An Outing (3)

Reaching out to the woman who had been knocked to the ground, not even bothering with her suspicion for she could not run even if she tried, he healed her smashed nose and swollen face. Surprise, gratitude and fear took hold of the woman as she realized just who she was dealing with as she quickly took a step back and bowed at a 90 degree angle.

Cyrus barely noticed the reaction for in his head were several plans of action, each one more extreme than the last, to root out which displeased him.

'Hold it, hold it,' said the dark half as he quickly interrupted his partner's insane plan, 'Do you really think that going to the capitol and seeking an audience with the Emperor himself is going to go down well?

'It is clear that there is a system in place here, a coordination between the underground and normal civilian society. If anything its a genius idea ,for the state does not have to spend an excess of resources and the lowest of the low of its citizenry still has an entity to turn to for justice and protection.

'If you really find such displeasure in how things are run, despite it still clearly being a far superior solution to the wasteland, then you need the strength to challenge the system.

'I bet my obsession with power does not seem so silly now, huh?'

Listening to his partner articulate the truth he had purposefully ignored, for all it did was point out how little he could change himself as he was now, Cyrus sighed and asked Amaro a question to confirm the two's collective guess.

"Amaro, I happen to have a friend whose family is at the head of a merchant group. So I know how these fellows operate. Several individual guilds banding together is a group, several groups forms a federation, and several federations make up the entire merchant association. Often several families will even make up one guild, working together to craft a variety of products.

"So how is a small player like you, no offense, able to go around harassing a guild even if it is a rather weak one? Would they not just seek assistance from above?"

Amaro responded quickly as if he had guessed the question was coming,

"My boss and the leader of the group that kid belonged to came to an agreement as to how they would settle the dispute. Both sides agreed to let today's confrontation decide it. What they did not expect, of course, was that the market would offer some of its yearly profits to my gang for extra protection.

"It's all one big system you see, all the gangs of varying levels of strength are responsible for a certain amount of territory. Above us gangs are the big bosses and above them are powerful figures who are in one of the major factions that get a cut of everything in return for protection from the law."

'See' said the dark half triumphantly.

Ignoring him, Cyrus asked one more rather surprising question,

"So, how does one gang grow larger? I imagine they do not sit down and have a happy little discussion and then sign a contract. Let's say, what if I wanted to make a certain gang the dominant force in an area. Would just walking in and chopping up the rivals suffice?"

Amaro's jaw nearly dropped, his permanent cool almost lost in the wake of an insane question but when he considered who he was dealing with he thought it made a little more sense.

"That would work up to a certain point, as the larger gangs are supported by powerful figures like yourself. All of the bosses tend to be disgraced veterans of the military, students of Glacies that failed to last until their last year, or in some cases Legionnaire dropouts.

"Then those above them are true fully fledged members of each of these factions, so eventually you would run into a wall if you don't play by the rules. All the other gangs would temporarily join hands to stop the disruption...perhaps even the law would get involved to stop such large scale fighting."

The information was enough for Cyrus, as he thanked Amaro and then with two coil activations in his leg he disappeared from where he was standing and left without another word said.

'So now what do you have in mind?' asked the dark half from the world within.

'I do not know, not yet. Right now I only understand one half of the whole, of how that which the law does not cover operates. But what about where it does cover? When I learn of this, maybe the plan I have in mind may work.

'Either way, I suppose you are right. We are just too weak to enact any great change, at least for now. But that will not always be the case, correct?'

'Correct indeed," said the dark half, 'at least with the way my side of things is going we will possibly have some very powerful and most importantly loyal allies with bodies meant for destruction and war.

'Though I do not know how I feel about us starting some kind of righteous crusade to help the poor or whatever. The Empire has enough problems at the moment and we have a heap of our own things to worry about.

'Do not forget that the moment we finish our time at the Academy we will have to find some place to call home, else we get torn apart by the messy politics of Imperial Factions.

'And we already have a target on our back just for our relation with Cato...'

His words were cut short as the one he was addressing was not talking anymore, for he had been aimlessly travelling the slums whilst conversing with his other half and happened upon a certain scene.

----

A kind couple had received aid earlier in their lives by a wandering Venator who saved them from the belly of a beast, quite literally, and gave them the reward for slaying it in an act of generosity.

So the couple took their boons and decided to give back to the community that had helped raise them, leaving their little farm and opening up an orphanage in the slums of Meridianam.

Right now, however that very couple were currently experiencing a bit of a predicament.

"Please, please, just give us some more time. We will pay back the debts, I swear" said a homely looking man who was on the ground, grovelling for mercy.

All he got in return, however, was a harsh kick from a malevolent looking man who was wearing shabby clothes but still had the self perceived aura of superiority about him.

Smashing his foot into the grovelling man's head with every word he said,

"You...had...your...chance...to...pay...back...your...debts....SCUM."

Ending with one powerful kick, the grovelling man was knocked back a few feet as he lay twitching on the ground.

His partner looked on in horror from the back of the room, with several crying children in the back behind her as she stood protectively in front of them.

The man who had brutalized her partner spat on the twitching body that he had helped create and walked up towards the woman with a nasty look,

"You saw this coming. Ever since that failure of a man decided to gamble away all your savings, putting you in debt. I am just following the rules here, although it is enjoyable crushing low lifes like him.

"Now, step aside. Your property will be confiscated and sold to the highest bidder, my boss wants his money back one way or another."

The woman could not speak for fear gripped her heart, but she did not stop shielding the children behind her.

The man who had spoken just shrugged, before pulling a rusty old knife from his pocket. Then without even a change in his expression he slit the woman's throat while saying,

"Eh, too old. Won't sell for anything anyhow."

Ignoring the children's who face turned as white as snow, dropping to the floor as their brains processed the terrible information that was presented to them, and shivering from fright all the while....the man just turned around and yelled to his companions.

"Bring me the tools, gotta wrap the goods up nice and tight. Can't damage them, else the money we get will be less."

Following his order his underlings brought several ropes and large sacks, much to his pleasure, and he ordered them to knock the 'merchandise' unconscious and tie them up.

Noting down what he was taking, as his boss was the meticulous type, the man spoke while he struggled to recall how to write properly.

"Ah...3 girls aged probably 12 give or take a year and two boys aged the same. Hmm, nothing else of value is in this shithole but they are well fed and even bathed so they should make us more than enough money, ahhaha"

Storing the note, he ordered his men to carry the goods to their hideout quickly before a rival gang got wind of their actions and decided to try and steal their newly acquired products.

Leaving quickly whilst carrying their stolen goods, the man was happily thinking of how to spend the money he would inevitably get for a job well done when his steps faltered for but a moment.

He felt like some kind of beast had laid eyes on him for a moment, a cold sweat ran down his back, but in the next moment the feeling was gone.

"Weird..." muttered the man, but he brushed it off and instead allowed his thoughts to wander back to his profits.