Chương 38: Chapter 36. Chance One's Arm

Smoke filled Bruno's lungs as he puffed on his exotic cigars imported from the island of Tyria. Smoking wasn't a habit he was too proud of but things were stressful these days. All of his best ideas came to him when he was submerged in a haze of his own creation anyway. Unfortunately, no such ideas had formed within his head thus far. Janine should have gotten in contact with him by now. According to some of the others in his faction, they also hadn't heard from her either.

She had been stationed in Dynarus for awhile now alongside her partner, Amber. The duo alone were in charge of monitoring any changes within the city. Bruno's faction didn't have an official name. They were just a collection of strangers selected through one commonality; they all were mentored by the same man, Edwane Morton, one of the six mighty heroes of old. Of course, they didn't know that was his true identity at the time, and he also didn't train them all together.

Throughout his travels surveying the state of the world, Edwane stumbled upon potential students, and if he saw potential, then he trained them up for a while before departing onto his next destination. Once his long journey had come to a close and he found what answers he was looking for, he reached out to the people he had mentored and invited them all for a meeting. At the end of that meeting, he gave everyone present the same thing: an invitation.

An invitation to work with and assist a man who was one of the Six, to snuff out any signs of corruption. The larger goal was to prevent Calus from returning should he ever discover a way out, but that was harder to prepare for. While Calus was defeated, in the midst of his reign of chaos, he had somehow infected the world of Torralgia. Whatever it was that had degraded the former [Scholar] was now showing signs in various places now, after all this time.

Edwane himself believed the powers that Calus had received on that mysterious, small continent that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, housed something else. And given what Feras had said back in that dungeon, it seemed that Edwane had been correct. Whenever the subject was brought up, Edwane always quickly changed topics. It was clear that the mere idea of something worse than Calus being out there frightened him to his very core. A hero Edwane might be called, but Bruno knew the truth.

A hero is just a label tacked onto someone by people too cowardly to stand up on their own. And Edwane was brave, and he was a hero… but he was also a man. The people of power from all over Torralgia never issued an official name for the continent. Instead they just blocked all access and forbade anyone from stepping foot on it. People still knew about it today, but it was more of a myth than anything else. It'd appeared a year before Calus had became the calamity that he was now known as.

Months and months of bickering and discussions occurred before finally, the famous [Scholar] had been selected to go on a voyage to this unknown land. And then, once Calus had been locked away, the continent had disappeared. None could pinpoint exactly when it'd disappeared, just that it had. Alongside any men stationed on boats around the surrounding area as well. Which should have brought more concern, but instead all of those lost lives were treated as necessary causalities for losing land so vile.

Over time the other members of his little faction had dubbed the continent as The Betwixt on account of the corruption which infected man that turned them into something in-between both man and monster. Bruno's mind often wandered back to his early days like this. He should be focused on locating Janine and Amber, but he just couldn't stop his mind from returning back to Edwane and that continent. He hadn't even messaged Edwane yet about Oscar and his connection to Calus yet.

It was far too sensitive of a subject to risk a magical message being intercepted by a nosy [Mage] information broker. Nor did he want to use the Grassroot Couriers, even though he had seen that one of their people had been in Burgen's Hill. Perhaps if it had been anyone else, he might've considered it.

"Ah, but Darlith has always been so scary…" Bruno muttered to himself. He really shouldn't be worrying about simple stuff like that right now. Especially not when he still very well might have to execute the poor boy. Shit, even Gita was a potential threat now. At any moment he needed to be ready to do what he must. Just like how he had to deal with Derek…

"No, no, no. I haven't thought about that whole ordeal in years now. And I am not going to start feeling guilty about it again," Bruno said, extinguishing his cigar. An idea hadn't came to him yet, but he couldn't sit around any longer. There was one person he knew of that might know what had happened to Janine and Amber. In a remote corner of District Five, Kiera was his only hope of a solid lead. Hopefully she was in a cooperative mood these days… Which he knew was highly unlikely.

If there was anyone who he'd never expect to forgive his sins, then it'd be her. Still, he didn't have many other options.

District Five was in an uproar. Reissi men stood on every corner spreading awareness of the upcoming election and were doing their best to incite people to actually vote. Which wasn't likely that they'd need all too many people in order to win. It wasn't like Arturo could be worse than the current slug that always won.

"Hey! You there, take a flier!" One of the Reissi men said, calling out to Bruno. He didn't have the patience to deal with this at the moment.

"Sorry, I'm a District Seven guy. Can't vote, sorry."

