CHAPTER SEVEN

THE BLACKTHORN CLAN

The pair of men were sporting worn, but well-made leather armour and exuded an aura of danger. As they walked in, silence befell the room. Stopping half a meter away from Jorin one of them finally spoke after briefly looking at those present.

"G’day Jorin, we’re here for this month’s shipment. I know tis a bit early, but knowin’ ya I trust that it is already prim and prepped, ready to go." the grim atmosphere loosened after the man spoke in a rather frivolous manner, clearly having at least a professional relation to the smith.

"Aye, ‘tis in the back." pumpf " ’et me just op’en the back door." he said relaxedly as he slowly got up, the chair creaking beneath him.

"But first, ye got me muhne lad?"

"Whatcha ya think old man? Course I do!" he said as he took out a coin pouch from under his garb.

"’ere, this should do it."

Jorin took the pouch and weighed it in his hand. He felt something was off and took a look inside.

The man that gave him the pouch looked puzzled as if he did not know what seemed to be the problem.

"Tis below the price we agreed on." he said calmly.

"Whatchu mean old man, last month we paid that exact amount!" the man seemed to somewhat lose his temper and the others in the room including Siggy and Tris became tense, even sweating.

Regardless, Jorin remained calm and spoke his peace not even slightly perturbed by the apparent danger.

"Will ya simmer dao’n the market price changed, our agreement was to sell unda the market ‘alue. Tis not ‘nough ta make up the difference."

"Ah, sorry ‘bout that mate, oi, Clive, got enough on ya mate?" he turned to his companion.

"Yeah." the other taciturn man slowly reached into his cloak and took out his own pouch. They tallied up the difference and gave it to Jorin.

"’preciated, wait ‘ere." he went into the back of the shop, rattling the beaded curtains as he walked through them, leaving everyone else alone with the shady men.

Siggy was watching the pair like a hawk, whilst the others were trying to avoid eye contact at every cost. They were relaxed, one of them even leaned against the wall with his arms crossed as he waited for the man of the house to return.

The man who spoke to Jorin noticed his ‘adoring fan’ and looked at the kid who was staring holes in him. He smirked at him and asked nonchalantly.

"Sup kiddo, see something interesting?"

Siggy froze for a second, but quickly gathered himself, Lisa on the other hand became even more alert and was ready to pounce in between at a moment's notice.

When the mysterious man turned towards Siggy, for a moment a badge could be seen under his cloak. A skull impaled by a sword covered in onyx-black thorny vines.

‘The Blackthorn Clan.’

"Nothing mate, I was just looking at your outfit, looks proper stellar."

"Proper stellar aye?"

Lisa was looking at Siggy like she was about to murder him.

"Just shut up!" she whispered.

It was too late though as the man leisurely walked up to the young pickpocket Siggy’s gaze did not move though, it refused to move.

"Well, lookie here. This lad’s got some bollocks." the man lowered himself to be at eye level with the boy and met his gaze dead on.

"I like your eyes kid, they have a real fire to them. But…"

He gently tapped at his pinned emblem.

"Do you know what this here badge means?"

"Yeah."

"Then mind telling me why you are eyeing me up and down like I am a fucking slice of honey cake!"

"I, uh, I-" before Siggy could answer a hand appeared between him and the crouching man.

"I think you have taken your joke a bit too far Zevran. I would like to kindly ask that you leave him alone." it was Lisa, jumping into the fray like a lioness protecting her cubs. Or at least smaller siblings.

He looked back at the kid, he was still staring at him, however, his lips were trembling, quite obviously distressed but trying to not show it.

"Hmmm, I might’ve. Sorry bout that little fella. But I do mean it, you look to me like prime material for our ‘organisation’."

The beads in the doorway rattled once more and Jorin stepped through them.

"If ya’re done terrorizin’ random children, then the gear is out in the back a’ the usual spo’. And from now on, I would pre’er that you fellas stick to dead drops. Make both our lives e’sier."

"Truth, truth. But we are not just simply here for an early shipment." he said as his gaze became sharper.

