Crossed Fates (OLD)

Chapter 55: Incompetence

The next day... 9AM...

All of the Peeps are currently in the lounge area, shortly after having their breakfast.

Luke: "So, today marks the day me and Jesse are going to be helping the guys at the bar with this city's mafia problem."

Tezuka: "She grew up so fast..."

Luke: "What?"

Tezuka: "Jesse. Just like, a month ago she was just a girl in the background sitting in the corner only reading books. Now she's ready to rumble with the mafia, in the name of the Peeps! Bravo, girl! BRAVO!"

Jesse: "You're saying that as if I'm a kid..."

Tezuka: "Well, out of everyone here, you've probably got the least amount of battle experience."

Jesse: "W-Well, I've got the basics down, thanks to Tyler."

Tyler: "You've got the basics down, but we should probably find you a weapon you actually like using, you've always gotta have a plan B, Jesse. Oh, and I think I should probably help you with your elemental control..."

Luna: "Yeah, you've not got the best control with your element, Jesse."

Jesse: "I know... I'm working on it."

Toby: "Well, it was enough to save us from the void when we were sucked into it."

Luke: "I salute you, Jesse."

Jesse: "Thanks, guys."

Liv: "So those guys at the bar only want you two to help?"

Luke: "Only because the rest of you went elsewhere."

Liv: "Oh. I did leave because I was hungry. HYAHAHAHA!"

Tyler: "So, what does that mean for us? Can we still help?"

Luke: "You can all help in your own ways."

Toby: "Just none of the same stuff you're doing?"

Luke: "Nah. Leave that to me and Jesse, along with the boys in the bar."

Luna: "Yeah, I'm busy myself, making a new bow out of those void dragon scales."

Tezuka: "Siiick."

Luna: "Yeah, oh, and did you guys know that Luke invented something really cool that me and the blacksmith are making?"

Tyler: "Invention? Lemme hear it."

Luke: "It's a new mode of transport that doesn't use any horses."

Liv: "Ohoho! That sounds fun"

Luke: "Yep, I call it a motorbike!"

Tyler: "Well, I hope it's cool. A lot of things have been getting invented, like phones, TV... Hell, even some card games. My favourite's Poker. Whoever made that deserves my praise. It's fun."

Liv: "Hmph... Stupid Poker... Stupid Faith and Hope..."

Tezuka: "Sore loser still, Liv?"

Luke: "That has been something on my mind... Who exactly invented that stuff? Seems quite futuristic for the uh... Era we're in."

Tyler: "What do you mean by futuristic?"

Luke: "Like... How the hell are there phones and guns, but there's still horse carriages around everywhere?"

Luna: "Well, that's how it's always been, hon..."

Tyler: "Hah. There's my best bud, spewing out random shit like always. Someone just invented them, that's all. What? No way something like a carriage can move itself in the future. Those things are heavy."

Luke: "(...You'd be surprised.)"

Their conversation expands until 9:45AM. Luke and Jesse get their things.

Luke: "Alright gang, we're out of here."

Jesse: "Uhm..."

Jesse looks down at Kaley.

Jesse: "I'm going now, Kaley. You can pick your babysitter for now."

Kaley: "..."

Kaley timidly walks over to Toby, who scratches their head.

Toby: "Yeah, sure. I'll watch over Kaley for you. I've got nothing planned for today."

Jesse: "Thank you so much... I-I'll pay you back for this."

Toby: "Oh, there's no need to. I'd do things for free for my team."

Tezuka: "For free?"

Toby: "Uh..."

Tezuka: "Heh.-"

Luke: "...We're going now! Take care, you guys."

Tyler: "Yeah, take care of yourself, man. I'll be heading out with Tezuka anyways."

Tezuka: "Date number 2. Hope there's nobody making fun of me for my disability or my skin color this time."

Luke: "Yeah."

Luna: "I'll be out shortly as well."

Liv: "Me too!"

Toby: "So, it's just me by myself?"

Luke: "Not really, you've got Kaley with you."

