《Highway Crooks》 Blueprints Augustine glanced from the platform to the floor of the factory. Two men wearing black garbs stood in tough poses in front of a table. He turned to look out of the window he had just climbed in from. The sun began to lower itself under the horizon of the golden desert; the usual heat emitting from the stone buildings were beginning to cool. Night soon, he made a mental note. He looked back to the men standing guard and puckered his lips as he took a deep breath. Augustine removed a long black rope that had been slung around his shoulder. He tied one end to the railing on the platform and kept the rest in a circle. Then, he put his forearm through the circle and stepped over the railing. It¡¯s just three stories, no problem. That¡¯s only one more than two. And two is only one more than one. And one story isn¡¯t bad at all. Remember to breathe: breathing is the key. In, then out. In, then out. Augustine let go of the railing with caution and allowed his entire body to be held up by the rope. Then, he began unraveling the rope around his arm to lower himself. Good thing I weigh just over ten pounds¡­ ¡°Aye, Bruce,¡± one of the thugs said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°When these guys gettin¡¯ here?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Bruce replied. ¡°Boss says wait so we wait. They¡¯ll get here when they get here. Now stop yappin.¡± Augustine¡¯s arm grew tired halfway down. However, despite the soreness growing in his forearm and bicep, he managed to stay silent. I¡¯m like a friggin ninja. He came to a halt as he reached the first floor; just a few feet above the table. A small black bag made of cloth laid on the top. He reached out to grab it. ¡°Aye, Bruce.¡± ¡°What is it now, Bill!?¡± ¡°I¡¯m gettin¡¯ bored.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°I¡¯m jus sayin, how long do we gotta watch this-¡± the thug trailed off into silence. ¡°What,¡± Bruce asked. Nobody said anything as Augustine concentrated on reaching the bag. However, when he realized they stopped talking, he looked up. Both thugs had their gazes locked on him. ¡°Hi,¡± Augustine said with a smile. ¡°Aye!¡± Bill shouted as he lunged forward. Augustine gripped the handle of the bag and threw it at the thug with all his might. The thug grunted as the impact knocked him a few steps back, but he managed to catch the bag and recover. Augustine dropped from the rope and landed with his back to the table. With one swift motion, he spun his legs and twirled his body to roll off the table and land on the ground. Bruce dashed around the left side of the table so Augustine went right, but Bill dropped the bag with a loud clang and cornered him. Bill threw a right hook. Augustine threw his hands up to protect his head, but the impact nearly broke his bones. First is the right arm, next will be a follow up with the left. The thug did as predicted and went for a left jab. Augustine managed to duck and send a quick hit to his throat. Bill grunted and coughed as he retreated, so Augustine advanced. Bill growled as he regained his breath and moved forward. Hefty brute build. He¡¯ll most likely target my upper body as he¡¯s too heavy to kick effectively. Augustine dove passed the thug¡¯s legs before he could make a move. He¡¯s easily six foot two; I need to knock him down before I can land something solid. Augustine punched as hard as he could behind the man¡¯s knee, twice in the same spot. The thug roared as he collapsed onto the injured knee. Then he sent a left hook against the man¡¯s side, aiming for the kidney. Finally with another left hook to the man¡¯s temple, Bill fell to the floor. He groaned as he clutched as side and head. ¡°Who¡¯s your dadd-¡± Augustine began to say but was interrupted by a sudden blow to his own head, causing him to crash to the floor and black out. When he awoke, the bag had returned to the table and the guards stood on guard again. He sat in a chair with his hands tied behind it. ¡°Bout time you woke up. Boss¡¯ll be here soon,¡± Bruce said. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯ll do you good,¡± Bill remarked and pointed at Augustine threateningly. Bruce turned his head slowly until he faced his fellow thug and stared him down. Bill retracted his finger and avoided meeting Bruce¡¯s eyes. ¡°How bout you let me talk?¡± ¡°Sorry, Bruce.¡± ¡°Now then,¡± Bruce said, reaching to the table and holding a walkie talkie. ¡°What¡¯s this, then?¡± ¡°Oh that,¡± Augustine replied. ¡°That¡¯s just a thing.¡± ¡°You working with someone?¡± ¡°Your mother.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you know we¡¯d be here?¡± ¡°Your sister.¡± ¡°What else are you after?¡± ¡°Your¡­ wife?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a wife.¡± ¡°Shocker,¡± Augustine said and grinned. Bill chuckled but when Bruce sent him another threatening look, he cleared his throat and regained a serious expression. ¡°You beat the shit out of Bill here, so who are you? Soldier? Mercenary?¡± ¡°Just very smart. Especially compared to Mr. Brawn over here.¡± ¡°Oh ya,¡± Bill said, reaching into his pocket. ¡°Heads or tails?¡± Bill flipped a gold coin into the air. Augustine concentrated on the coin to the point where everything else slowed down. The only thing in existence was the coin. Started heads¡­ five feet per second¡­ precession¡­ air resistance¡­ is he going to catch it or let it drop? No hand movement implies he¡¯s not catching¡­ times flipped¡­ ¡°Hea-¡± he began to say. Shit! I forgot to factor in the bounce when it hits the ground, so¡­ ¡°Tails.¡± The coin filled the factory with a chime, rose, and hit the ground one final time. Augustine continued to look up with an innocent smile as the thugs stared at the ground. ¡°How¡¯d you do that,¡± Bill asked as he picked it up. ¡°Again.¡± He flipped it once more and Augustine repeated the thought process, except this time the thug caught it midair. ¡°Tails again.¡± Bill walked up to Augustine and punched him in the face, causing him and the chair to collapse. When Augustine woke up, he had been lifted and was sitting up right again. He shook his head and cleared his throat. ¡°Okay, this is getting a bit redundant.¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°Stop talking,¡± Bruce ordered. ¡°Boss is here.¡± Just then, the door at the front of the factory busted open and in walked a middle-aged man in a nice, black suit followed by five people. Two of them wore similar clothes as Bruce and Bill; thugs of the same outfit. The third, older man wore a suit similar to the man leading them, only brown, and carried a cloth bag similar to the one on the table. The final two men wore loose brown garbs. ¡°Who the hell is this, Dumb and Dumber?¡± the man leading said. Augustine let loose a booming laugh. ¡°Dumb and dumber, I should have thought of that!¡± ¡°He came in on that rope right there and tried to snatch the bag,¡± Bruce explained. ¡°Wasn¡¯t sure how you wanted us to deal with him.¡± ¡°Kill him.¡± ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa,¡± Augustine exclaimed. ¡°Why you gotta be all that?¡± ¡°Because, kid,¡± the boss said as he walked towards Augustine. He grabbed Augustine¡¯s jaw with a tight grip and forced eye contact while talking. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but you found us and you knew what was in the bag, so you¡¯re going to be a problem. The only thing that makes sense is to kill you so you don¡¯t talk, plus you never bother me again.¡± ¡°Oooor,¡± Augustine struggled to squeeze out despite his jaw being forced shut and cheeks squeezed. ¡°You could not do that, and hire me.¡± The boss let go of his grip. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I need money; you need people who are competent. You¡¯re right, I do know a lot. I know you¡¯re here to buy opium in a large quantity from Grandpa Don over there.¡± ¡°Competent? You were caught.¡± ¡°Unfortunate¡­ but pure luck. The fat one happened to look over at the bag seconds before I made my escape.¡± ¡°Boss,¡± Bruce interrupted. ¡°You¡¯re not seriously considering this?¡± For a moment, the boss didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Let¡¯s finish business; I¡¯ll decide to do with the snake here in a minute.