Chapter 57
From the Rock Bottom
Having lit a fire within Lexton, Erin and the others were now following the kobold, as he was getting started on building back their finances. All of them were wondering just what type of a plan Lexton had on his mind this time.
“So, Lex, what exactly are you thinking about doing?” Erin decided to ask. “Are we going to head outside the town and hunt monsters in order to turn them into those potions we were selling back in Moonstone?”
“While that wouldn’t be too bad of an idea, we’re going to have to pass on that,” Lexton answered. “Not only would we have to struggle to find all the ingredients for them, but this isn’t exactly the right market for that. The reason why the medicine sold well back in Moonstone is because it was full of regular working people with normal issues. This place is an entertainment center that is directed to the super wealthy. If you try selling common medicine around here, at best you’ll get laughed at.”
“So what are we going to be selling here then? Those golems of yours?” Ryle asked, causing the kobold to visibly wince, like he was struck with sudden pain.
“...I’d prefer it if you didn’t remind me of them right now,” Lexton said in a slightly solemn tone. “Those things are my greatest masterpiece and I have nowhere near the tools necessary to make anything even remotely similar.”
“So what exactly are we going to be doing then?” Erin asked. “I doubt we can make any kind of luxury items for these people.”
“On the contrary, my friend. That’s exactly what we are going to be making,” the kobold replied with a smile. “It’s just not the type of things on your mind right now.”
“Huh? If we’re not selling medicine, then what exactly are we going to be selling?” the redhead asked. “I mean, aren’t you kind of limited with what you can make?”
“In terms of materials, yes. However, one thing that I am not limited with is something that no businessman can do without,” Lexton answered. “And that, my friends, is imagination.
“Umm… Okay?” Erin said, not understanding what her friend was getting at. “What exactly does that mean?”
The redhead felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. She turned to look behind her and saw Ryle staring at her with a deadpan look on her face.
“Don’t you get it? He’s obviously thinking about doing another scam or something,” the blonde explained. “That’s why materials aren’t that big of an issue for him, as he can just get cheap trash to make whatever he needs.”
“What!?” Erin squeaked before glaring at Lexton. “Lex! You’re not seriously thinking of doing that, are you!?”
“That depends,” the kobold said with a shrug. “I mean, am I really scamming people, if they actually believe that the stuff they get from me are legit?”
The redhead wanted to argue and complain, but Ryle simply looked at her and shook her head, telling her that it was no use. With the argument over and done, Erin could only let out a deep sigh as she continued to follow the kobold. She just hoped that they wouldn’t be getting into too much trouble from whatever Lexton was planning.
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It didn’t take long for the group to get the tools that Lexon needed for them to start their new business venture. However, what was surprising to Erin and the others was that the kobold didn’t seem to buy any tools for making things like weapons or medicine. In fact, the tools he bought seemed to be far different from what he would normally use, as he got himself brushes, different colors of paint and small carving tools.
“Lex, what exactly are you planning?” Erin asked, somewhat worried over what her friend might have in mind. “I don’t mean to be picky or anything like that, but these don’t seem like the type of tools that you’d usually use.”
“That’s quite observant of you. And true. I normally wouldn’t use tools like these for the type of work I do,” Lexton answered. “However, when times are tough, one needs to look for different ways to survive. And that is what we are going to be doing.”
“So what kind of a scam are you running now?” Ryle asked bluntly. “It’s obvious to all of us that you aren’t going to be doing anything legal, so why don’t you just come out and say what it is?”
“...You know, for people who have committed murder, you have an awfully strict moral compass,” the kobold said. “As for what WE are going to do is sell some very expensive antiques.”
Erin, Ryle and Arkay looked at each other in confusion, before turning their attention back to Lexton. One look into his eyes told them that the kobold was completely serious.
“How are we supposed to do that, Lex?” Erin asked. “We don’t have anything like that on our hands.”
“That is correct. We don’t have any antiques on us at the moment,” Lexton said. “That’s why we are going to be making some for us to sell.”
“Uhhh… Are you sure you’re right in the head, Lex?” Ryle asked. “Aren’t antiques supposed to be like… really old? If we make something, doesn’t that make it new instead of old?”
“Clearly you are the brightest of minds in our world,” Lexton said sarcastically with a sigh. “That isn’t what I’m talking about at all. What I mean is that we are going to make things look like antiques. I’m sure Arnie has already figured out what I’m getting at.”
