Smithy POV

I wish I could come up with a new cruse word for how screwed I was right now. Any way I spun it, there was no way I could get out of this mess. While I managed to get the crystal scot-free but the entire point was to make sure the trade was completely hidden. But with the added caution of my product being out there, my employers added a special "tax" that left my debt intact. Realizing that I could quickly become a bitch to whatever criminal organization that had it in for me, I had no choice but to make a deal with someone that might as well be the "devil."

It took a while to set it up, but once I did, "they" accepted my proposal with open arms. I followed the code to the letter. I willingly accepted the drug and the subtle kidnapping as I made my way to an entity that serves at the ever-present boogeyman for every aspiring piece of garbage in Terra. No one knows where they came from or who they are except the simple fact that they seemed to know what to do at the exact right time. For centuries they darted around the Grand War, using the chaos to amass their army that made the current Rogues you say today. From mercenaries like Eridani to groups like the Phantom Pirates, they all shared one thing: they answered the Don. It's been like that since our grandparents' grandparents were in diapers, and it's not going to change anytime soon.

Once the drug wore off, I woke with a startled look. Though there wasn't much to look at, my entire surroundings were pitch black. All I could see was a harsh light over my head and felt my bound hands in the bolted metal chair. Before I could even set up any type of composure, I felt an itching in my mind, with a series of voices speaking in unison.

"You sought for my audience, Smithy, that never comes lightly, what do you have in return?"

I don't know what the deal with his voice was, but I had to tell the truth, no matter what.

"I've got debts to pay, but my employers aren't giving me any protection from the other criminal organizations. I'm stuck in limbo," I said desperately.

"That is all true, but I still sense your hiding something."

Like a magnet, another hidden truth escaped my mind as I blurted out instinctively.

"I want revenge on those freaking kids! If it weren't for their damn meddling, I would be high and dry! I would do anything to pay them back!"

The voices then picked up an interesting tone as they continued with my ears hanging on any word I could sense.

"Do you truly mean anything," he says in a tempting tone.

Every logical part of my body said no, but my heart was still thumping yes.

"Yeah, I would. My skills can make you quite a profit. If you allow me to work under you, and if you give me protection, your supremacy is assured."

The voices then murmured in hushed whispers, adding a degree of uncertain tension unlike any other. Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, the decision was made.

"You truly are a rarity Smithy, power like you, and I don't come very often in this world. The powerful we are, the more people will seek to bring us down. Which is why I've intended to acquire every rarity I can find. And why by the end of the week, my right hand will personally deliver the heads of your enemies," they said with cold-hearted certainty.

Once again, a small hint of conflict took over, realizing that for once, I had directly led to some poor souls death. But all the more I buried it down; I said before that I was a realist. And any good realist knows to only look after number one—time for someone else to pay the price for a change.