1 A Rainy Night

It was raining again, freakin brilliant. I can do a lot of things. But stopping the rain isn't one of them.

Achuran, or Ash to most people who knew him, sat on top of the steeply sloped metal roof above an Inn. It probably wasn't the smartest idea seeing as the rain was coming down hard enough to make even a rough patch slippery. He wasn't too worried though. It would take more than this meager 15-foot fall to harm him.

It had been a hard day today. He'd had two people try to rob him, and had to skirt three noble watchdogs patrolling the city.

Asb thought Pearl city was a beautiful city. If you ignored the grime, slime, beggers, beatings, corruption and general filth that is. But to Ash, he could look beyond that sometimes. Times like tonight, when the rain cleared the air, the streets grew quieter, lights were put out, and normal people went to bed. When you couldn't see the filth or the beatings, you couldn't hear as many ignored cries for help. When he could take a second to step back and just admire that is. Ash saw beauty. Those times were coming less and less frequently though. And just as that thought struck, Ash heard the scuffling of feet scraping against a cobblestone.

No normal person would've heard that. But Ash was no normal person. Looking down through the darkness and rain Ash saw nine figures down below. three to each side, and three in the middle. All creeping towards the front door of the house he was sitting on. Seeing as there were nine coming from the front, Ash figured it was likely at least four were around guarding the back entrance and at least one lookout on a different roof somewhere.

Focusing out into the darkness Ash could just make out a small figure perched on the room across the street from him. Amazing the gang member had gotten there without him noticing in the first place. But that's what drifting off into nostalgia would do to a man.

In one quick powerful motion, he jumped off the roof he was perched on and across the 20foot span to land right next to the boy still looking down at the street below. Shocked at seeing someone come flying from the darkness the boy, looked to be about 12 Ash thought, tried to cry out but only managed a grunt as Ash's full weight came crashing down on him, knocking his wind out and stopping all but a grunting sound from the poor sap.

"What you gutter scums doin here?" Ash hissed at the boy still trying to catch his breath. Easily falling into the street slang he'd grown up around. When the boy finally caught his breath he spat "Like i'd snitch to a scum like you!" Knowing he didn't have time to mess around if they were here to harm Kelly and her daughters Ash was leaned in close "you'll spill or I'll start breaking fingers." To emphasize his point Ash grabbed the boys wrist and looked him directly in the eye. "Y-you wouldn't" The boy sounded less sure of himself now. "SPEAK," Ash said speaking as loud as he dared so as to not alert the people down below. He was running out of time. "I'm ain't a snitch" Determination started to fill his eyes, calling Ash's bluff. Sadly for the boy, when it came to his foster family. He never bluffed. In one quick motion, Ash covered the boy's mouth with one hand and grabbed his smallest finger with the other and snapped it back breaking the bone in one clean motion. The boy screamed against his hand kicking and bucking but Ash was far stronger than his poor victim. Leaning in again he asked "What. are. you. doing. here" Pronouncing each word carefully so as to not be miss heard even over the rain. Ash figured at least some of the water running down the boy's face now wasn't all rainwater. Calming down the boy cowered before Ash, "Jimmy said we're comin ta finish Aggro right, and finally clean up that skank kelly and her little girlies. Says they'll be easy coin for everyone after that. That's what Jimmy says, I'm just a lookout. Please don't kill me. I don't know anythin else." Cowing in full now as Ash's eyes grew murderous the boy turned his head away as Ash released it.

Having his fears confirmed Ash didn't have any time to wast. Standing up Ash placed a quick jab to the back of the boys' neck knocking him unconscious. There's a bundle of nerves there that when struck just right causes instant dizziness, causing weaker or unprepared to people blackout from it.

Looking over the room at "Jimmy's" people approaching the door Ash didn't have any time to plan or strategize. He jumped off the roof, clearing most of the street and down the 15feet to the ground. landing in a crouched position, with one hand on the ground and another on his knee. Ash stood up and faced the enclosing gang members. In a calm, clear voice he said: "Any scum darin to try anythin on Kelly or her girlies will forfeit any right to bargain with their lives." A big boy, eye level with Ash's 6foot 2in height and easily 50 pounds heavier stepped forward. Ash assumed him to be Jimmy, the same one the boy on the roof spoke of. "And what a washed up rep rider like you think your gonna do about anythin?"

Ash shifted his feet, readying his stance for anything. "Whatever it takes. It oughta be clear on the streets by now. This inn is under my protection. Anyone who tries anythin here forfeits all rights" "Haha don't make me laugh, therein nine of us an only one of you. I think yur all bark and no bite. The boys and I figure it's time to knock ya right off yur little high perch and enjoy some quality time with this fine owners money and maybe her fine girlies too if ya know what I mean." Ash felt his heart sink with those words. He didn't want to hurt anyone, didn't want to kill anyone. But there was a rule on the streets. Once a challenge had been laid down. It was either taken up or taken over. No rules, no questions. And Jimmy had just challenged Ash.