¡± He nodded towards the other boss, who set the bag on the table. Two of the thugs approached the table: one counted the gold and one checked out the opium bags, but Augustine¡¯s eyes were locked on the gold. The thug stacked it into piles, one after another, a total of five hundred. Watching it almost made Augustine drool. Then the thug re-bagged the gold. Something fell from the platform Augustine had scaled down from and the next second, smoke filled the room. ¡°What the hell is this!?¡± ¡°Get the money!¡± ¡°Get the opium!¡± Someone cut the rope around his wrists and pushed him to his feet. A familiar voice shouted behind him, ¡°Just like you said: If you don¡¯t check back in on the walkie talkie, bring the guards.¡± ¡°Jay! Just in time! Pick up whichever bag jingles!¡± Augustine leapt onto the table and then hopped onto the rope. As he began climbing, he felt the rope tug and swing a little bit as a second person joined him. ¡°I got it,¡± Jay called out. Once they both hurdled over the railing, Augustine looked back down. Smoke nearly filled the entire first floor, blocking his vision, but he could still hear. ¡°City Guard,¡± someone announced. ¡°The factory is surrounded! Don¡¯t try to run! You¡¯re all going to the dungeon for drug trafficking!¡± More shouts erupted: resistance from the thugs, threats from the guard, but Augustine stopped paying attention and made for the window. Looking down at the beige colored buildings, the morning¡¯s breakfast came knocking. ¡°You got this,¡± Jay said behind him. Augustine felt a pat on the back and calmed his mind. We¡¯re three stories up, there¡¯s a building that¡¯s roughly eight feet away. I can do this. I¡¯ve done this before, it¡¯s how I got here in the first place. If I did it once, I can do it again, right? Right? Yeah. For sure. Let¡¯s do this. Augustine pushed off the sill of the window with as much force as he could muster. The edge of the building crashed against his chest, knocking the wind out of him. ¡°You okay,¡± Jay asked. ¡°Yeah,¡± Augustine groaned as he hoisted himself onto the roof. ¡°Toss me the-¡± Before he could finish the sentence, Jay soared through the air. His blond hair waved in the light wind as his feet pounded on the rooftop and he stuck the landing with ease. ¡°Lead the way,¡± he said with a smile as bright as the sun. ¡°Show off.¡± Together, the two of them hopped from building to building until landing at a shop with nowhere further to jump. ¡°This is it, yeah,¡± Jay asked. ¡°We can get a good view from here?¡± ¡°Like I said. Just wait.¡± So the two young adults sat on the stone rooftop, listening to the sounds of the crowd below them wandering from shop to shop. After a while, things began to quiet down and everybody joined in unison for a countdown. ¡°This is it,¡± Jay exclaimed with anticipation as the countdown reached one. Loud bursts shot in different areas surrounding them. A second, delayed bang rang throughout the city followed by pops and crackles as colorful sparks lit up the night sky. Augustine peered at his friend through the corner of his eyes, who watched the fireworks with complete awe. A smirk forced itself on Augustine¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m gonna get you everything,¡± Augustine said. Jay stopped watching the show to meet his eyes. His care-free expression turned serious for a moment, but then he smiled again. ¡°I¡¯m okay how it is now,¡± he simply stated. Then he looked back to the sky. Augustine reached over and pat Jay on the head a couple times. As the show began to slow and people payed more attention to the shops than the sky, they scaled down the building to an alley. Last objective: go home. The two walked through the crowd with ease, even nodding to guards in passing. After a brief five minute walk, the doors to a familiar inn stood in front of them. Above the wooden double doors read: ¡°The Drunken Dragon¡±. They forced the doors open and were immediately engulfed in a room full of loud shouts, booze, and fairly intoxicated citizens. ¡°Jay! Augustine,¡± the barkeeper shouted. ¡°Get to work!¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± they both replied in unison. Jay rushed upstairs to stash the gold and quickly joined Augustine behind the bar. After a long night of serving customers, they retired to the attic of the inn. The old, wooden floors creaked as they made their way to their beds. ¡°I¡¯m tellin¡¯ you,¡± Augustine said with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m gonna create something better for you. And me.¡± Jay didn¡¯t reply so Augustine shut his eyes and fell asleep, unaware of the smile spreading across Jay¡¯s face. The Black Hawks Augustine emerged from the doors of the inn. The sun sent a ray over his face and he inhaled deeply through his nose, allowing the fresh air to run through his lungs. The shopkeepers that occupied the street were beginning to set up shops. A neighbor to the inn flapped a blue and white striped piece of cloth that he then hung in front of the shop. Afterwards, he began carrying out large boxes of fruit to put in the shade. A few children ran by, laughing and kicking up small bits of sand behind them. A nice breeze brushed passed his skin, cooling the hundred and ten degree atmosphere. Then, he exhaled slowly. ¡°It¡¯s hot,¡± he groaned. Loud, pummeling footsteps sounded behind him until a sudden force nearly knocked him over. ¡°Morning,¡± Jay said as he hugged his friend from behind. Augustine shrugged him off and began walking down the street. ¡°We going to see the priest?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Augustine replied. ¡°But first¡­¡± Next to the inn, a guard stood with his arms crossed in front of the guard station. When he saw Augustine, he straightened his posture and greeted them. ¡°Hey, kids.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Augustine said. ¡°What¡¯s new? Heard you guys reeled in some big fish last night.¡± ¡°You kids hear too much at that bar.¡± The guard sighed. ¡°But, yeah, we did. Someone came by and left a piece of paper with some interesting info. Figured we¡¯d check it out just in case and found ourselves interrupting a drug deal. To be honest, it¡¯s not the first time someone¡¯s left a tip for us.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah? Any ideas of who it is?¡± ¡°None yet.¡± Excellent. ¡°Bummer. Well, hey, we¡¯re gonna run to the church before work. Good seeing you.¡± ¡°Take care, kids,¡± the guard said and resumed his casual position prior to the conversation. ¡°Aye,¡± Jay said as they continued walking. ¡°Let¡¯s play a game!¡± ¡°No thanks.¡± ¡°Come ooooooon!¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Augustiiiine,¡± Jay whined as he pretended to collapse on top of his friend. Since he was as skinny as a young child, Augustine held him up with ease. ¡°Fine: one game. Make it count.¡± ¡°What number am I think-¡± ¡°Seven.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not finished, that doesn¡¯t count! What number am I thinking of on a scale of one to ten?¡± ¡°Three.¡± ¡°Wha- How? Damnit! How did you do that?¡± ¡°Because five is halfway to ten,¡± he began his explanation. ¡°Then three is roughly halfway from one to five and seven is halfway from five to ten. Now, I know you Jay. I know you like to play it safe, so you would choose a number that¡¯s in the middle instead of on the edge like, say, nine. After I interrupted you with seven, you wouldn¡¯t pick that, so that leaves five or three. Plus you¡¯d want to go as far as seven as possible after I said it.¡± ¡°What¡­ But¡­ That¡¯s cheating!¡± ¡°No it isn¡¯t. Wait, plus, there¡¯s not even any rules! All I had to do was guess a number.¡± ¡°No way, I want a redo.¡± ¡°Too bad. We¡¯re already here,¡± Augustine said. They both looked to the side to see a large, worn-out church with no decorations. Jay protested so Augustine grabbed his collar and forced him inside. The church looked relatively dull. Other than a long, red carpet leading up to the altar and a few religious paintings spread about the walls, it was all wood. The floorboards creaked as they entered, alerting the priest who stood at the other side of the room. ¡°Welcome,¡± he boomed as he turned to face them. ¡°To- Oh, it¡¯s you guys.¡± ¡°Hey, Castle,¡± Augustine greeted. He walked to one of the benches and plopped down. ¡°What¡¯s cooking?¡± Jay began to say hello as well, but a nun walked through the room carrying a tray of food. He rushed over to grab some, but she fought him off. ¡°No! Bad!¡± she spat and run into another room. He followed. ¡°Anywho,¡± Augustine said. ¡°What have your connections said so far?