Sinners of The Way: A Load Of Crawk

--- Mercer ---

He peered over the edge of the roof and down onto the handful of thugs moving unloading product from the river that would from there move on to be distributed to the rest of the city. And while he’d normally be a little less concerned with the movement of drugs over murder, assault, and all the other crimes he could be stopping, the fact was that this shipment meant that someone was trying yet again to get a foothold in the Way.

“Damn it, how many times do I have to teach you people this lesson.” He growled at the would be invaders of his home, thinking they could step in and profit off of it without ever being a part of it.

He was about ready to jump down there and show off just how much damage he could do now that he had two guns when something caught his eye.

Carrying a crate big enough to need a forklift was a man in a tight fitting hoodie. Something that was only mildly odd if one didn’t notice the way the man’s skin glistened a yellowish green in the light in some places while looking like it was covered in scales in others.

(There are only two Amphibios in The Way and only one of them wears hoodies…) It also changed how he was going to be dealing with this whole mess.

Firing his grapplers off he twisted through the air, using the two to form a makeshift zipline so that he could drop down into the center of the lot. More specifically, directly on top of the crate that the Amphibios was carrying and forcing the Traveler to drop it to the ground in an impact that echoed all around the lot drawing the attention of everyone with the sound of breaking wood.

“Hey, Crawk just thought I’d drop in.” He told his friend with a cocky grin that could be heard even if it couldn’t be seen through his mask.

“Figured as much.” The Amphibios scoffed as all the other thugs in the lot scrambled to aim their guns at the pair.

“Who are your friends?” He asked, looking the thugs over before flashing his crimson double tap skull at one of them, causing the man to stumble back and fall on his ass. (Ha!)

“Guys were looking for some local muscle.” Crawk answered as he rolled his neck and shoulders, knowing full well how this was going to go down. “Pay was good enough to keep the camp fed on the good stuff for a month and get a couple families off the streets.”

“I get it.” He nodded, after all as many problems as there were in the Way there was no way Crawk could subsist off just the money he could throw the amphibious reptile man’s way. “It’s just business.”

“So, no hard feelings when I stomp your ass.” Crawk grinned, showing off his many fangs.

He couldn’t help but laugh. “You know that’s not how this is going down.”

“Eh, you never know.” Crawk shrugged before loosing a sudden jab at him.

One he easily avoided by hopping backwards off the crate as he drew his eldritch guns and fired blindly at the traveler.

“Concussion rounds all you’ve got?” Crawk laughed, unphased as he ripped the top off the crate and threw it at Mercer.

He leapt to the side landing on a car hood as the lid crashed into one of the thugs before firing off a round in the opposite direction and shooting another that had been aiming a gun at him. “Didn’t I tell you? My house got blown up last month. I’m still building myself back up from that shit.”

“Damn.” Crawk grimaced as he rushed forward before bringing his fists down with enough force to shatter his ribcage if it didn’t hit the car engine instead. “Isn’t that like the fifth time that’s happened?”

“Yeah, I think Julie is starting to get annoyed by it. I mean she says she isn’t but you know.” He shrugged from where he crouched on the ground before idly shooting the tire of a nearby car popping it at the same time he fired another round at the Amphibios’s scaly hide.

“I get you, but she knew what she was signing up for when she married you.” Crawk reminded him before charging him and decimating the door of the car Mercer had been taking cover next to.

“Scars, daddy issues, and a great sense of humor?” He joked, shooting another thug off to the side just before Crawk grabbed him.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

“Yeah, some people feel they can fix people.” The Amphibios nodded before throwing him at the windshield of a car on the other side of the lot.

“Gah, no. I don’t think that’s it.” He groaned, before shooting a goon on either side of the car in the head. “Fuck, did you have to throw me that hard? I lost my armored jacket.”

“Oh, shit.” Crawk cursed as he sprinted after the vigilante. “Sucks to be you, man.”

“No, no. My life is awesome.” He disagreed, rolling off the car hood and slamming into the ground in a way that hurt all of his newly forming bruises.

“Sure it is.” Crawk scoffed, as he hopped to bleed off his momentum by butt slamming the hood of the car next to the one Mercer had been thrown into.

