The district controlled by the Flamingos is one of depravity, sex, more sex, and a lot of leather. Also, it’s very colorful. Invitingly so- like a candy store. Except replace the candy with bondage and items to be inserted into bodies.

“Seems like a nice tame place. My guess is It’s probably worse on the insides.”

“I heard it used to be worse before the former [Gang Leader] was killed.”

“Killed?” I ask.

Gino nods. The kid glances at the glass windows and the woman dancing- expecting to see his sister as one of them.

“The story is that the [Gang Leader]- I think her name was Tiffany, was gifted a poisoned dildo.”

That’s… a first.

“What do you know of her replacement?”

“Jonathan is his name, and he lived and worked as a boytoy for the wealthy.”

“So he banged rich women.”

Gino glances at me for a moment but doesn’t explain. “Apparently, he is more competent than Tiffany and is far better liked by the gang.”

“I imagine he has to be, otherwise he too may die in the throes of pleasure.”

Gino nods absentmindedly while his eyes roam for his sister.

I lean forward on his shoulder for a more comfortable position. “Do you think we’ll get an audience? I mean, why would he talk to us anyway?”

“Maybe…”

“Maybe? Really? So we’re going to just ask for an audience and we might be accepted.”

“Y-yea. We could also sneak in.”

I sigh. “Let's just ask. If they say no, then I’ll sneak in. You clearly lack the skills to do it properly.”

“It was a trap,” he counters.

“That you lacked the skill to notice beforehand.” I counter his counter. “And don’t worry, if need be, I can always wage indiscriminate slaughter upon those who deny my superiority.”

Gino sighs and stops. “We’re here.”

In front of us is a building smothered in pink, red, and white. The front of the building are a plethora of naked statues, all illuminated by runed lighting. Past the statues are two [Guards] in leather. They stand at both sides of the door, very non-menacingly. We walked past the statues and stopped before the [Guards].

“Who are you and why are you here?” one [Guard] asks.

“I’m Gino and I’m here to talk to Jonathan about my sister Julia.”

The [Guards] share a look. One enters the building and then returns shortly.

“Jonathan will see you.”

__________________________________________________________________

Jonathan sits behind his desk as all men in power do. And power he has, for that power does not come from sex. Sure, his gang makes good money pleasing the wealthy and making sure their lust is sated. But the real money comes from selling information. You’d be surprised how loose lips can get after a bit of drinking and a lot of fun. That information is then sold to the highest bidder- most especially information in regards to coliseum fights. To nobody’s surprise, these fights aren't purely random.

Whether that is matching fighters whose class counters another or supplying a superior weapon to a combatants makes it possible to bet on a winner with a much higher degree of success. With the upcoming tournament, bets have already begun being placed- both for winners and for losers.

Jonathan fingers a recent bit of information. A bounty on Gino to be defeated early in the tournament. If the kid has a bid placed on him winning, then Jonathan might be willing to take the bidder's money. 500 Trist is going to put a pretty big target on his back, especially so considering winning the first round only pays a hundred trist.

As he shifts a paper to the side, he hears the patter of feet. Turning to the side, he watches as a white cat walks towards him.

“Faelisa, you’re here early.”

The cat's body shifts and grows, morphing from feline to a naked human female barely five feet in height. With milk-chocolate skin and long black hair, the woman seethes towards the desk.

“I was attacked!” she practically growls.

Leaning down, he grabs a bag of clothes and throws it to her. She catches it and begins putting the contents on.

“Generally, you’re usually the one attacking.”

“There was another cat.”

“That you probably egged on.”

“It was a mut- some hybrid I’ve never seen before.”

Jonathan raises an eyebrow. “Sounds like you lost.”

“I wouldn’t be here if I won, you idiot.”

Jonathan, hearing that, leans forward in interest. “What happened? How did you lose.”

“That cat- Quasi was its name. It’s smart, fast, and too fucking strong. Whatever training the [Tamer] gave it must have been skill enhanced. Such a small form shouldn’t be able to overpower me so easily.” Wearing a bra, underwear, and short skirt, Faelisa lays down on a nearby sofa. “I spent far too much mana healing my bones. I’m going to need to rest here a bit.”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“That's fine. I’m guessing Vulturan still has no clue you’re a [Spy]?”

“He shouldn’t unless he can bypass my [Espionage] skill.”

“Nobody in Gladius has the skill to counter [Espionage]. You should be safe.”

Faelisa nods. “Good, because Vulturan already suspects a [Spy]. You should have caught that Gino kid differently.”

Jonathan tsks in annoyance. “Not my fault. Gino should have been caught much earlier, but the kid has a good avoidance skill.”

“Well, now you ge-” Fealia quickly goes silent as the door to the room is knocked. The handle moves and a [Guard] peaks inside.

“There is a Gino here asking to speak with you in regards to his sister, sir. Should I let him in?”

Faelisa and Jonathan share a look. Faelia shrugs. “I was kinda getting beaten into a wall to do my job. So I know nothing if there's a plan.”

“I see… send him in.” Jonathan orders.

The door closes and the [Guard] walks away.

A minute later, the door opens with Gino pushed into his office. On the man's shoulder is a very fluffy cat that looks confused.

“Gino, correct? Please take a seat.” Jonathan points at an empty chair. “Don’t mind my associate. She’s just a bit tired after some strenuous activity.”

Gino complies. He takes a seat. When he does, Quasi hops off his shoulder and lands on the desk. He sits down, sniffs, and then looks directly at the singular annoyed woman in the room.

Jonathan leans into his chair while folding his arms on the table. “I hear you’re he about your sister, correct?”

“I want to buy her freedom.”

