The recoil of my ability had started to take hold, and my head pounded on the sides. Strong threw the bill-skipper over his shoulder and walked away with the host half dancing as he followed the pair. Deemo tended to another patron and took the payment of a third before returning to me and pouring herself a glass of bourbon.

  "Are you allowed to drink on the job?" I asked with an eyebrow raised.

  "Kyu," she paused after she took a sip. "You're new, so I'll go over how we like to do things. When the Duchess isn't here, I'm the one in charge. Strong and Quinn, two that I'm sure you're familiar with, are my right and left hands... when Quinn actually shows up to work. He's a good host: he may be unreliable when it comes to showing face, but give him a task, and he's often done before you turn around.

  "The other bartenders — don't worry about their names unless you want to work for them — have their own bouncers and waiters too, but the Duchess lets them run their own little areas as long as they do what she or I say. Hunters, like you, are free lancers. We get bounties, and they pick them up whenever they come around.

  "Also, any gossip or whispers that we may hear from our often drunk customers is often freely shared among the staff. Even if something isn't free, it can be purchased nine times out of ten." She casually took another sip of her drink. "Long story short, think of this place as an underground hub for the semi-legal and outright illegal world you've been volunteered for."

  I blinked a few times trying to process the implications of everything that she said. My water glass was sweating, and the napkin underneath was getting soaked the longer I went without finishing my drink. The warm lights, most of them candles and lanterns, danced on the wall while smooth jazz filled the bar.

  I knew that there was an underworld in Hoenn City, but had I pictured more like what I had found in the Suzuki den. The crime families held a decent amount of control where the Office of the Mayor and the authorities fell short, but Eclipse spent roughly ten years changing that last time. Being around before their rise to power never ceased to leave me at a loss for words.

  "So there you have it." Deemo finished her drink. "No contracts, no obligations, just take a bounty and follow the instructions. Most of them are wanted alive, but there are a few that don't really care... if that makes any difference to you." She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye.

  "Damien must have hyped me up a lot," I sighed. "I'll take a live-only one and get them back soon."

  She called for a small girl dressed as a waitress. The girl ducked into a door designated for staff only and emerged moments later with a stack of papers weighed down on her platter. Without saying a word to either of us, she handed off the platter, bowed, and left.

  "Take your pick." Dimo handed me the stack.

  As I thumbed through the stack, a few of the names stood out. I remembered them from my past life: I had brought them to their individual ends. One name and description caught my attention: Solomon Grimes. His crimes were heinous, and his bounty had only increased over the months since it was first posted. It was clear that it hardly mattered who wanted whom brought in or dispatched since Grimes was a prominent councilman. I took his as well as a familiar money launderer's.

  "Grimes, huh," Dimo started. "I thought you said you didn't want dead or alive postings?"

  "I'm just holding on to it in case I come across him. Besides, call it a shred of humanity, but something about crimes against children really boils my blood for some reason."

  "Fair enough." She shrugged as she took the remaining pages. "Just don't end up like the others, caught by his security or arrested by the authorities that he keeps around."

  "You've seen me in action," I replied in a deadpan voice. "I won't."

  I finished my drink and turned to leave. My head was still going on with a low pounding, but it was bearable. I passed Quinn the host on the way out, and he gave me the same whimsical smile that he had when I walked in the first time along with a wave.

  "Do come back soon, Kyu."

  *  *  *  *  *

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Back in the Sonder District, I picked up the trail of one Meiji Yasuda. He was wanted by a different branch of the Kawasaki crime family than I had previously dealt with for scamming them over the course of years as he laundered their money, taking a significant chunk for himself. His business was in the Forsī District, but he would hardly be at the office past noon. His real days were spent elsewhere.

  In the week since I had picked up the bounties, I had wandered most of the downtown districts. Each had their own quirks and qualms, but Cirsam was still easily the worst. Sonder, at least, had something interesting. It had started as a way for the crime families to end bad blood without unnecessary bloodshed, a large arena three stories underground.

