“Oy, have the adventurers picked up a stray, you know new pets require licensin’ fees.”
Another shake down to please the green bitch.
“Birg, we aren't giving anymor' to ya or your gang, we're far beyond your threats now.”
Does the prat not know, O that just bleedin’ amusin’.
“Ah don't say tha’ luv’, you might be strong enough when you’ around but ya ain’ always around.”
“We’re already paid up for the month.” The noble brat speaks up, well now the other girl knows. Judging by the boy, he was just as in the dark.
“Righ’ three of ya hav’. But now there a fourth.”
The cat girl walks towards me. Her nose wrinkles as she approaches. W’at it's only been a week.
“If you guess my weight within fifty pounds, I'll pay double the rate, you fail, you ignore my friend's new pet.” She got a grin as if she knew she was going to win…
I sneer at the dumb bitch, “You best ready to pay, you ain’ more than seven five.”
“Errrk wrong.”
I sigh, so that's how it is. Stupid child.
“That's not quit’ fai’ luv, lying to git out of fees ain’ goin’ mak’ you friends.”
“Pick me up.”
“Eh?”
“If I weigh around seventy-five pounds then you should be able to pick me up. I just ate so do go by my armpits and not my waist.”
Dumb child wants to be in my grasp, I ain’ goin’ to argue. The fuck she is too heavy…I'm on the ground. Her eyes glow purple as she holds a knife to my throat. Fuck. I feel like she is going to eat me. Those teeth are so bleedin’ huge.
“Now see, I weigh a lot more than seventy-five pounds. Why, you were off by six hundred. Now you're not going to force me to have to incinerate your corpse, are ya?”
The purple glow in one eye becomes an angry red. I shake my head slowly. Not eager to cut myself on her knife.
“Good, now I can smell ya a thousand kings feet away and anyone who comes close to our house, if anything untowards happen to me or my friends possessions I will find you and whoever did it. Do ya ‘ken?”
Fuck, fine whatever. I nod and she gets off me. Her back is turned on me. My own knife is in my hand. I haven't had to kill anyone yet, but this bitch be dangerous. Couple that with the loss of mone’ should these brats stop payin’. I lunge at her, her tail slaps me down. The fuck, I been hit by iron batons that were softer. I touch my split lip, fuck. They hurried the dead girl walking into their shack. I get up, notice the dampness and feel my anger grow. Fuck, I go to the matron.
-----
The target didn't notice me. Good. I stab him before he realizes he is not alone in the alley way. Adventurers are always so confident in their skills. Then they go drinking. The man falls down. I fish out his guild card. It should do as proof. I dip it in the man's blood.
I take the coin pouch. Two, no, three streets away I toss it down a new alleyway. It's never good to keep the fool's coin, some bastards like to mark a coin for tracking purposes. Don't need this fool's party members tracking me down.
-----
That wasn't pleasant. At least that bitch goin’ to git what’ coming to her. I lay back and nurse my swollen cheek. When the matron returns she fuckin’ frightened. She told us to leave the cat alone. Fuck, I join this group to be a big shot. Now the actual big shot is frightened of a girl.
I leave the house and head off. Directionless. In the opposite direction of the cat. Fuck. I stumble upon a familiar punching bag. She is a small girl, the same height as the cat. I kicked her…hard. She stumbles into the alleyway. I walk in. I don't stop pummeling her until my father's voice congratulates me on beating her to death. I look up at the sky. I can understand why Nick went to kill. I look down at the replacement for my rage. I spit on it.
-----
“Another tracked down, Vick? Going to dry up the board at this rate."
I smile, “Just means I need to head to another city then. Any with a backlog?”
The Pimar looks over some strange trinket. Takes a moment, and then turns to me.
“Yetna buildin’ up to three opens.”
Home turf of the Maxwell house. Killing can gain you more but they are better at findin’ ya as well. I will need a trinket or two.
-----
Matron got done in. I resist the urge to spit on her. Don't want her pet to know I'm here after all. I go to the corner of the room. Behind where the door will swing. Now to wait for her to open the safe. She does, git never did check the corners.
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“I knew if I wait’ you com’ and show me the guds.”
Ah Nyx is good and panicked. She has her hand in her pocket, no doubt grasping that letter opener she thinks could protec’ her. She relents, smart enough to know she is fucked.
“That a gud girl. Now I be think’ you go keep doin’ the mone’ runs. If you don’, I put you wi’ your mum an’ you can sho’ others you guds.”
She stares at me with hatred. Gud. When she is gone I walk to the bloated corpse of the matron. I spit on her, my gang now you crusty bitch.
-----
“This one will block a mental attack.”
“How many times?”
“At least three or four.”
I roll my eyes, “Is it Maxwell rated?”
The gnome woman winces, “Maybe twice.”
Better than nothing, “I'll take three.”
-----
Nyx walks out full of despair. Bit unreasonable but that's the biz’. She will be replacin’ her mother by sun up. Should I tell her I beat her to death? Maybe when she acts out. Probably best to claim that letter opener back. Can't have her pissin’ off the clientele.
I stare up at the ceiling. What am I goin’ to do ‘bout the gang? Nick left awhile ago, other runners starting to look to other parts of the city. Perhaps a public beating will brin’ them in line. Only need to decide if I cripple or end ‘em.
