The Ashlanders - Chapter 6: The Blind Man's Last Gambit (Closed, Started)

[Fappy]

"Yeah, I have a daughter. She'll be five years old now, nearly six. But I ain't seen her in three years."

"That's too bad." Elizabeth furrowed her brow and looked away from him, settling for a view of the barren landscape they were crossing over instead. Finding those children like that had crushed her will utterly. For someone who had children of their own, however... she couldn't even imagine what must have been going through Eddie's head. The man they'd encountered, Austin; she'd never set her gaze upon something so truly rotten in all her life. Next to him, Pixie appeared almost sane.

She'd seen true evil before. The Santiago family was hemorrhaging the stuff every day in Boomhower, but at least their villainy was rooted in something logical. Greed, lust, pride, all predictable and understandable motives. But Austin? His sins were committed in a vacuum. There was no way someone like him truly understood what he was doing was wrong. He was a maniac. A delusional, dangerous psychopath with a god complex.

"You should have killed that man," Elizabeth blurted out. "Forget our own safety, it is the children that are truly suffering. You should have put him down. Ended this madness once and for all." Elizabeth thought back to the starving children in the streets of her homeland. Innocence deserved protecting. "I would have gladly given my life to free them from that nightmare."

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"What're we doing while the kid works his magic?"

"We form a perimeter and scope out the building. Having done that we'll reconvene at a predetermined location and share intel. Possible entrances, escape routes, number of patrols, etc." Bennie smirked. "I keep forgetting you were never really a field guy, eh?"

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She looked excited. What a relief! Sprout studied her reaction as she surveyed his work and spotted a hint of concern for the briefest of moments before she looked back at him.

"Huh, guess I owe you now. But really, thanks for fixing her up."

Sprout gave a dismissive wave and chuckled, "Aw, don't mention it. I reckon y'all don' wanna owe a bandit nothin'!" He laughed. Though she was ecstatic about the bike he couldn't help but notice something else going on under the hood. "Hey, you okay? I don' wanna pry but ya' look kinda out 'a it."

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"I think we could all do with a soft bed."

"You have no idea." Tsubaki muttered under her breath. As they approached the perimeter of the dome the squad went silent. Asad followed the directions to the letter, taking every sharp turn deliberately as if he knew exactly where he was. Frostfall was colder than she imagined. Dome's had environmental controls and there was no doubt in her mind that it didn't need to be this cold. For whatever reason the nobility had opted to keep the place bitter. Perhaps it was a game to them. Maybe they just liked seeing their people suffer.

Such childish behavior sickened Tsubaki. Nobles were disgusting; high-born children with nothing better to do than ruin the lives of those they were charged with protecting. Lord Basilio was different, however. Some of his people did suffer, yes, but it wasn't without reason. Everything Dio did came with logical reasoning to back it up. He didn't play games. He didn't treat his people like toys.

The squad found themselves shivering by the time they'd pulled up to the inn. Refusing to spend another second in the cold, Tsubaki quickly scooped up her gear and hopped out of the crawler. Before she stepped inside she turned her head, "Keep your eyes and ears open at all times. Vasa runs a tight ship."

 

[The Funslinger]

"I would have gladly given my life to free them from that nightmare."

Eddie gave her a sidelong look. "Do you really think that would have worked? They had their weapons on us the entire time. If I had even touched my gun, that would be their signal to open fire. Do you really think I could have drawn and fired before they mowed me down?"

Watching the road again, he turned the crawler, heading between two small hills. "I'd be as happy to die getting rid of that bastard as you are, but I'm not leaving my daughter and her mother over maybes."

================================

"I keep forgetting you were never really a field guy, eh?"

"No shit," Ruffles replied, grinning. "I just pick it up as I go along, because I'm awesome."

=================================

"Keep your eyes and ears open at all times. Vasa runs a tight ship."

Slinging his sheath across his back, Bryan followed her closely. When he spoke, it was in an undertone. "Reckon it's worth casting around for some information? Get the lie o' the land before we move?"

 

[Fappy]

"I'd be as happy to die getting rid of that bastard as you are, but I'm not leaving my daughter and her mother over maybes."

"Haven't you left them already?!" Elizabeth fired back, regretting her words almost immediately. The last thing she wanted was to piss Eddie off and get stranded in the middle of nowhere. After seeing what he'd done to Austin it was clear he wasn't a man you wanted to anger.

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"I just pick it up as I go along, because I'm awesome."