Jonathan chuckles. “Her contract, you mean. Unfortunately, a virgin like Julia is a prized piece that sells for quite a bit on the market. She’s also quite pretty and her body is unmarred- something many of my wealthier clients would pay well to rent.”

“How much?”

“More than you can make.” Jonathan answers.

“I’ll have the money by next week. Just give me your price.”

The man leans forward. His elbow shifts on the table to support the hand now on his chin. “Next week? Why not now? Julia’s worth decreases every day that I wait.”

“I’m going to win the tournament and get the money for her.”

Jonathan snorts. “You’re quite something. First you try to steal from me, and now you make promises you can’t keep.”

“I’ll win.”

Jonathan shakes his head. “You won't, nor do I care if you do. But, I’m willing to make a bit of a wager.”

“W-what wager?”

“You ask for a week, so I’ll make sure you get a week. In exchange, you buy your sister from me at an agreed price. If you cannot, then you will sign a contract like your sister.”

“I accept.”

Quasi meows loudly at Gino, who quickly adds: “So long as the price is reasonable.”

“Oh, it is- for someone who wins the tournament. Three hundred thousand Trist or that runed champion armor set for her freedom.”

“T-three hundred? That’s too much! Julia isn’t worth anywhere close to that amount. How about twenty-thousand.”

Jonathan chuckles. He shakes his head. “Making a legal contract costs hundreds of trist per level for a basic classer, a ten-thousands surcharge for an Advanced class and a thousand trist for every advanced level. Julia is a level thirty-three [Versatile Manager] and a level twenty-four [Cook]. Her contract alone cost nearly twenty-three thousand Trist.”

“Then I’ll pay that price.” Gino answers.

The [Gang Leader] stares at Gino for a long moment before realizing the kid is being serious.

“I don’t think you realize the situation you’re in. You want what I have and I don’t need what you offer. But, in fairness, three hundred thousand is more along the lines of maximum market price. So, I’ll lower that to a recent offer I got for her of two hundred and twenty-seven thousand.” He grins predatorily, “and not a trist less.”

Gino gulps at the insane price. The kid knows that winning the whole tournament is very unlikely, but if he can win multiple days and bet all the winnings on himself- then he can get somewhere in the tens of thousands. But hundreds of thousands will require far more than just luck. He’s going to need to level in the tournament- which involves even more risk.

“I accep-”

“-Decline.” Quasi interrupts Gino and causes Jonathan to pause. Both Jonathan and Faelia focus on the smiling cat. “Jonathan, I think you misunderstand the situation here. You’re not the one in control here, that would be me.”

Jonathan frowns, “You’re not a normal cat.”

“Neither is the woman laying on the couch.”

The man continues to frown. “I don’t know what you-”

“Of course you do.” Quasi interrupts again. He sniffs. “Can you smell it, Jonathan? Can you smell the scent of a cat that just so matches one I’d only recently beaten down like the slut she is.”

“Fuck you!” Faelisa curses.

Quasi looks at her with a shit-eating grin. “What’s wrong Tiera? Are you still upset I threw you into a bookcase? I mean, I’d be upset too if I got beaten so badly I had to run away.”

“Shut up.” She growls.

“Quasi, what's happening.”

“Remember that cat I beat up in Valtura’s office?” Quasi raises a paw at Faelisa. “She is that cat and probably the reason why you got caught stealing.”

“Tiera is the [Spy]? The cat is the spy?” Gino asks.

Quasi nods. “Yup. A perfect [Spy] to easily counter another gang. Isn’t that right, Jonathan?”

Jonathan is no longer smiling. He looks pissed, angry even, but is holding himself back. “What do you want?” He asks.

“Jonathan!” She yells in outrage.

“Shut it, Faelisa. You fucked up coming here.”

“She did indeed.” Quasi says. “As for what I wan’t, well, your price is a bit high for the girl. How about lowering it down to, say, the cost of her contract?”

Gino blinks. “Couldn’t we just ask for my sister instead?”

“Of course not,” Quasi answers. “You still tried to steal something and got caught, so your sister becoming a servant is still your fault. You will still need to fork over trist for her release.”

“But this is easier!”

“True, but you’re a brat who did something stupid and you need to deal with the consequences like a man. So accept the new lower price now alongside keeping information about the [Spy] a secret, or I’m going to Vultura right now and telling him about this whole situation. Then you can figure out how to pay off whatever hundreds of thousands of trist Jonathan wants.”

Gino stares at Quasi for a long moment with his mouth open in surprise. Then, like a switch, he bites his lip and nods. “Fine. I’ll accept that.”

Both Gino and Quasi return their attention to Jonathan, who looks like someone just shat a cat-sized turd on his desk.

“I say we kill them before they talk.” Faelisa stands up and rolls her shoulders. Her pupils dilate slightly as though she’s about to transform.

Quasi chuckles. Quasi’s fur bursts into a weak flame, causing both Gino and Jonathan to take a step back. As the flame continues and grows stronger, Quasi’s fur shifts colors until it is a dark blue. “Kill me?” The flaming cat tilts its head while the desk starts sizzling. “I don’t think you realize how dangerous I truly am. I don’t fear your organization. I don’t fear your gang. And I absolutely don’t fear anyone in this room. The only reason why I haven’t resorted to slaughtering your organization is because the effort is beneath me. So,” Quasi shifts his gaze to Jonathan. The man looks ready to run. “Don’t force my hand and instead do the reasonable choice of accepting the deal.”

Jonathan swallows and nods. “I will accept it.”

The flame immediately goes out, leaving a dark-blue fluffy kitten sitting in a scorched circle on the desk. Quasi grins.

“Good choice.”