Erin and Ryle both turned to look at Arkay, whose eyes had gone wide with realization.
“Lex is planning to make forgeries of antique items,” the cat boy explained. “He’s most likely going to buy cheap junk at some small corner store that he is then going to make look like an actual antique with the tools we got for him.”
“What the-!? Lex!” Erin called out to the kobold with a shocked expression on her face. “Is this true!? You’re really going to make fake antiques!?”
“I would really appreciate it if you didn’t shout my plans so that the whole neighborhood hears them,” Lexton said with a frustrated sigh. “But yes. That is essentially what I am going to have us do. I’ve done it before and it’s a pretty good way to make money.”
“And this isn’t going to come back to bite us because of what exactly?” Ryle asked with a raised eyebrow. “I know you had a system for selling fake bottles of those golems of yours, but how are you going to convince people to buy faked antiques? I mean, can’t people tell if it’s a real one or not?”
“Perhaps not. I think I’m seeing how Lex’s plan works,” Arkay said, getting the attention of the others. “Antiques and pieces of art are mostly bought as symbols of status. It’s not about them liking it or anything sentimental like that. A lot of people that buy them simply want to flaunt their wealth by showing something expensive they were able to buy. I probably don’t need to point out that a lot of people in this town fall into that category. Add the fact that a good amount of them are riding the high of winning big in games of chance and they will probably jump at the chance to buy something to show off to their friends.”
“Arnie, you are exactly correct! I knew you would be the one to realize the true beauty of my plan!” Lexton said happily as he put an arm around the cat boy’s shoulders. “You know, I’m sure you’d make into a great con artist, like yours truly! Maybe I can teach you a few tricks?”
“That’s… quite the compliment. Thank you,” Arkay said a bit awkwardly. “But doesn’t this plan carry a huge risk? If we get found out, I doubt we’ll get to walk away with just a stern talking. I fear that we might end up joining the unfortunate souls we saw outside the town.”
“Don’t worry about it! Remember, you’re with me, right?” the kobold said confidently. “I’m a master of scamming people. As long as you follow my instructions, you’ve got nothing to worry about!”
The brotherly interaction between Arkay and Lexton was suddenly cut short, as Ryle pulled the kobold away from the cat boy, not liking just how close the two were. She then pulled Arkay closer towards herself in a protective manner, like she was trying to shield him from Lexton.
“Don’t you dare try putting Arnie on the wrong path here!” the blonde said angrily as she kept holding the cat boy. “He’s got a much better future ahead of him than being your pupil!”
“I swear, you’ve got some very screwed up morals,” Lexton muttered. “Anyways, since we are all on the same page as to what we’re going to do, I suggest we go and buy ourselves some junk we can turn into valuable antiques! We also need to pick a few other things along the way as well…”
Erin let out a deep sigh. While she was glad that they had a way to earn money for their travels, she wasn’t exactly fond of the method they were going to use. She only hoped that things wouldn’t end up too badly.
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After a few other purchases and some work, the group’s new “antique business” was set up and ready to go. They had gone to a few places, like pawn shops and a back alley flea market to buy the products they would be selling. Once they had bought these things, Lexton used his new tools to make them look older and more withered, giving them a look of antiquity. He also put some fake signatures and other such things to make them look more legit. In a few moments, they had a whole catalog of paintings, sculptures and other art pieces that they were now selling as antiques for the people in the town.
The whole operation was simple, yet almost genius in a way. The way the group was going to sell their items was by pretending to be a black market shop for rare art pieces that were either stolen or acquired through other such manners. Their actual shop was located in an abandoned warehouse, which served multiple purposes. For one, it was away from the bustle of the town, thus limiting the amount of prying eyes that might come about. Another one was that it gave their facade of being an illegal shop some credibility. The town might run on gambling that was being kept alive by individuals of less than legal activity, but no one was dumb enough to talk about such things out in the open. Lastly, if there were any issues with customers, they could be dealt with without drawing too much attention, although they hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
Each member was given a role to play in order to keep up the fact. While most were expecting Lexton to act as the store owner, he was actually going to play the part of a lowly servant dressed in ragged robes. His job was to find potential customers and coax them into coming to their store and see what they had to offer. This was due to the fact that prejudice towards kobolds was still prevalent in this town, so him taking on the role of store owner would drive away customers. As much as he hated to admit it, he would have to pass the role of shop owner to Erin instead.