Bennie brushed past the group and headed back into the main room, "That's what I like to here. Get your shit together and meet in the front of the building in five. Chop, chop kids."

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"Reckon it's worth casting around for some information? Get the lie o' the land before we move?"

Halfway through the door, Tsubaki paused and looked back at Bryan, "Am I to assume that 'getting the lie o' the land' involves a heavy bit of drinking and whoring? If so, no. We're here for business and business alone. I hope I was incorrect in my assumption, O'Laffery." As she stepped into the inn she added. "Let's settle in first. Maybe we can discuss scouting duties after we get some actual food in us."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"Keep your eyes and ears open at all times. Vasa runs a tight ship."

"So I've heard." Asad muttered to himself as he climbed out of the crawler. The cold immediately hit him, pulling up the collar of his coat did little to remedy the situation. "I swear it wasn't this cold last time I was here." He thought aloud.

Grabbing his rifle from the trunk of the crawler, he strapped it over his shoulder, the others gathering their own equipment.

"Reckon it's worth casting around for some information? Get the lie o' the land before we move?"

"I don't know about you, but I'd rather spend as little time outside as possible, fuck scouting, I can't feel my fingers." Asad chuckled, his breath showing in the air. Crossing his arms across his chest as he stood next to Tsubaki and Bryan.

"Am I to assume that 'getting the lie o' the land' involves a heavy bit of drinking and whoring? If so, no. We're here for business and business alone. I hope I was incorrect in my assumption, O'Laffery."

As the commander left him with that scathing remark, Asad patted Bryan on the shoulder as walked by, "Tough luck old boy." Barely containing a smirk as he trailed Tsubaki.

It appeared the cold didn't agree well with her either.

"Commander, permission to grab us some damn coffee before we freeze to death?"

 

[The Funslinger]

"Haven't you left them already?!"

"I didn't exactly have a choice!" Eddie snapped back. Then he exhaled, in a great sigh that seemed to deflate him a little. "You ever heard of a man named Edward Canton, Miss Elizabeth?"

=================================================

"Am I to assume that 'getting the lie o' the land' involves a heavy bit of drinking and whoring? If so, no. We're here for business and business alone. I hope I was incorrect in my assumption, O'Laffery."

Bryan put his hands up defensively. "Not heavy drinking, and certainly not whoring, ma'am. The allusion to it at most, y'know? Stands to reason some women'll gossip with me. Not just them, neither. There might be a few likely lads what could tell me something. Don't worry, ma'am, me pants'll remain firmly zipped on this one. No need to be jealous."

================================================

After a few minutes, Ruffles had disassembled the pieces of his radio transmitter in such a way as they could be reassembled in a few minutes. Stowing them in his bag, he shouldered it, got up and followed Bennie out.

 

[Fappy]

"I didn't exactly have a choice!"

Elizabeth's heart skipped a beat as Eddie suddenly turned his head and shouted at her. Yeah, that was a bad idea.

"You ever heard of a man named Edward Canton, Miss Elizabeth?"

What did his question mean? Elizabeth swallowed nervously before speaking, "I-I, um, I've heard the name before. Refresh my memory."

Tread lightly, Liz...

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"Not heavy drinking, and certainly not whoring, ma'am. The allusion to it at most, y'know? Stands to reason some women'll gossip [sub]with me. Not just them, neither. There might be[/sub] [sub][sub]a few likely lads what could tell me....[/sub][/sub]"

Tsubaki ignored his foolishness as she made her way to the unmanned bar. Leaning against the counter, she took in her surroundings. It was a musty, rundown place, but it would suit them perfectly. A muffled, shuffling sound emanated from the backroom. Skinner was likely still getting things set up for them.

"Commander, permission to grab us some damn coffee before we freeze to death?"

Asad asked as he approached the Commander from behind. Keeping her eyes ahead, she grunted, "Look around you, Harel. Hope you like cheap liquor, because I don't think we have many options."

"Oh, on the contrary, Commander." A gruff voice interjected. An older man with an impressive, grey beard strolled out of the backroom with a tray in his hands. Four mugs of scolding hot, brown liquid caught the whole of Samasara's attention. "Hot chocolate?"

If there was one thing Tsubaki hated to admit about herself it would most certainly be her sweet tooth. An involuntary grin broke out on her face as she reached for a mug. She could feel the heat of the liquid through her gloves, "You're too kind, Skinner. I don't believe we've been formally introduced." She moved with speed and efficiency as her body snapped into an all too familiar pose. Save for the one hand holding the mug, her's was a perfect salute. "Commander Tsubaki Saburo, squad leader of Samsara. I believe my squad is capable of handling their own introductions."