¡± ¡°Nobody knows who you guys were,¡± he replied. ¡°But you need to be more careful. Lay low for a while. Bosses never stay in the dungeon for too long. You gonna use the gold to rent an apartment?¡± ¡°Nah, not yet. The only reason we¡¯re working at the inn is because he let us stay there in exchange. If he had to pay us a wage, we wouldn¡¯t be working there anymore. We just have to keep saving up the tips. With that, plus the gold we just stole, we have roughly seven hundred. We need at least two thousand before we do anything. What if we go and can¡¯t find a job? I don¡¯t want to become a full-fledged criminal and I don¡¯t want that for Jay either.¡± ¡°So what are you going to do, then?¡± ¡°Well, we don¡¯t all get what we want, so I think you know. I know you just said to lay low but we have to do something,¡± Augustine said with a determined looked. They held the gaze for a moment until the priest sighed and sat down next to him. ¡°Okay,¡± Castle gave in. ¡°Fine. I help you get gold, you help me stop the crime in this abandoned district. It¡¯s a win-win anyway, but it¡¯ll end soon. Promise me.¡± ¡°Promise.¡± ¡°Now, listen¡­ This is some deep shit.¡± ¡°Whoa, a priest busting out the curse words?¡± ¡°This is coming from a soldier now,¡± he said. He thrust up the left sleeve on his black robe to reveal tons of tattoos, beginning from the wrist all the way up to the shoulder. He turned his body to show Augustine the outer part around the tricep and pointed out a specific piece of ink. The tattoo was of a scroll with a woman¡¯s name, ¡°Jane¡±, and a broken chain wrapped around it. ¡°Once upon a time, the king sent me to lead a unit of other warriors to a neighboring country. An ally. He sent us there to help them investigate criminal activity. ¡°While we were there, we found an organization: the Black Hawks. They were trafficking humans, kidnapping people and turning them into slaves. It was hell, but we fought them and released everybody. The things we saw, what these people were doing, was truly the devil¡¯s work. About a week ago, a pigeon messenger flew in from one of my old teammates. He said the Black Hawks are back and heading our way. Just the other day a ship pulled into the docks waving their flag.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t kill people, Castle, you know that.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m not asking you to kill them, I¡¯m asking you to free any slaves they got and then get rid of them.¡± ¡°How am I supposed to do that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the mastermind,¡± he grinned. Castle stood and began walking back to the altar. ¡°You do this; I¡¯ll find you more opportunities for money. I¡¯ll tell one of my nuns to swing by the inn later with a map of the dock. Oh, and uh, don¡¯t forget your dog.¡± Augustine chuckled and made for the door. Before walking out, he whistled. Jay came rushing out from a back room with a piece of bread stuff in his mouth and holding a potato high. ¡°You get me a little somethin?¡± ¡°Your favorite,¡± Jay muffled through the bread and tossed him the potato. ¡°Atta boy.¡± Late at night as their shifts at the inn began to end, they regrouped in their attic room. Jay fell onto his bed as Augustine pulled out a rolled up scrap of paper and placed it on the floor in between them. It was the map of the dock, just like Castle said, but a folded up surprise waited for him. He opened it and grinned. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°What is it,¡± Jay asked. ¡°On the back it says, ¡®Here¡¯s a gift. You owe me, so give them hell. Sincerely, Castle.¡¯ On the front it¡¯s a layout of what kind of ship they¡¯re coming in on. It¡¯ll definitely help with the planning.¡± ¡°Cool. Lemme know when you figure it out, boss.¡± Jay stretched his body out and turned to his side. ¡°You could help,¡± Augustine said, but Jay immediately began snoring. Augustine laid the maps out to study by himself. After a considerable amount of stressful, brain-straining minutes, he slammed his fist to the floorboard. Jay let out a yelp as he shot up to a sitting position. ¡°What!?¡± he gasped. ¡°I think I got it,¡± Augustine said. He flipped the two maps around so that Jay could see them. ¡°Okay, see here: the first level is the deck and the captain¡¯s quarters. Then there are three levels below that. The crew sleeps on level two. Storage, like food and rum, are on the third level. Finally the cargo, or slaves in this case, is on the fourth level.¡± ¡°Okay, so, how do we get passed the crew?¡± ¡°Well they are already docked, so most of them should be at the closest inn: ¡®The Headsman¡¯. It¡¯s a little past midnight, so the rest of them should be sleeping on level two. It looks like they all just sleep wherever on the floor.¡± ¡°So how are we supposed to get by them?¡± ¡°Look here. It looks like there¡¯s a door on level two that leads to a small balcony where the crew can go to get fresh air if they don¡¯t want to go to the deck. If we can get to that, the stairs to the third level are just a few feet away so we don¡¯t have to step over anyone.¡± ¡°Okay, how do we get there in the first place?¡± ¡°We each have one knife, so if I hop on your back you should be able to use them both to scale the back of the ship.¡± ¡°Bleh. Hard work¡­ So let¡¯s say it works and we get down to the fourth level; I¡¯m sure they¡¯re chained up. How do we break them out? And then how are we supposed to escape with them?¡± ¡°Okay, this is when it gets a little crazy. We blow a hole in the ship.¡± ¡°WE BLOW A HOLE IN THE SHIP!?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Are you insane!?¡± ¡°Slightly. But listen! Since yesterday was the festival, I thought there might be leftover fireworks. So when Castle¡¯s nun came by with the maps, I asked if she could get one from the church. We¡¯ll stop by and pick it up. We put it next to the inner wall, blow a hole in the ship and partially set it on fire, we jumped through into the water, and we go home.¡± ¡°You wanna set it on fire too¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah, if we do they will have to stay longer and we can try to get them arrested. Castle wants us to take care of them all together.¡± ¡°You¡¯re missing an important bit.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°They¡¯re in chains, Augustine! They can¡¯t swim.¡± ¡°Oh, one of the crewmen ought to have one we can swipe.¡± ¡°You really think this will work?¡± ¡°Definitely,¡± Augustine said. He stared into Jay¡¯s eyes with determination until Jay gave in. ¡°Fine. When do we go?¡± ¡°Right now.¡± Augustine hopped up, grabbed the bag that used to contain gold, and jogged down the stairs. The inn had quieted down; most people either left or were asleep. Just a few strays hung around the bar still drinking. As he hit the bar room, he ran into the owner of the inn. ¡°Whoa kid,¡± the old man said. ¡°Where you headed?¡± ¡°Uh, a friend of mine was offered a job at another inn, sir. I promised I would check it out for him.¡± ¡°An inn, eh? Which one?¡± ¡°The Headsman.¡± ¡°The Headsman!? I know the evil son-of-a-bitch owner. Name¡¯s Kingsman. Fuck Kingsman.¡± The old man walked back over to the bar and began pouring a drink to a stranger. ¡°Who y¡¯all talking ¡®bout,¡± the stranger asked. ¡°Kingsman over at The Headsman,¡± the owner replied. ¡°Man, fuck Kingsman!¡± ¡°Right, that¡¯s what I said!¡± ¡°Be careful over there, boy,¡± the owner said. Augustine nodded and left the inn with Jay. They passed by the church as planned and found the nun waiting outside. ¡°Thank you kindly, sister,¡± Augustine said and tipped an imaginary hat. She smiled, but when Jay waved at her, she sneered. Augustine laughed as Jay¡¯s face fell to a frown. He stashed the firework into the bag and they made towards the dock. They dashed through the darkness of the alleys until they reached the sea. He peered around the building¡¯s cover. When he confirmed the coast was clear, Augustine sprinted towards the water and leapt into it. The cold water engulfed him and goosebumps appeared all around his skin. He reached the surface and began swimming, though slowly due to the shivering. Jay¡¯s head popped out of the water a few seconds later. ¡°I-i-it¡¯s s-s-s-o c-c-c-c-cold,¡± he stammered as he swam behind Augustine. ¡°B-b-b-b-e q-q-q-quiet,¡± Augustine said. The ship was anchored close, but a lot of men were partying over on the dock. Once they reached the rear of the ship, Augustine pulled out the two knives and handed them to Jay. The knives pounded as they pierced the wood, but the cheers and chants of the drunken crewmen on land seemed to drown it out. Augustine reached his arms around Jay¡¯s torso and he began climbing. Thud after thud, the knives pierced different spots of the ship as he climbed. ¡°W-w-hy are y-y-ou so s-strong,¡± Augustine asked. The cold water still caused him to stutter a bit, but the work Jay had been doing apparently got his warm blood pumping. ¡°It¡¯s a gift from the gods, boss,¡± he said. They finally reached the tiny balcony as the map implied and they hopped over the railing. Augustine shook off the goosebumps and reached for the door. It creaked as it opened, but there were no lights on. They paused to allow their eyes to adjust. ¡°What¡¯s that over there,¡± Jay inquired. