Chapter 24

“You joined the Mafia?!” Axel shouted in my face.

Axel had a full day with Diamond and Rich, a day of quality time and getting approached by investors wanting to offer Axel a more profitable sponsorship than Rich’s business, to which he declined each one. After the day had finished, and he fell asleep, I told him about what happened after the race in the dream realm. Suffice to say, he wasn’t too pleased with my report.

“Why the ever loving fuck would you get in bed with the freaking Mafia?! It’s still my body you’re using!” Axel shouted again.

“Would you stop yelling already? It may be a dream but my ears can still hurt, ya know.” I picked my ear as I could already hear them ringing from Axel’s constant yelling. “I joined the Mafia because it will be a great way to not only have a good source of income and resources, but also because it will allow me to keep crime down.”

“The hell are you talking about?” Axel crossed his arms and looked at me.

“You can’t stop crime, but you can control it. If I can get a hold on the scumbags here, I can make sure they won’t go after the innocent or go too far,” I explained to Axel.

“Are you saying that because you actually care, or just because you wanna let loose on thugs?” Axel accused me.

“Hmm, pot? Kettle?” I countered.

“It’s not the same!” Axel snapped.

“Dude, relax. I may be your darker half, but even I got a code,” I waved my hand dismissively. “And to answer your question, it’s a little of both. More so the latter.”

“Uh huh, and what’re you gonna do if someone you cross gets a look at my face?! As lame as it may sound, I’ve seen enough movies and tv shows to know how that ends!” Axel said.

“Oh for the love of-! Look, if I promise to wear some type of disguise or use a fake name, or something, will you stop nagging at me? It’s like having an annoying mother constantly yanking on my ear and shouting,” I scoffed.

“And how can I be sure you won’t fly off the handle and do something exposing in my body?” Axel questioned.

“You’re just gonna have to trust me, dude,” I shrugged.

“I can already tell I’m gonna regret this…make sure you don’t go too deep, alright?” Axel sighed.

“Wow, just like that? No speech telling me why I shouldn’t go through with it?” I said, surprised to hear him complying with my choice.

“There wouldn’t be any point, and we made a deal,” Axel said.

"Well…I’m glad you see it my way. In fact, I need to use your body again tonight,” I said. It was nice to know he was giving me more breathing room than before.

“Why?” Axel asked.

“The Don’s got a job for me,” I grinned.

“Ugh, of course he does. Just be careful, okay?” Axel groaned as the dream realm started to fade away.

“No promises!” I called back.

Real World

I opened my eyes and saw it was still in the dead of night. I looked around the hotel room Rich booked for Axel, but felt something clinging to my left arm. I looked to see the kid sound asleep and hugging my arm like it was her precious teddy bear. I grimaced a bit as I saw that small annoying child that Axel hangs with clinging to my arm. If I shove her off, I'll have to deal with Axel possibly trying to kill me, and if I wake her up, I'll have to be forced to talk to her.

“Okay, nice and slow,” I whispered to myself as I tried to gently take my arm away from her grasp.

After inching my arm out from between her arms, I managed to free myself and slowly sit up off the bed.

“Mmm…big brother…Axel,” I heard Diamond mutter in her sleep, making me cringe.

“Oh God, I hate Axel and his stupid goody two-shoes ass,” I muttered as I slowly climbed out of bed. After getting dressed I opened the window door to the balcony and jumped off, using Video, and flew through the air and safely landed on the ground.

Once I made sure my chain was wrapped around my wrist and my Amp was fastened to my pack, I made my way to the Don’s place. I could’ve just flown there, but I figured I didn’t want to draw too much attention. And a guy with red glowing webbed wings in the middle of the night is a dead giveaway. My trek only lasted about a half hour, and I made it to Alduck’s mansion. Two of his men stood outside on guard.

“Sup, fellas, I’m here to see the Don,” I said.

The guards stood there and glanced at each other before one walked through the gates, returning after five minutes.

“Don says to let him in.” The guard said as the two stepped aside and let me in as I walked through the doors.

Huh, easier than I thought. I was honestly expecting them to have me surrounded and try to kill me. I thought to myself

I was escorted inside the mansion and let through the front doors. The men inside gave me sideways glances as if they were trying to understand why someone like me was allowed inside the place, but I paid them no mind. I soon made it to the Don’s office and was told to wait as he was finishing up a phone call. He glanced up at me and held up his free hand.