She looked at the three men expectantly as Skinner held up a hand in protest, "No need for that! I'm no military man myself!"

Tsubaki's expression didn't change. Skinner's words were irrelevant. She'd given her men an order.

 

[The Funslinger]

"I-I, um, I've heard the name before. Refresh my memory."

Eddie took a deep breath before speaking, "Eddie was one of the three generals operating directly under the head of the Wilkes-Vines family. They'd taken him off the streets as a teenager, and he'd risen through the ranks, getting to be a general after foiling a coup led by the general he replaced. He got a reputation far and wide as an absolute machine. A guy that gets things done.

"Back before he became a general, he became entangled with a woman named Whiskey Fifer if you've heard of her. She's an affiliate of Wilkes-Vines and a famous hired gun catering exclusively to Nobles. Anyway, Eddie and a few men were sent to a dome way out east called Kynesgrove, to expand territory by killing the big boss of the main crime family there. Only... they were spotted. By this eight year old kid, just as they were communicating with Payton Wilkes-Vines himself. Payton orders Eddie to kill the kid, Eddie refuses, things get violent and Eddie runs. See, Eddie and Whiskey had had a kid a couple years previous, and he couldn't bring himself to kill one. Never could have regardless. He'd always wanted kids to be protected. So, two weeks later, Wilkes-Vines' men track Eddie down just outside Fyrestone. There's this big gunfight. Everybody goes down dead, Eddie included. Of course, all of the bodies were seized before anyone else could get there by a Noble with... exotic culinary appetites."

Eddie fixed Elizabeth with a look. "You get what I'm saying?"

===================================================

"Name's Bryan O'Lafferty, Samsara's close quarters combat specialist. Not that I could be anything else with this hangin' off my back, right? Anyway, I'll take a glass o' yer best scotch," Bryan said, giving the man a casual salute by tapping two fingers against his temple and taking a small palm full of carbon from his pocket to pay for his drink.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"Look around you, Harel. Hope you like cheap liquor, because I don't think we have many options."

"Ugh, seriously?" Muttered an exasperated Asad. He never drank booze on a mission, liked to keep his mind and body sharp, alcohol dulled both those things.

"Oh, on the contrary, Commander."

An elderly gentleman showed himself, holding a tray of hot drinks. Must have been their guy.

"Hot chocolate?"

Asad's eyes lit up. "I forgot about this stuff!" he said with a grin as he grabbed the beverage enthusiastically. Taking a small sip, he nodded his head slightly, "Yup, same stuff, I haven't had this in like ten years." He wiped a fake tear from his eye with a gloved finger. "It's just so beautiful." he stuttered with mock emotions.

As the commander introduced herself, Asad removed his gloves with his teeth, pulling them off at the middle finger. His hot chocolate swapping hands as he did so, he quickly stuffed them into his pockets as Tsubaki looked his way, an expectant look on her face.

"No need for that! I'm no military man myself!"

Asad knew better, tilting his head slightly, he rolled his eyes at the commander, a small smile on his face. "Yes ma'am."

Clearing his throat theatrically, Asad clapped his heels together as he stood up straight. "Major Asad Harel, special tactics and reconnaissance for Samsara, sir!" He waved a perfectly exaggerated salute, made all the more comical by the gently steam cup of hot chocolate held at his side.

He glanced to his side, awaiting the commander's no doubt unimpressed reaction to his shenanigans.

 

[ProtoChimp]

"Yeah..." Hannibal said, scared he had pissed off Viola. He followed her down, his body looking frail and closed in as he walked. He paced behind her, his head sunken into his chest. He tried his best to forget what had broken him down, focusing on thins now. 'People want to kill me. Gunderson thinks I murdered his brother. There's probably gangsters who want to kill me as well. Focus on that. Focus on that. That's what's happening now, that's what's happening now.'

Hannibal was pretty lost in his movements and just kind of followed Viola as they went to get breakfast, he pulled out the small bag of carbon he kept on his person. "I-I can p-pay for my own f-f-food, I don't want to take more from you."

 

[Dogmatic99]

The room was silent except for the crackle of the fire. Vasa was sat back in his high backed chair, drowsing slightly as the close heat slowly filled the room. He forced his eyes open wide and thumbed back the hammer of his pistol, casually turning his wrist and turning the weapon on the figure that had quietly appeared at his side.