The redhead was given the task of being the owner of the shop, as the others were unsuited for the role. She was acting as a seller of stolen goods with ties to numerous criminal groups. Lexton had even provided her with terms and names that she could use to make her act more believable. The biggest issue was that she wasn’t exactly familiar with the world’s antiques and works of art, but Lexton had luckily seen to that as well. By giving her a small notebook, she could read up on whatever they were offering in order to keep the act strong. Her outfit consisted of a black suit, along with a scarf and a fedora. She also had her hair swept back and an eye patch to cover her lost eye.
Ryle took in the role of the bodyguard by standing next to Erin and looking menacing. Much like the redhead, the blonde’s hair was swept back and she was given a gray suit with shades to make her look like an actual criminal group enforcer. While she didn’t have any speaking roles, she was tasked with keeping an eye on their customers and to be ready in case there were any issues.
Since all the necessary roles had been fulfilled, Arkay was given the role of a servant that was closer to a slave. While the slave trade was technically illegal, a lot of people with influence and power could purchase people for themselves to do as they pleased. This helped keep up the image of Erin’s character, as people in their line of business often had such servants around them. Arkay also didn’t really get to speak in his position, as he was mostly just there to sell the illusion that Erin was truly a black market merchant. He did help Lexton in getting the items that their customers were looking for. The cat boy’s outfit consisted of a suit fitting for a butler, except it had been modified to be more “pleasing to the eyes” so to speak. While nothing too risky, as the others didn’t want their youngest member to feel too uncomfortable, it was still obviously designed with a certain aesthetic in mind.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
To top it all off, each of the members were tasked with acting out their roles. While this meant for Ryle to stay as silent and stoic as possible, the others had to put a bit more effort into their roles. Lexton would speak with an accent and a manner that was common among some of the less fortunate people in society, which gave an image of an uneducated individual. Arkay would act all meek and frightened, especially towards Erin. The redhead had to play the part of a confident businesswoman, along with using certain terms and mannerisms to convey a more shady background.
The way the group operated was that Lexton would go and find suitable targets to sell their products to. He would then approach them and try to convince them to follow him to the warehouse, where Erin would play her part and seal the deal.
In just a couple of days, the group had managed to use this method to sell almost all of their merchandise, earning a huge profit along the way. Erin hated to admit it, but Lexton’s scam was working miraculously. She jusy hoped that it wouldn’t backfire on them.
At the moment, they had just managed to sell a painting supposedly made by an accomplished artist. This was obviously a lie, as the signature was a fake and it was essentially the work of an amateur artist. However, thanks to the play they acted out, the customer bought into their scam and purchased it nonetheless.
“Yus, soor! Thenk ya ver much!” Lexton said in his faked accent, as their latest customer walked out of the warehouse. Once they were far enough, the kobold allowed his act to finally drop. “Ugh… I hate doing this voice. It’s like I’m some sort of a cartoon character.”
“Hey, you’re the one who came up with the characters here, so don’t complain!” Ryle shouted. “Besides, you at least get to talk! I only get to stand here and stay quiet!”
“If only you would stay that way…”
“What was that!?”
“Lex, don’t you think we’ve earned more than enough already?” Erin decided to ask, cutting short the argument that was about to start. “Some of these people have paid us far more than we imagined, so we are no longer really hurting for money.”
“While we have the money we need, why stop now?” Lexton asked with a smirk. “The thing about money is that you can never have too much, so I’d say we keep going until all our products are sold!”
“I get what you’re saying, but this is seriously risky business!” the redhead tried to argue. “Every time we do this, we take a chance of getting caught! Wouldn’t it be smarter to just quit while we’re ahead?”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic! We’ve been doing perfectly fine so far, so I see no reason as to why we should even think about stopping!” the kobold said happily as he began to leave. “I’ll go find us another customer! You guys get ready to play your parts!”
As Lexton left, Erin couldn’t help but get a bad feeling about this. For some reason, she felt like things were going to turn for the worse really soon.
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Meanwhile with Lexton, the kobold was hiding in the alleys, hoping to spot a potential target that they could scam with their fake antiques. He eventually found the perfect person for his needs. It was a very wealthy-looking young woman who seemed to be very fond of flaunting her wealth. These types of people would pay handsomely pretty much for the opportunity to buy something expensive to show their friends.
With a smile on his face, Lexton got his act ready as he quickly skipped over to the wealthy lady. It was showtime.