“Take care of it, and be sure that no one sees you, understand?…Good, good.” The Don ended the phone call and looked up at me, smiling just a little.

“Dante, so good to see you again, kid. Come, have a drink with me.” The Don snapped his fingers and one of the guards set down two glasses and filled them up with a bottle of scotch.

“Yeah, you too.” I said as I sat down. One of the guards handed me a glass and one to Alduck. “I’m surprised you called me so soon after our first encounter.”

“Truth be told, I wanted to send for you a few days later myself. But, seeing as this is your last day before you return to that little Ponyville town, I figured you should at least prove your worth.”

“Prove my worth? What do you mean?” I questioned as I sipped my drink, the sensation of the alcohol was a pleasant burn as it passed down my throat.

“The people in my territory in the lower district are under my protection, as for such services I require payment. Go to these locations and collect the protection fees. Just a heads-up, some of them may require…convincing,” Alduck explained. He handed me a piece of paper with a list of names on them.

“Sounds simple enough,” I said with a nod.

“A couple of my associates, Stone and Fuse, will accompany you,” Alduck said.

Two men stepped forward towards me. One was a tall guy, about the same height as me, but much older. The other one was lankier, yet he had somewhat of a muscular build. Stone had black hair that was graying in some places and Fuse had faded red curly hair.

“Pleasure to meet ya, kid,” Stone said as he held out his hand. I responded in kind by shaking it briefly.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside of Alduck’s office and the door burst open. A fat man wearing a white suit burst in, looking very annoyed. He had blue hair but was balding with a receding hairline. The guy had a scruffy beard and a bunch of rings on his fingers.

“Pin Stripe,” Alduck said in a low tone. “What is the meaning of you coming into my office unannounced while I am doing business?”

“I’ll tell ya what the fuck I’m doin’ here! Ten days! Ten fuckin’ days since you sent that guy to get my kid and that bitch of an ex of mine!” The guy ranted while slamming his palms on the Don’s desk. “On top of that, it’s been three months since you promised to get them back from that shit heap of a town!”

“I’ll ask you to lower your voice and not swear in my presence, Pin,” Alduck warned. “And I will remind you that it wasn’t I who sent that man, it was you who used my name for your own selfish gain. Furthermore, she had every right to leave you with the kid because I heard what you did to her and behind her back.”

Pin pulled away from the desk before taking a seat by me. “Not my fault she caught me with Suri. I told her to take the kid to the movies, but I never told her to come back to get her purse while I had the broad over the kitchen table.”

“Hmph, a real class act,” I scoffed, making Stone and Fuse chuckle.

Pin turned to Fuse and Stone. “And what the fuck is so funny, huh?! You lookin’ to get an ice-pick in yer ear?!” Pin’s threat silenced the two, though they still had grins on their faces. He then turns to me. “And who the fuck is this little prick? Some errand boy who should be gettin’ me a fuckin’ drink!?”

I decided to put him in his place and stood up. I got really close to his face and glared at him. “You wanna try talking to me again in a nicer tone, fatass? Or should I help you burn all that blubber you got stored in that gut?”

Pin looked like he was about to reach for something, but Alduck got up from his chair. “Enough!” The Don said loudly.

“Boss, he-!” Pin tried to say.

“You’re outta line, Pin, I’ve had it up to here with your BS,” Alduck said, holding his hand above his head. “We will discuss your behavior on a later date. For now, get the fuck outta my office,” Alduck ordered.

I could see a vein popping from the side of Pin’s head as he sneered at me before taking his leave. Good thing too, since I was about to make good on my promise and burn him with Smoke cinders.

“We’ll just be on our way, boss,” Stone said as he and Fuse led me out of the office.

“Remember, I want full payments from each of those names!” Alduck said.

We nodded and then left the mansion to conduct our business.

“Didn’t think the Don had such welcoming employees working for him,” I said sarcastically.

“You shouldn’t mouth off to Pin Stripe like that, kid, you could get into some real trouble if you’re not careful,” Fuse said.

“Pfft, why, is fatass one of the Don’s capos or something?” I guessed rhetorically.