"You almost looked like a real old man for a second." Said Erik, eyeing the barrel of the gun casually. Vasa simply grunted, stowing his weapon.

"They've accepted the terms of meeting?"

"And all our people are ready and in position. Got the plain clothes squad and all."

"Good."

They were both silent for a while. Vasa's face was obscured by shadow and he seemed completely absorbed by the flame. Silence had started becoming more and more common between them and Erik had started becoming more uncomfortable in them. He couldn't tell you why.

"You want anything else done?" Erik asked in a vein attempt to break introduce some sound.

"I've already told the others what they need to do." Vasa raised a glass of dark liquor to his lips.

***​

"He's getting old, Erik, and wasn't one to be full of sparks in the first place." Irena said as she was punctuated by Erik slamming his glass down onto the bar.

"Bullshit! He's got too much placed in this. Doesn't matter how old you think he's getting no way could let it go, he's come too far."

"Didn't he say this was gunna be a temporary thing? A chance to prep?"

"There shouldn't be a ceasefire at all!" He snarled through gritted teeth. "You keep them guessing, you keep them on edge and then you BLEED. THEM. DRY. That's Vas' fucking problem. He always liked things too fucking clean." He practically snarled the words.

Irena didn't really have anything to say to that. she just slouched over the bar, resting her head in her hand. It wasn't like she could say anything about this. However far she'd risen through the ranks she'd never stand on level with these two. And if the heads of the family were having their twisted version of a marital tiff then best just to keep your head down and keep out of their way.

"It's like he stopped, fucking, caring." Erik muttered bitterly to himself.

"You know that's not true."

"Is it? What's he got to gain from keeping this up? Nothing! He's never even enjoyed any of his wins. It's always just something to lead onto the next thing... and he's got nothing left to move onto. He's got nobody. Who the fuck is left to take over after all this is over now?"

Irena looked at the hulking old brute sideways on with a skeptical glare. He just kept drinking. She slid a little piece of smooth carbon across the bar to the closest barman before leaving. She didn't bother to say bye and Erik didn't say anything to try and stop her. Instead he just turned into the kind of lonely drinker that everyone tries to avoid at the bar as he keeps muttering everything that crosses his mind and gives off that air that says he's just looking for the right face to break.

"This wasn't supposed to be our war."

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Things were dead silent between the two as they made their way towards the cafe area of the tavern. Occasionally Viola would cast a glance back at Hannibal, his head was rather sunken into his chest, like he was trying to hide. They eventually arrived at their destination. It looked to be a rather quaint little place, reasonably well kept, not overly big nor overly small.

"I-I can p-pay for my own f-f-food, I don't want to take more from you." Hannibal said as he stood to Viola's left side, pulling out a small bag of carbon from a trouser pocket of the 'clothes' he wore.

"I wouldn't necessarily say you had taken anything from me Hannibal up to this point. I've helped out of my own volition, not because I was asked to. How about we sit at that booth table over there by the window, should give us a decent view." Viola remarked, pointing out the table in question to Hannibal as she signaled a waitress to head their way.

The pair got themselves seated at the both, which had a stand filled with various condiments, and started looking at the menus that were on the table. A couple of minutes later, the waitress had arrived.

"Ah good morning to you two. Glad to see the young gentleman is looking better. Harrison told me what a state you were in last night. Anyway, enough gossip for now, what would you two like?" The waitress asked with a carefree smile.

"And a good morning to you as well. As for myself, think I'll have the coffee, decaffeinated if possible; followed up with a stack of pancakes and some bacon." Responded Viola as her eyes scanned the contents of the menu.

"A nice choice Miss. And for the young gentleman?"

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Back up in Sirus' private apartments, Amy stood out on the balcony, overlooking the domed city, while her host fetched champagne for the both of them. She had barely touched a drop all night, knowing that she couldn't very well refuse once the two of them were alone together. When Sirus returned, their was a furtive, almost embarrased look in his eye.

'He's paid a fortune for me, and he's still bashful? I wonder when the last time he had anything close to a date was...

Not that she could talk, she'd never had one.

"I hadn't thought it possible for you to become even more beautiful." Sirus told her, passing her a glass. "That was until I saw your face in the moonlight."

"So, I'm prettiest when it's dark? Is this how you flatter every young girl?" she jested.

"Forgive me, my dear." he replied, looking stricken by the thought he might have given offence "I am a man of business. Sometimes, I think managing hundreds of ventures all around the world is easier than knowing just one woman."

"There's nothing to forgive." Amy said softly, inching closer.

