Monster's Mercy

by William D. Arand

  Wrapping an arm around the man’s shoulder, he turned his mask covered face to the man’s ear and whispered loudly.

  “Hush now, your life is already ending. Don’t fight, it’ll be swifter than you deserve.”

  Rene tilted his head a bit, his mask swiveling on the two enforcers.

  “Please do go tell your boss I’ll be along shortly to have a chat with him. I just need to carve off some ears and make a necklace. Run along now,” Rene said with a shooing motion of his free hand.

  At the same time, he twisted the blade that was sticking out of the lieutenant’s back and then withdrew it as the huge man slumped to his knees.

  Grabbing the man by the ear, Rene neatly sliced off the appendage in one go.

  Toppling to one side, the lieutenant lay still on the ground. He’d nearly fallen atop the other dead man.

  Both enforcers stood there, staring at Rene. Terrified to disobey their leader’s last orders and horrified to be face-to-face with the masked psychopath.

  In response, Rene tilted his head to one side and held up the blood-slick blade to the mask’s mouth.

  As if he wanted to run his tongue over it and taste it.

  Your skill in Intimidation has increased (16)

  Both men took off and tore out of the door, as if their very souls were in danger. Targeting one of the men, Rene quickly cleaned his blade on the lieutenant’s tunic and sheathed it as he exited the brothel at a fast walk.

  Watching them with one eye, he approached a wall of the building he’d been on earlier.

  A mad scramble up the wall, using handholds and toeholds he shouldn’t have been able to use, and he was safely out of their view. Then he was on the move, and keeping pace with the two men as they ran through the city below him.

  They dodged up alleys and down small roads, clearly acting as if they needed to lose him. Like he was still in pursuit.

  Rene shook his head and followed them slowly, easily.

  Pushing his intent towards his Tracking ability, he looked at the window when it flashed open.

  There was no reason to take chances. Getting cocky was the quickest way to get yourself killed.

  He immediately selected “Enforcer” from the available list. The red boot prints of the man popped up like a bright red LED.

  Relying on his sight and the tracking skill to follow along would be child’s play.

  It wasn’t until they crossed into the nobility district that he had to get down from the roofs to follow them on foot in the streets.

  Should the Jackals be using the nobility brothel as their headquarters, he’d have to clear it out quickly and retreat back to the Tramp’s Tail.

  It wouldn’t do to be caught by the guard coming in to oust him. They were far more likely to act there, than in the Tramp’s Tail.

  Pushing at his Sneak skill, he tried to keep close enough to see them, but far enough to not be spotted.

  At times, he was forced to use the red lights of their tracks to keep on them when they passed through small groups of people, but he managed it.

  Finally, both men ducked into a large mansion-looking building.

  Must be the site Odelia mentioned.

  Your skill in Sneak has increased (12)

  Working with the character he’d established—and was hoping to build upon—Rene dropped his Sneak ability.

  Then he simply pushed open the door and walked in.

  Spacious and luxurious were the two most immediate descriptions that came to mind. It was extremely well-furnished and reeked of high-class clientele.

  Standing up on the second floor was a man with a crossbow pointed down at the door.

  Reaching into his belt, Rene fingered out a throwing knife. He flicked his hand forward and pitched the knife in such a way as to dislodge the quarrel and actually slice part of the way through the drawstring.

  Which it did happily.

  Then there was a sharp crack, as the crossbow misfired. The quarrel broke in two and shattered.

  He yet lives.

  Alive.

  Too soft. Much too soft.

  Rene ignored the Monster and took another step forward. Putting his hands on his hips, he cleared his throat loudly. Then he did it again, even more loudly.

  As if people weren’t looking at him.

  “Please send out your boss, or send for him. I need to kill him so I can take over your guild. I’d like to not kill anyone else. I’m sure you’re integral members to the corporation and our quarterly report wouldn’t look so great with all that churn. I can’t imagine the cost of hiring and training new people would equal out against the cost of simply retraining existing personnel,” Rene said. “Or something like that. Blah, blah, blah. You could always just attack me and I’ll kill you all.”

  Then knives and blades came out like magic from sleeves, tunics, and belt sheathes.

  Apparently, they wanted to fight instead of offering up their boss. Which left Rene with little recourse.

  Shifting into The Elemental Way, he waited. He couldn’t afford the deaths right now. He needed his alignment bar as high as it could be because there was no telling what he’d be forced to do later.

  He didn’t have to wait long for them to act against him.

  Flowing under a sword strike from the closest foe, Rene spun into the next person, and whipped a vicious backhand toward the one who’d attacked him.

  Not waiting to see the damage, Rene continued with the spinning motion and dropped a fist into a third person’s hip.

  He took a step out of the circle of enemies and into the crowd as he lifted an elbow into a jaw, turned again and slammed his foot into the back of someone’s knee joint.

  Dashing back into the circle, Rene spun around and cracked his heel into the temple of a thug.

  A knife flashed at him in an underhanded stab. Rene casually disarmed the man and rammed it back into the attacker’s shoulder.

