On the border of Center Square and the Market district, sat my Office of White Death Affairs. It was a large and lavish building, more so than any other I owned, a symbol of our power and prosperity. This was where all important messages were sent to, meetings held, and debtors punished. I had imported wood from Nahk just for this, its deep green color nicely contrasting the sharp gold corners. In front, I tried to keep a force of at least ten guards at all times to deter anyone brave enough to approach. I wasn’t a designer, nor did I care to be, but I knew this building looked good.
I was in my office, sitting across from one of the members of the gang that took me, the Black Daggers. A play on the White Death, I assumed, many gangs just copied either mine or Marth’s name. I had promised him a large sum if he divulged information about his leader and gang, and of course, he jumped at the offer. It was already over once I was freed, and he must’ve known it. The stupid Kalbs didn’t even think to torture me, they just took some money and roughed me up a little. Now that I had him in my office, however, I got to set the parameters of the deal.
I stood up and walked over to the set of cigars I kept on my table and lifted one, inspecting the pattern on its outside.
“I appreciate you going against your brotherhood for me, truly. I value cowards like yourself quite highly, always willing to bend for whoever has the most Smithe. However, I’m sure you understand that seeing as I have you in my office I will not be paying in full the amount.”
He shot a glare at me, rising from his chair and walking over to me. “Seeing as you’re also unarmed, I think you’ll reconsider.”
I met his eyes, they were not those of a man ready to kill someone. There was a feeling you learned to read in people, a sort of aura that those who were truly dangerous had. He did not have it.
I grabbed him by the neck, slamming him into the ground. The fight was over before it even began, before he could react. The room shook, some stationary on my desk falling to the floor. He clawed at my hands, eyes going wide. I placed just enough force so breathing felt painful, but not enough to where he would black out.
“If I let you go, you will go back to your seat and not move again. I feel a bit insulted that you think I would fear some Kalb like you, so I’ll dock your pay for that as well,” I said, toying with him further. If I pushed him far enough he may have attacked me, which would be great. I couldn’t just kill him, unfortunately, I had made a promise to someone.
He tensed his jaw, “How much are you going to pay me?”
“One thousand Smithe.”
He barked a laugh at that. “I will never feel safe walking through Keres again, and all I get for that is a pittance? You know what happens to men who sell their brothers out in Keres, don’t you? You sick Kalb.”
I smiled at him, not letting it reach my teeth. “If you ever felt safe walking in this hell, then I’m not the only sick one. Also, the information you shared with me was negligible at b-”
At that moment my door flew open and a woman came stumbling after it.
“Sir, Ira soldiers have been openly firing on us in the streets.”
She saw the situation I was in, her eyes widened and she looked back at me. I stood off the man, kicking him swiftly in the side of the head. He rolled over limp.
“This,” I gestured to his limp body, “is nothing. Brief me on the situation.”
“There have been groups of Ira in our territory, engaging in gun-fights and melee. There seem to be about eighteen groups, from what I’ve heard, and we are running out of ammo quickly.”
I paused, glaring at her. “What in the Gods names do you mean we are running out of ammo? Do I not spend tens of thousands each month to circumvent this problem?”
“Shipments have been getting destroyed over the past few months. It’s unlikely that there is enough ammo in town to supply our gang, never mind just what we have.”
“Why is this the first time I have heard of this!” I yelled at her. She started shaking, cowering against the rooms wall. People who couldn’t take being yelled at were useless, if you fold in a situation like this how would you handle a gun to your head? Of course most wouldn’t have to face a situation like that, but it’s good training.
“This isn’t too much of a problem.” I said “Their groups are small so I’m sure some have been taken out as we were speaking, and I’ll alert some of the Reapers to see if they are close enough to assist.”
The woman nodded, running from the room all too eager to leave. I slammed my hand against the wall, pain exploding in my wrist.
“Always nice to see karma working swiftly, isn’t it Alec?” The man said, groggily rising from the ground. Blood dripped down one side of his head, but he still sneered at me. That stupid look on his face, it made me shake. I took a couple of breaths and a swig of water, trying to calm myself.