“Excuuses me, maam!” the kobold called out to the wealthy woman, who turned around to look at him. Her nose immediately wrinkled a bit in disgust at the sight of Lexton, but he ignored it in order to keep up the act. “Ya seems ta be be’er of then mos of us fellers har, ain’t ya? Wul ya be intaresed in sum finner stuff?”
“I might… Depends on what you mean by “finner stuff” that is,” the wealthy woman said. “Are we talking about something really valuable or-?”
“Ah yus! Ah yus! Only tha finnest o stuff me boss has! Yus!” Lexton replied enthusiastically, cutting off the potential customer. “Ya see, me boss, she hav tha bestest o best stuff aruund! Picters made by tha finnest o artsmen! Ol an bootiful stuff o all kin, like fancee jars an such! Ya wan sumthin noice, ya gotta see wha me boss hav! Yus!”
“Really now?” the wealthy woman said with a raised eyebrow, as she began to take interest in what the kobold was saying. “This boss of yours, she wouldn’t happen to have any pictures done by the great Giorea Pevello?”
Lexton had to hold back the smile that almost spread over his face. He knew for certain that they had a bunch of paintings with that name on them. Not because the artist himself had put his name on them, of course.
“Ah yus! Ah yus! Me be surtain tha me boss hav sumthin o tha kind!” the kobold said excitedly. “Follo me an ya get to see fer yaself!”
With that, Lexton began to lead their next customer to where the rest of the group was waiting, never realizing that they were being followed by someone.
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It didn’t take long until the kobold had led the wealthy woman to the warehouse, where the others were ready to put on their act. Lexton let their newest customer walk inside first, before quickly making his way to Erin.
“See? See, boss? Me gots ya a nu customer!” the kobold said, keeping up the act. “Ya see ho usful me am?”
“Good work,” Erin replied with a smile, putting on her act. “Wait until I call for you again. I’ll see if I can offer something for our esteemed guest here.”
Lexton nodded and walked to the side, letting the others do their business in peace. Erin turned her attention to the new customer and prepared herself to do some business. She was currently sitting at a simple table with two chairs set up on it. This was the spot where they made their deals, while their fake antiques were stored up deeper into the abandoned warehouse behind her.
“Hello there, my good lady! The name’s Gina Lovesung and I love making good deals!” the redhead said, introducing herself by getting into her character. She also beckoned for their guest to take sit at the empty seat across from herself. “I’ve got some really nice stuff that everybody would love to have! Mind telling me what you might be looking for?”
“...Good day. My name is Grazia and I am looking for paintings by Giorea Pevello,” the wealthy woman introduced herself. “You wouldn’t happen to have any?”
“Giorea Pevello, you say?” Erin said as she glanced at Lexton, who gave a simple nod in response. “Ah, yes! We should have one of those! Dion!”
Upon hearing his fake name called, Arkay walked up to Erin and gave her a respectful bow.
“Dion, would you mind being a sweetie and go help Speck bring the painting our dear customer is interested in?” the redhead asked, keeping up the act. The cat boy nodded without saying a word in response. “Good boy. Now, go bring the painting here, would you?”
Both Arkay and Lexton left to get the requested item, leaving Erin and Ryle alone with Grazia. The wealthy woman had been eyeing the cat boy ever since he walked up to them. Once he had left, she turned her attention from the servant to the merchant and smiled.
“You know, even if you don’t have anything in your stock that I would like to buy, I wouldn’t mind paying for that adorable little kitty you’ve got there,” Grazia said with a smile. “I’m sure we could strike a very good deal.”
Erin could hear Ryle grit her teeth as she tried to hold back her anger. Truth be told, the redhead herself was also quite furious at the wealthy woman’s suggestion, especially when you considered what it implied. However, she knew that she needed to focus on her job and that letting anger get the best of her would only make things worse.
“Oh, I see you’ve got an eye for quality, my good lady!” Erin said with a fake laugh. “I’m afraid to say that Dion is not for sale, though! He’s just too precious for me to let go of!”
“Are you sure? I do have quite a bit of money to offer for him,” Grazia asked. “I would love to have him attend to me in more than one way.”
The redhead had to ball up her hands into fists as tightly as possible in order to stop her from jumping over the table and strangling the woman before her. Ryle also had to turn her face away from them, as her anger was rising.
“Trust me, I know better than anyone else just how good he is,” Erin replied with a forced smile, just barely managing to hold back her anger. “Without him, my operations would suffer greatly.”