"Thank goodness!" Sirus babbled "For I have been drowning in your beauty ever since I first saw you. I had been told to expect someone extraordinary, but I confess myself stunned all the same. All through tonight, I have been kept sane only by the thought of these moments, alone with you, and what they might hold..."

"Shhh..." Amy whispered, drawing closer and pressing a finger to his lips "Then let us waste no more time. Come, celebrate tonight with me."

=========================================================================================================================

*10 minutes later*

The Gentleman's eyes perked up as the electronic tone played, directly inside his cochlear.

"I believe that's our cue." he announced to Meredith.

 

[Terratina.]

"...Hey, you okay? I don' wanna pry but ya' look kinda out 'a it."

Maria tried to shrug it off with a laugh and a few words, "Nah. I'm just shocked, is all. Not every does a bandit steal a moped and then gives it back the next day looking better than it ever has for a while."

As if to illustrate the point, Maria roughly inspected the moped, admiring the kid's handiwork. There was nothing left to say, the work was more than satisfactory, and any more compliments would just make the kid blush even more. Or was there? Maria stood up after looking at the exposed engine and posed a question.

"Where's that reckless partner of yours, anyway?"

***​

"Hot chocolate?"

For once, Jun had to agree with Asad - cheap liquor was nasty stuff and not exactly the most suitable beverage to drink while on a mission. Regardless, it was kind of nostalgic, Jun hadn't had anything like that in a long while. Still, he had to suppress a groan at Asad's reaction - this was not the time for silly banter. They were in an very freezing and very dangerous place. Hot chocolate or no hot chocolate, this was enemy territory. He grabbed one of the offered cups and was immediately hit by the comforting, chocolatey aroma. Nevertheless, there was still protocol to address. Jun swung his right hand to his temples, "Jun-young Moon. Designated marksman and sniper of Samsara."

After about three seconds had passed, his hand shot down in a straight to his hips.

 

[ProtoChimp]

"A nice choice Miss. And for the young gentleman?" said the waitress as Hannibal tried to avoid her gaze. Looking someone in the eye had suddenly become hard since his incident in the shower just now.

"I um... the, the same as her but with water." He said sniffing.

"Coming right up." She said with a smile as she left to prepare their order. Hannibal just sat in silence as he looked down at his knees. "Thank you. I haven't been this clean in a while. I've never had a hot shower before, its much better than a cold one. I can't even remember the last time I had one of those."

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"Thank you. I haven't been this clean in a while. I've never had a hot shower before, its much better than a cold one. I can't even remember the last time I had one of those." Said Hannibal after he ordered his breakfast. Viola took off her hat and fanned herself with it before setting it aside on the booth seat she was in.

"Don't mention it Hannibal, hot showers or just bathing in warm to hot water in general I find to be more effective in cleaning off the dirt and sweat from a long day. I'll admit, you certainly look healthier than you did yesterday; must be all that sleeping you did, I tell you, a warm bed and a comfy nights sleep can do some real good to a person." Viola remarked as she brushed a few stray hairs from in front of her face, whilst she was normally so concerned about her appearance, something like that occasionally bugged her.

"You remember to bring the medicine that the doctor gave you?"

 

[Ruedyn]

Tobin

'... Damn.'

Tobin grew up around bandits and killers, usually surviving off of scraps and leftovers. He'd seen the biggest and burliest men put away food at a pace where you were SURE they were going to take a wrong bite and mix their fingers into their meal. This reminded him a hell of a lot of that. He wondered why she didn't bother getting food at the bar, then he remembered it was a brothel. And brothel food was a fucking awful idea.

Tobin politely cut up his ham, eating at a much slower pace than his friend of the hour. There was either an angry lion in her stomach or her throat was a wood chipper. What was most impressive was the minimal mess of it all. The dwarf folded the ham on itself and ate it with his hands to try and finish sometime close to her. He slid the plate of eggs over to her while grinning.

"You want me to pay for all this?"
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Vergil

"is there anything you need? A map, or something?"

"That'd be wonderful." He said, hopefully not drowned out in their back and forth. He was getting his personal walkie ready, he left before anyone else but he expected at least someone here. He was a tad disappointed, just a single injured soldier to maybe help them out in this little adventure. He'd have to take what he could get, just a small supply drop near the location. He muttered something into it as they went on, turning back.

"Directions soon, and I'll be on my way. Think the bandits are expecting stealth?" Warren nodded as he seemed to come back, a bit of blood on himself. Vergil decided to just ignore that.

