Bernard’s boss failed to show the next day, and the day after that. It was more disappointing than surprising. This incident was representative of the culture in the impoverished parts of Foso. Here, it was a dog eat dog world. Where one’s word was worth less than refuse on the street.

Roland let out an appreciative whistle. “Wow Bossman, craftsmen do pretty well huh? Maybe we ought to get involved in this line of work”

“Shut up,” Dustin hissed. Taking note of the angry stares we were receiving from the residents of this neighborhood.

We were in a place we definitely did not belong. It was no Northern District, but this part of Foso was leagues better than the dilapidated structures that filled the slums. One of these buildings cost more than all the properties I had acquired combined. Technically, they were of the same design as my buildings. Only these ones were better maintained. In fact, if time and tenants had been kinder to my properties, they would probably look similar. The only difference being the even stonework and quality wood used. They were far from cheap.

“Relax, Dustin,” I said and fiddled with the dagger I had hidden up my sleeve.

It wasn’t one of the pieces from my armory. Rather, it was something Dustin had forced me to carry. He was firm on having me armed. Apparently, Emily was understating how aggressive the gangs were being. I guess it was no real surprise. An unknown power was gaining influence close to them and in a territory they technically were unable to access. Yet to think I would need to be armed just to leave my turf. It was sad in a way. On the brightside, I no longer had to worry about having to summon a weapon should anything unexpected happen. Positive thinking, am I right?

We stopped at a home that appeared to be under construction. The home of the builder I had hired. A black iron gate that came up to our chest was left open. The sound of hammering coming from beyond.

Without announcing ourselves, I waltzed right in. Doing my best to exude the aura of someone who had every right to be here, each step containing purpose and authority. When dealing with a dishonest character, you had to offer no room for doubt. You had to grip them by the balls, and not take their shit. Otherwise they would come up with excuses and lies. All to paint a picture of innocence. They would try to flip the script and make me the unreasonable one for questioning them. No, I would have little tolerance for that.

When we made our way to the front doorway, we were finally stopped. A burly man came out, probably to carry in more wood, when he spotted us. His brows furrowed, the rest of his face disguised by a heavy beard. If I had to guess, he was frowning.

“What do you brats think you’re doing? This is private property. Get out before I call the guards.”

Dustin snorted and rested his cudgel on his shoulder. His other hand rested on the hilt of his machete, making sure the man noticed it. For whatever reason, Dustin was attached to the damn thing. So, as a way to smooth things over between us, I got him a custom sheath. It was made from leather and could be hung from the waist like a side sword.

“We are here to see Jerome Mats,” I said, getting in Dustin’s way. Intimidation was important, but I would prefer to avoid escalating the situation to where violence was necessary.

“The boss? What do you want with him?” The man asked, caught off guard by my knowing who this place belonged to. It was a tad insulting.

“We are in the middle of a contractual dispute, and I wanted to address it in person. That is all you need to know. Our business is no concern of yours,” I said. The haughty tone I included was a nice touch if I say so myself. Add in a raised chin, and I was at the right level of self-important prick that no hard working man would willingly get entangled with.

“He is in the living room,” the man said and pointed behind him. Seemingly unconcerned for his boss’s wellbeing.

I gave him a nod, and gestured for my entourage to head deeper into the building. We found the man lounging on a couch, “supervising” another man painting the walls.

“I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time. Apparently, you are a very busy man with important projects.”

My words caused Jerome to nearly fall off his couch. His eyes went wide when he saw who we were.

“What are you doing here?” Jerome asked while struggling to get to his feet.

I put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back, forcing him to sit on his couch. I gave a nod to Dustin, who then scared off the other man from the room. Meanwhile, Roland positioned himself by a window, acting as a lookout, to make sure we weren't disturbed.

“That is a good question,” I smiled. “Coming all the way here has been quite an inconvenience. However, it is only a mild annoyance when compared to the inconvenience of your absence. It is hard to talk business when you are not where you are supposed to be, when you are supposed to be there.”

Jerome squirmed as I tightened the grip of my hand that still rested on his shoulder. Nothing too bad, just enough pain to let him know I meant business. Once it seemed like he understood, I withdrew my hand.

“You have been a bad businessman, Jerome. Failing to fulfill contractual obligations and stealing materials from the person who hired you. Those two things are enough to ruin your reputation.”

“I don’t have any idea what you are talking about. How dare you question my reputation, you gutter rat! We are fulfilling the contract as promised. And what nonsense is this about us stealing your materials? Do you have any proof?”

[Wow! The man sure can bullshit.]

Yeah. It’s my fault for not doing my due diligence before hiring him. If only this world had some sort of crowd-sourced

The gaudy yellow thread he used for the embroidery of his vest was an eyesore. He was trying so hard to appear wealthy. Wealth that came from ripping me and who knows how many others off.