“He is, kid,” Stone said, making me do a double-take. “And I’d be careful around him. The last guy that got in his face, turned up in a trash compactor with ice-picks in his fuckin’ balls.”

“Eish, then he’s got some issues,” I rolled my eyes. “So, how long have you two been working for Alduck?”

“Stone and I’ve been in the business since we were twelve. And we’ve worked for Alduck since he got made fifteen years ago,” Fuse explained.

“Like Pin, we’re also capos in the Don’s crew, but we prefer to work together since we got history,” Stone said. “Thing of it is, Pin’s only been a capo for only a few years.”

“And why’s that?” I questioned as we rounded the corner down the street.

“Eh, somethin’ about them havin’ some history of their own. Point is, Pin’s been a real pain in the peeshadeel, if ya know what I mean,” Fuse said.

“I can see why, and I’ve only known the guy for a solid thirty seconds,” I said, earning more chuckles from the two men. “What’s our first stop?”

“A bar, just up ahead,” Stone said. “The owner is always makin’ payments, no problem, he’s also a buddy of mine so it should go smoothly.”

When we entered the bar, it was empty save for the one guy behind the bar. When he saw us come in, he directed a smile at Stone. “That time of the week again, eh?”

“You know it,” Stone said as the bartender reached under the bar and placed a sack of bits on the bar top.

“Ey, Schnapps, I been hearing some talk from some people on the west side of the district. Is that old bastard really givin’ his seat on the Commission away?” Fuse asked.

“You know it, buddy. A shame really. Anyway, who’s the new guy? These two mugs showing ya the ropes?” He directed that last question at me.

“Something like that, I’m just here to make sure the payments are collected for Mr. Alduck,” I said dismissively.

“Very nice.” Schnapps went under the bar and brought out three glasses. “Alright, one drink on the house. What’ll it be?”

“Give us the good stuff,” Stone said.

After our drink, we left and continued down the road.

“Alright, kid, time to prove your worth. This guy owns a chain of fast food stands on this side of town. But he’s always either been late or short on his payments. Think you can handle it?” Fuse said.

“Easy,” I said, cracking my knuckles.

We walked up to the food stand and when the guy behind the stand saw us coming, he started to sweat. “Uh, hi fellas. Care for a hotdog?”

“You know we ain’t here for the crappy food, Grease Fry, it’s time for the payment,” Stone said. “We know you got the bits, heard you’re gonna open up a real restaurant soon.”

“Come on, guys, I’m short this week, can’t I get a few more days?” Fry begged.

I glanced at the cart and saw one of the condiment drawers was sticking out a little. While Fry was distracted, I quickly reached out and grabbed the drawer handle and pulled.

“Hey! What’re you-!” Fry yelped.

The sound of coins hitting the pavement chimed around us as bits flew out from the compartment. Fry then started sweating bullets as Stone and Fuse now looked pissed.

“I think this is why he was either short or late with his payments, boys,” I said with a smug grin.

Fry chuckled nervously before making a break for it.

“Sonova!” Stone growled as he and Fuse were about to run after him.

“I got it,” I waved my hand. “I’ve been itching to chase a mouse.”

I activated Neon and my body glowed red. Before Fuse and Stone could question it, I sprinted after Fry and caught up to him within seconds. Fry yelped as I appeared in front of him and clasped his throat before slamming him into the wall of a building. Fry looked like he was about to piss himself already from me appearing out of the blue and the sight of my powers.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” I clicked my tongue while wagging my finger. “Don’t you know running only makes it worse?”

“Hehe, hey, can’t blame a guy for trying, right?” Fry insisted while clawing at my hand for a breath.

“Here’s the deal, bub.” I leaned in and made my eyes glow red with the power of Neon. “Don’t make excuses for being short or late with your payments. You’re obviously doing well enough to be able to pay Mr. Alduck, no problem. If I hear you make up some bullshit excuse about being short or late again, I’ll come back with Stone and Fuse. Only this time…” I squeezed more around Fry’s throat, making him cough and gasp for air. “You won’t even be able to get a head start.”

Fry nodded rapidly while gagging.

“Good boy.” I released my grip and dropped Fry. While he gasped for air, I made my way back to Fuse and Stone. The men were still in shock from my sudden display of power, and I just smiled innocently at them. “Gentlemen. Did you get Fry’s payment?”

