I skipped school the next day because turning up bruised as hell after a week of not being there was a quick trip to having more shit shoveled on my plate. Ma banged on my door and yelled at to go anyway. So, I lied and said I was sick. If she werent running late, Id have been much worse off, but she settled for one more shout and an empty threat before leaving. Fortunate, since I really didnt want her to see .
Took all morning to finally drag myself out of bed, but I did it. Good for . A nice long look at my face in a mirror told it was pointless to fix up my hair for the day. Split skin, two black eyes. Fucking monstrous. Roo didnt screw around or take pity. I was a pained man with unfortunate commitnts, but at least I had good humor. Things didn't stand a chance of getting much worse.
I ate so cheap cereal with water, alone in the house. Threw on my Brass Kings jacket, then dipped out; without anywhere else to go I decided to loiter near a local mart a couple of blocks down the road. I sent off my text to Tristan before noon. Maybe sothing would break my bad streak of luck.
He didnt reply. Prick. So, I decided to screw around inside of the mart, smoking and scrolling my phone. A singular mass of aches and pain.
The roar of a motorcycle tore my attention from an article about the upcoming Lantern Festival. I looked up, catching the eyes of the nervous shopkeeper whod been working up the nerve to ask if I planned to buy sothing or not. I stuffed my hands in my jeans, strolling out the door to see a slick two-seater with gorgeous chro trim. A big-nosed man with cropped blond hair chuckled at . Fall down so stairs? Hahahahaha!
I gave him a nasty look that said well fuck you too. Then caught a seven decal on the back of the slick black bike. I squinted at him. The dude was massive, and certainly soone Id have noticed in the Fourth Division, let alone our squad. Hey, you aint in part of our division
He wiped a tear from his eye. Nope! Im Bruno! Glorious pride of the Seventh Division, no one can match my might! He stood up from the bike, stretching out to what must have been a six-foot-five fra, with wide shoulders, and bulging arms. This guy could get hit by a truck, and walk away just fine. Who gave you the bruises!? Erald Serpents? Crimson Eagles? Ooooohone of the sects?! Oh, I love brawling a good heir! The guy seed to gush joy and curiosity, especially when he started talking about fighting a sect.
Are ya nuts? I pointed to my black eyes. ssing around with the sects? Listen. This is what happens when ya fuck with people ya shouldnt. Learned my lesson. I also wasnt about to tell this jackass I got ssed up by my own Uncle. Nor ntion anything about pissing off the Segreto Family. If anyone in the Brass Kings found out about that, Id be in deep shit.
The best way to grow is to throw yourself at stronger enemies until you conquer them and cover the street in their plentiful and majestic blood! Just thinking of such a fight gets worked up! That smile. This guy was cracked in the head.
Alright then. Tristan sent ya? He didnt even spare soone from our own squad, what a prick.
Oh? Oh yeah! Sure did! Hop on, a lot to do today! Many people to punch!
That all ya think about?
Dont you?
Yeah, this guy was a real nutso. Everything hurt too much to pursue this persons particular brand of madness. Not the first ti today that it seed a bad idea to get into more fights this fucked up if thats what we were doing. But whatever. Id committed, and didnt wanna get tossed from the Fourth Division. Immortals forbid sohow I get shifted to the Seventh Division with head cases like this.
We sped off on the motorcycle. A surprisingly smooth ride, even with Bruno slamming the throttle and pumping speed. It was a struggle to hang on, in my weakened state I worried the wind would catch and splatter across the pavent. Didnt help the crazy fuck took sharp turns, including one that slanted the whole bike. Short cut! Youll love this!
After a terrifyingly close brush to death in a far too narrow alley for even a bike, we popped back out onto a street. Thank the Immortals we didnt smash into a car. Southside transford into Downtown. Before he cut through Uptown to zoom into the Rust Docks.
The Rust Docks were an assortnt of old discarded docks and supporting architecture that still dominated the north half of New Valentine. It used to be an essential export and import location, and so bigger companies still used it. But now, most of the docks were a trash den of trouble and illicit smuggling. Most legitimate companies preferred to ship further down the coast, then redistribute. Bruno cut the engine as we reached a disused factory. This it? Kinda a crap, aint it? I asked.
