The young woman with rich chestnut locks strode through a dimly lit street. Her flowing black gown rustled gently in the evening breeze, while her ornate sunhat cast a shadow over her delicate features.
'A few more visits, and she will be mine.' Tia wasn't a beginner and knew that she couldn't push her potential accomplice too much. She needed to slowly prepare her and gain her trust.
From afar, the acrid scent of smoke billowed from towering chimneys. The weight of the atmosphere itself pressed the smoke downward, blanketing the surroundings in a heavy, foggy veil.
Sparse, glimrs from the street's gas lamps barely managed to break through the smoky haze, casting an ethereal glow on the cobblestones.
The once lavish hos and boutiques that graced the main avenues had vanished, giving way to colossal industrial warehouses and manufactures constructed of red brick and timber.
'Ohh, those look rough!' Tia briskly stepped toward four tall figures in the distance, their forms obscured by the haze.
A rough, manly voice bore on her: "Out for a midnight stroll, are we?"
The four burly n stepped forward and hastily surrounded Tia, blocking all paths of escape. Their smiles were sinister, stretching across their rugged faces. On their white shoulder bands, a vivid crimson emblem stood out prominently, reminiscent of a growling wolf's head.
Another chuckled darkly, "Such a pretty bird shouldn't be out past her bedti."
Tia ntally scoffed, 'Must they always resort to the sa tired clichs?' Barely resisting the urge to roll her eyes.
Tia's patience was wearing thin. "Bring to your boss," she demanded, her gaze hardened with a hint of malicious glee playing in her eyes. She knew all too well that they wouldn't cooperate without a taste of pain.
"Yes, you look good enough." The smile of the largest man, whom she presud to be their leader, expanded with lecherousness. "However, maybe we should inspect the goods first. Lift you..."
His words were cut off abruptly. Tia's irises flared, and an invisible force bore down on them. Like marionettes with their strings cut, the four n crumpled, forced into a submissive kneel.
"Boys, what..."
With a twisted smile playing on her lips, her force smashed into the four n again. This ti their faces paled, and their painful shrieks cut through the night and echoed through the mostly empty streets.
"Take to your boss."
"Wai..."
Tia stood tall, her eyes blazing with otherworldly energy, her smile a cruel curve of satisfaction as the force searing out of her body intensified.
Under the imnse force, their faces flushed a deep crimson from the agonizing pain, and their eyes threatened to roll back. The eerie sound of grinding teeth echoed, a testant to their desperate attempt to withstand the pressure.
"Take to your boss."
The most imposing of the group managed to part his lips, every word seemingly taking monuntal effort. "Y-yes," he gasped.
The mont her force receded, the four n crumpled to the ground, each clutching their groin in agony.
'With those kinds of people, one must act hard, right from the beginning.'
"Get up!" She shouted at them, and all four jumped straight on their feettheir knees clasped together, trembling.
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They all moved, walking deeper into the dark alley, their steps slow, with painful groans accompanying each and every one of their steps. Tia walked slowly behind them, keeping enough space between them so as not to sll the stench of their unwashed bodies.
'They are just human garbage.'
As they walked deeper and deeper into the alley of warehouses, the trash lying on the streets vanished. The uneven cobblestones transitioned to a ticulously laid path that reflected the ambient light, devoid of puddles.
Emblems of the Red Wolf grew more pronounced, their imposing insignia now brandishing the facades of many buildings.
"How far?" Tia's voice was poised and assertive, acutely aware that any display of vulnerability could jeopardize her commanding position.
"Not far, Miss, Daddy Stan has his hideout nearby."
'They are calling their boss, Daddy Stan?' Tia almost burst into laughter, hardly containing her chuckle: 'It is alright to roughen so low-level henchn, but I shouldn't make fun of their boss's namutual respect is the most important thing in this part of this society.'
At last, they stopped before a large warehouse with a large wooden roof above its sturdy-looking brick walls. A light glowed inside, its radiance passing through the spaces between the wooden planks.
A rusty tallic gate barred their path.
"We've arrived, miss," the lead man said, a mix of nervousness and relief in his voice.
With a graceful gesture from Tia, the formidable tal doors parted, their tallic groans echoing hauntingly in the night's stillness.
As they swung open, brilliant light poured forth, unveiling a whirlwind of activity. Scores of n hurriedly transported wooden crates. The entire storage was packed with even more of those boxes, and the mysterious herbal sll drifted through the air.
'Drugs?'
"Who is the boss here? I ca here with a business!" Tia's voice rang out, authoritative and commanding. The bustling activity ca to an abrupt halt as every pair of eyes turned to fixate on her.
Those nurous, intense gazes bore into her, and for a fleeting mont, she felt a twinge of vulnerability, the weight of their collective attention montarily unnerving her.
"You?! Do you think Daddy Stan will speak with so random wench that shows up on his doorstep?!" The warehouse shook, and all the mobsters stepped aside as an elderly man in a gray tailcoat walked forward, his black, walking cane tapping on the ground.
Tia imdiately sensed the energy searing out the glowing runes decorating the cane, making her smile, 'A mage... maybe I will not have to look for a bigger fish.'
She drew her wand, and the elderly mage stopped, both of their eyes shining as they ogled each other.
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