“Is that so? How unfortunate,” Grazia said with a disappointed sigh. “Oh well. Maybe I’ll take a look at the “servant market” and see if I can find anyone like him. I could use a new one after the previous one went out of commission.”
Erin was honestly surprised by the fact that she and Ryle had managed to hold back their anger at that point. She really needed to close this deal and fast, before either of them did anything rash.
Almost as if on cue, Arkay and Lexton came back with the painting that they were going to sell. The redhead had to hold back a relieved sigh from escaping her lips, as it could have blown their act.
“Good work, Dion. This is exactly what our esteemed guest is looking for,” Erin said with a smile, checking out the painting that had the forged signature on it. She then gently ruffled Arkay’s hair a bit as a show of gratitude. “You can step back now and let me handle the rest. Okay?”
The cat boy simply gave a slightly confused nod in response, unsure as to why he was being sent away. Little did he know that the redhead wanted to avoid giving Grazia anymore ideas that would push her and Ryle over the edge.
With Arkay out of harm’s way, Erin turned her attention to their customer and smiled.
“Here’s the painting that I told you about,” the redhead said with a smile as she handed the faked piece of art to Grazia. “If you look closely, you can see the painter’s signature in the corner. I can guarantee that this is an authentic piece of work.”
The painting was nothing but an amateurish attempt at a portrait. In all honesty, no one in the group was even sure whether it was supposed to be a person or something else. However, thanks to Lexton doing some touching up, along with the faked signature, the amateur picture was now a piece of art made by a famous painter. The kobold had even been careful enough to only select items that he knew could be forged into convincing fakes by taking into account things like artistic styles of certain artists and so on. His life of scamming people had given him plenty of experience in this type of work.
“Hmmm… It does look legitimate,” Grazia said thoughtfully. “It does seem a bit… crude when compared to some of Pevello’s other works. I assume that this is one of his earlier pieces?”
“What good eyes you have! Yes indeed! This is one of the earliest works of the great Pevello!” Erin said as she secretly looked at her notebook that Lexton had written instructions as to how sell their items. “It was originally supposed to be in his first exhibition, but being the passionate man that he was, Pevello refused to let it be shown! He considered it a failure, even though I’m certain that you can tell as well as myself that this is the furthest from failure!”
The wealthy woman nodded in response as she kept inspecting the picture. After a moment of silence, she looked up from the picture and said something that confused Erin and her group.
“I do have to admit that I am very interested in it,” Grazia said. “However, I think I’m going to have to ask for my companion to look it over first, before I make any actual purchase.”
“Your companion?” Erin asked. She looked at her friends and saw that they were just as confused as she was. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but are you going to call for someone? If it’s going to take too long for them to come here, I’m afraid that-”
“Oh, no need to worry about that! In fact, he should be right outside,” the wealthy woman said, before looking behind her where she had entered the warehouse. “Durge! Would you mind and come here!?”
At that moment, the door opened and a large orc walked inside. His body was very tall and muscular, making him look like a giant. He had black hair that reached his chin and dark gray skin. His clothing consisted of a simple white sleeveless shirt, black cargo pants and combat boots. He also had tape wrapped around his hands and forearms, along with a red cloak draped over his shoulders. There were two tusks poking out from his lower jaw, which had a couple of scars over it. As for a weapon, he was carrying what seemed like a gigantic warhammer on his back.
Erin and her group were shocked by this new arrival, as he not only looked to be someone incredibly strong, but he had gone completely unnoticed so far. However, the one who was in the biggest shock of them all was Ryle, who had actually turned pale upon seeing the orc.
“Let me introduce you to Durge Knocks. He is my personal bodyguard assigned to me by my father. He follows me in the background while I go about my day,” Grazia said, introducing the newcomer. “He is a bit of an uncultured brute, but he does come in hand quite a bit.”
“Uncultured? If I am so uncultured, then why are you having me look over a painting you’re planning to buy?” Durge asked in a deadpan tone with a bored look on his face, obviously not happy with his job. “Also, haven’t you been shopping quite enough already? I’m sure “daddy” won’t like it when his “princess” goes over the budget.”
“T-That is none of your concern!” Grazia said with an embarrassed blush on her face. “Just look over the painting and make sure it’s authentic.”
“Whatever you say, princess…”
As Durge was looking over the painting, Erin turned to Lexton to whisper to him without their guests noticing.
“You were followed!?” How!?” the redhead whispered. “That guy is built like a truck! How could someone like that stay hidden!?”
