the very bottom Director. I want to look into the cases of Nightfury's first appearances, and gradually work my way through everything."
"Utter nonsense!" Director Mildew suddenly scoffed,"Why are we wasting time on this peepsqueak when we have other important matters to deal with? Let the police deal with him. They'll either catch him or he'll end up dead in an alleyway in a few days anyway."
"Mildew." Stoick, who was silent throughout the whole thing, spoke up,"This vigilante has been out in the streets for the past several years. I don't think the 'problem will eventually solve itself' ideology applies here. Nightfury has been taking the law in his own hands, making his own actions for way too long. If we continue this, who knows how many more of these lawless vigilantes will appear after getting inspired by him. There's already an unrest among the civilians, and I'd rather this not go on for any much longer."
Stoick then stood up from his seat. "Then that concludes it." He announced,"Agent Hofferson, you will continue your investigation with how you deem fit. And once you make any progress, or find something, you will inform us. This meeting is dismissed."
…
At the Burgess district branch of Berk Police Department, everyone was busy with their work. People were doing their jobs, attending to paperwork, responding to calls, and other stuff. In one of the offices, a man with snow white hair sat on his desk, filling up some paperwork.
Suddenly one of his colleagues came inside the office. "Frost, you have a visitor!"
Jackson Overland Frost, a police detective serving in BPD for a few years, looked up from the paperwork he had been doing as he heard that. "Me? Visitor? Who is it? Some cousin of mine?" he jokingly asked.
"Nope. It's a B.S.D.I agent." his colleague replied.
Now this got the detective curious. "B.S.D.I?" Jack questioned,"What do they want from me?"
"The hell do I know. You better not keep her waiting." And with that the colleague took his leave.
By this point, Jack Frost's curiosity had increased two fold, and hence, he found himself sitting face to face with Agent Astrid Hofferson.
"Detective Frost, I am Agent Astrid Hofferson from B.S.D.I. First of all, I'd like to apologize for not setting up an appointment beforehand."
"No,no. It's fine Agent Hofferson. If you contacted me on such short notice, then that means whatever you are doing must be really important."
"You can say that. I've been assigned to investigate the Nightfury and apprehend him as soon as possible."
"Oh,... Well then Agent, tell me how I can help you regarding that?"
"As far as I am aware, this district was the place where Nightfury first made his appearance, right?"
"Yes, Agent Hofferson. It all started from here."
"You were amongst the officers who were first investigating Nightfury, I believe." She said,
"Yes, Agent Hofferson. But as you can see, my attempts were quite…. fruitless." Jack replied.
"What can you tell me about how it all began?"
"Well," Jack began,"the first incident happened a few years back. The police officers of this branch stumbled upon the aftermath of a shootout. At first we assumed it was properly a confrontation between two gangs, but a few days later it happened again.
Over time, more of these incidents started to happen. We'd bust a drug deal, with the dealers all dead or severely injured, or a club full of gangsters in the same state. And these people aren't just beaten. In some cases, we'd find dead bodies of criminal bosses hanged by their neck on the side of a building. It was as if they were warnings for what's to come for any and every criminal in Berk.
At some point, a rumor started to appear, that a shadow was going after these criminals and taking them down. We did our best to investigate, but our attempts ended in failure. Then it happened.
In one fateful incident, we encountered Nightfury. He had just exposed a number of corrupt officers from our branch, and had left them in the same state as the criminals he dealt with. And there was nothing we could do about it."
Astrid listened to the tale told by Jack. She felt a slight tingle in the back of her mind. Enough to make her sense it, but not enough for her to properly process what she was feeling.
"Did you ever find out anything about the Nightfury? Any motives, or anything in general?" She asked.
"No." Jack replied,"We tried, we tried as much as we could, but our attempts only ended in failure. By that point Nightfury had already moved to other places in the city, bringing torment to the criminals there.
And we decided it was just illogical to keep up the investigation anymore, so we dropped the case, letting him be the problem for the police department of whatever area he was acting at. Though, I never imagined it would reach B.S.D.I eventually. But then again, I suppose I shouldn't be as surprised."
