August 16th 1924

Iscariot City, Nevada

It'd been three years since Julius took over the family. At that time, I'd been carrying out my duties as the Murcielago Family's Underboss. Now, I admit, I never really saw myself in this position before all that craziness happened, but it was the world I lived in now. Aside from missing the people that were no longer with us, life had been alright. Yayoi has been teaching me how to fight using Amatsu, Julian has been passing on his leadership skills, and Yasuo even got me started in the tobacco business. I had my local brand of cigarettes, and I ended up naming Pandora. Trust me, Pandora was very flattered about that. Plus, now I'm just sitting on money, considering the cut of the family's earnings gets kicked up to me.

Though things were going so well, some woes in life still plagued my mind. I'd been searching for Armando but needed to get a lead to his whereabouts. There'd been Beatrix, who disappeared the same night she revealed herself. She only allowed me to tell one person I knew of her involvement. I almost called her bluff one night, but I managed to avoid it. Even though I had no idea where those two were, they could certainly find me wherever I went. I'd get letters from Beatrix every year on my birthday that would burn up when I read its contents. They never said anything more than, "Happy Birthday, my favorite son. Give my regards to the sorceress."

Speaking of which, Pandora has been having the time of her life. Ever since she revealed herself to everyone, she's gotten more freedom to materialize whenever she feels like it. I've never seen someone more enamored with the 20th century than she was, but she was a centuries-old sorceress, so I cut her some slack. We got along much better since our first year together, and she's been the perfect accomplice.

My business would lead me to Iscariot City's Santo Durango district tonight. The district was the Andrades territory, so I had to play nice to avoid a diplomatic incident. It wasn't hard because the Andrade siblings liked me enough, and I never gave them any reason to think I'd cause trouble. The Andrades run an underground fighting ring in an old blind tiger called Los Muertos. There'd still be booze and revelry, but someone was getting their lights punched out. Whenever I was on business, I'd wear one of my father's favorite suits, a black single-breasted with three buttons and the Murcielago logo sewed just below the pocket. Yayoi and Yasuo had finally gotten me into more formal attire, so whenever I wasn't wearing either Father's or Mom's jacket, I wore a white buttoned shirt with black slacks and suspenders. Of course, I always kept Wanda on my person since one could never predict what would happen.

This night was a little rowdier than usual as tonight had a special contender. While searching for Armando, I'd kept in touch with the Andrades since they gave me the okay to bump him off when I found him. Their new boss's terms were "Make sure you carve that traidor up like a pig and hang him by his cajones." It was the new boss who called me to Los Muertos. One of her regular patrons had some info on Armando. The Patron didn't want to divulge the information for free. So, I was called in to help handle the transaction. I didn't care about spending whatever money it took to find Armando, which saved the Andrades some cash.

I'd arrived at the blind tiger hidden within a suit tailor's store called Soldanas. Usually, I'd be riding with one of my guys, but I wanted to take my new set of wheels for a spin. I gave Yayoi her motorcycle back after Father's funeral. She told me I could've kept it, but I felt bad since it was her ride. Little did I know that she had Walter help her find my twenty-first birthday gift. A Brough Superior SS80 is one of the most beautiful machines I've ever seen. I could go double the speed of most cars and look good while doing it. Plus, thanks to my handy trick, I never had to worry about beating the shit out of any would-be thief. Parking outside the store, I stood up and unwrapped the heaven's cloth, allowing the crimson haze to absorb my bike.

"I still can't believe Yayoi got you this cumbersome thing," said Pandora as she materialized on my shoulder, using my index finger as her catalyst. "What can I say," I smiled, "I know how to pick'em." Pandora shrugged, then returned to the haze, probably to get some sleep. As I entered the tailor's shop, Carlos, the guy I interrogated years ago, stood at the counter. "O-Oh... Mr. Alexander! It's nice to see you again."

"Likewise Carlos... How's little Issac?"

"Oh, he's good. He's been doing so well in school. My sister thinks she's got a little genius. Listen, I want to thank you again for talking to the Andrades. If it weren't for you, they'd have me in a ditch somewhere for what I did." I just threw a hand and shook my head, "Nah, you're the one who chose to cooperate. It's my pleasure."