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Augustine said. ¡°Smells like¡­ food,¡± Jay confirmed. Well, if Jay¡¯s nose smells food then it¡¯s food. They crept down the steps and reached the third level. ¡°This¡¯ll be storage, right?¡± Jay whispered. Just then, three candles flickered on that filled the whole room. In front of them stood at least a dozen crewmen, all holding swords. ¡°Now who¡¯re you, lads,¡± one of them demanded. Augustine and Jay exchanged glances. They immediately turned tail and ran back up the steps. Heavy stomps followed them. Augustine felt someone¡¯s fingers skim his skin as they gripped his shirt, so he put his hand behind Jay¡¯s back and shoved him with all his might. Augustine was yanked backwards as Jay flew forward over the railing. ¡°Augustine!¡± he heard Jay shout out before hitting the water with a splash. The crewman who grabbed him threw him to the ground and when he looked up, they were all looking down on him. ¡°Hi,¡± he chuckled nervously. A Tavern, Not A Tavern ¡°You know,¡± Augustine said. ¡°I¡¯m feeling a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.¡± An itch appeared on his forearm, but the tight rope around his wrists constrained him. He made a bigger commitment to try and scratch the spot and the wooden chair squeaked as he rocked from side to side. In the end, his actions proved wasted. The man sitting across the desk coughed for attention. ¡°Have you been tied up in a chair recently,¡± the man asked. ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s a long story.¡± ¡°Do know why you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ Nope! No idea.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve upset me,¡± the man revealed. Augustine heard the sound of a cage rattling, but the man didn¡¯t seem to pay attention to it. ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m sorry,¡± Augustine said. ¡°Who¡¯re you?¡± ¡°Kingsman. Now who¡¯re you?¡± ¡°Augustine. Pleased to meet you.¡± ¡°Pleased isn¡¯t the word I would use.¡± Kingsman lifted a familiar black bag from the floor and dropped it on the table. ¡°Confused might be more appropriate. You, and some mystery man who got away, sneak onboard one of my ships and think the two of you can steal my slaves?¡± ¡°Your ship?¡± ¡°Well,¡± he chuckled. Kingsman raised his hands wide as if to grab the whole room. ¡°This is my port. The captain of the ship you were trying to steal from came to me looking for business. So why are you trying to steal my cargo? Huh? Who sent you?¡± ¡°Nobody. I just wanted some cash.¡± ¡° So you steal from someone like me? Not a random civilian, not someone decently wealthy, but a very very powerful man such as myself?¡± ¡°I wanted to pull an elaborate scheme,¡± Augustine confessed. ¡°If I could steal from someone of your stature, it¡¯d prove my capabilities. I¡¯m smart. I can work for you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re smart,¡± Kingsman repeated as he pulled the firework Augustine had planned to use out of the bag. Then he reached into his desk, pulled out a match, and lit the fuse. Augustine sank into his chair as if trying to get as far away as possible. However, when the flame hit the end, nothing happened. Kingsman laughed and tossed it to the side. ¡°The shits not going to work if it¡¯s wet.¡± Realization struck as Augustine released a heavy sigh. ¡°I am smart, though,¡± he retorted. The cage rattled again, so Kingsman reached over to the source. Something clicked and he pulled up a meerkat. ¡°Pardon me; he gets restless when he¡¯s hungry.¡± Kingsman pulled out small bits of food and gave it to the creature. It took the food in its hand and began munching on the bits at lightning speeds. Every once in a while, it would straighten its composure and stare at Augustine with its ears tucked behind its head. ¡°Aww,¡± Augustine gushed. ¡°Look at it! It¡¯s all ¡®om nom nom nom¡¯! It¡¯s so cute!¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Kingsman said and smiled. ¡°They¡¯re natives of the desert. I just picked it up the other day. Anyway, you said you want to work for me. You failed miserably with your plan, but I have an idea. You see, there¡¯s a gang leader not far from here. He keeps trying to steal from me which is why I advised the Captain to increase security. Unlucky for you.¡± ¡°So what do you want me to do?¡± ¡°Steal from him. Anything of value. If you¡¯re successful, I¡¯ll take you into my gang. I¡¯ll give you a nice sum of gold to start and then you¡¯ll get paid for every operation I send you on.¡± ¡°Sounds good, but I want one more thing. I also want one of your slaves.¡± ¡°You want a slave,¡± Kingsman scoffed. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll prove useful later on.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s my choice.¡± ¡°Deal,¡± Kingsman said. He stood, walked around the desk, and released the binds. ¡°Let¡¯s go pick out your slave.¡± As they stepped down the stairs, the stares of every man inside The Headsman fixated on Augustine. ¡°Whoa, whoa,¡± one man said as he slammed his mug onto the table. ¡°What the hell is this!?¡± ¡°He¡¯s working for me at the moment and I told him I would give him a slave. We¡¯re going to pick one out now,¡± Kingsman answered. ¡°That¡¯s bullshit!¡± ¡°Well, Captain, I¡¯ll let you know when your input is welcomed.¡± Damn, Augustine thought. A smile crept over his face. ¡°You can¡¯t just give him a slave!¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Kinsman said. He walked up to the Captain and stood so close their noses nearly touched. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you were giving the orders. You see, if I remember correctly, your boss is doing business with me. That means while you¡¯re in my port, you listen to me.¡± He paused to give the man a chance to say anything else. When he didn¡¯t, Kingsman continued, ¡°And when I said we¡¯re going to pick a slave out, I mean out of all the slaves.¡± Then he nodded to a young girl standing a few feet away with her head facing the ground. The Captain kissed his teeth and sat back down. Kingsman barked at a few other slaves standing around and they all left the room together. ¡°Hang on,¡± Augustine said when the door to the inn closed behind them. ¡°I already know who I want.¡± ¡°Oh? Who,¡± Kingsman asked. Augustine nodded towards the slave that had been standing near the Captain in the room. ¡°Why her?¡± ¡°I dunno,¡± Augustine shrugged. ¡°I like her white hair, I suppose.¡± Kingsman stared at the slave for a few moments. Then, he laughed. ¡°Yeah, it is unique isn¡¯t it? I remember seeing her file cause she¡¯s the youngest. Sixteen. Don¡¯t remember her name, but who cares. She¡¯s all yours. Come back within three days with good news.¡± With that, Kingsman pat Augustine on the back and disappeared back into the inn with the other slaves. Through the door, Augustine could hear the Captain¡¯s objections. ¡°Well, then,¡± Augustine said, turning to his new companion. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± She continued to stare at the ground and not say anything. ¡°Well, okay, follow me then.¡± As they walked together, Augustine would point out shops that he knew. The girl followed behind so quietly that he had to check behind him to make sure she was still there. One time he looked back and she had actually stopped and was looking into a shop. Her eyes were wide and glistening so much, a star sparkled somewhere inside. Augustine joined her and peered into the shop as well, though the smell gave him good idea what the contents were. Laid out across a few shelves were dozens of cakes - chocolate, vanilla, small, big, every kind. ¡°Do you want one,¡± he asked. The girl looked at him for the first time, but a second later the sparkle in her eye vanished and she looked at the ground again. ¡°Which do you like?