In his early to late teens, Ash was the leader of the gang called the Aggros. The name stemmed from people calling him Aggro. Through sheer physical power, he'd been unstoppable. anything he wanted he'd take. Noone could stand in his way. He didn't like the hurting, backstabbing, robbing life. So when his foster mom Kelly asked him about it one day and asked him to go get an honest job he did. He walked away and never looked back. Before he left though he'd made one thing clear in the underworld. Kelly, her small inn, and her two daughters were off-limits. Anyone who tried to mess with them would receive only swift and brutal punishment. It was the only way Ash could think of to protect them. The streets only respected power. And by using some of his, after the first two attempts ending in disaster for the gangs who tried. Everyone got the message loud and clear. Stay away from old Aggro's turf. Because that inn and its residents was something he'd fight to the death over.

It seemed though that Jimmy was trying to make a name for himself in the underworld. And what better way to do it than by stomping on the most infamous name on the streets. That's what the first two people who tried this were attempting anyways.

As Jimmy stepped forward he showed a cruel smile. Then his eyes and hands started glowing faintly blue.

Everything made sense then and their. Jimmy was so confident because he was an enhanced. It looked like he had slightly enhanced vision and much stronger arms judging by how much brighter his hands were than his eyes. Ash guessed that if he wasn't wearing sleeves one would see his arms had a faint glow too. Most Enhancers had between one and three body parts he could enhance. He likely didn't have three since he'd have probably joined a noble house or the army if he did. For the same reasons, he probably wasn't all that strong or very well trained. However, even a small boost on the streets went a long way.

In most any matchup he'd have a clear advantage. Especially with the ragtag street brawls that he'd normally face. However, they didn't call Ash, Aggro for no reason.

As Jimmy stepped forward Ash game him one last warning. "If you 'in your gang wanna walk tonight, turn around now." Laughing even harder Jimmy cracked his knuckles and stretched. "Damn fools" Ash mumbled. The gang stayed because Jimmy stayed, and they knew Jimmy was enhanced. Believed he couldn't lose.

As Jimmy rushed forward Ash steeled his resolve.

Jimmy charged the remaining 10feet towards Ash and threw to Ash's eyes a very telegraphed punch. Leaning back Ash dropped low under the punch and hammered a fist into his right thigh with enough force to crack the bone underneath. The largest bone in the body ash thought. Had to hurt like hell. As Jimmy cried out Ash stood up, hooked Jimmy overextended elbow in the crook of his own, rotated by bending his knees and turning at his hips he threw Jimmy, using his own back as a springboard, over his head and slamming him full force into the ground. Dislocating Jimmy's shoulder in the process. With a broken leg, dislocated shoulder, and the sense and wind knocked out of him it was clear he was out of the fight. The whole thing took maybe three seconds. Standing back up Ash glared at the other eight boys who stopped in their tracks. Seeing their leader down was a disheartening sight. Just because they stopped doesn't mean Ash would. They've made their choice. Now they had to face the consequences of threatening his family.

Rushing at the largest figure he could see Ash drove a fist into the big boy's stomach than a reverse elbow into his nose feeling it crunch. Spinning Ash similarly dispatched all six boys from the middle and right side. Crouching down he picked up a medium-sized cobblestone and hurled it at the tallest figure to his left. With accuracy and the perfect power, beyond that of a normal person, the taller boy crumpled to the ground. Bleeding from a cut along his temple. Still alive, but unconscious. Rushing up with fists raised Ash stopped at the last face he saw. A younger boy than the rest, maybe seven years old and small. Was staring back at him, terrified like he was the devil himself. The look in that child's eyes stopped him dead in his tracks. This boy doesn't know any better. He doesn't deserve this. One minute. That's all it had taken to level eight of the nine original boys. Three unconscious, the others with broken or dislocated bones. Ash hated this. Hated what this city was doing to these young people. They didn't deserve this life. They just didn't know any other way to survive. Feeling dejected but still, on edge, Ash walked around the ally separating the inn from the houses next to it towards where he suspected the other boys were waiting for anyone trying to escape through the back door. "Hey," he said to the three hunched figures at the back of the ally. "Your gang is down. Yous can stay an fight. or get em back to the hole you crawled outa an get em patched up. Some are hurt pretty bad." With that, he turned to face the opposing wall and jumped up onto the adjacent roof to watch the gang try and pick themselves back up. With the help of the three unhurt members and the reasonably unhurt one from the roof. Ash watched the gang slowly. limp/drag themselves away.

As Achuran watched them go in the rain, covered in blood and mud. He couldn't stop thinking of that last kid. The innocent fear in his eyes. Twice people had tried to rob him, and thrice he'd dodged corrupt city guards. Only to end the day with an entire gang attacking the only family he had. Things had to change. It had been like this for too long and was only getting worse. If the king and nobility weren't going to do anything about it. He would.