“Uh…mind explaining what the Tartarus was that? You just became a literal running glowstick!” Stone said while Fuse was picking his jaw off the ground.

“No. You got the bits?” I asked again.

“Sweet Celestia, where the fuck did the Don find this kid?” Fuse muttered under his breath. “But yeah, we got it. Next is a woman who runs a Cabaret Club, one of the best in town. She’s…uh…”

“She’s tricky. She makes her payments, but she usually tries to claw her way under your skin to keep you wrapped around her fingers,” Stone explained.

“Sounds like my kind of lady,” I snickered. “Lead the way, gentlemen.”

Stone and Fuse soon led me to a building with neon lights that spelled out Oasis in bright red lights. We walked through the doors, and I was impressed by what I saw. It was like walking into a mansion that had dozens of booths and tables filled with clearly wealthy men and women dressed in luxurious suits and dresses with enough bling to outshine the sun.

They were all surrounded by multiple beautiful women dressed in tight, skimpy, and revealing outfits that showed off their goods, but left plenty to the imagination. The place was lit up with bright lights that shined like gold and there was even a stage with a band playing music. There were two staircases that led up to the second floor. Two women walked past us and glanced at me; one licked their lips while the other winked at me.

“Is this Heaven?” I asked, trying to keep myself under control.

“It could be, sugar, if you pay the right price.” A voice called out.

I turned and saw a beautiful woman with tan skin, long and silk smooth blonde hair that reached her back, wearing purple lipstick and purple eyeliners, and an hourglass figure. She wore a red sparkling dress with a diamond shaped cleavage window that showed off her girls as well as exposed her back. There was a slit on both sides of her dress, and I caught sight of her smooth thick thighs.

“Madam Nightshade,” Stone greeted her.

“Real quick, I thought this was the lower district. How is a club like this able to function in this part of town?” I asked Stone quietly as the woman slowly strode down the stairs.

“She has an excellent eye for business,” Stone told me just as Nightshade came up to us. “And how is business tonight?”

“Booming as always, dahlin’. Mmm, and where did you get this sexy thing~?” Madame Nightshade asked while stroking her finger under my chin.

“He’s the new kid Mr. Alduck picked up” Fuse said.

“Paws off the merchandise, lady,” I said dismissively, brushing her hand away. “I’m only here on business.”

“Ooh, this one’s spunky,” Nightshade giggled. “Had you been here for pleasure, I’m sure some of my girls could give you an experience you would never forget.”

“By the way, Nightshade, you still gettin’ shit from those bums we chased off last week?” Stone asked.

She let out a breathy sigh, letting her cleavage jiggle a bit before reaching in her bosom and bringing out the payment. “They’re like dogs that keep coming back for scraps,” she said with a tired frown.

I was about to take the payment when she pulled it back. “In fact, perhaps you boys can help me out with this little problem of mine?” Nightshade said.

“We don’t have time for this, just hand over the money,” I demanded.

“Kid, show some respect,” Stone warned. “Like us, she’s also a capo, and a close friend of Alduck’s.”

“Seriously? How many capos are there?” I deadpanned.

“Including us? Five. You’ve already met Pin, the other guy’s away on business,” Fuse said before looking at Nightshade. “So, what did you have in mind?”

Nightshade snapped her fingers and a young girl wearing a bunny suit walked up. She had short pink hair and looked to be in her late teens.

“Go on, dear, tell them,” Nightshade said, brushing her thumb on her cheek.

“Um…I was giving a lap dance to some of the men who were chased off the week before,” the girl said. “Last night, I recognized one of them was passing by the club as I was about to go home, and I overheard him saying he would bring more of his friends to turn this place upside down.”

“Thank you, sweetie, you may continue working,” Nightshade said, patting her head lightly and the girl left. “As you can see, those bums are the type to hold a grudge. If they do come tonight, it could be bad for business for the club. I was hoping you could try and convince them to stay away?”

“And what do we get besides what you owe to Alduck?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“Dahlings, have I ever been one to not show my gratitude to others? You will get your payment and an extra bonus for such a job well done.” Madam Nightshade smiled. Fuse and Stone both sighed and nodded.