"You're a lifesaver. What can I get you?" I looked around for a moment just for appearances. "Something exotic... Tiger print..." Carlos smiled and then ushered me toward the back of the store. In the back was an office with a closet door on the opposite wall with a padlock on it. Taking out a key, he unlocked the lock and opened the doors, revealing a hidden door within. "Alrighty, Alex, give my regards to the missus." I gave him a nod and then began to descend the stairs, the sounds of cheering getting louder as I did.

When I came upon a door at the bottom of a short staircase, I found myself at another door with a slot near the top. I knocked three times, then paused before knocking again. The slot opened, revealing a pair of red eyes. "Password?" The bouncer asked. "Apparitions hum the requiem," I answered. The slot closed, and a series of clicking and jingling came from inside the door until it opened. "Right this way, La Muerte Carmesi," the bouncer smiled. Inside was a theater turned into an arena for undesirables or people looking for a good time. I approached the other side of the arena through the crowd, heading for the Andrade siblings, who'd been front and center to see all the action. I'd be stopped by one of the Andrade bodyguards until someone came up behind him and pulled him away. There, I'd come face to face with the two brothers, Javier and Jesus, and a tall woman seated in a throne-like chair. Now, when I say she was tall, she was about as tall as her brothers, who were already pretty macho. But unlike them, she didn't look like she could fold a jerry tank in half, although I'm sure she still could. She was gorgeous, too, with voluminous black hair and olive-colored skin. She wore a long black dress that mostly covered her up, though I could still see how blessed she was. I'm shocked that Armando chose to be stupid and get divorced.

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This woman was Carmen Andrade, the youngest of the siblings and the new Sin Factor of Greed. She took over the family following Hector's death and Armando's subsequent bounty placement. Javier was too much of a musclehead to run the Cartel, and Jesus was far too diplomatic. La Muerte," Carmen greeted. "Que pasa?" Before I could answer, she stood and hugged me tightly, almost squeezing me a little too hard. "Ugh, It's nice... to see you... too," I groaned before she finally let go. "Thanks for coming, Alex. I gotta tell ya, I've been waiting for this day for years. We've finally got the chance to ice that pendejo ex-husband of mine. But I'm sure you've been itching to take a crack at him."

"I sure am, Ms. Carmen," I replied. "Alright... What's the job?"

Carmen threw her arm around my neck and pointed me toward the left side wall. A rather pudgy guy was wearing a white shirt that barely fit him with trousers and suspenders. He'd been wearing a bowler hat, which made him stand out among the ruffians. "That gringo's name is Peter Fallon," Carmen explained, "Says he's got information on Armando's whereabouts. But he's a smart asshole who wants to make it a business transaction. No money, give the next fighter an ass beating."

"Any reason for wanting me to beat this guy?" I asked. "Simple... the guy slept with Pete's wife," Carmen answered, "He wants revenge. No killing, just beat him bloody." She then turned me toward the left corner of the makeshift arena, where a rather sizable Russian guy stood. He didn't have much muscle, but that usually didn't matter. Heracles looked bigger, and I got punched by that guy. If I had an accurate arm, I'd surely have been downing blood for two days after that. "Alright... I'll take him. What do I do if he doesn't play fair?"

"Pfft... Fair!? Carmen laughed, "The hell is fair? They'll probably cheat, too. Just do your best to hide it." I smiled and then cracked my knuckles. Jesus offered to take my jacket and shirt from me, and I also left my loafers with the Andrades. Javier stepped into the arena and bellowed, "Pendejos and Mamacitas, welcome to La Muerte! Tonight's match is going to be a special one. In the blue corner, we've got the Bear of Brighton Beach, the Machine of the Soviets, Vlad Petrovitch!" The small crowd of Russians bellowed and beat their chest as Vlad started swinging his fists and showing off his vast body.

"And in the red corner, we've got a special contender tonight. A legend in our very home. Hailing from Paradise, Iscariot! La Muerte Carmesi, Alexander Murcielago!" I held my hands up as the crowd began to cheer me on, I didn't mind giving them a show now and then. Tonight felt a little different. Normally, I'd just bet on some other guy getting his teeth knocked out or fight an easy match myself. But this guy was now standing between me and Armando so that I might break a leg tonight."

As we approached, I looked up to meet Vlad's gaze. He flashed a cocky grin as he cracked his knuckles. "I never thought I'd get to pulverize an underboss, I hope you can hold yourself together." I cracked my neck as I got myself ready to fight this bear of a man. It'd been a while since I had a decent fight. "Trust me, comrade, I promise not to make you uglier than you already are." The two of us bumped fists and then got some distance from one another. The guy may have slept with another man's wife, but at least he had some honor regarding the ring. It was a damned shame.