¡± When she didn¡¯t respond, he walked him and picked out the cheapest one: a cupcake with white frosting. The look in her eye returned. ¡°I have to confess: you¡¯re not a slave anymore. I didn¡¯t buy you, I bought your freedom,¡± when he told her this, she traded glances between him and the ground a couple times. ¡°You know, you kind of look like the sky. Your eyes are a beautiful light blue and your hair is white like the clouds. Do you have a name? No? You should have one. Since you¡¯re free, how about you make up your own name?¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. She took the cupcake in her hand and held it like a precious jewel. She took her first bite and the biggest smile in history appeared across her face. ¡°You can leave, if you want. Or you can stick with me for a while. It¡¯s up to you: your first choice as a free woman.¡± He turned to walk away and at first, she didn¡¯t do anything. Then he felt a tug behind his shirt. ¡°Sky¡­¡± she said. Her voice sounded light and weak like it was her first time talking. ¡°Okay, Sky, want to meet my friends?¡± ¡°Augustine,¡± Jay exclaimed as he leapt through the air into his arms. Then he inhaled deeply. ¡°Oh, I missed your musk.¡± ¡°Right. Good to see you too buddy.¡± ¡°How are you here? What happened?¡± ¡°Here¡¯s the gist: the captain of the ship we were on was sent by the Black Hawks to do business with Kingsman, who owns the port. I got him to offer me a job instead of kill me.¡± ¡°Oh, man, lucky you.¡± ¡°Lucky me,¡± Augustine repeated. ¡°Now I have to steal something from some gang leader. The good news, if we pull this off, he¡¯ll pay us.¡± ¡°Awesome! Let¡¯s do this.¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re on board quickly¡­ You realize if we do this, we¡¯ll be directly involved with a powerful leader of a gang. We won¡¯t be able to sneak around like we¡¯ve been doing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. Really, I say we do it. One question, though: who¡¯s this?¡± Jay nodded towards Sky. ¡°Ah, she was a slave. She was part of the deal I made with Kingsman, and I gave her freedom. Apparently she was the slave to Captain, so I also thought she might help us when we take down the Black Hawks.¡± ¡°We¡¯re still doing that?¡± ¡°Of course. Castle is still a friend. It doesn¡¯t hurt that his nuns act as our ears around this island. Speak of the priest¡­¡± ¡°Augustine,¡± Castle said as he joined them, accompanied by a nun. ¡°Jay here has been waiting patiently for your return.¡± ¡°Really,¡± Augustine asked. ¡°No. He¡¯s been nothing but trouble for the Sisters.¡± ¡°Shoo shoo,¡± the nun said while waving her hands at him. ¡°Well I¡¯m sorry about that, but I have a favor to ask. You see this little piece of sunshine right here?¡± Augustine pat Sky on top of the head. ¡°She needs a place to stay. Would you like to stay here, Sky?¡± She didn¡¯t reply. ¡°Yeah, she doesn¡¯t talk much. Do you mind? Just for a while.¡± ¡°Of course not. Sister, can you take young Sky here inside?¡± The nun took the girl by the hand and guided her inside the church. ¡°Now, do you have news? Have you made any progress?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve made some progress, but it¡¯s going to take longer than I thought.¡± ¡°Take as long as you need, son. I¡¯ll have work for you whenever you¡¯re ready.¡± The priest pat Augustine on the shoulder and walked back into the church. ¡°Well then,¡± Jay said. ¡°What¡¯s the plan, boss?¡± ¡°Well this gang¡¯s territory is just south of Kingsman, so at first I thought it would be just as powerful. Luckily, it¡¯s not. I guess Kingsman steals all the business. He also told me that their leader died just a few weeks ago and his son took over. With their struggles with Kingsman in the north, I¡¯d say the south would be the most vulnerable. If we poke our heads around there, we should be okay.¡± ¡°Okay, poke around where?¡± ¡°An inn or a tavern, I suppose. If we can mingle and get the right person drunk, we could get some more info about who runs this place.¡± ¡°Alright, sounds good. There¡¯s just one thing.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°We¡¯re late for our shifts at the Drunken Dragon.¡± ¡°Shit,¡± Augustine shouted as sprinted down the street at record-breaking speed. ¡°What do you see, what do you see,¡± Jay pestered. Augustine felt his body double in weight as his friend made an attempt to climb over him. ¡°Get off me, damnit.¡± Augustine shrugged him off and kept peering around the corner of a dark alley. A few buildings down was the objective: a tavern with nothing standing out about it. ¡°There¡¯s not a lot of people around. It looks subtle, I say we go in. But let me do the talking.¡± They casually strolled out of the alley and entered the tavern. A dozen men sat around drinking and playing cards, but it appeared utterly dead. One person sat at the bar, so Augustine and Jay targeted him by sitting a few barstools away. They both ordered ale and looked around aimlessly, but focused all of their attention on the man. He sighed: a moment of weakness! Augustine immediately attacked. ¡°Hey. Why so down? Let us buy you a drink.¡± ¡°H-huh,¡± the man stuttered and looked over. Then he chuckled and looked back down at the bar. ¡°No, no, thank you though.¡± Augustine reached into his pocket and pulled out a few gold coins. He slammed it down on the table and said, ¡°Bartender, another drink for this fellow.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± The man smiled wearily. ¡°So, come on, tell a couple travelers the tales of your sorrows.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not that interesting. What brings you here?¡± ¡°Man,¡± Jay said, leaning over the bar to get a look at the man. ¡°We were over in the south part of the island when a thief came up to us, right? And he was all, ¡®Gimme your money or I¡¯m gonna gut ya!¡¯ and we were all, ¡®Oh shit!¡¯ but then a guard saw us. The thief tried to run away, so Augustine here disarmed him and karate chopped the dude¡¯s throat. But then we thought, let¡¯s just steal his stuff now! So then I jumped onto the guards back and wrestled him to the ground. I held him tight around the throat until he passed out and we stole both of their coin purses. So we ran away but then we saw this homeless girl, right, and I felt bad, so I gave her a few coin pieces. But then she pulled out a knife and-¡± ¡°Jay,¡± Augustine interrupted. He stopped talking as Augustine¡¯s serious eyes pierced through his soul. He looked at his drink with a sad expression and Augustine looked back over to the stranger who had been listening attentively with a huge grin. ¡°It¡¯s a little exaggerated¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite alright,¡± the man said with a booming laugh. ¡°I love a good story! Here, here, another drink on me!¡± So the three of them shared many drinks and told many stories coated in white lies. The man swayed in his seat and kept a constant smile. Augustine and Jay, however, drank less than he. The question about the gang popped. ¡°Oh, them? A new boss took over not too long ago, people call him Johnny Boy. He¡¯s not doing too well though.¡± ¡°Why do you say that,¡± Augustine asked. ¡°He owns this tavern you¡¯re drinking in. Not much too it, you see. It¡¯s low end, just like all the others he owns.¡± ¡°Well, that sounds unfortunate. It¡¯s a little surprising that the gang is still around then. Wouldn¡¯t people take advantage?¡± The man paused. ¡°No, not much,¡± the man said. ¡°What about other gangs? Wouldn¡¯t they want to come and take some territory?¡± ¡°Just a few times. I hear it¡¯s not much of a problem, though¡­¡± ¡°Oh, yeah? Where do they usually go?¡± The man didn¡¯t reply, but looked at Augustine in the corner of his eye. Augustine noticed the hesitance and quickly tried to cover his tracks. ¡°Uh, I ask for curiosity of course! Let¡¯s change the topic, yeah?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s alright. So, what brings you here?¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re travelers-¡± Before Augustine could finish the lie; the man grabbed a handful of Augustine¡¯s hair and slammed it against the bar. Jay stood up to retaliate, but everyone in the bar stood by the stranger. Augustine clutched his head and looked up. ¡°What the hell?¡± ¡°Now, what the hell are you doing in my tavern?