  As time went on, and meta abilities became more prevalent, it became a place to watch high-stakes cage fights. The criminal underground were not the only ones drawn in by this prospect. The Battlefield drew a number of the rich and affluent, and it was where Meiji Yusada spent a lot of his time.

  I found the building that stood on top of the Battlefield. At first glance, it was a run down hotel barely clinging to life. There were broken and boarded windows, graffiti-covered walls, and even a dog relieving itself near the front door. Around the back, however... The story was almost the same. The entrance to the underground parking lot was chained off, but with a single slightly-higher step, I was in.

  The first floor was almost completely empty save a few makeshift tents and a handful of hollowed-out cars. The occasional fire barrel could be seen as well, and I was reminded of my time spent in the Lower Circle during the Thelen Kryne mission.

  I wonder if Daīn City will come to pass again... Is there anything any of us can do to stop it?

  I shook my head and refocussed on the job at hand. The second floor down started to show more signs of life, and the third showed the true face of the operation. The elevator which was boarded up on the first and second floors, was open, and half a dozen men were piling in. Each of them was dressed in suits with ear pieces and a smaller man in the middle of them.

  I'll eventually think of a way past Grimes' security detail and pet authorities, but for now, this slime ball.

  I then saw the checkpoint complete with metal detectors and armed guards. Without hesitation, I froze time and slipped past them. Once inside, I found a bathroom, entered one of the empty stalls, and allowed time to flow freely again. When I walked out, the scene almost overwhelmed me.

  It was almost as if the main body of Crescent Stadium had been recreated underground. Stands wrapped around the expansive center stage that boasted three gargantuan cages with fighting rings in each of them. Each ring had a long pathway leading underneath the stands. I smelled the wafting beer and fried food in the air implying the presence of at least one pub. In certain areas of the stands were almost bunker-like areas that were presumably for VIP guests. The sheer number of people was probably greater than had been at the high school competition.

  Finding that sleaze ball in all of this is going to be a nightmare.

  I started my search at the pub that I had smelled before. While almost entirely unhelpful, the young bartender could be persuaded to sell information. Unfortunately, Meiji had been at the bar over two hours before I arrived, and the bartender was unsure if he was still present. With much less money than what I had started with, I made my way for one of the payout collection centers.

  It figures that the existence of the fights would imply betting on the fights. Maybe they've seen him.

  Again, I was likely too late, according to the equally unhelpful middle-aged woman behind the counter. It was only when I waved money in front of her that she acknowledged my existence to begin with. With two failures under my belt, my options were quickly being limited. I eyed the bunker areas and found four of the six had people in them.

  With time frozen once again, I made my way to the first bunker. It held an elderly couple with a slew of guards but no Meiji. The second had a presumably powerful or at least well-connected man seated between two beautiful women and a few more guards standing around, but again no Meiji. The third, ironically, had the same situation, but with the genders swapped, but still no Meiji. Finally, I walked into the fourth bunker annoyed to see a young couple in a compromising position with no guards.

  You two really couldn't just go to a hotel? Where the hell is this slime ball? Did I miss him?

  Not wanting to run the risk of a greater backlash, I released my hold on time, and the announcer took the stand in the middle of the three cages.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a special event!" His voice boomed. "Turn your attention to the Silver Ring!"

  In the ring, a small man was clawing at the cage clearly begging to be let out. I recognized him instantly as Meiji Yasuda, and my eyes almost rolled into the back of my head. He had probably run out of funds and was being punished by being made to fight a one-sided fight for entertainment and humiliation.

  "In the western corner, the man we've all come to love to hate, Meiji Yasuda!"

  Laughs and boos echoed from the crowd.

  I think it's safe to say he won't be missed once I scoop him up. Let's just wait to see how beat up he gets first.

  "And in the eastern corner, The Terror of the Tower, The Calamity of the Cages! Give it up for your champion, Double Take!"

  The crowd went wild, and a figure walked out onto the walkway. They dragged something beside them and wore a sports jacket. Their blonde hair flowed despite its relatively short length. As they climbed into the ring and the cage shut, they turned around to receive their cheers. I saw their face fully, and my eyes widened — Number 26.