[sub]"Fuck swords..."[/sub] Warren muttered under his breath, feeling a cut on his cheek.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Earlier
Warren VS. Kayneth

The scarred warrior wandered off for a second, seemed they were fiddling with a radio and plans. Warren could rarely keep to his plans, he just went berserk and cleared rooms at a time with his gun. He swung his sword lazily through the air, enjoying the noise it made as steel ripped through air. He heard whistling from an alley, Warren was only walking in small circles around the house they were staying at, it was probably just a bystander-

"You!"

'Or not...' Warren turned to face the man, the red hair and blade he remembered from yesterday. He remembered the kid kinda attacked him, and he left him, but he never asked name or rank... Though his drawn blade certainly told him this wasn't friendly. He looked haggard, and like he hadn't eaten in a bit.

Warren grinned, he'd only been in a few melee brawls, but he had never been in a legitimate sword fight ever. The two men charged each other, Warren making the first swing, the Irishman quickly ducking under it without even bothering to raise his arms. He followed the motion with a deft spin on his heel, driving his shoulder into Smiles, sending him to the ground with a grunt of pain and shock.

Kayneth capitalized, reeling back his foot and kicking Warren on to his front. The skilled swordsman finally brought his blade up, intent to finish this before it even began, he brought it down on the downed bandit. Warren quickly moved his head, the blade slashing his cheek, near the end of his scar. He growled, kicking the legs out from under Kayneth, getting back to his own feet. He waited for his opponent to do the same, finding his sword and holding it up again in a two handed stance.

Kayneth smiled, dropping into a legitimate Fencing stance, extending his blade arm straight towards the oaf. The two circled for a moment, Kayneth lightly slapping the flats of their blade together. He waited till Warren took a step back, winding up for another wild slash, before swiping his leg back, lunging forward with his blade, aiming at his midsection. Warren danced quickly to the side, getting another cut, mostly to his clothing at least. Warren threw a punch, leaping forward and catching the fencer in the cheek, grabbing his bandaged hand hard, forcing a yell of pain out of the Fencer.

Spoiler: music

One could notice Warren's eyes clouding over, throwing the sword behind him as he cracked his knuckles.

He threw another punch, a left cross to the sword mans temple, using his right to give three quick jabs to the ribs. He took a step back, lunging forward with his knee aimed at his sternum. Kayneth saw stars as he was pushed back again, he shook his head in time for Warren to throw a straight punch into his forehead. Kayneth shook his head again, raising his blade so the flat would protect him. It did, for a moment, Warren quickly kicking his shin out from under him. To his credit, he managed to keep his balance about him, as Warren grabbed him by the forehead, running and slamming him in to a nearby wall, taking a step back and kicking him in the gut.


He slumped against the wall, getting caught by the neck by Warrens forearm. He looked groggily at the Berserker, as he reared his head back, smashing their heads together, making a kaleidoscope out of their visions, and then he did it again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

He shuddered violently, looking at the unconscious body. He'd need to save some more aggression for later. Warren stumbled back to the group, feeling more pumped than anything else. He bent over the loser, taking a few things. A new glove and some Carbon, he looked around. His shirt now had a hole carved in to it. He found the fencer had a backpack, he looked through it for a clean shirt. They were roughly the same size, though he was taller. He found a green shirt, baggy sleeves and a few buttons near the collar. It'd work, he threw away his old sleeveless blazer in favor of the new shirt, a tiny bit of blood showing up on his side.

Warren smiled, clenching his bloody fists.

Today would be a good day.

 

[Fappy]

"Where's that reckless partner of yours, anyway?"

Sprout let our a nervous laugh as he scratched the back of his head, "Funny story actually... I reckon she's still sleepin' off the beat'n she received last night. Got drunk 'n rowdy at a brothel an' got 'er ass whooped! She managed ta' take one a' them fuckers down though. Me n' some dwarf fought off the rest and...."

Sprout stopped himself to examine her reaction. There was no way she'd buy that story, was there? "Well, I mean... I don' reckon you'd believe a tale like that, but... You know, anyway, I s'pose I should leave y'all to it. Don' wanna overstay my welcome 'er anythin'. I did rob ya' after all."

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"You get what I'm saying?"

Elizabeth placed her hand over her breathing mask as if trying to emulate a gasping expression. He could have been lying. Could have, but why lie now? Why after all this? No, for whatever reason he'd felt compelled to share his story with her. It seemed she really had gotten to him.