He gave a funny look. You had pick you up at a corner store that sells drugs out of the back.
I blinked.
No idea? Hahahaaha! He patted on the back, another tear forming at the corner of his eye. Luca, right? Funny guy! Bruno and I walked to the wreck of a warehouse. I sighed, having so second thoughts about my appearance. I might be fucked up to the extre, but did I really wanna walk into a large eting looking like trash? Deciding that I still had standards, I fished my comb and a bit of gel out as we walked in.
The place was a half-rusted out steel death trap. Flooded with the laughter and conversations of at least a hundred guys and girls. A stale sll of tobacco married the reek of sweat and dominated the uncomfortably warm interior of the warehouse. Even with one of the large doors rolled open to clear out the hot air, it was still borderline unbearable. A whole mixture of Brass Kings filled this shit-hole, repping at least three different divisions.
But what caught my eye was the woman standing on top of a rusting shipping container slamd against one half of the warehouse. She'd drawn her hair in a loose bun, owl-like eyes observing the gang. That jacket patch was unmistakable, she was the Viceroy. Katia Totoglou. Infamous for her brutal rise up the ranks. Shed left a trail of bodies in her wake from Lieutenant to Captain, near singlehandedly responsible for ending the Blood-Soaked Uptown war with the Erald Serpents.
My heart raced. I didnt know this eting would be that important. A couple of captains stirring up shit, maybe. But no. There were three captains arranged before the Viceroy. Including the scarred visaged of Tillthe Fourth Division Captain. He had a rather hands-off managent style. Out of all of them, he seed the calst, hands tucked behind his head and a dopey smile on his face, completely at odds with the other two captains.
Both the Second Division Captaina chubby man with shaved hair, Id had a couple of run-ins with himand the Seventh Division Captain both looked rather severe.
I was curious to get a good look at the Seventh Division Captain for the first ti, the ringleader of the misfits. She was lean, and tall, and gave off an odd regal attitude that struck wrong. For all the stories of her divisions fuck ups, Id thought shed be a nervous wreck to be a part of whatever this was.
After all, if the Viceroy got involved, major shit was going down.
and Bruno split and headed off to our divisions. I caught sight of Tristan, he was with the rest of our squad. Nobody offered a greeting. Tristan took one look at , let out a little laugh, then shook his head and checked his watch. A few more people filtered in.
Quiet! the chubby Second Division Captain yelled out a few minutes later, face turning red. He slamd a fist into the shipping container.
At that note, and on his orders, people lowered their volu. He gave a quick salute to the Viceroy.
She cleared her throat, back straight and an angry light burned in her eyes. You will all follow your captains orders to the letter. We will be invading the Crimson Eagles turf. You might ask why that is. Why the sudden aggression? Theyve been pushing into Uptown for the last month! If thats not enough reason for you, just a few days ago they stalked the First Division Captain, ambushed him outside of a bar, and ripped his eye out! her voice carried a raw heat. A pure expression of utter hate and war. Her pure killing intent ran through the group in a wave. We do not stand for that! We are the Brass Kings! When they take an eye, we take an arm! When they take an arm, we take their legs! When they take our legs, we take their head!
I balled my fists. Id had a shit week. These assholes were going around fucking around with our gang? Fine. Working my tension out on so punks seed just fine to .
You will follow your lieutenants. They will follow their captains. My gaze is everywhere, any failures I will personally see punished. If you exceed my expectations, you will be rewarded. She looked around the ragtag delinquent gang.
A few stood straighter, ambitious, or afraid to risk the womans direct ire. I didn't care about a reward. It seed like the perfect way to blow off so steam, which after last night, I welcod with open arms.
Captains, you have your instructions.
She nodded, before leaping off the shipping crate in a graceful arc. Captain Baldy gave a fake smile, then launched into a shout. Whereas Captain Till simply raised four fingers into the air and calmly began to walk out of the warehouse. Co on! Tristan shoved forward.
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