----------------------------------------
I have captured the boy known as Balfonse Zell. In exchange for his safety, the individual Defaria Agitha will bring the red isle blade in her possession to the warehouse nearest Dock 7 at noon no less than two days from the delivery of this letter. Follow written instructions upon arrival to avoid any further suffering. Any unnecessary individuals appearing alongside Defaria Agitha will be disposed of.
-Robaru, Agent of The Empress Uniri
----------------------------------------
Arlim carefully read the letter that his daughter handed him the moment he had returned home.
“It was stuck to the door when I returned from The Sand Dragon yesterday.” Cora explained with a ragged voice. She had dark circles under her bloodshot eyes and her cheeks were pale and beginning to appear sunken in.
“I see.” Arlim gave his daughter the most comforting look he could. “I’m going to bring him home right away.”
“But Agitha is a full day away. Even if you went to retrieve her now you couldn’t make it back in time.” Cora voiced the inescapable fact that had haunted her since she had found the letter.
“It’s perfectly fine.” Her father’s sudden confidence was unfamiliar to her but comforting nonetheless. “First, pack enough clothes for a few days and come with me as quickly as you can.”
“Yes, dad.” Cora hurried off to comply with no other options and no energy to ask questions.
After she returned, Arlim escorted her quickly to Kel’s Place where he found Rin and Kel in the main room preparing to open the restaurant.
“I’m sorry to suddenly spring this on you, but would you mind looking after Cora for a couple of days?”
“Sure thing, Arlim!” Kel replied cheerfully in his deep jolly voice. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine I just have some business to take care of and she hasn’t been feeling her best. I’d feel better if she wasn’t home alone.” Arlim answered easily.
He was keeping Zell’s kidnapping a secret. He had explained to Cora that anyone that knew too much could also be endangered.
Once his daughter was under the eye of the capable warrior, Arlim returned home and entered the large master suite of the mansion. It was an obnoxiously large space and his commoner sensibilities were never comfortable with the idea of it being his. He opened the ornate carved door to the walk-in closet that was larger than some homes he had lived in.
At the back of the closet was a trunk that was locked with a sophisticated lock, and sealed with a protective rune. He used the intricate key, and spoke the command to release the rune before turning it. Inside the trunk was the identity he had left behind when he retired to the country with his family.
The first item he pulled forth was the hard blood red mask. It had two cylindrical enchanted filters that allowed him to breathe in any toxic environment protruding from the the cheek areas. Even though it had no visible eye holes, he could see infinitely better than any human when wearing it. It was enchanted with Eyes of Aghma, the god tier detection spell only his wife and one other person could cast. It would be a national treasure if any nation knew its powers. It was also the least enchanted piece of equipment in the trunk.
Next he retrieved the long dark red leather coat which was perfectly crafted to his form and extended to his knees. It contained dozens of hidden pockets and was enchanted with Distort Light, Total Resistance, and Spell Stop. The enchantments were only a fraction of the potency of the spells cast by his wife but they were all incredibly powerful in terms of equipment enchantments.
At the bottom of the trunk was the last item. It was by all appearances a crude and low quality dagger. It was pitted and rusted, the raw hide strips wrapping the wooden handle were stained brown. Arlim took a deep breath before grasping it. A bone chilling cold seeped into his hand, and he grimaced at the all too expected sensation. This was the legendary weapon, Witherfang. So much as a scratch from it meant all but certain death for most creatures. More insidious than that was the fact that it was forged with the antennae of a rust monster, and able to cause any metal object it touched to crumble away instantly.
From a different trunk, Arlim retrieved a huge variety of flasks and vials. His most favored weapons were chemical, and he was truly unrivaled in engineering toxic compounds. They disappeared into the many hidden pockets of his black leather trench-coat.
He slid Witherfang into the concealed sheath on his forearm and tucked his mask into a simple drawstring sack. He donned a wide brimmed black hat which completed the ensemble once and now again worn by the legendary bounty hunter, Solution. He had a full day until the appointed time of the exchange, and plenty of work to do in the meantime.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.
Once outside, he moved through the bustling city like a ghost. Even in broad daylight no soul would ever recall that he had been among them. Since his retirement he often wondered if he still harbored that old attitude of the killer he had been. The answer was a resounding yes. Even with his son’s life on the line, cloaked in the alter ego of Solution his blood was cold and his mind was calculating. Just like every other time Solution moved, his objective was clear and pity any poor soul that might be in his path.
----------------------------------------
Luscous Brette was fuming. As the one in charge of nearly all of the underworld’s sex workers, slave exports, and drug dealers he was furious over the loss of nearly a dozen slave children. Some maniac had slaughtered his men, and stolen his property. Back when he could count on The Little Hand to relay information through Middle and have Index send muscle this would have been settled easily.
Now Middle was dead, and Index had receded to some obscure political position called ‘The Faceless General’ or some such nonsense. Yes, when Luscous was proudly calling himself The Ring of The Little Hand his life had been so much better. So now he fumed even as he recalled better days.
He was lounging in his private harem in the top floor of the three story brothel he owned across the street from The Fat Mermaid. Four beautiful but empty eyed women and two young men, each wearing nothing but a silver collar on a long chain were in the room with him. They were also reclining on the hundreds of silken pillows and velvet blankets that comprised most of the floor. The room was filled with a haze of opium smoke. The first step of grooming a sex slave was forcing them to become addicts.
Being surrounded by beautiful people made Luscous’ slovenly appearance stand out all the more. He was easily a hundred pounds past healthy with crooked and rotting teeth from a long life of sweets, wine, and excess. He was in his late forties but looked older. No hair grew atop his head, and the greasy thin hair that grew below that was grey and clung to the skin on his thick neck. His beard was patchy and grew thickest below his jawline. He took pride in the fact that he was hideous and could have his way with so many beautiful people.