¡± One Mans Trash Augustine glanced around the room. The men had taken them into a room that resembled an office above the tavern. Johnny Boy sat in front of them and everyone else had gone back to drink. ¡°At least I¡¯m not tied up this time,¡± he muttered. ¡°So,¡± Johnny Boy spoke up. ¡°Do you work for Kingsman?¡± ¡°No, no, no,¡± Augustine said. ¡°We don¡¯t work for anyone.¡± ¡°Then why come here, huh? Why try to butter me up and find my gang¡¯s weak spots?¡± ¡°We¡¯re petty thieves. Really. We like the thrill is all.¡± ¡°Well you have balls. Out of all the buildings and all the taverns, you pick the one that¡¯s also my headquarters.¡± ¡°What, really?¡± You¡¯ve gotta be freakin¡¯ kidding me. ¡°My father was a smart man. He knew Kingsman¡¯s ambitions, so he made this the official headquarters and made another up north that acted as a decoy. You¡¯re smart, too.¡± ¡°Yep, I¡¯m really smart,¡± Augustine said sarcastically. Johnny Boy, however, was serious. ¡°You come right in here and talk to the gang leader himself. Plus, you stole from some poor sap robbing you and a guard!¡± ¡°Well-¡± Jay started to interrupt but received a kick to the shin from Augustine. ¡°You see, we need people like you.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Wait a minute; you just slammed my head against the bar! Is that how you recruit people?¡± ¡°Right, sorry about that. My guys still don¡¯t see me as a leader, you know. To them I¡¯m still Johnny Boy. I¡¯m Johnny Man, damnit! But I digress.¡± He pulled out a key and walked around the desk to Augustine. ¡°We need guys like you: smart, brave, true criminals. In it for the thrill. Do you know what this is a key to?¡± ¡°Paradise?¡± ¡°The Rugged Ranger: this tavern. I want you to be the new leader.¡± Augustine paused for a moment before saying, ¡°Pardon?¡± Jay was in awe. ¡°Yes, the leader. I don¡¯t want to do it anymore. It¡¯s so hard! Everybody expects me to be some kind of cold hearted mastermind. Have you met Kingsman? He¡¯s so intimidating! One of my guys got locked up the other day and I didn¡¯t do anything. All my guys know I¡¯m weak too, so they don¡¯t take me seriously. I can¡¯t do it anymore, so I¡¯ve been looking for a replacement. You two are gifts from the gods.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about-¡± ¡°Here,¡± he said, shoving the key into Augustine¡¯s hands. ¡°I¡¯ll go tell the guys downstairs and you can meet the rest later. I¡¯m outta here!¡± Then he rushed out the door. Augustine and Jay followed a few seconds later but he had completely disappeared. The gang members all stared at him. The air felt tense. ¡°Drinks on me,¡± Augustine said. Everyone cheered and made for the bar for more ale except for one, who approached the new boss. ¡°So you¡¯re really the new boss, eh,¡± the woman said. ¡°I suppose so. The name¡¯s Augustine. And this here is Jay. He¡¯s uh¡­ my right hand man.¡± ¡°Well I guess that makes me the left hand woman.¡± She extended her hand. ¡°Trist.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Augustine took her hand and shook it. ¡°I took care of most the business around here. Johnny Boy¡¯s father knew he wouldn¡¯t ever be the right man for the job so he trained me since I was a kid. Couple more years and I would have actually been the boss.¡± ¡°Well I need a favor, Trist. How about we head up to my new office and we talk business.¡± Augustine looked to Jay. ¡°You wanna go drink and bond with the guys for me?¡± Jay¡¯s face lit up and he shot down the stairs. Once back in the office, Augustine began searching through the desk as Trist watched. ¡°Ahem,¡± she coughed after a minute. ¡°One sec,¡± Augustine said without looking up. ¡°What are you looking for?¡± ¡°The uh¡­ hm¡­ what¡¯s it called¡­ ledger.¡± ¡°Over there,¡± she pointed out. Augustine glanced at her and then followed where she pointed to: a shelf full of books. After a few seconds of skimming through them, he found it and dropped back into his chair. ¡°Wow. Uh, this is a lot of money,¡± Augustine noted as he flipped through the pages. ¡°Johnny Boy¡¯s father was excellent with money.¡± ¡°Did Johnny Boy do the bookkeeping?¡± ¡°No, that was my job.¡± ¡°Good news: it¡¯s still your job. Did he keep, like, a journal with a list of assets? Preferably fixed assets. Specifically buildings.¡± ¡°Second drawer on your left.¡± ¡°What about any blank paper?¡± ¡°You¡¯re on your own there.¡± After a moment of flipping through journals, searching under books, and ravaging the drawers, he managed to find a blank sheet of paper. Then, he flipped open the other journal and looked through the list of buildings. After jotting down a few names, he flipped the journal shut and slipped her the piece of paper. As she read it he said, ¡°If I¡¯m gonna be running things around here I need to live here, and I need a place for some companions as well. I need you to show me these apartments.¡± ¡°Sure thing. When do you want to go?¡± ¡°Right now. Ain¡¯t got nothing better to do. Do you?¡± ¡°No sir,¡± she replied. She stood and opened the door for him. As they returned to the ground floor, Augustine saw Jay laughing and hanging around the other guys. His smile stretched from one ear to the other and brightened the room. Even his laugh seemed to ring with harmony. The other guys laughed with him and conversed loudly. I¡¯ve gotta make this work for him. ¡°Whoa,¡± Trish breathed as they made for the exit. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I just haven¡¯t seen them this lively in a long time.¡± Augustine walked passed Jay and pat him on the shoulder. ¡°I gotta walk out for a little bit.¡± ¡°Oh, I wanna go,¡± Jay said. ¡°No, stay here. It looks like you¡¯re having fun.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Buuuuuuuut¡­¡± ¡°No. Stay.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± he gave in. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in no time,¡± Augustine said and left the tavern with Trish. ¡°Which apartment do you want to go to first?¡± ¡°The nicest.¡± Above the inn of the Drunken Dragon, Jay and Augustine packed their clothes and placed all the saved up gold in a black bag. ¡°Hey,¡± Jay said. ¡°We can put all this in a bank now that we have a good income.¡± ¡°Yes we can, and we will. Later, though. First we have to stop by the church and then settle into the new apartment.¡± They finished packing what little clothes they had and jogged down the stairs. The owner was positioned behind the bar, getting everything ready for work. ¡°Mornin¡¯ boys,¡± he said. ¡°We quit,¡± Jay stated and the next second they were out the door. Then they skipped down the street to the church. Sky was sitting on the ground reading a book with a nun standing over her. ¡°Hey, Sky,¡± Augustine greeted. ¡°Good morning, Sister.¡± The nun smiled and nodded towards Augustine, but quickly shot a dirty glare at Jay, who curled his lips and held his hands up innocently. She ran inside, which prompted Castle to stroll out. ¡°Thought it¡¯d be you,¡± the priest said. ¡°The Sisters only act like that when Jay¡¯s around.¡± ¡°How¡¯s she been,¡± Augustine asked. ¡°Great. We can¡¯t get her to talk, but she helps around the church and is a really fast learner. I don¡¯t know where she learned to read, but she can finish a book in no time.¡± As if on cue, Sky slammed the book shut and glanced up for the first time. When she saw Augustine she shot up, but looked back down at the ground. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to make her like this,¡± Castle continued. ¡°But I can¡¯t help but feel sorry for her.¡± ¡°Did you like it here,¡± Augustine asked. Sky nodded and he pat her on the head. ¡°I like it here too,¡± Jay blurted out, but Augustine didn¡¯t show any signs of paying attention. ¡°There¡¯s one more thing,¡± the priest said. He held up a pie. ¡°The Sisters baked you this as an apartment-warming present.¡± "Thank them for me.¡± ¡°Will do. I know it¡¯s a bit far but feel free to stop by anytime, whether it¡¯s for work or just because you want to.¡± ¡°Thanks, Castle.¡± The priest nodded and walked back into the church. Jay moved so close to the pie his face was nearly plastered in it. Augustine drew it back. ¡°Wait for later.