It didn’t work. I pulled out my gun and put a shot through his head. It whipped back, slamming against the floor again, splattering his blood onto the wall. Screw the promise, I had more pressing matters to deal with. I dragged his limp body to the window and threw him down to the alley below, the collectors could deal with him now.
The body collectors were funded half by me and half by Marth. It was the one thing we agreed on, we would not let the streets be flooded with the dead. It was bad for business, and the smell was not encouraging for tourism. They patrolled the streets at late night, taking away bodies and whatever valuables they had on them. Sometimes, the vermin would get to the bodies first, leaving nothing but bones. With so much death and waste, massive hordes of rats and maggots were a common sight in violent areas, feasting on corpses.
I sent out messages to all the Reapers and the places they frequent, explaining the situation. Those who were named as such were known for their outstanding service in their chosen speciality, such as marksmanship or brawling. There were seven in total, after the seven Gods of the Shaibean religion. I was not a religious man in any sense, but such a recognizable tale made the name spread easily. In the meantime, I sat at my desk waiting for a reply. The fact that he was being so obvious and large-scale didn’t bode well. It was five minutes before I got a response.
I am going to kill three groups, then get back to drinking, it read. This was from Juzo, the Reaper of Wandering. With him taking three, I felt a bit better about our odds, but something still felt off. Why would he send out such small groups just to stir up some trouble, knowing that we would take care of them quickly? He wouldn’t be so dumb as to kill groups for the sake of it, it wasn’t like him. I couldn’t sit in my office any longer, it seemed so small when you were forced to stay put. I put on my coat and went out into the streets.
The sun was starting to set now, and the city was beginning to accustom to its nightly rhythm. Even with gunfire sounding in the distance, it was hardly noticeable with the commotion everywhere. The streets had not been flooded by those looking for a night out yet, so I walked as fast as I could. Even if I hailed a cart, they would take too long trying to navigate through all the merchant riff-raff. In the distance, I could already see the glow of the most sickening place in Keres, and my destination for the night, The Entertainment district.
Every building was painted in a purple light that assaulted the senses. The amount of sweat being exerted turned the air thick, like a salty fog. Half-clothed people wandered the streets trying to pull in anyone undecided about their selection of whore-house, if they wore even that much. The rest hung around in groups smoking and drinking away, the smell of Qascade permeating them. This is the lowest of the low. If you ended up here, something had gone awry in your life. I refused to touch any business in this place, purely morally. This was also where assistant was spending the night.
I walked these wretched streets until I arrived at his favorite brothel, the Pink Dancers. The building seemed to emanate cheap perfume, the front covered in different photos of women with prices attached. How people could treat women like things for sale was beyond me, but at least they weren’t cheap.
I rapped on the “door”, which was really just a piece of sheet metal with some driftwood nailed in where a handle would be. A few seconds after, a burly looking women with thick eyeliner and lipstick opened it.
“How can I help you, hot stuff?” Her voice was deep, like a rumbling in her chest. The dress she wore left little to the imagination, not that she seemed to mind.
“I need my assistant back. Call for Lournce and you’ll find him, you can tell him its Alec talking if it gets the lazy bastard out here.”
“If he’s with one of the ladies, its against policy for me to interrupt.”
“I swear, this is where they draw the line,” I muttered under my breath. “If you don’t want to, I’ll drag the bastard out here myself.”
I suppose my resolve convinced her, or worried her. She hesitantly nodded and left back into the building.
The night was in full effect now, and the streets started to spring to life. The street I was standing on started to fill with degenerates wanting cheap thrills, some pushing past me to enter the building. I couldn’t hear gunshots in the distance anymore, but being this far away anything could be happening.
After a short wait, he arrived through the same door. His shirts buttons were off to his waist, and his belt hung quite low.
“Heya boss, what do you need?” He spoke in a nonchalant manner, as if I wasn’t being swarmed by human swine on every side of me. He had a light brown skin tone, like most from Mileta, and mousy black hair cut short on the sides.