Staring down at his metal hand she muttered, "I-I'm sorry. I spoke out of ignorance. I..." She trailed off as her words escaped her. What could she say to this man? A long silence followed before Elizabeth spoke once more. "Tell me... what do you know about Lord Basilio?"

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Aesop could almost hear a rib fracture before he was lifted back onto his feet and sat down in his chair. Silo was staring across the table at him, breathing heavily. From the looks of it he'd summoned every ounce of strength from within to fight off the pain in his knee. Silo said nothing as his lips twitched and his brow furrowed. Aesop's pain was trivial in comparison.

Just when it looked like he was about to speak, the door flung open once more. Rodrigo and a tall, slender, pale-skinned man with a beard and cowboy hat walked in, "You.... YOU!" Silo spat, his eyes wild. "YOU FUCKIN' RAT I'M GONNA---" Rodrigo cut him off with a sharp slap across the face. Silo hung his head low as he muttered. "I'm gonna rip your fuckin' heart out, Randy...."

The tall man in the cowboy hat laughed, "Sorry ol' friend, but this is the end 'a the line. Dio's seen fit ta' end the ol' ice queen's party 'n I figured I get the fuck out while I still could." He leaned in close to Silo, his eyes obscured by sunglasses. "No hard feelings, bro. Just business." His grin faded when Silo spat a thick, bloody loogie at his face.

Stunned, fury washed over Randy's face as Silo laughed, "Fuckn' pussy."

Sensing the growing rage within Randy, Rodrigo fired his pistol at the ceiling, "ENOUGH!" He slammed the revolver back onto the table and looked between Aesop and Silo. "Shall we continue?" Sliding the revolver over to Aesop, Rodrigo smirked. "How many of your boys are in my city?" Pointing to Silo, he added. "Point the gun at him, not yourself."

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************

Tsubaki rolled her eyes at her men. For a moment she thought to herself how great it'd be if they had all practiced the same level of professionalism as Jun. It didn't take her long to immediately retract that thought, however.

The fewer Juns in this world, the better.

As Skinner stepped behind the bar to get Bryan her drink, Tsubaki pulled up a seat. Taking a sip of her hot chocolate, it took an unparalleled level of self restraint to keep from squirming in joy, "This is good..." She muttered to herself.

Skinner slid Bryan's drink across the counter and leaned against it, "Anything else you folks need?"

Tsubaki shook her head, "No, Skinner, thanks." Looking to her men, she took another sip before speaking. "Take a moment to settle in. Finish your drinks, take a piss, whatever. We have less than a day to prep for the operation and I want the backroom set up for planning within the hour. Got that?"

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************

While Bennie and Ruffles waited for the others outside the door, Bennie lit up a cigarette. After one long drag, he exhaled sharply with what sounded like a long overdue sigh, "How's my girl doin' these days? From what you were sayin' last night she ain't doin' so hot." Bennie's excited mood seemed to fade after every additional drag.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************

Cameron came up to Warren and Vergil and handed the boy a map, "This should do the trick. Carmine said we're to shadow you, but if we're not in position when you get caught you'll be on your own." She looked concerned. "You sure you're up to this?" As she spoke she subtly ushered the group towards the door.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************

"I believe that's our cue."

Pixie did little more than grunt in acknowledgement as the pair broke off into separate directions. Making her way out of the main hall, she casually walked past those that lingered in the hallways. None of them paid her any mind as she turned down a hall towards the elevator. The number of party-goers thinned out as she made her way deeper into the belly of the building.

As Pixie came around the last bend she spotted the Gentleman across the hall. The two met in front of the elevator and without making eye-contact, Pixie whisper, "Ready?"

 

[The Funslinger]

"Tell me... what do you know about Lord Basilio?"

Watching what passed for a road as he talked, Eddie answered, "a little of this, a little of that. He has connections with Wilkes-Vines. General business friendliness I guess, and we worked some racketeering jobs he didn't want connected to a Noble reputation. I was only involved in a couple of those, but I know others by word of mouth. There's some cold shit there. I'll spare you the details. Recently I heard vague, nonspecific rumours he's working on something big. Some people are saying it involves the mines, some people are saying it involves some kinda old world weapon, and other crap that's less believable. Recently, I heard he's been getting cozy on the side with the Yamato bandit clan. Them's some dangerous fuckers. I worked a mercenary contract against 'em last year. Job was a success, but I still have the scars. And a rather nice ornamental katana. Love the perks of the job."