¡± Jay frowned, but retreated. The long walk to the other side of the island was full of anxiety. For all three of them, it was their first apartment; their first real home. As they stood in front of the tall building, Augustine heard Jay gulp. ¡°You ready,¡± Augustine asked. When Jay nodded, they entered. They climbed the stairs all the way to the top floor. Only five other apartments occupied it. They approached the last door down the hall and he put his hand around the knob. The hallway screamed an eerie silence. They all stood still, hearts pounding their warm blood throughout their bodies. Finally, he opened it. The small entryway welcomed them and guided them to the long living room. An archway stood ahead, creating an open space between the living room and the kitchen. A door to the left led to the largest bedroom, which Jay immediately called dibs on, and two doors to the right led to the other two rooms. "Which one do you want, Sky?¡± Sky looked from one door to the other and repeated the process numerous times. Every time her face moved, it scrunched up a little bit more. By the time she exchanged glances at least eight times, Augustine could almost see steam flow out from her ears. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let me know when you decide,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Augustine,¡± Jay called. ¡°We forgot something.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We ain¡¯t got no furniture¡­¡± ¡°Oh. Oh, shit, you¡¯re right. Trist is going to swing by; she should be here in a few seconds. When she gets here I¡¯ll ask for some directions.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± he said. Jay lowered himself to the floor and stretched, releasing a loud, alien-like moan as his muscles relieved tension. Then he curled into a ball. ¡°I¡¯ll be here.¡± Knock, knock, knock. The gentle knock at the door gabbed Augustine¡¯s attention. He left Jay curled on the floor and Sky breaking down to answer it. Trist stood on the other side. ¡°Hey, you settled in?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Wait, no. We need furniture. Can you show me a place?¡± She chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re already relying on me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who said you would be my left hand woman. I also wanted to discuss something else.¡± ¡°What would that be?¡± ¡°I need the rundown about a few things: First, everything you know about Kingsman. Second, everything you know about the Black Hawks. Third, nearby gangs, whether ally or rival. Fourth, and finally, I need all the details to our territory. Food, alcohol, banks, guards, everything.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I can understand the first three, but what does food have to do with anything?¡± ¡°Have you seen this place? Other than a few buildings, it¡¯s nothing special. In fact, if you look at it overall, you could say its poor.¡± ¡°But you¡¯ve seen the ledger; you know we¡¯re not poor.¡± ¡°The gang isn¡¯t poor. But what of everyone not in the gang? Civilians and simple shop owners. They¡¯re our support, so the more they flourish the more we prosper.¡± ¡°If you say so¡­ where do you want to start?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do it in the order I listed them.¡± ¡°Shall we go to your office at the Rugged Ranger?¡± ¡°Lead the way. Oh, by the way¡­ where can I find a meerkat?¡± Keep Your Enemies Closer Augustine strolled along the road, passing all kinds of shops ranging from food to clothes. Being midday, the shops and venders were decently busy. The stares of the shop owners pierced him, but when he would look at them they scurried back to work. I hope Sky will get along with Jay while I¡¯m gone¡­ A couple of kids rushed from the inside of a building just a few feet in front of them. When Augustine and Trist were spotted, the kids stood frozen, staring. Their assumed mother stuck her head out the window and made a couple ¡°tsk¡± noises while waving for them back. They obeyed and ran inside. ¡°We don¡¯t have a good reputation, do we?¡± ¡°No we do not,¡± Trist confessed. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Oh, a couple reason. For starters, we tax them heavily. Then when they try to leave, our old boss sent us to stop them. The ones who kept trying to run would make attempts at night; some made it.¡± ¡°That sounds shit awful, what the hell¡­¡± ¡°The boss always said the longer they stayed the more we got paid.¡± ¡°From now on we don¡¯t tax them. At all. We¡¯ll call it¡­ Autumn Relief. We¡¯ll let it last for a few months before we decide what to do.¡± ¡°You sure about that?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he said as they continued on their path. ¡°They already have the government taxing them, if we tax them it needs to be the bare minimum. It¡¯ll help them grow as well. Make more money and spend more money. It¡¯ll help increase production too. Honestly, your so-called smart boss was not so smart to tax them so much. Why else do they hate us?¡± ¡°Other than our members just acting out, we don¡¯t stop the crime around here. Thieves just kind of run around.¡± ¡°Thieves that aren¡¯t ours?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°By the gods,¡± Augustine sighed. He massaged the bridge of his nose. ¡°So we don¡¯t do anything? We just own a couple buildings and tax the hell out of people in our territory?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ that about sums it up I suppose. But we do other things.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Like stir up trouble with Kingsman. Rob some buildings in his territory; interfere with shipments, things of that sort.¡± ¡°Gods¡­¡± ¡°What now?¡± ¡°Are you trying to go to war!? This isn¡¯t some petty, pickpocket, spend the night in the dungeon kind of shit, okay, this is some territory versus territory, bloodshed, end of a gang kind of shit.¡± ¡°Okay, what would you have us do then?¡± ¡°First and foremost, no more messing around with Kingsman. I¡¯ll go talk to him myself.¡± ¡°I¡¯d advise against that¡­¡± ¡°I gotta talk to him anyway. Second, Autumn Relief, we went through that already. Third, no more crime: we get our members in line and stop the random thieves that pop around.¡± ¡°Speaking of,¡± she said and nodded behind him. He turned to see a man dressed in black holding a woman by the arm. In the other arm he held a knife. Behind him was an alley which Augustine assumed would be his escape route. Augustine rushed over. The thief grabbed the woman¡¯s purse and turned to run. He saw his chance when the thief turned his back to Augustine. Gotta stop him quick¡­ a kick to the leg. Thigh? No. Calf? No. Behind the knee? Yes. Which knee? Right? No. Left? Yes. If I kick him there, it¡¯ll stop him and almost make him fall over. He¡¯s on his guard, so his first response should be to swing his knife at me. Kicking the left leg should bring the knife around to the right¡­ Just before the thief broke into the run, Augustine lifted his foot up and kicked as hard as he could muster behind the man¡¯s left knee. He reacted just as predicted. Augustine brought his hand up and caught the man¡¯s wrist before the knife could make contact. He used his other hand to grab the man¡¯s shirt and thrust him against the building in front of them. Then he repeatedly slammed the man¡¯s hand against the wall until the knife dropped. When he pulled the thief away, Augustine stuck his own leg out in front of the man¡¯s feet and caused him to fall on his face. The man grunted, but made no move to retaliate. Amateur. Hardly tried to fight me. He only wants attention. Augustine reached down and pulled the woman¡¯s coin purse out of his pocket. He tossed it to her. ¡°My god,¡± she gasped. ¡°Who are you?¡± Other shop keepers were beginning to gather around the scene. ¡°My name is Augustine,¡± he announced while scanning the growing crowd, this time catching their eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the name was of the old gang who ran this territory, and frankly I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Frank?¡± a random onlooker shouted. ¡°Uh¡­ what?¡± ¡°You said: ¡®Frank Lee¡¯. Who¡¯s Frank?¡± ¡°I¡­ Wha¡­ That¡¯s not the point! Listen, my name is Augustine and I run this territory now. I am renaming the gang: Barren. Without you, we cannot grow. We can¡¯t be better. Starting right now, I¡¯m going to make a few changes around here. If you want to leave, you can. Go. Nobody will stop you.