“Yes, Madam Nightshade,” the two said as Stone took the payment, and they began walking out.

“Really? Just like that?” I asked, confused by their actions.

“Madam Nightshade is a vixen, sure, but she does keep her word and makes sure to treat those who she favors well,” Stone explained.

I rolled my eyes and followed the two men out. Just as we were about to leave, a group of men barged in holding metal pipes and bats. Red flags went flying as I unraveled my chain from my wrist and the music stopped and the guests all paused when the men looked like they were about to wreak havoc.

“Stay put,” was all I said to Stone and Fuse.

I approached the group of men and noticed that their eyes were a little weird. They were slitted like a reptile’s, and they all had dark colored hair. What’s more is that some of the men had webbed wings like bats.

“Is there a reason why you guys come barging into this nice establishment armed to the teeth?” I demanded.

“The fuck it matters to you, asshole?” One guy said, a young teen around sixteen to eighteen years old. Most of them were around the same age with a few grown men beside them.

“Man, his manners. Kids don’t have much respect nowadays.” One of the older members chuckled while holding a steel bat. “We just came for a little payback, the whores were rude to us, even when we offered them a lot of money to come home with us. Only fair we get our money’s worth,” he said while smashing his bat down on a table and breaking it.

The people started to panic as the men readied to follow the guy’s lead and break stuff. I could try to talk him down so things don’t get ugly, or I could just show him what happens when he messes with the Don’s protected establishments.

…

Yeah…fuck diplomacy.

“Hey fuck face.” I activated Smoke and made my chain glow hot and make smoky wisps swirl around it. I then twirled it behind me and swung it forward towards the guy with the bat. It wrapped around his arm, burning through his clothes causing him to yell in pain. I yanked him forward, reeling my free hand back, and brought my fist right into his face.

WA-BAM!!

Bone and teeth crushed against my fist as the guy was sent flying and right through one of the windows. I whipped my chain back and glared at the rest of the group with a manic grin.

“No one leaves without a broken bone,” I hissed maliciously as I took out my earbuds. I scrolled through the playlist on my phone and hit play on a song.

“The fuck are you all doing?! Get your heads out of your asses and kill the prick!” One of the older thugs barked. Soon all the thugs charged at me, and I smirked.

“Oh, this is gonna be fun.” I vanished into smoke and got behind a thug, wrapping my chain around his neck. He screamed as his neck was being scorched. I then threw him towards another thug as they both crashed against the bar. I ducked under a swing and smacked the thug across the face with my chain, leaving a burned scar across his face.

The chain had burned off some of the flesh from his face and left huge chain burn marks across his skin. I reeled back again and delivered a haymaker right across his jaw. I must’ve dislocated his jaw as he collapsed to the flood and his jaw hung off to the side. One thug managed to grab me and try slamming into a table, but I turned into smoke and reappeared behind him, much to his and everyone’s surprise.

“No…TOUCHY!” I said as I kicked in between his legs and crushed his balls. It felt like crushing two kiwi fruits under my shoe.

The guy screamed in a high-pitched screech and fell down. I chuckled as I switched from Smoke to Electricity and pulled out my Amp with my free hand and held my chain in the other. Red lightning sparks danced in between my Amp and along my chain as the thugs started to look nervous.

“I’m just getting warmed up, fuck heads!” I mocked.

“What the Tartarus?!” One thug shouted in fear as I dashed towards him and slammed my Amp into his chest. A powerful surge of electricity coursed through him as he was sent flying towards three more thugs, crashing through the front doors and landing outside into the street.

I leaned back to dodge a bottle as I looked over to see two thugs throwing bottles at me.

“You like throwing shit, huh?!” I wrapped my chain around my wrist and focused my electric power. A baseball-sized ball of electricity formed in the palm of my hand.

“Catch!” I said, throwing my Shock Grenade at the bottle throwing thugs. The ball hurled towards the thugs and stuck itself on one of their chests.

“Ah! Get it off! Get it off!” The thug panicked as he tried to brush it off.

“Too late,” I said with a grin.

BBZZZZZZZRRRRRRRSSSTT!!

The two thugs flew back from the electric force of the shock grenade and crashed through some tables. I then felt something hit the back of my head and slowly turned back to see one thug holding a dented bat in his hands while shaking.