He maneuvered the crawler up a particularly difficult rise before speaking again. "Other than that, I met ol' Lawdy Basilio in person when I took the Maiden job. No offense, but your fiance is both stuck up and one cold bastard. I wasn't lying when I said he said you didn't concern him. And whatever Monroe did to him was big. And I could tell he hated every one of us in the room 'cause of our occupation. But that ain't uncommon."

===============================================

"How's my girl doin' these days? From what you were sayin' last night she ain't doin' so hot."

Ruffles produced what looked to be a simple hand rolled cigarette from one of his many pockets and considered it for a moment before putting it back. Now wasn't the time to be pleasantly baked.

"Honestly, she was fine until the aftermath of that fucken train job. Or at least, none of us had any inkling she were losing her grip before then. I reckon she's losing care for her ideals, to be honest. And her sending Sprout and Lil away makes me think there ain't gonna be an Iron Maiden gang for much longer. Honestly, we all been missing you lately, man. I reckon it'd do her some good to have our second best black crew member back."

===============================================

"Take a moment to settle in. Finish your drinks, take a piss, whatever. We have less than a day to prep for the operation and I want the backroom set up for planning within the hour. Got that?"

Bryan sipped his drink and glanced across the table at Asad. "Shame. If there were some customers in this place, that'd be just enough time for me to wingman a girl for Jun."

 

[ProtoChimp]

"Oh christ." Aesop moaned as he was propped up into the chair, his ribs feeling crumpled. Looking at Silo across the table however, his pain was meager. Silo had truly truly suffered. 'And all because I didn't save us two bullets. I've fucked us both. We're not getting out of here. Neither of us are.'

Then things flared up in Aesop's mind as... "Oh you dirty fucker!" Even Aesop had met Randy a few times. "Oh Barret. Fucking Barret he knew when he saw the body in your house. What poor fucking hobo did you murder you whore? You fucking limp dick whore!!!"

"ENOUGH! Shall we continue?" Sliding the revolver over to Aesop, Rodrigo smirked. "How many of your boys are in my city?" Aesop put his hand on the gun ready to shoot himself in the head when Rodrigo pointed at Silo. "Point the gun at him, not yourself."

Aesop's eyes widened and his cheeks sunk. Rodrigo saw this and grinned even wider. Aesop stared down at the gun. If he died it would be by Silo's hand. But he could very well be Silo's murderer today. Thinking it was the right thing to do in hindsight was easy, but actually doing it. Being forced to... neither of them was going to talk. Aesop was so ashamed just from saying how many there were the night before. Speaking of which why the fuck was he asking again... 'Stop thinking Aesop just, just, just kill...'

"Ice Queen's gonna burn your ass Randy." Aesop said, desperately trying to conceal his emotions as he spoke before pulling the trigger. The best sound Aesop's ears had ever heard. A dull click. He sighed in relief and put the gun down.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"Ready?"

"Always." Gent's whispered back, not looking at her either. It was only a few step more before they reached the sliding doors, with two guards stationed there.

"I'm sorry sir, ma'am," the higher ranked of the two said as they approached "but Mr. Dickens' private apartments are off limits to guests.

"Ah..." The Gentleman replied a little nervously, still very much in character. "I don't want to be a bother, but Mr. Dickens requested that we join him for the evening, to continue discussing a business proposition he had for us."

Predictably, the guard did not seem convinced. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you past without clearance from above... and I was given to understand that Mr. Dickens was entertaining other guests at this time.

'You over-estimate your paymaster's stamina.'

"I see, well, perhaps I mis-read the time." The Gentleman said, sounding wrong-footed. "We'll come back later perhaps, I wouldn't wish to intru-"

"Wait." The guard interrupted, holding a finger to the his earpiece.

'Quite impeccable timing.' The Gentleman thought, pausing halfway through having turned on his heel.

"The authorisation has just come though. Please proceed into the elevator, and I'm very sorry for the inconvenience."

"Oh, not at all."

The ride up was a lengthy one, as the ascended what must have been over 30 floors, which they did all in silence. Sirus might not be a particularly paranoid sort, but he was rich enough to afford to pay men who understood the meaning of high-security. They couldn't trust that they were not still being watched, and listened to. Only once inside the apartments themselves, would they be in the clear.

When they reached the top they were greeted by a set of double doors almost as large and just as ornate as the ones that they had entered though at the start. A few clicks from the other side, and Amy admitted them through.

"Our host is asleep." she told them. "I suspect he will not be waking for some time. Even so, I suggest we move with haste."