Jack then looked at her, his icy blue eyes scanning the agent's face.
"If you don't mind me asking, Agent Hofferson, why are you this keen on catching Nightfury? There are worse crimes happening in Berk than a guy in a halloween costume playing vigilante." The detective asked.
"I am a servant of law, just as you, Detective." Astrid replied,"My concern is with the objective at my hands, which at this moment is capturing Nightfury. I agree there are worse things happening out there, but Nightfury is the one I must prioritize."
"Heh." Jack chuckled,"You speak of serving the law, yet you're willing to turn a blind eye to other horrendous acts in this city since they are not your objective."
Astrid's stare hardened as she spoke,"I can say the same for you, Detective Frost. How many people have you helped outside your own job?"
Her reply made Jack look down, and Astrid had her answer as she continued,"Based on your expression, I'd say not too many. Just like you, my hands are tied by the law, and I must bring justice to whatever is my concern at the moment."
"Nightfury sure doesn't share that sentiment. His hands are free, and they ARE invoking justice to where it is really needed." The detective shot back.
"He's a vigilante. The only difference between him and the other criminals we catch is that he seems to hate the criminals as much as we do."
"I'd say he's the servant of justice. Where we are bound by law and duties, he's free to carry out justice."
"HIS sense of justice. Which is blatantly taking down anyone who finds themselves as his victim."
"And I'd say it's effective. The streets seem cleaner these days, with criminals thinking twice because they know that a force greater than the law will hunt them."
"There are laws for a reason, Detective. Laws are what separates us from those savage criminals. There's a reason why no one person is given the power to judge and take one's life. Law is there to protect lives and fair and justified punishment to others. Let it be an honest citizen or a criminal scum."
"And that took us real far, didn't it? The law is nothing but a hindrance to people that have power."
"You seem to sympathize with Nightfury." Astrid commented.
"Not sympathizing." Jack said,"Just saying after what he has done, the streets have become much less dangerous."
"And the criminals have gotten more desperate, and civilians more restless." Astrid took a deep breath before continuing,"Look, detective, I too wish to help people out there, to take down this vile cycle of villainy, but neither I, nor you can help everyone. But Nightfury's way isn't the way it should be done. "
She then got up from her seat,"I understand that you are in support of Nightfury's actions, but him being around is not a complete good news. The sooner I take care of this nuance, the sooner these problems will go away. Good day, Detective Frost."
"Good day, Agent Hofferson." Jack returned the courtesy.
Astrid was about to leave and had reached for the door, when Jack called out,"Agent Hofferson!" Astrid looked back at the blue eyed detective, as the man in question smirked at her,"Good luck with your investigation."
Astrid stared at him for a moment before nodding and headed out with a new destination in mind.
...
The business was running slow at the auto shop, and the employees were lazily handling their respective tasks, let that be cleaning the garage, moving things, or fixing up cars.
"Dagur! Someone's looking for you." The owner of the auto shop suddenly called out.
Dagur, a burly muscular man with wild red hair and a neatly trimmed beard, his arms and left eye decorated with tattoos, dressed in a dirty white undershirt and khaki pants, slid out from underneath the car he was working on.
"Who is it, boss?" Dagur asked, sitting up straight.
"I don't know. Some woman from B.S.D.I. She says she wants to speak to you about something." his employer replied.
Dagur was surprised by this revelation. What could B.S.D.I possibly want from him. He got up and headed outside, hoping to find his answer. He just hoped whatever it was, his sister wouldn't get affected by it. His past mistakes were enough already.
Outside the shop, he finally met the blonde agent.
"Dagur Oswald. I am Agent Astrid Hofferson of B.S.D.I." Astrid introduced herself,"I'm here to ask you some questions regarding my investigation."
"Now, now, Agent Hofferson. I'm a clean man now. I haven't…" Dagur began, but he was cut off by Astrid.
