Chapter 13

The captain's voice, gravelly and tinged with a slight rasp, filled the room. Azure couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine at the sound. "Uh, you were expecting me, sir?" he asked, his voice betraying a hint of nervousness.

As he spoke, Azure's mind raced with thoughts, his inner voice exclaiming, *Dear Goddess, he's scary.* The captain's commanding presence coupled with his intimidating voice intensified the unease that Azure felt in his presence.

"Yea, The Shadow Baron told me you would come here. Now, sit down," the captain said, gesturing towards a chair positioned in front of his desk. Azure followed the captain's instruction, taking his seat. Glancing at the nameplate on the desk, which boldly read THE CAPTAIN.

As the captain settled into his seat, he pulled out a pack of Steamfire Cigarettes and a lighter from his leather jacket. Placing a cigarette between his lips, he asked Azure, "You don't mind if I smoke, do ya?" Azure, feeling a mix of confusion and uncertainty, replied, "Um, ah, no, sir?"

"Okay then," the captain said as he nonchalantly lit his cigarette, taking a drag and exhaling a cloud of smoke. He offered the pack to Azure, who quickly shook his head and replied, "Uh no, sir, I don't smoke." The captain shrugged, returning his attention to the matter at hand, and asked, "Alright, so you want to tell me what happened to Cagan's crew, right?"

"Yes, sir. Did Dal and Mel tell you?" Azure asked, his curiosity piqued. The captain leaned back in his chair, taking another drag from his cigarette before responding. "Huh, no. The Shadow Baron told me about it. And by the way, we've already sent someone to take care of the people responsible. You probably saw him when you entered the base," the captain revealed, his tone matter-of-fact.

"So you already know what I came to tell you, sir?" Azure asked, his voice tinged with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. The captain exhaled a plume of smoke and gave a slight nod. "Yup, I'm aware. Also, could you just stop with that?" he said, gesturing with his cigarette hand. Confusion etched across Azure's face as he asked, "Um, stop with what, sir?" The captain's brows furrowed slightly as he leaned forward, his gaze piercing. "Sir, stop calling me 'sir' every single sentence, for crying out loud," he replied, his voice laced with a hint of exasperation.

"Then what should I call you, si—I mean, Captain?" Azure quickly corrected himself, realizing his mistake. The captain took a drag from his cigarette and exhaled slowly. "Just call me by my name. It's annoying to be called 'sir' all the time," he replied. Azure nodded, understanding the captain's preference. "Oh, yes. I should tell you my name, right? It's Ripper," the captain added.

"Um, is that your actual name?" Azure asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. The captain let out a frustrated sigh, clearly annoyed by the question. "Oh, for fu—yes, yes it is! People every single goddess damn time ask, 'Is that really your name?' Yes, it bloody is. Ugh, why the hell did my parents name me this," the captain replied, facepalming in exasperation.

"Sorry, uh, Ripper. I didn't mean to anger you," Azure said, feeling a sense of unease calling the captain by his name. Ripper let out a dismissive grunt. "Whatever. I'm used to it at this point," he said, extinguishing his cigarette in an ashtray.

Azure thought for a moment before speaking up, "Ripper, can I say something?" Ripper responded with a nonchalant gesture, "Sure, nobody's stopping ya." Azure nodded and continued, "I'm not gonna lie, when I heard about you and saw you, I was scared and just expected you to be very serious, I guess."

"Oh, I get it. You expected me to be dark and dreary, miserable, weren't you? Well, fuck that. Who the hell would want to be or act like that? 'Cause that's real bloody stupid," Ripper retorted with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"I'm glad because when I met Valien, I thought you would be even scarier, not gonna lie," Azure admitted.

"Don't compare me to him. We're barely in control of that guy," Ripper responded, a touch of frustration in his voice.

"Huh, what do you mean?" Azure questioned, his curiosity piqued. "He told me he was a bodyguard, so doesn't that mean he works for The Shadow Baron?"

Ripper leaned back in his chair, his expression turning slightly grim. "It's a bit more complicated than that," he replied cryptically. "Let's just say that Valien has some... unresolved ties with The Shadow Baron. He may be working with us, but it's not entirely out of his own free will."

"But enough of the small talk," Ripper interrupted with a tinge of frustration. "The Shadow Baron knew about what happened to Cagan's crew, as he always seems to know everything. He specifically told me to keep you here."

Azure was about to say something, but Ripper anticipated his question. "Before you ask, I have no idea why he wants you here. The Shadow Baron likes to keep his motives hidden."

"Oh, and thanks for talking to me like a normal person," Ripper remarked. "You're the first guy to do that."

Azure's surprise was evident in his voice as he asked, "Wait, I was the first person to ever do that?"

Ripper nodded. "Yeah, most people either talk to me with excessive respect as if I'll tear their heads off if they don't, or they terrify the shit out of me."

"Who exactly terrifies you?" Azure asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. *Who would even try to scare this guy, other than The Shadow Baron, I guess?*

Ripper took a moment to consider before responding, "Valien, mostly. The way that guy acts when he's on a job... It's disturbing. And, of course, The Shadow Baron, but I'm scared of him for other reasons."

"Anyway, you and I are going to stay here until The Shadow Baron tells us what to do," Ripper said, his voice tinged with a hint of boredom. He leaned back in his chair, resting his feet on the edge of the desk.

"Okay," Azure replied, his curiosity piqued. "I hope Valien is able to handle the situation then."

Ripper chuckled, a low and mirthless sound. "Oh, he's going to handle it alright," he said, his tone filled with a mixture of casual indifference and dark amusement. "In his own special way."

Azure's eyebrows furrowed, a mixture of confusion and concern crossing his face. He couldn't help but wonder what Ripper meant by Valien's "special way" of handling things.

"Anyway, you and I are going to stay here until The Shadow Baron tells us what to do," Ripper said, his tone firm.

"Okay," Azure replied, his mind still processing the information. "I hope Valien is able to do whatever he's meant to do."

Ripper let out a nonchalant chuckle. "Oh, he's going to kill those people."

"...eh"