"Don't worry, kid. It will transform back into a human corpse. Now that there's nothing powering the transformation, he will revert back to human form.
Just as Dustin was speaking, it really turned back into human form.
It still has the bullet holes and the knife sticking out of its head.
We'll, no more loot to be had here. I then checked the other one I killed.
Fuck! The Strange Voice in My Head is right. That mark is really fucking bad, just as Dustin said.
Black Mark (Bloody Wulvern)
A mark of servitude to an otherworldy being. Grants special abilities.
If I didn't slit his throat earlier, he'll become a monster too.
I took the knife, his money worth 2 shillings and 15 pence, and a 'Slasher Lvl3' Class Card. Nice!
Oh... another 'Bloody Wulven' Essence Fragment. Very nice!
... Wait, what's this? A note?
Hmmm... what's written in here? I'll keep this for now and read it later. I have more looting to do.
And then the one I knocked out earlier tried to get up. I knocked him down again. Just stay down, motherfucker.
I found a 'Thug Lvl2' Card, more money, his billy club, and....
Really? Dude, you're a fucking maniac. Don't know what's fucking worse; you or the other two I killed earlier.
What I found in his belongings? A fucking date-rape drug!
Rutting Powder
A drug that causes anyone who gets a whiff of it to became heavily-aroused and lose all inhibitions.
Oh my fucking lawd... the bottle only has 3 of 5 charges left. That means he already used it on two people. Fucking bastard.
Wish I could just kill him now, but no... I'll hand him to the bobbies. Maybe they know something about this.
I have more bodies to check. And more loot to find.
==================================================
All in all I found....
Melee weapons like knives, clubs, chains... even a punch dagger of all things.
Guns... fuck yeah! Three revolvers, an old musket pistol, 2 single-barrel and 1 double-barrel hunting shotguns, and a breechloader rifle. Plus assorted ammunition for most of them.
A few pieces of clothing, including a belt with pouches that grant an extra slot to my Quickslot.
Cash... total amount of 2 pounds, 5 shillings and 3 pence.
Materials like scrap clothing and metal. Not much, but there's still some.
Consumables like a bottle of laudanum, a tin of medicinal ointment, several bandages of varying cleanliness, and some powders and liquids of dubious medicinal properties... and the fucking date-rape drug.
And lastly.... More Class Cards! Two 'Thug Lvl2' and 4 'Thug Lvl1', 2 'Slasher Lvl2' and 3 'Slasher Lvl1', 4 'Pistoleers LVL1', 3 'Shotgunner Lvl1', and 1 'Sharpshooter Lvl 2'.
Sadly no more Essence Fragments than what I found earlier. I can only get them from monsters or....
Nope! Not gonna do it! Fuck you power! I'm not gonna butcher humans for fucking Essence Fragments!
All in all we took down 19 gangers. Twelve are dead including all the 9 gun-toting goons and 3 melee guys , my 2 kills in that count. Seven others were captured. At least 5 more of these assholes escaped in the chaos.
I also decided to leave the weapons for now. The bobbies will look for them for sure. Don't want to contaminate the crime scene or get arrested for taking them.
Oh yeah... almost forgot the note I found. Let's see what's written on it.
Fuck! They knew the plan! Even about Dustin and his crew... they fucking knew about them.
That means there's a spy among us... but who could it be?
It can't be Caleb or Vincent, they hate Hardin too much and they stand to lose a lot if this things go south.
It could Dustin or any of his crew. But the note has order to kill everyone, including them. Unless they're tying up loose ends.
The client? Maybe... but losing men and goods is very bad for business. Even with compensation it's still stupid.
Could be one one of the dockworkers. Vincent already mentioned losing some of them to Hardin. Maybe one or more dockworkers overheard the deal and sold the info to Hardin.
I have to show this note to Caleb. He might have an idea on who the traitor is.
The bobbies are here. Better hide the goods.
==================================================
"Officers, just in time. We were waiting for you."
"What's happened here?"
"The short answer? Ambush."
"And the long story?"
"Let us introduce ourselves first. I am Henry Thompson, representative of the Wilson and Co. Shipping. This" I pointed to Dustin "is Dustin O'Malley, security for Cannalan Imports, our client. We and our colleagues are transporting goods owned by Cannalan Imports, that were shipped through Wilson and Co. Shipping, from the docks to the warehouses owned by them. Unfortunately, several unscrupulous men got wind of this and attacked. We don't know the reason, but they may be trying to steal or destroy the shipment. They just fired on us when we spotted them."
"And?"