“Ira has been assaulting our side of town. I need you with me as backup, and I also don’t need you getting stuck in enemy territory if this progresses further than I expect.”
“Come on boss, I had this pretty little redhead up next,” He said, trying to piss me off. I had made myself clear on how I felt about the Entertainment District, and he took every opportunity he could to mess with me. “You can talk bad about sex all you want, but you should at least try it once.”
“Shut your mouth, nasty bastard. I don’t know why I even keep you around. The day I wake up to moaning in the other room is the day I ship you back to Mileta.” He erupted in laughter, nearly falling over. I pulled him forward, I needed to get back to the base fast.
. . .
“The attacks have stopped now. We sustained three casualties and nineteen wounded, and our Lumi stocks have completely run out.”
Good, it was finally over. Minor casualties sustained, and we probably killed a few of them as well. Wait. Our ammo had run out, and they had retreated. The pieces clicked together in my head, and I realized what was about to happen.
“Alert everyone you can that–” I could not get out my full sentence. Just then the ground shook and debris flew into the air. I ran out into the streets and saw smoke coming up from all over town. This was what he was planning, taking advantage of our Lumi storage being low because of the price, hell he might’ve even made it that way.
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“What the hell is happening?” The woman asked again. I ignored her and walked out into the debris ridden streets with Lournce trailing behind. The stench of Parium was permeating the air. They had explosives.
Parium was one of the hardest materials to come by. It was only found in a small colony of Miletan mines and it was hard to smuggle into Tia in the first place. The Miletan government had forbidden the trade of it to Tia, and Tia to try and save face had banned the importing of it. However, if handled properly and in an expert chemist's hand, they could be turned from a mineral into a highly combustible powder.
People stampeded through the streets from both directions. I hadn’t seen a scene like this since I had started in the gang, back when a rogue squad of mine had started a large firefight in an Ira sector. A pure panic.
I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t tell everyone to retreat, I couldn’t fight back against them, I felt powerless. I felt dizzy. This was a perilous situation, and that bastard had done well to plan it all out. I took another sip of water, and took a deep breath.
“Lournce, go down to the center and see what’s happening, if it’s too dangerous than come back,” I said, already running back upstairs.
The door to my office flew open, and I dashed to the wall where I kept my phone and rang for the area. The line was silent and I heard a click on the other end.
“Rogier, are you there?” I asked
“Yes, I am, why do you call me at this moment.” He responded on the other line
“Go to the Ira headquarters and kill whoever’s there. You should have no problem getting in and out since they are all currently brutalizing my forces. Look for important information and kill anyone who you find.”
The other end clicked again. If he said nothing, he accepted, as opposed to if he said no. Now I simply had to pray my Reapers could take out some of their forces, although I don’t know what god would answer my call.
The night raged on unwavering. I would hear screams and gunshots coming from every direction, but I stayed in my office unmoving. The night seemed to last forever, time would move on its whims.
. . .
Eventually, the screams subsided and the sun rose again. I walked into the light-bathed streets and took a deep breath; it smelt of blood and cinder from discarded rounds. Walking the streets now, there were puddles of blood covering the streets like it had rained the night before, The body collectors were already piling the dead onto their rickety carts and wheeling them off, slowly making their way through the city. It was a wake-up call, I had been complacent with small-scale operations for too long, and it was time to fight back.
I reached the building I needed to, a small unassuming slaughterhouse that strangely didn’t reek of shit and pigs blood. It might have been first painted brown but now the bareboards were more present than paint, which were riddled with stains and water marks. I entered and was greeted by a relatively lavish interior. There were fine wood tables and chairs to one side, and a velvet couch to the other. In the middle was a slight woman typing away on a typewriter.
“My name’s Alec Resto. I’m here for Rogier”
“Third door on your left.”
I nodded to her, although I doubt she noticed and left down the hallway. Three doors down was a simple wood panel that read “ Office of” but the name was scratched out. I opened the door and was met with a plain office and a lean man smoking. He looked up at me, smiling, and gestured at the chair opposite him.