¡± The crowd looked around nervously. Augustine continued, ¡°If you want to stay, here¡¯s the deal: We will no longer tolerate lowlifes like this. While you live in my territory, thieves like this won¡¯t bother you. I can promise you that. ¡°Uh... Starting right now you will no longer have to pay tribute to us. You will be protected indefinitely. And when I say indefinitely, I mean my gang as well. They will no longer do anything to upset or hurt you. I want your homes to be healthy. You, uh, will be safe here, and as the man in charge I can promise you: you will.¡± As he began to conclude the speech a guard ran up to him. ¡°You¡¯re the new leader,¡± he asked. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Pardon me,¡± he said. The guard entered a salute form. Then he reached down and grabbed the thief by the neck and hands. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this.¡± The guard walked away with a few other guards. ¡°You see,¡± Augustine continued. ¡°You are safe. You will always be safe. I give you my word.¡± With that, he left. As he walked through the silent crowd, they stared. Anxious, confused. He regrouped with Trist and they began their walk back to his office. ¡°How was that? And we own friggin guards too?¡± ¡°Not bad, I suppose, and yes, we own a few guards like that one. You¡¯re very different from Johnny Boy and his father, but I have to admit it will be fun it watch.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? What part of starving children is fun?¡± After Augustine asked this question, Trist shut up. After a moment of tense silence, they arrived at the Rugged Ranger. The same number of people occupied it. They nodded at him as he climbed the steps with his assistant. ¡°So, do you need me to show you where something is again,¡± she asked. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°No, no,¡± he said. ¡°Well¡­ okay, yes. I need a map of our territory.¡± ¡°What are you planning now?¡± ¡°We need some more community-friendly buildings. Make people actually feel like their home when they¡¯re here. I¡¯m thinking a library and a church to start with.¡± Trist scoffed. ¡°A library? There¡¯s only one library on the entire island. They¡¯re all over with the richer districts on mainland.¡± ¡°Well I suppose it¡¯s about time to change that, huh?¡± ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡± ¡°No, no, just deranged,¡± he said as he sat behind his desk and peered at the map. ¡°There¡¯s also one more thing.¡± ¡°Great gods, what is it now?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been in conflict with Kingsman for some time now, but we¡¯re going to have to make it official. We¡¯re going to war. At first, it will have to look like we are getting along.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He¡¯s working with some people right now: The Black Hawks. I¡¯d be happier if they were all in the dungeon. We can¡¯t do that without Kingsman.¡± ¡°Dungeon? You don¡¯t want to kill them?¡± ¡°Gods no! I don¡¯t kill people. I never will. And as long as I don¡¯t, Barren doesn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Wait, back up¡­ How are we going to go to war with Kingsman but not kill anyone? Isn¡¯t that the point of war?¡± ¡°There are other ways to fight, Trist.¡± ¡°So what are you looking for on the map?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when I find it. Oh, damn. I need a favor.¡± ¡°Anything.¡± ¡°I need you to take Jay to buy some furniture for our apartment. Don¡¯t spend too much; the apartment itself was already a lot of gold.¡± ¡°Sure. Shall I go now?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be here for a while,¡± he said, looking back at the map. ¡°Doing stuff. And things.¡± Once she left, he pulled some blank paper out of the desk and began to scribble on them. Then he stuffed them into a folder and made for the exit. Augustine strolled passed the heavy stares of the gang members as he walked through the crowd, holding the folder. ¡°Is this what you do all day,¡± he asked. ¡°Stare at people as they walk by?¡± It was a little later in the day, so the Headsman had filled up more than the last time he visited. Though, he was still able to see a few people he recognized. ¡°Hell are you doing here, punk?¡± Captain spit. A few thugs grunted in support. ¡°It was a nice day, so I thought I should spend it inside.¡± Captain chuckled with a mocking tone. ¡°So, where¡¯s my bitch you stole?¡± Without replying, Augustine dropped the folder, threw a quick and fierce right hook, and punched Captain in the face. His large build, however, allowed him to recover quickly. That¡¯s a pro. A con is that he¡¯s easy to read. Right hook. Augustine ducked and landed another punch in the torso. Left jab. Augustine stepped to the right and landed a third punch. A few thugs surrounded him and moved in to support Captain, who yelled out. The numbers overpowered him and Augustine took a strong hit to the face, which nearly knocked him on his ass. Oh, god, whoa. ¡°Enough,¡± a voice boomed throughout the bar. The fight immediately came to a halt. Augustine looked up to see Kingsman staring down from the staircase. ¡°Augustine. Come.¡± He nodded and, after retrieving the folder, joined the leader to his office above the bar. As he sat on top of his desk, he reached for a glass of whiskey and took a sip. ¡°Did you-¡± ¡°You know,¡± Augustine interrupted. ¡°You need to teach those guys manners.¡± Kingsman chunked the glass across the room. As it hit the wall a few feet away from Augustine, he felt what was left of the whiskey splash on his clothes. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever fucking interrupt me again! I will throw you back to the fucking sharks downstairs! You fuck!¡± Augustine stayed silent. Somehow, he managed to calm down within seconds. ¡°Did you bring me something? Something like gold, perhaps?¡± ¡°Something like it.¡± Augustine held out the folder and he snatched it away. After a moment of looking over the paper contents he said, ¡°What the hell?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a written peace treaty.¡± ¡°Yeah, I can see that. You took over for that boy who kept trying to interfere with my shipments?¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this¡­ you¡¯re calling your gang ¡®Barren¡¯?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°What the hell,¡± Kingsman repeated and laughed. ¡°So you¡¯re coming to me as leader of Barren, is that right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Take a seat, kid.¡± Kingsman walked around the desk and sat in his chair. Augustine took a seat in one of the chairs on the other side. ¡°Let¡¯s skip the bullshit. You tried to steal from me, I caught you, and so you owe me. A peace treaty? I might as well throw this piece of paper in the trash. You¡¯re going to give me something, or I¡¯m going to kill you right here and now regardless of your position.¡± ¡°Territory.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Two gang leaders are in the dungeon located on the left side of the island. You should know them, one of them owns the territory above yours and the other is to the left.¡± ¡°What of them?¡± ¡°I did that.¡± ¡°You?¡± ¡°Me.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you put two gang leaders in a dungeon?¡± ¡°The same way I got you to hire me for a job. The same way I came to be the leader of a gang. I¡¯m smart.¡± ¡°Well, what are you purposing?¡± ¡°We fight them. One big battle. If you and I come together, we can take them both for sure. Since I owe you, you can take the larger piece of territory.¡± Kingsman sat back in his chair and clasped his hands above his head. ¡°I¡¯m listening. I¡¯m listening. Tell me your plan.¡± ¡°On the left part of my territory, there are a lot of gaps between buildings. You¡¯re men will be in the middle and mine will be spread out and hidden. Once they see you, we¡¯ll jump out and trap them.¡± ¡°How are you going to get them there?¡± ¡°The power of rumors. I¡¯ll go see both of them individually. I¡¯ll tell one that the other is planning on attacking, but I¡¯m willing to help if we split the profits. I¡¯ll tell them that the best defense is a strong offense and we should attack first. They will both meet me where you¡¯ll be waiting and said plan will commence.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure how you fit through the door with those big balls you¡¯ve got, kid,¡± Kingsman sighed. ¡°But damnit, that sounds too good to pass up. I¡¯m in. When do we start?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to wait until I receive word that they were released,¡± Augustine said. He stood and stuck his hand out. ¡°As soon as I set a date, I¡¯ll get in contact with you again.¡± They shook hands.