Dantes sat on a couch next to Diamond, inhaling deeply from one of the smoke filled tubes that extended from the device in the center of the table that he’d been told was a gnomish invention called a hookah. The smoke was rich and flavorful, leaving his mouth feeling a bit like he’d eaten something that made sparks in his mouth. He blew out the smoke into the air, and looked across at the other Fingers.

Fritz was blitzed out of his mind on something or another, and seemed very interested in the texture of the couch he was sitting on. Drake was drumming his fingers against the table in front of him, his thick fingers causing a thumping that sounded almost like footsteps as he looked at the door. Argenta hadn’t arrived yet, but Dantes could see her entering the club through the eyes of a bat hanging on a nearby sign.

She arrived at the lounge shortly after. She didn’t apologize for being late, but sat on the only uncomfortable looking, high-backed chair in the circle and looked at the rest of them.

“I think it’s clear why I called all of you here?” She asked.

“The sickness,” mumbled Fritz exhaling a cloud of smoke from his nose.

She nodded. “It’s weakening the city more and more, we need to be able to fight it.”

Drake shrugged. “I’ve been going out with my men, breaking down doors and forcing those with a cough back to work to keep profits up.”

“Seems like a good way to spread the disease,” said Dantes with an eyebrow raised. He'd had a part in smuggling a few people into and out of the city, but putting the known sick into a confined space with the healthy seemed worse. Or maybe he was just a hypocrite.

Drake shrugged. “I’m sending the boys that are already sick, and they’re putting them in the factories and workshops where everyone’s already sick. They need to get paid, it would be cruel to their families if they didn’t work. If it kills them, then their families will have the benefit of them earning a bit more coin before they went.”

“I’ve been selling minor shielding rings for a killing. They do seem to have some effect. Not that I’ve been hurting anyway with the academy sealed up,” said Diamond.

“You’ve still been producing the items I’ve been asking for?” asked Argenta.

“Yes, the next shipment is on its way to the guard now.”

Fritz shrugged. “People still want to gamble, and money still needs to be moved, but I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t trouble. People are going out less and hiding more.” He took a purple mushroom from his jacket and ate it. “Been working with some of the Temple priests to have them do some extra under the radar healings to help mitigate my losses.”

Dantes shrugged. “Smuggling is nearly dead, but I’ve been stockpiling for a while and have started cutting the dust to make it last longer. Not too many deaths in midtown and the docks yet. My people are fine, even those outside the gates.”

“I’ve heard that you can heal those people with the disease,” said Argenta.

Everyone’s eyes snapped to him, and he kept himself from frowning. He’d hoped to keep that mostly to himself and midtown.

“I can make them marginally better, return some of their strength, but I can’t cure it.” Dantes didn’t mention the fact that he’d also been hunting down any of the major dens of the disease and burning them to slow things down, but he didn’t see a reason to tie the disease too closely to himself and his actions.

“Do you think, if you worked with a priest, you could eradicate it entirely?” asked Argenta.

Dantes thought about the feeling of corruption and how it spread. He didn’t have much experience with Temple healing. His mother had once taken him to a temple and spent an entire silver on having a broken arm fixed, but that was very different from treating a sickness.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “But I doubt it.”

“I’ll arrange for you to try.”

“I’d also be willing to try and heal any of your men and women you feel are necessities. For a modest fee, of course.”

“You're shameless,” said Diamond lightly punching his arm.

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“We all are, that’s why we’re so successful.”

“I’ll send a few fixers your way,” said Fritz, blowing out some smoke, “I should be fine though, my body is a Temple.”

“I’ll have some men sent as well,” said Drake.

“Arrange it with me beforehand so that I can meet them. I don’t suddenly want a flood of the ill in Midtown. Bad for business.”

They all nodded in agreement.

Argenta watched the discussion silently while maintaining her perfect posture. “Let’s get into some more specifics.”

…

Dantes made it back to his club shortly after the meeting. He’d resisted an offer from Fritz to do a pile of drugs and an offer from Diamond of a different, but equally hedonistic kind. He’d had a brief word with Argenta, but there hadn’t been much to discuss. Godfrey was gone, as were all of his masked associates. They were still trying to track down everyone’s involvement with him, but there was nothing new, only traces of what he’d done in the past. He’d collected all that he could and started going over it with Jayk, focusing on any dealings with the Fingers in particular, specifically Fritz. With his financial dealings he seemed like the one Godfrey would target based on his vices and financial dealings. Until that work turned up anything the only thing that was certain was that Godfrey would be back.

