After entering East Borough Hector took off leash from Simar but kept one on Gorm. After which he said to Simar to stay close. It would test Simar on how good he is at following his orders and exploring new environments.

Then in one of the alleys, Hector opened his suitcase and took out a human skin suit, which he then put on himself. With this disguise, he could be more careless.

After some time he arrived at his destination. The building's weathered facade bore the scars of time and neglect. Patches of paint here and there had faded to a muted shade of gray, and the wooden beams supporting the roof displayed signs of decay. Cracked windows allowed brief glimpses of the interior, hidden in dimly lit shadows.

When he got to the entrance Hector pulled at the door opening them without any hindrance. "No lock?" Hector said to himself and entered the building.

Upon entering, Hector's senses were assaulted by a mixture of scents, some familiar and comforting, while others hinted at a life of struggle. The air was tinged with the stench of sweat and piss. Still holding Gorm's leash he ordered Simar to stay and gave the leash to him.

The room was sparsely furnished, with mismatched chairs and tables arranged around a central hearth. A threadbare rug covered the wooden floor, adding a touch of warmth and color to the otherwise pitiful surroundings.

Further up he found a few small rooms. Sleeping quarters were simple, with blankets and makeshift curtains offering privacy. Faded family photographs adorned the walls, reminders of happier times and cherished memories.

"He is not here it seems, well no one is lucky every time," Hector said as he took out cooking oil and looked for the pot. When he found one he poured all of the cooking oil in and put it on fire. "When I am back it should be nicely boiling." Hector then started a fire in the stove and added enough wood for it to last.

Then he turned around and took Gorm's leash as he left the building.

Once he was outside he looked around and walked to a destination where he would hopefully be able to acquire his whereabouts.

"So it is information gathering," Hector said to himself as he started to walk in the direction of the building with a sign that said House of Night.

As he walked Hector looked at the sky which was filled with dark clouds and descending fog, 'What nice weather.' He thought smiling, 'What could be better than the rain that would wash filth from the streets and silence whimpering of locals elderly, and children.'

While he was getting closer to the building Hector walked near the East borough harbor. Its desolate form was a stark contrast to those in different parts of Backlund.

There he could see a few women tearing feathers from chickens, using feathers for pillows, and selling meat. Next to them stood a small blacksmith stall where a big muscular man hammering at metal and forming nails for ship repairs.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

There were even a few ships having their cargo offloaded. Hector could see barrels of various sizes being hammered shut with suspicious content.

Some places were filled with people either walking around stalls or shivering in corners of various buildings.

"Behold the witness." Suddenly Hector heard someone yell from his left.

When he looked he could see five people dressed in black. Four of them were carrying a coffin and one in front was holding the pole with a black cloak on top of it.

'Funeral service?' Hector thought, 'Quiet extravagant for East Borough'. But then he saw a symbol on the cloak. It was the same one that could be seen in a factory that he passed around recently.

'If it was factory owner then that makes more sense.'

"Behold! A good man!" a man with a pole yelled, "Behold a man of his calling!"

"Behold the faithful to Goddeses's deep love for us all." As they were passing Hector saw what he presumed to be a family of descendants walking behind the coffin.

Two children not even ten, woman now widow, and one adolescent teen holding her hand. All wearing black clothes and the widow also wore a black veil.

In a few moments all but a few had passed to different alleys and Hector continued to observe them as they left, after which he continued on his way but not before asking one of the passersby about who that was.

"Them be old Petersons mister." One of the bumbs said for which Hector rewarded him with few pence.

After finally arriving at his destination he saw a big wooden door that had seen better days. When he opened them his sense of smell was assaulted with various tips of incense, combined with sweat, perfumes, and different bodily fluids.

It was one big room that was with the help of curtains divided into many smaller rooms.

As he started to walk forward looking for someone in charge he heard someone yell at him, "Oi! Who are you?,

"If you want a bush, you come through me." When he looked at the source of the voice he saw a woman in her thirties with heavy makeup on her face and a colorful dress with red stripes.

"I'm not looking for company but information about the whereabouts of certain individuals," Hector said indifferently, he understood her offer as this is a brothel. But what he was after right now was a different type of pleasure.

"Are you sure darling we have many options. Do you want a fuck, suck. And you can choose boys or girls, young, old." She spoke with a half smile.

"No just information," Hector said for which he got a sigh from her. "Unfortunate. Who do you look for?"

"A man in his early thirties, he is called Tomy,..."After giving his description Hector waited for her to speak. Hopefully, he was regular at this establishment as many from Street Rats were. While many simply stood at corners of buildings you never know what diseases they carry so brothels are much safer.

"One pound," she said before Hector could object to the price being too much she continued, "I not only know about him but I also know his current location." After she finished her smile grew slightly sinister.

Hector thought about it for a second and then agreed "You have a deal." While it was nothing for him in East Borough one pound was a lot of money. Then he took one pound of paper out of his pocket and gave it to her.

She smiled and spoke "He is here actually. I can take you there if you want, but I must warn you he may be busy." Then her smile faded as she continued, "Whatever business you have with him do it outside and unless you want fun do not bother my staff."

"I shall be most respectful to your employees," Hector said to her as he had no intention of dragging innocent into it. Unless he would be forced to do it and that make them not so innocent any longer so there would be no breaking of promise.

"Just keep to it and we will have no problems," she said with slight sharpness to her words. Hector found her interesting as a person running a brothel who would show protection for her people. While he understood the need to show that she couldn't be pushed there were raw emotions hidden in her eyes that he found surprising.

Hector finally smiled flashing his slightly jagged teeth as spoke, "My word is my oath."