The air once again chilled and people were on edge.

He took out a parchment from his cloak and showed it to those present.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"’as anyone come here tryin’ to sell or fence this thing right ‘ere?"

It contained an extremely detailed sketch of the item Siggy found on the dead man in the alley.

Jorin and Lisa looked at it, but neither gave a reaction.

"Nope, neva seen it. Just looks like some kinda spell stone t’me."

"Yeah, me neither." said Lisa.

"Oh well, t’was worth a look. " he put it away and started walking out. "Later."

They closed the door after them and everyone could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Siggy, are you out of your mind?!?" Tris said loudly.

"…"

No response came.

"Siggy, buddy… hey you in there?" he waved his hand in front of his friend’s face.

"I… I think I almost peed myself…"

""..........""

"Pftt… there, there mate, you’ll be fine." Tris patted his back.

"If…pft… if you want me to, I can maybe ask Lizzy to change you." Clara said

"Thanks but I’ll pass."

"Screw you both!!!"

As everyone else was having a laugh at Siggy’s expense, Lisa was anything, but happy. She bent down and whispered in his ear.

"I don’t know what is it that you got or from where, but you HAVE to get rid of it."

He didn’t say a word and just nodded his head.

"Well, we better get going as well, things to do. Busy day, busy day." Tristen said and nudged Siggy to get going as well.

"Yeah, see you guys later."

"See ya. Remember what I said kiddo."

"Will do."

They got out of the shop and took a long, slow breath.

"What the hell do you think you were doing egging that guy on?!? I thought he was going to cut our throats for sure!!!"

"I don’t know. When I was looking at his gear, I was just captivated. It was so simple, yet it looked sturdy and effective. Then I realized I was staring and I kind of started panicking."

"Your fricking armour nut. Well, I guess I’d be like that too."

Their chat was short-lived as 4 figures emerged from a nearby alley and stepped in front of them, not 2 meters away. They looked to be commoner children at a similar age to Siggy and Tris with one of them being in a tacky outfit that normally someone of higher middle class would wear.

"I should have known that a rat like you would be sticking around even where you are not wanted. What do you want now Newin?" Siggy spoke with a voice devoid of any warmth.

"This is the second time today you dared to insult me!"

"Well excuse us if we won’t treat a low-life like you as royalty when you’ve been coming here just to give us grief for months now." Tristen added further fuel to the fire, he just could not stand this brat.

"You mongrels should know what’s good for you, the Governor has made it clear that you are not wanted here. Give me what you got from that ‘shop’ and clear off!"

Siggy did not move and had an unreadable expression. He raised his hand and seemingly was reaching into his inner pocket.

"Yes, sir, right away sir."

A grin appeared on Newin’s face and he was holding his hand out to receive whatever Siggy was about to give him. And he did.

"Is that what you thought I was going to say?!?"

The look of shock didn’t even have time to set on the kid’s face as his held-out hand was firmly grasped and pulled closer to Sig with a force he could not resist. And just as soon, the dry sound of a clean punch echoed through the area and blood burst forth from Newin’s nose. The boy himself fell on the ground butt first.

"Fuck you!"

"Gebh em! I wunthm ‘im to subhe!" Newin tried to bark his orders but his mouth was in no better shape than his broken nose.

The three stooges left attacked the pair immediately.

One closed in the distance between himself and Sig quickly and delivered a strike that he had to block with both hands.

"Damn bastard! He is using aether!"

"Of course, I would. It is a gift" *hit* " God" *smack* " saw fit to bestow upon us, his chosen!"

Hit after hit, the other one seemed to gain the upper hand, but it was soon apparent that none of his strikes were actually on target. Progressively he became slower and slower until his strikes were even weaker than an unaugmented one.

"Did your God also teach you to fight like an idiot?!? That is not how you throw a punch!" he locked arms with the boy and gave a vicious, manic grin.

"THIS IS!"

A bone-chilling crunch reverberated and an immense searing pain spread through his jaw. It was at the very least cracked, if not broken.

A gleeful smile formed on Siggy’s lips which promptly seized when he got sucker punched from the side.