  Your skill in The Elemental Way has increased (60)

  Congratulations, you’ve achieved Master status in The Elemental Way.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of what he wanted. The “Guild Leader” title floating above an unidentified head. Nearly flying backward from the closest attacker, Rene dropped low in a slide and passed through a man’s legs.

  He came up in a bounce and smashed the top of his head into another person’s chin, then tried to keep going.

  There. There’s the little rat.

  Squirming his way towards the back of the room was the leader of the Jackals.

  “Stop him, he’s supposed to die!” Rene called out, theatrically pointing a finger at the coward.

  A throwing knife slammed into Rene’s mask, puncturing his cheek.

  He felt it, but didn’t care. It was diminished pain. Almost like a remembered feeling, rather than actual.

  Angered and more annoyed than he could ever remember being, Rene lowered his shoulder and barreled through everyone in his way. Making his own path.

  He was tired of this game. Tired of the theatrics and stupidity of it.

  No one could stand before him as he bulldozed them down.

  You’ve gained a point of Agility (20)

  You’ve gained a point of Endurance (14)

  You’ve gained a point of Strength (14)

  Screaming in a rage, Rene caught up to the short weasel of a man and slammed him into a wall. He reached up to rip the dagger out of his face and then rammed it home into the man’s eye socket.

  Rene began hammering the dagger deeper with his other hand, hearing the crunch of bone as it splintered its way out the back of the dead man’s head. Till it finally stopped moving, the heavy thud of it signaling that the wall itself would give no further. The ex-guild leader’s head was now supported by the blade stuck in the wall itself.

  Growling, Rene spun and looked at the crowd surrounding him.

  “Who’s next, my dears? Maybe you, pumpkin? Or you, sweet tits? Maybe we’ll have a one-night-only special.
Skull-fucking. Two copper, two sockets. Take your pick on which one for me to start with. Oh, your head’s pretty—I’ll charge a silver for yours for someone else to have the pleasure,” Rene said, pointing at a younger man.

  Everyone in the room grew quiet, the agonal breathing of the man behind Rene drawing their attention.

  The brain would still try to keep a body going, even when it was long past its ability to do so.

  “I believe I told you to shut up. So annoying,” Rene said, reaching backward and crushing the dead man’s windpipe with a strike. He also took a moment to loot the man as he did so.

  “Now.” Rene turned his head back to the assembled personages before him. “Send me my accountant, my second-in-command, and my operations manager. I’ll also need someone to take me to my office and my vault. Volunteers?

  “Anyone? Anyone? No one will like it if I have to find them myself.”

  ***

  In the span of a few hours, Rene had sorted out the leadership of the guild. Everyone continued on as they had previously, as if there’d been no change in ownership. Which was exactly what he wanted.

  Anything that had value in the noble quarter brothel house was removed, including the women, and relocated to the Tramp’s Tail. It’d be serving as their headquarters for the most part, simply because it was smack dab in the center of the middle-class district.

  It wasn’t going to attract the super wealthy, nor would it bring in the dregs of society that’d bring the law as well.

  Though he did take the time to make sure all the women were working there by choice. He wouldn’t have it said that his brothels were built on the suffering of others.

  Women would come to him to sell themselves. It was just the way of the world, and some people knew what resources they possessed.

  Rene didn’t have to run women down to work in a brothel. They’d show up themselves with their expectations and what they were willing to sell. There were always those who knew how to earn and those who wanted to earn.

  In addition, he’d need to do a bit of resource shuffling and move the women around to other locations to get everything right. One didn’t want high-class prostitutes serving the harbor areas.

  Or vice versa, except for a few held in reserve for clients who specifically were looking for that kind of thing.

  Which of course, Rene knew there were. Men came in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and desires. He’d been one of them, after all.

  Once that was done, he’d have to reach out to whoever owned the brothel houses.

  That or simply purchase houses in the nobility district to operate out of. He didn’t want anything to do with the previous location until he knew who owned it.

  Rene had to calm his impatience at the need for such slow action. He wanted to be done with it and alter the guild the very night he took over.

  His changes would come later. When the guild members were less likely to object immediately.

  When they were paid regularly and well, expected to behave and operate more like a business than a gang.

  So ended the Jackals.

  From its ashes, rose the clan of the Mask. The symbol adopted was that of his mask, cracked porcelain cheek, and the blood spilling from it.

  Chapter 18

  In the end, Rene had managed to turn over the guild leader’s head, and a few of their bodyguards for a good chunk of bounty money.

  Walking into Bill’s workshop, he found Lori sitting at her tea table. She was playing with what appeared to be rather expensive dolls.

  Quirking a brow, Rene sat down at Lori’s table.

  Engrossed in her play, Lori didn’t even notice he was there.

  Rene was happy just to watch her. Listen to her play with the dolls as if they were people, engaged in an everyday conversation about hats.

  Through all of that, he merely watched and listened.

  Were we ever such a young and special case, or did we lose it all when we cut the Dame’s face?

  We were with mother and father. With our real family. There’s no point in thinking back to the Da—to her.