“How did it go?” I asked
He reached into his desk, producing a pamphlet of papers
“They did not have much, save some eviction notices and a few letters from businesses around town. However, they did have some supply routes and a letter I think you would be interested in.” He said. His voice changed in pitch often as he spoke.
“And where is that letter?”
“In the stack with the rest, now let’s talk about payment. I think three thousand is fair, fifteen hundred for the stealth and another for the hits.” His eyes came alight when he spoke of money, and I could see a faint grin behind the mask he put on.
“Now that is a bit unreasonable. That is far above your normal rate and I don’t see why the job would warrant it. I will give you fifteen hundred, take it or leave it.”
The light went out again, and he glared at me.
“I have been nothing if not loyal to you for the past year. I have taken every job you gave me and never negotiated pay. I wish my rate could stay the same, but I have a child I need to feed now.”
It was strange to me, everyone spoke my name like it was poison and treated me like the devil, but people still expected me to care for their lives.
“Pitiful. You beg me for money after an easy job and conjure up a sob story. You will get the pay I give you. “
“Don’t do this Mister Resto, we’ve had a good thing going here.”
“How old is your child? Have they started to walk yet, do they know how to run? It is a very important skill for your child to have, getting away from dangerous situations and people like me.” I said.
His head whipped towards me and he stared in shock veins popping in his forehead.
“Stay away from my family.”
I chuckled at that and crossed my hands in the air, similar to what criminals do when caught
“I would never dream of doing something to James or Mary. I saw them just the other day, walking through the market district. You should try to stay with them when they are out of the house.” I said
“How do you know his name?” He asked, his eyes burning.
“That isn’t important is it? I’ll transfer the money into your account soon.”
He started to speak again, but cut it short, closing his eyes and grimacing.
“Yes, Mr. Resto.” He said through clenched teeth,
I know when I’ve said enough, so I left his office without another word. I wasn’t sure if I would ever get a job done by him again, so I should start thinking about finding a new hitman. That was a problem for the future, right now I needed to tend to a business partner.
He was a minute's walk from the other shop. It was a building laden with black brick, intricately crafted. The building's windows didn’t have a single spot or smudge on them, and the door was made of a beautiful oak. The interior of the building was just as nice, with polished wood floors and shelves of exotic spices and foods.
“Hello.” A man sitting behind a desk said to me, his hair was a darker blonde and he had piercings covering his face.
“Good day, is your boss in?” I asked
“Yes, but I’ll have to ask if he is taking meetings, could I have a name to give him?”
“Alec Resto.”
He nodded jovially and strutted up the stairs, had he known me he would’ve let me in immediately. I looked around the shop while waiting, it was well stocked with important goods for the foreign population, as well as some basics that were understocked in Keres. The owner was a businessman through and through, and he knew his market well. He was one of the first businesses I had subsidized when I came into power.
About a minute later a woman with disheveled hair came down the stairs barefoot. She looked up at me and smiled, turning red. I nodded at her and she ran through the door, letting out a resounding ring from the bell hung above the door. Then I felt the ground shaking and Marke followed suit.
“Hello Mr. Resto,” He said, panting from the immense physical exertion of going down a flight of stairs. He had a handful of hairs on his head and a scraggly mustache. He wore a baggy suit, and couldn’t be described as anything but rotund, but he was a good flow of income and had been with me for many years. “ To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I haven’t checked in for a few months, and after the attacks a few days ago I am going around to see if everyone is doing alright.”
He laughed, in a strange snorty way. “ Well, I assure you that those ruffians steered clear of here. I had rounds blasting down both sides of the street like they were free.” He said.
“Are you not going to invite me to your office?”
He nodded and gestured to the stairwell behind him. I climbed until I reached the second floor. His office was lavishly decorated with hunting trophies and novels. On his desk was a sealed piece of correspondence with an eagle's head biting a snake. He entered behind me and sat in his burly leather chair. His desk was in quite a bit of disarray, which I believe was caused by him and the woman from earlier.