‘Bastard!’

He got grabbed from behind as he reeled from the hit and held in an underhook lock. It didn’t last long though as he swiftly ate a backwards headbutt to his face and lost his grip.

Tristen was fighting the third one that was quite skilful for these mostly untrained fighters so he had his work cut out for him.

Newin stammered up from the ground, clutching his head.

"You mongrel bastards dare to make a mockery of US?!?!?"

He was channelling a basic aether pulse and fired it towards Siggy, reaching his body, the pulse lessened in intensity and only managed to make him stumble.

"You damned kintari parasites are a desecration of the natural order! You shouldn’t exist!"

Tris finished with Newin’s third stooge and stood next to Siggy, the both of them battered up, but not nearly as much as the sorry excuses surrounding them on the ground.

""Huff, huff, huff.""

"Still alive mate?" Siggy asked in an exhausted voice.

"Uuuugh, somewhat."

"Keep it that way. Aughhh." he held his jaw trying to see if everything was still in place. Luckily he was still in one piece.

The upper district kids were looking their way, unsure as to what they should do until Newin pulled a blade from his pocket. Making them worry that things might escalate even further.

"Oi, this bastard pulled a knife. What do we do?" Sig asked.

"I don’t know, we should prob-"

"I know you wanted to handle this yourself young master, but I believe this has escalated a bit too far. Allow me to handle this.

A man briskly walked out of the alley the 4 previously emerged from. His armour was well-worn but a bit tacky in places.

"Oh fuck!"

"We have to get out of here!"

The man appeared in front of the boys and prepared to strike them but was stopped by a click next to his temple.

"Doncha think you’ve outworn your welcome in this part of town?"

Even though he did not see the face of the man, the voice was unmistakable. It was Zevran holding a flintlock pistol to the man’s head, ready to blow his head off at the slightest hint of aggression.

"C-come now. Are you willing to kill a man over a children’s scuffle?"

He pressed the weapon even further to his temple.

"I am willin’ to kill a man if he poured me shite ale. Whatcha think is gonna happen to someone making a fuss with our kids, in our territory?"

The merc broke out in cold sweat and slowly raised his hand.

"Now, I am gonna ask you, real polite like. And you will respond, just as polite. Take your stinking brats out of our turf, and if I catch them here again, you will be the one I kill. Understood?"

"Y-yes!"

"Good, now piss off and no sudden moves. We are watching you."

The man gathered up the bruised-up kids and slinked his way back to where he came from as Newin looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel.

"Ah, that’s better, even the air was cleaner."

‘Still smells like shit here, but I get where he is coming from.’

"Gotta say though fellas, I’m impressed, despite them being greener than grass that was a four against two and you still came out on top. Was right to keep my eye on you."

"T-thanks, but why did you help us? We’re just a pair of street rats."

"Betw’en this new Church taking root and our people bein’ pushed to live like caged animals, we only have each other to rely on. Course, that alone ain’t ‘nough, well wishes and the like will only get you so far and most don’t have what it takes. But you two, I see potential in you."

They didn’t know how to respond and just kept listening attentively.

"T’is why I would like to offer you an invitation."

He handed two of them each a pendant seemingly normal on the outside.

"Just press this button right here and…"

As soon as he pressed it, the pendant turned into one bearing the logo of The Blackthorns.

"When you feel like you have what it takes, come to a buildin’ bearin’ our mark. Someone will be there to guide ya to us. Needless to say, it would make you an associate of ours, so don’t go wavin’ that thing round in public or you will not like the consequences."

The two of them nodded. There is no way they would be stupid enough to cross the Syndicate.

"Good, well then, it’s been a pleasure to make your acquaintance but I must go. With luck, I hope to see you in the future."

He walked off and as swiftly as he appeared, he vanished into the dingy streets of the lower district without a trace leaving Siggy and Triss on their own.

"Did…did we just get scouted by the Syndicate?"

"I… I think so."

Overwhelmed by the events of the afternoon, they lost power in their legs and fell on the muddy ground to grasp what exactly happened to them.