Underworld's Underlings
Their three sharp eyes were fixated on the windows.
Peeking to see if the unruly underworld thugs were outside.
This was distracted by a couple of loud thuds.
"Footsteps?"
Suna asked.
"It's probably Luken."
Gavin replied.
Yin gulped.
Although the footsteps definitely only belonged to one person, it felt oddly too heavy and crass.
Luken pried the door open in an instant.
A grim look lingered on his face.
"W-What's wrong, Commander?"
Yin asked.
"Dinah. Dinah and her son. They were murdered."
As soon as his mouth mentioned the word 'murder', Gavin immediately went and rushed upstairs to check the situation.
"To slaughter someone that way, it truly is despicable. These individuals are no longer people. They are no longer human. Whoever killed them has abandoned their humanity long ago."
Luken vented.
This was a sight that seemed familiar to both Suna and Yin.
They saw this before.
It hit Suna.
She remembered this all too familiar sight, back in the Outer Gates.
When Adam Rosa fought Luken, he made the same face.
Luken, the ever-playful, often times childish, Commander of the whole Slayer Corps itself has now let go of that expression and demeanor. His face had 'vengeance' written all over it.
His eyebrows frowned in anger.
The ocean blue eyes he had was hollow.
He was clenching his fist, even through his gloves, the force against his palms and fingers was so intense.
Yin felt his heart beat faster and faster.
What was he supposed to say in this situation?
Although the young man had several calming words in the back of his head, he knew none would go through someone in this state.
Luken repeatedly slammed the ground with his fist.
"How could I not have noticed it!?"
Yin slowly walked towards the enraged Commander.
"C-Commander? Calm down!"
The Commander exhaled a deep one.
He slicked his long, turquoise-colored hair back.
"You see Yin, the ones who did this are no different from the monsters that we Slayers hunt outside the Gates. They're filthy, disgusting, monsters that deserve to be put down!"
Luken raised his voice.
Suna stepped in, kicking the floor with her first dominant right step.
She raised her hand swiftly, like the wind, and then proceeded to slap Luken.
The sound that her slap made was so sharp and crisp.
"S-Suna?!"
Yin was gravely concerned.
"Get a hold of yourself, Commander. We don't need your judgment influenced by anger if ever it'll turn into a battlefield outside. You're scaring us."
"..."
"You're right, Suna. I'm sorry you both had to see that."
He caressed his cheek that was red from the impact of the slap from earlier.
"I just felt like we were indebted to these folks, they fed us and let us rest in their homes for nothing, and these bastards just come and murder them like livestock…"
"Tell the truth, Commander."
Luken's blank expression turned into a scowl.
"I-I felt like we were partly to blame for this. Because we stayed here, their proxies and spies in broad daylight probably targeted this place. They knew that Dinah and George told us about the Red King and their lackeys. They knew that we were downstairs, which explains why none of them even bothered coming down here."
"The fact that you admitted how you really felt is commendable in of itself, Commander."
Yin said with a stern expression.
"Let's avenge them."
Gavin burst through the door.
"We have no authority or right to murder them, though, they're still humans in the eyes of the law, you got that, Luken?"
The Commander nodded, slightly annoyed this time.
"The blood is still warm. Which means they were only murdered recently. If we go outside, there's a chance we would probably be ambushed. But still, Luken's right. Dinah and George's blood are on our hands, let's honor them in a way befitting a Slayer veteran."
Gavin said.
Yin and Suna frowned.
Yin took it the hardest.
"Someone died partly because of me once again. We're not even in the Outer Gates, and it has happened again, inside Niflheim, of all places."
He bit his lower lip with sheer force until it bled.
Gavin placed his hand on Yin's shoulder.
"Dinah was a Slayer, she was tough. I'm sure as hell she did not deserve to die like that. Let's take these guys to the nearest Enforcer station a few towns away. Reflect on what happened after we've done our job. For now, keep your senses sharp. There's no telling what lies beyond."
Gavin's words were what kept Yin calm.
"Commander Luken…"
"Oh, hey Suna."
"Listen, I'm sorry for slapping you earlier. I just felt like-"
The Commander interrupted her with a grin on his face.
"That was a good slap, it definitely woke me up, thanks for that, by the way, I needed it. Keep it up and you'll make for a good Commander!"
Although one could immediately tell that Luken still felt animosity towards the suspects, he managed to actually calm down.
The group walked towards the house's entrance.
"Don't forget. I'm leading this conquest- I mean this mission, alright?"
Gavin wanted to assume authority since Luken was going to end up making impulsive decisions based on his thirst for retribution.
Both Yin and Suna simply agreed.
"Yes, sir."
Luken was pouty.
"I could not quite hear you, Luken."
The Commander just grunted.
"Seriously, are you 12?"
Gavin placed his hand on the door's knob.
He glanced at the other three.
Seemingly asking them non-verbally if they were ready.
With an affirming nod, he opened it.
There were about twenty, no, thirty individuals wearing red robes and cloaks armed with knives and other Slayer-grade military weapons outside.
Every single one of them was sitting on each house's rooftops.
Gavin closed his eyes for a second, immediately opening them back.
His pupils dilated, signaling immense focus.
The red hooligans locked their sights on the Six Blades.
"Crap, they're onto us."
Yin said.
"Well, we definitely don't look like Rizako citizens, that's for sure."
Suna sarcastically retorted.
"Over there!"
Gavin pointed towards a man wearing a red mask sitting on Stein's Restaurant's rooftop.
His features were hidden but his blade was not.
It was a blunt hammer.
Still dripping with blood.
"Do you think he's the one who-"
Suna's question was immediately stopped by Luken.
In a flash, the Commander was now behind the masked man.
"Did you do it?"
The other red thugs were getting ready to pounce on the Commander.
"Yin! Suna! Watch each other's backs. We've got this."
"B-But there's dozens of them!"
Yin said.
"I'm pretty sure Luken's more than enough, but I need to blow off some anger as well. We've got this."
He patted Yin's head as soon as he jumped up.
Gavin took out his grimoire.
"I wonder what Gavin's going to summon!"
Yin watched with anticipation.
As Gavin proceeded to throw the magical book flat on the ground…
"Wait, what?"
Yin was confused.
"Relax Yin, it's not everyday that we get to see the Commander and the Serpent Summoner beat some hooligans up. Keep your eyes open, we might learn some nifty tricks here and there."
"A-Alright."
Suna was shaking as she said that.
But it was not due to fear.
It was that of excitement.
It was the feeling of justice about to be served.