Tales of Undeath: The Von Virtus Chronicles

XXVIII. Tourniquet

Before long, it was nighttime. The four of them gathered at the orphanage to present their findings.

Rel: So... Who wants to go first?

Neither Jargen nor Punjo seemed too eager to start. Rel sighs.

Rel: So... Not much luck either, huh?

Jargen shakes his head.

Jargen: All we managed to find out is that Cabdan's not gonna be around here for a while. The guard near his prostitution ring said so himself.

Punjo nods.

Punjo: And we can believe 'im, trust us... We made sure.

Rel and Virno look at each other, slightly concerned with how they managed to ensure the guard spoke the truth...

Virno: Alright, well I guess that's something at least. As for us, we only managed to uncover that Cabdan basically handed the fighting arena over to his goons to do with as they please. But what's more curious than that is that one of his men warned us to stay indoors tonight...

Rel: Right. Apparently, things around here are going to get more dangerous than usual after the sun goes down. 

Punjo and Jargen look at each other. Their eyes widen.

Rel: Are you guys' family home?

Punjo: All good on my end.

Jargen: Same here, thankfully.

Rel nods.

Rel: Good. Virno has also warned his mother, and we made sure to alert as many people as we could... Though, to be fair, most didn't seem to believe us. This is why I propose we try a different approach...

Rel closes the door of the room they were in. Virno moves close to a large sheet of cloth that seems to be covering something quite big.

Virno: We had some time to kill before our meeting here. It's not much, but we did our best...!

He removes the cloth, unveiling a pile of weapons underneath. All of them were variations of mainly wooden tools, some sporting either nails or razors attached. They seemed rather flimsy overall, but it was better than nothing.

Virno: Take your pick!

Punjo and Jargen approach the pile.

Rel: ... We'll patrol the streets tonight, keep the slums safe. If we can't keep people away from the danger, we'll have to keep the danger away from people.

They grin from ear to ear.

Punjo: About damn time we get t'have some fun...

Jargen: You said it. Tearing and nailing planks all day gets pretty boring. But it does get your body used to certain "motions"...

They each grab the biggest mallets they could find. 

Rel: Can't say I'm surprised you'd pick those...

Jargen smiles.

Jargen: I'd rather fight with just my hands... But it's best to be prepared for the worst.

Rel picks up a bat with nails nailed onto the head, while Virno chooses a plank with razors attached to the edges. There were bandages around the grips, and they had been ground to become circular, to make them easier to grab and hold.

Punjo: Laddies... Be ready for anything tonight. Alright?

Punjo's question sent shivers down Rel and Virno's spine, but they nodded anyway.