"No worries! Go ahead and confirm with us you'd like to see Reissi win and we'll make sure—" Bruno punched the man and knocked him out cold. His friend was about to say something in outrage but he delivered to him the same fate. It wasn't personal. He just really didn't like Arturo. Even when the Reissi name wasn't worth remembering, the prick always treated everyone like dirt. Okay, so maybe it was personal. Regardless, he didn't have time to be pestered by these lowly goons.

Leaving the two men slumped, he continued towards Kiera's establishment. He was curious to see how much she had changed in his time away. Before he had left, she had really begun establishing herself as a reliable source of information within Dynarus. Even news from the upper city was flowing her way. There was no other city like Dynarus that had its crime out in the open. It confused Bruno why Plank always operated in secrecy considering his peers had no qualms about being seen. It wasn't like the [Guards] cared.

Shit, in Kiera's case, they were some of her most consistent customers. Which gave him a bit of concern about showing his face there, but also, it wasn't even the afternoon yet. The likelihood of any of them frequenting a brothel this early in the day felt unlikely. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. As Bruno got closer to Kiera's spot in the district, he saw just how much she had grown.

What had once been a single medium-sized building that housed her operations was now a whole block belonging to her. A total of five buildings looked to be in her control. He could tell they were hers by her signature logo, which was an eye with a pair of puckered lips in the middle that replaced the iris. Kiera's 'Blinded by Love' was the most popular prostitution service within Dynarus. She offered more than just sex, though; that was what stood her apart from the rest.

Sure, sex was the main thing people came to her for, but a lot of people just wanted a place to be vulnerable. The stress that came with living in this city took its toll, and some people found it hard to confide within their partners. Having a person available to just talk with to try and cope with their problems could be far more valuable than a shallow bout of coupling. Bruno figured she still operated out of the original building which was still there.

He walked up to the door, stepped inside, and instantly he was assaulted by a very familiar bossy voice. Kiera wasn't speaking to him, probably one of her workers, but still he felt personally attacked.

"I see you're still just as aggressive as before," Bruno said, as he entered the room Kiera was shouting in.

"Maybe try and keep it a bit more relaxed? Some people are still waking up ya know…"

"Who the fuck is…" Kiera stopped as she saw who had intruded." Get out!" Kiera screamed at him and picked up the nearest object she could see—which turned out to be a cup—and chucked the glass at him. Which he effortlessly dodged, resulting in the cup shattering against the wall.

"First Plank and now you? Is there anyone happy to see me?" Bruno said with an exaggerated sigh." Kill yourself," Kiera replied, her words laced with venom.

"Incredibly rude. Maybe we can—""Truly, kill yourself."

"Kiera, c'mon, can we speak like adults?"

"Surprised that someone doesn't want to speak with you when you kill the man they loved?" Kiera's hand twitched underneath her jacket, no doubt reaching for a weapon.

"I've had countless whores tell me they love me. How was I supposed to know that you actually meant it with him?" Bruno said. Kiera closed the distance between them and punched him right in his face, knocking him down to the ground. He had seen her coming and had expected the strike. But he didn't try and dodge because he owed her this much at least.

"How can you speak about us like that? He was the closest thing you had to a brother… I just don't understand why even after all this time, Bruno. What made you so cruel?" As Bruno picked himself up, he finally noticed the change in her appearance. Kiera was a dark-skinned woman who used to have thick curly hair, but now she had completely shaved it all off. It made her look way more intimidating. Her clothing also felt more reputable and stood out against the rest of the District Five common folk.

Not many people would wear a robe such as hers, especially not with such elaborate tassels and colorful patterns. What had once been a strict woman that was still able to smile and love, had been replaced by a woman who was strictly business. A coldness in her eyes told him that she truly wished for him to die. It wasn't like Plank who had been cold with him because the sight of Bruno hurt him to see again. Kiera's glacial gaze pierced him and inflicted frostbite on his heart. It was fair, though.

After all, it had been Bruno who had stolen her warmth away. Despite knowing this… he still came in and joked like nothing had happened. But that was the only way he knew how to deal with these ghosts haunting his past. She might hate him, but he hated himself far more than she'd ever know. Lest he let himself be buried by guilt and grief, even though he knew he'd done what was right… he just had to keep making jokes.

"I don't expect you to understand. I'm just here for business. I'd use the Grassroot Couriers, but I need immediate information pertaining to someone I know used you," Bruno said.

"You want me to pay triple? Name your price and I'll pay it… barring killing myself."

"You want my price?" Kiera said, raising an eyebrow.

"Turn yourself in."

"Like I said… I'm not killing myself," Bruno replied.

"Surely you have something realistic in mind."