Dantes landed on the roof of the Vixen and descended down the rooftop stairs into his apartments. He peeked into Alessa’s chambers and saw that she was sleeping, as was Jacque in a small bassinet next to her. He saw both of his hounds curled up by him, and Jacopo sleeping in the bassinet himself, leaning against the baby’s back. He gently closed the door and went to his garden. He’d taken an hour with the boy when he’d first woken up, rocking him as he gave orders to have a dealer’s throat slit for running away with product. The boy was warming up to him, though he’d had yet to see him smile.

Dantes took a few moments to check on the status of all of his gardens. He could feel some new bastions of disease and corruption in his locus that he’d need to try and cull to continue slowing things the next day. Things were going to keep getting worse, he didn’t like having to be reactive, but since he’d taken things over in Midtown that had seemed to become a burden he needed to bear.

He stood and walked out into the main hall of the Vixen. It was half as full as it usually was, and there wasn’t nearly as much of a festive nature to it. People were drowning sorrows, not celebrating victories. Dantes watched Sevryn belt out a pleasant tune, accompanied by two lutes. Then scanned the crowd again, noticing for half a second, that someone had been looking at him. He looked more closely.

She was wearing baggy clothing that wasn’t as well kept, and she’d dyed her white streak, but he could tell that Alby was sitting at the bar nursing a glass of wine, and trying to remain undetected. She’d done a much better job this time, but his own senses had become so enhanced through his blessings that he was certain no one could disguise themselves from him, at least not for long.

He motioned to one of his bouncers. “Get me Jayk.”

The man nodded and left. Shortly after, Jayk appeared.

“Did you need another update? No real changes since you’ve left.”

Dantes shook his head, and gestured subtly to Alby.

Jayk looked for a few moments. “Doesn’t really seem to be your type.

Dantes laughed. “That’s Alby, Argenta’s daughter.”

Jayk looked again, and nodded. “You’re right. She’s a lot better at that than she was.” He looked at him. “It’s time then?”

Dantes nodded.

“I’ll put things in motion.”

…

Albion walked back toward Uptown with a bit of pep in her step. She’d evaded her bodyguards, and bested Dantes by going to his club without being recognized, even though she was certain he’d seen her. She discounted the fact that she’d only beaten him by taking his advice, in her mind her victory over him was absolute.

She turned a corner and started moving down a dark alley.

There was a man in front of her, facing her on the other end of the alley.

Behind her she heard footsteps and turned around to see another man. They were both large, probably had a bit of orc in them.

The one in front of her drew a dagger from his belt.

“Your purse. Now.”

She raised a hand, and started to send her will through one of her rings, but very suddenly she felt a blow to the back of her head and stumbled, her will fizzling.

“She just tried to magic you!”

The other man lifted her and shoved her against the wall of the alley. “I thought we were just dealing with a common bitch, but it looks like we found an Uptowner slumming it,” he peeled the rings off her hands as she struggled and tore a silver chain from her neck.

“What should we do?”

“I’d say we hold onto her. Maybe try to get a ransom.”

“It’d be easier just to sell the jewelry and move on.”

“Come on Tusk, we ransom her, we make much more. Besides,” he ran a hand up her leg. “It’ll be easy to pass the time.”

Albion’s eyes widened, her terror rising past her disorientation.

As the man’s hand started to move higher, he stopped suddenly, his own eyes widening. She looked up to see the point of a dagger sticking through his throat.

Dantes yanked his dagger out of the man’s throat and tossed him away by the hair.

The other man’s eyes widened.

“He sa-”

Dantes aimed his gun and pulled the trigger, sending the man’s personality through the back of his skull. He belted the dagger and pistol.

“You alright?” he asked, turning to her and holding out his hand.

She nodded and took his hand letting him help her to her feet. She had a flash of anger and started kicking the corpse in front of her. She did that for almost a full minute before she stopped.

Dantes took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. “Come on. I’ll take you back to the club and send a message to your mother.”

She looked up at him as if to argue.

He shook his head. “No arguments on this, she needs to know.”

“Fuuuck.”

Dantes laughed lightly. “How about I teach you how to cheat at cards while we wait?”