“Hey, I’m just as shocked as you are!” the kobold whispered back. “I had no idea that there was anyone following behind me! Let alone someone like him!”
Durge was finally done with inspecting the picture and turned his attention to the “merchants” before him.
“Oh yeah. It’s authentic alright,” the orc said.
Erin and the others felt relief and excitement take over them. For a moment, they had been worried that this newcomer might see through them.
“An authentic piece of crap, that is,” Durge said as he crushed the painting with his bare hands without any effort, shocking Erin’s group.
“What the-!? Why the hell did you do that!?” Erin yelled angrily. “That was an authentic piece done by Giorea Pevello himself! You better have the money to pay for that!”
“Oh please… That thing wasn’t even worth wiping my ass with,” the orc said as he rolled his eyes. “It was obviously a fake. For starters, Pevello used only specific types of paint in his paintings. The quality of the paint in this one is completely different. Pevello is also known for his darker themes in his works that twist a person’s body in nightmarish ways. This is obviously just an amateur artist trying to paint a person. Lastly, Pevello puts two signatures on his works. One in the corner where it’s visible and another hidden somewhere in the picture itself.”
“...You gotta be freaking kidding me. A cultured thug?” Lexton said in shock. “Now I’ve seen everything…”
“What the hell happened to your accent?” Grazia asked, looking at the kobold.
“So, since you guys are obviously nothing but a bunch of con artists, I believe now is a good time for you to beg for forgiveness,” Durge stated, looking over the group of scammers before him. “Not that it will help you out all that much.”
image [https://i.ibb.co/R27Vj1g/Ch-57-Pic-1.jpg]
With their cover blown, Erin looked over her friends and the two people before her while judging the situation in her mind. Should they run? Should they fight? They did have the advantage in numbers, so they should be able to win. Especially when Grazia didn’t seem to be a fighter at all.
“Seems the act is over,” the redhead said, before turning her attention to Ryle. “What do you think, Ryle? Should we take them on?”
Erin was fully expecting her blonde friend to be more than willing to start swinging. Not only did she have quite the aggressive personality, but Grazia’s comments had angered her quite a bit. So it was quite a shock for the redhead to hear her response.
“...We should run,” Ryle answered meekly.
“...Huh?” was all Erin could say in response to the unexpected reply.
Without giving anybody a moment to react, Ryle suddenly flipped the table towards Grazia and Durge. While the wealthy woman was quite shocked and caught off-guard by this, the orc wasn’t shaken in the least, as he simply shattered the oncoming piece of furniture with a single punch, leaving himself and Grazia unharmed.
However, while the table might have failed to hit its targets, it bought Erin enough time to take out a smoke bomb and throw it between the two sides. The cloud of smoke blinded Durge and Grazia momentarily, allowing the redhead’s group to run away.
“Durge, you idiot! How could you let them escape!?” Grazia yelled angrily while coughing from the smoke. “We can’t just let them make a fool out of me and get away with it!”
“As if making a fool out of you is difficult,” Durge muttered to himself so that the wealthy woman wouldn’t hear. “Don’t worry. I took precautions while following you.”
Meanwhile, Erin and her group were running for their lives out of the warehouse. They had been lucky enough to grab their belongings, along with the money they had made so far, during the chaos caused by the smoke.
“What’s up with you, Ryle!?” Erin asked as they were heading to the exit. “You’re the one who is always ready to start a fight, yet now you’re suddenly the one who wants to run! How did this happen!?”
“Trust me! If you knew what I knew, you would have ran way before I even suggested it!” the blonde answered.
“Enough chatting you two! Whatever it is that got the idiot scared doesn’t matter right now!” Lexton shouted. “What we need to focus on right now is getting the hell out of here! Once we’re outside, we need to split up and meet close to the town’s entrance later!”
The group finally made it outside, but were forced to stop in their tracks. An army of mobsters, all visibly armed, was surrounding the warehouse. There was simply no place to run.
“Now, since you guys like to make deals, how about this? You all surrender right now and none of you die,” Durge said as he walked up to the group. “It’s a crappy deal, but so were the stuff you were trying to get us to buy.”
“...Goddammit! Why didn’t we quit while we were ahead!?” Lexton cursed. “We had made more than enough already, yet we had to bring in one more customer! Whose idea was that anyways!?”
The others turned to glare at the kobold, who wisely decided to stay quiet after that.
image [https://i.ibb.co/fNVTSLQ/Ch-57-Pic-2.jpg]