Putting up my dukes, we circled each other, now combatants locked in semi-mortal combat. My mind had already begun processing ways to win and ways I'd get the teeth kicked out of me. Vlad's hits would likely be rough to eat, so dodging most of them was the best idea. Vlad started his approach, taking the offensive from me. He came in with a haymaker, which I'd duck under and hit him in the stomach with two jabs. Backing away quickly, I noticed my punches had little effect. It was time to go harder. Holding my arms near my face, I tugged at heaven's cloth, loosening it slightly. The crimson haze wouldn't leak out, but I could use a little magic now. Time to eat this sandwich, I thought. So I dove in, throwing a series of japs and hooks. Most of them connected through Vlad shrugged them off. Vlad then cocked his arm back and came in low with a heavy punch aimed at my gut. I tried to sidestep. I could feel a strange fit of fatigue hit me, making my moves sluggish—a lucky break for Vlad as his fist slammed into my gut and dropped me to my knees.

I tried to refocus myself as Vlad started showboating for the crowd. Blood began to pool up in my mouth, and I spat it onto the floor. The pain wasn't as significant as whoever had just cast Weird magic on me. "A cloaked figure in the crowd," said Pandora, "Likely someone who doesn't like you. I'll get it dispelled. You kick the comrade's ass." I nodded, then dipped my finger in the blood and drew in the palm of my hand. It was the Weird Rune for Pain. I learned how to enchant properly thanks to having a Sorceress in my head, a new employee, and Francis's notes on Weird magic. I could even do so without an incantation, thanks to Francis. Standing back up, I threw up my guard again. Vlad turned around, and his grin grew wider, "Wow, You take punches like Russian, Italian boy."

"I've taken more than that," I retorted. Now, it was time to get serious. I changed it a bit, spreading out my feet and holding my fists up to protect my face better. This time, I'd take the offensive, charging Vlad with fists ready. I'd throw two quick jabs at his chest with my non-enchanted hand. Then, he swapped hands, delivering a hook straight into his jaw. For a second, he staggered back, even dropping to one knee. The magic was already taking effect, but there was no reason to let up now. Have to make sure he stays down. That's what the client wants. Charging him again, I grabbed him by his hair and started punching him repeatedly with the enchanted hand. He surprised me after the third punch by grabbing my arm. He shot to his feet, and I let go of his hair. Then he sent his knee crashing into my gut. This was one tough bastard. I've even seen Vamps go down longer than he did. But I couldn't let myself. Using a crimson tendril that slithered out of the small hole in heaven's cloth, I gave the cloth a complete tug, and the haze was now unleashed. The guy couldn't grab onto something that wasn't solid. That caught him off guard, which gave me an advantage.

Charging into him with my left shoulder, I quickly tugged the heaven's cloth again, and it wrapped around the case, forming my arm again. I then wrapped my arms around Vlad's waist, to which he returned the favor. Now we'd just been wrestling to see who got tossed on their ass first. But the Russians only had some glory to gain out of this. I had a little more at stake. So I just started punching him in the gut. No matter where the punch landed, it was going somewhere. Honestly, punching this guy felt like punching a boulder. But I could feel him get winded enough to loosen his grip. When he did, I took my chance and broke free, then started throwing haymaker after haymaker until I got him back on his knees. His whole body turned red, and his muscles tightened as magical pain coursed. The crowd went wild.

The thunderous roar of angered fans and my fans' cheers filled the room. Unlike Vlad, though, I hadn't intended on showboating. Though I had to admit, I did like how I got the crowd going. I looked towards Carmen, who had been grinning as she sat on her throne. Then to Pete, who looked pretty satisfied. I then turned to Vlad, who'd been pretty beaten. Thanks to the Weird magic, he'd been feeling that pain for a long time. I guess it'd be good to knock him out for now. I tapped the back of my non-enchanted fist on Vlad's cheek, then pivoted around and slammed the back of my hand against Vlad's cheek. He'd crash to the ground with a thud. Then Javier approached me, took my wrist, and hoisted my arm.

"Well, there you have it, everyone! We've got a winner! Give it up for... LA MUERTE CARMESI!!!"