-----
I look at the board. About three to kill the former lord Maxwell. Another to kill a ten year old Maxwell girl with blue hair with black streaks for ten large gold. No further information. No, the money is not worth the nightmares. Learn that lesson early.
Slay Gadvak cultist, a small gold per. Actual bounty from the state. Not every day I get to do legitimate work. It makes me annoyed that I bothered buying protective charms. Eh, not like they will go to waste.
-----
Nyx never came back…fuck no one else knows the numba’ to the safe. I collect the takes personally. Decide which looks ripe for a beatin’.
-----
My fist crashes into the stupid fucks face.
“Though’ to strike out on you own, did ja?”
He doesn't answer, his bleedin’ is ta remind’ the other who is in charge. Gud, they're all scared. It's enough. I continue the beatin’. Enough for ‘em, not enough for me. Father congratulated me on anotha’ level.
-----
I wrap the heads in one of their brown robes. Cheap shits can't even be bothered to have a bit of color. Best take enough robes to match the heads. Only three of them. Decent pay day. It's nice doing a service for the Queendom. Better when I get paid for it.
-----
The door to the safe is open. Fuck, there nothin left. How the fuck did Nyx sneak in here? My yellin’ attracts the others. They see the empty safe and scatter. Fuck.
-----
Someone has gone and pissed off a local Lady.
“Got any more information on this one?”
“Ah some noble consort went and disappeared, [Lady] convinced the green matron's old crew did it. Said her locket cracked.”
A lover's revenge charm?
“Did she leave the locket?”
The Orc tosses me the locket. Easy money.
-----
They're all gone. I wander the streets again. The gutter trash flee ‘fore I can git within’ kickin’ range.
“Hey you smelly piece of shit.”
I look at the three men who block the exit to the alley way. Another two are on the other side. One of the three is one of my own.
“Fuckin’ gut you for what you did to my brother.”
Huh, didn't realize they were related. Didn't giv’ a shit either. They expect me to run towards the two. I don’. I shoulder check the biggest one of the three. He falls over and I deck the next. I feel a pain in my side. Brother fucker got me with his knife. I back hand the shit. I try to turn but the knife digs deeper…fuck.
The knife is wrenched out. I take a blow to the face. It barrels me into the shit who stabbed me. I stabbed him back. Not carrying where. A few more to make it proper. I ignore my father and get up again. I spit a bit of blood. Felt a tooth go with it. I give my best sneer and charge towards the one in front. They expected me to run, which is bad for front fuck cause the knife just went up his chin.
Another blow knocks me back. I am tackled, pushed against the wall. Fuck. I go for the eyes. He screams as I kick him away. Two left standing, no they are running. Now there just two fucks to end. I grab the knife hilt and drag it down. It doesn't take long before my father tells me it is time for no eyes. I don't waste time and slit his throat. I leave him gurgling. No, I turned back and kicked him in the face. A mistake, the wound in my side tears some more. Fuck. I walk off to who knows the fuck where.
-----
I push some more mana into the locket. It pulls towards the alleyway. There is a streak of fresh blood leading in. Might be dealing with a practiced killer. I step in and see an [Attendant] standing over a bleeding man. Which one is it? She crouches down and places a hand on the side of the man. The wound begins to close. Target must be the man then.
-----
My eyes flutter open, the cut in my side closes. I look into the eyes of the cat girl.
“You left quite a few bodies back there, Birg.”
She is much larger than before. I try to get up when her body shifts. O systems, she is huge. A clawed foot pins me to the ground. It then grabs my torso and lifts me up. I see movement behind her. She doesn't notice. She bites down onto my shoulder. Ahhhh fuck the pain. I black out.
-----
The hell, she is a monster. Too big now to turn, she lifts the man she healed and bites down on his shoulder. Damn, no good if she eats the target. I rush forward and stab her in that fat spider ass of hers. The sword scrapes the side. She drops the man.
“Stop.”
The ring on my finger breaks. Four times that gnome said. I pull back, I pull my mithril knife. Expensive but the sword did shit. I charge forward again as the monster's top half tries to turn her body to see me. You're just too large there, monster. I stab again, the blade snaps. Fuck that was a hundred large gold there. I take a kick to my stomach. It bowls me over. The monster becomes the woman again. Naked, she turns around and walks towards me.
“Are you here to slay a monster?"
Another ring pops, her head tilts at the trinket. Various mana eyes flash, if she has a core for each of those I am fucked. They stop at purple. Damn, but perhaps she is vulnerable like this. I rush forward with my sword. She turns her body and kicks me into the wall. I am barely lucid when she grabs my hand and removes the last trinket.
“Why are you here?”
“I am tracking the killer of a consort to a Lady.”
“How?”
“A lover's revenge charm, it will pull toward the one who absorbed the exp of one's lover.”
“Show me.”
I pull out the locket. It is slowly pulling towards the monster. She takes it from my hand. Once again cycling through her various sights. After a brief moment of contemplating it, the locket begins to melt in her hands. I regained my senses during her distraction. I stab her in the side with my spare knife. Pays to have extra. This one doesn't shatter, I keep stabbing. We are too close to aim for vitals. Just good ole multiple till your target falls. My arm that holds the knife falls off instead…cut off? I grasp the stump, damn. Her eyes are smoldering a deep dark red now. She bites down onto my neck.
-----
I open my eyes and see the blood pooling. I need to get out. My left arm doesn't move. I start to crawl. With my right. I feel more blood flow as I shift my body. Fuck.