Toby: "Yeah, guess so..."

Jesse: "Bye Kaley! I'll be back soon."

Kaley: "Bye..."

Kaley waves to Jesse, and Jesse waves back. Luke and Jesse then leave the inn, and they go on a walk towards the bar.

Luke: "I didn't say this yesterday, but nice outfit."

Jesse: "Hm? Oh, thanks."

Luke: "Did you figure out your resolve or something? Is that why they changed?"

Jesse: "Oh! Uh, no. Not because of that. I just bought new clothes. I decided to wear trainers instead of heels today, since heels suck to walk in..."

Luke: "Oh, rightio. It suits you though."

Jesse: "Thank you."

She sighs.

Jesse: "I just hope Kaley's going to be okay."

Luke: "Course she is. Toby's one loyal dude. He'll get whatever job you need him to do done. Such as taking care of a kid."

He grins.

Luke: "Plus, Toby's fluffy, and also an animal..."

Jesse: "A beastman?"

Luke: "Yeah, that. Toby's a beastman, same as Kaley. They might relate to one another."

Jesse: "Uhm... I hope so."

They eventually make it to the door of the bar.

Luke: "Well, here we are."

Jesse: "I hope we got here 10AM sharp..."

Luke: "Maybe."

They enter the bar. Blair, Aaron, Dallas and Sam are all sat around a table, with a lot of paper, maps.

Blair: "Oh, hey you two. Have a seat."

Luke: "Alright."

They both take a seat at the table. Luke is sitting next to Blair and Aaron, while Jesse is sitting next to Dallas and Sam.

Blair: "So... We've got a lot of sheets here, as you can see."

Luke: "Uh, duh. What're they for?"

Aaron: "We're trying to find where the mafia operates."

Luke: "Oh. Any leads?"

Blair: "Nope... We've checked a lot of buildings, yet we can't find a thing."

Dallas: "It's honestly infuriatin', partner."

Sam: "We can't even find a member of the mafia to tail for clues."

Jesse: "How come? Can you not tell if they're part of it?"

Blair: "No, and besides, everyone who lives here have really kind souls, except for those in the mafia."

Luke: "Seriously?"

Blair: "Yeah, so if we end up just following some random guy, we'll feel like assholes."

Luke: "I see."

Blair: "We've checked the boats on the river, we've even checked at the entrances to this city... Nothing."

Aaron: "We're stuck on a dead end here, fellas."

Blair: "I was hoping for some input of your own. Got any ideas where we could find any of these scoundrels?"

Luke: "Well, I can give it a go..."

Luke takes the sheets off of the table, and he analyses it very carefully.

Luke: "Hmm..."

Dallas: "Nothin'?"

Luke: "Wait..."

He points at a certain point of a map.

Luke: "Where's the closest manhole cover?"

Blair: "Manhole cover? Well, the closest one would have to be around..."

He points at the map right next to the bar.

Blair: "Right there. Why're you asking about that, anyways?"

Luke: "Well, have you checked the sewers?"

Blair: "..."

Aaron: "..."

Dallas: "..."

Sam: "..."

The Four: "WE DIDN'T THINK TO SEARCH IN THE SEWERS?!?"

Blair coughs afterwards.

Blair: "N-Not my fault. I didn't think they'd go into that disgusting place."

Sam: "Well, you should have been open to possibilities!"

Aaron: "Yeah, dumbass."

Dallas: "Says the rest'o you. You're all as equally as dumb."

Aaron: "I ain't going in the sewers."

Jesse: "Well, you guys have to man up! Especially for the folks in this city! They're counting on us!"

Blair: "...Yes. They're counting on the CEO's."

Jesse: "...CEO's?"

Sam: "Confidential Extraction Ops, our squad name."

Jesse: "Oh, okay. Yes, they're depending on the CEO's. Let's not disappoint them."

Blair: "She's right."

Blair stands up.

Blair: "Right. Here's my plan."

He points at the map.

