Third Sin: Swansong of the Second Night (Part 2)- Interrogations Both Helpful And Un

--- Mercer ---

After taking a moment to think about it -and stomp Romulus’s face- he decided that it would be best if he used the kids gloves here. The Vigils would probably be able to figure out he was stalling things a bit, but at the very least he’d be able to get an answer out of the Arcane without having the heroes on his back.

(Which means it’s time to put on a bit of a show.)

Crouching down he pulled out his knife and set it a buzz before putting it close enough to Romulus’s skin that the man could feel its heat and vibrations without it actually hurting the man.

“You know you’re really not helping yourself here.” He told the Arcane with a sigh, his blade dancing over the man’s skin.

Romulus swallowed, eyes locked on the faintly glowing blade knowing that if he opened his mouth the blade would cut into his cheek.

“I mean first you summon an eldritch horror, and let it loose on the city.” He pointed out, hoping to distract the Vigils a bit with that so they didn’t try to surround him while he was out of the Way (again). “Then you start kidnapping kids for the ritual that would let you find and bind said eldritch horror, which is fair you were trying to clean up your mess. But now…”

He drew the knife back before rushing forward so that Romulus was pinned between the glowing skull of his mask and the faint sparking of his knife digging into the brick wall not even an inch from the man’s face. “Now you’re threatening to sell those kids down the river after giving half the city a reason to eat you alive.”

Romulus closed his eyes before taking a deep breath and visibly steeling himself as he turned to glare at Mercer’s mask, despite the fact that he’d purposely made the skull’s glow just the right tint of red to hurt someone’s eyes should they stare at it in the dark.

“You act as if playing nice would stop them from coming after me.” Romulus told him dryly. “Unless you and the Vigils let me leave the city, Covenant is going to throw me under the bus for everything they can and leave me to rot in prison should anyone with a grudge come my way.”

“True.” He nodded, since he fully expected Covenant to throw as much of their blood and dirt as they could at Romulus’s feet before the man went to trial. “But forgetting one important thing.”

“And that is?”

He stamped his knee on Romulus’s broken leg causing the man to flinch into his knife before flinching away from it as he closed the distance between the blade and Romulus’s flesh until it began to bite into the man’s ear. “I’m the one you’re in a dark alley with.”

“Fuck!” Romulus cursed, his eyes getting a bit too glassy for an interrogation.

(Damn, the pain from his leg is starting to get to him.) He’d been hoping the fact that the man was a Deviant criminal would let him keep it together longer. (Need to lay off his leg or I’ll send him into shock.)

Pulling the knife back he instead grabbed Romulus by the throat and slammed him back. “So make this easy on both of us and just tell me how to break the effect you’ve got them under, or else.”

Romulus’s eyes darted to Swansong before drifting back to Mercer as he grew a smirk. “You’re holding back.”

“What?” He frowned.

“You’re not going to kill me.” Romulus sighed, seemingly relaxing. “Not as long as you’ve got a Vigil hovering over your shoulder.”

He couldn’t help but growl. “And I already told you you hurt kids, the masquerade doesn’t care if-”

“But the Vigils do.” Romulus interrupted a slight slur to his voice. “And you care what they think, hence why you’re using the fucking kiddie gloves.”

He did everything in his power not to tense at being called out.

“You know, I was there when you… dealt with Wolfram… I know exactly what you letting loose looks like.” Romulus chuckled, completely uncaring of the hand squeezing his throat tighter. “You might hurt me… but you’re not going to… do anything permanent.”

(Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!)

Wolfram was a crime boss. More specifically he was the boss who had had the gall to try and kill Mercer’s adoptive sister, and in turn was the core of the incident that led to half of the way staying out of his way when- (Fire danced all around as the screams grew ever louder with the revelation that all of the exits were blocked and that they were trapped. Trapped in a burning building. Trapped with no escape. Trapped with him.)

He took a calming breath and nodded, before slamming his knife between Romulus’s legs and forcing the man’s mouth shut to smother the following scream.

“Mercer!”

“If you were there then you were working with him.” He hissed, voice low and dangerous as he felt his rage beginning to bubble once more.

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“Mercer!” Swansong repeated as she grabbed his arm and forced him away from Romulus.

--- Bell ---

“Virtue…” DeWolf grimaced at the glaring boy, sounding ten different kinds of exhausted.

“You know me but I don’t know you.” The boy, Virtue (?), pointed out without lowering his staff.

Not that she was actually all that scared of it given how even with her issues with her other-selves she knew that anyone within grabbing distance of her was a non-threat. And unlike Scarlet while she wasn’t running on a full stomach she did have enough in her for a single attack.

Something she was hoping DeWolf would be able to take advantage of despite having only recently returned to his more human form.

(The wolf may slumber… but beware the cornered beast…) Her other-selves seemingly confirmed.

