"Fuck" Duke groans, hurling his body up and against the wall, beside him is Darwin who's smoking a cigarette, Tobi and Lino lay against the wall still unconscious,

"You're awake" Darwin comments in-between draws,

"No shit" Duke quips,

"I'm surprised, i thought he'd be up first" Darwin motions to Tobi, "Well..." He draws, "He did take a hit to the skull",

"He's gone" Duke states,

"Who?, Jhon?" Darwin replies, Duke ignores him staring with exasperation towards the ceiling,

"Do you want to see him?" Darwin inquires,

"Jhon?" Duke questions,

"Corinth" Darwin replies.

Duke staggers after Darwin as he leads the way through an underground stair way located beneath the parking lot, the entrance had been hidden by camo painting to resemble the several cautioned and dermacated parking spaces, the two had descended for several seconds and a minute on when Darwin's legs finally find still, Duke steps foward examining the sight before him, an old cage surrounded by close walls just behind the cage, the walls stop away from the hexagons last three sides entrance included, dried to print on the walls and floor is blood, the stench having permeated the structure itself,

(This... It's a stage, a fighting pit) Duke mules,

"This way" Darwin calls standing beside a concrete wall, he pulls out a card and a second later a beep and a dull click, a door slides open,

(Another optical camouflage illusion) Duke mules, he staggers his way past Darwin clutching his side subconsciously, a sharp wince prompts him to ease the pressure applied, before him is a desolate brick room, at the far end are a pair of chain cuffs several feet apart, just under the chains wall hold are tally marks, four vertical scratches and one diagonal across, all clustered in close bundles, even more concerning are the names inscribed in dried blood, the names of hundreds of DEALERS members, the names of those he called family,

"He's here" Duke states,

"Was here" Darwin replies,

"Was?!, Where's he now?" Duke questions,

"Take a guess" Darwin replies with a dead eyed stare,

"It really doesn't matter does it, war is a certainty",

"Jenga" Darwin replies,

"Jenga?",

"Jenga, workers, the same thing, take the head and..." Darwin states,

"The castle crumbles" Duke replies with a determined glean,

"The longer it takes the worse it'll become" Darwin states criptically,

"What do you mean?" Duke questions,

"He's being pumped full of drugs, he does even remember who i am, barely remembers who you are" Darwin replies,

"What the hell did MERCHANTS do!"

"DUKE!!!" Darwin shouts, "You want to save him don't you?!, Don't you!!!, We do this wrong and he's a dead man, up next, the second affiliate, you want Corinth i'll help you, in return you help me become king" Darwin replies as the two's gazes clash, "Duke Wade, what do you say?, Do we have a deal?" Darwin grins maniacally.

Raven exits his apartment with measured paranoid steps, in his jackets inner pocket is evidence he needed to hand to young, evidence he was almost certain Hide and his dogs would be after him to recover, Ivy's spiked cookies, Raven pulls his cell out as he walks briskly down the street,

"This better be important" Young's head of security states,

"I have something you'll definitely be interested in" Raven replies, just after he drops another call comes through, this time an unknown number, resisting the urge to ignore he picks the call, the voice on the other side recognizable,

"Raven Voss" the voice calls,

"Kevin Volt" Raven replies,

"I've been keeping up with your work, i'll be with you to give you the first part of your reward soon, keep it up kid, and remember tell no one" KV states before cutting the line. A smirk blooms on Ravens face as he makes his way to Young with haste,

(Soon Hide, very soon, one way or another i'll get my answers, all of them!)

{Agreed} Silver chips.

Jeremy examines the seemingly normal cookie with an inquisitive gaze, a sniff from his experienced and enhanced senses and he can tell,

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

(Just this would knock a normal person out for several hours) he ponders biting into a piece,

"So what exactly can we do with this?" Raven questions, Jeremy claps his hands resting his chin on them as he takes a contemplative position,

"Nothing" he replies,

"What?!" Raven bellows, "what do you mean nothing?!"

"I'm trying to take down the four crews Merchants included, what i'm not interested in is going to war with Ivy's father" he replies calmly, "If the hidden head of MERCHANTS is any bit as smart as you make him out to be he'll send those two back with Ivy unharmed" he concludes, "Nevertheless, you've done some very impressive work" he states snapping his thumb as the security chief comes up beside him with a black suit case full cash, "This is yours, two affiliates down two to go, i'll leave the matter in your care" Jeremy concludes.

Ivy pushes Lingyun who's wheelchair bound along the bamboo tree enclosed path, at the end of the seemingly endless path is a small bungalow, the serene silence permeating the surroundings, until a voice speaking just as serene did,

"Lingyun, i've said it once before and i'll say it now again, I love you" she states beaming him a smile, "I know dad won't let us be together, but i'm sure as long as i show him how much we care about each other he'll...."

"I love you too" Lingyun replies, Ivy's heart palpitates as she rushes into the house with a blush,

"Wait!, Let me get my phone!", Once she steps pass the doors a shilouette shrouded past the bamboo sticks blurs forward,

"Thank you" Lingyun states, "for letting me say goodbye" he concludes,

"Those born from gods must be with those of the same, how could you ever hope to be with her?" The male shilouette in a lions mask speaks, "Let's be gone", A minute latter Ivy runs out to find an empty pathway with both Lingyun and the wheel chair gone,

"Lingyun?, Lingyun!!!" She calls as she sprints down the path, and after several minutes of sprinting her sweat drenched frame drops to knees,

"LINGYUN!!!", She screams at the sight of a mutilated and dismembered body, the frame male, the build similar, but the body far too ruined to discern, and despite her wails she chose to believe, whether by a product of heart of substance that was for non to know.

"What's this?" Nathan questions pulling apart the mailed letter, the envelop is pure black on the arrows head a golden stamp, Warden and Elaine come up behind him both looking at the letter with obvious curiousity,

"This..." Nathan pause unable to articulate himself further, the face of two to his side morph into varrying expressions, Elaine's settling on shock Wardens settling on anger, written on the card Nathan had open was a simple invitation,

'An invitation to hostel's children from everyone's friend and daddy Oren Wayne!',

"I'm going to find who sent this and kill em" Warden flared with widening eyes,

(Whoever sent this knows exactly what to say to get us to go, question is...is this a legit?, Or is this a trap?) Elaine ponders, (little matter, we'll be going either way!) She concludes.

A day runs buy and before the building which Oren breathed his last is where Nathan and co stand, the though of their friends name being used in such a way rouses anger in the group, nevertheless Nathan Elaine and Warden step into the building, simbolic to their geographical placement to the east is a small sign with seats stationed, in time Duke and his Dealers, Cerberus himself and a brown skinned five nine hulk of a human, a diminutive teen in a white face cap and a similar heighted teen of five six sporting glasses standing at their center steps out of the door placed south,

on his face is a killing smile, behind them follows Darwin's muscled frame in his typical all black suit and shirt get up,

"Let me introduce my friend here, Cain" he signals to the huge afro haired black teen, "oh how rude of me, i'm the one few of you here know as the chairman and head of MERCHANTS, Dexter Webb" he states with a beaming smile, Darwin smirks,

(Look at this bastard, sowing distrust between the three with such calculated ease),

"Now!, Welcome to the Conference of Crews!"