Blair: "Let's not enter from the closest manhole. That'd just give our position away if we were caught."

His finger drags to the outskirts of the city.

Blair: "This right here, that's where another entrance to the sewers are. We'll all head there as soon as this meeting ends, but me and Sam won't be entering, the rest of you will be, though."

Dallas: "Very well, Blair."

Blair looks over to Jesse, who's currently zoned out.

Blair: "You listening, Glenlamont?"

Jesse still doesn't respond.

Blair: "...Glenlamont? Are you home?"

Luke: "JESSE!"

Jesse gets startled and she sits up.

Jesse: "Uh, yeah! I'll go do it!"

Blair chuckles, and he leans back on his chair.

Blair: "Good. Me and Sam'll be about. So if anything goes wrong... Come back as soon as you can."

Dallas: "Yeah, yeah. We know the drill."

Aaron: "Yeah, Blair. We know what we're doing."

He downs from his glass, and he slams it onto the table.

Aaron: "I'll also keep my eye out for the newbies."

Blair: "Good lad. Let's bounce, gentlemen."

Jesse: "..."

Blair: "...And Jesse."

Everyone stands up, and they grab their things while leaving the bar. Blair turns the sign to say "Closed". Blair takes them all to a very outer part of the city.

Blair: "We're here."

He leans up against a wall.

Blair: "...Oh yeah, let me get that for you."

The manhole cover suddenly begins levitating in the air, and it's placed right next to the now opened entrance to the sewers.

Luke: "Woah! Psychic Element?"

Blair: "Yeah... Did we not say our elements?"

Luke: "Uhh... No. I only know that Aaron's the ice dude."

Aaron: "That's because I'm cool as fuck, mate."

Dallas: "Don't get in over your head, partner."

Sam: "Yeah."

Aaron: "Whatever! Let's just head in there, fellas."

Luke: "Right."

Luke quickly climbs down the ladder that leads into the sewers, followed by Aaron and Dallas. Blair quickly stops Jesse.

Blair: "Hey... Stay safe out there, alright?"

Jesse: "Why'd you stop to only tell me that?"

Blair: "Well..."

Jesse: "Oh. Is it because I'm inexperienced? I know. I've got the basics down, I'll be okay."

Blair: "...Not what I was going to say-"

Sam: "It's because you're a woman. He's a ladies man. Doesn't want you getting hurt."

Jesse: "...I'll be okay! Don't worry!"

She climbs down the ladder, entering the sewers alongside the other 3. It's fairly dim inside, and the water is all sloppy and gross.

Jesse: "Ew! It stinks down here!"

Aaron: "Stinks of shit, yeah. It's a fucking sewer."

Jesse: "I-I know that. I'm just saying the smell's more like manure."

Dallas: "Y'think it smells o'animal shit?"

Jesse: "Yeah. It smells like dookie."

Luke: "Yeah, I had a dog that had smelly poops. Very smelly poops."

He sighs, and he takes a step in the sewers. The water drips beneath him, and it echoes very loudly.

Luke: "Damn, that echo is loud..."

He closes his eyes.

Luke: "Louder than Velz Cave..."

Aaron: "Louder than a what?"

Luke: "Oh, sorry. It just brought back some memories."

Aaron: "What? The echo?"

Luke: "Yeah."

Aaron: "Save the reminiscing for later. We have to keep on exploring these sewers for the mafia."

Luke: "Yes. Yes we shall, Glacial Sage."

Aaron: "Glacial Sage?"

Jesse: "Don't worry about it... Oh, and don't worry about me either, guys. I'm using this opportunity to learn and hone my skills maybe."

Dallas: "Everyday's a learnin' day. You not trainin' at that inn?"

Jesse: "I train whenever I get the chance."

Luke: "Same here. I do a whole lot of training regiments and stuff, thanks to my buddy Tyler."

Aaron: "Which one's he?"

Luke: "Beige hat dude."

Aaron: "Oh. He seemed a bit gloomy when he was at the bar the other day."

