Big C #39

It was late at night when I arrived at the bar. The streets were eerily quiet, with barely any traffic to be seen. I took a deep breath and glanced through the grimy windows, noting the crowded interior. Patrons were packed inside, laughing, drinking, and dancing—innocent civilians who had nothing to do with Manfredi's operations. I sighed, knowing things were about to get messy.

Turning back to the street, I let out a sharp whistle. From the shadows at the end of the block, Chillet emerged, its serpentine body wrapping around a traffic light. With a powerful squeeze, the creature snapped the metal pole in half, sending it crashing down into the road with a deafening clang.

On the opposite side, Tombat descended from a nearby building, its icy breath freezing a section of another streetlight. With a swift swipe of its claws, the frozen light shattered, plunging that side of the street into darkness.

With both ends of the street effectively, albeit crudely, cut off, I was ready to make my move. I hurled a Pal Sphere onto the pavement, watching as it cracked open to reveal the towering figure of Grizzbolt.

The beast stretched, its muscles rippling under its fur, and let out a low growl. "Time to make a scene, big guy..." I nodded at Grizzbolt.

The creature's eyes gleamed with excitement, and it roared, a thunderous sound that echoed down the street. Grizzbolt charged towards the bar, its massive frame colliding with the entrance. The door and a sizable portion of the wall exploded inward, sending debris flying. I leaned against the wall, peeking inside to survey the chaos.

Everyone in the bar was frozen. Dancers had stopped mid-move, drinks were halfway to lips, and even the staff stood motionless, eyes wide with terror. Grizzbolt's presence dominated the room, its heavy breaths the only sound breaking the stunned silence.

The Cheshire grin eternally etched on Grizzbolt's face seemed to deepen, clearly enjoying the people's reactions. With a thunderous roar, it raised its massive arms, summoning its prized minigun. The enormous weapon materialized in its grip, and without hesitation, Grizzbolt pointed it at the ceiling and began firing.

The deafening roar of the minigun shattered the stillness, and the once-frozen patrons erupted into chaos. Screams filled the air as people scrambled, running in all directions like headless chickens, clamoring towards the back exit.

Amid the pandemonium, a dozen or so men reacted differently. With steely resolve, they reached into their jackets and retrieved pistols, opening fire on Grizzbolt. Their bullets bounced harmlessly off the creature's thick yellow fur, ricocheting and wreaking havoc on the bar's interior.

I watched as Grizzbolt continued to unleash its fury until the last of the civilians had safely fled. Taking that as my cue, I called Grizzbolt back into its sphere, the colossal beast vanishing in an instant.

With the element of surprise on my side, I made my presence known, taking aim at the nearest thug and hitting him squarely in the shoulder. He cried out in pain, dropping his weapon.

The remaining gunmen turned their attention to me, and I quickly bolted inside, diving behind an overturned table. Bullets whizzed overhead, tearing through the air.

Vito materialized beside me, his expression a mix of amusement and exasperation."You do realize you're bulletproof with that armor and energy shield, don't you?" he remarked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

I scoffed, keeping my head low. "Haven't you ever read any comics? That's how bulletproof suckers get done in-- they get cocky and catch a special bullet, that just so happens to be the only thing capable of putting them down..."

Vito rolled his eyes but didn't argue further. I took a deep breath to calm myself, assessing the situation. The thugs were spread out, using the furniture as cover. I needed to get rid of them before I started looking for Carlo and his wife.

The thugs were spread out, using the furniture as cover. I needed to get rid of them before I could start looking for Carlo and his wife. The Chillet burst into the bar, hurling icy javelins at them. The thugs instantly shifted their attention, their bullets ricocheting off Tombat's hastily erected icy barrier.

Tombat and Chillet were much more reliable than Grizzbolt, although the latter had unmatched firepower. Despite its strengths, Grizzbolt's vicious nature made it unpredictable and dangerous to use for anything beyond a diversion.

Taking advantage of the distraction, I emerged from cover and began firing. I took down four thugs with two shots each, aiming for their limbs to disarm and neutralize them without killing. As the fourth thug fell, my gun clicked empty.

A thug hiding nearby, one I had failed to notice, emerged from his hiding spot, brandishing a folded knife and lunging at me. I gave him a mildly surprised look before raising my free hand, materializing my crossbow out of my inventory. His eyes widened, and he tried to throw himself to the side, but it was too late.

The crossbow bolt was already in the air. The thug's attempt to dodge backfired massively, causing the bolt to hit him in the chest rather than the shoulder as I had intended.

"You stupid motherfucker!" I cursed, quickly closing in on the thug and hitting him with the butt of my pistol to knock him out.

My first instinct was to drag him behind cover and try to stop the bleeding, but the other thugs shifted their attention back to me and resumed firing and a stray bullet hit the injured thug.

"Shit..." I cursed again before diving toward the nearest cover.

I couldn't help but wince as I watched the man spasming and bleeding out on the floor. I had hoped to handle this without causing any deaths, but it seemed that was no longer possible.

Vito appeared beside me again, his arms crossed. "Boo-hoo, so the guy who wanted to kill you will die. Who cares? Get your shit together and end this farce already."

I clenched my fist, wishing I could punch him in the face. But knowing it would be a futile endeavor to even think about it, I just let out a sigh. As much as I hated to admit it, Vito was right. None of these thugs were good people. Each one would happily put a bullet in my head for no other reason than the fact that Manfredi wanted me dead.

Retrieving a full magazine, I reloaded my gun and emerged from behind cover. The room was still chaotic, with Chillet and Tombat holding the thugs' attention.

Realizing that no plan would be effective in such a messy situation, I just began to fire, hoping not to cause any more deaths, but I knew, deep down, that more people would die before the end of the day.

...

I burst into the office room upstairs, my gun drawn and ready. The scene before me was tense and chaotic. A man in a red fedora with a light beard held Carlo's wife hostage, his arm tightly around her neck, a gun pressed to her temple. Carlo himself was bound in the corner, tape covering his mouth, his eyes wide with terror as he screamed unintelligibly.

Vito appeared beside me, regarding the man with a surprised expression. "That's Big C, the family's lawyer..."

Big C turned his head slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Vito double-fucking-crosser Moretti. Long time no see... I haven't seen you you screwed us over with the Owsley deal... dick move by the way..."

I didn't humor him with a response. "Let her go, or you'll get a bullet in your head."

Big C sighed. "What rotten luck..." he muttered, shaking his head. "I was only here to get some free drinks from the family's bar when that big yellow beast burst in and started firing... I ran up here thinking the boys would handle it, and yet here we are..."

Suddenly, and much to everyone's shock, he moved his finger away from the trigger, letting go of Carlo's wife and raising his hands. "Your conflict is with Manfredi and Manfredi's no buddy of mine... Take your people and leave, Vito. I won't try to stop you."

Keeping my gun aimed at Big C, I took out a knife and threw it to Carlo's wife. "Untie your husband," I commanded.

She caught the knife with trembling hands and quickly set to work, cutting the ropes that bound Carlo. As soon as he was free, they both moved behind me, seeking shelter from the danger that still lurked.

Vito's voice chimed in again, "Big C has his hands all over the Silvermane family's operation." he trailed off, looking at me with a meaningful expression. "It would be a waste to just let him be now that we ran into him here..."

A slow, grim smile spread across my face. "I was just thinking the same thing..."

...

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