"It was chaos, sir. Bullets flying around, those with just melee weapons rushed our caravan. I even fought off 3 guys and was forced to kill 2 of them."
"Your name, officer?" Dustin brusquely asked.
"Captain Andrew Tilbury, Royal London Constabulary. We received reports of gunfire from this location of and rushed here as fast as we could. How many are wounded and killed?"
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"We captured seven of them. Bound their wounds, too. Unfortunately, we were forced to kill 12 of them. Self-defense, I assure you. And some of them may have escaped in the chaos."
"For us, we don't any deaths. One of Dustin's men got shot, but he's fine now."
"Sergeant Weissmann, take your men and secure the survivors. Lieutenant Anderson, you and your men check the bodies. The rest of you, cordon the area."
"And as for you gentlemen, you'll have to surrender your weapons for now and wait at that spot there. We still have questions to ask."
"Of course, Captain. We would be willing to oblige to your requests. We request that you send messengers to our respective companies and inform them of this incident. They would want to know what happened here and may have more information for you."
"But my gun...." Vincent whined. Oh god, a tough guys whining because of a gun.
"Mr. O'Malley. We will return after this incident is investigated. I'm sure you understand the graveness of this situation." Captain Tilbury answered.
"Fine.... Just don't scuff my gun. I want it as pristine as when I gave it to you."
"Do not worry Mr. O'Malley. We'll make sure your gun's safe." Captain Tilbury then turns to me. "Do you have anything to tell us about this incident."
"Captain, you may want to see this." Lieutenant Anderson interrupted the conversation."
"What is it?"
"One of them has the 'Mark', sir."
"The' Mark'? Here?" The Captain is quite agitated at this revelation. "Show me."
"You guys stay here. We have more questions... many more questions."
==================================================
We were called closer to the crime scene, specifically near the corpse of the guy I killed earlier. The one who transformed.
"You killed this man?"
"Unfortunately, yes. He was very wild, almost got me with his attacks. We were forced to shoot him down."
"And stabbed him in the temple." The captain sighed. "You know something, don't you?"
"What something, captain?"
"This man... is not and ordinary man. He became... something else, didn't he?"
"Let's cut to the chase, Captain. You know something about them. We know something about them. Let's just compare notes and be done with it."
"Fine... this person transformed into a Bloody Wulven. You were able to take it down with gunfire. Then someone killed it while it."
"Yes, that's quite the gist of it. It was self-defense, I assure you. Kill him or we'd be dead."
"I know, gentlemen. I am just surprised that you were able to take this thing down."
"It was a bit difficult, yes, but we persevered and succeeded."
"Then I commend you for ridding the world of this trash. But about the other man... he has the same mark. But he never transformed. Or he is planning to transform but someone stabbed him in the neck, outright killing him. Your doing, Mr. Thompson?"
"Yes, officer. I don't know, but it's just right. And with you telling me he can become like the other one eases my conscience a bit."
"Don't worry, Mr Thompson. My superiors will be more interested who these people are and how they were able to get access on those marks."
"Officer, I may have something else interesting for you." And I pulled out the bottle of 'Rutting Powder'. "Found it with this guy." I pointed to the dead man. "He was planning to throw it when I stabbed him." A bit of a lie, but this make things easier for me.
"What is.... Bloody buggering hell! You know what this is?"
"No sir."
"Best you don't know, then. I'll gut his man myself if he was alive. Fucking wankers. This thing is dangerous. Good thing you surrendered it to me than taking it with you. You'll be facing a long prison sentence for possession of this item."
"Thank you then. Will it be all?"
"Yes, that's all. We'll send for you if anything else comes up. Oh, and take your weapons back. You will need it, trust me."
"And here..." He gives me a piece of paper. "Go to this place at this time. They will explain more what's happening around here."
"Can I see that?" I showed Dustin the note. "Welcome to the club, boy."
"You know about this?"
"My boss is a long standing member. I just joined a year ago."
"Should have said that earlier then."
"Secrecy is a part of it. I don't know why the good Captain knows about it."
"Things won't stay secret for long. They're moving more openly now. The Queen is very angry because of their attack on Westminster."
"Buggering shits. Now I see why the boss sent me as escort."
"The caravan carrying something important."
"Yeah, very useful stuff. Especially if what you're saying is true."
"Then I'll send a squad with you as backup. If those things are important, then we need to keep them safe and secure."
"I don't mind bringing more guns with us. You okay with this, Henry?"
"As long we deliver the goods complete and intact, we're good."
"You don't have a gun, Mr. Thompson?"
"No. I don't own one. I do know how to use one."