Luke: "He's okay now, so don't worry about it."

Aaron: "Alright."

Dallas: "Y'know, Blair and Sam was talkin' about maybe making an inn when we take down the mafia."

Luke: "You guys are thinking about making an inn? In a bar? Like, an upstairs area?"

Aaron: "Well, we're only thinkin' about it. It only came up when you guys came along. It would be easier if you were all much more easily accessible, y'know?"

Luke: "The inn is like... a 10 minute walk."

Aaron: "That 10 minute walk could cause problems, you know."

Dallas: "Plus, gives us the opportunity to talk to your squad more. We're all allies here, so it'd be nice excuse to get to know them."

Luke: "True. You guys might end up becoming good friends with them."

Dallas: "Exactly, partner."

Their conversation is cut short by a sudden noise. It sounded like something dropped.

Jesse: "What was that?"

Luke: "Dunno. It came around that corner."

Aaron: "You're in front Dallas. Go check."

Dallas: "Good gravy, I will."

He quickly tiptoes over to the corner, and he peeks his head around the corner, lifting up his hat a little with one of his revolvers. He sees a bunch of people at the end carrying crates and the sort across a cross-section in the sewer.

Dallas: "Good news... Or well, is it bad news?"

Aaron: "Just say it, Dallas."

Aaron puts his hand on Dallas' shoulder. Dallas grins and he looks over to Aaron.

Dallas: "I think we've found the exact people we were looking for."

Aaron: "No shit? They're here?"

Dallas: "Yeah. No shit."

Luke: "Wait, I want to see."

Jesse: "Me too!"

They all peek their heads around the corner.

Dallas: "They've already moved ahead. I w's just lucky enough to spot them."

Dallas quietly walks ahead, and everyone else follows.

Luke: "A cross-section? This isn't good. There's 3 ways we can go."

Dallas: "They went through into the left, but who knows? You're right. There could be more comin' in from any other direction."

Luke: "Damn... We have to be sneaky, here."

Dallas: "Seems like we have to be."

Dallas quickly runs to the middle of the cross-section, and he looks to the left. There's a huge group of people in a huge area. Some are on the floor of the sewer, some are on higher parts. He then quickly ducks behind the corner, looking back towards everyone else.

Dallas: "Let's see... 1, 7, 20... 'Bout 24 people in there."

He spits out some wheat he had in his mouth, and he quickly replaces it with another piece.

Luke: "Well, we found them... Do we head back?"

Aaron: "We might have to."

Jesse: "What are they all doing down here anyways?"

She pokes her head past the wall, and her eyes widen. There are crates of boxes marked as TNT, and there are cages filled with beastmen children inside, who all look absolutely filthy and battered. Jesse's eyes widen.

Jesse: "O-Oh my god..."

Dallas: "Yeah, a whole lot of them in there. I didn't much pay attention to anythin' else."

Jesse: "N-No! T-There's children!"

Dallas: "Oh shit. Must be traffickin' then."

Jesse suddenly unsheathes her sword, Luke gently holds her shoulder.

Luke: "No... Retreat. We found them, we have to report to Blair, right?"

Aaron: "Correct."

Dallas: "C'mon, let's just get out of here, before they notice-"

Jesse suddenly sprints ahead.

Dallas: "-us!"

Luke: "W-What are you doing?! Hey! Jesse!"

She scrapes her feet on the floor, quickly braking on the floor. All the people in the room look over at her.

Mafia Member 1: "Hm? Who's the bitch?"

Mafia Member 2: "An escort, maybe? Did'ja call for one?"

Mafia Member 3: "Strict rules against callin' one. Besides, why would there be one in the sewer?"

Mafia Member 2: "Oh. Then just shoot 'er. Can't be bothered with these randoms."

Jesse: "..!"

Luke and the others desperately run after Jesse.

Luke: "Jesse! Fall back, fall back!"

Dallas: "You'll get yourself killed, you damn idiot!"

BANG!

Jesse: "Ghk..!"