“So, Mr Resto, how is business?” He said, tidying his desk and moving the paper to one side.
I sighed and produced a cigar. “I wish I could say it was better, but it seems like every day I get fewer and fewer recruits and more and more traitors. Men like you are hard to come by nowadays.”
He grinned at that “That’s high praise. If there is anything I can do to help, I hope you will let me know. Business is easy here, people buy goods and I buy people.” He laughed at his remark.
“There is something. Some days ago, I was taken by a small gang, the Blood of Open Palms, I believe they called themselves. I took care of them swiftly, but if you happen to see a snake and eagle seal on any of your letters I trust you will let me know.”
“That’s not a problem at all Mr Resto, in fact it's the least I can…” He stopped mid-sentence and looked down at his desk. The letter in plain view of us both, with the eagle and snake insignia, was now neatly placed in front of me. I blew out a puff of smoke, then jumped over his desk and punched him across the face.
His head flew back into the chair, smacking against the wood headrest with a crack. While he sat there, dazed, I jumped to his side and opened the drawer he was reaching for. Inside was a small pistol, which I threw to the other side of the room.
“So Marke, why did you do it? I want a straight answer, nothing more nothing less.”
“I-I was just offered lots of money. I saw a nice house in uptown I wanted, s-so I took the money.” He said, still jittering a few times. “You know this place is just another business for m-me.”
“ I see. Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. A traitor is a traitor, no matter the motive, not that yours is particularly good. If you have any last words, I would say them now.”
He started to cry, tears streaming down his round cheeks, his nose running down onto his blue suit. He looked like a blubbering infant, his breaths only getting more ragged.
“I’ll give you all the money they gave me, and more. Please just let me live!”
“I don’t have any need for your money. One last time, what are your last words?”
“T-tell my wife I love her. That’s all I can ask for.”
“If you loved her, why was that woman in your office?”
He sobbed harder at that, gasping for breaths like a fish out of water.
“If you want your last words to be a lie, that isn’t a problem for me. Goodbye Marke, I’ll see you again I’m sure.”
Lournce wrapped his arms around Marke’s neck, who clawed at the steeled forearms like a dog. It was a short time, as Marke turned more and more red, until he slumped over his desk. I looked at him one more time, a man who I had considered a sturdy ally, now reduced to another corpse. It seemed like all the people around me were starting to crumble and see me as weak, my reputation diminishing, and I didn’t know what to do about it.
“What are we doing with him boss?”
“Make an example. If everyone wants to see me as weak, I’ll just force them out of that perspective.”
“That was… helpful sir, but I need more specifics.” Lournce eyed me strangely, perhaps I was getting ahead of myself.
“Cut him up all over, not deep enough to kill him but no scrapes either. Then, we will gather some up horse shit and piss, and prepare a bath for him.” He visibly cringed at the words, but didn’t protest outright. “String him up in a cage over the main square, and let infection turn him into a warning for those who speak ill of me.”
“Sir, I think a body would be warning enou-.”
“JUST, for once I wish you would simply do what I say. I am your superior, you are my soldier, you listen to me no matter what.”
He began to speak again
The sun was overhead, exposing every part of Keres that was hidden in the night. I often wondered why people were always drawn to Keres. Maybe the danger, maybe the lack of embarrassment for what you were doing, maybe it was simply to find camaraderie with people similar to you. Whatever the reason, it was certainly not one I knew. It wasn’t my place to understand, I only had to supply them with the pleasures they seeked. I wish I could’ve come to these streets because of a reason as simple as that.
Now that the day's errands were done, I went back to my office. My image was at an all time low after the attack, and I needed a counter quick. In times when I needed to plan something important, there was always a person I would call. A person who I knew could be counted on no matter the time.
“This is Brooks, who is speaking?”
“It's Alec. I’m sure you know why I’m calling.” I heard laughter coming from the other side of the phone
“Ahh, yes I do. I have already planned it all out. Come over in hour.”