I took a deep breath. Letting my anger settle down. I now had a better understanding of the type of man I was dealing with. A shameless wretch that put themselves on an imaginary highground of moral superiority. The kind to never admit their faults under normal circumstances. Leaving me with no choice, but to show him the situation he was in.

“Vick! Vick, call the guards! Tell them we got thieves -”

My hand shot out and gripped Jerome’s neck like a python constricting a mouse. His eyes instantly bulged out of their sockets. Before he could raise his hands to try and fight me off, I whipped out my dagger. Bringing the point of the weapon less than a hair's width from his left eye. That got him to be so much more compliant. Although the smell of piss made this turn of events less satisfying.

“I am no fool Mr. Mats,” I snarled and spat to the side. “I have been checking in regularly to monitor the progress of the project. If you cared enough to show up yourself, you would know that. You would also know I keep careful inventory of all the materials I purchased. You want proof? I saw your men taking my wood with them after they finished their shifts. They may have given excuses like how they wanted to sand the planks at home, but they always came back the next day empty handed.”

Just as it looked like the man was about to pass out from lack of oxygen, I let him go. He blinked rapidly, gasping like a fish out of water. Spittle flying as he coughed.

“They took it. I never told them too. Please, I have a family,” he whimpered.

“Oh relax!” I poked my dagger against his chest. “I am hardly one to turn to violence. It’s regrettable that the only thing people like you respond to are clear threats. You could say that this is my fault for not seeing what you are sooner. No worries, I plan to rectify that.”

With one fluid motion, Dustin smashed a vase that sat on a pedestal. He then proceeded to smash anything that appeared to be breakable.

“Stop! Those are antiques -”

I silenced him with two slashes, leaving an ‘X’ on his forehead. Jerome let out a yelp as blood poured from the shallow cuts. He scrunched up into a ball, and wiped his face, trying to keep the blood from his eyes.

“Come on now. It’s just a flesh wound; barely a scratch,” I said and patted him on the cheek. “Every time you wake up in the morning and look in your mirror, let this serve as a reminder what a terrible idea it is to try and fuck with a gutter rat. My men have killed for less.”

I stepped back from Jerome. He was a panicked, blubbering mess. A part of me felt bad for him. He was a pathetic excuse for a man, and that is part of why I decided to do things this way. I couldn’t afford to be compassionate in this situation. If I were to show any weakness, he would be quick to run to the guards, and try to bury me in false charges. Worse, it would send a message to any person that I work with that I could be walked all over, taken advantage of. Too many people were depending on me to deliver them a better future. Like I would let a scammer get in the way of my mission.

Dustin was having a field day. Perhaps growing up on the streets made him jaded towards those with wealth, because he was doing his best to destroy anything valuable. Glass was broken, books were tossed into the fireplace, and fine wine was spilled onto the carpet. Somehow, one object was left unmolested. It was a painted portrait of Jerome and his family.

“You have a wonderful family by the way. A beautiful wife and two adorable daughters. Oh, that’s right!” I reached behind my back and pulled out a small doll. It was worn and torn, but anyone could tell it was loved and cared for. “Your youngest dropped this. I know she has been crying about losing it. You should remind her about the importance of keeping what’s precious to you safe.”

Jerome didn’t respond and only curled up tighter. With a sigh I dropped the doll next to him and prepared to leave. The moment I made my first step, Dustin and Roland flanked me on either side, and all three of us made to flee the premises as quickly as possible.

I turned and stared dead straight into Jerome’s eyes. “I look forward to seeing you on site tomorrow. I hope you don’t disappoint me.”

And with that I exited the room. The sounds of muffled sobs echoing behind us as we sauntered down the hallway.

“That… That was brutal. Was it necessary?” Roland stared up at the sky once we left Jerome’s house. His face was pale, clearly spooked by my actions.

“Brutal? I would have chopped off at least two fingers,” Dustin spat.

“Why two?” Roland asked.

“One for each offense. I’d take the index finger for holding back on manpower, and the thumb for stealing and then trying to lie about it.”

“Why would I do that?” I shook my head. “The whole point of doing all of this, was to convince them to do the work they promised to do. It’s that plain and simple.”

“Will he talk to the guards?” Roland asked.

“I doubt it,” I shook my head. “He ought to know better after our visit. Doubt he is willing to get them involved and risk the wellbeing of his family.”

“You are too soft,” Dustin huffed.

I chuckled. “Perhaps, but I prefer to give people a chance at redemption. Sometimes all you need is a bit of intimidation and minor property damage can resolve a problem.”

