Archibald Claec woke up with a grunt as cold water was splashed on his face. Then, all wet and uncomprehending, he slowly raised his head, looked around at his surroundings, and noted that he was indeed back at the gang-owned pub - the Shuteye.
“What the…?” was all he managed to get out of his mouth before another bucket of water landed in his open crevice, tasting suspiciously like something salty.
“Wakeyyyy, Archie!” a gruff voice he could not place called from his left. “The boss wants to see you.” Archibald frantically wiped his face and eyes from the slightly smelly water, spitting all around him, and got up furiously, clearing his eyes.
“Wince, you shit!” he yelled at the giggling man’s back, who did not wait for Archibald to get up and walked out of the dimly lit basement room their gang used commonly for the unsavory collection proceedings.
Archibald was not a stranger to situations like these, where unsuspecting nobles or, most commonly, salary folk woke up in the very same room he was in. Again, he was used, though, to be on the bucket-throwing end rather than the receiving one. Why he landed in this situation, he could not immediately understand, but then it all came back to him.
“That fucker,” Archibald muttered, recalling the large brute-looking noble his team managed to corner so nicely in their market area. He kicked a chair next to him angrily, remembering how well they had chosen their target and executed the jump.
Archibald was not a dumb leader and chose not to stand on the front lines and pose as the leader. No, he let his right-hand man Luis do it, as he was built for the job. His scrawny, rat-looking face was better suited for playing the unassuming lackey. Or so he thought, until today.
“Dammit!” he shouted and burst out of their torture room, stomping toward where the boss of the Shadowy syndicate usually resided in this ungodly hour. Archibald was not used to being called out and put on the carpet, so to say, but today was just his unlucky day.
First, he gambled away all his wages dully collected from various merchants on the square for protection, as was proper. Then, that slut Liane had to go on and steal what was left in his pockets after another of their romantic nights at the pub the day before. And now, just as he thought it would all come together after robbing one unassuming fool, they trailed for a couple of minutes with no guard but enough coin to buy the flashiest clothes in Veer - he was left penniless and knocked out for his troubles.
Archibald was no criminal genius, nor did he strive to be some big shot in Veer’s criminal underworld. No, he had enough trouble as it was being a small-time crook, trying to make enough tokens for his simple needs - a cold drink, a warm bed, and a woman to share his simple life with.
It had been a year, and he had noted how troublesome it had become to collect the usual funds from his clients. Not so long ago, the merchants had started hiring guards that they could not afford previously. While not the strongest, the hired muscle proved too tough to deal with, as if they had absorbed aspect seeds, which Archibald did not believe even for a second. The seeds were expensive, after all, and what would some random muscle be doing guarding no-name merchants?
Hence his predicament of being summoned to see the boss. He was late with his payment for the small loan of thousand steel tokens he took out a couple of years ago. However, this time he did not have any coin to show for his trouble because of the brute he met.
Archibald stomped across the corridor and up the dimly lit stairs, steaming at his situation, until he reached a decorated wooden door. Then, stopping for a moment to collect his breath and calm down, he knocked on the door and waited for the boss to call him.
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“Come in,” a deep baritone voice called behind the door. Without waiting, Archibald opened the door, walked in, still wet from his wake-up call, and bowed before the figure sitting behind a sizeable wooded desk with a glass in his hand.
Archibald raised his head and noted how the boss wore the usual dark garb he preferred, with a large and bloodied sword behind him, leaning against the wall. The pressure the man exuded was palpable, making Archibald want to leave the room as soon as possible. Of course, there was no hiding after all that their boss was an aspect user with a restricted aspect combination, his blood lust being tangible.
“You wanted to see me?” Archibald asked carefully, eyeing the sculpted man behind the table, who was sitting relaxed, his huge frame stretched out to the side.
“Yes, Archie,” the man responded and sipped on his drink. “I heard you ran in some trouble with the boys. Is that right?”
Archibald put his hands behind his back and thought about how to respond momentarily. “Yes,” he started, “though it will not affect the scheduled payment, boss. I will have the funds ready before sunrise.”
The man waved at Archibald, dismissing his answer, and said, “Do not worry about that. The boys mentioned that it was someone they did not recognize in these parts. Dressed as a noble, as tall as me, and moved like a guilder. Had some pictures on his hands? Is that right?”
“Well, yes. We ran into some brute that we took for a visiting noble to the city. I did not manage to see his hands, however. What is this about, if you do not mind me asking?”
“Hmm, not someone I recognize as well. Rodney from the northern gate mentioned that a man like that one came to the city today with the Shelford lass. Mrs.Shelford is very interested in that man and all we can learn about him. Do you have something to tell me and the good lady?”
A sweat broke out on Archibald’s back as a pressure squeezing his soul descended from around him. Then, the already hostile environment turned deadly, as the boss, Azurael, pushed his soul potential over Archibald.
He steeled his will and waited for the pressure to subside, which it did after a second, and responded hurriedly, “We do not know much about the man, boss. I trailed him around for some time and watched him wander around like a fool, buying random wares from the merchants. Then he went on to pay a hefty sum to that idiot Lenny selling the latest batch of Lover’s Ire we asked him to push in the market. The brute downed the whole glass and bought the whole barrel on the spot. Stored the thing in a dimensional satchel. That was why we took him on for a shake.”
“And? What happened?” Azurael asked under his brow.
“Then we went to our usual spot in the alley on the south side and jumped him the boys. Five versus one. Thought it would be enough to give him a good scare. It turned out the cunt had an aspect seed or two, as he conjured a blade from pure mana, almost cutting off Blane’s dick, as he removed his pants. The brute moved faster than I have seen any of our guys move, boss. Almost as fast as you,” Archibald finished, wincing at the last part.
Azurael shifted in his seat and growled at the comparison, saying, “As fast as me, you say? Well, I would like to see that. Do you know where he went?”
Archibald shook his head, “No, boss. I was knocked out. I understand that the boys carried me and Sammy to the pub. Next thing I know, someone threw piss water all over me, and now I am here.”
Azurael smashed his bear-like fist on the table and raised his voice, “Dammit!” Then he got up and started strolling around Archibald, eyeing him from head to toe. Even if he was a few paces away, Archibald could not help but compare the man before him to the one who had caused his current predicament.
“Shelford is paying us some good money we could use, Archie. Money that we need to battle the influence the Serpent and his ilk is exuding in the city as of late. Get the men, spread out, and find the man. Trail him, but do not engage. You understand?”
Archibald nodded and waited for dismissal as the boss obliged, saying, “Good. Do not mess up now, Archie. We would not want you to go down under after all the messes you have created.”
“Sure thing, boss. I will not let you down,” Archibald answered and bowed. Then, without waiting for the boss to respond and stop him again, he turned around and left the room.
Just wait, you noble cunt! We will find you and hand you over to the boss and your other noble friends on a platter. No sucker punches will help you this time, Archibald thought, a grin spreading over his face, making it match that of a rodent even more.