"Okay, I'll give you some information, but in turn…" she said, "I'm sending word to the Grand Council. They'll issue a manhunt for you and they'll ravage the city until they finally catch you. Do you still want my help?" Kiera looked pleased with offer. It was like she had forgotten who the fuck Bruno Karas, the [Gambler of Fate] was. Actually, he kept his class a secret from everyone. Still, she knew what kind of man he was.

"Deal," Bruno said, and his words wiped the smug grin right off her face. A man didn't receive a unique evolution class like that unless they truly were defined by it. Gambling for money was boring and trite. Gambling for living another day though? Oh boy, now that was something worth a wager.

"You're insane. You know how important Der—" Kiera cut herself off, the pain of memory too much for her to handle.

"You know how important he was to the Council. Three years isn't long enough for them to forget."

"I don't care. I'll bet risking my life in exchange for information," Bruno said.

"Besides, it could be fun causing that much chaos." Kiera let out a brief huff of air out of her nose, but didn't back down.

"Whatever, just keep Plank out of it. Because trust me… they will find you. Things have changed and there's some real monsters in the Council's employ now." Bruno laughed at this. She really had forgotten him hadn't she? She just wasn't aware of how much of a monster he had became in his time away. Whatever it was that she knew of, it didn't compare to the things Bruno had seen. Or maybe he was just too cocky and this would be his last bet. Fate was a fickle bitch, it was impossible to know what she had planned.

"Can we get down to business now? I'm sure you'd like me to leave as well," Bruno said.

"I need information on Janine Meadows and Amber Frezich… or maybe Amber took Janine's last name? I'm not sure on that one actually."

"Janine? Is she not responding?" Kiera asked, her concern genuine.

"It's been awhile since she stopped by, but I figured her work must be slow right now."

"Our work is anything but slow these days. No, something has happened to her, and I have no way of finding her on my own," Bruno said.

"My colleagues and I don't usually keep in that close of contact. Which is why when one of us does reach out… it means something important has happened. If she was able to respond, then she would."

"I haven't heard anything… but I also haven't been listening for news regarding her. At the same time, if something did happen to her in the lower city then it'd stick out. It's possible that she's in some trouble in the upper city," Kiera said, as much to him as to herself.

"Brandon is up in the office, he's been going through the upper city information pile. We can ask him." Kiera led Bruno into the hallway and went up the stairs all the way to the third floor. Opening the door the her office, Bruno saw a short, fat man rummaging through a stack of envelopes. Brandon jumped when he saw the two of them.

"Ah! Kiera! I haven't finished yet as there's a lot more to sort through than usual," Brandon said.

"Calm down, Brandon. I need information on a Janine and Amber Meadows. Check the District Zero stack, in particular the Palace informants. Also, maybe look at the Councils Courthouse," Kiera said, then she turned to address Bruno.

"I remember now that she was looking into fucking Romulus Hargrave of all people. I advised her to stop whatever it was she was searching for… but she's as stubborn as you. The last time I heard from her was when she requested a way into a dinner that Romulus was hosting."

"Funny, that was going to be the man I looked into next after I found Janine." Bruno felt a little sick hearing this. Deep down he had been hoping his suspicions about the [King] to have been nothing. If Janine was also looking into him, though… No one said anything and the only sounds that could be heard were Brandon digging through the info. After a few minutes, Brandon exclaimed and notified them he had found something. Kiera snatched the envelope and hastily opened it.

"A mysterious woman with long dark hair and tattoos of unknown meaning was moved into the Depths alongside a pale woman with short, red hair. The pair had received prior beatings. The damage looked to be intense. Had heavy muscle protecting the move. No further information was available for me to find."

"That seems… like it could be a problem," Bruno said, taking the note himself to read. The note had been dated four days ago, hopefully she was still alive.

"The Depths? Just what could she have done to warrant being sent there of all places?" Kiera said.

"A prison breakout wasn't exactly what I had in mind. Just how hard would it be for someone to break someone out of the Depths these days?"

"You might as well take my previous offer and kill yourself," Kiera said bluntly.

"Any chance you could perhaps delay the whole "reporting to the Council about me being back" thing?" Bruno asked, stretching his lips into a pained grimace. Kiera sighed and dropped her shoulders which had previously been clenched during the reading.

"Save her and I'll wait until after she's freed before telling anyone. Although… looks like you might be alerting them to your presence yourself." A betting man he might be, but even he didn't like his odds on a successful expedition into the Depths. Only the worst of the worst were sent down there. The odds weren't in his favor… But the payout if he won? Oh, man, that was a guaranteed level up surely.

It'd been so long since he'd seen those beautiful words pierce his unconscious and reward him for a bet well placed… Still, he would need an ace to be up his sleeve in order to pull this off. And it just so happened that he had a few potential aces in mind. They were risky to bring, no doubt about that, but… that added to fun, didn't it?