  Is there?

  No. No, there isn’t.

  I want to go see Father and Mother.

  Nodding, Rene decided he’d have to go see his parents sooner rather than later.

  The University of Felicie would start up next week. It meant he had to go have an interview with the headmaster and see about enrolling as a day-one student this week.

  That’d require a significant bribe, or a donation promised.

  One way or the other, it was going to cost him.

  And the Mask guild isn’t up to making that kind of money and giving it to me. Not yet.

  It’ll take a few weeks for them to get back into shape. And I’ll have to be present for a good bit of it.

  That means I’ll need to… I’ll need to take over the other guilds, won’t I?

  Indeed, it’s true, we’ll have to strike. They’ll get the clue with some heads on a pike.

  We could use it as a way to keep up our Black Hood persona as well.

  Eliminate guild heads, bring them down, have the Bloody Mask take them over at the same time.

  Make a point that the Bloody Mask sells non-performers to the Black Hood.

  This I like; it’s quite the plan, to be two personas but only one man.

  Rene paused at that.

  It was almost ironic in a way.

  Does that make me the Hood or the Mask?

  Does it matter?

  I are you, you are me. We are we.

  “Rene!” said Lori, just now noticing him.

  “Hello, Miss Lori,” Rene said with a smile. “I didn’t want to interrupt.”

  “Ah! My new dolls. Do you like them? Odelia got them for me!” Lori said, holding them up.

  Picking one of them, Rene analyzed it.

  Item Name: Doll (Rare)

  Description: Crafted by Martin Stahl. This expensive and beautifully made doll was built on the order of Odelia Delacroix.

  It should be noted that the creation of this object had no ulterior motive.

  Damage: N/A

  Effective Range: Less than one yard

  Functions-

  Endearing: This doll was made with love, and purchased with a kind heart. It will be something Lori remembers throughout her life and carries with her into adulthood.

  Attributes-

  None.

  “They’re rather lovely,” Rene said, smiling at Lori.

  “Odelia’s nice,” Lori said, hugging her dolls.

  “I thought I heard talking,” Bill said, coming around from the side. “How’d it go last night?”

  “Good. We’ll wait for the rest though,” Rene said. “Easier to not repeat myself. Besides, it’s an interesting story.”

  Bill nodded at that, and sat down at Lori’s table. He put a short sword he was working on down in front of him and continued to wrap the hilt.

  Odelia arrived first, and Alana a short time after that. Alana and Odelia had been courteous, though quiet. They apparently both understood they were going to wait for Caleb without being told. He would arrive last, as always.

  Odelia got immediately to work assisting Lori with putting together her tea setting.

  Apparently, the little girl took her station as the “hostess” quite seriously.

  “I have to know what happened,” said the con-man without any sort of greeting as he walked into the area suddenly. “There’s a rumor going around that a new guild leader stepped up. That maybe he even killed the previous guild leader.”

  “That’s… not inaccurate,” Rene said as all eyes turned to him. “A man in a Mask made short work of a few guards, the guild leader, and one other. The bodies were dumped into the alley. I took all their heads, turned them over to the guard, and collected the bounty.

  “I saw no reason to turn away from easy money.”

  Odelia was watching him curiously now. Even as Lori went about pouring tea for everyone from her s
et.

  The noblewoman didn’t say anything. She just watched him.

  It made Rene’s skin itch. Like she knew there was more to the story, but wasn’t calling him out on it.

  Pulling out the individual money bags he’d put together for everyone, each person receiving an equal share, Rene set them down on the table.

  Caleb chortled and took his seat, eagerly opening the bag.

  “Heavens, ten gold!” he said gleefully. “I’m getting to be the rich little bas—guy. I’m going to keep this one. I have some debts to pay and I want to buy a few things.”

  He means prostitutes.

  For both debts and buying things.

  I mean, yeah? It’s not as if we haven’t done the same.

  The Monster went silent at that.

  “Please take care of my funds, Master Anatolis,” Odelia said sweetly, giving him a smile as she eased the gold back toward him.

  Alana pocketed her pouch, as did Bill.

  “University fees,” Alana said simply in her male voice.

  “Could I get the money I left with you, Rene?” Bill asked.

  Nodding quickly, Rene fingered out the bag that was for Bill and tossed it over to the man.

  It hit Lori’s table with a loud clatter.

  “Thanks. Going to pay off my parents’ house,” Bill said, upending the smaller pouch into the larger one. “I can tell them it was an advance on my teaching job at Redemption House.”

  Rene couldn’t fault the man for that choice.

  If his mother and father had a need he could fulfill, he’d do it in a heartbeat.

  “With that done,” Rene said clearing his throat. “I think it’s maybe time to see about the other bounties available?”

  He’d already checked in before he’d come here. The only bounties available were on guild heads. And that was because they were long-standing.

  That fit with his plan as the Mask and the Hood perfectly, too.

  “Well, the only things posted right now are the big guild leaders,” Caleb said. “Snakes and Ravens. All the other bounties were pulled. Your… uh… display… with Bert rattled everyone.”