“Better than yours.” He argued, shooting out a tire on the same car and firing another round at the leg of a guy on the other side of it.

“What’s really bad, is my life is still significantly better than what I had back home.” Crawk admitted as he grabbed Mercer by the back of his jacket.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asked before going limp. “Also, do you have to keep throwing me?”

“I’m good, and do you have to keep shooting me?” The Amphibios shot back.

“Yes.” He answered just as he fired a round into Crawk’s crotch.

“The fact that you hume have that on the outside of your body is a massive design flaw.” The other man told him completely unphased.

“You know… given how often I exploit that flaw… it’s really surprising I never put that together…” He admitted, just before being thrown at a thug a couple of cars over and using them to cushion his own landing as best he could, and if that broke a few of their bones. (Well, that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.)

“Oof, how many guys were with you?” He asked, being sure to aim underneath the car to shoot the head of the guy he’d also shot in the leg a while back, sure that the distance would make the concussive non-lethal. “Because I only counted six out here.”

“Think there was one inside, but with all the gunfire he might’ve ran already.” Crawk shrugged as he once more picked Mercer up.

“Oh, come on! At least let me deserve it!” He whined, self-aware enough to know that he gave the people in his life plenty of reasons to want to punch him. (Or throw me across the room as the case may be.)

“Fine.” The Amphibios sighed before staring at him.

He thought about his options for a moment, and eventually his academic curiosity won out. “So I know your junk is on the inside, but since your species is like half amphibian and half reptile does that mean like reptiles you’ve also got a pair of hemipen- ugh!” That was as far as Crawk let him get before promptly throwing him head over shoulders into the nearby warehouse.

Of course this odd angle made it exceptionally difficult to right himself before he crashed into the ground and rolled into one of the bollards for the dock.

“Answer the question!” Mercer yelled as he picked himself off the ground, his eyes darting around and looking for the last guy. (Boat ‘s still here, so maybe he’s on there?)

Just to check he climbed on board and did a quick lap, finding nothing beyond another crate full of whatever they were using to smuggle in their drugs. “I’m not seeing the guy.”

“Yeah, I found him already.” Crawk’s voice told him over his comm.

“Where was he?” He frowned, as he got off the boat and pulled out the new cellphone Julie had gotten him.

“Hid in the manager’s office with the money. Ran out once he saw you get on the boat and I clotheslined him, knocking him out.” Crawk explained from where he stood over the last guy, already picking up the briefcase full of bills.

“Didn’t see you helping me, right?” He asked, because while he only killed people who needed to go, someone who could figure out Crawk’s side hustle needed to go.

Crawk snorted with a kick to the fallen thugs’ side. “Nope. Was too busy running, but I can probably buy his boss’s favor by saving a few packages and throw him under the bus.”

“Good idea.” He nodded, as he clicked the name on the list with a pair of handcuffs and boxes. “Be sure to really rub in how much this venture cost him, so he’ll think twice about trying again.”

“Maybe he’ll give me a bonus for it.” Crawk grinned with a mouthful of fangs.

“Either way I will.” He shrugged as the other end of the line picked up. “Hey, it’s me. Shut down a drug operation by the docks and need someone to cuff the guys and confiscate the stuff.”

“Understood. I’ll make the usual arrangements.” A coldly professional voice told him as he began zip tying the guys they caught while Crawk went to grab a couple of packages from the crate.

“Know you’ve got it.” He assured the man on the other end. “Speaking of arrangements though, you got anything I need to know about?”

“None that I’m aware of at the moment.” The voice answered. “You?”

“I’m good.” He admitted before the line went dead.

“Everything set up?” Crawk asked, suitcase over his shoulder and pockets clearly stuffed full of what appeared to be stuffed animal limbs. (Probably grabbed a few for the kids at the camp.)

“As can be.” He shrugged, before giving his informant a nod. “And thanks again for letting me know this hit your radar.”

“No problem, I’m not stupid enough to think letting these guys into the Way is going to help anyone. Not with how they are to people outside ‘the family’.” Crawk scoffed before starting to leave. “I’ll let you know if I hear about anyone else that deserves to be screwed over.”

“And you let me know if the camp needs anything else!” He reminded the leader of said camp.

Crawk gave him a wave over the shoulder as way of answer.