“My name is Zachary DeWolf.” The werewolf admitted after a moment. “I’m a private investigator from out of the Way, and the one who brought this case to Mercer’s attention. Ruby here is my daughter, I’ll be taking her home now.”

She heard the ‘I will be’ and not ‘I want to’ DeWolf was underlining with that statement.

“Uh-huh… And you aren’t going to wait for Mercer to find a cure to whatever influence the children are under?” The boy asked skeptically.

“When he has a cure my daughter will take it.” DeWolf told the masked boy. “Until then I’d rather get her as far away from this hell hole as I can.”

“And walking through Sinner’s Way at this time of night is safer?” The boy scoffed.

Which given some of the stories she’d heard Mercer talk about was fair. (Though Scarl is still more dangerous than any of them.)

“The Way is only dangerous to those who aren’t from it. Those of us who are, well…” DeWolf smirked, showing off his larger than normal teeth. “We’re the reason it’s so dangerous.”

Virtue’s eyes narrowed. “You’re really not giving me a reason to let you walk away with the girl.”

DeWolf let out a sigh. “Look, I just want to take my kid home. You’re the one being a pain in the ass about this.”

“I’m just trying to make sure the girl is safe with you.” Virtue argued. “For all I know you’re kidnapping that girl from this crime scene.”

“If I was a threat to the kids Mercer would’ve put a bullet through my head.” DeWolf pointed out calmly, as if he wasn’t talking about his own death.

(Then again, given how he was attacking me when he turned and Mercer didn’t kill him, I’m not sure how accurate that is.) She thought to herself if no one else.

(He’d burn the world… to cinder and ash… for even a single child…) Her other-selves assured her in a very un-assuring manner.

“You never know, he’s working with Nightwatch on this. Maybe he’s showing some self-restraint?” Virtue offered, still refusing to lower his weapon.

DeWolf gave a bark of laughter. “We both know you’re the one Vigil who wouldn’t believe that.”

Virtue frowned. “So you’re close enough for Mercer to talk about the Vigils?”

“Nah.” DeWolf shook his head with some amusement. “He’ll just take any opportunity to bad mouth you lot, if not Vigilance then the replacement of the replacement.”

Virtue’s grip on his weapon grew tighter. “Of course he would.”

(He knows… he wears the suit of a dead boy…)

“I didn’t say it wasn’t disrespectful, just that he isn’t known for his respect.” DeWolf shrugged. “Only reason I’m with him is for my kid.”

“Then why were you going to meet him back at his place?” Virtue asked.

“Like I said, as soon as there’s a cure my daughter is going to take it.” DeWolf reiterated. “And I live close enough to Mercer that it’s not a real walk.”

Virtue stared at DeWolf for a moment before his eyes darted to Bell. “What about you, what’s your connection to all of this? He said you and your sister were going to meet him at Mercer’s?”

--- Mercer ---

He inhaled deeply forcing his rage back under as he reminded himself that now was not the time, especially since he knew he killed everyone who’d so much as looked at Carly that day.

(Right, he probably wasn’t actually a part of that mess… Probably just had a business deal with him…)

He turned away from Swansong and lifted his helmet enough to run a hand down his face, before shaking his head and lowering it once more once he’d calmed down enough.

When he turned back to Swansong he found her watching him cautiously, though likely with nowhere near as much caution as he deserved having just castra- He tilted his head to get a better look. -three-fourths castrated someone in front of her.

Romulus for what it was worth seemed to have passed out after using whatever magic he could muster to heal what hadn’t been removed.

“What was that Mercer?” Kennedy tuned in over the comms, her voice allowing no bullshit.

“Do you know who Wolfram was?” He asked her as way of answering.

“Should I?”

(Yes.) “He hurt someone I know so I hurt him. Permanently.” They all knew he was a killer so putting a name to one of his body count wouldn’t do anything, especially if (they didn’t bother to learn Wolfram’s fucking name.) “It was years ago, but I thought for a second Romulus might’ve been involved in that.”

“And if he was?”

“You’d never talk to me again after I was through with him. But he wasn’t so, meh.” He shrugged, fully willing to let it go.

Kennedy was silent for a moment, and while she didn’t say anything he could tell she was figuring out whether to treat him like an unstable ally or a rabid animal. (Which is fair.)

“How exactly do you intend to get a cure out of him while he’s unconscious?” Kennedy asked him pointedly.

“Eh, bring a healer in and bribe him with regrowing what I cut off.” He offered, knowing from the get-go that Betty could figure out a cure to this mess. (Hopefully I’ve at least bought everyone enough time to get out of here by now.)

He could hear Kennedy audibly inhale before muting his comm.

“Not alone.” Swansong said after a moment of silence, a frown clearly in her voice.

“Who’s here?” He asked, having not noticed anyone himself and really not liking that.

Swansong shook her head and pointed at him.

(Oh, fuck.)

“Mercer.” Kennedy’s voice began. “Do you mind telling me who the people trying to leave with a child are? They were there with you.”

(Fucking jinxed it.)