“My turn.” I lifted my Amp over my head and brought it down on his head. His face slammed into the ground and made a head-sized crater, the thug fell limp after that

I chuckled as I saw the thug’s lifeless corpse fall and jumped on a table. There were still plenty of thugs left as I spun my chain in circles and made my red electricity crackle more along my body.

“Hahahahaha! I’m having the time of my life!” I cackled and jumped towards another group of thugs.

I swung my chain and Amp, whipping and smashing my way through them. They tried hitting me with their bats and blunt weapons but were unable to keep up with me. I managed to wrap my chain around a thug’s neck and poured electricity into it. The guy’s eyes and ears burst blood and red foam leaked out of his mouth before I moved on to the next. My Amp left a red electric trail with each swing as I then aimed for a thug’s leg. The sound of his knee being destroyed from my swing, along with him getting electrocuted was music to my ears.

I dashed forward and outstretched my arms, sending a large ring of red electricity, and each person caught in it was electrocuted and dropped dead, emitting smoke from their charred bodies. I swung and wrapped my chain around a thug’s head and electrocuted it, his body convulsed uncontrollably before his eyes popped from his head. I used my Electric Thrusters to fly up high and smirked wickedly as I powered up my Amp and came hurling towards the ground, slamming my Amp down. I let out a massive charge of electricity, sending multiple thugs flying everywhere.

“Shoot him!” A thug said loudly as they all pulled out what looked like magical firearms. “Shoot the bastard!”

Four thugs pulled out some magic handguns and started unloading magic bullets at me. A few hit me in the chest, and I fell back. The place went quiet as one thug started to laugh.

“Haha…hahaha…hahahahahahaha! Take that, motherfucker! Ain’t so tough now, are you, bitch!” The thug laughed, but he stopped when I jumped back up to my feet and I could see the color leave his face as I started to laugh.

“Aw man, I honestly tried to stay down a little longer just to hear you gloat a bit more, but this is just as good.” I cackled wickedly as I held up my hand and fired a bolt of lightning at the thug.

I aimed my hand at the thugs and rapidly fired bolts of lightning at my opponents. I hit some of them in their heads and others in parts of their chests, some of my bolts managed to pierce right through, killing them instantly. My fast healing kicked in and healed my injuries whenever a magic bullet from their guns hit me. After our little shootout, there was only a handful of thugs left and the whole place was already a mess.

“Last chance, guys! We end this the easy way, or the hard way!” I called out to them.

“I prefer the hard way, you little turd!” The largest guy said before putting on some knuckle-dusters.

“Perfect!” I said as I sheathed my Amp on my pack and wrapped my chain back up before ran towards him.

The guy came back at me with his knuckle-dusters and tried swinging his fist at my face. I activated Concrete and coated my fists in stone as I weaved to the right and delivered a hard blow to his side. The guy lurched a bit before managing to punch me across my face and again with an uppercut. His dusters made his punches hurt like hell, but it also got my engine rolling even more. I bobbed and weaved to his other side and slammed my concrete fists into his face and body.

“C’mon shrimp. You can do better than that!” The guy said before spitting out some blood and a tooth. “Bring it!”

I obliged the big bastard’s request and decided to bust out an oldie. I held my fists in front of me in a peak-a-boo style stance. I then began to weave my body back and forth, swinging from left to right in a circular motion while building up momentum. Just as he threw another punch, I unleashed a series of rapid punches.

Left, right, left, right, back-to-back, nonstop. I kept swinging my fists and weaving my body around and the guy couldn’t keep up. His face was smashed into a bloody pulp, and I had decided that he had enough. With one last heavy weave to the right, I swung my fist downwards and brought it straight up right under his chin.

WA-BAM!!

The force of my punch sent the big thug flying and fell on the floor. He tumbled across the door right into the remaining thugs and I stood there with my fist still raised up high, just as the song playing in my earbuds ended.

“What just happened…?” One thug groaned while his head was beneath some other guy’s ass.

“We got the shit kicked out of us, that’s what…” The large thug croaked before passing out, making it look like he was blowing a guy.

I rolled my eyes as I walked over to the downed, still conscious, thugs. They flinched as I made my way over to them and I loomed over them like a predator glaring down at its prey.

