Crossing the room, Sky picked up the mattress and returned it to the bed frame. He then made the bed and had Lily and Devlin sit on it. After feeding them half a loaf of bread each, he went to Mya.

“How bad is it?” he asked, looking at her cut.

“Not terrible,” came the reply. “It's just a small cut.”

“You said both the military and the gangs were involved. I assume the latter wrecked the place.” Sky asked her while handing her a cloth to clean the cut.

“What gang was it? Do you know what they were after?”

Sky's eyes blazed with anger from the destruction of his home. He had helped out one of the local gangs once in the past, and because of that, they owed him a favor. He intended to use it tonight.

While he considered the best way to approach the serpents and ask for help, Mya answered his questions.

“It was the dogs they kept asking about an authority that was stolen.

That explains the military involvement thought Sky. The government can only control the gangs because they have absolute power through their sovereigns. If the gangs gain that power, all hell will break loose. It looks like this is going to be a long night.

As his brain went into full gear, Sky walked around the room, picking up the broken wood and smashed items and sorting them into piles of usable and unusable items. As he did, he noticed a glimmer of steel near the bed. It was Evens' knife. Grabbing the knife, he stuck it in his waistband and pulled out his makeshift one. Flipping it around so he was holding the blade, Sky offered it to Mya.

“Just in case,” he said. I'm counting on you to keep them safe while I'm gone.” Looking towards the two children who had fallen asleep, his resolve hardened. This was his family, and no one would tear them apart.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

In the dimly lit basement, he took out the shields he had earned earlier and placed them down. Turning away from the three, he opened the door and stepped out into the cold night, closing it behind him.

Sky walked briskly past the dark buildings and weaved through the streets. The slums were dark and cold at night, and the air bit at his face with the stench of decay. Eventually, a few people came into view, and then more and more. He was nearing the only area with nightlife, the black market.

Brightly lit stalls lined the street as people passed by, looking at the displayed items. A group of drunken men stumbled past Sky, clearly military by their clean-cut hair and combat boots. But no one seemed to care; this place had a tact agreement with the city. Anything truly dangerous or valuable would be sold or handed over to the government; in return, they turned a blind eye to the less-than-legal activities of this street.

Not every business on the street was problematic, and as he walked, his nose was assaulted by the smells of freshly cooked food from street vendors. Promoters cried out about the fights in their clubs, one even promising a gold crown to anyone who could defeat their champion. Other storefronts were attended by scantily clad women who gave inviting gestures to the men passing by.

Eventually, he reached the store he was looking for. The sign outside had a snake coiled around a large gem, and the windows were backed with iron bars. Reaching out for the door handle, he pulled it and went inside. The interior was lit with gas lamps on both side walls, full-length mirrors between them, and a large counter in front of the back wall. There were no other customers inside, but by the door, two large men stood with a serpent tattoo wrapped around a gem on their hand.

Behind the counter sat an old man studying a necklace with a pair of golden glasses, all the magnifiers down. His thin white hair and frail-looking frame would typically put anyone at ease, but Sky knew better. A silver chain was at the man's hip, and a lime-green crystal was attached. However, unlike any ordinary gem, this one let off a faint glow and the colour inside seemed to move and swirl.

It was an authority, and that was why this man was head of the vipers. He was the holder of an elemental poison authority that had been formed from his will a long time ago. Walking up to the counter, Sky waited patiently until the old man put down the necklace. Sliding the magnifiers back on his glasses, he smiled at Sky and asked in a warm voice.

“Hello, young man; what can I do for you today.”

Without hesitation, Sky gave the man his reply, “I'm here to inquire about a viper's fang.”

The man's smile didn't falter but instead grew wider. “Fangs are very expensive. What kind are you looking for?”

Sky thought about his words carefully before he answered, “I need a fang to take back something stolen by a stray dog.”

“I believe you have already prepaid for this, and it just so happens a fang very close to yours was already ordered. So we can wave the part you haven't covered.” The old man then turned to one of the guards at the door, “Bring our friend here to the back room and let him pick out what he wants from the stock.”

The man nodded and motioned for Sky to follow him as he opened a gate in the counter and then disappeared through a doorframe towards the back.

Sky followed the man past the curtain into the back room and let out a short gasp. Inside was a room packed to the brim with men. He had been here once before, back when he earned the favour, but there had only been six or seven men waiting; now, there were almost sixty. They all carried revolvers instead of the usual clubs or brass knuckles gang members had. The Vipers were ready for war.