Deep down, it felt satisfying to let loose. Ever since I had been reborn, I had wanted to turn over a new leaf. To be a better person. I guess you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I took no joy in hurting that man. If I had to explain it, the satisfaction I felt stemmed from the moment Jerome realized he had made a mistake in trying to cheat me. The complete shattering of his preconceived notions of me into tiny pieces, and rubbing his nose in it. For both of us to know he failed to get away with his crime. It was a tad twisted, but they say the first step to positive change is acknowledging that you have a problem.

Bright burnt orange covered the sky as the sun started to set. The sight made me miss sitting by the docks and enjoying the view of the water. Due to how crazy my schedule had been, I had been unable to return to the abandoned warehouses by the river. One of these days I would have to find the time to go back.

“Arlo!” Dustin stepped in front of me and drew his machete. His cudgel now in his left hand.

In front of us, five men with an assortment of weapons blocked our path. Three more cut off our path of retreat from behind. We had walked straight into an ambush.

Armeria. Klearan Mark IV Riot Drone. Wait for me to snap my fingers.

[Yes, Master.]

“Is there something I can help you gentleman with?” I asked. Doing my best to put on the most disarming smile I could.

A man with sleepy eyes stepped forward. His long blond hair was tied into a ponytail, and he had a sloppy goatee that could use a bit more attention. He looked me up and down like I was a mannequin on display.

Unlike the others, his clothes were of high quality. Even better than Jerome’s had been. The patterns on the black vest he wore depicted a sleeping wolf in the middle of a forest. Whoever this person was, they were wealthy enough to afford such clothing. Although I had no idea regarding the meaning behind his embroidery, the detail alone was stunning. It was like looking at a tapestry instead of a vest.

“You are Arlo?” he asked. His voice was low and slow, lacking any sense of emotion.

“Depends who’s asking,” I shot back.

The blond man scratched his head and pointed at Dustin. “I overheard that one called you ‘Arlo’. There is no point denying it.”

Emily’s warning from a couple days ago popped into my head. She had mentioned that some of the boys were being followed whenever they went out. I guess I’ll have to thank her for the information when I get back.

I crossed my arms and stood straight. Allowing me to hide my fingers from view. “What would a couple of Red Hands want with me?”

That got a reaction. Not from the blond man, but more than a few of his compatriots murmured amongst themselves. Their own body language betraying them.

“Not like we are hiding it,” the blond man shrugged. “I have been tasked with giving you this.”

He held out an envelope with my main written on the back. I took it and opened it right in front of them. It was an invitation to a party of some sort.

They’re peacocking.

It finally dawned on me. This was a display intended for intimidation. A veiled threat, meaning that skipping this party would be a bad idea. The invitation also mentioned I was allowed to bring up to two guests.

They were threatening me. They were threatening the kids I had promised to protect. These pieces of shit thought they could walk all over us, because of a mistaken belief that they had the power to do so. I released a mad grin at the blond man. He hadn’t moved. His hooded eyes took in everything I was doing. Probably to observe my reaction to include in his report back to whoever had sent him.

This indolent ken doll.

A flurry of insults were left to stew in my mouth as I ground my teeth. Looking down, I saw that the tips of my fingers had turned bright red from how hard I pressed them together. Closing my eyes I took a deep breath and relaxed my hand.

No.

I was letting my old self take control. There was a time to be ruthless. Now was not that time. As far as threats go, this was relatively tame. If they were serious they could have beaten us, or worse. Now that I let myself focus beyond the anger I felt, I could read more into the intent of their actions.

The blond man nodded, as if he had noticed the change within me. “It is an honor to be invited to the boss’s birthday celebration. Make sure to wear something presentable. You may be guests, but insults will be met with punishment.”

And with that, he turned around and left. His men were caught off guard by his abrupt departure. With quizzical looks, they followed after him. Soon, it was just the three of us.

“Fuck!” Dustin cursed and tossed his cudgel onto the ground. He then proceeded to kick at the debris, his mouth rapidly firing all the colorful words he had in his limited vocabulary.

Roland slumped against one of the nearby walls. He was pale and his shoulders were shaking.

I took one last deep breath, and combed my fingers through my hair. “Get it together, boys. We need to hurry back. If they could set up this ambush, the location of our base is probably known to them. Finley is there, so nothing too out of hand should have happened, but we need to make sure the others are fine.”

Dustin paused his rampage. His face turned even more red as he made a mad dash back home. I shook my head and picked up his forgotten cudgel. It may be cheaply made, but we were short on weapons. Losing one, even something as poorly crafted as this would be a considerable set back. Especially if there was a potential conflict on the horizon.

[I thought you were finally going to let loose this time.]

I almost did.

I wiped the mud off the wooden weapon and passed it to Roland. Emily’s image flashed in my mind, and I started to run after Dustin.

I almost did…