“That was a very enjoyable experience, guys,” I said, cracking my neck. “A little messy, but still fun.” My smile turned into a frown as I leaned down and kept my intense glare. “This is only a taste of what I can do. A lot of your buddies are either maimed, crippled, or dead. Believe me when I say, you would do well to remember what happened tonight and send whoever you work for a message.” I held my hand over them and made it spark red electric bolts. “This is Don Alduck’s turf, and there’s no need for shit heels like you fucking shit up for no reason. So, you’d better spread the word, if you or anyone ever has the sack to try this shit again? The Red Hawk will come back and gouge your eyes from your skulls and grill them medium rare.”

The last remaining thugs that could stand all nodded frantically and rushed their wounded comrades out of the club. I looked around and winced a little at all the corpses and destroyed furniture.

“Uh…I’ll take care of that.” I outstretched my hands as I activated Video. Soon, red pixels covered my arms as a dozen red digital demonic creatures made of dark red pixels came forth.

“Tidy up the place, boys.” I snapped my fingers and my digi-demons got to work.

“Yes, master,” they all hissed.

They used their powers to fix the broken furniture and dispose of the bodies. They even cleaned up the blood off the floor and walls, gotta keep that in mind for later skirmishes. I turned around and saw Stone, Fuse, and Nightshade all looking at me like I grew a second head.

“Uh…what?” I asked.

“What?! You, is what?! What the fuck was that?! How did-?! I don’t-! Where did you-?!” Stone was having a hard time wrapping his head around this

“Are you that fuckin’ Starswirl Bearded mook I once read about reincarnated?!” Fuse questioned.

“How much for future services?” Nightshade asked.

“Okay, one? I’m a Conduit, what you saw was not magic but my own personal powers. Two? I have no idea who the hell that is, but to answer your question, no I’m not. And three?” I walked over to Nightshade and grinned as I boldly brushed my finger under her chin for a change. “Depends on how much you’re paying, sweet cheeks.”

“Mmm, everyone has a price, and I wanna find out yours,” Nightshade purred while handing an extra payment over to Stone. “Thank you again, gentlemen. Feel free to come by, I’ll be sure my girls treat you boys extra special.” She winked while walking away with a sway in her step.

After my digi-demons cleaned up most of the mess, we made our leave to return to the Don. All the while, Fuse and Stone couldn’t stop staring at me.

“If you guys got something to say, say it now, or forever hold your peace,” I said, leaning my hands behind my head as we walked.

“…Do they eat souls?” Stone asked while keeping his distance from a digi-demon that was following us and it stared back at him. “Stand back! Get the fuck back!”

“Also, the fuck’s a conduit?” Fuse asked.

“Hang on.” I snapped my fingers and the digi-demons all disappeared. “There. As for what a Conduit is, it’s a long story. Short part? I’m not like other people or anyone you’ve met in this line of work. You could say I’m one of a kind. These powers of mind are special, so don’t confuse it for magic.”

“And…you work for Rich, of all people, when you can do crazy shit like that?” Stone said.

“Yep, he’s alright.” I paused my walking and looked at my watch. It was almost two in the morning. “Shit. Hey guys? I’m not gonna be able to make it back to the boss with you. I gotta head back to the hotel.”

“Yeah, go ahead. You’ve more than proved yourself. We’ll deliver the money and tell Don Alduck the job you did,” Stone said. We shook hands and parted ways. I used my digital wings to soar through the air and race back to the hotel.

I landed on the balcony of my room and quietly slid the door open, carefully making my way to the bed after putting away my chain and Amp. I then slowly laid down on the bed, being careful not to wake up the little brat that was still sleeping in my bed. Much to my annoyance.

Ugh, I just don’t understand how Axel’s able to cozy up to this little spoiled shit, I thought to myself.

It didn’t take long for the kid to wrap her little arms back around my arm, which made me cringe again.

“Big…brother Axel…” Diamond murmured happily.

Damn brat. How am I gonna sleep now? I mentally groaned as I closed my eyes to get some shuteye.

Author's Note

Dante’s name shall now be known throughout the underground world.

Side Note:
Just wanted to thank you all again for your continued patience! I think my funk has passed, hopefully, and I’ll post one more chapter for one of my stories soon.

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…