"I didn't say you did anything. I'm simply here to ask some questions about your past. Now, would you want to answer them here, or should I arrange a meeting between us at the nearest police station." She told him.
Dagur sighed. "Alright, Agent Hofferson. I'll bite. Ask away whatever you want."
"Okay. You used to be part of a biker gang, yes?"
"Yes, Agent. "The Berserkers" we used to call ourselves."
"And your gang was one of the first victims of Nightfury, wasn't it?"
"Yes ma'am." Dagur replied, shuddering a little as he was reminded about his past experience.
"Tell me, how did you survive the fabled Nightfury?" Astrid asked.
"To be honest, agent,"Dagur began,"I wasn't expecting to. When Nightfury barged into our hideout, I…… I felt like death had come to greet me. And I'm sure it would have, if, if it wasn't for my sister."
"Your sister?" Astrid questioned.
"Yeah…… I don't know how she got there, but she stood between me and him. I don't know, I really don't, of what transpired the next couple minutes or so, but the Nightfury spared me."
This surprised Astrid. "He spared you?"
"Yeah." Dagur replied,"I was surprised too. This was the unholy offspring of lightning and death we're talking about. But he let me go. It was as if I was given a second chance. A chance I didn't wanna waste. So I surrendered to the police and turned myself in. Served for a couple years. Due to my good behavior, they soon pardoned me. And when they did, I swore I'd never turn towards that dark life of mine."
"That's…. interesting." Astrid commented.
"Does that help you with your investigation, Agent?" Dagur asked.
"No, it doesn't. But the information is still information. We'll stay in touch until my investigation is over." Astrid replied.
Dagur sighed but nodded. This was a much better alternative than what he was dreading.
"Dagur!" Someone suddenly yelled.
Astrid looked at the direction of the voice and saw a woman around her age, with raven hair, dressed in a black top and jeans approaching them, holding what appeared to be a lunch box in her hands.
"You forgot your lunch back home!" She said as she came by their side. She then noticed Astrid. "Who is she? Customer?" The woman suspiciously asked.
"Ah, Agent Hofferson, let me introduce you two. This is my sister, Heather Oswald. Heather, this is Agent Astrid Hofferson, an agent from B.S.D.I." Dagur said, introducing them.
"B.S.D.I!?" Heather exclaimed. She then looked back at Astrid, panic evident in her emerald green eyes. "Agent Hofferson, I assure you, my brother is a changed man now. He hasn't done anything illegal ever since his release. I don't know why you're suspecting my brother, but I'm sure he hasn't done anything." She quickly said, jumping in her brother's defense.
"No worries, Miss Oswald. Your brother hasn't committed any crime of any kind and I don't suspect him to have done something. He has maintained a very remarkable clean slate. I came here to just ask him a few questions regarding his previous life." Astrid replied,"Now if you'd excuse me, I'd like to head out and continue on with my investigation."
Astrid didn't wait for their response as she headed out, leaving the surprised siblings behind. As Astrid went to her car, she couldn't help but wonder about the tales told by Detective Frost and Dagur about Nightfury. In all fairness, with each step she took, the mystery was continuing to thicken.
And Astrid was looking forward to where it would lead her.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:- Hey guys, Commander Alfa here. Hope you liked this chapter.
Now this is something I don't usually do, but I'd really appreciate it if you guys would also give a chance to my other stories, like "Night raid" (a WW2 X httyd fanfic) and "Journal of Alexander Bryce" (my original work), etc.
I really appreciate the attention and appreciation you gave to my book/fic "Rider on the run" (Httyd runaway fanfic), but nowadays it feels like whatever I write, it gets overshadowed by that one book/fic.
I'm really grateful for the support you showed it, but I also want my other books/fics to be read.
So, I humbly request you, if you enjoy my works, please give all of my stories a chance. Read them, comment on them, let me know about your thoughts on them. It really helps me to know the works I'm churning out are at least worth a little to someone.
Well, that's all guys. Have a good day or night or whatever time of day it is at your place. See you in the next chapter. By guys. Alfa out. Peace.