Two years of sport shooting. Haven't shot anyone yet. But in this dark time, I have to.
"Let's see... take this then." He gives me the rifle and the ammo for it. Nice! I still got something, even if not everything "We can have this... 'misplaced'. Just be careful with it. Don't want you shooting anything by mistake."
"Thank you officer!"
"Don' mention it. Now get going. It's already evening."
"Right.... And thank you again."
==================================================
Sweet! I may not have been able to get all the guns, but at least the kind Captain gave me one.
And another proof the timeline's screwy. It's a fucking Lee-Enfield. I should have checked it better earlier. The other guns maybe are newer one. Another proof that I'm nowhere near my own dimension.
Still, with its 10-round internal magazine and the rapid bolt-action will be quite suitable for my immediate needs. It's even a 'Fine' quality item. And with the 'Sharpshooter Lvl2' Class Card, I can use this well enough.
"Something on your mind, Henry?"
"Just marveling at my new gun."
"I was surprised he handed you one of the guns. And it's the rifle too. It's even the best gun there. He must be really impressed."
"Or very worried. An officer like him should always keep any information he has on the case kept confidential. Or they might lose the case."
"Don't worry. Whoever sent those scalawags better keep his butt clean. Because if what the Captain say is true, there's nothing saving him from going to jail. With the Queen raging about the attack on her family, anyone in league with the perpetrators will have a lot of problems on their plate."
"I hope so. I just feel something's very wrong. Not with the Captain or his men, but with the situation overall."
"I agree. Something is really not right. We best hurry then. The boss may have more information about it."
==================================================
"Greetings. I am Herr Gerhardt Schulz, owner of Cannalan Imports." He offered his hand.
"Henry Thompson, representative of Wilson and Co. Shipping. A pleasure meeting you sir." I shook it.
"He slew two Marked Ones, including a transformed Blood Wulven." Dustin interjected.
"Truly, My word, that's quite exceptional. A promising young warrior, no doubt."
"It was Mr. O'Malley's men that weakened the beast with gunfire."
"But you faced it and survived the assault with nary a scratch."
"Still...."
"Do not be modest, Henry. Can I call you Henry. I want to be friends with such a remarkable young man like you . And please, call me Gerry."
"Yes you may... Gerry."
"Excellent. Dustin, tell me what happened."
"One of the local crime bosses is connected to one of them. Maybe Aragul, if I'm correct. They are the ones who uses Bloody Wulvens for their Marked Ones. The crime boss has a feud with Henry's company. They sent men to deal with us and seize or destroy the shipment. They failed."
"Yes. Mostly likely Aragul. They mostly favor wild beasts as templates for their Marks."
"I've heard of the word Aragul before."
"Form where or whom?"
"It's my first night here at Londinium when some shadowy beast attacked me. The thing mentioned something about a boundary and the words Vranitch and Aragul.
"A shadowy beast? Boundary? Vranitch and Aragul. Tell me more."
And I told him everything about that night. Except for my power, of course. That's my secret.
==================================================
"This is remarkable. And very dangerous information. You know a location of a Boundary, specifically one between the Vranitch and Aragul. And you sighted an Umbral Stalker. The Society must know of this."
"He has an invitation. The Constabulary Captain gave him one."
"Yes... the Queen has involved herself this war since the attack on Westminster Abbey. Damn those monsters... not only they treat us Human as toys and prey, they have the gall to attack the reigning monarch and his family. A power play or a declaration of war."
"I'm a bit lost here. What is this all about?"
"It's best you hear about it at the Society Meeting. They can explain better and in more depth."
> Yes... listen to them first. Look at the problem from their viewpoint. Then the answers to your questions will be more clearer than ever.
You fucking promised me answers. I want them.
> And you shall have them. But it's better to know the answer from a human perspective first. It will make it easier for you to learn more and understand.
Okay. Just make sure you have more explanations in store.
> You have kept you end of the bargain. I shall keep Mine.
"Is there anything wrong?"
"Nothing. Just a lot of questions in my head. Are you sure you can't...."
"It's better to hear it from them first. If you will need more information after the meeting, I'll be happy to share what I know."
"Boss, you need to check the goods."
"Right. Excuse me then, Henry."
"I'm coming with you. I have to make sure all items are accounted for. Company policy, I'm afraid. And I'll need you to sign these paper after we verify that everything's complete and intact."
"Oh yes, of course. Forgot we are still dealing with mundane stuff. Come along. I'll show you some really good stuff. This should be Society-only exclusives, but I can offer you a sneak peek.""
"Good stuff? Then this I really have to see."