Luscous lived in a secure fortress surrounded by pleasures of the flesh, he reminded himself. Things would always work out as long as he had money, drugs, soldiers, and sex to sell. He put the woes of the world out of his mind and grabbed one of the long chains anchored near his fat filthy hand. The naked young man yelped slightly as he was jerked to his hands and knees and was reeled into the grotesque old man’s lap.
“My, my.” A voice sounding from somewhere close startled Luscous to attention. “A giant slime seems to have crawled up from the sewer and grown some human features.”
Without a sound or warning all of the slaves suddenly fell to the pillow covered floor, fast asleep. Luscous’ already overworked heart pounded in a fear he didn’t know was possible. He knew so little, but was so certain that he had never been in such peril.
“G-guards! Intruder! Help!” Luscous screamed.
“Ohh that’s a good look! But I’m offended really.” The voice lamented. “You see the sleeping people around you, yet you think I used up all of that poison on just these six? In any case rest assured we won’t be interrupted.”
Luscous exploded into motion, intending to grab the last resort teleportation crystal in the pocket of his open robe. Well that’s what his mind ordered him to do, but nothing below his neck would answer that frantic call.
“Oh did you finally notice? Scary, isn’t it? When your brain screams move and your body ignores it?” The still invisible speaker now sounded like he was whispering directly in Luscous’ ear. “Well I suppose that’s enough suspense.”
A figure materialized before Luscous then. The black trench-coat, the wide brimmed hat, the blank gas mask... Luscous was a fairly old man. He knew well the stories, and never believed that such terror would come to his door.
“N-no! No! S-S-So” Luscous blubbered, half screaming and half crying.
“Yes! That’s right my clever man. I am Solution and it looks like you know what that means.” The somewhat muffled voice behind the pitiless blank gas mask interrupted. “Well... you know the stories of those I let live. Do you think the ones that weren’t so lucky would tell the same tales?”
The man reached into an impossibly deep pocket inside his coat and drew forth a rolled leather bundle, similar to what a craftsmen might carry to a building site. He unbuckled it and unrolled it in front of Luscous like a fancy red carpet. Inside were dozens of tools. Hooks, pliers, drills, scalpels, and saws were all meticulously arranged within.
“I learned quite a bit about you on my way up here.” Solution said, gently running his gloved fingers over the tools as he knelt in front of Luscous. “You’re pretty sick aren’t you? Quick to anger, quick to violence, but it’s not the beatings that hurt the people around here is it? It’s hopelessness, the fear, the invisible cage of the opium, and not knowing when it’ll be their turn to be the master’s plaything.” Solution kept explaining as he selected a hollow tube with a sharp tip from the tool bundle.
“W-what’s that?” Luscous could barely force the words through his dry throat as he stared at the long object.
“I’ll explain in time. But first it’s your lucky day! You get to make a choice.” Solution pointed at the array of terrifying tools as he spoke. “I’m going to ask you some questions. I can do it with or without these wonderful conversation aids. Which would you prefer?”
“WITHOUT!” Luscous shouted before he could even think about it.
“My, my how brave you are.” The admiration in Solution’s voice must have been sarcasm and the last tiny bit of color drained from Luscous’ face as realization dawned.
“W-wait! What’s that mean!? Why brave?” His ragged voice was frantic.
“Now, now it’s time to get started. No sense in losing your enthusiasm.” Solution pulled a strange looking flask from his coat filled with a cloudy liquid. He inserted the needle through the wax paper stopper and approached Luscous.
Luscous would have thrashed wildly if he weren’t paralyzed. Instead he simply stared frozen with wide eyes as Arlim stuck the needle through the mottled skin and layer of fat on his neck. He felt the sharp pain and strange burning warmth as the liquid seeped into his body through the needle.
“What is it? Poison? I need the cure, I’ll give you whatever you want!” Luscous rambled in his panic.
“This isn’t poison. It’s a drug to suppress your heart rate and keep you from dying from the pain you’ll be in.” Arlim disappeared from the paralyzed man’s sight as he stepped behind him.
Luscous felt his mouth being forced open as a leather wrapped gag was tied tightly around his jowls. Solution’s hands were methodical and uncaring, like a jaded surgeon’s. “It wouldn’t do if you bit off your tongue either.”
“Now, since you are so tough as to reject my mild mannered tools in favor of more serious methods, I’ll explain this operation.” Solution removed his gloves as he spoke. “I have a very unique skill that lets me remove things I touch from this world. If I overdo it, like erasing a whole person or building my own body suffers quite a bit. When I keep it to delicate work it’s no problem. For example I’m going to remove the outer layer of skin from your entire body, exposing every single nerve. The movement of the air, the tiny bits of dust settling on you, the feel of those fancy pillows under you will all feel like...” Solution paused. “Well, I don’t want to spoil it for you.”
“MMPPHH RRMMM!” Luscous screamed through the gag. Solution politely freed his mouth and listened.
“What do you want!? I’ll tell you everything, give you anything!” Luscous babbled with snot and tears running freely down his face.
“You certainly will, everyone always does.” The hollow voice had the tiniest hint of pity as Solution replaced the gag and rested his bare hand on Luscous’ shining bald head.
Roughly an hour later, the front door of the eerily quiet brothel unlocked and opened. No one could be seen leaving but the door closed on its own.
Solution patted the unconscious guard as he passed. He was in high spirits. The man known as The Ring had been quite talkative, and Solution couldn’t wait to meet The Faceless General in person.